#Tunes: Music is a Mortal Law

[eraserisms]

I push my fingers into my eyes It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache

[vacantgodling]

The Chronicles of Lathsbury -> CRASH COURSE

Part 2: The Mythology and Lore of Terrae

As of writing version 2.0 of the TCOL crash course there are 7 major deities in Terrae and an ever growing list of minor deities. Instead of being speculation, deities are a proven concept in Terrae and most people are religious. Superstitions aren’t terribly common, though it varies from region to region. Those who reside in Diisai have a lot of superstitions, for instance, especially when you venture further into the countryside.

The concept of “heaven” exists… somewhat. Terraneans believe that when they die (and are properly buried) all souls, regardless of their deeds in life, go to be one with their host of deities in Cerullius. However, if you are not given a proper burial, your spirit will continue to wander Terrae until either your body or remains are buried, or unless The Lady of the Mists comes to guide you home.

Proper etiquette for referring to any deity by their name in writing is to write it in ALL CAPITALS, which is why you see me do it whenever I talk about any of the deities in passing. However, when speaking about deities in casual conversation it’s considered more polite to refer to them by an epithet (which I am still workshopping their many, many epithets so stay tuned for that eventually). When deities speak to each other (ie: when I write lore scenes about deities) I will not capitalize their names as they are not above or below each other (even minor deities to major deities). Guardians also get a pass in this regard though they are different than deities proper.

Major deities and their general jurisdictions are as follows:

IIARAN — goddess of the universe & creation ; the sky, stars, constellations and celestial bodies ; wonder & awe ; song, melody, and dance ; birth, children, life

IISIDIA — goddess of the universe & destruction ; rhythm, harmony & musical instruments ; The Labyrinth and magic ; death & aging ; black holes, supernovas, comets, asteroids ; forces beyond understanding ; loyalty

MIZDARR — god of nature, plants, forests ; docile animals and monsters ; fun, play and laughter ; hunting, survival, brutality ; duality & chaos

MUINENS — goddess of justice, law and order ; protection from strife/hardship ; peace, victory, integrity, truth ; fate, destiny, prophecies, heroes ; land exploration and travel & cities

MIRANKA — god of fertility, mating & sexual intercourse ; family, friends, comradery & relationships ; desire & romance ; marriage ; unconditional love ; beauty ; ambition

YUTARA — deity of healing, hygiene & medicine ; immunity & poison ; studiousness, language & communication ; androgyny & gender expression ; perseverance

YLENE — goddess of battle, courage & bravery ; natural instincts, recklessness, desperation ; Guilds ; teamwork & collaboration ; strife & loss ; natural disasters ; strength & fortitude

Minor deities are usually venerated mortals by the cast of deities as they are instrumental in creating certain aspects of Terrae that did not exist before them. They are as follows:

MARTH is the founder of alchemy; a trans masc (as we know it) who cast aside his veil and family’s wishes for a daughter to provide heirs to pursue science. He is the the god the city of Marthveil is named after, the creator of alchemy and it’s corresponding magic: muram, the brachum calces alchemists use, as well as blacksmithing, fire, metals and minerals.

KOST is the god of boats, seafaring, bodies of water, fish, and travel. The city of Kost is named for him, and was the site of the creation of the first rudimentary sailboat.

KIBARUM is the god of alcohol, the harvest, and relaxation. He is worshiped particularly heavily in Diisai, where he is rumored to have origins from.

EFFE is the goddess of winds, gales, gusts, and has jurisdiction over the weather and was venerated from the former prisoner of Eros Twilightsorrow Idanly, whose name and role in the discovery and application of the magic tenom have all been but scrubbed from history books. Very few know this goddess’s origins.

The Lady of the Mists (who is only referred to by her singular epithet) was originally a Aegean princess named Princess Pinella Dia and was one of the elder siblings of the first king of The Kingdom of Lathsbury, Mitică the Nomad or King Mitică Dia. She died in a land bridge collapse on their flight to what would become The City of Sorrows (or Ubwyn) and was venerated by the deity YUTARA to help guide souls who weren’t properly buried to Cerullius.

The Demon King is the only “deity” on this list with an asterisk, as it is a changing position among the beasts of The Labyrinth. For simplicity’s sake; The Demon King is the ruler of monsters, and is the most powerful beast (as beasts and monsters are different—again, to simplify the difference is that beasts can use magic while monsters cannot) in The Labyrinth. The reigning Demon King can be killed or overpowered by Terraneans or other beasts, who will then consume their flesh to gain even more power. The current reigning Demon King and main antagonist of the main storyline (part 1 anyway) is Lord Evondra—who has been asleep but growing more powerful over the past 300 years.

Palanthia is more of a concept than a full fledged deity; but the word palanthia in old Aegean means “hope” and it is the spirit of hope and miracles. It is not a deity with a humanoid form, but takes the form of the goddess MUINENS’s giant shield, which all protector’s shields are modeled after.

QHOZION is the alter of IISIDA, meaning that he is a separated part of the goddess but they are still virtually the same being. he is the overseer of the long forgotten fallen world of Lapsundi. no deity but IISIDA and MIZDARR know he exists but his and Lapsundi’s existence are the subject of the second book in the series. he is a god of ruin and ruins, reincarnation, and negative emotions, sacrifice, and amnesia.

BRULENE is the trans fem (as we know it) sister of YLENE, cut from the goddess’s own breast to create her. she is the goddess of sculpting and statues, monuments, pottery and kilns, tactical strategy, weaving and looms, and gift giving.

Guardians are venerated Terraneans who die in an cause observed and deemed necessary by the cast of deities, and they are given immortality, wings, a weapon forged of the spirit of one they hold dear (who usually dies with or around the same time as them) and the ability to more directly interact with Terraneans than the gods — who cannot and can only communicate with Terraneans under very certain circumstances or through oracles. There is only ONE Guardian allowed per era, and their veneration usually marks the end of an era in Terranean history as it transitions into the next one.

Currently, there are 3 Guardians, as there are 3 major eras:

Lath, Guardian of Valor his weapon is forged from the spirit of his best friend, Ensio

Immordia, Guardian of Exploration her weapon is forged from the spirit of her youngest son Gawain

Arian Bloom, Guardian of Love has not received his weapon yet

Currently Terrae is in its 4th era, which is currently nameless as there has been no Guardian venerated yet.

Finally, oracles are how the deities communicate with mortals and are more commonly found among the people of Terrae. Oracles can be chosen in three ways:

Divine Visions that are verified by others who serve the same deity

Through an Oracle’s Blessing which is something most* Terraneans receive when they are born. It’s not always a prophecy (though they can be) but it usually is some sort of vision for how their life will go generally speaking—think of it as astrology.

Through an Oracle’s Feat, which is the process that one can choose to go through if you wish to be recognized by a deity to become a direct mouthpiece for them.

The deity with the most oracles on Terrae is MUINENS and they are known by the moniker OOM (which stands for Oracle of MUINENS). They most commonly deliver oracles blessings and there are many throughout all of Terrae. They can only be chosen through divine visions or through an oracle’s blessing.

The second most common oracles are those who serve the MIRANKA and act as both wedding officiants, bond forgers, and relationship counselors. They are known as OOMI (standing for Oracle of MIRANKA). They are only chosen through Oracle’s Feats, which is essentially like if you were to go for your doctorate in psychology… but more magical and with more perks!

The third most common oracles are only found in Eros, and those are of the war and strife goddess YLENE. They are called Champions of Honor (or COHs) because they are chosen through Oracle’s Feats but specifically through a battle to the death. There is only one COH at a time and they last until their death or until a challenger kills them.

Finally, the only other deity in Terrae that has oracles is IISIDIA, though they are few and far between. They do not tend to have highly respected or visible places of practice, and how to become one is a mystery. Not many are usually seen; they are rumored to roam the wilds studying Deeper Magic, creation and chaos.

[an-darth-maiden]

Introducing myself and giving an explanation.

Hi everyone! 🙋🏻‍♀️

My name is Ana, but you can call me An or Annie.

I'm Mexican.🇲🇽

I like many things like animals, read history, classic novels, esoteric stuff and magic, manga, watch anime, belly dance, music, tv shows and movies, videogames.

Some of my favorite things are:

Animals like felines and canines (ALL OF THEM!), bats, hummingbirds, crows, rabbits, bears.

History:Ancient Egypt (everything about that time), and other historical periods (Middle ages, Ilustration era, Victorian era).

About the cultures of my country I love the Aztec (Mexica) culture, Mayan culture, Toltec culture and others.

My favorite books are:

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Other books I love that are on Spanish are "Cuentos de la selva" (Jungle tales) by Horacio Quiroga

"El Diosero" by Francisco Rojas González .

About the Esoteric stuff, I'm a Tarot and Oracle reader, I learn and practice Reiki, I love quartz, rocks and minerals for spiritual, magic and therapeutic uses, talismans and charms, candles, dowsing with pendulum, astrology.

Anime I like Yu-Gi-Oh, InuYasha, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Card captor Sakura, Record of Ragnarok, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z (just to mention a few).

I'm not a belly dancer, but I really enjoy belly dance (oriental dance). I practice at home by the moment. I hope I could go to a dance academy someday.

I like the Egyptian style. Particularly, the Golden era period. Some of my favorite dancers are Souhair Zaki, Samia Gamal, Tahiya Carioca.

Music: I like the music of the past century, specially since the 70's till 90's. I like disco and funk, classic rock, hard rock, glam metal, heavy metal, but also the New Wave or Pop music.

My favorite singer is Michael Jackson.

And my favorite band is Guns N ' Roses.

Tv shows and Movies I watch a lot. I like animated shows and movies, action and superhero, some comedies, medical drama, police drama, supernatural shows.

My favorite films are Alice in wonderland (animated and Tim Burton's version), The Prince of Egypt, Beauty and the Beast, The Mummy and The Mummy returns, Hitch, School of Rock, The Nightmare before Christmas, Sam Raimi's Spiderman films, Star Wars franchises.

My favorite shows are Looney tunes, Powerpuff girls, Arrow , Friends, The Big Bang Theory, House M.D , E.R, Law and Order Special Victims Unit, White collar, Supernatural, Charmed.

This last year, I've been watching a lot of K-drama. I'm really enjoying it.

Videogames like Castlevania ( I like both, videogames and the Netflix TV shows), Halo, Mortal Kombat, Devil May Cry for example.

I had a Tumblr account with the same name before. It was fully dedicated as a fan blog of Castlevania. Many of the things that I had were some of my silly memes about Castlevania Netflix (most of them about Alucard).

I deleted the account because I was very inactive here and I felt a little bit limited by just post about Castlevania.

Sometimes I reblogged the nice drawings of friends that are here, sometimes I shared about ancient Egyptian history, but not so often.

After deleting the account, I didn't feel well about leave this place, so, I decided to create an account and start all over again.

I want to use this place to connect with people that enjoy the same things that I do.

So, I hope find again the cool friends who are still here, but at the same time, find new friends.

With the time, I'll be re-posting the material of Castlevania that I posted before, just in case there's someone interested.

For the last, I want to share some pictures of my favorite things.

Thanks for your attention.

🙏🏻✨

[typhin-hoofbun]

Exodimensional Hoofbun Flopsy - Art by CatmonkShiro ( FurAffinity Profile )

What happens when a mage on Terra decides to create an entirely new class of golem? Meet Flopsy, the first ever “Living Construct”, something that can think rationally and solve problems in order to carry out orders much more reliably! No longer will your Construct walk through a crate because you forgot to tell it to walk around! No longer will you send it to the store with the command, “Pick up a cured ham, and if they have eggs, get twelve” and have it come back with twelve hams because they had eggs! A new revolution, and it comes in this wonderfully soft rabbit/horse hybrid form, or any combination of creatures the customer wants! …If only the wizard Adraykon could actually get a second prototype to successfully awaken. When the problem of the Storms is getting worse, and the funding for Living Construct research is drying up, he turns his attention to understanding the Storms and finding a way to protect people. But his “Living Construct” got the attention of the Sightless Third Eye, a cult that believes magic shouldn’t be in the hands of mortals, and is willing to murder mages because of it. When Flopsy’s Master is murdered right as he managed to stabilize a Storm into a portal between Terra and an unknown place, the experiment implodes and sends poor Flopsy through the window of an office building in Lapine Falls, Colorado. By day, she takes on a (mostly) human form, working at a crystal shop in the mall, but by night, she fights crime as the local cryptid/superhero the internet calls “The Superbunny”! Now she must grapple with questions like “What do I do now, without orders from my Master?” and “What is the purpose of life if I can’t Serve?” and “Why is this world strangely familiar? Why do I know what a ‘car’ is? Why do people call that playful tune I hum when I stack boxes ‘Tetris Music’?” and “Friends are telling me to be an independent person. How do I be a ‘person’? Or ‘independent’?”

Explores themes of learning how to be yourself, while being a double reverse isekai exploration of Earth through the eyes of a hoofbun capable of lifting 1600 pounds over her head, and also making peace with a strongly-imprinted core belief of “I have to be useful to be liked/tolerated/allowed to exist” and finding a way to live life regardless. Superhero comic book in the form of a novel series, inspired more by Spider-Man than Superman, with a touch of “not taking itself too seriously” (The title is meant to evoke that sort of wild “anime character intro splash screen” feeling), but can still be pretty heavy on the feelings. Violence is usually minimal, as Flopsy has been raised on the law that "A Construct Cannot Kill a Human”, but when she’s forced to in order to save the life of her best friend… It shatters everything she’s ever known about herself and her life, and even months later, she’s still struggling to cope with things. Though the therapy is helping.

Book 2 (just starting up) just had her evil twin show up and wreck a convention center! What will she do against a foe who has not just her appearance, but also her strength and speed and toughness?

[britcision]

My players finally got to this part so here’s a lil fey folk story I wrote for our game! It’s the Feywild’s story about the Incursion, a level 20 boss fight that occurred pre-campaign

———————

The Three Sisters

When the days were long and the nights were deep, there lived three sisters in the Feywild. Born of the Dawn they grew tall and strong, until one by one they went their way into the mortal world.

The eldest had a heart of song and a spine of steel, rigid and unchangeable and she looked at the world and made it play to her tune. But her bonds were too strong, her back too straight, and she could not bend herself to the ways of that world and so they hunted her.

The youngest opened her heart to the dark places and heard their call, and stepped forth to do all of the good that the shadows can hide. She looked at what her eldest sister wrought and joined the hounds that hunted her, decrying what was spilled in her wake. She was rigid too, armoured in metal and she did not know how to bend any more than her sister did.

Ah, but the middle sister. She had the heart of the true Feywild, fickle and changing, flowing with the sea and moving with the wind. She did as she pleased, filled her heart with Chaos and the wild places, and danced over all the lands of that world.

She watched her sisters quarrel, saw how their hard, unyielding backs brought them to struggle after struggle. Not for she, light as a breeze and following only the tides of chaos that flowed long before there were stars. She could flit away, avoid their fighting and busy herself in creations of her own.

Through time on time the sisters clashed, and the middle sister chose which path suited her best, as all the wise do. Sometimes with her musical, cruel older sister. Sometimes with the dark, sweet younger.

None could ever emerge the winner, for even with those who joined the younger sister to aid her, her power was no greater than her older sisters. And neither elder nor younger could bend to see where their paths might uncross.

None dared come between them when the sisters clashed for their blood held true, and neither elder nor younger could stand to allow any not of their blood to end their feud. Trapped they were, in iron rules and mortal laws, unable to see how they might be freed.

And then one day the younger sister learned of a threat beyond all the planes. A foolish celestial, seeking power beyond even that so easily given to the gods, looking to tear the mortal world asunder and use its death to push them into ruler of all that was left.

And seeing this, knowing what would come if they were ever to set but a foot on this plane, the younger sister was finally able to swallow her pride. This was beyond family, beyond feud, beyond even the Feywild itself; this was death for all.

And so she went to her sisters and told them what she had learned. The three had all found their own places, their own alliances, and having come together they now split apart further than ever before, into all of the planes.

The eldest sister roused heroes of the material plane and the celestial, called to the creatures of magic and the worlds within.

The younger sister reached out into the abyssal and infernal planes, to the elemental planes and the lands between.

The middle sister called out into the astral sea for those who lived beyond the stars, for that chaos beyond creation, and to our own people of the Feywild.

All came to answer that call, whatever their old allegiances, for it has long been known that the mortal world holds the key. To tear it apart is to displace all other planes in their spin, and the power gained from this most fragile of the worlds would be explosive.

It could not be allowed to happen.

And the three sisters stood, with the might of the Feywild and all other worlds behind them, and made the final plan; to use the first crack as celestial foot touched mortal earth, and take that first spike to drive the fool and its followers beyond the edge of the planes themselves, wiping them from time.

The eldest sister called the time, playing her great violin and leading a band of seven bards in weaving the spell. The middle sister let herself open wider than ever before, poured the chaos of her birth into the spell to give it power. And the youngest sister took her blade in hand and with her companions drove the fool back into the trap, removing all trace of their existence.

But nothing comes without a cost, and many fey lives were lost that day in the battle as realms sundered. The fool had known there would be resistance and raised its own army, and then the great crack as time itself was rent in twain unleashed cataclysms that felled many more.

All of the realms felt the break, bits and pieces tumbling and falling into one another, and to this day there are now many places where one may simply step from one plane to the next, without even a touch of magic. But the planes are not all kind and good as ours, and to walk too loosely in such places can only mean death.

Many heroes from all the realms gave their lives that the rest might live, and they are honoured in every place that a realm breaks. But they are not all that was lost in the battle.

Something was stolen from the youngest sister at her moment of victory, as the fool and his follower fell back into that place beyond the worlds. Something was taken, left behind in that dark place forever beyond the reach of time and memory, and though the sister survived she was ever changed.

She was still boned in steel, rigid and unable to bend, and so like all rigid things when the tension breaks she was shattered and fell in shards into the dark which claimed her.

The eldest too has not been seen since that day, but the days are still long, and the nights are still deep, and in time, who can say?

[smolvenger]

Stella of Essex or The Vicar's Wife Betrayed Series. Chapter 7: Purple Hyacinth

A Fix-It Fanfiction Series of The Essex Serpent

Pairing: some Stella Ransome/William Ransome but focusing on the tragedy of their marriage, eventually Stella Ransome/Male OC

Series Summary: The Essex Serpent is reimagined and told from the perspective of Stella Ransome. And with a new ending. Stella must come to terms with not only her mortality but her husband's heartbreaking affair. A picture of a marriage of love and bliss torn apart by a husband's infidelity. And Stella herself in the center of it all, torn between a wife's duty and her own quiet but present rage. Where in the midst of devastating heartbreak she gains her strength, finds her voice, and dares to seek freedom, hope...and even revenge.

Chapter Summary: In Which, Stella mourns her husband's affair with The Woman. And makes a decision.

Warnings: Eventual Major Character Death, Discussions of Adultery and the Trauma of Being Cheated On, Female Rage, Mentions of Suicide, ANGST, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Illness, Victorian era Marriage laws, Religion, Mentions of death and the almost death of a child- but the child doesn't actually die. Greif and Betrayal and Stella grieving and being sad and angry about William cheating (she has every right to be), being Anti-William and Anti-C*ra so if you like them or this pairing you have been warned. Good For Her Plotline

Ko-Fi

Ao3 Link

Chapter Word Count: Less than 5K

Prologue//One//Two//Three//Four//Five//Six

“And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That suck'd the honey of his music vows, Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; …O, woe is me T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!” - Hamlet, Shakespeare, II.I.132

GILDA Ah, these are the loving words... ...the scoundrel spoke once to me!

RIGOLETTO (to Gilda) Hush, weeping can do no good, etc.

GILDA O wretched heart betrayed, do not break for sorrow.- Rigoletto, English Translation

“Such was her affection for him, that she loved him in all places, and was desirous of doing anything for his convenience, credit, and comfort…How much more commendable was the behavior of these women than that of those who rail at their imprudent or incontinent husbands, and by their conduct render that home which before was undesirable, quite hateful, and insupportable!”- Alexander Walker, Woman Physiologically Considered, as to Mind, Morals, Marriage, Matrimonial Slavery, Infidelity, and Divorce.

“And (God) said…Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:11-12, KJV

I remember shaking.

They finished. they smiled at each other and kissed once more. William and The Woman wandered further into the woods, clutching hands.

My legs gave in beneath me. I caught myself. Doubting everything I saw. Wondering if I was in a nightmare. But it was when I looked down and saw how my knuckles were clenched and I saw the last tail end of William’s tan coat vanish that I knew it was real.

Pulling myself onto the windowsill. Everything seemed to spin as I returned to my- no- our bedroom.

I went to the bookshelf and grabbed one of my journals, one of the older ones. I turned it to the page with the gardenia from years ago. The one William gave to me. His very first gift. The one that gave me hope that maybe he loved me. Keeping it open, I clutched it to my heart.

I couldn’t cry. I hugged onto it tighter on the chair and ducked my head down, squeezing my eyes shut. Then opening them.

I used to love this room. That sacred space where so many beautiful memories and moments. How bitter, sad, dusty, and dark it all looked. The blue walls seemed grey in the dim light. The fireplace was cold and dark. The plates and pillows I decorated looked ugly and gaudy. It was all bitter and haunted and disgusting.

I went over and sat down on the bed. I placed a hand over the covers sweeping through them. It crumpled into a fist as I buried my face into the blankets.

This bed was mine and William’s. The centerpiece of our beautiful little world. It was the bed where our marriage was consummated. Where he used his body to tell mine it loved it. Where our five children were created. The bed where we had our own quiet oasis at the end of each long day. Now it was tainted and abandoned. Once it was dented from his weight and soft from the pressing of his body. Now it felt like a rock, even the blankets felt cold to me.

Did she know everything he promised to me? That he gave me flower seeds and wrote me love letters? That he held my hand as we watched Julianna’s small casket lowering into the ground? That he stayed up late rocking little James to sleep when he cried at night so I could sleep? Did she know what he said to me? That I was his star, his angel? That he made vows before none other than the regional bishop and all Aldwinter that he would be my husband. That he would be mine until death did us part. And he was still alive, and so was I. Sick, weak, dying, but alive.

I turned my face up and saw that we had decorated some of the walls and bookshelves with photos. I traced my hand over the photo of our wedding day- me looking down demurely in a white lacy dress with a bustle and William, then with only a hint of a beard.

There was a photo of me holding little Joanna on the day of her christening- christened by her father! The man who represented and lead none other than the church! Who spoke of morality, what was right and what was wrong, and how to avoid sin.

Then, finally, there was a photo of the five of us- of our three surviving children and us. I and William were seated, Joanna and John in the back and James on the side as the dog sat obediently next to us.

All those happy, peaceful memories and moments were for nothing!

I set down the photos and staggered into his study. His room. The very place where he learned all about how to be a Christian Man and preach it to others. On his desk were the piles of papers. I blinked, and then picked them up, reading them. I found they were not any drafts of a book. No, they were letters. Letters from The Woman. And drafts of letters to The Woman. The dates on the far-left corners were all recent. As early as the week she arrived here.

I read them word for word. There were discussions. Discussions of the Serpent. Of Leviathan. Of the Aldwinter beach. Of Joanna’s antics and Frankie’s. Of faith and science. Then it changed.

The letters were of love. Love. She returned his feelings. The drafts were all confessing the longing in his heart and body for her.

Not for me. Not for his wife. For her.

One letter from her wrote how she noticed how longingly he would look at her at dinner. That she noticed his glances and stares. It was at the very dinner where I made the roast, vegetables, and biscuits in her welcome. I wasn’t even sick then. And I was present.

The letter fell from my hand and I became dizzy, falling onto the chair and clutching onto its arm of it for support. I felt a lump in my throat, but not from blood.

Oh, God! Oh God, what had I done! It was all my fault! I thought it was at most a harmless infatuation, a small thing, nothing more! I had permitted him to dance with her the night of the party! I thought dancing with her would make him happy for a little while after seeing his torment in my condition.

Once, he had a great passion for me. Once, we were making love at the rate of twice a day. Once, we continued to regularly bed each other after the births of five children. Had he…no longer wanted me? Had my ill body now disgusted him? Was that the real source of his grief?

It then struck me. He had made love frequently and passionately to me. The whole time I thought it was for me alone due to its frequency, that I was his wife, and that he loved me.

Oh God, all those years, and now it struck me how naïve I had been! How come I not realized something about William this whole time? Fourteen years of marriage to him, and yet it never struck me the truth about him!

His weakness was lust!

That was his sin. That was the one closest to his heart and the one that made him twitch and struggle. That was his Achilles Heel.

Had I realized that sooner, I would not have allowed him an inch near The Woman. I would object and insist he avoids her partnership to search for The Serpent. I would not have sent him to the dance with her. I had given a hungry wolf a key to a den full of plump and injured sheep without thinking he would bite into one.

I crumpled the paper beneath my hand and set it down. I bit down on my tongue to keep from screaming until I tasted blood from it.

Were there more letters he was hiding from me? All this time? Had there been others before she arrived?

She, she, she, she…I never considered myself an angry, spiteful person. Not until now. I knew now how it was to truly hate. I had not a single redeeming thing I could think of The Woman. I wondered if I could even have the heart to look at her. I hated every bit of her. I felt a wave of anger and pure hatred I had not dared feel in ages. Even if Joanna admired her. Even considering her past, even if her husband beat and choked her, I felt no pity for her anymore. Cruel fantasies entered my mind. I wished that her husband killed her long before she set foot in Aldwinter. I wanted to slap her pretty face until it bruised. I began thinking of the truly awful, horrible things I could scream and hurl at her.

Yet I sat there, hands shaking.

I opened another drawer of William’s desk. I pulled out papers, scanning to see if there were any more letters or letters from any others before. And in the bottom of the middle drawer, I found a small hunting pistol. And bullets. I put it in my hands, filling one bullet into the gun.

Perhaps I should end it. End my suffering. Stop waiting for the consumption to take its final toll and get it over with. I should let him be free. Let him be happy. Let him finger her against a tree as many times as it pleased him. Let them walk on beaches and dance and father her children and live in his house in his bed and go to church and cook and clean for him as I once did.

3. Support him in his emotions without complaint

Or perhaps, this was the wrong method. Maybe I should pick a suicide more poetic. One only he would know of so he would know the severity of his betrayal. I would leave a note pinned to me and then fill my pockets with heavy stones, find his secret pond, and keep walking into the waters.

But…maybe if I did, then there was the risk that I would go to hell. Then, for all my work, devotion, and sacrifices for William, I would be damned, and he would get away with it and continue his affair now that I was out of the way.

Why should he be the free one and not I? Why could he take a lover and I could not? Why could he destroy our marriage vows and not I? Why should I be the one sent to hell after a life of faithful service and him the one to survive in sin?

Most of all, why should he be the one to live and I the one to die?!

I placed the gun down on the desk.

I opened the window for some air. And in a distance away-I saw him. Her son. The Woman’s son. Frankie. Sitting on the grass, Quietly looking out into the sky and the view of the town.

I picked up the gun and felt the gunpoint out the window at him.

Yes, part of me whispered. It’s perfect. He is right there. Frankie.

I could easily do it. One small movement of a finger and everything would change. If that is what William could do- move his finger and ruin everything, then so could I.

It would be worse than killing The Woman. Worse because She would live to suffer through it.

And oh, after such pleasure, she would suffer. Yes, she would suffer immensely. Her choice would bring her suffering for her sin, rather than the mercy of death. If she stole William from me, then I would steal Frankie from her. William proved my deepest, most silent fear true. She was better than me. Everything I could not be. But in this, The Woman and I would finally be equal. She would know the pain I felt in losing my husband with the pain she would feel for losing Frankie. In blood, she brought him forth and in blood, I would take him back.

I slowly walked closer. Frankie never noticed me and kept on picking at the weeds in the grass, face turned away.

My finger reached for the trigger. But I could not pull it. It trembled in my hand. I found tears were starting to flow from my eyes and my teeth were gritted.

Frankie turned around to look at the sky, his face in profile. Such bright, curious eyes. My children have bright curious eyes.

I lowered the gun and returned it to its drawer, shutting it. I closed the window.

How could I? How could I even consider such a horrible thing? What if someone did that to James, Joanna, or John? It was as if I almost murdered one of my own! Why should Frankie, an innocent boy, be the one punished for the sins committed by his mother?

I walked down the stairs. Not even the dog was around.

Without William, without my children, without my parents, without my siblings, without the clergy, without the people of Aldwinter…who was I?

I was alone. Truly, truly alone.

I then walked outside. My garden was dead and bare. Nothing but brown dirt and withered plants.

I walked around the house and off to where the woods began. I could see the attic window high up. I knew which tree it was. I had a feeling. I walked across the small field and into the woods. I approached the tree. The tree where they made love. I took off my blue ribbon and tied it around a branch on the tree.

As I walked further, I kept thinking of her- her with her red dress, her pale skin, and most of all her hair.

That was what William wanted! He didn’t a woman like me at all he wanted someone like her! Like her! Even with hair like her!

In a fury I ripped off the pins of my hair and threw them to the ground, loosening my hair, making it loose since that was how she wore it! If I had only worn my hair like hers, let each strand fall, perhaps William would have never strayed from my bed!

I hated it- I hated my hair, it wasn’t hers. I hated my sick body- it wasn’t her healthy, open, available one. I hated my character and interests- it wasn't her character and interests. I hated everything about myself- because it wasn’t hers. I hated myself since I wasn’t her.

I kept walking down, feeling my hair free and moving with the small breeze, not caring for the bitter cold. I embraced it. Anything was warmer than William Ransome’s marriage bed. I staggered onto a tree, out of breath, holding onto the branch, clutching it.

I let out a scream. I had not screamed since I was in labor for James. Birds flew away. I wondered if anyone heard me. But no one came.

Then finally, I sobbed. Not the quiet tears I had over almost murdering Frankie True, big, loud, violent sobs. I cried and cried

I then let go of the branch and collapsed onto the grass and dirt. I curled up into it like an animal or a child. And I cried more. Cried and cried and cried and sobbed and wailed and cried, face hot, tears everywhere, my body shaking from how deep they were. I was gulping for air in between sobs only to cry some more.

I cried for William, the generous, kind, handsome, open-minded, gentle, religious, and loving husband I met, knew, loved, and married. The William who made little jokes. The William who took morning walks and would show me the pebbles he found after. The William who spoiled me with gifts swam with me in a pond and said he loved me. How I thought that since he was a priest, he was a good man.

I cried for the old William I missed and this new William I just discovered. I cried for how this side of William was always there inside him only I was too stupid to realize it.

I cried about our wedding. I cried for our dances. I cried for our holidays I cried for the church, his church, his ministry, and the years I poured into helping it and its people for nothing.

I cried for the five children I brought into the world from him and yet despite the years of having them inside me and the great pain of labor and the risk of death on my part just to bring even them into the world, that that wasn’t enough for him. I cried for how the surviving children would have to learn that their father no longer loved their mother but someone else.

I cried for how I was now abandoned to die of consumption. I cried from how unfair it was. I cried for our dinners, the laundry, the meals, the garden, the list I followed, and everything I did for him and how it was all in vain.

Most of all, I cried that I wasn’t enough for him.

I felt the last sob escape me. Then there was no urge to cry. There was silence. Only the birds and the rustling of the trees.

I got up and leaned against the tree. I coughed out a little bit and saw that there was some blood on my hand. I wiped it off onto my white nightgown on the skirt. If a hunter or wanderer discovered me, I wouldn’t care. But what was I even to do?

Could I go back into that cold bed and stay there? Alone as he would go into the forest and roll around in the grass with The Woman? To pretend that I didn’t know and didn’t care? To pretend I approved? To pretend to my children and the clergy that I wasn’t devastated? To even die like this? To have fourteen years of my life as the wife of a vicar for nothing? To have my final moments be that alone, unwanted, and most of all, unloved by the man I married?

1. No matter what, you must overall support your husband in his ministry, friendship, and partner with him for a loving home atmosphere.

I blinked out of my thoughts as a crow let out his caw above me. Looking down, I noticed there were seven blue wildflowers.

It was still winter. Yet…here they were alive and blooming. Despite the coldness and death, they survived. I plucked one from the ground and twiddled it in my fingers, I placed it in my hair to feel it. Then as I plucked another one, I felt a tranquility wash over me. Just as it did when I found blue wildflowers at Julianna and Josephine’s graves.

I recalled losing my daughters. I recalled the dream I had after their deaths. I recalled what I heard them say.

“Save yourself, Mama.”

I remembered William’s words after the doctor’s fatal announcement. “She always was too good for this world.”

I could be good, saintly, perfect, and die.

Or live.

And I wanted to live.

I now knew what I had to do.

It would be hard. So, help me it would be hard. One part of it would be the hardest of all. But it would be worth it, I resolved. No matter how sick I fell. No matter if this was my last day or hour. I would no longer tolerate this.

I got up, and on the path back to the Ransome house, I passed the tree with the blue ribbon. I stared at it for a second. Before I acted on my plan, there was one thing that had to be done.

I walked to the front yard. The axe was still against the tree stump. I picked it up. It was heavy with my weakened arms, but my fury gave me strength, and resolve tightened my grip on the handle.

I returned to the tree with the blue ribbon. The tree where The Woman and William consummated their affair.

I picked up the axe and slammed the blade against the wood. I kept hacking it again and again and again. A sick, frail woman is no woodsman, but I kept at it. Grunts and even yells escaped my mouth. Let all Aldwinter hear me. I didn’t care. They all would know what he did eventually.

The tree could not be chopped down by me, it was far too thick and sturdy. But now it was marked. Weakened. Made ugly. Enough that when he returned, along with my ribbon, he would know what I thought of him coupling with The Woman.

I returned inside and upstairs. I got a coat and a bag that I slung over my shoulder. Any cash I could find I pocketed.

I was going to leave. I was going to get out of there. I was going to get out of the house and never look back. Even in my sickness, if I had to crawl out, I would do it. I would not stay in this house with him.

I went into William’s study. I took every letter to and from The Woman I could find and stuffed it into my bag. If it was of The Serpent or of Passion, if it was one from her or a draft of how he ached for her, I placed it in there. I would need them. No one would believe my words alone and he would no longer have a scrap of her. Not after he was writing and reading them as I lay coughing blood in the other room.

There was one thing this would mean. It made me tear up again at the thought.

14. Raise healthy, well-balanced children and be present for them.

I had to leave my children with him. They were gone and should they arrive, I wasn’t sure I would take them with me or that they would even want to leave the house. If I had the strength in my body to care for them and carry them off with me, I would. But I did not.

Besides, even if I did, consumption or no consumption, by law, they were his children. Not mine. A swift visit of the police or a lawyer and they would be taken from me to him. It would be a pointless battle.

And yet- I didn’t have to abandon them in my heart or my love. Despite how I sobbed at the thought of leaving them, I knew what the alternative was. And I knew they had a roof over their head, clothes, and food. I may have to forego being a wife, but I didn’t have to forego being a mother.

I took out three pieces of paper from the study. I wiped the tears off my white sleeve before they could drop onto the ink. On the first one, I wrote:

“John, James, My darlings,

I am not staying here. Know I will always love you and care for you. I will always make sure you are fed, clothed, and loved. You shall find your mother at Fanny’s. You may always come there and see me and ask something of me should you need it. Anything!

I cannot stay here with your father anymore. Ask him why.

Love,

Your mama.”

I placed it on John’s bed. On the second one, I wrote,

“Joanna, My love,

Your father has committed the amorous rite with another woman. He no longer loves me; he loves her instead.

I will be at Fanny’s should you need me. But I will no longer tolerate how your father has betrayed me. I cannot stay with him anymore. Your father will not be welcome at Fanny’s, but you and your brothers will be. I love you, my Jojo, and I will always take care of you. Find me at Fanny's if you wish to speak or need anything from me.

Love,

Your mother.”

I placed it on her bed.

Then, I finished one final letter. I walked into his bedroom. I found the journal with the page with the gardenia still on that cold bed. I ripped off the page and placed it there next to the letter.

It was the shortest one. The final letter read:

“Dear William,

My deathbed will not be one shared by an unfaithful husband.

Take care of the children.

- Stella.”

I took off my wedding ring and placed it on my- no, his blue pillow.

I thought of the outside. I remembered our walks by the pond and our swimming in it early in our marriage. Of our picnics and walks by the nearby ocean.

The ocean. The sea. The sea is inevitable. The sea is full of danger. The sea may delight and drown. The sea kills thirsty men who drink its salty waters. The sea never ends in its length or depth. The sea hides and houses the Leviathan. The sea was where had I chosen differently now or been less careful in the past, I could have drowned. The sea destroys.

But what of me? Me floating above- swimming in this and trying not to drown, while I was on land?

I recalled my own name, written down on the first page of the flower journal- Stella. Stella, of course, means Star.

Stars seem so small up in the sky. Glowing despite all the dark. Giving light to the night sky so that any lost traveler can find safety. Their light and dust are said to glimmer. Stars are called beautiful. They seem like such tiny, fragile things. We mimic them on paper and put them on Christmas trees. We paint them. We decorate dresses with them and make jewels in their shapes. We aspire to them and call people we admire after them- "stars." They are there to be looked at. Beautiful, but distant. Miniscule. Weak.

But if I accurately recalled what science I learned from Joanna's reading, stars are not small at all when you look at them. They are actually large. The sun itself is a star too. Even as they die, they become black holes and entrap and vanquish all who cross them. Stars are full of fire. Fire warms. Fire burns. Fire destroys. Fire spreads. Fire does not go down without a fight.

I knew which part of my name I had to become now. Maybe it was always there and asleep until then.

I looked around the house and upstairs. Goodbye house, I spoke silently. Goodbye kitchen was full of many meals. Goodbye children running up and down the stairs. Goodbye family dinners and parlor gatherings. Goodbye attic. Goodbye, the counter's I've cleaned hundreds of times. Goodbye nursery. Goodbye blue collection, my pretty pillows, pebbles, and plates- you aren't mine, you're his. Goodbye chairs and desks. Goodbye bed that was so warm when I first laid down on it and now promised nothing but heartbreak until death. Goodbye morning walks with William. Goodbye, false kisses, caresses, and promises. Goodbye picnics, games, books, questions, mud, scolding, and so much more of this old, lying life!

Above all, goodbye William. May sleeping with her be worth it.

I went downstairs, walked out the door, and left the Ransome house.

Outside, the sun was setting into twilight. I had to go while it was both dark and light.

I forced my eyes forward to town. I didn't look back. I never returned.

[sunnyapollonjabrigidotter]

Let's explore the journey of the Fool as Apollo might narrate it, bringing wisdom, light, and musical harmony to each step of the journey through the Major Arcana.

**The Fool**

Ah, the Fool, my child of boundless energy! In your heart lies a youthful spirit, untamed and brimming with potential. You stand at the edge of a great adventure, with no fear, ready to leap into the unknown. The sun is at your back, guiding you, yet you look up to the skies with hope rather than fear. Trust your instincts, for even in folly, there is the promise of discovery. My music will echo through your steps, ensuring your path is filled with melody and meaning.

**The Magician**

Now, as you take your first steps, you become the Magician. With one hand reaching up toward me, and the other pointing down to earth, you realize your power to bridge the divine with the mortal realm. You hold within you the elements—fire, water, air, and earth—just as I balance the arts of prophecy, music, and healing. Use these tools wisely, for they are extensions of your will. Let your words, like mine, be arrows of clarity and truth.

**The High Priestess**

Beyond the light of reason lies the depth of mystery, represented by the High Priestess. Here, you must pause, for there are secrets veiled in shadow, whispers from within. Like the moon I share with my sister Artemis, she guards the door to inner knowledge. To proceed, you must embrace silence, intuition, and trust in the unseen forces guiding your journey. Listen not just to the world, but to the rhythm of your own soul.

**The Empress**

From this inner depth springs life itself, embodied by the Empress, radiant with the abundance of nature. She is the fertile earth that flourishes under Helios' sun, the nurturing mother who offers her creations to the world. Understand that creation is both an act of love and art. As I guide the muses, so too does the Empress guide life to bloom. Take from her the lesson of growth and harmony with the natural order.

**The Emperor**

Now, we encounter the Emperor, the firm ruler who lays the laws of the land, much like Zeus' commands. His wisdom, drawn from the realm of reason, seeks to bring structure and order to your world. But know this: power without wisdom can crumble. True leadership is not only in commanding but in guiding, protecting, and setting the boundaries necessary for others to flourish under the light of justice.

**The Hierophant**

You stand before the Hierophant, who holds the keys to spiritual wisdom and tradition. Like me, he is a bridge between gods and mortals, offering insight through rituals and sacred teachings. His lessons are those of structure and learning, helping you grasp the teachings of the past so that you might shape your future. But do not become a slave to dogma; let tradition guide, not confine your spirit.

**The Lovers**

As you travel further, you are met by the Lovers, who offer the gift of choice and connection. Their union reflects balance—much like the harmony of my lyre strings, where every note must resonate in tune. Love, whether for another or the divine, requires both vulnerability and commitment. But beware, for this choice has consequences, and to unite with one path is to part with another. Choose wisely, and let your heart and reason be your compass.

**The Chariot**

Now, strength and willpower drive you forward, as you take up the reins of the Chariot. With confidence and control, you move toward your goals, balancing opposing forces to stay on course. Much like the sun's steady journey across the sky, you must remain focused, drawing on both your inner power and external discipline. Victory is yours if you maintain your course with determination and self-mastery.

**Strength**

At the heart of your journey, you encounter Strength—not of muscle, but of spirit. Like the lion I tame in my domain of harmony and music, you must learn to control your passions with gentleness. True power lies not in force, but in patience, compassion, and the ability to endure life's challenges with grace. Strength is your ally, but remember that it must be wielded with wisdom and kindness.

**The Hermit**

Now, dear traveler, you must retreat into solitude, as the Hermit does. Holding the lantern of knowledge, you seek the answers within. As I withdrew to Delphi for quiet contemplation, so must you take time away from the noise of the world. In your isolation, you will find wisdom and the clarity of the divine light, which illuminates the path ahead. Follow that inner light, for it will guide you when the world around you grows dark.

**The Wheel of Fortune**

Ah, the Wheel of Fortune spins before you, revealing the ever-changing nature of life. Just as the sun rises and sets, the wheel turns, bringing both good fortune and hardship. You cannot control its turning, but you can navigate its cycles with grace. Trust in divine timing, for even when life appears chaotic, there is a pattern that aligns with the order of the cosmos. Embrace change, for it is part of the eternal dance of life.

**Justice**

Here stands Justice, wielding the sword of truth and the scales of balance. Like the sunlight that reveals all things, Justice demands honesty, fairness, and accountability. You are asked to weigh your actions, for every choice bears consequences. My wisdom reminds you that the world is governed by cosmic law; no deed goes unnoticed. Seek balance in all things, and let truth guide your hand.

**The Hanged Man**

Now, you must surrender to the Hanged Man’s lesson: the wisdom of letting go. Suspended between worlds, he teaches you to see things from a new perspective. In this moment of stillness, you may find enlightenment, much like I gain foresight from my divine sight. Surrender does not mean defeat; it means releasing control to gain a higher understanding. Be patient, for insight comes in the pause, not in the struggle.

**Death**

Do not fear, for Death is not the end, but transformation. Like the setting sun promises the dawn, this card signifies the shedding of old ways to make way for the new. Embrace this transition, for rebirth follows every ending. I, too, have seen the cycles of life and death, and I assure you, what you leave behind will give rise to something greater. Be open to the metamorphosis that is to come.

**Temperance**

With death comes the wisdom of Temperance. Here, you are called to find balance and moderation. Like the perfect harmony of the music I create, life must be lived in equilibrium. Temper your desires, blend opposing forces, and cultivate inner peace. You are the alchemist, transforming chaos into harmony, discord into a symphony of life. Trust in your ability to find the middle path, the golden mean, between excess and lack.

**The Devil**

Beware of the Devil, who tempts you with illusions of power and pleasure. His chains are those of desire, fear, and attachment. But, remember, his hold over you is an illusion—one that can be broken by the light of awareness. I shine the light of truth upon you, revealing that true freedom comes from releasing what binds you. Acknowledge your shadow, but do not let it control you.

**The Tower**

Suddenly, the Tower falls, struck by lightning—an act of divine intervention, much like when hubris invites the wrath of the gods. This is a time of upheaval, but fear not, for it is necessary for growth. The destruction of the false leads to the revelation of the truth. As Apollo, I am a god of clarity, and I remind you that though the collapse may be painful, it clears the way for a stronger foundation. Let the ruins nourish your rebirth.

**The Star**

Amidst the rubble, the Star appears, shining brightly with hope and inspiration. Like the light of dawn after a long night, this card offers renewal and healing. You are reminded of your connection to the divine and to the cosmos. Let your spirit be filled with serenity, for you are being guided toward a higher purpose. Like the muses inspire poets, so too does the Star inspire you to pursue your dreams with faith and optimism.

**The Moon**

Now, you must walk the path under the Moon’s light, where shadows and illusions dwell. My sister Artemis guards this realm, where the line between the conscious and the unconscious blurs. Trust your intuition, for reason alone cannot navigate this landscape. Let go of fear and embrace the mysteries of the subconscious. There is much to learn from the dreamlike world of the Moon, but you must proceed with care and patience.

**The Sun**

At last, the Sun rises, bathing you in its warm, life-giving light. I, the god of the Sun, offer you clarity, joy, and vitality. The darkness of the night has passed, and you stand in the full glory of illumination. This is a time of success, growth, and abundance. Bask in the light of your accomplishments and celebrate the harmony you have achieved. The truth is now clear, and life flourishes under this radiant sun.

**Judgement**

Now, you stand before Judgement, where your soul is called to awaken to its higher purpose. The divine trumpet sounds, urging you to rise and face the truth of your journey. This is a moment of reckoning and transformation, where past actions are weighed, and a new phase of existence begins. Like my role as the bringer of prophecy, I guide you to see beyond the temporal and embrace your eternal calling.

**The World**

Finally, you arrive at the World, the completion of your long and winding journey. Here, you stand in harmony with the universe, having integrated all that you have learned. The World is a dance of unity, where all elements come together in perfect balance. You are whole, connected to the divine and the earthly realms alike, much like the cyclical nature of the cosmos that I, Apollo, observe from the heavens.

In this moment, you realize that the Fool’s journey has led you not only to mastery of self but to an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life. The cycles of beginnings and endings, of light and shadow, of creation and destruction—these are eternal, much like the orbits of the stars and planets. Your heart sings with the music of the spheres, the divine harmony that underlies all existence.

This is the culmination of your path, but it is also the beginning of a new one. For just as the world spins in endless circles, so too does your soul continue its journey. The Fool will once again take a leap, but now, with the wisdom of the Magician, the intuition of the High Priestess, the compassion of the Empress, and the strength of the Emperor. You carry with you the lessons of each step, knowing that the world will always open new doors, new adventures.

Celebrate this moment of fulfillment, for you have reached the apex of your journey. You are whole, and the World is yours. But remember, my dear traveler, that life is a constant dance. So, let your steps be graceful, your heart be open, and your spirit forever curious as you embark on new paths ahead. With my light ever shining upon you, may your next adventure be even grander than the last.

The journey continues...

Btw, here s a must have book TO READ ofc

[lithellyl]

Mabon

In the heart of an ancient, enchanted forest, where the veil between the mortal realm and the mystical world of the Fae was thin, a vibrant celebration unfolded once a year. It was a day when the Fae, beings of luminescence and shadow, in every conceivable size and shape, gathered in unity to celebrate the harvest, express gratitude to the bounties of nature, and weave the threads of magic that connected their worlds.

As the first light of dawn bathed the forest in hues of gold and amber, the Fae began their preparations. Luminescent beings, some ethereal and delicate, others dark and mysterious, flitted about, decorating the trees with otherworldly flowers and creating a magical ambiance. The Fae court, a diverse assembly of beings adorned in resplendent attire, gathered in a procession that wound through the ancient groves. Music, a harmonious blend of earthly melodies and otherworldly tunes, filled the air as the Fae danced with grace and energy, their laughter echoing through the woods.

Meanwhile, the Pagans, Druids, and Witches alike, emerged from their camps and tribes, in hidden clearings, drawn by the enchanting melodies. They brought offerings of herbs, fruits, and flowers, laying them at the feet of the Fae as tokens of gratitude. In a harmonious blend of magic and nature, the two realms coexisted for this sacred day. Normally, a strict law governed the consumption of Fae food by mortals, but on this extraordinary day, that prohibition was suspended. Delicacies of all kinds adorned tables, and everyone, both Fae and mortal, partook freely in a feast of wonders. The air was filled with the mingling scents of ethereal dishes and mortal fare, creating a symphony of flavors that delighted the senses.

The Ranger hunters, chosen for their skill and reverence for the cycle of life, ventured into the depths of the forest to bring back prized game. Each hunter moved with silent respect, acknowledging the spirits of the animals they sought. Before the first arrow was released, they spoke words of gratitude, thanking the spirits of the creatures for offering their lives to sustain the clans. The Pagans believed in the sacred exchange between predator and prey, a dance of life and death that honored the delicate balance of the natural world.

As the afternoon sun warmed the forest, games and sports unfolded amidst the ancient trees. Mortals and Fae alike, in every conceivable size and shape, engaged in friendly competitions, celebrating the vitality of life and the joy of shared existence. Laughter and cheers echoed through the woodland glades as everyone joined in the festivities.

As evening descended, bonfires were lit, casting a warm glow upon the gathering. Plays were performed, telling tales of ancient magic and the interconnectedness of all beings. Witches, their figures casting both luminescent and shadowy silhouettes, wove spells, their incantations blending with the crackling flames. Stories were shared, passing down wisdom from generation to generation.

As the final act unfolded, the Fae, beings of luminescence and shadow in every size and shape imaginable, joined hands in a circle around the central bonfire. Together, they chanted words of gratitude, acknowledging the cycles of nature and the magic that bound them all. With a collective energy, they welcomed the coming winter, embracing the turning wheel of the year.

The forest, now aglow with the combined magic of mortal and mystical beings, stood witness to the unity forged during this special day. As the last embers of the bonfires flickered, the Fae and their mortal companions, of every size and shape, bid each other farewell, knowing that the threads of connection woven on this day would endure until the wheel of the year turned once more.

[kissesandcream]

a smol sibling.,

w/ xiao, kaeya, & venti

— • request from anon : being the trio’s younger sibling! (separately)

xiao p1 || kaeya p1 || gn ! sibling ! reader || headcanon format || 1.5k words

; masterlist.,

; a / n - i’ve done xiao and kaeya before, but i had some more ideas so i’m making some more! links above if you’d like to read the others <3

xiao .,

• the other hcs i made for him where general, but here anon specified a younger sibling, so i’ll do that!

• he’s that sibling who’ll pretend ur the most annoying thing on the planet but would do anything for u so much as you ask

• “xiao when u come back could i have some glaze lilies” “get them yourself im the vigilant yaksha not a flower picker🙄” mhm then why did u literally wipe out qingce village’s flower population hm xiao 🤨

• teaches u how to fight!! but he’s not teaching he’s “helping you discover things yourself so you can be a functional person”

• it takes way too much effort to get this man to admit he loves you but you know it as much as he does so it’s okay <3

• cloud retainer has so much dirt on him it’s crazy. if you ever need some blackmail material head over to hers. also you can find some embarassing pictures she’s got a heckton

• verr goldet takes care of u a lot too, xiao’s a great brother and all but he lacks in this department called self care

• idk if you’re mortal or adeptus or half adeptus but if you need to eat and do basic body functions he does not got u covered

• mans would try to raise u on almond tofu until verr goldet bought out a food pyramid and explained about these things called nutrients 

• he also doesn’t understand how important sleep is so,,, “xiao i’m gonna stay up” “yeah sure whatever” passing out two days later “y/N WHAT’S WRONG-”

• yeah verr goldet and the innkeeper guy give him a guide to basic survival talk and all through it he’s glaring at you like why did you never tell me you needed human things to live >:( 

• now that he knows you need sleep, he makes u sleep at 8 pm every night like a grandpa!! good luck trying to get him to stop!!

• are these getting too guardian-like and less sibling-like??? 😭 but that’s the vibes he gives yk!! ur over protective adeptus parent-brother who has no clue how u work but wants to try to understand a little

• in the game u can tell how much more open he gets wit the traveller as friendship levels progress, and if you’ve maxed it out he’d basically do anything for you and would want you to trouble him than yourself

• and he’ll probably be closer with you than he’ll ever be with traveller since you’re siblings and whatnot, so it would make sense that he looks out for you more than your typical older brother yk

• plays the flute for you!! if he hears u humming a tune under your breath he’ll find it and learn it to play for u 

• he may not fully understand how relationships work but he’s trying his best for u <3

 kaeya .,

• my other kaeya hcs were in relation to you being close / living with diluc, but these will be more general and central towards kaeya!

• kaeya fits literally every older brother trope that exists. the brother who’s always got ur back? you got it. the brother who keeps secrets you don’t know about from you? heck yeah. the annoying brother who makes u do his chores for him? maybe a little too much.

• pls he (lovingly) shoves all of his small tasks onto u it’s infuriating but you can’t even say no bc then he gets all dramatic 

• “y/n 😩 you’re abandonning your dear brother like this 😩 how could you 😩 i didn’t know you were so cruel 😩” sir shut up <3

• since he’s a people person everyone knows u very well too, heck all the senior citizens probably voted u as second best in law after him or smth idk man 

• hanging out with best boy bennett!! he canonically sees kaeya as an older brother too so y’all def go on little adventures together <3

• ur one of the only people who have ever looked under his eyepatch, diluc and crepus being the only other two

• sometimes he forgets to take it off when he goes to bed and it leaves a bruise bc it’s pretty tight, so he let’s you change it for him 

• “i can do this myself, you know” well he can but you both know he likes it better when you’re there

• does not allow your closet to be anything less than exquisite, you’ve got a bunch of scarfs like his whether you like it for not

• makes u buy his wine from diluc for him bc every time he goes to the tavern diluc raises the price tenfold just for him

• he’s that sibling who will rile you up on purpose just for the fun of it. i have a cousin who used to do that when he was younger and it was annoying but he still adores me sm so i don’t mind <3

• besides even if he does get on ur nerves amber’s got ur back- you can rant to her about him for hours on end and she’ll add with her experiences with kaeya’s bullying

• what are siblings if not for sibling rivalry, yes he picks on u constantly but he also picks u up when you’re feeling low <3

venti .,

• oh my gods he would be sO FUN

• the two of you are the bane of diluc’s existence, venti loops u into his winery pilfering plans a lot 

• venti pulls the archon card if the two of you get caught by him idk what excuse you’ve got but it better be good 😭

• no way the god of wind and song’s sibling doesn’t love music- even if you’re tone deaf, or hard of hearing, music is about the pleasure it brings and he’ll bring it to you

• you guys go wind gliding a lot of the time too!! y’all don’t even need gliders you’ve got the power of anemo 😎

• he’s that cool brother who’s only rule is that you do whatever you want to do, life is too short for regrets so live in the moment and be spontaneous!

• even though he’s older he seems much younger than you at heart 😭 will wine if you don’t do something for him it’s hilarious

• you’ve got other things to do and he’s just “but hanging out!!!” and ur like “but work!!!” 

• it’s very hard to be productive with him around, he will distract u with something as mundane as an apple- it’s not his fault tho bb just has a poor attention span 😭 

• he’s very clingy, if you’re together he’ll link your elbows like everyone did in sixth grade, and in turn u can kick him in the kneecaps when he does stupid things

• he’s the ceo of stupid things so u get to kick him a lot, it’s a mutal symbiotic relationship we love to see it <33

• my brain is dead and i can’t english rn but. his vibes yk he’s so fun to be around, he gives out surprisingly killer advice too

• i have this man’s teapot lines plastered on my wall bc they help me deal with stuff, so if you’re ever down you can always, always, always go to him and he’ll have the exact things to say

• if it’s words, he has them, if it’s silence you need he’ll lend you his shoulder; but there was never an instance he doesn’t leave you better than before

• you haven’t seen his archon side a lot, since he doesn’t show it all that much, but it’s so far from venti it’s a little scary; but in a sort of admiring way yk

• you guys visit zhongli sometimes, and it’s a free real estate for blackmail material bc of how terrified venti is of him

• zhongli is like that long lost uncle who visits once a year, and you’re his favorite child so he gives you candy and picks on venti for not taking good enough care of you

• “i’m their sibling not their parent” “you’re older have some responsibility >:(”

• if you ever get drunk he will hear about it and will come all the way from liyue to i will have order venti’s head, regardless of whether he was the cause of you being drunk or not

• that about wraps it up! im sure i could think of more but my brain is sorta dead rn so this will have to suffice 😭 i can’t think of a closing statement sO i hope u enjoyed!! bye bye!! <3

[ofprevioustimes]

Helen of Sparta, the first femme fatale

From Greek Mythology

I. BASIC STATS

i. OTHER NAMES: Helen of Troy (known as; doesn’t answer to it); Helena ii. MAIN PERIOD: Circa 13 000 BC iii. PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Sparta, Greece. In threads, Helen’s motherland may be referred to by other names such as Lacedaemon (the city-state), Laconia (the region) or, less frequently, Peloponnese (the peninsula). Helen has also resided in Troy (also called Illium) and briefly in Aphidnae for a time in her youth. iv. OCCUPATION(s): Queen of Sparta (heir); priestess, seer v. RELIGION: Hellenic polytheist vi. TERMS OF ADDRESS: “my queen” vii. MUSE LEVEL: Main muse viii. CONNECTIONS: Leda (mother); Hermione (daughter); Zeus (father); Tyndareus (adoptive father); Menelaus (husband); Paris (husband); Deiphobus (husband); Castor and Pollux (twin brothers), Clytemnestra (sister) & more.

II. PERSONALITY

LIKE ANY OTHER SPARTAN, Helen is succinct, self-disciplined and loyal to the motherland its laws. She is austere, determined and arrogant, but seductive despite that. Her posture is always mighty and regal. She speaks with authority and confidence, demands rather than asks, expresses dominance through her body language – haughty and open-chested – and has a tendency to invade other people’s personal spaces by touching them or their personal items.

Helen values strength, loyalty, cleverness and endurance, to the same extent that she despises its opposites.

III. MUSE-SPECIFIC POTENTIAL TRIGGERS

There may be mentions of rape, but no graphic scenes depicting it. Graphic violence can often occur and, considering the character’s cultural background, Helen might have a desensitized point of view when experiencing, witnessing or causing it. Infidelity, unhealthy mother-daughter relationships, animal sacrifices, consumption of alcohol and natural hallucinogens will come up occasionally.

IV. SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Spiritual powers associated with Aphrodite’s domains, such as: beauty (the power to give it or take it away), fertility (the power enable conception for people who have trouble procreating, or to take away that ability from those who had it; the power to turn barren land into fertile soil or the other way around), sexuality (the power to provoke sexual desire; the power to cure sexual impotence or inflict someone with it) and love (the power to imitate traits of people that the target loves; voices, appearance, mannerisms).

The abilities of a seer, such as to read bird-signs, combined with a deepened perception about the ministrations of the Gods upon their lives, as well as an accurate assessment of human fate through clairvoyance.

An extreme capacity for recognition that enables her to see through disguises and tricks, even when they come from the gods.

Mortal abilities include wrestling, hunting, music, javelin-throwing, negotiation, strategic thinking, social intelligence, leadership, extreme physical endurance, dancing and horse riding.

V. INTERPRETATIONS/CANON DIVERGENT POINTS

There is no real canon to Greek Mythology, so instead I’ll just say that this Helen is the opposite of how you may have seen her on modern media. My Helen is not an oppressed and unwilling wife to Menelaus – quite the contrary. She did not choose to leave Sparta on a whim – it was her fate. Although there were people on the Trojan side that she did come to care about, Helen was always #TeamGreeks because that’s where the Spartans were fighting and she will never side against Sparta.

VI. MUSE-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

ONE. Writing about your muse’s perception about Helen with lines like, “she did not look godborn” or “her famed beauty was not all that much” kind of defeats the purpose of Helen. It’s the same as if I would take the most conspicuous and defining trait of your character and deny that through my muses point of view. Please don’t. TWO. Helen is a character that naturally flirts and uses sexuality as a weapon. Think of her as Aphrodite’s half-mortal surrogate. When it occurs, don’t interpret that as an attempt from me to guide the thread towards smut or romance if we haven’t discussed this possibility ooc. It’s a character trait.

VII. INTERACTIONS & BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Helen is a queen before she is a friend. She evaluates other people through the eyes of a ruler, dividing them between allies and rivals. Her priority is always her duty and she is willing to sacrifice personal relationships in order to achieve her goals. This is not going to change for your character, I should say in advance. On the other hand, if she has your loyalty, you will have hers. Like Zeus, Helen is ruthless, but just.

Possible dynamics include, but are not limited to: muses with political/financial/military powers establishing an alliance or partnership with Helen; muses with good fighting skills in her employment; muses seeking assistance through Helen’s spiritual powers, blood feuds, Helen being captive to your muse or the other way around, our muses at opposing sides of a war or conducting it as allies, etcetera.

VIII. SHIPPING

Because she is a pragmatist and a stoic, it’s rather unlikely to place Helen in a kind of “love conquers all” kind of ship. On the other hand, she easily has chemistry with most characters. Relationships tend to be passionate and carnal, but casual and with little to no emotional attachment. She is attracted to physical prowess.

Meaningful relationships are possible but harder to build. The ideal profile for Helen is someone who is strong, gritty and thrilling, but though she is attracted to dominance, she will end up being the most dominant one or else the relationship will hardly work. In any case, Helen is not monogamous and she will not change for any muse. 

Possible dynamics include, but are not limited to: arranged marriages, extramarital affairs, enemies to lovers, etcetera.

IX. TAGS

General tag. Answered asks. Threads. Visage. Musings. Tunes.

[eraserisms]

I put it down from the whip to my diamonds, I'm in Black and yellow Black and yellow Black and yellow Black and yellow

[stevenuniversetanzanite]

Fallen Angel (Venable X reader) Part 5

Michael's character might be inconsistent in this chapter if so I'll fix it later.

Also, don't hate me too much, I have a plan with this story.

Prequel Link: The Angel Among Us (Cordelia x reader) Plot: The event’s leading up to Y/N joining Michael and the Cooperative.

Summary/idea: Two strangers come to ‘save’ the occupants of outpost 3. Neither are what they seem.

Warnings: N/A

Parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4, Part 5 (Will add as I go)

The two of you wound up tangled in her bed. No words shared just gentle touches of hands brushing over bare skin. A black nightgown discarded on the floor. You held her close, her head rested on your chest. Most would have thought it would have been the other way around, you wouldn't complain, you won the girl- at least for now. Venable was like a sour candy, bitter at first but once you get to understand her, sweet. You hoped the lolly wasn't expired.

Before you'd found yourself, you posed her a question, "What next?"

"We take our places for ourselves."

You had no clue what she had in mind. Was this the time to tell her there was nowhere else to go? The sanctuary is destroyed and everywhere else had been contaminated with radiation. This was the sanctuary.

You could take this woman away from here and leave Michael to have this fun with the other. You had no debt to him or his father. The reason you'd joined him was because you sought the truth. You had your answers, you only stuck with them because you never found the remaining witches before the bombs went off. The witches lived on- well at least two did. There was no place to take her, you'd been exiled from your former home and hell wouldn't go so well either nowadays. Anywhere on earth would be contaminated so she wouldn't be able to go outside without a hazmat suit. The former sanctuary could be revived, steal one of the apples you'd brought from the garden, but that would take time. She'd require food for which you can't supply.

"Sounds like fun," you attempted to sound happy, but the sadness came through. "You're probably still tired, I accidentally woke you."

"I could say the same."

"Yeah, sorry, again."

"No need to apologise, we both made a fool of ourselves today."

"I should let you get back to... bed" You shuffled towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Venable asked.

"Bed?" Venable raised her brow. "The generator room."

"That won't do at all."

"It won't? Got a better idea in mind?" You smirked.

"One or two."

"Do tell." You crept closer to the woman until you were close enough where you were forced to look down at her. "Does this idea involve me in less clothing by any chance?"

"It could."

"Are you going to keep me wondering or are you going to tell me?" Venable stared at you not saying anything. "Ms Venable?" Venable gulped and fought against the urge to shrink down and into herself. "Mina?"

"Yes," she croaked out. "I... don't-" Oh god, was she going to admit this to you? It's so embarrassing. What were you going to think of her when she told you? You'd probably have been with a lot of people and yet you were her first. "I haven't- Um, had intercourse before-" or even a relationship if that's what you would even call this.

"Okay and?"

"Isn't that shocking to you?"

"Not really, I kind of guessed that would be the case," you answered. "You outlawed sex; red flag number one. You appear generally uncomfortable any time I pursue you or get close to. Your distaste for connecting to people or building an emotional connection and the fact that the act involves some form of connection whether it be a fling or long-term thing. Also your fear of people seeing your back would most likely stop you or at least you'd keep a shirt on. Need I go on?"

"Please don't"

"You also have to keep in mind that won't be the weirdest thing. You would be fucking the devil's sister."

"-And Michael's aunt. Oh god I forgot about that. I thought you two were a thing"

"Eww~"

"Only briefly. It was the first rational conclusion I came up with. It didn't help that in the beginning you didn't appear to do much, other than annoy the man."

"I think I'm going to be sick" you covered your mouth. Freezing then you had a lightbulb moment. "That's it. That's it!" Venable waited for you to continue. "We make them all sick."

The plan was simple to create an event based around some holiday, Halloween as an example and tell them that it was this weekend. The two of you would poison the supply of apples you and Michael brought with you with snake venom and feed it to the unsuspecting residents.

You'd put your plan in motion tomorrow, for tonight it was just you two. You wouldn't move an inch in fear that you'd lose her. Death followed you like the plague. Divinity doesn't come without it's consequences and yours was being unable to among the living for long. You pulled Venable closer, holding her tighter. She hummed, bemused by your actions.

"Y/n? Are you still awake?" Venable asked.

"Yeah," you mumbled.

Venable sat up, you frowned as she escaped your grip. She spun around to face you. A look of worry etched on her face. You scanned her face. You sat yourself up, pulling yourself out from underneath the redhead and gathered your clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"We need to by ourselves some time." You kept your head lowered as you dressed yourself. Venable made no attempt to stop you. A part of her forgot she was mobile enough to stall you.

"What's your plan? Think whatever you're going to do though first-"

"What I do is none of your concern," you snapped. She was taken aback. You fidgeted about as you gathered the last of your belongings. Your hands shook as you tied up your shoes. You thought about apologising, nothing came of that thought. "I'm going to see Michael-"

"No-"

"I'm buying us some time."

"H-how? What are you going to do?"

"No clue."

You closed the bedroom door behind you. Walking down the long hallway down with no plan. Your movements became less shaky. A tune played in your mind, you shut your eyes for a moment convincing yourself you were anywhere but in the last standing outpost on planet earth. The imaginary music blared, you could feel the buzz of the sub, the vibrations shaking the floor. In reality it was the power in the air from the few magic individuals. To be anywhere but here.

You loosened up, body slackened as you walked like a drunk man. For a moment you thought of hightailing it, there's probably a club in hell you could attend. No- chickening out wasn't an option. Unfortunately. You halt immediately, your eyes flung open, your nephew stood half a metre away.

"You seem to be having fun."

"I am, Mikey. Don't be a buzzkill," you responded in your usual ditzy way.

"You seem to be getting close to the outpost leader." No shit sherlock. You already knew that... right? God, I don't remember anymore. He should know, you made it blatantly obvious.

"Hmm. Want something?"

"I want your answer to my question"

"What question, you never asked one?"

"Whose side are you on?" That's right, you thought. It had been some time since you'd been 'blessed' by the man's presence. Since the checkup with Venable and you were forced against the wall and choked you'd stayed away from your nephew.

You leaned in close to the man and whispered, "my own." You straightened up and moved past him, brushing shoulders.

"We'll see how long that lasts."

"You will leave her alone or you'll face me. Got that?"

"Crystal clear."

You sat in the auditorium tuning a trumpet when Venable graced you with her presence.

"Beautiful," you mused. Venable caught what you had said and blushed deeply.

"Unlike your trumpet playing," she said. She sat down beside you resting her cane beside her. She was still using it to make Michael unaware of her being healed. She rested her hand on your knee. "What's with the trumpet?"

"It's the end times," you said, forgetting she wasn't as knowledgeable about the biblical telling of the end times.

"They don't correlate. I mean an instrument and the state of the world-"

"Not one for religion?"

"Not as much as you... clearly."

She assumed all it was bullshit that was until she'd met you. She didn't understand your rule in all this or if you had any relation to religion other than being the devil's sister. She'd have to do more research to come to her own conclusion.

"Wouldn't blame you. Most of it's bullshit written by men from minenila ago. I'll fill you in when we're out of here."

"The trumpet?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. An archangel is said to play it at the end of time."

"And you think that's you?"

"God no, but I like the instrument. I like it's my brother Michael-"

"I thought he was your nephew."

"Not that Michael. There's more than one."

"Not confusing at all."

"Human's do that too."

"I presume we got that from your kind."

"Don't know, maybe."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Stupid question. That's like asking how many angels there are."

"Do you know the names of all of them?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to have to meet all of them, am I?"

"Don't want to have dinner with your future in-laws?" You said it as a joke but felt Venable tense up. "I was kidding V. You don't have to meet them-"

"It's not that. Do you see us two together-together in the future?" She didn't want to use the word 'married'.

"Yeah- unless you don't want that. I guess it would be hard seeing as I'm an angel and you're a human. It would be like a human dating the Doctor, mortals and immortals don't mix well even with my-"

"Doctor? Why couldn't a human date a doctor?"

"Not doctor....The Doctor. Doctor Who? BBC?" Venable looked confused. "God Mina, I'm forcing you to watch that later, I can't believe you haven't seen... oh wait your American, never mind. It wasn't important anyway." it also didn't help you've watched everything since the dawn of time. You'd say the same about any show.

"You're not american?"

"I'm not human, I can't be american... well animals can be American I guess- I'm not from earth so I can't be. I showed up somewhere in what's now Egypt when the land was still Pangea- at least I think it was Egypt."

"I keep forgetting how old you are."

"What can I say, those anti-aging creams work wonders." Venabe chuckled.

"Can you tell me a story from your past?"

All your stories ended the same. You alone, wandering the earth. A part of you assumed it was designed as punishment. All crumble away with time while you remain the same. Whomever you shared your life with will fade away too. The first human you befriended and the last. You left your imprint on the world as well as the people you associated with. What story to tell? One with a happy ending? if you could think of one. Your first interaction with a human, a similar looking woman to the one beside you, hair of fire, skin to pale for the beating sun of the desert you were both stranded in. You'd shown her a part of yourself you haven't shown anyone since. She left you in a bloody state, you left her worse. The kindness you showed her by healthing the damages she'd received by the dust storm (and other wounds) amped up until she'd beg you for death. That's what she deserved right? It took you eons to understand humans and every stowaway you had helped you more until you gave it all up for a taste of humanity, even if it was among witches.

Hours later, the two had retired back into Venable's room.

The selection where near completion. Michael was in his office going through his selections for the new world. He expected the company of the red-head soon. He had ordered one of the greys to fetch the woman as soon and have her come as soon as she was available.

She showed up half an hour later unamused. She addressed him by his last name as she did with everyone besides you.

"Ms Venbale, I'm glad you could make it."

"This better not be a waste of time, Mr Langdon, I was in the mix of some very important work."

Is that what she called you nowadays? Michael thought knowing just by looking at her she was with you prior to her arrival. "Then I won't keep you long. Please take a seat."

"I would rather not. If this is going to be as quick as you say it will be, I won't need to."

"Suit yourself."

"I've almost completed my selections."

"And?"

"I want you to join us... but only if you end things with Y/n."

"I will not"

"I only have one vacancy left... so it's you or her," Michael explained. "There can't be both of you. Keeping her around is a liability. It would be best if you get done with the breakup before Monday, I don't want any mess and we'll be expecting visitors." Visitors? Who the hell would be coming to the Outpost?

"And why do you think I would agree to this plan of yours?"

"She is not the woman you think she is, Ms Venable. There is more to her than either you or I can ever comprehend. As long as she is alive she is a threat. All you have to do is read any of the journals in the library and you'll see her for what she is. You may think she loves you but in a second she'd change tones. Especially by Monday night."

"What's Monday?"

"The guests will arrive."

"Who are these guests? Are they from the cooperative?" Venable asked, gripping the topper of her cane tightly. "How are they getting here?"

"No one you'd need to be concerned with... only Ms L/n's ex."

There was no way she could trust the man. He had been nothing but trouble since arrival. He had a point, she could ever truly know you. If you found out that your ex was still alive you'd go back . It was evident from the interactions from the beginning of your relationship that you weren't over her.

There was only one way to know about you, google you.

Venable never noticed it until now but she'd never the hum of the generator in the room next to the lab. You'd always been tinkering with it, but it's never made a sound. Is that regular? She'd never been in the room alone, either you were in there and you'd usher her out after a moment, or the door was locked.

She decided to test her luck today and tried the handle. The door glide open with ease. The room was pitch-black besides the glow of some sticker stuck on the back wall. You're doing, of course. She felt for the switch, once finding it flipping it. Nothing happened. Odd, she thought. She had her candle from when she was walking outside this section of the outpost. The auditorium lights didn't switch on either.

She made her way using her candlelight to the generator. It was off, rusted over and looked like it hadn't worked or been maintained in years. But you'd worked on it the other week. Something wasn't adding up. She tried to switch it on, hopping to hear a rubble but received nothing.

Venable sped to the computer room to test if there was any electricity in this place. The monitor light was on. She entered your name in the search bar. ERROR. She tried different variants of your name. ERROR. She slammed her fists into the desk, one hitting the keyboard. The screen blacked out. Crap. She cursed and tried to get something to appear. System reboot, the monitor said. The computer restarted itself. Venable's eyes were glued to the computer. Once the scene had light up, the language settings has shifted to default. They were the same ones she'd seen the first time when you set up the computer for her.

Blindly, she went back to the search engine. She typed out your name once more. The text entered shifted about, glitching in between the default language and another. The jumbled mess of letters appeared to spell out a place, Salem.

This was all bullshit, you must have done something to the computer along with the electricity, Venable thought. Jokingly she entered the name into the search, she got the typical (from what she could tell as it wasn't in English), the place, witch trials etc.

She scowled around some random sites until she heard a gasp from behind her.

"What are you doing?!" You snapped at her.

The red-head said nothing. She needed time to come up with an excuse. You tore her away from the computer, pushing the chair across the room and shut down the system.

"I was searching up about witches," she lied.

"No, you- you couldn't even read that-"

"What's the big deal Y/N? I wanted to know more about the stuff you talk about."

You clenched your fists, not bothering to turn around and look at the woman. "Get out."

"What?"

"GET OUT!" You spun around and roared at her. Sparks erupted out of the computer, leaving you unfazed.

You stared into her soul with your eyes fully dilated. Not just over the colour but the white of the eye. Your skin had paled down a couple shades giving you a ghastly appearance. Behind you, projected on to the wall was your silhouette, it mimicked you like a shadow but unlike you, it had wings.

Venable was stuck in place, trembling and not daring to look away for a second.

"Didn't you hear me missy?" you snarled. Her voice had a more demonic underlay. When she didn't respond you trudged up to her and pulled her up off the desk chair by her lapel of her blazer. She fought against her urge to quiver in your grip. "DON'T EVER use my technology to search me," the last part turned into a whisper.

You hadn't googled her and even if you had, she gave you permission when she first showed you the device. You had even suggested it. What had changed?

Venable grabbed you arm to try and push you away. Instant burning pain surged through her hand. She yelped and retracted her hand. You both immediately looked over to her hand. You dropped her instantly and backed away.

"I-I didn't mean to-" you stuttered out knowing your mistake instantly. Turning back to the monitor, you caught a glimpse of your ghastly reflection. "Please leave this room, you're not safe around me right now. I need to cool off."

Venable wanted to comfort you, but you made it clear not to and it was in her best interest not to aggravate you further.

You clenched your jaw, before smashing your fists into the mirror repeatedly.

She left you in that room to destroy whatever you saw fit. You were dangerous to be around, if she hadn't touched your icy skin who knows what would be of her. She hadn't searched you and yet you claimed she had. All she did was such up Salem, how was that connected to you other than witches? Where you there?

The skin that you'd touched began to deteriorate. The irritated skin bruised around the untouched areas as the rest turned to a nasty scablike wound. All in an hour, she'd found herself in the infirmary, wrapping the wound up with gauze.

"You screwed up, Y/n," Michael told you.

"I know that." Your body had yet to go back to normal no matter what you did to calm down. You teleported to Michael in hopes of his help and at worse a some snarky comments and 'I told you so's'.

"It's not so bad, now you can focus on the beginning of the world."

"Why am I here again? I got what I wanted out of this and I owe you nothing."

"You were bored and have nowhere to go."

"I could go back to heaven."

"As if they'd want you after the mess you've made."

"Hell."

"Do you want to go back there?"

"Not particular."

"Then where else would you go, besides I thought you were having fun. You enjoyed destroying the sanctuary-"

"That was my home long ago-"

"Didn't you enjoy watching it burn?"

"I want to see it burn again," you said. "Watch the waterfalls flow lava and the tree's goose blood instead of tree sap."

"Then do it. Nothing is stopping you from having your own hell on earth."

"But Mina-"

"Forget the woman Y/n, she's nothing to you. She's like all the others before her," Michael said. "You stole woman from there husbands and held them up in Eden, you were ruthless. Where has that woman gone?" He's gotten the story wrong, you didn't steal them, you saved them. "She's holding you back. Leave her and help bring a little more hell to earth."

"You're right. I'll do it," you said. He was pleased to hear that. "I'll do it this Sunday," a little less after that. "I need to... finish off Mina first."

"You can leave her to me-"

"You said to kill what 'it' wanted; I should be the one to do it." 'It' meaning the humanity in you.

"Don't take too long, the beginning of the new world can't wait any longer."

You and Venable made amends before the sunday. Both wary of the other but still going through with the previous plans of poisoning the members. Venable questioning whether to stick with you and go to the sanctuary with you or backstab you and go with Michael. You had to think about if you'd stay with Venable or find your own path void of her.

You hadn't gone back to your normal self. You decided to hide away from the others for the remainder of the week, only showing up on the Sunday night masquerade ball. Your outfit was an all black suit where the blazer with a train,paired with a black and gold belt you stole from Venable and your goldern devils mask.

The masks covered half your face, a black veil underneath to hide the rest of your discolouration skin. All skin was covered so you wouldn't harm anyone prematurely.

You stood above the music room looking down at all the unsuspecting survivors. Venable walked up behind you. You noticed she didn't have her cane with her.

"No cane?"

"No need to keep up appearances for the dead." You chuckled at her answer. "Soon it will just be us, we'll have the sanctuary all to ourselves."

"Yeah~" Venable noticed the uncertainty in your voice.

"What haven't you mentioned?"

"How do you now I haven't mentioned something?" You paused. "Oh, that's how." Your response gave you away.

"The sanctuary isn't real"

"What?"

"It was, but we destroyed it."

"Why? Y/N!" The woman took a step back.

"This is the last sustainable place left," you said not paying the woman to much mind. "We torched the place before we headed here. Those apples are from the oldest tree in existence. The one that caused the downfall of humankind."

"And we poisoned them."

"Yep."

"You killed humanity."

"You had no problem with it when you were told you were going to an outpost leader. You wanted to have a taste of power. Well you have and doesn't it taste good. The world is over. Humans are gone and you... well, you helped caused it." She was to blame as much as you were. "You'll be fine though. You got me and I'm not going to allow anything to happen to you." You smiled. "I'm going downstairs to keep up appearances. Can you get the two untainted apples? and then we can end this once and for all."

Venable nodded doing as asked. She headed to the kitchen to retereve the two apples. When she had her hands on them she paused. Michael was right, there was no snatuaray. The foundation for the two of you being there was destroyed. What was to make her believe that everything else you was saying was true too. You did have magic, there was no way you could fake what you did to her back, but the rest, how much of that was real? How about your feelings? Hers were but yours- if you were willing to lie to her, how could she know for sure?

With the wrong apple it would create a disaster.

Venable handed you an apple watching you remove your cover from your lower face, smile at her and take a bite of the apple. You gleam at her while chewing. "Well, aren't you going to eat?" Venable eyed you weirdly questioning if she gave you the right apple.

"I think we should save it, as a treat for victory."

"Well if that's the case then have some of mine."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Oh, no, insist." You handed your apple over. "Unless you did something to mine." Venable stiffened. You covered your mouth and started coughing, dropping the apple on the ground. You hunched over, coughing with an earth shaking strength for your body.

"I can't be with you," Venable said.

"Why?" you croaked out. She doesn't respond. After a minute you straighten yourself up and dust yourself off. There was no hit of blood on you. "Oh, I know what you did. Might I say the poison gave it a nice taste." You stepped closer. "Who put you up to it? Michael?" The endearing look you used to give her faded away leaving a plain expression. You always wore emotion on your person, you looked vacant husk. It made you unpredictable. "You fool, he tricked you." You grew anctisy, "It's fine... I can work with this." You slipped off the gloves covering your hands and shoved them in your pockets. "Your just as dumb as he is, thinking that destroying the sanctuary was a good idea. He's still human, he too will be infected." You kept your undivided gaze with her. The inhuman part of your grew more evident by the second. The shadow from the computer room was back but this time had the same horns as your mask. "All humans will be dead. It's truly the end of time. I thought it would be different, God said it would be different. Guess he too couldn't give two craps about us. Hell if you read the old testament he was a bastard-" You rambled on, growing more irritated and manic by the moment.

Venable grew worried. She was frozen in place.

You retracted a blade from her sleeve and inched as close as you could.

"If I can't be with you then you don't serve a purpose." You shivved her. She grunted. You shushed her. "It's alright V, death ain't so bad." You eased her body to the ground, still clutching the knife in one of your hands. Once she was against the ground, you straddled her hips pushing the knife further into her. "All you had to do was pretend to like me and you would have been safe. I mean come on, how hard is it to do that? You humans can't make up your mind. You guys deserve to die." You added more pressure. You felt a presence at the door. Michael.

"Wasn't your toy to your liking?"

"Mickey, she didn't like me, what did I do wrong?" You ripped out the knife in one swift move. She cried out in pain.

"There will be plenty more for you in the new world."

"Your psychotic," Venable choked out.

"You're one to talk. You'll do well in hell, love. All those people you killed." You looked back to Michael. "Maybe I should go back to hell and look after this one?"

"But what about my partner in crime?"

"You got Mead."

"We'll find you, someone better, if not, she's not going anywhere." She wouldn't leave hell any time soon.

You stared down at Venable, watching the life drain from her eyes. "See you soon love." You leant down and placed a kiss on her forehead before her vision faded to black.

Don't worry there is at least one more chapter joining the two stories together. and it will have a happier ending. So don't worry that Venable was stabbed.

[headoverhiddles]

Bonnie and Clyde - David Dolores Frank (Marilyn Manson) x Reader

Synopsis: You run into a not-so-armed and dangerous fugitive. 

Thanks to @ask-lizzie for the idea! Kind of short, but short and sweet.

Your first thought when you see the cop car ahead of you is to run. Get the hell out of there, before the driver of the car comes back and recognizes you.

It'd be pretty hard to recognize you dressed like this, though. Beanie, black hoodie, no identifiable features visible. You relax a little, and walk normally by toward your motorbike. Looking like a law abiding citizen is less suspicious anyway.

Hearing the sound of shuffling footsteps quickly approaching from behind, you turn. It's a man in a baseball cap, a jacket and jeans, hurrying down the sidewalk with his hands taped together. He gives you an awkward smile as he tries to waddle by.

"Hey! You okay?" you ask.

"I'm sorry, I can't talk right now or I'm going to be murdered," he says. You look behind him in confusion, and see a cop, most likely the owner of the squad car you just walked by, aiming a gun this way.

"Oh," you nod, "I see your point." You grab and tackle him as a gunshot goes off, and you hear the cop swear about something. You figure you have enough to get this guy out of here, so you take him to your motorcycle, urging him on the back as you get your swiss army knife out to cut him free.

"Um, miss? I'm not wearing any protection on my head, and I feel uncomfortable--"

"Just get on the damn bike, hurry!"

He does so, holding on as best he can, and you take off.

"Damn Hell's Angels!" the cop shouts after you, waving his gun. "That's some Sons of Anarchy shit right there!"

As the residential neighborhood starts to fade away behind you two, you kill the speed a little, and sigh in relief for having survived that. You realize his hands have settled around your waist, and he's holding onto you for dear life.

"Hey. Um..." he says loudly, over the roar of the engine. "Thank you. For... saving me? And not letting me... be killed... yeah."

You stop the bike in a relatively deserted part of the city, and help him off.

"Not a problem. I'm always up to look out for a fellow outlaw." You grin. He blinks at you.

"Oh, I'm not a criminal. I was kidnapped, and... I don't really know what happened, but it involved loud music and a scary dude in underwear. That cop guy." He swallows. "You're much prettier to look at than he was... though..."

You raise your eyebrows, and smile a little. This guy is cute.

"What's your name?"

He sticks his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "My name is David Dolores Frank."

"I'm (y/n). Come with me if you want to live." He stares at you in mortal fear, and you wave your hand. "It's a joke. Terminator? Come on." You lead him down an alley. "We'd better lay low for a bit, just in case the creep decides to follow us."

He takes your hand as you walk, and your smile grows. "Question," he says.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you, um, dressed like a hoodlum?" He points to your hoodie, grimacing. "Because you look like a hoodlum."

You slide down the wall, sitting down. "Unlike you apparently, I'm a wanted criminal." He freezes again, his fight or flight obviously engaged, and you roll your eyes. "I saved your life, I'm not about to hurt you." He nods, and cautiously sits down beside you.

"What did you do?"

"Stole the Mona Lisa."

He puts his head in his hands. "Oh my god. Oh my god, that's like... the biggest crime ever. Why did you steal that?"

"I have my reasons," you shrug. He stares at you for a while, before finally deciding you're okay. You catch him staring, and tilt your head back at him. "You're looking at me like I'm about to grow three heads."

"Well, you did just tell me you stole the Mona Lisa... we’re like Bonnie and Clyde, running away from the cops together." You snort. 

“Except for the fact that you’re not actually wanted.” 

“He wants me.” David scrunches his face up. “That sounds wrong.” 

“Just... relax. Try not to freak out, okay?” He sighs.

 "I'm sorry. You're just really beautiful, I can't stop looking... um... I'm bad at this."

A blush spreads over your cheeks. You haven't blushed in years. "You're sweet, David Dolores Frank." He rests his head gently on your shoulder, and looks around.

"This alley place is creepy. It's kind of exciting."

"Yeah. This is where I hide when shit goes down. Cops never really think to find me in an alley."

"I don't know. This guy-- my aggressor-- was weird. He was so weird. A dirty cop or something. He was very dirty, called me a street hooker."

"Are you a street hooker?" you ask.

"No!" he protests, "I'm not a street hooker. I'm just..." You smile, nudging him.

"It's cool. I get it."

"The dirty cop man had, like... drugs and stuff, or what I think are drugs because I don't know what drugs look like... in his house. And he lived there with his mom... it was weird." You laugh, shaking your head.

"This story just keeps devolving into more and more of a nightmare."

"I'd still be living it if you hadn't have come along," he says, "He would have shot my legs off or something." You hum.

"Forget it, David Delores Frank. I'm just glad I met you. You're nice, and the only person I've met who hasn't threatened to turn me into the police."

"I wouldn't do that," he mumbles. "Even though I don't know you. I just... like you?" He looks up at you, and then the sky. "Sky's getting dark."

"Yeah. You okay with that?"

"Yeah..." You give one last look down both ends of the alley. He speaks up again. "...I would prefer someplace more well lit, though. With brighter lights."

"My apartment's a couple blocks from here. Wanna crash there?" He nods, and the two of you head over there. Once upstairs, he looks around.

"Pretty cool place. You got somewhere for me to play my tunes?"

You shed your jacket on the couch, and smile. "Only if I get to dance with you." David ducks his head, and takes out his iPod.

"You're really going to love this, (y/n)." He scrolls through and grins as he presses play. "It doesn't sound at all like a man who's got his balls caught in a washing machine, trust me."

[mythgirlimagines]

Now that today is Tuesday, I’ve conjured up a fresh new talentswap! Give a warm welcome to Myth, Former Ultimate Child Caregiver!

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BACKSTORY AND TALENT

Myth’s parents work at an orphanage, and as such, she was born and raised around little kids. She may have 3 biological sisters, but emotionally, she has close to 53 siblings. Myth bonded especially with a rough-and-tough street rat the same age as her. However, when Myth started to get older, the orphanages funds began to falter. Myth’s parents had no choice but to send their strongest orphans to ”aikido training” in order to earn them money. And sadly, Wyre was amongst the strongest orphans. Myth was deeply hurt by the loss of her childhood friend, but she had to remain strong for the rest of the orphans. Many other Ultimates also visit Myth’s orphanage in order to assist her in caring for the children. She claims she can do it all by herself, but deep down, she appreciates the extra helping hands.

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RELATIONSHIPS

Wyre Anon, Former Ultimate Assassin Aikido Master

Wyre has been Myth’s friend ever since Wyre was first brought flailing and screaming into the orphanage. Myth is only one able to calm a little Wyre down from her outbursts, even to the present day. Myth is also the only one who knows of Wyre’s secret identity as “Ryuuken”, a highly dangerous and violent assassin, and regularly controls Wyre in case she can’t fight her violent nature.

Anon Scar, Ultimate Adventurer

Scar, or “The Crusader Of The Mortal Realm” as she refers to herself, is well-known for traversing across dangerous terrain and through precarious situations. Scar is also a big hit amongst the kids at Myth’s orphanage for her bombastic anecdotes regarding her travels, abliet with Myth and Fusion translating the more complex parts of her speech. Scar will never admit it, but she has a soft spot for the ”Spawn of Heart”, as she calls them.

FU5-10N (aka. Fusion Anon), Ultimate Robot

Originally built for the purpose of being a science museum’s tour guide and mascot, FU5-10N has since being upgraded to look after little kids as well. While some more skittish kids may be a bit unnerved by this 6,3 metal man, the fear quickly dissipates when said 6,3 metal man starts telling dad jokes and science trivia. Myth quickly got along with the metal man for their shared love of puns. However, FU5-10N is also the only one besides Myth who knows of Wyre‘s true talent.

Fusion Anon II, Ultimate Cosplayer

Fusion II is well-known across conventions for her impressively accurate craftsmanship regarding her costumes. Fusion II regularly acts sarcastic and ”too cool for school”, but Myth and the kids quickly busts down her snarky exterior to reveal a massive nerd deep down. Because of Fusion II’s talent, she can not only repair the orphan’s torn clothes and plushies, but she‘ll improve them and make them at least “20% cooler”. She’ll never admit it, but she lives for the orphan’s smiles and words of gratitude.

Just Anon, Ultimate Artist

A natural prodigy when it comes to all sorts of art forms, Janon very quickly establishes himself as a cynical and lazy jerk. Or at least, around adults and kids his age. When around people younger than him need his help, he’d always there for them in a pinch. Unfortunately for him, Myth regularly teases and praises Janon for his soft spot towards the orphans, claiming that he should start working here full-time. This usually earns her paint splashed in her face.

Sparkle Anon, Former Ultimate Magician

Sparkle, or “THE SPECTACULAR SPELLCASTER, SPARKLE“ as she refers to herself, might just hold the record for the most bombastic and elaborate magic tricks ever performed on stage. Myth’s relationship with Sparkle goes back more than half a decade. In fact, Sparkle got her start entertaining the kids at Myth’s orphanage. Myth regularly volunteers herself to assist Sparkle in her magic shows. Even as an adult, Sparkle still hasn’t lost her sparkling and eccentric charm. She lives for the thunderous roar of applause and the tsunami of smiles from her loving audience.

Egg Anon, Former Ultimate Supreme Leader, and Wet Sock Anon, Former Ultimate Astronaut

While Myth normally would allow anyone to help out at the orphanage, these two are the exception to this rule, and it’s not hard to see why. Egg has but one goal; to brainwash children with cursed thoughts and indoctrinate them into their cult. Their twin, Wet Sock‘s main goal is to extend the reach of their cult to outer space. Myth speaks for everyone at the orphanage when she says that Egg and Wet Sock’s cursed images and concepts  are hazardous to a child‘s mental health.

Curious Anon, Jr. Ultimate Anthropologist 

Just like with Scar, Curious’s stories of their worldly travels entice the children of Myth’s orphanage. And Curious as a person is an equally pleasant experience, for they are tranquil, mild-mannered and easy to get along with. Myth regularly tries to set up Curious with Janon, knowing that Janon has fallen hood-over-heels for them. But despite Curious’s knowledge on the foreign aspects of humanity, romantic feelings seem to be foreign even to them. 

Anon Nerd, Former Ultimate Tennis Pro

Unlike other Anons, who frequent the orphanage for the kids, Nerd is after the adorable caretaker, not that he’ll ever admit it. However, Myth knows her romance and would stop at nothing to get Nerd to admit his feelings for her. Not even getting her lip busted by a Mach 2 tennis ball or getting bashed in the head with a tennis racket would stop this girl. She can and will get this tsundere tennis champion to confess, even if she has to suffer scouter burns in the process.

Eldritch Anon, Ultimate Detective

Years of working in law enforcement has left this diminutive detective panicky, hostile and distrusting of just about anybody. Ever since Eldritch heard of an assassin hiding out in the orphanage, Eldritch will stop at nothing to find the assassin hidden among the orphans. But in the meantime, Eldritch has to shake off pesky kids who think he’s one of them. Myth has to save Wyre‘s bacon on the daily from this paranoid detective who wants her incarcerated. 

Dream Anon, Ultimate Pianist

Having been attracted to music ever since she was a baby, Dream dominates piano competitions year after year with her energetic and triumphant tunes. She regularly wheels her piano around town looking for places to perform at, which is how she happened upon Myth’s orphanage. Performing for the orphans gives Dream a rush of euphoric feelings that winning competitions could only hope and dream to achieve. And the cute detective that frequents the orphanage with her isn’t half-bad either.

Iris Anon, Jr. Ultimate Inventor

Despite her clumsy and goofy demeanour, Iris has a 7-year winning streak at her hometown’s regional science fairs. Famous for inventing and marketing a new and improved version of Moon Shoes called Astro-Uggs, Iris regularly shows off her inventions to the children of Myth’s orphanage and even donates some of her inventions to Myth in hopes of improving the living conditions of the orphanage. Iris hopes that her inventions would make the world even better and more awesome then it already is.

Purple Anon, Ultimate Maid

With a selfless attitude and an overly formal vocabulary, Purple regularly comes to the orphanage to assist Myth in caring for the children. Despite Myth claiming that she doesn’t need the extra help, Purple insists that it’s the least she can do. Purple always tries her best to help the kids, but most of the children have no idea what she is saying due to her old-fashioned and complex vocabulary, which requires Fusion to translate for her.  

This series revolves around Myth and Fusion trying to prevent the other Anons, Eldritch in particular, from finding out about Wyre‘s true talent. However, Wyre doesn‘t do a very good job at hiding her true nature and soon, everyone else but Eldritch finds out. So now, it’s Everybody Else vs. Eldritch.

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APPEARANCE

Myth wears glasses and has undyed hair in two low and long pigtails, held up by green scrunchies. She has a matching green headband with yellow stars and pink hearts and a heart shaped ahoge, designating her as the protagonist. She wears an oversized pink hoodie with yellow details and a smiley face on each pocket, over a blue shirt with multicoloured shapes on it. She also has a necklace with a green clover in the center. She wears a red belt that holds various stuffed animals and a yellow belt that holds a first aid kit. Her long and light blue skirt has various patches sewn in and on her feet, she wears red Mary Janes.

———————————-———————

PERSONALITY

Despite what ChildCaregiver!Myth’s fashion sense would suggest, ChildCaregiver!Myth is more serious and almost monk-like in her tranquilty. Being surrounded by children since birth has caused ChildCaregiver!Myth to grow into a caring, calm and empathetic soul. She is also known to offer sage-like advice on how to deal with loss and abandonment, having dealt with abandoned and parentless children. However, ChildCaregiver!Myth has a bad tendency to overexert herself and spread herself too thin, something also caused by being surrounded with kids. She can be a bit stubborn on insisting that she doesn’t need help and can deal with this all by herself, much to the concern of the volunteers. If I had to compare ChildCaregiver!Myth to a canon character, I’d compare her to Kirumi.

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Finally! I’ve finished ChildCaregiver!Myth! Let me know what you think of this talentswap!

-Fusion Anon

—

Well the kids I babysit sure seem to like me, so this is a good talent haha!

[singeratlarge]

MY BIG BROTHER WAS A MONKEE—REMEMBERING DAVY JONES: Central Pennsylvania is a patchwork of college towns, farms, and forests. Framed by misty iron green Appalachian mountains you’ll find Beavertown, a village having more to do with Hooterville than Hollywood. In 1986, Davy Jones, flush with cash from a successful Monkees tour, came to Beavertown and bought a 14-acre farm that he christened Spruce Law—a quiet place to ride horses and write his book, THEY MADE A MONKEE OUT OF ME.

I was born in Central PA but moved out in the early 70s. In 1991, after years of living in San Francisco as a musician and recording artist, I landed back in PA as “house producer” for an audio-video studio not far from Beavertown. Davy was a former client of that studio, but I first ran into him in a family arcade near my home. It was hard to miss his mullet and his British accent as he was gleefully beating a guy at pool.

Weeks passed and he rang my studio phone. Next I know he’s at the conference table asking me, “Do you understand The Monkees?” Emphasizing the word “understand,” my mind raced, facing the guy whose mug graced teen magazines and cereal boxes, besides selling millions of records. I answered, “Sure. They’re about the fusion of multi-media and music.” He was after someone who would get things done without being a starry-eyed sycophant, so my answer got me the gig as his “creative liaison.” Little did I know I was beginning a 20 year stretch of creativity and friendship.

Our project job together was a video remake of “Daydream Believer.” Next came a huge archiving project where I pruned through all his personal recordings (acetates, demos, films) for an anthology CD box. He contributed to my solo recordings, and we did unlikely collaborations with artists like John Bechdel (Killing Joke, Ministry).

Davy’s den at Spruce Lawn (where no one left on an empty stomach) was a warm space for brainstorming and music-making. It was a joy to work on his original songs, which led to his critically acclaimed JUSTME album series. This parlayed into tracks he submitted to the 1996 JUSTUS album, reuniting all four Monkees. I went on to play countless shows with him. After I played bass for the 2011 Monkees reunion tour, we did our last shows together in January 2012. He passed away a month later.

Offstage, Davy was the adorable wit people expected. However, for those who became close to him, he could be a harsh critic, then he’d circle back with gifts or apologies. I characterize him “like a big brother”--there’s a bond between people built on love and respect, and that bond outlasts anger and misbehavior. He was very loyal to his band mates and friends, and at his memorial the consensus was that he came down on us because he was spotting his own defects as a mere mortal. In the end he wanted us to be better than our last best.

Here’s a clip of “It’s Not Too Late,” one of the first of his original tunes we worked on in 1994…

https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/its-not-too-late-sailing-version

(end)

#davyjones #monkees #justus #britishrock #teenidol #actor #singersongwriter #horseman #comedian #performer #entertainer #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #johnbechdel #beavertownPA #sprucelawn

[the-a-word-2214]

1980’s OC

───────────

Veruca Elizabeth Jones

Meaning: Veruca- Vivacious, Elizabeth- My God is an oath, Jones- John’s son

Origin, who named her- The name means wart. Her mother named her this because her mother had just read the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” right before she went into labor and loved the name.

Mother’s perspective- “My little Ruca has always been a feisty little thing. She gets it from me.”

𝑵𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬

───────────

Ruca – Baby

Explain the meaning of each nickname here. - Ruca comes from her mother, it came naturally when she was little because Veruca was intimidating for a little girl. Baby comes from James, he started calling her that early on in their relationship and it stuck.

How often is she called that? - Anytime she visits her Mom she’ll call her Ruca and James has since adopted the nickname for her in addition to calling her Baby.

𝑨𝑮𝑬

───────────

November 24th, 1964 – age 17-23 in 1981-1987

Do they act their age or not? Do they look older or younger than their actual age? - She acts like she’s an 18-year-old most of the time and can often be described as the life of the party until someone gets hurt, then she turns into the mom friend and becomes protective over her friends. ⠀

𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑻𝒀

───────────

Human – Female – Heterosexual - She/Her

Does your character identify as their biological sex? If so/not, then why? What are their preferred pronouns? Regarding their orientation, are they open about it? - She’s confident in her sexuality and gender and has never felt differently about either.

𝑫𝑬𝑴𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑪𝑺

───────────

𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 – 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 - 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠

American - Caucasian - English

Where are they from? What is their race? What are the respective ethnicities of their parents? Has it played a significant role in their life How? Are they proud of their origin? Do they practice customs relative to their origin? - She’s from Downey, California. Her parents are also Californian but some of her relatives are from England and various parts of Europe. She always enjoyed the Californian lifestyle and liked listening to music on her record player or sitting on the roof and listening to music as a teen.

How many languages can they speak? Which is their first language? How fluent are they in each language? Do they have a particular accent? - She has a slight Californian accent, but not much of one. She’s fluent in English just like the next person.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑺

───────────

𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 – 𝑂𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 – 𝐹𝑖𝑛. 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠

Where do they currently live? How are their living conditions? What do they do for a living? Are they considered lower, middle, or upper class? Are they happy with their social standing? - She lives in an apartment with James for now until they go back on the road again. She’s the lead guitarist for her band “Lust”. She formed the band with her three friends and will often sing backing vocals. She’s made a fair amount of money so far in her career and her association with Metallica has earned her more money as well. She often opens for them with her band. She’s considered Middle Class at the moment.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀

───────────

Curvy - slim

5’1 ft - 122 lbs

Describe your character's body. Are they tall? Petite? Muscular? Lean? Are they overweight? Underweight? Do they have any scars or other natural markings? - She’s petite and is an average weight for her height. She has some stretch marks around her breasts and hips but those are natural. She has a handful of freckles and moles on her arms and legs, but not many.

𝑺𝑲𝑰𝑵

───────────

Pale - Sensitive

Describe their skin. What type is it? Is it genetic? Do they have any blemishes, scars, marks, freckles, etc? Does it burn or tan easily? Is it soft or rough? Any calluses? - She has sensitive skin that burns easily in the sun. Her skin is smooth but her hands are callused from guitar playing.⠀

𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑹

───────────

Purple - Curly

Is their hair color natural or dyed? How does their hair type impact them? Is it genetic? Why do they have their current hairstyle? - Her hair is naturally curly and brown but she dyed it Purple when she was 16 and never went back. She adopted her mother’s hair type. She keeps it shoulder length because shorter hair suits her face shape. The shorter the hairstyle, the tighter her curls are.⠀

𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺

───────────

Hazel – Almond

Describe their eye color. Do they prefer colored contacts? If so, what color? What about the shape of their eyes? How does it affect their overall appearance? Are they visually impaired? Do they wear glasses whether for need or aesthetic? - Her eyes are almond-shaped and hazel. They’ve also been described as light brown. She has 20/20 vision so she’s never needed glasses.

𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑶𝑶𝑺

───────────

Inner left forearm

Describe their tattoos. How or why did they get it? Where is it? What does it look like? What is its significance based on either location or the design itself? - She has a candle on top of a skull on her inner left forearm. The meaning behind it is a reminder of her mortality and how she needs to wake up and smell the roses every now and then.

𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑹𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺

───────────

Septum

Describe their piercings. How or why did they get them? Where are they? What do they look like? What is the significance of them? - She has her lobes and septum pierced. She liked the look of the septum ring so she got one. It’s normally just a simple silver ring in her septum and she likes wearing long, dangly earrings.

𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑹𝑬

───────────

𝑆𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒

Describe their scars. How or why did they get them? Where are they? What do they look like? How old are they? How do they feel about them? - She doesn’t like her stretch marks because she’s had them since she was a teen. They remind her of when she would compare herself to other girls.

⠀ ⠀ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝑷𝑯𝒀𝑺𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑳

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𝐴𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 – 𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 – 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

Anxiety - Pollen - Medication

Describe your character's physical health. Is it poor? Fair? Great? Any ailments, disabilities, etc, and their severity. Any allergies? Are their conditions hereditary? Did something develop later in life? What treatment do they receive for these issues if they do receive treatment? - She only has minor allergy problems when it comes to pollen like a lot of other people. She’s had it since she was little. She takes medication for her anxiety.

𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳

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6/10

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 – 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑡

Describe your character's mental health. Is it poor? Fair? Great? Do they have any disorders that have or haven't been diagnosed? How severe are these disorders? Is it hereditary or not? Do they take anything to help? Therapy or prescription? - She has severe anxiety when it comes to big crowds but being on stage helps her overcome it. She was diagnosed with PTSD when she was 18 because of her father’s negligence and that gave her abandonment issues.

𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬𝑺𝑻𝒀𝑳𝑬

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𝐷𝑖𝑒𝑡

Describe your character's lifestyle and how it affects their health. What do they eat? What do they not eat? Is it for health purposes? Moral purposes? Do they exercise? How often? What is the focus of their exercises? - She does aerobics when she can and she makes sure to stretch before she goes on stage.

𝑴𝑩𝑻𝑰

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ENFP

Insert a description of your character's MBTI personality type. - “Don’t lose that little spark of madness.” She’s a very idealistic person who is very in tune with her feelings and emotions. She’s great at communicating, curious, energetic, observant. Gets stressed easily, she overthinks things. She’s highly emotional.

𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻

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Lawful Good

Describe your character's moral alignment. - She can oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. She hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good combines honor and compassion.

𝒁𝑶𝑫𝑰𝑨𝑪

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Sagittarius

Insert a description of your character's zodiac and how it affects their personality. Take note of negative and positive traits. Or even how your character's personality doesn't align with their zodiac. - Wild, feisty, independent, and exciting. She can be seen as being blunt because she is so in tune with her emotions and doesn’t hesitate to say what she thinks. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

𝑯𝑨𝑩𝑰𝑻𝑺

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Whistling – Hair playing

Describe your character's habits. When did they develop? When do these habits usually occur? Is it simply routine or a coping mechanism? - Whistling is a way for her to focus on one thing and drown out the chaos around her when it comes to being too much. She plays with her hair when she’s nervous or flirting.

𝑯𝑶𝑩𝑩𝑰𝑬𝑺

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Art collector – Candlemaking

Describe their hobbies. Are they any good at them? How did they discover them? Have they always enjoyed them? Did they find any talent in them? - She started collecting art when she was in her teens and could afford small pieces that she liked. She’s always been good at candle making. Each member of Metallica has a unique candle to resemble them.

𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺

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Abandonment – Failure

Describe both mild and irrational fears here. Mild fears can be something like fear of abandonment or failure. While irrational fears or phobias can be something like claustrophobia or arachnophobia. How did they develop them? How do they affect their life, their behavior, their lifestyle? What happens when they face the subject of their fears? - Because her father left when she was little, the trauma of that has always stuck with her. She felt like she wasn’t good enough and that he left because of her. Her fears of failure also stem from her Dad leaving.

𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺

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To have a family

Describe the goals, desires, and dreams your character has. Is it a career? Something they want out of life? How long have they had them? Do they have any expectations? Any plans to fulfill them? Why do they want to fulfill them? - One of her goals for the future is to have children simply because it always seemed appealing to her.

𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑺

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Guitar playing – Good memory

Describe their talents. Why or how did they become good at them? Was this a natural affinity or a learned skill? Are they passionate about it? Were they forced to learn it or did they naturally happen upon it? - She’s a self-taught guitarist. She had a similar start to James in the sense that she just picked up a friend’s guitar and started playing. She slowly learned how to get better at it over time and by 20 she was practically a master.

Describe your character's abilities. Include mental abilities such as good memory or critical thinking. Include physical abilities such as strength or quick reaction. Why do they have this ability? How proficient are they? Are these natural skills or something they trained to attain - She remembers moments from her childhood and details that other people don’t remember. She can remember the good times and can easily reminisce.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑺

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𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ: 4/10

𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒: 8/10

𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦: 8/10

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑎: 5/10

𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒: 8/10

𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑚: 6/10

𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘: 7/10

𝑴𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹

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Melissa Jones

Describe your character's mother and their relationship with your character. Is it positive or negative? Do they live together? Are they close or distant? Why? Do they still talk? How often? - Her mother was into all things hippie-like. She always gave back to the earth and was the epitome of a flower child. She was a single mother until her death.⠀

𝑭𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹

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Robert Jones

Describe your character's father and their relationship with your character. Is it positive or negative? Do they live together? Are they close or distant? Why? Do they still talk often? - Her relationship with her father is nonexistent because once he left he never attempted to reconnect with Ruca.

𝑺𝑰𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮

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Moonbeam Jones

Describe your character's sibling(s) and their relationship with your character. Is it positive or negative? Do they live together? Are they close or distant? Why? Do they still talk? How often? - She fought with Moon when they were little but they grew closer together once they got older.

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑵𝑬𝑹

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James Hetfield

Describe your character's partner and their relationship with your character. Is it positive or negative? How did they meet? How long have they been together? What is their current relationship status? Do they live together? Are they close or distant? Why? Do they still talk? How often? - She met James when Metallica had been going for two years in ‘83. They’ve been inseparable ever since and he was immediately smitten with her when they met. They live together in an apartment in LA but they’re just dating right now.⠀

𝑭𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑫

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Tiffany Rogers

Describe your character's friends and their relationship with your character. Is it positive or negative? How did they become friends? How long have they been friends? Are they close or distant? Why? Do they still talk? How often? - They’ve been friends since they were little and Tiffany is Lust’s bassist. They’re really close and Ruca can confide in her for almost anything.

𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑯𝑶𝑶𝑫

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6-11

Describe your character's childhood. How were they raised? What did they experience as a child? Describe your character's current activity if they're still a child. - She was raised in a free-spirited environment and she was never allowed to dissect animals in middle school. She would draw and sit on the roof as a child.

𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑪𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬

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12-17

Describe your character's adolescence. What did they experience as a teen? Were there any turning points? Did they mature at all in this period? Describe your character's current activity if they're still a teen. - She learned guitar as a teen and began to get into rock and roll. She dyed her hair at 16 and started wearing makeup. This is when she began to rebel.

𝑨𝑫𝑼𝑳𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑶𝑫

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18-25

Describe your character's adulthood. Their transition from a child until adulthood. What experiences did they have as an adult? Describe your character's current activity if they are still an adult. - She formed Lust with her childhood friend Tiffany and never looked back. She met James at a concert and fell head over heels in love with him. Who knows what the world will throw at her now?