#also i want SOURCES and EXPLANATIONS for some of the fearmongering

[fabrickind]

Everyone talking about the proposed tumblr changes keeps asking to permanently disable Tumblr Live instead of just muting it for a week and I’m like

The mute toggle actually works for y’all?

[lokilysolbitch]

Psychosis Discussion for the Witchy/Pagan Folks In My Phone

also i'm not an expert, this is based off personal experience, personal research, formal research (my past college classes, but it's not like we had an in depth class for psychosis specifically, we just touched on it for like a week or two total), what i've heard from others, and observation

u know what. no one tells y'all what to do if you think ur in spiritual psychosis* (or just psychosis). all they do is make fun of people they think are in psychosis and use the term like a weapon.

here's what to do

eat enough (this one is underrated. how will your brain be able to work properly if not given the fuel? it takes energy to emotionally regulate and double check conclusions you come to)

drink water

try to get enough sleep (also underrated)

do something non psychosis related. draw something silly, or go sit outside, or watch a comfort show. observe how your body feels without assigning explanations to why it feels that way. these are all to help ground yourself. (sometimes grounding is explained with a spiritual lens and you may not want to get into that if you're trying to take a break from spirituality). if you're delusions are about deities, take a break from your deities. they won't be mad, they've seen psychosis before and they love you.

address your distress. i can't speak much for manic feeling types of psychosis, my episodes were very anxiety based. but for anxiety, use coping mechanisms for calming yourself down. do something that doesn't harm you but makes you feel safe.

if you can, get professional help, or get medications adjusted if that's what's causing it

if you know the source or something heavily influencing your psychosis, distance yourself from it. witchtok is known for fearmongering and feeding peoples psychosis

reach out to friends if you've been isolating yourself. you can just spend time together doing something chill. something that helped my episodes was being with people who weren't tied to the themes of my psychosis, so if your psychosis is tied to witchcraft for example, hang out with friends who don't do anything witchy, or stay off the topic of witchcraft if your friends are all into witchcraft

hold off on major decisions like large purchases, getting rid of lots of personal items, moving, etc until you feel better and more stable

a bonus tip is to spend time away from people who are toxic or who make you feel confused and off kilter. if there's someone who for reasons you can or cant explain, just repeatedly makes you feel bad about yourself or guilty or angry, it might be because they're toxic in a way you havent noticed yet. if i had a nickel for every time someone told me they thought they were going insane until they spent less time with someone who turned out to be an abuser, and they suddenly got better, i'd have three nickels including myself.

i see too many people in witch/pagan communities acting like the psychosis is just when people are weird or when believe weird things and it's such a bold thing to say when we literally talk to gods and/or light candles to get money. it makes it seem like the bad part of psychosis is being weird or cringy. that is not what is destructive about psychosis. what's destructive is the social isolation, obsession, anxiety, paranoia, lack of self care, and big impulsive decisions. if you feel safe, are safe, and aren't harming others, your beliefs are not a major concern. you're either right, or harmlessly wrong. nothing wrong with that. so stop bullying people you think are weird, i will always repeat this sentiment

if something happens in your practice that is a little wacky, just keep taking care of yourself. the priority is your safety and others' safety. there's a lot of fearmongering in witchy spaces about being wildly wrong meaning you're in psychosis, but being wrong is okay. do some research (not on social media), ask for signs you can't miss, get a tarot reading from someone you trust, and remember spirituality is just wacky sometimes. we can't prove every single spiritual occurrence. we can only prove if we're physically taken care of. if you're safe, and the people around you are safe, and you don't feel overwhelmed with paranoia or anxiety or mania, you're probably okay to move forward, and just accept you could be right or wrong.

also, coming out of psychosis is a slow process. you're changing your view of your own reality. that doesn't happen in one night.

*i want to add to this, it is possible to know you're in psychosis, it's just not always common. if you are feeling like everyone is out to get you (thinking everyone is trying to hex you or you're being constantly spiritually attacked), or that you are more special than everyone (thinking youre a gods favorite devotee, that you're the most powerful witch, thinking you're the only one stopping an astral war, for me i thought i personally would cause the rapture), feeling like everything is a sign, those could be delusions. (the ones i'm describing here are delusions of persecution, grandeur, and reference. i see these most often in witchy/pagan/spiritual spaces)

also this might just be me, i have chronic dissociation, OCD, GAD, and such but psychosis has its own separate feeling of "i'm losing it". it feels like that mental thing you get in dreams where you just don't question anything. once you're out of it, you're like "why did i just believe that???". and like you can question yourself in a dream, but you'll only catch one thing. you'll recognize the clocks are look weird, but you won't notice the walls changing colors, you know? so if you feel that half-in a dream, reasoning isn't working right feeling, that could be a signal too. i think the closest feeling i've had to this was a PTSD (not a cptsd one in this case) flashback after a night of no sleep.

okay i'm rambling. tldr: if you think you're developing are/in psychosis, do basic physical self care (especially eating enough). do things that are simple and fun that isn't related to what is triggering you (so like grounding). social self care, like meeting with friends to do things not related to your psychosis triggers. try to use basic coping skills for anxiety, guilt, fear, things like that. you don't need to dig into why you feel it, just how to calm it down.

and stop bullying ppl online, doesn't matter how insane you think they are

(i have DID and it's hard to keep track of what i say without rambling and switching trains of thought and repeating myself without realizing so if this is confusing. uhh. rip lmao)

[eliyahu613]

i saw whwre you said not to trust ramcoa carrds and i was wondering if the one called "explainingramcoa" and the resources on it look okay? i found it a while ago and havent been able to go tjrough it super well yet cuz im just learning abt it all

(Disclaimer: I am not a professional nor an expert, just some guy on Tumblr frustrated with misinformation trying to be helpful. Please do not take my word as fact and be critical of everything you read, especially about topics such as RAMCOA, where misinformation of the antisemitic variety specifically tends to run rampant.)

Rating: Decently Reliable (6/10)

Further explanation and analysis under the cut. Major trigger warning, this Carrd discusses instances of abuse in great detail that I will reference and pick apart.

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, I had a very long and exhausting shift today, and I wanted to make sure that I did my due diligence in checking this source out. This Carrd does things a lot better than I've seen other Carrds do. For one, it lists out a sources page. It also provides examples instead of just saying nebulous things such as "governments" and "a secret network of [Jewish] organizations." That said, this is still a Carrd made by someone who is not an expert, which means that it is not fully reliable, and there are some claims that the author makes that make me raise my eyebrow.

Overall, here's how I would rank this Carrd in terms of common issues that I see among RAMCOA resources:

With 0 being "this issue is not present here" and 10 being "holy shit this Carrd's helpfulness is completely overshadowed by this."

Antisemitism And Related Rhetoric:

Satanic Panic Rhetoric: 4/10

Literally uses a source from nineteen fucking ninety-one to prove their point, which includes a lot of satanic panic bullshit. I'm sorry, but this is just not okay in any universe. Also, this gem of a misleading quote, which is either intentionally or unintentionally misrepresenting why the satanic panic was bullshit.

Known for its prevalence in the “Satanic panic” and sometimes even referred to as SRA (Satanic ritual abuse), ritual abuse is often seen as highly controversial. Victims are painted as unreliable or susceptible to their therapists’ suggestions, and their stories go unheard.

Like??? This person probably has no idea what the satanic panic even was. By omitting the crucial detail that it was an antisemitic and homophobic fearmongering tactic by the Christian conservative right, they're making it seem like any person trying to analyze the antisemitism of this crowd's rhetoric is inherently disrespectful to survivors. By trying to spread the narrative that it's disrespectful to survivors to be critical of fearmongering, it's harmful to way more people, including survivors.

"Shadow Government" Shit: 4/10

This Carrd contains a lot of references to the government or governments (though doesn't specify which government or where in the world) doing RAMCOA. While I do not doubt that some governments have indeed perpetrated this form of abuse, omitting the details of where this took place can be very harmful. Below is an example that the author of this Carrd provided of organized abuse.

A government, looking for ruthlessly loyal soldiers and assassins, allows children to be brought up as fighters against humanitarian law. The children are forced to do daily military drills, constantly exposed to violence from both sides, never allowed to show their emotions, etc. Some of these children are even given steroids and other drugs against their will with the hope of increasing their reflexes and strength.

I did a little google search about the use of child soldiers in modern times, and I specifically looked for instances of them being forced to use drugs. While it is true that this does happen, it happens very little, and it is mostly done by non-government military groups. Again, while this scenario does happen, putting it next to more common instances of child rape as if they're remotely the same in scale and frequency can be seen as misleading.

While the author doesn't make any false claims in this area per se, the way that they go about making their claims feels a bit iffy. I give this one a 4/10.

Jewish Stereotypes: 0/10

I didn't see any sort of stereotyping of Jewish people or anything like that, so this Carrd is pretty good on that end. Although, as a disclaimer, I'm not Jewish myself, so I do not have the final authority on this matter.

General Shit:

Medium Unreliability: 8/10

A score of 8/10 comes from the fact that it's a Carrd with no way to contact the author or even know who they are. They claim to be a survivor, but for all anyone knows, they could be lying about that. That does not mean that they are lying, and I understand that revealing that one is a survivor can put them at risk, but nonetheless it is difficult to trust a nameless, faceless person who claims to know about such a serious subject, and who has no professional qualifications or experience.

Bad Sources: 4/10

This Carrd uses a generally acceptable list of sources, but some are unreliable, and one is satanic panic bullshit.

Conclusion

Averaging out all of my ratings on various common problems, this Carrd gets a solid 6/10 (with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best) in terms of misinformation and harmful stereotypes. This makes it decently reliable with a few issues.

[cumaeansibyl]

Fighting Fake Anti-Trump News

In the interests of not spending the next four years fact-checking my own side, I would like very much if we could all exercise good judgment on what we reblog.

I’m pissed off about the trend of twitter screenshots posing as “news” with no source. I’m also pissed off about people posting their own unsourced, inaccurate summaries of something they heard somewhere. This makes us look no better than Trump supporters sharing lies on Facebook, and it often causes unnecessary fear. Here’s a guide on what I want people to do instead.

Easy Mode: If there’s no source, don’t reblog it. This requires no effort on your part, but it’s still helpful. Don’t disseminate information that could be inaccurate.

Regular Mode: Add a source. Google some key words. If it’s legitimate, you should find news stories about it. Reblog and add some source links. While I’m not a huge fan of how the mainstream media has been handling things lately, for this purpose I recommend sticking to established print media, because they have better fact-checking than Internet-only outlets and they’ve been firmer in their opposition than TV news.

If it’s not legitimate, reblog anyway and add sources refuting it. You don’t have to write up a whole explanation if you don’t want. Linking to a source with the note “This shit didn’t happen” will suffice.

Hard Mode: Question the source. If there is a source link, check it. If it’s from some outlet you never heard, of or one that you don’t feel is reputable (like, say, The Daily Mail), go see if they have sources to back themselves up. They may not. Google key words again. See if anyone else is reporting on their claims. If not, wait a bit. It’s possible they have an exclusive scoop. It’s also possible they’re fearmongering based on misunderstood or inadequate information, or they’re just flat making shit up. Don’t discount the possibility of fake “progressive” outlets run by the opposition to discredit us. And remember, The Onion is not the only parody news site out there -- not by a long shot.

Again, though, if you do nothing else, stop reblogging unsourced stories. It’s already going to be a long, bad four years. We don’t need to make it worse.

[ricandhaiz]

The Rose of Castile, Part 11 (Bad Omen)

“Where could he be?” Inés asked as she paced back and forth in her bedchamber. It had been hours since she and Don Corto had returned from San Zoilo. “He should be here by now.”

“Be patient,” Don Corto replied. “He’ll arrive when the time is right.”

Inés frowned. “What if he decides not to come at all?”

Don Corto shook his head. “For pity’s sake, why must you always assume the worst? He’s just learned of the deaths of his two niños (children). He’s likely in shock and deeply distressed. Perhaps he’s gone to a chapel to pray or taken his horse for a ride around Carrión to clear his head.”

“Do you think I should I wait for him in the courtyard?” Inés asked and then wrung her hands, adding, “Oh Papá, what should I…”

But before Inés could finish her train of thought, the sight of a hooded figure clad in black standing in the doorway behind Don Corto stopped her short. She put a hand to her mouth and gasped. Alarmed, her papá quickly turned to face the source of Inés’ apparent astonishment.

Raul stepped into the room with a weary gate and stooped shoulders. He looked pale and gaunt with blood shot eyes that were glued to Inés’ face.

Sensing Raul and Inés’ need to be alone, Don Corto bowed and said, “I will take my leave.”

Inés’ stomach was twisted in knots as watched her padre exit the room. As her eyes flitted back and forth between Don Corto’s receding figure and the haunted expression on Raul’s face, she found herself having to squelch the impulse to retreat or run away. Don’t be a coward, she scolded herself. Stay where you are and hear him out.

When Raul stepped toward her, she closed her eyes and braced herself for an impending blow, a sharp reprimand, or maybe even both. But to her surprise, he instead wrapped his arms around her in a fierce and impassioned embrace that nearly took her breath away.

“Inés,” Raul groaned again and again as he buried his face in her hair and wept. “I was so worried about you. I don’t know what would have become of me if I’d lost you too.”

Overwhelmed with love, remorse and pity, Inés kissed Raul’s tear-strewn cheeks and cried with him as they fell to their knees.  For a long while, they simply held each other close until the worst of their outpouring of grief had passed.

At that point, Inés had worked up the nerve to ask, “So you’re not angry with me then?”

“Why would you think that?” Raul asked with a bemused look.

“For refusing to leave Cuéllar,” Inés said with downcast eyes. “If I’d only listened to you and Papá maybe Estela and Gonzalo would be with us now.”

Grabbing hold of Inés’ face, Raul replied, “Then I am just as much at fault as you are. You and Estela were in Cuéllar because that is where I wished for you to be.”

Inés furrowed her brow and sighed. “I’ve borne you three children in the five years we’ve been married. Our two hijos died at or near birth, and the only one that lived past her infancy just succumbed to an attack of the fever. You need an heir to pass your patrimonial lands and wealth to. What if I’m no longer capable of doing that?”

“If I am unable to have a hijo with you, then my line will end with me,” Raul replied, matter-of-factly.

“But why should you be penalized for my failures? That wouldn’t be right or fair. I could go away to a convent. You could marry again and have the hijos and hijas I couldn’t give you.”

Raul grasped her upper arms with an exasperated look and shook her as he said, “Hear me well and then we’ll speak of this no more. I love you. I always have, and I always will. You’re the one I want at my side and in my bed. If I can’t have you, then I will have no one.”  

Inés nodded as she took his hand in hers and led him to the bed. A long interval of silence ensued as she cradled his head to her breast and gently stroked his back and arms. Finally, Raul spoke again. “I made for Cuéllar as soon as your padre’s messenger arrived. It had taken him a little more than a week to find me. The king’s army was en route to Coria from Toledo at the time. He told me of Gonzalo’s death and Estela’s illness. I immediately went to the king and asked him for leave to depart. He said yes and told me that the situation with the taifa king of Badajoz, al-Mutawakkil, was well in hand and that he himself was going to depart for the Rioja soon. He wished me well asked me to give you his regards.”

After a brief pause, Raul continued. “You and your padre had already left by the time my men and I arrived in Cuéllar. I spoke to Mencia at length about what had happened to our hijos. She told me how you refused to let go of Gonzalo after his passing and how you stayed by Estela’s side until the end.”

“She asked for you,” Inés replied, her voice quivering. “I told her over and over again how much you loved her and that you would’ve been there for her too if the king hadn’t called you away.”

“Did she suffer much?”

Inés nodded and squeezed her eyes shut in a futile attempt to keep her tears from falling. “She fought it as long and as hard as she could. I prayed for a miracle but as the days wore on, it became clear to me that that cursed fever had no intention of loosening its stranglehold on her until she was dead.”

At that point, their conversation abated for a little while, each lost in thought. Finally, Inés asked, “Who else did you speak to while you were there?”

“I spoke at length with Ramiro. He told me of his efforts to keep the fever from spreading further and his attempts to assuage the concerns of the townspeople.”

“Did he tell you about what happened to innkeeper’s granddaughter, Maria?”

Raul nodded. “He said that credible accusations of witchcraft had been made against her.”

“She was no witch.” Inés was adamant. “What else did he say?”

“He said that she killed herself shortly after escaping from jail.”

“Do you believe him?”

Raul’s eyes narrowed. He looked up at her with a quizzical expression and said, “Do you have reason to doubt him?”

“The story of her escape makes no sense. Maria was slight and nearly a foot shorter than the jailer and the bars to her cell were thick.”

“How would you know that?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Inés confessed, “I went to see her after I heard what happened.”

Raul’s eyes widened in shock and surprise. “Inés…”  

Inés placed a finger on his lips to stop him from saying more. “You were gone and… and I couldn’t just stand by and let an innocent girl be crucified by the Abbot and his angry disciples. She seemed frightened but not at all inclined to take her own life.”

“Well then, you will likely be pleased to hear that Abbot Pablo’s days of fearmongering and demagoguery are now at an end.”

“Has he been reassigned?” Inés asked hopefully.

“No. He’s dead.” Inés gasped. Raul continued. “From what I was able to gather, it appears that his death occurred under rather unusual circumstances.”

“How so?”

“I’m told that one of his servants heard him screaming in the night. And then, when she went to his bedchamber to check on him, she found his body curled up in one corner of the room. She claims that he looked as though he had died of fright.”

“Was he ill or had he been harmed in any way at the time of his death?”

Raul shook his head. “The servant swore that she neither heard nor saw anyone enter or exit the Abbot’s residence that evening. Ramiro also told me that his body showed no outward signs of violence.”

“That’s strange.”

“Ramiro also told me that there were those in the town who believe that Maria had come back from the dead to haunt him.”

“You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“No. But there are many things in this life that do defy explanation. As for the Abbot, we may never know what truly led to his demise.”

Inés nodded and was quiet for a moment before she speaking again. “I pray that the next abbot will adhere to the tenants of his faith and be a much more faithful practitioner then his predecessor.”

“We can only hope,” Raul replied with a yawn as he laid his head upon her breast once more.

“Sleep now,” Inés said as she kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll talk again once you’ve had the chance to rest awhile.”

 Raul and Inés lived in seclusion in the Kingdom of Leon to mourn the passing of their children until December of 1079 when they attended the wedding of King Alfonso VI to Constance of Burgundy in Leon. They did not return to Cuéllar until the spring of 1080.

The sky was overcast and threatening rain when Raul and Inés arrived in town with a small contingent of knights and squires. Along the way, they were greeted by various town officials, including the town’s new merino, Gustavo García, and abbot, Carlos López, before retiring to their newly constructed living quarters in the citadel.

As Inés entered the courtyard, a great sadness fell upon her heart. She looked around and recalled how much Estela had enjoyed watching her “castle” being constructed.

“Are you all right?” Raul asked as he helped Inés dismount from her horse.

Inés bit her lip and didn’t answer at first. She took a moment to look around instead before she responded. “I think she would have approved, don’t you?”

Raul nodded. “There’s still years of work to be done on the fortress itself and the town’s defensive walls but it should suit our purposes well enough for the time being.” He then offered her his arm, adding, “Come, let’s go inside and get some rest before tonight’s festivities.”

“From what Gustavo said, it sounds like nearly every member of the town council and their esposas (wives) will be joining us for dinner,” Inés replied with a sigh.

Raul stopped in his tracks and furrowed his brow. “I can always arrange for them to come another day if you’re not up to entertaining anyone on your first night back in Cuéllar.”

“I’ll be fine,” Inés replied as she patted Raul’s arm. “I just need to discuss the menu with the cook and make sure that we have enough food and drink for all our guests.”

As expected, the Abbot and the town’s governing body arrived for dinner shortly after sunset. They were greeted by Raul and Inés at the entrance to the Great Hall. Each of them expressed their heartfelt condolences for the loss of the lord’s children as they entered the dining area. Once they were all seated, Abbot Carlos said grace after the servants finished setting dishes filled with roast chicken, fresh fruit, loaves of bread and pitchers of wine on the table.

Halfway through the meal, Gustavo, who was sitting to Raul’s immediate right said, “Your presence was greatly missed, my lord. And I’m sure that I speak for everyone here when I say that your impending return has been the talk of the town for weeks.”

“I’ve been very pleased with all the reports that I’ve received from you during my absence. You and the other members of the council have done an exceptional job of keeping the town moving in a forward despite the few setbacks it’s experienced in the last year or so.”

Gustavo took a sip of wine and smiled. “The fever killed nearly a quarter of the town’s population. Ramiro, God rest his soul, was one of the last to succumb to it. And that business with the innkeeper’s nieta (granddaughter)…”

Inés’ ears perked up at the sound of Maria’s name while the merino’s wife, Isabella, who was sitting to her left, crossed herself.

“Are you all right?” Inés asked.

“Yes, my lady,” Isabella replied. Her hands shook as she lifted a cup of wine to her lips. “I’m grateful that that whole ugly episode is now behind us. You were lucky to have missed all the hysterical gossip that spread about her for months after her death.”

“What were people saying? Please tell me. I’d like to know.”

Isabella glanced at Gustavo and then said, “Maria was rumored to have put a curse on the men who played a part in her arrest. For the most part, I try not pay attention to stories of that kind, but I must admit that the deaths of Abbot Pablo, Ramiro, and the jailer within weeks of Maria’s got me thinking that they might actually be true.”

“Or it could all just have been a coincidence,” Inés offered while masking her disdain of those men and the rumor mongers who had circulated what she believed had been an obvious lie. “Maria was never tried and convicted for the alleged crime of witchcraft.”

“That’s very true,” Isabella replied demurely. “Forgive me. I meant no offense by my words.”

“No apology is necessary. I was merely pointing out facts as they existed at the time of Maria’s death. Do you know what became of her family? Do they still live in town?”

Abbot Carlos, who was sitting across from Raul and Inés, said, ��The innkeeper’s still running the Inn. I often see his sister, Cecilia, sitting by the front doors whenever I pass by. She arrived not long after Maria’s death.”

“That must have been the woman we saw when we passed the Inn,” Inés said and glanced at Raul.

“She keeps to herself for the most part,” Abbot Carlos said. “She’s barely said two words to me since I’ve been in Cuéllar.”

“Nor anyone else,” Isabella said with a snort. “Don’t you agree Gustavo?”

Rather than respond to Isabella’s question, Gustavo cleared his throat and said, “Speak no more of that woman and her family. Don Raul and Doña Inés have probably had their fill of this subject and are likely eager to move on to other topics. Let us oblige them and do so.”

With that said, the subject turned from Maria to issues such as the likelihood of incursions by Moorish forces into towns like Cuéllar and the state of its defenses at the present time. Gustavo, like his predecessor before him, assured Raul that everything humanly possibly had been done in his absence to fortify the town and train every able-bodied man for a possible attack. Raul, in turn, informed the members of the town council that he had received assurances from the king and Count Pedro that the fortresses at Tordesillas, Valladolid, and/or Peñafiel could be relied upon to reinforce Cuéllar’s militia if needed. Near the end of the evening, Raul invited Gustavo to meet with him in the coming days to go over his proposed plan to evacuate at least the women and children of the town if, in his estimation, the danger of being overrun ever reached a crisis point.

Once all the guests had departed, Raul took a horseback ride around town while Inés bathed and unpacked her things. Given the lateness of the hour, he encountered few people along the way. But as he passed the Inn, he came upon the old woman which his guests had alluded to at dinnertime. She was sitting alone in a chair beside the front doors.

“Good evening,” Raul said with a slight nod to the woman. At first, he wasn’t sure that she’d heard him. Thus, he moved a closer and repeated his greeting.

That time, the old woman looked up at him and smiled toothlessly as she said, “Same to you, my lord.”

“Do you know who I am?”

The woman cackled. “How could I not? There’s not a man or woman in town who wouldn’t know who you are. I saw you pass with your lady and your men-at-arms earlier today.”

“I’m afraid that I’m at a slight disadvantage since I don’t know your name.”

Again, she laughed. “My name’s Cecilia.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Is it now?” Cecilia replied slowly. “I’m sure that there are many others who would disagree with you.”

“Why so?”

“Because they’re small-minded and foolish. You must know about what these people did to my Maria. She was a good girl.”

“I did. My lady, Doña Inés, was quite distressed when she’d heard that Maria had died.”

“She’s a very pretty lady. You love her a lot...or so I’ve been told. You’re worried about her. I can tell. Maybe I can help.”

“And how would you do that?”

Cecilia motioned for him to come closer. “When the time comes, I will show you how.”

Just then, a gush of cold wind sprang up, nearly knocking him off Bandido while it neighed and pawed at the ground. He patted the horse’s neck to calm him down even though his own heart was now pounding in his chest. Who was this woman? And what, if anything, was she capable of?

“I should go now,” Raul said. “My lady is probably wondering where I am.”

“Good night then,” Cecilia replied with a knowing smile. “I’m sure that we will see each other again soon. Please give your lady my regards.”

“I will,” Raul said as he backed away. He then turned his horse in the direction of the citadel and galloped all the way home. Once there, he bounded up the stairs to his bedchamber and flung the door open. It was only upon seeing Inés kneeling by the bed in prayer that the irrational fear which had seized and propelled him to return with undue haste at last began to dissipate.

Raul swooped Inés up in his arms and held her tight. “Thank God you’re well.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Inés asked as she pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Did something happen to you while you were out? You look as white as a sheet.”

“Don’t mind me,” Raul replied slowly. “It’s nothing.”

Inés frowned. “Something’s amiss. What’s troubling you?”

Raul took a deep breath as he cupped her face with his hands and said, “I love you. There’s nothing more important to me in this world than you are. God help me, but I think that I might even make a deal with the devil himself to keep you safe from harm.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you or me,” Inés replied. “Have faith, mi amor, and rest easy. All will be well.”

[thehipsterzombiejointexperience]

First trailer has dropped for SPIKE TV’s The Mist series.

In the new TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist, the characters have as much to fear about what’s within themselves as they do the creature roaming through the fog.

Spike has released the first trailer for the series, which debuts June 22, and fans of the novella will notice it takes the premise – a strange vapor rolls in, and otherworldly predators are unleashed – and adds an entirely new cast of characters.

“I wanted to be respectful to the source material, but my feeling was there was already a great adaptation out there by Frank Darabont,” says show creator Christian Torpe, referring to the 2007 film with the infamous gut-punch ending.

“The novella is 200 pages and one location, and we needed to change that to make an ongoing series. But we wanted to remain faithful to the heart of the story,” he says.

Gone is the grocery store, where residents of a small town take shelter from the beasts outside and unleash the sinister qualities within themselves. The series will be spread out over several lockdown locations, including a church and a mall where hundreds have holed up against the monsters.

“But we are not just in the mall,” Torpe says. “We establish different little pressure cookers under the influence of whoever the leader would be in those locations. Each of them come up with different theories or beliefs about what’s going on. Eventually, the story lines will dovetail and turn into conflicts.”

Sex is also a much bigger theme in this version of the story – since it’s something that tends to provoke people’s dark sides.

SINS OF THE FLESH

One of the main characters, Eve Copeland (played by Alyssa Sutherland of Vikings), is a school teacher whose sex-ed class has sparked controversy in town – and revived old gossip about her past. “She was sort of a wild child, and the town still subliminally holds her sexuality against her. There’s a lot of misogyny under the surface.”

Eve’s husband, Kevin (Morgan Spector, from Person of Interest), is a prototypical nice guy. “He’s thismodern-dayy, liberal man,” Torpe says. “He believes in all the right values of kindness and forgiveness, but they’re easy values for him. He’s never been tested. I wanted to test: Does he have the courage of his convictions, or will he break under enough pressure?”

Their daughter, Alex (Gus Birney) has always played by the rules, unlike her mother, but she’s beginning to develop a rebellious streak just as a supernatural evil begins to waft into town.

Their neighbor is Nathalie Raven (Six Feet Under’s Frances Conroy), who has a kind of spiritual connection to them. She is part prophet, part wannabe martyr, and has what Torpe describes as “a twisted, almost mother-son relationship” with the local sheriff, Connor Heisel (played by Mad Men’s Darren Pettie.)

The sheriff’s son, Jay (Luke Cosgrove), is a high school football star accused of a violent crime – so even before the mist rolls in, the townsfolk are at odds with each other.

Lording over the trapped people at the mall is facility manager Gus Redman (The Wire’s Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who sees a chance to exert some real authority for a change. “He’s the guy who has gone as far as he can go in his life. He’s a bureaucrat and never felt he got the respect he deserved,” Torpe says. “With a good hundred survivors trapped in the mall, he tries to rise to the occasion and become the respected leader he always felt he was supposed to be. He’s trying to establish his own empire.”

Among the other characters: Russell Posner as Adrian, an insecure teen who is a confidant to Alex; a modem-minded priest (Frasier‘s Dan Butler), whose faith is tested by the behavior of those seeking shelter in his sanctuary; Danica Curcic as Mia, a drug addict who is in town seeking a hidden trove of cash; and Okezie Morro (Red Tails) as Jonah Dixon, a soldier suffering from amnesia.

While the series will try to establish a different story from the King novella and the Darabont movie, Torpe did hint at some possible crossover later in the show. “It’s a weird cousin to the original material,” he says. “It has a constant ebb and flow communication with the novella. But who knows? Maybe some of the original characters will make a cameo at some point.”

For him, The Mist serves as a chance to use a horror story to explore real life dynamics, much as The Twilight Zone did decades ago.

THE FEARMONGERS AROUND US

“Unfortunately, I thought it was incredibly timely to do a show about what people do when they are blinded by fear,” Torpe says. “We look around at what’s going on in the world, and everyone is constantly looking for someone to blame, or someone to lead them to the promised land. They find people to hate, either because of their gender or race or faith. Those are elements we tap into — how fear drives things like misogyny and homophobia.”

While the characters grasp for explanations about the monsters in their midst, fans who listen closely to the trailer will hear the name “Arrowhead” mentioned – a reference to a theory proposed by the novella’s characters.

But even then, King never offered a definitive explanation for his creatures.

“It’s more about people seeking answers than the answers themselves,” says Torpe.

For him, The Mist is a psychological thriller, with monsters thrown in to stir emotions.

“I pitched it as ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Jaws,’” he says.

The Mist premieres Thursday, June 22 on Spike.