#cally dark oracle

[homeforall]

Thinking about them again 😔

[burn-this-bloggo]

Y'all fans of Reverse Falls? Wait until you learn about 2004's Dark Oracle

[multifamdomfan]

Calliope (Callie) Heliades

Appearance:

Long curly blonde hair

Doe Sky blue eyes

Nine freckles on her cheeks

Pearly white teeth

White tan skin

Tall

Backstory:

Calliope "Callie" Heliades was born on the sunlit shores of Delphi, Greece, where ancient oracles once whispered the words of the gods. Her mother was a gifted musician unaware that she had caught the eye of Apollo, the god of the sun, music, and prophecy.

From birth, Callie was different. She never cried as a baby—only hummed soft melodies in her sleep. By the time she could walk, she could already play the lyre without ever being taught. Her mother, recognizing the divine spark in her, she sent her d

Growing up, Callie exhibited abilities beyond mortal comprehension. She could heal minor wounds with a touch, sense when people were lying, and even manipulate light and fire. But with power came danger. Monsters—creatures of darkness who despised the children of the sun—began hunting her. When Callie turned 15, her peaceful life shattered when a group of Laistrygonian giants attacked her village, drawn to her divine presence. Though she fought bravely, her mother was gravely injured. Before passing, she urged Callie to seek refuge at Camp Half-Blood in America, where she could train and learn to control her gifts.

Determined to honor her mother’s wishes, Callie embarked on a perilous journey across the world, guided by Apollo’s cryptic visions. Along the way, she faced challenges—battling harpies in Rome, deciphering an ancient prophecy in Athens, and even outsmarting a Sphinx guarding a hidden temple of Apollo.

She had a complicated relationship with legacy, wanting to embrace her strengths but also carve her own path until she got an offer from Artemis to join the hunters. Callie accepted and found family with them.

Abilities:

Solar Manipulation – Can summon small bursts of sunlight, create heat, and momentarily blind enemies.

Prophetic Dreams – Occasionally receives visions from Apollo, though they are often riddles.

Musical Enchantment – Her voice and melodies can soothe allies or disorient enemies.

Healing Touch – Can heal minor wounds, but at great cost to her energy.

Archery & Combat – Naturally skilled with a bow, though she prefers strategy over brute force.

Personality:

Caring

Artistic

Passionate

Creative

Cannot hide her emotions or what she's thinking to save her life

Awkward

Quick learner

Makes Passion Fueled mistakes

Driven to prove herself

She feels emotions intensely and struggles with emotional boundaries

[itsneilcochrane]

2025 TBR

Goal: Catch up on/read/dismiss all the series that have been languishing in my TBR

Beginning with ones I started recently, followed by ones that will include at least one re-read, then complete and new-to-me ones, and last but not least, incomplete and new-to-me.

This doesn't include books I must read for my book clubs, or the several manga series I'm following, lolsob.

List (in a rough but quickly deteriorating order) below the cut!

Reread Owned/have access to Currently reading (as of 2-20) Read

A Restless Truth (The Last Binding #2)

A Power Unbound (The Last Binding #3)

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2)

Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist #1)

Chaos King (Infinity Alchemist #2)

Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost (Sir Callie #2)

Sir Callie and the Witch's War (Sir Callie #3)

Sir Callie and the Final Stand (Sir Callie #4)

The Daughter's War (Blacktongue #0)

The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1)

The Thousand Eyes (The Serpent Gates #2)

The Shadow of the Wind (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)

The Angel's Game (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #2)

The Prisoner of Heaven (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #3)

The Labyrinth of the Spirits (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #4)

The City of Mist (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #5)

Godkiller (Fallen Gods #1)

Sunbringer (Fallen Gods #2)

Faithbreaker (Fallen Gods #3)

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1)

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)

Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3)

Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4)

Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5)

Fugitive Telemetry (Murderbot Diaries #6)

System Collapse (Murderbot Diaries #7)

Necrotech (SINless #1)

Nanoshock (SINless #2)

A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)

A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan #2)

The Thread That Binds (The Eternal Library #1)

The Tale That Twines (The Eternal Library #2)

The Outside (The Outside #1)

The Fallen (The Outside #2)

The Infinite (The Outside #3)

Dust and Light (The Sanctuary Duet #1)

Ash and Silver (The Sanctuary Duet #2)

The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns #1)

The Shadow Throne (The Shadow Campaigns #2)

The Price of Valor (The Shadow Campaigns #3)

The Guns of Empire (The Shadow Campaigns #4)

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)

Shadow of Night (All Souls #2)

The Book of Life (All Souls #3)

Time's Convert (All Souls #4)

The Black Bird Oracle (All Souls #5)

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1)

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2)

Mirrored Heavens (Between Earth and Sky #3)

My Heart is a Chainsaw (Indian Lake #1)

Don't Fear the Reaper (Indian Lake #2)

The Angel of Indian Lake (Indian Lake #3)

The Four Profound Weaves (Birdverse #1)

Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys #1)

City of Strife (City of Spires #1)

Fathomfolk (Drowned World #1)

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1)

Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow #2)

Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders #1)

An Accident of Stars (Manifold Worlds #1)

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1)

The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1)

A Master of Djinn (The Dead Djinn Universe #1)

Thornfruit (The Gardener's Hand #1)

The Half-Drowned King (The Golden Wolf Saga #1)

The Halves of Us (The Halves of Us #1)

The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1)

She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor Duology #1)

He Who Drowned the World (The Radiant Emperor Duology #2)

Witch King (The Rising World #1)

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle)

The Witch Boy (The Witch Boy #1)

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

We Set the Dark on Fire (We Set the Dark on Fire #1)

Dawn (Xenogenesis #1)

The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming (The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming #1)

Empire of Sand (Books of Amber #1)

[monstrousgourmandizingcats]

Yep yep yep! Hatred and violence on planet Yellowjackets! It's a dark fantasy series, Your Honor!

Isn't it interesting that the moments and images in season 3 that stick out the most, that had the clearest vision behind them and will probably be what people look back on the most fondly in years to come when heated emotions about the season have gone the way of Queen Victoria's Jubilee fires in "Recessional", are almost all much closer to the "pulp" end of the show's internal spectrum than the "prestige" end? Lottie killing Edwin, the Travlot oracle and Viet Cong trap hijinx, Mari's last moments, the show finally finding a way to do right by Mistynat against all odds, the pathos of Lottie's scenes with Callie (the ethos and logos of that storyline are, of course, more, uh, polarizing), the supernaturally-tinged Shaunajackie stuff like the blood collaring and Jackie oversharing inside Travis's brain. It's almost like the show's best instinct is to lean into its status as an unusually erudite genre romp and its worst instinct is to worry about what Edmund Wilson-coded theorybros might think, not the other way around.

i hope yellowjackets gets weirder and more confusing forever i believe in symbolism heavy nonsensical dreamscapes. it has the added bonus of being the equivalent of a rent lowering gunshot to the audience members less inclined to thinking critically

[thegrejs]

Yall pls tell me at least someone watched Dark Oracle some 10 or 15 years ago like i'm rewatching now and i'm l i v i n g i need content i need new better improved episodes i need it all and i need it now

[findingtheperfectcharacter]

CALLY GODDAMN IT NO?!

[bellfort3]

You response to the ask about the minors the dream amp all having bad coping habits inspired me, so take this:

Tommy smokes because Wilbur smoked. He wants to be closer to his brother and thinks that if Wilbur did this, and it helped him, it might help Tommy as well. He first smokes when he finds a half-empty pack of cigarettes in Wilbur’s coat during exile. He doesn't do it again until after doomsday, because it was unpleasant and the smell of smoke remixed him of TNT. After doomsday he does it again, and again, and again, because after L’manburg got blown up for the final time, that was his only connection to his late brother.

Tubbo drinks because schlatt drank. He was there when schlatt drank to cope with stress. He was there when schlatt died of a stroke (”does anyone smell toast?”), but when put in the same position as schlatt, when made to be president, he turned to the same coping mechanisms as his predecessor. It worked, it numbed to pain, it helped him forget how he was forced to exile his best friend, if only for a night. It helped him sleep, didn't give him nightmares, it just knocked him out.

Ranboo accidentally cut himself with his claws, and now cuts. It’s why he always wears long sleeves, like suits. He makes sure they are shallow, and heal fast because he doesn't want to alarm anyone. He accidentally cut his scalp while clutching his head in the panic room, when he first heard Dream.

Purpled kills things. When he gets overwhelmed, he just goes somewhere dark and kills mobs, but doesn't fix any wounds they give him. It’s what makes him such a good assassin, he’s trained himself to fight through injury and can be forgotten easily.

-oracle

Hey @callie-talks-dreamsmp this is for you but I’m still gonna answer your ask

Here are my thoughts Oracle

Tommy smokes 100%

Not sure abt tubbo yet but something destructive that has to do with the nukes?? Me and con brainstormed maybe tubbo pulling a Wilbur and wishing to blow up the dream smp? Like he ran away? That’s part of his trauma. He tried to start over.

Ranboo...(TW) I don’t know if he cuts but I’ve read fics where he nervously flicks his tail around and stuff so here’s what I was thinking. Nervous scratching. It’s a innocent habit, running his claws over the skin on his forearms but yeah maybe he accidentally scratches too deeply and makes himself bleed? That’s my thoughts on it.

Purpled. I was thinking gambling? Scamming? I usually associate techno with mindless killing and purpled strikes me as more tame. Like punz.

I love the thoughts tho Oracle and I hope you find this helpful Callie!!

[photon-bytez]

Super Smash Bros: Nexis- The Fighters (Warning-Long as Hell)

(Edit: All of the fighters have taglines, many are from their reveal trailers)

What an E3 scoop it has been for Nintendo folks, lemme tell y’all. Not only with got Dragon Quest’s Hero, but we also got Banjo-Kazooie into the mix too! Today’s Smash reveal is why I’m starting a 3 part mini-series on a hypothetical Smash game, featuring non video game- characters as fighters! Not only all fighters already present in Smash, a rosters of well known characters will be included here. With that out of the way, Let’s Settle in Smash!

(Fighters that we already know)

.Mario: 1-Ups!

.Donkey Kong: Beats the Competition!

.Link: Tri-forces in!

.Samus: Places the Bounty!

.Dark Samus: Takes Over!

.Yoshi: Rolls Into Battle!

.Kirby: Swallows His Anger!

.Fox: Soars In!

.Pikachu: I Choose You!

.Luigi: Isn't Scared to Fight!

.Ness: P.Knocks Out The Competition!

.Captain Falcon: Blazes Through!

.Jigglypuff: Puts You to Sleep!

.Peach: Takes the Cake!

.Daisy: Blossoms!

.Bowser: Flips The Switch!

.Ice Climbers: Slide Down!

.Sheik : Appears on the Scene!

.Zelda : Wises Up!

.Dr. Mario : Prescribes Pain!

.Pichu : Shocks the Crowd!

.Falco : Takes Flight

.Marth : Gets to The Point!

.Lucina :  Wakes Her Blade?!

.Young Link : Masks His Fears!

.Ganondorf : Wreaks Havoc!

.Mewtwo : Strikes Back!

.Roy: Seals The Deal!

.Chorm : Awakens

.Mr Game & Watch : Flat Zones the Battle!

.Meta Knight : Strikes From the Shadows!

.Pit : Shines Through!

.Dark Pit :Crashes The Party!

. Zero Suit Samus : Zeroes In!

.Wario : Brings His Wares!

.Snake: Sneaks In!

.Ike: Fights For His Friends!

.Pokemon Trainer : Catches Em All!

.Diddy Kong : Swings Into Action!

.Lucas : Comes Outta Nowhere!

.Sonic : Speeds Into Brawl!

.King Dedede : Hammers Into The Scene!

.Olimar : Crash-Lands!

.Lucario : Unleashes The Aura!

.R.O.B. : Assembles!

.Toon Link : Sails Off!

.Wolf : Dives In!

.Villager : Comes to Town!

.Mega Man : Joins the Battle!

.Wii Fit Trainer : Weighs In!

.Rosalina and Luma : Launches Into Battle!

.Little Mac :Punches In!

.Greninja : Makes a Splash!

.Palutena : Alights!

.PAC-MAN : Hungers for Battle!

.Robin : Brings the Thunder!

.Shulk : Foresees a Fight!

.Bowser Jr : Clowns the Competition!

.Duck Hunt : Takes Aim!

.Here Comes a New Challenger: Ryu!

.Ken : Turns Up The Heat!

.Cloud : Storms In!

.Corrin : Chooses to Smash!

.Bayonetta : Gets Wicked!

.Inkling : Makes a Mess!

.Ridley : Hits the Big Time!

.Simon : Lashes Out!

.Richter : Crosses Over!

.King K. Rool : Comes Aboard!

.Isabelle : Turns Over a New Leaf!

.Incineroar : Enters The Ring!

.Piranha Plant : Pipes Up!

.Joker : Steal The Show!

.Hero : Draws Near!

.Banjo-Kazooie : Are Raring to Go!

.Terry: Faces the Fury!

.Byleth: Joins Smash House!

.Mii Brawler : Gets Up Close and Personal!

.Mii Swordfighter : Take a Stab!

.Mii Gunner : Locks and Load!

With the first half out of the way, here’s characters that would fit well in Smash, video game or not

.Paper Mario (Super Mario) : Joins the Fold!

.Geno  (Super Mario)  : Shoots From the Stars!

.Waluigi (Super Mario) : Arrives In Time!

.Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong) : Whips It Good!

.Linkle (Legend of Zelda) : Arrows In!

.Poochy (Yoshi) : Fetches a Fight!

.Bandana Waddle Dee  (Kirby) : Waddles In!

.Marx (Kirby) : Rolls Into Battle

.Zan Partizanne (Kirby) : Shocks the Competition!

.Krystal (Starfox) : Freezes Over!

.Mimikyu (Pokemon) : Dresses for Battle!

.Buzzwole (Pokemon) : Flexes In!

.Necrozma (Pokemon) : Devours the Light!

.Sandaconda (Pokemon): Slithers In!

.Ninten (Earthbound) :  Powers Up!

.Samurai Goroh (F-Zero) : Slices the Showdown!

.Lyn (Fire Emblem) : Slashes Into the Brawl!

.Viridi (Kid Icarus) : Drops the Bomb!

.Hades  (Kid Icarus) : Gets Reckless!

.Ashley (Warioware) : Casts Trouble!

.Shadow (Sonic the Hedgehog) :  Brings the Chaos!

.Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles) : Drive Into Battle!

.Jeanne (Bayonetta) : Weaves Her Way!

.Octoling (Splatoon) : Passes the Test!

.Callie and Marie  (Splatoon) : Stay Fresh!

.Pearl and Marina  (Splatoon) : Stay Off the Hook!

.Alucard (Castlevania) : Rises  Above the Darkness

.Oracle (Persona 5) : Hacks In!

.Shantae (Shantae) : Dances Through the Danger!

.Monster Hunter (Monter Hunter) : Joins the Hunt!

.Filia (Skullgirls) : Brushes Up!

.Cerabella  (Skullgirls): Brings the Big Top!

.Peacock  (Skullgirls) : Toons In!

.Squigly  (Skullgirls) : Reignites!

.Rayman  (Rayman) : Lends a Hand!

.Spring Man (ARMS) : Armed and Dangerous!

.Ribbon Girl (ARMS) : Wraps In!

.Ty and Revvit (Dinotrux) : Truxs it Up!

.D-Structs and Skrap-It (Dinotrux) : Rampage In!

.Ton-Ton  (Dinotrux)  :Races Through!

.Xee  (Dinotrux) : Small But Mighty!

.Flapjaw  (Dinotrux): Wings It!

.Moana (Moana) : Washes Up!

.Maui (Moana) : Gets Hooked!

.Tamatoa (Moana) : Rises From the Depths!

.Johnny (Johnny Test) : Explodes Into Action!

.Dukey  (Johnny Test) : Fights Some Fur!

.Vampire Susan and Mary  (Johnny Test) “ Glitter for Glory!

.Duke (The Vampair Series) : Bites In!

.Missi (The Vampair Series) : Slays in Her Velvet Dress!

.Charlie (Hazbin Hotel) : Hops Into Action!

.Vaggie  (Hazbin Hotel) : Makes Her Point!

.Angel Dust  (Hazbin Hotel) : Webs In!

.Alastor  (Hazbin Hotel):Goes Full Smile!

.Rawhide (Long Gone Gulch) : Slingshots Into Smash!

.Snag  (Long Gone Gulch) : Goes Monstrous!

.Mako  (Long Gone Gulch) : Put Some Bite Into the Fight!

.Cuphead (Cuphead) : Rolls the Dice!

.Mugman (Cuphead) : Goes For Broke!

.Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine) : Makes His Premiere!

.Allison  (Bendy and the Ink Machine) : Strikes From Above!

.Wallace & Gromit ( Wallace & Gromit) :Get Crafty!

.Fern and Willis (Awful Hospital) : Go Medical!

.Dr. Phage  (Awful Hospital): Goes Quack!

.Carmen Sandiego (From her Netflix remake) : Strikes Into Smash!

.Sam & Max ( Sam & Max: Freelance Police) : Make the Case!

. (Team Fortress 2) Meet the Heavy!

.Homestar (Homestar Runner) : Dashes Through!

.Strong Bad (Homestar Runner) : Checks the Competition!

.Mr. Bump (The Mr. Men Show) : Takes a Crash!

.Chris (Wild Kratts) : Gets Wild!

.Martin  (Wild Kratts): Takes A Swing!

.Aviva  (Wild Kratts):Goes Technical!

.Taterazay (Patapon) : Fights to the Beat!

.Ben (Ben 10 Omniverse) : Goes Full-Hero!

.Vilgax  (Ben 10 Omniverse):Shows His Might!

.Gwen  (Ben 10 Omniverse):Gravites Her Way!

.Charmcaster  (Ben 10 Omniverse):Charms up a Fight!

.Kevin  (Ben 10 Omniverse):Keeps it Rock Solid!

.Ralph (Wreak-It-Ralph) : Wreaks It Up!

.Lilith (Boarderlands) : Answers the Call!

.Claptrap (Boarderlands) : Starts A Revolution!

.Shrek (Shrek) : Takes Orge!

.Spongebob (Spongebob Squarepants) : Is Ready!

.Tracer (Overwatch) : Blinks In!

.Jotaro (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures) : Stands Proud!

.Flain (Mixels) : Heats Things Up

.Snoof  (Mixels):Skis to Battle!

.Scorpi  (Mixels) : Snuggles By!

.Tentro  (Mixels) : Stretches In!

.King Nixel  (Mixels) : Nixes The Battle!

.Booger  (Mixels) : Slimes In!

.Volectro (Mixels) : Shocks and Awe!

.Globert (Mixels) : Dazzles The Showdown!

.Knight (Hollow Knight) : Shades In!

.Hornet (Hollow Knight) : Creeps Up

.Agumon (Digimon) :Digivolves!

.Jibanyan (Yo Kai Watch) : Summon Forth!

.Hat Kid (A Hat in Time) : Shows Up in Time!

Sweet lord that was a mouthful, and now I feel like Pooh’s Adventures, adding characters into a story where they don’t belong. So, how did all of these guys meet up with the Smash roster? The answer to that question will be brought up in the next episode: the story mode, where we unfortunately reunite with an infamous foe, sort of... Stay tuned folks!

[calliope-hesiod]

The Burden of Knowing || Oracle

The world had ended.

And then it had bounced right back and Swynlake had gone on as normal, the first leaves of spring curling against the dark branches of tree, the stark winter sunlight growing into a warmer glow, and the birds chirping in the air once more.

Though the world had forgotten what had happened, Callie, still, dreamed.

She did not know who that boy was, who he had been, who had led him astray. She felt like she should’ve, like she could’ve stopped it from happening. Like she should have. She felt lucky that the Muses didn’t know about this, that no one outside of Swynlake did. When Poly called for the weekly check-up, she lied and said there had been exams.

Callie didn’t usually lie.

When her mother called and asked why she hadn’t called over those few days, Callie told her the same thing.

She lay awake at night and she saw the shadowed face that she could not help. She wondered how many more of these faces she had let past, how many more she had dreamed of, who had needed her. Who she let down. All these things she saw – she could be there. She had to be there – and what was she doing? Taking literature classes. Singing.

The guilt ate away at her. Every time she saw a dark-haired boy in the halls, she ducked her head down, peering at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if his face would match the one she saw in her dreams.

Finally, Callie could stand it no longer.

She had to find the one person she could talked to.

Armed with nothing but social media savvy and the Pride U directory, Callie managed to track down one Charlie Little, and found him as he exited one of the biology classes in the Science building.

“Charlie!” she called out, bouncing after him. “Hey! Charlie! How are you?”

@the-little-prophet

[labellerose-acheron]

You Will Go, You Will Return *** [Selle]

"You will go you will return never, in war will you perish. You will go you will return, never in war will you perish." -- The Delphic Oracle 

In which Belle is visited by an old friend.

Want to catch up? Read in this order: Journey to Hell Saga w Helle Mother Blue, a Seph and Hades one shot in the underworld. Callie’s Nightmare Previous Callie/Hades threads, Ad Congregandum, ft. Callie, Howl, and Hades. Blue Lullaby, a Hades one shout ft. Cassandra.

PERSEPHONE: In one corner of town, a boy stood and peeled back the layers of the world as one would peel an orange, with just the sound of his voice. The veil curled back to reveal its spiderwebbed pathways, invisible to the eye. Across the pathway, through the tunnels, over the rivers and through the wood, the name of one spirit echoed.

Persephone Acheron. Persephone Acheron. Persephone Acheron.

The voice lit a candle. And now the spirit knew the way.

When Persephone Acheron was possessed by a ghost for the very first time, that same voice called out to her. She remembered how hard it had been to get back, just 7 years old, shivering alone in a corner of her body that was too small for her. It was a place where she did not know her name, did not remember a boy called Hades, or the colour of her mother’s eyes, or that she liked to spread honey and chocolate over toast. Only the sound of her brother’s voice (who she did not remember as her brother) stirred her from her own, self-inflicted banishment. It reached through the other spirit and plucked her, like a lucky clover, from where she could have been lost forever.

Traveling through the rings, jumping dimensions, it was an easier task if only because she did not have a body to begin with.

But she hit a wall. Or the idea of a wall, for she was an idea herself, a memory, a dream, a wish, a flicker in her brother’s heart. The wall blocked her on all sides. The wall had hands. It shoved her back.

My body now, sneered the wall, and Persephone went cascading through space with nowhere to land. Fear filled her gentle aura for she had once known of ghosts who had gotten lost here in the place between worlds. They wandered, a dying ember, breaking apart into little pieces, and then littler pieces of those little pieces. She began to break apart too.

But Hades was not the only one who was keeping Seph in his thoughts that night. The paths expanded, limitless, and one spoke her name. It was a passing thought, but it was enough. Persephone closed her eyes (or her idea of her eyes) and let herself be carried, like a message in a bottle.

When she opened her eyes, they were bright green and she was alive again. Persephone twitched her velvet nose. She could smell tea.

The clock read 9:17. It ticked like a metronome, the loudest thing in this old, familiar house. Belle Beauton was sat curled on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her, her eyes flying over the page of a book. Was she reading or was she pretending to read, lost in other thoughts-- Persephone wondered this as she pad into the room in the body of her beloved Vincent and then hopped onto the arm of the couch. She did not have time to ask. Her ties here were tenable, the flame soon to be snuffed.  

So she spoke, her eyes wide and pupils as dark and full as the void itself. “Belle-- Belle, it’s me-- Persephone.”

BELLE: Yes, Belle was thinking about Persephone. Well, she was thinking about Hades—and his plan to bring her back as she sat, alone, in their home. The house was empty, of people besides herself—of ghosts. Or, so she thought. It was just her and this sense of foreboding which hung over the house like a storm cloud. She couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself that Hades would be careful, that Howl knew what he was doing.

Belle knew the truth. She knew that Hades was not thinking clearly. He was desperate. She didn’t blame him, but it made her heart tight in her chest. It made her worry—about Hades, but also, about if she made the right decision, not being with him through this process, not standing by him. Maybe along the way she could change his mind, somewhere, somehow—find some little crack that would let her slip in. But, he wasn’t having it. She knew that nothing she said would stop him and she couldn’t—she just couldn’t support what he was doing. She believed, she really did, that there was no way to bring Persephone back.

Her mind wandered, though she tried to read, tried to focus on what she was doing. This was what happened every time Hades left the house these days. She’d watch him go, his features always set in stone and she worried until he came back, his shoulders a little slumped. In the interim she tried to read but she could never focus, though, she was too in her head to hear the tinkle of Vincent’s little bell as she jumped up onto the couch.

It wasn’t until she heard a voice—a voice she was intimately familiar with, one that she had forgotten in the way you forget when you haven’t heard something in a long, long time. She jumped slightly, her book slamming closed. Turning her head, Belle came almost nose to nose with Vincent who was staring at her intently. She felt her heartbeat race, her brows furrowing, mouth opening and closing.

“Per—Perseph—what—how—what?” she said breathlessly and then sat up a little more, feeling tears catch in her throat. “Is it really you?”

PERSEPHONE: “Yes!” Persephone meowed, and she hopped down into Belle’s lap. She did not have time to waste, for the proverbial clock was ticking, the wax on her candle drip-drip-dripping. Even the journey to the couch in Vincent’s body made Seph’s soul grow tired, like it was full of rocks, and she was about to sink.

She held on though. She had once been the thing to hold on to, the anchor upon which souls perched. She knew how to keep balance and keep Vincent calm while she came to do what she needed to do.

She had found Belle, she knew, for a reason. Being dead had perks, you see. Where she drifted in the Wood, she drifted among the souls of everyone who had come before her and everyone who would come after. Everyone whispered their stories, as though they were talking in their sleep, murmuring and murmuring in hopes of someone hearing them, in hopes someone might try to call their name. So now Seph knew the stories of those souls as they knew her story; it was their stories that grew the trees high and crowded, that kept the wood ever expanding.

She came with answers. Seph could only explain a little though, that was the rules. The more stories she revealed, the higher the trees would grow, and their roots would pull her right back.

(What? You think ghosts wanted to be vague and unhelpful? No, it was the tether to the Underworld that determined what could be said).

“Hades summoned me. Or-- well, he tried, he-- Cassandra won’t let me in. It doesn’t matter anyway, I need to talk to you, Belle,” she meowed. “I only have so long. Hades and you-- everyone-- they’re in grave danger. This story began long ago, before we ever came to Swynlake, before Hades was the ambassador--”

She shook her head, because the words were already getting tangled. She needed to find a way to warn her. She needed to find a way.

Persephone blinked her eyes open again, round as moons. “Your fate is entwined with Urania Hesiod. Don’t trust her. Don’t let my brother be alone with her! Please, Belle! It will all fall down!”

BELLE: The book fell to the floor as Vincent—Persephone?—jumped into her lap. She startled a bit and sat up some, her brows pulled down and together in utter confusion.

As far as she was aware, this shouldn’t be possible. From everything she had ever read—bringing someone back from the dead was impossible, or very, very dark magic. The kind she hoped Hades wasn’t capable of. She hated that she was suspicious because she wanted more than anything to speak with Persephone then. This just felt like a cruel kind of joke, Persephone’s voice coming out in a purr, sounding just enough like her. It was like how Belle had sounded as the little sparrow perched on the inn balcony over a year ago (had it really been that long?)

She wanted to believe so badly. And—as the rest of Persephone’s words came out in a long, rushed string—she did believe. Because why would someone warn her of something terrible that was going to happen if they wanted that terrible thing to happen? Belle’s heart sank, her stomach twisted. This was everything she’d been afraid of. And the only question in her mind then, screaming louder than all the others—

“Hades? Is he all right?” But, as soon as that question was out, several more came tumbling from her lips. “What danger? What’s going to fall?  Who is Urania Hesiod? Is she the danger? What does she want with Hades? W-with me? How—how do I know any of this is even true?”

Finally, finally, she asked that question she’d been dreading, tears in her eyes. She wanted so badly to believe, she missed Persephone more than anything. Her death had left a hole inside of her, had left a hole inside of Hades—one that wasn’t healing, one that felt like it would never heal, like, instead, it was just getting bigger and bigger.

PERSEPHONE: Persephone wanted to answer every question, but already, the roots curled around her and she knew if she spoke too much, she’d choke. Her whiskers twitched, ears flicking back and forth. She lashed Vincent’s tail too, but none of these things helped her find a way to warn Belle properly. Down every sentence, she found nothing but dead, dead ends. And worse. She shuddered to know the endings of the story (for there were several being written even know as they spoke, the gears shifting, the pieces in place). There were some things that could not be changed. But there were some things that could.

How she wished she did not have to play this game at all. She had not gotten to say goodbye to Belle last time, there on the river bank. She remembered her crying and yelling. Seph remembered her hands reaching for her. She wished this window she crawled through could be a second chance and instead of riddles-- she could tell Belle that she missed her.

Maybe Belle would read to her too, the way that she read to Vincent. How Seph wished for just a moment where they could pretend that they were together again and would not be parted. And they all live happily ever after.

But there was so little time. Aways too little. Persephone wished that she could have had just a little more, before her end.

This was not her end. This was Belle’s-- beginning.

“You just have to believe me,” Sephy said, with tears in her trembling, thin voice. “She’s coming so soon. Please, listen to me though I didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry Belle. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I’m sorry for everything that’s going to come and, and everything I can’t say-- tell Hades I love him.” The little cat’s body trembled now. Seph was holding on as hard as she could. “And I love you too, Belle. I know you’ll be brave.”

BELLE: Belle wanted to believe her, and the little break in Persephone’s voice, so desperate, crumbled Belle’s resolve. She was never very good at being suspicious anyways. It was how she had let a vampire into their house, it was how she had let Persephone’s death come to fruition in the first place. She was bad—very bad at keeping her suspicion in place.

And she missed Sephy dreadfully, she did. The girl was like her own little sister—if Belle knew what that was like. She would’ve—if her and Persephone had had more time. But, they hadn’t. Almost a year and that was all. But, still, her grief felt larger than herself sometimes, like if she stepped wrong, she’d fall into it and never come back out again. She missed Persephone so much, every day.

So, she brought her hands up to the little cat, whose body was trembling dreadfully, like it had when they’d come home from the snowstorm and Belle had scooped Vincent up and held her in Belle’s sweater, walking around with the cat perched there like a baby. Hades had told her she looked ridiculous, but she refused to let the little thing freeze. She didn’t want Vincent—Persephone—to tremble now. She gathered the cat up in her arms, so she was half-perched on Belle’s chest, her fingers stroking over the head and the soft fur. She hoped Persephone could feel that. She hoped it felt like a hug.

She had started crying, though, she didn’t know why or how. The tears made her eyes sting and Persephone’s words made her lips tremble. Persephone’s words made her afraid. Because she didn’t know what was coming. There was some big, nameless fear, so great that Persephone had found a way to come back from the other side to warn her about it. But, Belle didn’t know what it was, she couldn’t—prepare.

“Don’t—don’t apologize, Sephy,” Belle said, her voice trembling, her fingers rubbed at one of the cat’s ears. “I-I’m sorry there wasn’t more I could do. Hades loves you so much, you know he does. I love you too. W-we will be okay, I-I promise. We’ll—we’ll take care of each other. And we’ll—we’ll miss you every day, we already do. I-I wish you didn’t have to go.”

But, she did. Belle knew that she did. She knew the rules, but her fingers clenched a little harder in the short black fur anyway.

“You’re so loved, Persephone. So loved.” She kissed the little cat on the top of its head and closed her eyes, a few more tears squeezing out.

PERSEPHONE: Belle’s arms wrapped around her, bringing her close enough to her chest that Persephone heard her heartbeat. Seph closed her eyes and sank into that sound. It was erratic, but so, so alive. Belle smelled just like Persephone remembered. Like tea and honey and books. Tea and honey and books.

She had forgotten all these things and would forget them again. You could not carry these things into the next life. That’s what made this one as dear as it was, why ghosts hung on with all their might, why others sought a way to get back. They reached for music, for flowers and chocolate strawberries, for ticker-tape festivals and those summer rainy days, each pellet of rain like a kiss. Oh, and kisses. How Seph wished she could have given and received more kisses, and hugs, and pinches and pokes. She missed the way cool soil felt between the fingers and the taste of a ripe tomatoes.

She held all of these things as Belle held her, like Belle could keep her and these memories together for just a few more seconds. And Persephone was grateful for those seconds. She counted them. She cherished them. She purred against Belle’s chest, like a little instrument.

And then she felt the underworld call her back.

Persephone knew better than to fight and cling and cry. She did not want her last moments to be spent in such a way. So she kept her eyes closed and let Belle’s words be the ship that would carry her home. You are so loved.

“Goodbye Belle,” she whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”

And then she was gone, and it was Vincent purring in Belle’s arms. She popped her head up and rasped her tongue over Belle’s arm.

[findingtheperfectcharacter]

Lance: This new guy is suspicious and I just saw an odd connection between him and this magical comic we have. I think it´s best if you stay away from him.

Cally: Fuck you, this is nonsense, go away!