#bog witch!simon

[3amfanfiction]

What about Simon as the bog witch?

He sits on his front porch, wooden boards cracked and blackened with age. There's moss growing along the sides of the house, creeping fingers into every crevice. The window panes are caked and dirty with untold years. The stilts it sits on sink deep into the mucky ground in an attempt to keep it raised and dry.

It doesn't work.

He has his rocking chair out front, a great creaking thing that glides back and forth in perpetual motion, idling the day away talking to the toads and the ghosts of the land, skull mask on so as to blend in. His closest neighbors are half rotted away in the wet ground not three miles over, the mottled skin of their bodies giving way to ivory bone. They find comfort in the familiar.

You can't find him if you're looking. The paths that meander through the swamp lands warp and change and lead to no-where dead-ends as you circle and circle and circle, feet sucked into the wet ground, each step a chore, a great prying of foot from earth only to be reintroduced a scant distance later.

No, his house isn't one to be found. It does, however, show itself to those who have the right shade of despair about them. A fine fragrance of anguish only the truly despondent can carry. Something he can sniff out with his bloodhound of a nose as soon as they enter his territory.

Those.

Those make their way to his doorstep, raised paths giving no choice but to follow as they twist and wind through the murk, will-o-wisps luring them ever forward. They stumble across him right as it's dinner time, candles flickering in the window as the shadows begin to loom, smoke creeping up from the chimney in a playfully taunting curl, enticing you into the warmth.

And his door opens with him backlit in its frame. This behemoth of a man, shoulders turned sideways to fit through the doorway as he steps forward, deep thump settling his weight firmly on the weathered boards of the porch.

You think it's death come to greet you, the way he's decked out in all black, bone white skull leering at you, dark, dark eyes pinning you in place. A knife half the size of his forearm hangs from his belt.

He waits. Waits for you to make the first move.

Always.

You're the one who decides how this plays out. What side of him you get. Tooth or tongue. It's all up to you. Your actions.

If you play your cards right he invites you inside. Into the maw of his control, a slavering thing that has its teeth covered at the moment, a tight reign on emotion but one that stirs as you step inside. The wakening of a beast that draws its first breath, searching, searching.

The inside of his house is eclectic. A fascinating display of handcrafted trinkets and trifles, made by him or traded for over the years, an organic blend that could have only come from time. Years and years. Decades even. How old is he?

You won't ever know. Would never get a straight answer if you asked. Those kinds of details no longer matter. Not here. Not in this place.

So you sit. And you talk. And you never notice. Never notice his long steady inhales, drawing something (drawing you) in. You don't notice the way true night falls over the house, a steady blanket of shadow that engulfs everything, leaving you buoyed together, surrounded by these four walls. Never notice yourself slowly becoming more tired, sinking into the warmth and the ambiance of the house, its own breaths settling in the evening coolness.

Things wind down, conversation slowing and then stopping as he ushers you away to a bed tucked into the corner covered in hides and rough pillows. Ready to kip for the long hours of the night, when the true chill set in and things in the dark would bite first.

But you don't have to worry. Because you fed him that night, didn't you realize?

Even as he scented your anguish and despair, he drew it in—pulling it deep into the crags of himself, letting it fill all the dark spaces. All the putrid dark corners that oozed in the decay of him filled with your hurt. Shed and consumed in one swoop, gone to never bother you again. Unburdened of the weight you had carried to his doorstep. Carried for far too long. Each word you spoke, another piece.

It was such a shame that the memory went with it.

So you were safe from his teeth.

But he had other hungers that swelled in the long hours of the night.

The next morning saw you lighter, no longer dredging the bottom with every step you took as you leave the house in the bog. Your path back straightforward and unwavering, leading you forward with assured steps.

Simon would watch from his porch as you made your way, dark eyes sated in the morning light as he sat on his rocker once more. The steady creak creak creak of the wood filling the morning air, accompanying the buzz of insects already starting to pick up in the mid morning warmth.

Next

[occudo]

wait, yo there’s an entire mage magic system in this au? Might I ask for more details?

Sooo...

The short answer is that is a soft magic system, with no hard rules, it's just fun with the characters.

The long answer on the other hand...

I had a similar ask before, but since then some things changed, so I guess I try to explain it as best as I can.

So! This is a magical-fantasy-medieval AU, I was loosely inspired by arthurameslove 's fic This Lonely Knight, but since then I made my own version of a similar premise. The magic system is based on the original fears, the avatars are people who are affected by their magic, in one way or another. The more close to the fear the person is, the more magical effect it has.

The most known magic users are witches. They go to school to study, and from there, they can go and become advisors in small kingdoms where they can get gifted titles like Lady and Lord, but they don't get actual lands or servants.

Jon is not an advisor, but Elias' protégé and he can afford to employ Martin, who is a Knight, and previously worked for Lord Lucas. Elias is the advisor of King Magnus.

The kingdoms are based around the Fears, with most avatars being nobility or witches. (I wasn't sure if I wanted to make Simon a noble or a mage, maybe he is not so open about his skills) The witches are glass cannons- they can be really powerful in some situations but otherwise, kinda weak so is a common thing to have a designated knight bodyguarding them if they leave their palaces.

Martin is 'touched' but can't do magic the way Jon, or other witches.

If a witch finishes school, they are respected and believed that they can control powerful magic (with circles and runes) without it affecting their bodies and minds negatively - not like Jane Prentiss, for example. She was a noblewoman who got- corrupted.

Not every witch goes to serve nobility, there are plenty of small village witches, and Gertrude also tried to leave the palace and become a bog witch kinda deal.

Innisially for this au, I made the 'witch factor' the characters' connection to the eye in canon. I didn't see either Tim or Martin really eye-aligned, so I made them knights instead.

Since then I added Sky Mages for the Vast avatars- I just tought flying and stars and sky really deserve their own coven.

I'm not sure about the other fears names and schools jet. The phrase Seer Mage came from @skell3 's fanfic inspired by my comic, and I loved it so much that I baked it in my au. Also, the thought that eye-aligned mages are all about seeking truth and other's secrets, while can't really fly or fight mutch was funny to me.

So this is a loosy-goosy system that I'm still working on. I'm also open to suggestions- like with Basira and Daisy- they ended up being witch hunters.

or Georgie and Melanie

And I changed Michael from a jester to an actual noble/prince

So yeah, I hope this answers your question. Mostly a character-based, case-by-case thingy.

[croxot]

Mitzy Lore Post

Mitzy's true origin is lost to time, and possibly tragedy.

Gullybog was not known for being particularity foreboding or dangerous, other than having unsure footing. This was thanks in part to a local hermit-wizard, simply known as Simon. Simon was an aged man who had seen far more than most humans in their lifetime. A failed final adventure had him set aside ambition and recluse himself in the swamp. He never fully set aside his kindly nature, and consigned himself to helping the locals, albeit largely indirectly, avoiding most contact and creating a legend out of himself in the process. One day, Simon heard an infant's cries not too far from his abode. A small purple-skinned babe was found off the side of Gullybog Road, some few steps into the swamp. This child was proportionally similar to a halfling or a goblin, but her species was ultimately unknown. Attempts to divine the who or what left the child, despite pouring his magical prowess into the mystery, proved fruitless. And so, late in his life, Simon became a father. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, Mitzy's unusual upbringing included a great deal of intellectual schooling. Simon's magecraft and vast collection of magical and historical tomes meant the isolated Mitzy did not want for learning. She took to magecraft itself with gusto. Over the years she forged a bond with the elemental plane, collecting several loyal elementals which are still summoned to her side regularly in the present day.

During Mitzy's late teenage years, Simon's life waned. He passed away on an uneventful afternoon with his hand clutched by his daughter's. Mitzy saw to his cremation the next day, and thus began a new local legend of the Bog Witch. Mitzy carried on her father's minor do-gooding for the people of the swamp into her early twenties, until a chance run-in with a group of adventurers gave her an epiphany. She hungered to expand her knowledge and her aptitude, she needed to experience more than the swamp and the tomes she'd read and re-read a half dozen times could offer. She needed to find out where she came from.

After leaving the bog, Mitzy would go on to become part of an adventuring group of her own, two odd goblins from different societies who would become like sisters to her: Chakka the unyielding barbarian warrior, and Krix the shadow-manipulating thief. ----- Mitzy is a Wizard who's focus is on summoning a rotation of loyal Elementals. She can have one elemental consistently accompany her at any time without limitation. They can act on their own in accordance with their personalities, or can infuse Mitzy's attire, granting her additional defenses and augmenting her other spells. Her current elementals are: Ivan - Fire, Aggressive, burning aura sears foes and cleanses afflictions from allies. Slab - Earth, Protective, manipulates the environment in the party's favor. Leviafas - Lightning, Dispassionate, singles out high-priority threats, increases flow of mana. Melut - Ice, Sloth, chills foes and disperses enemy magics.

[firstpersonnarrator]

I’ve got a job for you:

🎃🎃 Sheehalloween 2022 🎃🎃 Prompts

I’ll be joining Sheehalloween 2022, and there are so many possibilities. I need your help. This is my first time ever using prompts, so I’m shaking in my boots. Which is season-appropriate, so I’m going with it.

Prompt List: 9 Days, 9 Ways

Greetings Robert Sheehan fans and all his hard-core feasties! Klaus shall open the WooWoo Room with tarot for you beasties. Hear a frightening fortune for the Robbie of your choice, until the witching hour does bring an end to our rejoice(ing).

Choose one from each of the three lists below.

Note: Please specify if you have triggers

>>>>>Sheehalloween Day#<<<<<<

1. Seance

2. Trick or Treat

3. Scary Movie

4. Reanimation

5. Free Space (I am taking this quite literally. Choose outer space or inner space or free rent.)

6. Ghosts

7. Ouija

8. Possession

9. Magic

>>>>>>>>Choose-a-Rob<<<<<<<<<

—Nathan Young

—Vladek Klimov

—Klaus Hargreeves

—Jack (The Messenger)

—Simon Lewis

—Kai (Season of the Witch)

—Mark, bog man (Lowland Fell)

—Archie Eden

—Luke (Cherrybomb)

—Billy Delaney

—Vincent Rhodes

—Duncan Taylor

—Cormac MacNamara

—Louis XIV

>>>>>>>>>Scare Factor<<<<<<<<<<

1. Death

2. Murder

3. Betrayal

4. Unrequited love

5. This is just the beginning… / relentless

6. Hunger / craving

7. Chaos

8. Ruin

9. Haunted

10. Envy

11. Ritual

12. Grief

13. Madness

14. Heartbreak

15. Tragedy

16. Self-sacrifice / martyrdom

17. Prophecy

18. Lies

19. Helpless / trapped

20. Black out / amnesia

21. Your own worst enemy / multiplicity

22. Sacrificial

23. Accidental

24. Blood sport / hunted

25. Gaslighting

26. Aliens

27. Old school creature feature / here there be monsters

28. Natural disaster

29. Fear the McGuffin / evil object

30. Cult

Note: I’d include stalking, but I’m afraid of giving myself ideas.

Eek, I’m skeered. 💀

[enbeast]

ok uuuhhhh kinda weird but...

zr characters as wizard staffs/wands (just based on what pops into my head

sam: a cool stick you found while walking in the woods. you slapped some stickers on it even though maybe its not very wizardy. it sparks joy

janine: a beautiful long stick that you meticulously sanded and carved into cool curves. very practical as a weapon or a walking stick, not all that fancy.

maxine: a cool staff you bought at a local fair, its been sanded and polished and sure its a basic staff but you strung some cool baubles onto it and like painted some runes? also it has a syringe on the end (fake dont worry its totally safe) as a piece of world building

paula: you found this stick while out hiking and now you use it as a walking stick, you wrapped some leather around the main part to make it comfier to hold. it has stars painted on it in glow in the dark paint

sara: thats just a straight up baseball bat. you cant just glue some crystals onto a baseball ba- ok fine but- I DONT CARE THAT THE NAILS ARE IRON! THATS NOT A STAF-

jody: its a fairly thin wand made out of a willow branch and yes it can be used as a spare knitting needle in a pinch. it has a small pink stone, a rose quartz a think, on the hilt.

simon: oh hey thats a pretty good wood, really nice dark colour and a neat sha- wait no thats a wooden dick. yes, its well carved and the... moonstone imbedded in the tip is nice but you cant just make a fucking wooden dildo and call it a wand. or i guess you can, fuck it. im not the wand police

chris: ok, thank god we're back onto wands, this one is cool. basic stick shape and you used one of those little burning tools to engrave mathematic formulas and shapes on it, its really cool

evan: you cant just write "magic missile" on a gun. no, gluing a crystal on it doesnt make it any better.

jack: a cricket bat is not a- actually its pretty cool. those ribbons coming off it make it look cool and mystical and i like the crystals hanging off it. painting it to look like its covered in mud and has moss growing on it is cool, real bog witch aura

eugene: oooh, i like how you decked out that crutch, like theres not much to be done with it because you dont wanna impact the usefulness of it as a crutch but the lil crystal spirals going up are cool

jamie: ok, a mid sized stick, not a lot going on, leather grip, plus the little wrist tie? its solid, i like how you can see the bumps where smaller twigs used to be

nadia: ok, carving your wand to look like a bird of prey's talon clutching a cool gemstone was a super cool idea and i love it, plus wrapping some ribbons around it

archie: mid sized stick, natural look, still got some bark on it, i like that you used your first dog's collar to wrap around it and add some personality. dont know how you made those little blue flowers grow out of it but its cool. got a lil feather tied to it too

runner 5: idk how you made a hand axe look so mystical but you did it and its rad, amethyst handguard, and i see you also used some glowing paint, love that 5 motif you went with

anyway, pls describe your runner 5's wand/staff, just go with you gut, you got this!

[verecunda]

Books - February 2020

Books read: The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, The Chief’s Daughter by Rosemary Sutcliff, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, and The Prisoner of St Kilda (non-fiction) by Margaret Macaulay.

Relevant waffle below the cut!

The Sword in the Stone - T.H. White

I have extremely mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it’s a work of soaring imagination and eloquence, full of whimsy and humour and character, and White's profound love for the natural world is there in abundance. On the other, there's something about the narrative voice I never quite engaged with, and there are so many dry asides into the minutiae of knightly life (all those lists of the different sorts of hawks and hounds!! x__x), that picking it up again sometimes felt like a bit of a chore. Which explains why it took me about two weeks to get through it! The plan was to read the rest of The Once and Future King if I got on with this first part, but I'm putting it on the back-burner for now. The whole subplot with King Pellinore and the Questing Beast was a delight, though. I could happily have read a whole book of that by itself!

The Chief’s Daughter - Rosemary Sutcliff (short story)

Another short piece, intended for younger readers (though as always, readily enjoyable for adults). Set in Bronze Age Wales, it centres on the titular chief’s daughter, who takes a great risk to help her friend, a captured Irish boy, and save him from being sacrificed to bring back the water of the spring that nourishes her tribe. 

The female protagonist is unusual for Sutcliff. I liked Nessan: she was loyal, brave, and resourceful, in the best Sutcliffian style, and I rather wish this had been a full-length novel, or at least a novella, because I'd love to see more about how her friendship with Dara grew up.

Apart from that, all of Sutcliff's classic hallmarks are here: beautiful evocations of time and place, friendship across cultures, and an act of compassion proving to be the wellspring (har har) that saves the day in the end. (Maybe one to keep in mind for Yuletide or next Sutcliff Swap?)

Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

This is one for you Terrorites, if you haven’t read it already! It’s a wonderfully atmospheric ghost story - chilling in more ways than one. Honestly, it's worth reading for the setting alone. Paver's Arctic is so evocatively described, with all its beauty and savagery, making me long to visit while at the same time knowing I could never handle it. :P I love her reconstruction of a 1930s scientific expedition, too, and I'm keen to chase down some of the sources she mentions in the author Q&A at the end of my copy.

The characters are all well-drawn, particularly protagonist Jack, and I especially love the bond that grows up between him and Isaak the husky. <3 

As for the ghost story, it's a good 'un. Paver mentions M.R. James as one of her favourite horror writers, and the Jamesian influence is definitely there. The suspense is breathtaking, with all the building layers of menace and mystery and isolation and suggestion, with things half-seen and half-heard. One of the reviews on the back cover says, "The ultimate test of a good ghost story is, surely, whether you feel panicked reading it in bed at midnight." Well, I read it mostly during the day, by the window with the wintry sunlight coming through, and I still got the heebie-jeebies, so I'd consider that a win!

The Prisoner of St Kilda - Margaret Macaulay

Before reading this, I only knew the basic facts about Rachel Erskine, Lady Grange. Married to a senior Scottish lawyer in the early eighteenth century, she tried to blackmail her husband into getting rid of his London mistress by threatening to expose his Jacobite connections. In response, he and his friends (including no less a personage than Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat - you knew he had to be involved somehow!) arranged to have her abducted and packaged off to the Highlands, where she spent the rest of her life being passed around the Hebrides, spending the better part of that time on the incredibly remote island of St Kilda. It's an incredible story, a case of truth being stranger, and more outrageous, than fiction, and Macaulay tells it well, making this a compelling read as well as an informative one. She also does an admirable job of sifting through the various and extremely partisan sources, pointing out what makes them valuable as well as suspect, to come at a balanced account of the story of the Granges. In her hands, the lady herself becomes a figure deserving of our sympathy for her ruthless treatment, though with serious anger management issues that gave her a singular talent for making enemies. My main criticism is that although the social and political context is well laid out, the book felt a bit short on the more personal details you might expect from a biography. Assuming the information still exists, I'd have liked to know a bit more about the Granges' earlier relationship, or Lady Grange's friendship with the minister of St Kilda and his wife, which is mentioned but never really delved into. I could also have wished for more information about their children, and about Fanny Lindsay, Lord Grange's mistress and second wife. Or more about Lord Grange scuppering his later political career by ranting about witches in Parliament! However, I can well understand why Macaulay might have chosen not to go there, to keep to the thread of the main story and not get bogged down in too much unnecessary fluff. Macaulay also states that "Grange destroyed his wife's character so successfully that she has never shaken off the image of an unbalanced termagant," and to be honest, the book does little to redress the balance. Even the more sympathetic sources, like the letters from her children while they were still trying to keep the peace, suggest Lady Grange was - um - something of a harridan. There are flashes of more sympathetic traits: as well as her friendship with the minister, there's a mention of how she tried to alleviate the poverty of the St Kildans as best she could in her situation - but there's no mention of how. And nice little touches, like her picking up enough Gaelic to enjoy listening to the islanders' songs and stories, or asking the St Kildan girls to come and dance for her, are only mentioned in passing, or even relegated to a mention in the appendices. I fully understand that this might be inevitable, if the relevant sources are only fleeting themselves, but if it was possible to spend a bit more time on these things, it might have allowed us a glimpse of a more rounded personality. As it is, the book didn't do much to shake off my previous, relatively uninformed opinion that the Granges might not have been well-matched, but they rather deserved each other! Despite these criticisms, I did rate the book a lot. It's good history, and a good read too. (Also made me want to read Kidnapped again - it’s been a couple of years. I’m pretty sure Lady Grange is referenced too, either in it or Catriona.)

[arya3610]

I was tagged by the lovely and amazing @whelvenwings to do this challenge!! Thank you, my dearest Geraldine!

Rules: Name your top 10 characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 different people.

(I’m in a nostalgic mood so pardon some childhood favorites)

1. Anastasia from Anastasia (that midnight blue evening gown??? hell YES)

2. Cath from Fangirl

3. Georgette from Oliver and Company (was she a good person dog? No... but this song is and will always be one of my favorites lol)

4. Alexis from Schitts Creek (Ew, David)

5. Arya from Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) (Y’all thought the username was from Game of Thrones didn’t you?? Psych! Who doesn’t want to be an elven warrior princess??)

6. Poirot from a multitude of Agatha Christie novels (did anyone else have a huge Christie phase in like middle/high school?)

7. Samwise Gamgee (the true hero of the Lord of the Rings movie saga)

8. Simon Snow from Carry On and Wayward Son

9. Green from Green Angel

10. Jane Eyre from... Jane Eyre

I tag: @queenofminininjas, @nerd-witch-aesthetic, @bog--wizard, @uhohtacky, and anyone else who sees this and thinks it would be fun. Feel no pressure if you don’t want to do this! :)

[mightystargazer]

Another year gone, another readinglist done!

W. Michael Gear Outpost

W. Michael Gear Abandoned

Angela Carter The Bloody Chamber

Sue Burke Semiosis

Rob Dircks Don't Touch the Blue Stuff!

Laurie Forest the iron flower

Joseph Nassise urban Enemies: a collection

Ezekiel Boone The Mansion

Richtel, Matt Dead on Arrival

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Curse

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes & The Gold Digger

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Bones

A. American Home Coming

Adam J. Wright Lost Soul

Adam J. Wright Buried Memory

Adam J. Wright Dark Magic

Adam J. Wright Dead Ground

Adam J. Wright Shadow Land

Robert Bevan Critical Failures VI

Darynda Jones Grave on the Right

Darynda Jones Grave on the Left

Darynda Jones Third Grave Dead Ahead

Darynda Jones Grave Beneath My Feet

Darynda Jones Grave Past the Light

Darynda Jones Grave on the Edge

Darynda Jones Grave and No Body

Darynda Jones Grave After Dark

Darynda Jones Brighter Than the Sun

Darynda Jones Dirt on Ninth Grave

Darynda Jones The Curse of Tenth Grave

Darynda Jones Eleventh Grave in Moonlight

Dan Simmons The Terror

Warren Fahy Fragment

Tim McBain The Scattered and the Dead

Scott Thomas Kill Creek

Kurt Anderson Resurrection Pass

Larry Correia Son of the Black Sword

Larry Correia House of Assassins

Chuck Wendig Blackbird

Chuck Wendig Mockingbird

Chuck Wendig The Cormerant

Chuck Wendig Thunderbird

Karen Thompson Walker The Dreamers

Hank Green An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

C.T. Phipps The Tournament of Supervillainy 5

Peter Clines 14

Peter Clines The Fold

Peter Clines Dead Moon

Sean Schubert Infection

Sean Schubert Containment

Sean Schubert Mitigation

Sean Schubert Resolution

James Marshall Smith Hybrid

Mark Tufo Demon Wars

Alan Dean Foster Interlopers

Anthony Melchiorri The Tide

Anthony Melchiorri Breakwater

Anthony Melchiorri Salvage

Anthony Melchiorri Deadrise

Anthony Melchiorri Iron Wind

Anthony Melchiorri Dead Ashore

Anthony Melchiorri Ghost Fleet

Anthony Melchiorri Devil to Pay

Scott Medbury Heel Week

Scott Medbury On The Run

Scott Medbury Cold Comfort

Scott Medbury Rude Shock

Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman Good omens

Barry J. Hutchison The Sidekicks Initiative

Catherynne M. Valente The Refrigerator Monologues

Ike Hamill Super Apex

J.H. Moncrieff Monsters in Our Wake

John Connolly The Underbury Witches

Jonathan Maberry Dead of Night

Lydia Kang Quackery

Tomi Adeyemi Children of Blood and Bone

Thomas Morris The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth

John A.Keel The Complete Guide To Mysterious Beings

Ted Dekker ADAM

Richard K. Morgan Altered Carbon

Ransom Riggs A Map of Days

Kevin Hearne Death & Honey

Benjamin Wallace Boom box 1

Benjamin Wallace Boom box  2

Benjamin Wallace Boom box  3

Benjamin Wallace Revenge of the Apocalypse

Victor LaValle The Changeling

Rick Chesler Sawfish

Nathan Barnes The Reaper Virus

Michael brent Collings The Deep

Bill Heavey If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat

Bill Heavey It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat It

Bill Heavey Should the Tent Be Burning Like That

Jenny Lawson Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Mark Tufo The Spirit Clearing

Ambrose Ibsen Asylum

Ambrose Ibsen Forest

Ambrose Ibsen The Occupant

Stephen King The Man in the Black Suit

Sam Sykes The City Stained Red

Peter Meredith The Queen Unthroned

Peter Meredith The Queen Enslaved

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Red Line

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Horizon

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Edge

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Age

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Evolution

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction End

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Aftermath

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Lost

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction War

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Missions from the Extinction Cycle

Drew Hayes Super Powereds Year 4

Dean Koontz Odd Thomas

Patrick F McManus Kerplunk! Stories

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton Quest

John Connolly A Book of Bones

Drew Hayes Corpies

Nathan Ballingrud Wounds

Michael Todd Torn Asunder

Michael Todd Killing Is My Business

Michael Todd And Business Is Good

Marty Ross The Darkwater Bride

Richard Porter Top Gear Epic Failures 50 Great Motoring Cock-Ups

Parker Peevyhouse The Echo Room

P. K. Hawkins Shark Infested Waters

M. R. James The Conception of Terror Tales

Broad Reach Publishing I, Zombie

Bobby Hall Supermarket

Terry Pratchett Night Watch

Patrick F McManus Never Sniff a Gift Fish

Michael Talbot The Bog

Michael Edelson Seed

Matthew Scott Hansen The Shadowkiller

Jonathan Maberry Ghost Road Blues

Jonathan Maberry Dead Man's Song

Jonathan Maberry Bad Moon Rising

Jonathan Maberry Property Condemned

Jonathan Maberry Darkness on the Edge of Town

Chris Angus Flypaper

Dean Koontz The Night Window

John P. Logsdon Platoon F Big Ass Bundle

Robert Tomoguchi The Scribbled Victims

Richard MacLean Smith Unexplained

Mark Edwards The Retreat

Dennis E. Taylor Outland

Bobby Adair Freedom's Siege

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fire

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fury

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fray

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fist

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fall

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fate

William Gibson Alien III

Terry Brooks Running with the Demon

Steven Campbell Hard Luck Hank

Neal Stephenson Reamde

Neal Stephenson Fall, or Dodge in Hell

J.F. Holmes Irregular Scout Team One

Michael Stephen Fuchs Odyssey

Kameron Hurley The Light Brigade

TTC History of Ancient Egypt

Justin Cronin The Passage

Justin Cronin The Twelve

Justin Cronin The City of Mirrors

J.N. Chaney Orion Colony

J.N. Chaney Orion Uncharted

J.N. Chaney Orion Awakened

Christopher Dowell The Adventures of Badass Mike

Barry J. Hutchison Sentienced to Death

Adam Savage Every Tool's a Hammer

Rob Dircks Gigi Make Paradox

Eric Rickstad What Remains of Her

Robert Bevan 6d6

L. L. Akers Fight like a Man

L. L. Akers Shoot Like a Girl

L. L. Akers Run Like the Wind

Jonathan Mayberry Broken Lands

Alexander C. Kane Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex

A.R. Shaw The China Pandemic

A.R. Shaw The Cascade Preppers

A.R. Shaw The Last Infidels mp3

A.R. Shaw The Malefic Nation

A.R. Shaw The Bitter Earth

Jim C. Hines Terminal Uprising

Mark Tufo Dog Days of War

Rick Gualtieri Get Bent!

Brian Keene Darkness on the Edge of Town

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Angel

Chuck Wendig Wanderers

John Connolly Conquest

John Connolly Empire

John Connolly Dominion

C. J. Tudor The Taking of Annie Thorne

Wellington, David The Last Astronaut

S. Bennett A Womans Journey with the Worlds Worst Behaved Dog

Levi Black Red Right Hand

Levi Black Black Goat Blues

Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer The Arctic Incident

Eoin Colfer The Eternity Code

Eoin Colfer The Opal Deception

Eoin Colfer The Lost Colony

Eoin Colfer The Time Paradox

Eoin Colfer The Atlantis Complex

Eoin Colfer The Last Guardian

Ambrose Ibsen Transmission

Daniel Green End Time

Daniel Green The Breaking

Daniel Green The Rising

Patrick F McManus The Bear in the Attic

Mark Tufo Encounters

Mark Tufo Reckoning

Mark Tufo Conquest

Mark Tufo From the Ashes

Mark Tufo Into the Fire

Mark Tufo Victory's Defeat

Mark Tufo Defeat's Victory

Brett Battles Mine

Caitlin Starling the luminous dead

Craig A. Falconer Not Alone

Craig A. Falconer Second Contact

Craig A. Falconer The Final Call

Gardner Dozois Down These Strange Streets

Greig Beck Primordia

Kevin  Hearne Kill the Farm Boy

Kevin  Hearne No Country for Old Gnomes

Kathleen Meyer How to Shit in the Woods

Joe Hill NOS4A2

Drew Hayes The Case of the Damaged Detective

Simon Haynes Robot vs Dragons

Nora Roberts Blood Brothers

Nora Roberts The Hollows

Nora Roberts The Pagan Stone

Peter F. Hamilton The Reality Dysfunction

Paul Tremblay The Cabin at the End of the World

Gerry Griffiths Down from Beast Mountain

Eoin Colfer The Reluctant Assassin

Eoin Colfer The Hangman's Revolution

Eoin Colfer The Forever Man

C A Fletcher A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

N.C. Reed Odd Billy Todd

Stephen King The Shining

Stephen King Doctor Sleep

Richard J. Dewhurst The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America

Laird Barron The Croning

Keith C. Blackmore The Troll Hunter

J.L. McPherson The Gorge

Erin Bowman Contagion

Erin Bowman Immunity

Stephen King The Institute

Douglas Adams Starship Titanic

Lee Murray Into the Mist

Lee Mountford The Mark

Keith C. Blackmore White Sands, Red Steel

Joe Hill The Fireman

Barry J. Hutchison The Hunt for Reduk Topa

Greig Beck Return to the Lost World

Greig Beck The Lost World

Ted Dekker Obsessed

James D. Prescott Extinction Code

James D. Prescott Extinction Countdown

James D. Prescott Extinction Crisis

James D. Prescott Missions from the Extinction Cycle 2

Dean Koontz Strange Highways

Mira Grant Rolling in the Deep

Mira Grant Into the Drowning Deep

Luke Romyn Ash

Thomas Olde Heuvelt Hex

Jeremiah Knight Hunger

Jeremiah Knight Feast

T. Kingfisher The Twisted Ones

Patrick F McManus The Horse in My Garage

Jeff Strand Wolf Hunt

Jeff Strand Wolf Hunt 2

Annie Wilder Trucker Ghost Stories

Kathryn Croft The Girl with No Past

Larry Correia Monster Hunter International

Larry Correia Vendetta

Larry Correia Alpha

Larry Correia Legion

Larry Correia Nemesis

Larry Correia Siege

Larry Correia Guardian

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Inferno

Jack Townsend Tales from the Gas Station

Dean R Koontz Phantoms

Scott Sigler Blood Is Red

Stephen Chbosky Imaginary Friend

Larry Correia Grunge

Larry Correia Sinners

Larry Correia Saints

Larry Correia The Monster Hunter Files

Dean Koontz Innocence

Hugh Howey Half Way Home

Shaun Hamill A Cosmology of Monsters

Cameron Milan Zombie Slayer!!

Charles Soule The Oracle Year

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Ange

Iain Rob Wright Sea Sick

Iain Rob Wright Ravage

Iain Rob Wright Savage

Keith C. Blackmore 131 Days

Keith C. Blackmore House of Pain

Keith C. Blackmore Spikes and Edges

Keith C. Blackmore About the Blood

Keith C. Blackmore To Thunderous Applause

Kevin Hearne The Princess Beard

Adrian Tchaikovsky Walking to Aldebaran

Cixin Liu Supernova Era

Dave Pedneau Night, Winter, and Death

Dean Koontz Nameless

Jack Hunt As We Fall

Jack Hunt As We Break

Katherine Arden Small Spaces

Katherine Arden Dead Voices

Larry Correia #1 in Customer Service

Myke Cole The Armored Saint

Myke Cole The Sacred Throne

Myke Cole The Killing Light

C. T. Phipps The Future of Supervillainy

Charlie Huston The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death

T.W. Piperbrook St. Matthews

T.W. Piperbrook Onset

T.W. Piperbrook Crossroads

T.W. Piperbrook Wasteland

Paul Tremblay Disappearance at Devil’s Rock

Ferrett Steinmetz The Sol Majestic

Grady Hendrix Horrorstör

Mark Tufo The Perfect Betrayal

William Goldman The Princess Bride

Joseph John The Eighth Day

Stephen King Gwendy's Button Box

Richard Chizmar Gwendy's Magic Feather

Ronald Malfi Snow

Robert Bevan Critical Failures VII

Mark Tufo Winter's Rising

Mark Tufo Cedar's Conflict

Mark Tufo The Edge of Deceit

Michael McBride Unidentified

Scott Sigler Infected

Scott Sigler Contagious

Prescott, James D The Genesis Conspiracy

Michael Crichton Andromeda Strain

Michael Crichton The Andromeda Evolution

Melanie Golding Little Darlings

Iain Rob Wright Escape!

Ambrose Ibsen Midnight in a Perfect World

Scott Baron Bad Luck Charlie

Scott Baron Space Pirate Charlie

Scott Baron The Dragon Mage

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 6x10 “Matryoshka” Review 

You know, when I was assigned this episode to review, I wasn’t expecting to be discussing a moment like THAT (you all know what I’m referring to), so please, be kind while I process by obsessively refreshing Twitter and try to put my thoughts together. 

There’s definitely a lot going on in this episode, some of which I LOVED (take a wild guess on what part that is folks), and some of which I was less than fond of. It’s all high tension and high stakes, even more than the last. I’m a big fan of the moves they made to set everything into place; this is probably one of my favorite episodes of the season. 

Action and Reaction 

Here’s the thing. Putting almost all of your characters in one place forces conversation and development, which can turn out fascinating, or it can illuminate the truly unnecessary plot points and characters that have been hanging on all season. 

Raven and Abby are back from space and being taken prisoner like the rest of the Arkadians when Simone, angry about the loss of both the synthetic nightblood and the mind drive they used for Kane, tells Abby that Clarke is dead. As the audience we know that this isn’t exactly true, but Abby has no reason to think she’s alive, since every other host body is completely taken over by whoever’s mind drive is put in that body. 

I was pretty peeved with both Raven and Abby’s reactions to Clarke’s “death,” even though it’s been an ongoing joke online that Josie!Clarke could basically say and do anything and Abby still wouldn’t notice that something was up with her daughter. Raven’s been mad at Clarke for the entire season, so I guess I understand a lack of reaction on her part — but Abby? Her lack of reaction is only so off-putting because just last episode we saw an absolute outpouring of grief over Kane. It makes no sense that the news of her only child’s death wouldn't even garner 10% of that. 

The thing is, that’s poor characterization either way. Failing to show an emotional response that makes sense is a failure of the writing, and making her grief over Kane much more significant than over Clarke on purpose only highlights how far gone she is. That’s not a character worth keeping around, especially if this difference in emotion and priority is never addressed (and I don’t think it’s going to be). If the writers room is so keen on keeping her around they need to put some effort into showing the audience why that’s worthwhile. I know there are people who like Abby, but when it comes down to plot, what purpose does she serve? In a cast so large they need to trim loose ends or suffer for it, and I think hanging onto Abby for so long is an example of that. What has she done all season besides hole up in the library looking for a way to heal Kane, who’s been technically dead since the Season 5 finale? You could argue that they need her for the synthetic nightblood, but giving Becca’s notebook to Raven and having her do it also makes sense, especially since Abby doesn’t even leverage that ability when she should. Case in point: when Russell decides to burn them all at the stake after Simone’s murder, Murphy is the one who brings up being able to make nightblood from bone marrow, thereby saving everyone from a super vintage execution (for now). 

While we’re at it — I can’t believe Abby is actually mad at Murphy for helping the Primes, even though he and Emori explain that they both thought Clarke was actually dead and nothing could be done about it. Sure, what Murphy did was a little cold and sketchy at best, but it’s right on brand. Clarke’s dead? Nothing can be done about it? Better leverage this to my advantage. Self preservation, baby. That’s much less than Abby did literally ONE episode ago, being fully complicit in Gavin’s murder and actually recruiting him to host Kane’s mind drive even though she knew exactly what would happen. 

That’s exactly why these scenes with everyone felt stale: not every character is pulling their weight, and when that happens the scene gets bogged down with unnecessary interactions. There’s too many characters that really only take up space. Characters like Jackson, Miller, Niylah, and even Echo are dead weight at this point. Again, I know that these characters have their fans. That doesn’t change the fact that as far as the narrative is concerned, they're all relatively useless. Just being a named character doesn’t automatically give them significance, that significance has to be shown. What exactly does Miller bring to the show? Or Niylah? Even if they were once important that importance is dwindling if not non-existent. Miller could have been a compelling character: he was Bellamy’s right hand man in Season 1. He’s one of the original hundred. They could have done more with him, but in reality he’s replaceable. If you took Miller, Jackson, and Niylah out of the show, nothing would change. You could even say the same for Abby and Echo; they have more screen time than the rest, but Abby’s continued presence on the show feels forced and Echo is far from a developed character. Their “skills” can easily be transferable to other characters. Characters like Jordan and Emori are MUCH more compelling. 

Another thing that drags the episode down (and the season, if I’m being honest)? The whole “Sheidheda” making Madi a murder princess. I absolutely cannot fathom WHY grounder culture is still a thing on this show. They are on another planet, over a century later, with a thousand better things to focus on. I understand that Madi’s nightblood is significant, and the flame might be as well (from a technology standpoint). But why introduce this “dark commander”? if they wanted Madi to go full assassin, the pain of losing Clarke would have been enough to justify it. Also, what point does Madi/Sheidheda being so threatening towards Gaia serve? Having to listen to anything about the commanders is honestly exhausting, and it’s holding the show back. They’ve moved on (literally) in almost every capacity, and the show’s tendency to beat a dead horse only ever backfires. 

Not to sound too harsh, but that feeling I get whenever someone calls Madi “heda” is the same feeling I get if I’m at a party and this one person can only talk about how great high school was. This again? We’re in our late twenties. High school wasn’t great. Please, let it go. 

With that being said, they are setting up the next episode in a way that makes me think they might take the flame out of Madi for good, so we’ll see how that goes. 

Now, there are some compelling pieces here: it was nice to see Raven go back to being sciencey and a little bit philosophical after almost a full season of nothing but self-righteousness. Her conversation with Murphy about morality, not immortality, as a way to avoid hell was well done. The 100 loves a good morality conversation, and with things getting more dire in Sanctum and the growing comparisons between the Primes and Arkadians I’m sure that’s not the last we’ll hear of it. 

Getting almost everyone in one place, setting the stage for getting the dark commander out of Madi’s head, and setting up one last ditch effort to appease the Primes was great. The pacing in this case was well done and well executed, despite the issues that I did have, and I know that the final showdown will be epic. 

The hold that the Primes have over Sanctum is disintegrating, to put it mildly, and my guess is that a mass witch trial-esque execution isn’t exactly the way to put the populace at ease. 

There’s even an internal rebellion being incited by Ryker, who tells Delilah’s parents and another man that their loved ones aren’t “one with the Primes,” that nothing is left of the original host when the Prime’s mind drive takes over, and they’ve been lied to for decades. I’m curious to see the reaction when everyone in Sanctum learns the truth. 

The Primes are Dead. Long Live the Primes.

Here’s the thing about the Primes and the Arkadians — they’re so concerned with not being like each other that they conveniently ignore or justify what they’re doing. Russell is hellbent on not ending up like the Arkadians, but how, in any way, are the Primes better than the Arkadians? At their current positions, I’d say that the Primes are decidedly worse. Here’s the thing, though — they’ve had time. Josie said it herself — she wasn’t always like this. Give the Arkadians a few centuries, and who's to say they wouldn’t devolve into something similar? 

The driving force for both groups has always been taking care of “their people.” What’s not usually discussed is that in order to put your people first you need to put other people last. Someone almost always suffers, it's just about prioritizing that suffering. 

It circles back around to that question of trying to save humanity but never bothering to question if it even should be saved. Sure, the Primes can live forever. Should they?

Clarke even gets a glimpse of Josie’s morality, or the morality she used to have, as their minds start to disintegrate and Josie’s memories bleed into Clarke’s mind space. We see Josie in love with Gabriel, watching that memory fondly until she absolutely has to let it go. In another episode, Clarke already discovered that memory of Josie’s from that diner on Earth. 

Finally, when Gabriel and Octavia find Bellamy and Clarke/Josie and Gabriel is about to take out her mind drive, almost all of her memories are gone. Eliza Taylor absolutely kills this whole scene, and I actually could have shed a tear for Josie when she speaks through Clarke, saying she can’t remember, but she’s sure she did terrible things.  

Josie had morality. Josie lost it. 

The entire run of the show has been exploring morality and what it means — no simple task, I know. I think, however, that Gabriel really embodied that when he let Josie die. He said it himself, he’s been in love with her for centuries. But he needs, everyone needs, the cycle to stop. Putting an end to using hosts is the only way to do it. 

That’s Love, Bitches 

I mean… come on. Come ON. 

This scene was everything. Well acted, well written, well directed. I cried, you cried, everyone cried. Twitter imploded. I’ll go to my grave being adamant that Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship is THE best and most well done thing about the show. The entirety of the sixth season is built on Clarke being gone and Bellamy fighting for her to come back. Love, sacrifice, forgiveness — all are main tenets of The 100, and all are wrapped up in Bellamy and Clarke. 

It’s crystal clear that they’re paralleling Gabriel and Josie with Bellamy and Clarke. Josie dies, Gabriel letting her go while saying that their time is over, only for Bellamy to immediately bring Clarke back? Josie and Gabriel’s time is over, and Bellamy and Clarke’s is starting. A literal new life.

They really threw every romantic trope at them this episode. Clarke’s heart stopping in front of Bellamy and him pleading for her to come back? Bellamy saying he needs her? The CPR? The remnants of Josie try to kill Clarke, and she only comes back when she hears Bellamy’s voice? The first thing she sees when she comes back is Bellamy’s face? Octavia’s smirk in the back? The audacity. 

This scene was lead up to with a full six seasons of development — from the beginning they were the head and the heart. Gabriel said it, the heart needs the head to tell it to beat. Clarke, clinging to her mind space, only came back because Bellamy restarted her heart. He’s her literal heart, guys. 

Bellamy has thought Clarke was dead three times now — the first was during Praimfaya, the second when he discovered Josie was inhabiting Clarke’s body. Both of those times he could only witness and not do anything, so you better believe he wasn’t going to let Clarke die if he had anything to say about it. 

There is a clear stage for romantic Bellarke being set here, and anyone who says otherwise is not watching the same show. You don’t have to like it, but it’s happening.

Honestly, anything I could say about this has already been said. Just know that this episode killed me, and I’ll be watching the next one from the afterlife. 

Alyssa’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.

[chorusfm]

Albums in Stores – May 19th, 2023

If you hit read more you can see all the releases we have in our calendar for the week. Hit the comments to access our forums and talk about what came out today, what albums you picked up, and to make mention of anything we may have missed. Alcatrazz – Take No PrisonersAlex Lahey – The Answer Is Always YesAloud – Apollo 6Angie Stone – Love LanguageBad//Dreems – HOO HA!Bird Law – Disintegration BluesBlindfolded And Led To The Woods – Rejecting ObliterationBotanist – VIII: SelenotropeCalifone – VillagersCharonyx – Persistent SoulCinema Stare – The Things I Don’t NeedDan Croll – FoolsDave Foster Band – GlimmerDave Matthews Band – Walk Around The MoonDays Like These – ICONDecayer – Sonoran DeathDef Leppard – Drastic SymphoniesDownside – Dark Patterns & Intrusive ThoughtsEpheramal – Tower Of SilenceEsben and the Witch – Hold SacredFORT – All Is Said And Done, We Still Draw BreathFeatherweight – Ojalá EternidadFellow Robot – MisanthropioidFeral Family – PlaytestFor Those Who Can See – Burned AwayFrozen Soul – Glacial DominationFuudge – …qu’un cauchemar devienne si vraiGhost – PhantomimeGozu – RemedyGraham Nash – NowHannah Jadagu – ApertureHarsh Lights – Watch The World DividediscussHenget – Beyond North StarHorse Jumper Of Love – Natural PartHostile Array – TraumaHotWax – A Thousand TimesKAYTRAMINÉ – KAYTRAMINÉKala – Diary Of A Depressed CreativeKesha – Gag OrderLambrini Girls – You’re WelcomeLewis Capaldi – Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly SentLockstep – ArrivalLuke Elliot – Let ‘Em All TalkMandy, Indiana – i’ve seen a wayMega Bog – End Of EverythingMindvac – MindvacMonashee – Speech Is Silver // Silence Is GuiltNospūn – OpusOmen Astra – The End Of EverythingPONY – VelveteenPaper Bee – Thaw, Freeze, ThawPaul Simon – Seven PsalmsPozi – Smiling PoolsRich Aucoin – Synthetic – A Synth Odyssey: Season 2Ring Of Gyges – MetamorphosisRoadwolf – Midnight LightningSleep Token – Take Me Back To EdendiscussSmoke Stack Rhino – The Mojo FunkSoulvapor – SoulscapeSteady Hands – Cheap FictionSufjan Stevens – ReflectionsSun Spot – Working MemoryTemps – PARTY GATOR PURGATORYThe Acacia Strain – Step Into The LightThe Milk Carton Kids – I Only See The MoonThe Murlocs – Calm Ya FarmThe Ocean – HoloceneThe Parlor – You Are Love And I Am YouThe Spruce Moose – Pyramid SchemeThe Used – Toxic PositivitydiscussThulcandra – Hail The AbyssTinariwen – AmatssouVHS – Quest For The Mighty RiffVnder A Crvmbling Moon – I: OblivionWings Of Steel – Gates Of TwilightYakuza – SutraYes – Mirror To The SkyYouth Fountain – Keepsakes & Reminders Acoustic EPshy martin – late night thoughts --- Thanks to helloiamzach for providing additional contributions to this week’s list. You can check out and support his weekly music podcast It’s Not A Phase or follow him on his socials. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/albums-in-stores-may-19th-2023/

[3amfanfiction]

@w00lgathering this one's for you. Another bog witch!Simon post.

~~~

You came to him just as the sun kissed the horizon. The time when the frogs and cicadas started to sing, warbling croaks, chirping susurrations. A witch in your own right but one far from home. Your place of refuge far from the bog you found yourself wandering in.

He was sitting on the porch, waiting for you because of course he was. He knew you were coming the moment you set foot on his ground. The humid air echoed with the choice buried in your footsteps, clear as day for those who knew how to listen.

And he was always listening.

You looked at him. Up and up and up, this behemoth towering over you but you weren't frightened. Why would you be when you knew what he was? You could see into his depths, see him in every possible variation, every storyline, and you weren't afraid. He was but a bog witch.

Your bog witch while you were here.

You climbed his steps as he stood, meeting him with shoulders straight, back unbowed despite your troubles. You knew how to carry their weights. They weren't new to you.

A held tilt towards the door was all the greeting you got. Turning, you led him into his house. A shiver skated up your back as you crossed the threshold, a bony finger being dragged along your spine, tracing each knob.

It lasted barely a moment before you were through, safely in his maw home.

You sat for tea—a blend that tasted of graveyard dirt and childhood hope. A comforting heat low in your stomach. It had been a long time since you had tea as fine as this. He certainly knew his customers.

You watched him watching you. Not scared of his dark eyes or the skull that gleamed in the candlelight. Not worried about what he saw as he peeled back the layers in your eyes.

As you sat your cup to the side, empty of tea, you spun your fingers as if you were flipping a coin between them. Something only you could see as you spun it around faster and faster, incorporating tricks and flairs that were only for your benefit.

He fathomless gaze never left yours as wisps of something inexplicable coalesced between the digits. Twining and merging with each other, the tendrils became more solid, coating your fingers.

You held your hand out across the table once you were done, bits of what almost looked like steam escaping to twirl upwards before dissolving in the air, the rest licking your fingers like flames.

He leaned in, never blinking, never faltering, and drew a finger up under his mask. You felt the wet heat of him engulf your fingers before he sucked, tongue lifting to trace along the delicate skin, searching for any hint of flavor, cradling it. Sharp teeth came down to rest at the knuckle, doubtlessly leaving indentations.

No sooner was one finger cleaned than the next made its way into his mouth, the soft suckling sensations pulling you lower and lower while your core tightened, heat traveling through your veins.

He took his time, making sure to pull every part of your troubles from your skin. You felt the memories of those weights fading away like fog in the sunlight. You were well aware of the price for this release and let them go without a fight, not interested in holding onto them.

He pulled back when he was done, holding your hand in his for a moment before releasing it, letting you pull it back to your side of the table.

Every trace of the smoky substance was gone from your skin as if it had never been. Your skin glistened faintly in the still evening air, slowly drying.

You looked at him with a smile, pleased with your exchange. While your posture remained unchanged, there was a lightening around your eyes. Something that spoke of burdens eased, pain halved. It was a heady look.

The night continued as the candles burned low. You talked with him, evening shadows lengthening into night, grasping fingers clawing under the door but never able to enter. You told him of time passing, reins changing. You spoke of trials and triumphs, of the best and the worst of what the world had to offer. You spoke and spoke, your voice never growing hoarse with the tea that had once more filled your cup.

Time passed until the darkest hours of the night were upon you. They held their own secrets of the inside of the bog witch's house.

Morning saw you on your way once more, footsteps lightened and path straight as you made your way out of his territory, a tune on your lips carried you away, back home once more.

[firstpersonnarrator]

Hi! For the prompts, could we have a list of characters you'll write for? Or is it just any and all of them? (Much luv!)

@merrilark Thanks for asking! I kept going back and forth about certain characters. For instance, I think I’d be terrible at writing for Leon, Luba, Nikolai, and Sean Falco. I don’t know why. I feel like other people’s takes on them are etched in my mind, so I’d just wind up doing a weak imitation. So to be more accurate, I think I can do some storytelling about the following. I’ve listed them grouped by relative supernaturalness, and the purple names are the ones I’d be most interested in writing for.

Actually supernatural:

1. Klaus Hargreeves (he can be the main character too)

2. Vladek Klimov

3. Nathan Young

4. Jack (The Messenger)

5. Simon Lewis

6. Kai (Season of the Witch)

7. Mark, bog man (Lowland Fell)

8. Cormac MacNamara (that portal is pretty damned supernatural)

Supernatural-adjacent by virtue of close proximity to death:

9. Darren Treacy

10. Archie Eden

11. Duncan Taylor

Completely blindsided by supernaturality

12. Luke (Cherrybomb)

13. Vincent Rhodes

14. Billy Delaney

15. Roland (Three Summers)

16. Louis XIV

17. Tom Natsworthy

[solo-bolo-trollo]

A COMPLETE LIST OF ALBUMS I LISTENED TO IN 2017

1.       Brian Eno—Reflection (2017)

2.       Joe Jackson & Friends—Heaven & Hell (1997)

3.       The KLF—Chill Out (1990)

4.       Run the Jewels—Run the Jewels 3 (2016)

5.       ESG—Come Away with ESG (1983)

6.       Pink Guy—Pink Season (2017)

7.       Madness—The Rise and Fall (1982)

8.       The xx—I See You (2017)

9.       The xx—xx (2009)

10.   Foxygen—Hang (2017)

11.   Shackleton and Vengeance Tenfold – Sferic Ghost Transmits (2017)

12.   André Previn, et. al—Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

13.   Code Orange—Forever (2017)

14.   Neil Cicierega—Mouth Moods (2017)

15.   Migos—C U L T U R E (2017)

16.   Buscabulla—EP II (2017)

17.   Allison Crutchfield—Tourist in This Town (2017)

18.   Delicate Steve—This is Steve (2017)

19.   Daft Punk—Homework (1997)

20.   Homeshake—Fresh Air (2017)

21.   Sampha—Process (2017)

22.   MF Doom—Operation: Doomsday (1999)

23.   Tobin Sprout—The Universe and Me (2017)

24.   Syd—Fin (2017)

25.   Julie Byrne—Not Even Happiness (2017)

26.   The Weeknd—Starboy (2016)

27.   Sinkane—Life & Livin’ It (2017)

28.   William Basinski—A Shadow in Time (2017)

29.   Paul White and Danny Brown—Accelerator (EP) (2017)

30.   Metallica—Kill ‘Em All (1983)

31.   Nas—It Was Written (1996)

32.   Priests—Nothing Feels Natural (2017)

33.   Urochromes—Night Bully (EP) (2017)

34.   Yung Bae—Skyscraper Anonymous (2016)

35.   Ty Segall—Ty Segall (2017)

36.   nobigdyl. —Canopy (2017)

37.   Son Volt—Notes of Blue (2017)

38.   Jansport J—p h a r a o h (2017)

39.   Jens Lekman—Life Will See You Now (2017)

40.   Maggie Rogers—Now That the Light is Fading (EP) (2017)

41.   Erykah Badu—Baduizm (1997)

42.   Dirty Projectors—Dirty Projectors (2017)

43.   Future—FUTURE (2017)

44.   Sun Kil Moon—Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood (2017)

45.   Future—HNDRXX (2017)

46.   Visible Cloaks—Reassemblage (2017)

47.   Barenaked Ladies—Born on a Pirate Ship (1996)

48.   Thundercat—Drunk (2017)

49.   Hand Habits—Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) (2017)

50.   Vagabon—Infinite Worlds (2017)

51.   Amnesia Scanner—AS Truth (2017)

52.   Mega Bog—Happy Together (2017)

53.   Lin Manuel-Miranda, et. al—In the Heights (2008)

54.   Chicano Batman—Freedom is Free (2017)

55.   The Mountain Goats—We Shall All Be Healed (2004)

56.   King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard—Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)

57.   Mark Scott—Death & All His Enemies (EP) (2017)

58.   Strand of Oaks—Hard Love (2017)

59.   The Magnetic Fields—50 Song Memoir (2017)

60.   DMX—It’s Dark and Hell is Hot (1998)

61.   Jay Som—Everybody Works (2017)

62.   The Shins—Heartworms (2017)

63.   Pauline Oliveros—Accordion & Voice (1982)

64.   Steve Lacy—Steve Lacy’s Demo (EP) (2017)

65.   Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever—The French Press (EP) (2017)

66.   Real Estate—In Mind (2017)

67.   Jansport J—Pharaohmatic Immunity (2017)

68.   Drake—More Life (2017)

69.   Temples—Volcano (2017)

70.   Anohni—Paradise (EP) (2017)

71.   Diamanda Galás—All the Way (2017)

72.   Kelly Lee Owens—Kelly Lee Owens (2017)

73.   Paul F. Tompkins—Laboring Under Delusions: Live in Brooklyn (2012)

74.   Tinariwen—Elwan (2017)

75.   Gorillaz—Gorillaz (2001)

76.   Hippo Campus—Landmark (2017)

77.   Black Sabbath—Master of Reality (1971)

78.   Liquid Liquid—Optimo (EP) (1983)

79.   Hurray for the Riff Raff—The Navigator (2017)

80.   Blanck Mass—World Eater (2017)

81.   Beastie Boys—Hello Nasty (1998)

82.   Diet Cig—Swear I’m Good at This (2017)

83.   Ibibio Sound Machine—Uyai (2017)

84.   Mount Eerie—A Crow Looked at Me (2017)

85.   Future Islands—The Far Field (2017)

86.   Boards of Canada—Music Has the Right to Children (1998)

87.   Father John Misty—Pure Comedy (2017)

88.   Glenn Gould—Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956)

89.   Arca—Arca (2017)

90.   Sorority Noise—You’re Not As _____ As You Think (2017)

91.   Gas—Pop (2000)

92.   Kendrick Lamar—DAMN. (2017)

93.   Passion Pit—Tremendous Sea of Love (2017)

94.   Shamir—Hope (2017)

95.   Portishead—Dummy (1994)

96.   Tonstartssbandht—Sorcerer (2017)

97.   Dr. Dre—The Chronic (1992)

98.   Wiley—Godfather (2017)

99.   Parliament—Mothership Connection (1975)

100.           Sade—Diamond Life (1984)

101.           Charly Bliss—Guppy (2017)

102.           Iggy Pop—Lust for Life (1977)

103.           Kasey Zoned—Isolation (EP) (2017)

104.           Gorillaz—Humanz (2017)

105.           Mac DeMarco—This Old Dog (2017)

106.           Slowdive—Slowdive (2017)

107.           The Record Company—Give It Back to You (2016)

108.           Garth Brooks—No Fences (1990)

109.           Gas—Narkopop (2017)

110.           Girlpool—Powerplant (2017)

111.           Perfume Genius—No Shape (2017)

112.           Marty Robbins—Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)

113.           The Mavericks—Brand New Day (2017)

114.           Dave Malloy, et. al—Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (2013)

115.           The Mountain Goats—Goths (2017)

116.           Temple of the Dog—Temple of the Dog (1991)

117.           Soundgarden—Badmotorfinger (1991)

118.           Burial—Subtemple (EP) (2017)

119.           Angelo Badalamenti—Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

120.           Death Grips—Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber) (EP) (2017)

121.           Various artists—Lost Highway (1997)

122.           Throbbing Gristle—20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979)

123.           Lil Yachty—Teenage Emotions (2017)

124.           Phish—Junta (1989)

125.           Talaboman—The Night Land (2017)

126.           (Sandy) Alex G—Rocket (2017)

127.           Burzum—Filosofem (1996)

128.           Sleater-Kinney—Live in Paris (2017)

129.           Power Trip—Nightmare Logic (2017)

130.           Sam Gellaitry—Escapism III (EP) (2017)

131.           The Cranberries—Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993)

132.           Bing & Ruth—No Home of the Mind (2017)

133.           Luxoddo Menatti—Climbing Through Clockwork (EP) (2017)

134.           Fleet Foxes—Crack-Up (2017)

135.           Cashmere Cat—9 (2017)

136.           Johnny Jewel—Windswept (2017)

137.           Ice Cube—Death Certificate (1991)

138.           Why?—Moh Llean (2017)

139.           Goldie—The Journey Man (2017)

140.           Lorde—Melodrama (2017)

141.           Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner and James McAlister—Planetarium (2017)

142.           SZA—Ctrl (2017)

143.           Calvin Harris—Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (2017)

144.           Washed Out—Mister Mellow (2017)

145.           Vince Staples—Big Fish Theory (2017)

146.           JAY-Z—4:44 (2017)

147.           Haim—Something to Tell You (2017)

148.           Moon Diagrams—Lifetime of Love (2017)

149.           Various artists—Baby Driver (Music from the Motion Picture) (2017)

150.           Offa Rex—The Queen of Hearts (2017)

151.           Tyler, the Creator—Flower Boy (2017)

152.           Timecop—You Can’t Go Back From Where You Are Right Now (EP) (2017)

153.  ��        Waxahatchee—Out in the Storm (2017)

154.           DJ Sports—Modern Species (2017)

155.           Ryan Adams—Prisoner (2017)

156.           Guided by Voices—August by Cake (2017)

157.           Paramore—After Laughter (2017)

158.           Cigarettes After Sex—Cigarettes After Sex (2017)

159.           Randy Newman—Dark Matter (2017)

160.           Kesha—Rainbow (2017)

161.           The War on Drugs—A Deeper Understanding (2017)

162.           Rezz—Mass Manipulation (2017)

163.           Liza Minnelli—Results (1989)

164.           Various artists—Twin Peaks (Music from the Limited Event Series) (2017)

165.           Various artists—Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack) (2017)

166.           Iron and Wine—Beast Epic (2017)

167.           Com Truise—Iteration (2017)

168.           Godspeed You! Black Emperor—Luciferian Towers (2017)

169.           BROCKHAMPTON—Saturation (2017)

170.           LCD Soundsystem—american dream (2017)

171.           Arcade Fire—Everything Now (2017)

172.           Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives—Way Out West (2017)

173.           Clark—Death Peak (2017)

174.           Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends—New Worlds (2017)

175.           Aimee Mann—Mental Illness (2017)

176.           The Mountain Goats—Marsh Witch Visions (EP) (2017)

177.           Moses Sumney—Aromanticism (2017)

178.           St. Vincent—MASSEDUCTION (2017)

179.           Nina Simone—I Put a Spell on You (1965)

180.           Kamasi Washington—Harmony of Difference (EP) (2017)

181.           Extreme—Extreme II: Pornograffitti (1990)

182.           Timecop—Diocesan Howler (EP) (2017)

183.           Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile—Lotta Sea Lice (2017)

184.           Vangelis—Blade Runner (1982)

185.           Julien Baker—Turn Out the Lights (2017)

186.           Sam Smith—The Thrill of It All (2017)

187.           Alvvays—Antisocialites (2017)

188.           Björk—Utopia (2017)

189.           Charlotte Gainsbourg—Rest (2017)

190.           King Krule—The OOZ (2017)

191.           R.E.M.—Live at the 40 Watt Club 11/19/92 (1992)

192.           Kelela—Take Me Apart (2017)

193.           10,000 Maniacs—MTV Unplugged (1993)

194.           Sylvan Esso—What Now (2017)

195.           Beck—Colors (2017)

196.           Amber Coffman—City of No Reply (2017)

197.           Guided by Voices—How Do You Spell Heaven (2017)

198.           Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings—Soul of a Woman (2017)

199.           10,000 Maniacs—Our Time in Eden (1992)

[penguinpiebooks]

i dont have any original content on my blog ever bc i'm unoriginal af lmao bUt i read 17 books over the past two months and i kind of wanted to do a mini review of them all so i guess herE i go

-no spoilers-

The first book I read was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I had read this book a few years ago and barely remembered it, so I decided to reread it and wowza it's good. I love Park, and I love Eleanor, and I love their stories.

The second book I read was The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis and the messages portrayed in the book is so good. Everyone needs to read this. It needs to be shown in schools. As it is a more mature book, maybe wait until you are a teenager to read it, but even so, it's such a good read.

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson had been in my TBR pile since May, and I honestly don't know why I waited so long to read it. I had previously read his books We Are The Ants (which is another one of my favorites- go read it) and hoped this book would be similar and it was. The writig style, the story, I loved it all. The climax of the book made me cry because I relate to the main character more than I'd like to admit, but wow. I love this one.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was also another book I had previously read but I had forgotten a lot of it. Reading it again, I cannot believe I forgot about it because holy wow. I love it. I don't know how anyone could not love it.

The Hidden Oracle and The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan are next. I love Rick Riordan and all of his books and they DO NOT disappoint. The represntation in his books are wonderful and having a bisexual main character just makes it that much more wonderful. Plus, I get to see a lot of some of my favorite characters from his older series, PJO and HOO. So, win-win.

The Sword of Summer and The Hammer of Thor, again by Rick Riordan, were my next reads. And you thought having a bisexual main character was great? Wait until you meet all the characters in these two! Again, the representation and the story is amazing. I've been wanting to read these since they came out but, as I was bogged down with school, didn't have time. I almost even gave up on them. And I am so glad I didn't. (also thanks to @missmuffinisthemelonlordofhades for continuously encouraging me to read them.)

The Bone Witch by Rin Chuperco followed and I'll be honest, it was hard for me to get through this one. As much as I adored the story, it was slow moving in the middle and the way the chapters are set up (Every other chapter or so is a glimpse into the future whereas the actual story is in the past). But, when I finally finished, I loved it. And I can't wait for the sequel.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli I think will forever be one of my favorite books. I read this book earlier in the year and when I bought it a few weeks ago, I read it immediately. I love the characters and knowing it is going to be a movie (I think one of the first movies-that i can think of- that will feature a LGBT+ romance rather than a straight one) makes me even more excited. Plus, the author is in love with the movie, so that's promising. But anyways, this book is adorable, kind of like a mystery (but not, it's hard to explain without spoiling), and LGBT which (as a fellow Gay™) is wonderful.

Aristotle and Dante Disover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz followed, along with my heart and all the tears in my body. Oh my god. This book. What can I even say about this book? It's beautifully written, the story is amazing, and the characters are so real. This book is my favorite ever. I've read it three times now (in a row- it's that good) and each time my heart cried. If I had to recommend a book to anyone it would be this one, especially to people who are struggling to find out who they are. Trust me, read this book. It will not disappoint. (Also there is a sequel coming out soon so read it in time to get the sequel ;))

The Lunar Chronicals by Marissa Meyer is now one of my favorite series. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love love LOVE fairytale retellings and dystopian novels and fellas, these books bring those two together wonderfully. And despite knowing the fairytales the books are based off of, the events that happened still shook me to the core. The books wrap you up in a blanket and tear your heart out and make you think 'What's going to happen next?'

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Just read it. Along with Fangirl. Just do it.

and that's all. i tried to be as spoiler-free as possible, just bringing upon the emotions the books made me feel. i might make a second one with a more in depth and possibly spoiler filled review. maybe.

[twulo]

Omg ty @dirt-face-1st-place these are so fun!

Nicknames: Moonbear!

Height: 5'4

Last movie: Paul blart mall cop lmao

Favourite artists: hozier, Simon and Garfunkel, green day, theophany!!

Song that gets stuck in my head: Lugia's theme?? For some reason?? All the time???

Other blogs: nope

Do I get asks?: yes some but I would always love more!!

Following: mostly klance, bnha, and zelda botw content, but also lots of those aesthetic lesbian forest/farmer and grannycore blogs

Amount of sleep: usually a solid 8 hours!!

Lucky number: maybe 2??

What I'm wearing: a sweater and big socks and no pants lol

Favourite food: maybe fresh strawberries?

Dream job: character design for video games!!

Play any instruments: I have a kantele, an ocarina, panpipes, and a melodica. And I suck at them all.

Random fact: I'm pretty good at writing with my toes??

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: I've been told my aesthetic is "butch bog witch" but that aside, maybe like... drinking coffee at 6am, summer thunderstorms, and piles of fluffy blankets?

Tagging: @lavenderferns @mr-explosionmurder @dumb-bitch-energy101 @geckointhegarbage @kukurosaki

21 Questions?

Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag people you want to get to know better

I was tagged by the awesome @stillshineonus (ilysm for tagging me. I never get tagged in these things. We should be friends!!!!! :D)

All you lovely people can do this if you want or you can ignore it, do what your heart desires :)

@readingisthenewcool @couchpotaito @repetitive-tautology @bakugou-klancey-lance and anyone else who wants to do this

Nicknames: Jess (so original, right?)

Height: 5’6

Last movie I saw: uhhhhh I think Into The Spiderverse (10/10 would watch again)

Favorite Artists: Sabrina Carpenter, P!@TD, uhhh Taylor Swift?, idk I really just listen Sabrina and a shit ton of musicals

Song(s) stuck in my head: Mona Lisa by Sabrina Carpenter and When You’re An Adams from The Adams Family Musical

Other blogs: I have my main blog that I never use @imawreck1999 (besides for comments and asks since it’s my main blog) and @fabficrecs that I run with @readingisthenewcool for some awesome voltron fics

Do I Get Asks: I only get a few when I do the ask questions things but other than that no (people are welcome to do it. I love asks)

Following: Shit ton of voltron and klance blogs, some incorrect hogwarts house quotes blogs, a few marvel blogs and mutual of my mutuals blogs

Amount of Sleep: lol what’s sleep? (honestly maybe like 5 to 10 hours of sleep? Matters on the day)

Lucky Number: 5!

What I’m Wearing: I’ve been switching from my Sabrina Carpenter sweater to a stitch tank top, leggings, and cacti socks

Dream Job: I have no idea. Probs a Archaeologist/Anthropologist or something to do in astronomy.. maybe even marnie biology. I may be in college but I haven’t thought that far yet

Favorite Food: Mac and Cheese!!!

Play any instruments: I am tone deaf… so no

Random Fact: uhhh my favorite animals are wolves and sharks

Describe Yourself as Aesthetic Things: ahhhh I don’t really have one yet,, but I guess space/galaxy.. uhhh yeah I really don’t know. I’ve been looking for my aesthetic for awhile.

[3amfanfiction]

Bog witch Simon is PEAK. never thought a bog witch could be helpful and eerie at the same time + Simon on top of that???? WOAH MWAH perfection. You are correct. Simon is already off-putting, scary, but also can be kinda helpful. 100% bog witch candidate

I'm glad you liked bog witch!Simon, he's such a little weirdo (/affect) and i love him as a witch sm.

he would always have a cup of steaming tea by his elbow and his fingertips would be stained black at the very ends. he has a raven that chatters to him constantly--the comings and goings of the swamp, things he should be aware of, that sort of thing while he sits quietly and listens.

He'll sit outside every time it rains. not under the shelter of the awning, no, he'll pull his great big rocker out onto a bit of raised land and sit under the thunder and lightning as he gets soaked to the bone, letting the storm batter his body any way it sees fit. he always comes out of it somehow looking rejuvenated. it's the weirdest thing.

he talks to his neighbors. the ones that are half rotted in the ground. they come by for tea every so often. stopping in and staying for a tick. he always walks them back home so they're not alone.

i've also been thinking about a little ghoul wandering the swamp-- looking, chasing something but she's not sure what yet. she's heard stories of the bog witch. the one who eats your troubles. she's not particularly troubled so what kind of reception would she get? maybe this bog witch knows what it is she's searching for. the thing that she can't name. only one way to find out.