#Witchcraft Is Hurting You

[gameraboy2]

Witchcraft Is Hurting You by Philip Wylie Redbook, August 1956 Illustration by Fred Siebel

[maddie-grove]

It really is amazing that people think there had to be some kind of unusual explanation for the Salem Witch Trials (like ergot poisoning or, even worse, actual witchcraft) when the Satanic Panic happened in the last quarter of the twentieth century.

[mrsmikaelsxn]

I Can't Lose You

masterlist 1k celebration

pairing: harry potter x female reader

warnings: kissing, fluff, jealous and protective harry, a little bit angst

summary: a guy was hitting on you but you thought he was just being friendly. when harry sees and intervenes he was being a bit mean to the guy, which was unusual and when asked about it, he opens up to you - requested by @wildheart-666

a/n: i love this idea so much so thank you for requesting it! i hope you enjoy <33 also i realized that when i respond to asks privately it deletes it so this is based off my memory of your request, im so sorry lmao but i think i remembered everything

song: fade into you - mazzy star

Today was your date day with Harry. Once a week you go out together. The two of you have been happily dating since the beginning of your fifth year.

Now in your sixth year, you two were deeply in love.

Harry being Harry Potter, had lost a lot during his time at Hogwarts. He was rather cautious dating you. You were too special to him and it would break him if something happened to you.

You were in a cute but warm outfit since it was fall. You were sitting in The Three Broomsticks sipping on your butterbeer. Harry had excused himself for a little bit to go to the restroom.

Glancing around, you saw someone walk to where you were sitting and sat down next to you.

"Um, hello," you smile at the guy. He seems maybe a year older than you.

"Hey. I just wanted to say how good you look in that outfit," he leans into the seat and puts his ankle on his other knee.

"Oh! Thank you, that's very sweet," you beam at him.

"No problem. What's a pretty girl such as yourself doing alone here?"

"Oh, I'm here with someone," you tap your painted nails on the table.

The guy leans closer to you and you take another sip of your drink. "Mind if I keep you company in the meantime?"

"That's kind of you but-"

"Who are you," Harry says, sitting across from you as he glares at the guy.

"Noah," he replies uninterested.

"And why are you sitting next to my girlfriend?" Harry states coolly. You blink at the unfamiliar cold tone he's speaking in.

Noah raises his eyebrows, "Girlfriend?"

"Yes, so leave us to continue our date," he says emphasizing the word.

"Harry," you say as the guy scoffs with an eye roll and leaves.

"What a prick," he clenches his jaw.

"He was only being nice," you try to reason with him.

Harry looks at you, "Nice? That's what you call flirting?"

"Flirting? He wasn't, he was trying to make a friend. And he was only complimenting me," you sigh.

Harry's eyes soften, "Love, I'm sorry but I can assure you he wanted to be more than friends."

"Oh," you look down. "Why were you so harsh towards him? Darling, it isn't like you to be... well rude."

"I know. I'm sorry, love. It's just, I-I..." he looks down and you stand up. You touch his shoulder and see his glassy eyes.

"Oh, Harry," your shoulders drop. "Come on, love," you run your hands through his hair. He stands up and you take his hand, leading him out of the store.

You tug him behind the building where it's empty. "Harry, my love, what's wrong."

His lip wobble and you bring him into a hug. He breaks down in your arms and puts his arms around you, squeezing you tightly as he cries on your shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispers.

You gently grab his head and move it so he's looking at you. "Don't apologize," you wipe his tears and kiss his cheeks. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"I can't lose you, darling. I-I already lost so many people and if I lost you..." Harry sighs, "I don't know. Seeing you smiling at him, I got worried. I thought maybe I wasn't enough for you. I mean, I'm always bringing danger and trouble wherever I am, and you deserve-"

"I deserve you, Harry. Just as you deserve me. I know what I was signing up for when I became friends with you on the train first year. I love you. So so much. I would never leave you, I promise."

"I love you so much," he whispers and kisses your head.

"Why don't we head back to Hogwarts, I could continue reading to you by the fire," you suggest.

"Sounds wonderful. Sorry for ruining our date."

"You didn't ruin anything," you whisper and then kiss him softly. You link your arm to his and start to walk back to the castle, talking about anything and everything.

[sexualtensiongrowing21]

Letter from a loved one // T.N //

Theodore Nott X Reader

TW: angst?

Word Count: 842

Today has gone by eerily slowly.

Classes have dragged on, the meals were too short. It's as if there's this underlying feeling of dread that is just floating in the air. Contaminating everyone in the castle. Even Peeves has been uncharastically rude. I have barely seen any of my friends and when I did, they were in a bad mood. Hell, even I was in a bad mood. After a long day, such as today, all I want to do is climb into bed with Theo and sleep until tomorrow, but with him nowhere to be found I must find solace alone.

Theo has been secretive all year. Disappearing for hours, even days, at a time. Telling me not to worry, that in the end everything will be okay. How can I not worry when my boyfriend of two years is missing constantly and keeping secrets from me?

The common room is as gloomy as the rest of the castle. Like everyone is waiting for something terrible to happen. When I finally make it to my dorm it is devoid of life, except for Pansy. Who looks to be on her way out.

“ Y/N.” She mumbles quietly. Stopping when she walks past me and is standing in the doorway. “I almost forgot, Theo stopped by, said he couldn't stay but he left a letter for you. I put it on your bed.” She tells me before giving me a weak smile, in which I give a similar one in return. She then turns walking out of the dorm leaving me alone, once again.

With shaky legs I sit on the bed, slowly grab the letter, pausing to admire the perfect script in which Theo wrote my name. I have always loved watching him write. There is something about the way his longer fingers wrap around his quill and guide the writing utensil with such precision, that makes me feel all warm inside.

Though, that's just Theo. He may seem cold, hard and sarcastic to everyone else, but to me he is the most caring and loving person I have ever met. He's the only person I ever told about my family. How they were killed and I was left to live with my aunt. He's been a constant light in my life ever since.

Taking a deep breath I unclasp the wax seal from the letter and open it. I read over the letter carefully, as my eyes welled up with tears. An overwhelming sadness courses through me as I try to understand the words that are written in front of me.

The tears are flowing freely now as I stand up on unsteady legs, letter still in hand, with every intention of searching for the brunette boy who stole my heart, and inevitably broke it into pieces. Before I can make it to the door I collapse in a heap of tears and heavy breathing, feeling as if the world is caving in on me, praying this is all some sick joke.

But knowing, for now at least, he's gone. I’m officially all alone.

Masterlist

[wizard-irl]

Reminder that any practice that harms or has potential to harm your physical or mental health should not be part of your practice.

Even if it’s commonly practiced.

Even if other practitioners seem fine doing it.

Especially if people push it on you saying you have to do it to be a witch.

And refusing to do a practice that harms you, even if it’s popular, does not make you any less of a witch or any less magical.

[the-entity-down-the-street]

Y'know it's been a hot minute since I made a post about witchcraft on this blog, and a lot has changed since my beginnings back in 2019, so I think it's time to share some thoughts.

MY MAGIC AND AUTISM:

One of my discord friends was talking about possibly being an empath, and at first I didn't say anything, but eventually I decided it'd be better to inform them that a lot of the "empath/indigo child/sensitive" stuff is just spiritual talk for neurodivergency.

I'm autistic myself, finally got diagnosed in 2022 a few days before my 25th birthday. My mom told me that we were empaths when I was growing up, that we were sensitive to the feelings of other people, and that's why we both ended up shouldering other people's problems. She tried to teach me how "block" energies, but that never really worked for me. In part, this is because it was an abusive household and there was no escape from the negativity, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.

As it turns out, there is a way to block negative energy, and it's called setting healthy boundaries with the people around you. Y'know, talking with your friends, making it clear when you don't have the energy to listen to them vent. If you have good friends, they'll be happy to listen and respect your wishes. If you don't, well, I cast the spell of "bye."

Having access to therapy, learning interpersonal skills, and (eventually) going on antidepressants was more helpful for getting rid of negativity than any amount of purifying crystals/blocking techniques.

In fact, getting my mental health in check allowed me to *really* start my spiritual journey! Parsing out what was in my head and what was really, genuinely mystical was crucial for my craft. I could talk more clearly with my tarot cards, I was more in-tune with the messages the universe was sending me, and things in my life finally started moving forward.

This brings me back to the autism diagnosis. Having the language and clarification about how I experience the world really allowed me to flourish magically. You know why? Because through understanding how my autism influences my perception, I could find my strengths.

For example, I'm really good at picking out patterns, and I tend to make sense of life through the lens of storytelling, so I have a tendency to see thematic elements that carry through in my life. One of my dearest friends from college said that I did everything with a "narrative flair," and that's because of my ability to find narrative patterns.

This leads into how I picked up pop culture witchcraft. My strong attachments to my favorite stories, as well as my proclivity for picking up on themes, makes it the perfect avenue for performing witchcraft. Now I'm a fully confident witch with strong personal proof that magic is real.

Basically, what I'm saying is, despite the pervasive ableism that conflates neurodivergency with spirituality, there is a healthy way to have both simultaneously, by understanding how one influences the other. It can lead to a deeper understanding of yourself, as well as a deeper connection to the divine! Don't be afraid to be yourself, neurodivergent witches!

[mostboringcrossover]

Ashers frist time trying to be lazy with carrying his books

Ashers brain: Hmmm... so if Accio brings stuff to you, does that mean if I walk my books will follow?

-Circa 20 minutes later-

Cue Asher running frantically down the corridors of the castle with a multitude of books behind him (as well as Leander). He didn't think they would come at him so fast, scaring the poor boy

Leander: "IN WHAT WORLD WOULD USING A FAST SUMMOMING CHARM TO MAKE HEAVY OBJECTS FOLLOW YOU BE SMART?!"

Asher: "I JUST GOT HERE TWO MONTHS AGO DON'T YELL AT ME"

[arcane-ally]

¤ Pretty danger, is all I wanna be ¤

[feintenstein]

AAAAAAAHHHH AAHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHGHHHHHHHA AUHHHBBHHHH AAAAUUUUUUHHGGGGG AHHHHHHH

AhAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAHHHHHH AHHHHH AHHHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[ghoulishtomato]

So desperate to escape the cold clutches of cynicism that I saw an infographic on Pinterest that said "Crystals to help with OCD" and all I said was, "Okay, I'll bite."

[novadreii]

I had the most ~healing~ dream about my first evil ex (jk...ish), where I was cheated on. I was only 19 at the time, but this relationship has arguably impacted my ability to trust people more than than any other. In the dream, we had this amazing "closure" conversation about what went down that I never really got. Clearly, it was my subconscious speaking to me through both of our dialogues, and for once, it was a kind, loving, and realistic voice instead of the harsh one where I would shit all over my self-worth that I've dreamt of for years.

I had already processed this event in trauma therapy months ago (so that the memory alone didn't make me want to break down anymore), but it still felt like there was one missing puzzle piece that had to be placed. I woke up today after the dream feeling so light, and serene, and at peace with what happened for the first time in over 10 years. I realize that I haven't properly forgiven him until this moment, or known what forgiveness really meant.

[dark-lord-tom-returns]

So I'm reading Witches Abroad and the first time we see Granny use magic is in Desiderata's cottage. Desiderata (deceased) was a big proponent of everyday magic. She was also quite blind. So when Granny and Nanny check on her cottage and definitely are not looking for her wand, there are no matches for the fireplace.

Granny doesn't like everyday magic. She says so. She even tells Nanny that if they found the wand she wouldn't use it, emphatically. She doesn't like the habit. But she's annoyed and wants her tea and needs a fire for that. So she uses magic.

But then she sees the mirror. And the face looking back isn't hers but Lilith's. Heres a quote about Granny:

"Very few people in the world had more self-control than Granny Weatherwax. It was as rigid as a bar of cast iron. And about as flexible."

And she smashes the mirror immediately and without hesitation.

Now we don't know who Lilith is to Granny at this point but upon reread this is a particularly interesting passage. By the end of the book we know Lilith is "the bad witch" and because she is Granny "had to be the good one".

Granny hates the fact she has to be the good one. She knows that if she was the bad one she'd be the most terrifying witch the Disc has ever seen. But she has to be the good one. That's her responsibility since Lilith turned out bad. She has to be good and she has to be responsible, especially since she has the power to be so evil and do so much damage if she ever lost control.

And I think that's why Granny smashes the mirror right then. She was annoyed at the lack of matches, she wanted tea, she used magic to get it. And that's not responsible witchcraft in her mind. So when she find Lilith looking at her through the mirror, she sees the person that forced her to have that self control. That made Granny Weatherwax a good witch when she wanted to be the bad one. And that hurt her.

This is also interesting when you consider Sam Vimes relationship with alcohol. Vimes used alcohol as a way to deal with a feeling of helplessness and lack of control. That addiction numbed the emotional pain and he had to be so careful in later books not to fall back into that habit.

Granny is the opposite. Her power is, maybe not addictive, but something she takes immense pride in. She wants to use it, she became the most powerful witch (not the most talented, that's Nanny) through hard work and dedication. But she can't use it because that wouldn't be responsible. Because everytime she uses it, it becomes a little easier to justify using a little more until she's using it for everything. Or anything. And she can't because she has to be the good one.

How much self control must that take? Granny spent her entire life becoming the best at what she does. Decades of mastering her craft and when she reaches the top she had to essentially stop. To put it aside and only use it in the most responsible way possible because if she slips, it's a long long way to the bottom.

Cast iron indeed.

[dante-mightdie]

No but with chief! Price what if the other wife accuses the reader of hurting her or witchcraft or something like that and the whole clan shuns her to the point where price needs to ritualistically kick her out of the clan. And the reader is just absolutely heartbroken that no one not even her husband would believe her. She is just stuck alone and tied up in the forest left to die from everyone she loved.

Add on: maybe she is found by another clan who takes her in and either Alejandro or König are the strongest warriors of that clan who take a liking to the reader and the reader still has trouble trusting people after what happened?

Meanwhile Price might have found out about the trickery of the new wife and wants to go after the reader but he only finds blood marks where he left her and is just consumed by guilt thinking that a wild animal or some man hurt and killed her with the last thoughts that she thought were that of betrayal from the one she loved???.??

(I know it’s pretty similar to the pup! Reader story but I love these kinds of angsts)

okay first of all, love this

second of all, imagine (omg imagine) in this scenario, that simon isn’t a part of the clan. (canonically, he is but the whole second wife scenario isn’t canon for me, it’s just a fun idea I wanted to write based on asks) and he’s the one that finds you tied up in the forest. this big hulking man with a mop of shaggy hair, scars littering his enourmous from (I imagine simon being like 6’7 in this AU bark bark)

you think he’s going to kill you but he just keeps your hands and ankles bound and slings you over his shoulder and decides to keep you in his hut in the woods <33333

[harmoonix]

🍄 Retro - Astro 🍄

(Astrology Observations)

ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯

🍄 - I love to stare in the eyes of the natives with Neptune - Asc aspects, most of my friends have such aspects and they truly have beautiful eyes

🍄 - Pluto in Sagittarius Generation is really meant to give and normalize things back to normal, and for example bringing things that were used in the past and to normalize them again

🍄 - Wanna know why so many Aquarius Suns may act so different and unique? Sun is ruled by Leo and Aquarius is its opposite sign so sun acts different in Aquarius

🍄 - Neptune and Mercury aspects can indicate love for music and most times for old music or old music style, you know liking those songs from the 90's

🍄 - One fast way to learn your sign houses in your birth chart is to know the order of the zodiac signs, this method worked with me for example you have Gemini Rising and Leo Sun > Your sun will be in the 3rd house because Leo is 1 sign (Cancer) apart from Gemini

🍄 - 8°, 20° degrees on the Midheaven attract jealousy really fast, envy too and sometimes can even get hate without a reason, on the other hand people can become obsessed with them

🍄 - Sagittarius in your 4th/12th house axis can come from more nationalities/ethnicity/race like having more than 1 background country ancestry (or your ancestors/family members)

🍄 - Lilith in your 9th/12th or 4th house can indicate ancestors or family members working with the occult/witchcraft/magic/tarot etc...

🍄 - Sun in the 12th house natives have an ongoing karma, basically they are working on their karma constantly

🍄 - Virgo Moon's beauty is underatted, they are so beautiful and they can actually look younger because of the Mercury's youth effect

🍄 - I remember once checking on google about Jupiter in Virgo husband (my sidereal Jupiter placement) and I got this:

I can't tell if this is real or not tbh 😭😭

🍄 - Neptune aspecting Chiron will literally empower your subconscious with a lot of intuition, spirituality like you really have the chance to heal your subconscious in case is hurt with those placements

🍄 - Everyone I know with Cancer Placements gets so DEPRESSED based on the weather, and omg I'm not joking or something if the weather outside is bad they're gonna be depressed or in a bad mood

🍄 - Every time I see someones chart with 10th house placements especially Sun and Venus there I know they got the cash bag 💰💰

🍄 - Not gonna lie knowing how organized Virgo placements are, I think natives with Virgo in the 4th house have the most most most most most most organized house-castle ever just like in Cinderella and everything looking perfect

🍄 - You can spot health problems in a chart by looking at their 6th house sign (both in tropcial and sidereal) looking at the ruler/lord of the 6th house and of course the planets (if there are) in the 6H house

🍄 - Stelliums play a very big role in a chart (A stellium is when you have 3 or more than 3 planets in a house) and indicates a big focus in that area

🍄 - Empty houses play a very big role as well, and an empty house is not a bad thing or something but spirituality talking it indicates an area you already completed in your past life

🍄 - Let me tell you how tricky Venus in Capricorn can be to make you fall in love with matured enough people and sometimes the karma comes and strikes and says "They're not the one for you"

🍄 - Moon in the 9th house is another tricky placement to have because in harsh aspects it can indicate a religious trauma and sometimes it can indicate love for religion/beliefs you understand what I mean...😭😭

🍄 - A lot of people who happens to get betrayed have Pluto/Saturn Lilith and sometimes Neptune in the 11th house, (I know all the people can get betrayed but these are just some indicators

🍄 - Sagittarius/Jupiter in the 11th house can be blessed with friends or in general having luck with their friendships and social networks, sometimes their friends can come from a different background than them

🍄 - Mercury at 10°, 22° degrees really can have a deeper voice than others (depends on aspects) but their voice is so damn attractive

🍄 - Uranus and Lilith in the 5th house can get confused if they will want or not to have kids like is difficult and in the same time draining for them (Lilith in general in that house natives don't want kids but is just my thoughts on it)

🍄 - Sagittarius Midheaven/Midheaven in the 9th house or in Sagittarius Degrees 9°, 21° really need to chose something the job/career they're passionate about because it grants them luck

🍄 - Midheaven at Aries Degrees 1°, 13°, 25° or MC in Aries have a big chance to get a leader position at their job or having the main character energy

🍄 - I tell you Gemini Moons and Moon in the 3rd house natives have the best tea ("Tea" as a gen z slang means gossip) like gossips stories i honestly wonder from where or who they know so many things im so invested y'all 😭😍

🍄 - 2nd house and the Moon Sign represent food in the birth chart, and I know water/earth ones love sweets so much

🍄 - If you want to know more about your true self check your Ascendant ruler persona chart, AND if you have 2 planets rulers check both persona charts for ex if you are Scorpio Risings check your Mars and Pluto persona charts, sadly for Leo Risings their natal chart is pretty much their true self (There is no Sun persona chart😭)

🍄 - Leo in the 7th house can have the same problem like your natal chart pretty much tells you about your future spouse because there is no Sun persona chart to look for in case you wanna look for your 7th house ruler persona chart 😭

🍄 - Cancer Risings in your D9 (vedic) chart can indicate a nurturing spouse or in general your partner has a very nurturing and kind energy

🍄 - I admire 6th house Placements for how much they want to keep themselves healthy like is a top priority and i respect that so much, because your health matters so much in life ♥️♥️♥️🙌🏼

🍄 - Aries Placements especially Aries Juno I love their energy. They just give that leader and confident/powerful vibe (boss vibe) in the chart also someone very bold and funny I love them

🍄 - Draconic Chart is the chart of your soul before reincarnation/coming to earth and the placements are indicating how your soul expected to be on earth (like their life), and im gonna cry I have Saturn in the 7th house in this chart as well. my soul knew I will have to wait for that specific person to come 😭 I'm done...

🍄 - Mercury in the 11th house makes socially open natives they get along so good with most people because of their social skills, they're also smart, creative and very open minded too

🍄 - Pluto in the 12th house has a chance to become very powerful in this life because this placement usually indicates an painful karma, you will certainly experience a lot of good and bad things in your current life

💝 This post was more like at a spiritual level 💝

Be blessed you all who read my observations 💝

ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯ྉ☯

[steddiewithachance]

Vampire Pancakes

A response to this writing prompt. Thought it was too cute, had to write it! @dwobbitfromtheshire

🥞🫐

No one really knows what to do with Eddie right now. Everyone is jittery around him, going so far as to hold their breath when he so much as twitches. Even Dustin is squinting at him with calculating eyes; he's analyzing Eddie for threat.

Eddie will continue to courteously ignore the hand that Nancy is keeping stationed on her belt conveniently close to the little pistol everyone knows she's hiding. It doesn't matter that Eddie helped them kill Vecna, or that he saved Baby Byers' life. It doesn't matter when he has sharp teeth, dark eyes, and a thirst for blood. He can't blame 'em for being scared.

Eddie thinks about his dad. Wonders if even Al would see Eddie as a monster now.

Eddie got picked on a lot as a kid and he'd often come home from school tired and weepy. Al would look up from the couch in that black tank top he always wore. He'd set down whatever he was smoking to pat the spot next to him.

"What happened Ed? Was some little shithead mean to ya?"

Eddie would nod and slump into his father's side, eyes burning from the spicy, smokey air. When Eddie pressed his face into his dad's arm, Al would pull back and pat his head with sorrowful eyes. Al didn't really know how to comfort a kid or maybe he thought that being distant was in Eddie's best interest.

"You're too soft, Ed. Ya gotta make those kids think you can pack a punch. Chin up, eyes mean, shoulders back. Make 'em intimidated, make 'em fear ya."

So like any kid who thinks their dad's word is law, Eddie listened, or tried his best at least. But his dad never said that mean eyes, dark clothes, and loud music would get him accused of witchcraft by a bunch'a angry jocks and chased straight into hell.

Now his sheepies -his kiddos- are looking at him like they're scared, like they can't trust him and that is a fucking gut punch. Because pretty early on in his high school career, he decided that his purpose was gonna be standing as a shield for other kids like him. He wanted to be a source of safety and warmth in an otherwise cold and unforgiving storm.

Being feared is lonely and sad, Eddie has discovered, and he worries this is his new permanent reality.

Eddie quietly sits through his friends hammering out the logistics of a nighttime schedule to organize sleeping shifts so someone always has an eye on him. It's sick. Eddie has to excuse himself to cry about it. He has no uncontrollable urges to eat anyone here, Steve does smell appetizing, but he wouldn't jump the guy.

He can still eat human food apprently, it barely does anything for him, but it's something. Eddie thinks it's enough to quell any feral urges he may or may not get. He thinks the party is being unreasonable about their safety precautions, but really, he'd probably do the same if there was a monster in the same house as him.

🥞🫐

It's a long night, he can't fall asleep but he'll pretend to so that everyone can relax a little. The changing of the guard chafes at him and makes his lip quiver. He bites his lip to prevent a wounded sound from slipping out when Robin nudges Steve awake and says it's "his turn on hell shift". Eddie jolts because he remembers he has real sharp teeth now, and biting his lip does, in fact, hurt like a bitch.

"You're not asleep, huh?" He hears whispered into the air of the big living room after Robin has settled back into sleep. It's Steve's sweet and melodic voice.

"I'm trying." He responds, brokenly.

"Wanna get some fresh air with me for a minute? I need'a smoke." Steve is already shrugging the sheets off of him and carefully stepping over his sleeping friends towards the back door. Eddie doesn't think he has a choice, but to follow. Stepping out of this stuffy room does sound like a relief though.

Eddie makes the same journey through the sea of teenagers sprawled across Steve's floor and out the sliding glass door. When he steps onto the patio, all of the crickets stop chirping around him. The night goes silent. What the fuck? Is that because of him? He loves the sound of crickets, though.

He walks over and curls up in one of the Harringtons' fancy-loungy-pool-chairs. Steve stays standing, leaning artfully against the side of his house next to the glass. He flicks open his lighter and the small flame illuminates his square jawline with a warm glow. He's so achingly handsome. He's like a movie star, or a model.

"You okay?" Steve asks conversationally.

"Not even a little."

Steve sighs and pushes off the wall to walk towards Eddie's chair. He sits at the foot of it and swivels so he's looking at Eddie.

"I'm really sorry Eddie. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling. I won't pretend to." Steve sets a hand on Eddie's ankle and Eddie could cry from the small gesture of comfort that he's practically writhing for. "I feel like what happened to you is all my fault. I know that 'sorry' wont cut it, but for the record, I am. Completely and utterly sorry." That's a silly thing to think.

"It's not your fault, are you kidding? How do you reckon it's your fault?"

"Sending you with Dustin? Alone? Putting all that responsibility on you?" Steve looks down at his cigarette with disgust. He twists it into the cold concrete next to his socked foot and looks back at Eddie. There's no fear in his expression, and for once Eddie is grateful for his reckless bravery.

"It was the best plan and we all agreed to it. Don't sweat it, Harrington." Eddie feels like he's not all there. Feels like maybe if he was more composed he could comfort Steve better, but he's hungry and dazed, sad and tired. Steve nods solemnly, and clears this throat.

"And about everyone being kind of on edge... It'll pass. I think they're all thinking about when Billy Hargrove got possessed by the mind flayer and went homicidal on us. He tried to kill all the kids."

Eddie desperately wants to hear all the other Upside down stories one day. He keeps trying to stitch together all these scraps of lore that keep getting dropped on him. He has no right to ask about something so traumatic, so he'll just be patient and wait for more lore to drop.

"Everyone's just being cautious. Vecna's dead though, so I'm not really sure who they think would possess you." Steve finishes and squeezes Eddie's lower calf where his hand rests.

"I get it. Kinda hurts my feelings, but I get it." Eddie mumbles and feels his eyes getting heavy. He wonders if he could fall asleep out here. Maybe if the crickets were still chirping and it wasn't so goddamn quiet.

"I'm sorry, Eddie." It's fine, this might not even be the worst thing that's ever happened to him.

🥞🫐

In the morning Eddie curls himself into Steve's little kitchen nook. Eddie kind of loves the window seat, it's something his mom would have wanted, Eddie theorizes. She was always looking out windows, probably daydreaming about escaping. Eddie does it too.

The kids seem warmer this morning. There's no more hushed whispers or pointed looks. They're talking and moving around the house less cautiously. Hopefully, the stiffest interactions and the worst of their distrust is behind them. Nancy's still watching him like a hawk though.

Steve shuffles into view, his socks are bunched up around his ankles. It's cute.

He holds out a plate for Eddie with a dumb smile on his face. When Eddie reaches for it, he sees a stack of pancakes and the top pancake has a little face made out of blueberries and two whipped cream fangs. It's a vampire pancake. Steve made Eddie a sweet little vampire pancake.

"Oh my god, you're so adorable." Eddie squeaks and makes a grabby hand for the fork Steve's holding. Steve blushes and hands over the fork.

"Do you like it?" Steve asks coyly. The pancakes feel like a hug, they feel like an apology that Steve doesn't even owe.

"I love it, chef." Eddie pokes at the pancake-vampire's cheek. "I don't know if I can eat him. He's too cute." Eddie giggles. Steve looks up at him with bright sparkly eyes. God he's perfect. Eddie's hungry for him in five different ways.

Robin and Dustin come up beside Steve to look down at the plate.

"I want one!" Dustin announces loudly. Steve turns around and heads back to the stove, he looks so proud of himself.

"You can have normal pancakes. Those are special for Eddie." Steve says with a wink. Dustin looks down at Eddie and pouts at him as if Eddie has any say in who gets what kind of pancake.

"Dustin had to watch it all happen, he should get one too." Eddie tells Steve earnestly while Steve is pouring more batter into the pan.

Dustin gloats and yells "Exactly! Thank you, Eddie."

And it feels like things are gonna be okay.

[casualwitchbitch]

Things crystals can do: be an object of focus for a meditation, visualisation or ritual ~ be a visual reminder of your goals/intentions ~ have meaning SPECIFIC TO YOU that strengthens over time and with repeated use ~ be a psychological ‘anchor’ ~ look pretty ~ hurt worse than Lego when stepped on

Things crystals cannot do: heal illness ~ stand in for medical treatments or vaccinations ~ purify water ~ heal dogs or children ~ deflect bad vibes ~ have inherent magickal powers ~ replace therapy or psych meds

Witchcraft is about discernment, not believing in everything. Wisdom is a balance of intuition, learning, experience and critical thinking.