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20forty9 · 2 months

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I Didn't Mean To Haunt You

Chapter II - Couloir (Intro)

Summary : The spirit wakes up in a new place, completely disoriented. Meanwhile, you and Yaga have a meeting with the higher-ups that doesn't go to plan (as usual), you meet two other students on campus, Shoko wants to practice her technique, and you take a moment to yourself to reflect on the past.

Word Count : 5.9k

Warnings : None to my knowledge

Pairings : Gojo Satoru/Reader, Geto Suguru/Reader, Everyone/Reader (Reverse Harem)

Cross-posted on Ao3

A/N : I got exactly one comment on Tumblr and that was enough to motivate me to edit this chapter and share it with you guys ASAP! No Gojo or Geto this chapter, sorry, but I promise that they show up next chapter! At least you get to meet other beloved characters in the meantime :)

You're never going to learn something as profoundly as when it's purely out of curiosity. ~ Unknown

It wakes up, laying on its stomach in a stark white room on an uncomfortable mattress that lays in the middle of the floor. There are no windows to tell the time of day. The spirit feels discombobulated, mouth dry and throat burning as if it had been starved of food and water for days. Slowly, its arms push down on the mattress to heave its body up, but it gasps as its eyes catch the ugly mark of the curse on its left arm. It stretches along its skin, only being a few inches in diameter. It falters, falling back on its arms from the pain that flares as its body catches up to the situation.

Reminiscent of Madame Suliman, its head snaps to look behind it at the end of the mattress, eyes landing on the door only a few feet away from it.

Mustering the strength, it crawls over to the door, placing a hand flat against the cold metal. Closing its eyes, its brows furrow as it is unable to feel any molecule of iron, when normally it would feel everything . It tries once more, palm completely pressed up against the door, yet there’s nothing. It frowns harder, trying yet again to manipulate the molecules, having the metal bend underneath its will, but the second it tries it, its left arm flares up in pain and it nearly screams in agony – it feels like someone poured acid over its arm then threw a match to light it on fire, millions of needles pricking at its skin all at once. Short of breath, it immediately stops trying to manipulate the iron, sweaty forehead pressing against the door as it gasps for air.

This doesn’t deter it from trying to break out. Its hands form into fists as it pounds against the door, feeling it shake against its knuckles from the force behind its punches.

The door suddenly swings open, and the spirit’s eyes land on the form of a short person, their features shrouded in shadows as the bright surgical lights glow behind them. They step aside, letting their face be illuminated. Blue-grey eyes look down on it, an air of curiosity to them. It suddenly realizes that this is a young teenager, his golden curls sticking out at awkward angles, untamed. There’s a blue hedgehog drawing on his t-shirt, with pyjama pants to match.

The kid’s eyes widen, jaw dropping slightly as he steps back, letting go of the handle.

The spirit scrambles on its knees to make it through the gap before the door can close completely, slamming it shut behind it.

The two of them look at each other, neither of them saying a word. They both size each other up – one is a curious child who opened the wrong door, the other is a weakened spirit who can barely even stand on its own two legs.

Just as the blonde opens his mouth, probably to shout for someone for help, the spirit manages to summon enough strength to push against the floor, covering the kid’s mouth with its hand, feeling the vibrations of a muffled scream die against its palm. With its free hand, it puts a single finger to its mouth. Be quiet.

The young teenager nods, eyes wide and pupils dilated out of fear, but the spirit doesn’t miss how his gaze quickly snapped to the hallway to the side. That must be the exit. There’s not a single person in sight besides the both of them.

If it lets this kid go, he’ll probably go running to an adult and it’ll get thrown back into that nightmare of a room. It doesn’t want to resort to such petty behaviour, but it can’t let him snitch on it. Time to continue playing the bad guy for a bit longer.

Standing on two shaky legs, it shoves the blonde towards the hallway, continuing to cover his mouth with its hand.

It takes a moment to look around. The hallway is a complete contrast to the room it was once locked in. There’s only a few lights in the ceiling here, warm light shining down every so often against the dark royal red wallpaper. Floral patterns painted from gold contrast against the dark colour. There are paintings donning the walls, each showing a different landscape. The spirit tries not to dwell on the illustrations, continuing to move forward. The hallway seems to stretch on endlessly, but there’s a small bright light at the end of it – it’s getting closer and closer to escaping.

The light at the end of the tunnel gives way to an enormous circular greenhouse, some plants stretching to the tall ceiling that seems to be about forty feet high. There’s an incredible variety of flowers and trees, some exotic birds roaming freely amongst the branches. It’s temperature regulated – sweat immediately starts to dot the spirit’s forehead again, uncomfortable humidity sticking to its skin. Natural light pours in through the hundreds of windows of the greenhouse, held together by a white frame, letting in the moonlight and painting everything in a blue hue. There’s a moment of appreciation for the beauty, care and time that has obviously been put into the building.

Before the spirit’s mind can wander, it remembers its current situation. It notices that there are glass doors that lead to an outdoor garden; this must be the nearest exit.

The kid held hostage in its grasp starts to realize what’s happening, and he starts to trash around, even going as far as to bite its hand. Immediately, its grip loosens on him, and the kid runs forward to block the exit with his arms spread wide. Seriously? He thinks that’ll stop me?

It’s too dark to tell what the kid is saying to it, the shadows of the night once again swallowing his features, but the spirit is sure it’s something along the lines of it not being allowed to leave. Rolling its eyes, it takes a step forward, and it can see his body tensing as he holds his ground. Fine, if that’s the way he wants to play.

There are plenty of plants to manipulate in this greenhouse; it’s an unfair fight, in complete honesty. The spirit flicks its hand, but the plants don’t reply to its action. Shit, I forgot. There’s not that familiar pull at the back of its mind telling it that there’s water molecules nearby, and it is sure that if it tries hard enough to reach out to those molecules, it’ll just result in the same pain it felt earlier.

Well, what’s the worst a kid can do against a full-grown spirit, anyways?

It strides forward, its cold, calculating eyes locking onto blue-grey ones filled with fear, and just as its arm raises above the kid’s head to press against the glass door, it feels a punch to the gut, making it double over–

– What?!

Blood spews from its mouth, hand clutching its stomach as it staggers backwards, eyes locking onto the cursed energy surrounding the kid’s fist. He looks surprised with himself, his entire body shaking from the shock. He’s never done that before, the spirit realizes. It wipes the blood from its chin, raising its head again to look at the exit standing right behind the kid, then back at him, but he seems to be focusing on something behind the spirit.

It turns around, coming face-to-face with a familiar woman.

Madame Suliman.

The lights in the greenhouse turn on, bathing the building in artificial light, making the spirit’s eyes squint to try and adjust to the sudden change. It notices that Suliman must’ve been woken up by the fray, judging by her short, dark red nightgown and the matching long silk robe. Her hair is in a long braid, resting along her right shoulder, and there’s not a trace of makeup or lipstick on her face, unlike their first meeting. She doesn’t even look irritated to see that the spirit had managed to make its way out of the locked room – in fact, there’s not a single emotion shown across her face other than contempt.

Multiple men in suits surround the three of them, different weapons held in their hands, while Suliman stands in the middle of them all.

“I see you’ve met Maheas,” she says, her grey eyes locking onto the young boy standing behind the spirit.

Maheas immediately runs to Suliman's side, letting two men take his place behind its back instead.

“Madame! You’re here,” he clings to her side, burrowing his face into the soft silk sleeve covering her arm.

“You’ve run into some trouble, I see,” she remarks, looking back at the spirit.

“I didn’t mean to let it out, I’m sorry, Madame,” he replies, eyes following hers. “It was banging at the door, I had no clue you were keeping it there.”

Suliman waves over one of her men, who grabs Maheas’ forearm and drags him away from the woman so she can approach the spirit. She takes slow, steady steps towards it, continuously keeping eye contact with it.

“Why did you run?” She asks it.

Its eyes look down towards its arm, then back at her. Isn’t it obvious?

That gets a small smile to grace her lips. “I see.”

She makes a sudden movement, grabbing its arm and holding it in her (rather firm, it notes) grasp. She seems to be inspecting the mark left behind by their first encounter. For the first time, the spirit notices a look of pride in her eyes. It’s terrifying.

“Well,” Suliman looks back into its eyes, “what an ugly mark. We’ll have to cover it up. We can’t have anyone seeing that monstrosity when you’re around them, can we?”

With a snap of her fingers, a different man walks up to the two of them, a scrap of silk in hand. He gives it to Suliman, who delicately places it around the spirit’s arm. Her hands are soft against its skin, but it doesn’t fail to send shivers down its spine. She carefully wraps it, making sure to cover the curse mark, and ties a small knot to bring it all together.

“There,” she says. “Much better.”

“Should we bring it back to the cellar?” The spirit catches one of the men nearby asking Suliman. Anything but those white walls, it thinks to itself, nervously looking behind itself to look at the exit again. The two men standing behind it shuffle closer together to block its view of the door.

“No, let’s bring it to the room we’ve set up,” Suliman replies. “The cellar should only be used for extreme situations.”

Extreme? What does that even entail?

Nevertheless, the men nod their heads, the one holding onto Maheas’ arm dragging him into a different direction than where Suliman walks towards. The spirit gets shoved forward by the men behind it, making their way down yet another hall, opposite from the one where Maheas and the spirit came from.

It leads the way to another gigantic building, and they enter the foyer, the same dim lighting bathing the dark red curtains that cover most walls. Everything about this place screams rich, or even royalty, at this point. More paintings are strewn around, gold statues and bookcases filled to the brim pushed up against the walls. There’s a butler standing next to a pair of large elegant arched wooden doors, a maid on the opposite side. A beautiful glass chandelier hangs in the middle of the ceiling, casting small rainbow reflections across the marble floors of the mansion. There’s a grandfather clock nearby, announcing the time as ten-thirty at night, the old wood recently polished.

Suliman continues leading them up a spiral staircase, then yet another dim hallway, multiple closed dark oak doors on both sides of it. At this point, Suliman dismisses the men with a simple wave of her hand as she approaches the last door. She opens the door, gesturing to the spirit to enter first.

Inside the room, there’s a small twin-size bed pressed against the wall, right underneath the only window in the room, made up with multiple pillows and blankets. It looks rather comfortable. The open curtains match the rest of the mansion, the same dark red silk present, a layer of white lace underneath it. Next to the door, there’s a small closet to its right, then a doorway that leads to a compact bathroom on the left. At the end of the bed sits a small desk that matches the dark oak door with a chair to pair with it. A few books lay on top of the desk, stacked on top of each other.

Suliman makes her way over to the books, picking one up and flipping through it.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” she says to the spirit, not looking up from the tome in her hand. “You aren’t allowed to go anywhere other than these grounds. If you leave, I will know.”

It’s a thinly veiled threat, accentuated by the sudden move of slamming the book back down on the table, making its weak wooden legs shake.

“We’ll talk more in depth tomorrow. You two woke me up with your kerfuffle, I don’t appreciate that.”

And with that, Suliman takes her leave, closing the door behind her.

A few minutes pass as the spirit stands in place, trying to process everything that has just happened. Out of curiosity, it goes to try the golden handle – just as it suspected, it is locked shut. The only ways it would be able to make another escape is either break the window open, or break the door down and most likely encounter the men (who it presumes are guards) that had escorted them to its room. However, neither of those options are appealing at the moment, especially with the vague threat Suliman had made. Just how powerful is she, really?

It huffs. It may as well inspect its surroundings a bit more, maybe there’s something in this room that will help spark another idea to get away.

It looks in the closet first; it is completely empty, save for a few hooks and hangers. There’s a small space for storing shoes and other accessories, but otherwise that’s it.

Next, it looks at the books on the desk. ‘ Spirits & Curses, ’ ‘ Tales of Ancient Spirits,’... blah blah blah… it seems that the woman may have an obsession with its kind. The spirit is surprised not to see ‘ How to Curse a Spirit 101,’ in complete honesty. That book would do numbers.

Well, that was a futile attempt. It kneels down on the ground right next to the bed, looking underneath it to check if there was anything else. Yet, still nothing.

There’s a groan building at the back of its throat but it refuses to let it loose, instead looking out the window and into the night sky. Exhaustion settles deep within its bones, the agony that it had felt when it first woke up and tried to bend the metal to its will draining it completely.

Hands grabbing the bed frame for support, it gets back up on both legs and makes its way to the bathroom. Maybe pouring cold water over its face will help distract it from the mark on its arm. Flicking the dim light (should it even be surprised, at this point?) on, its eyes immediately land on the mirror parallel to the doorway and it nearly recoils in shock.

It’s the first time it’s seen itself since this whole fiasco began, and it is utterly disgusted with itself.

Blank eyes stare back at it; there is absolutely no light being reflected into them. It looks dead (it feels just as much, too, when seeing the curse mark peek through the silk fabric). Not only that, but its left eye is a completely different colour. The original hue is replaced by the same colours that now wrap around its arm. Everything is suddenly all too real – it has actually been poisoned by a human, of all things. At this point, it expects its heart to beat out of its chest, but it feels nothing, strangely enough.

…That’s weird.

It presses its index finger and middle finger against its wrist, searching for a pulse. Odd, there’s no pulse. Maybe the shock from everything that has happened is just making it overthink. It presses the same fingers against its neck, just underneath its jaw and beside its windpipe. Still, there is no familiar thumping against the pads of its fingertips.

Frantic, both hands press down on the left side of its chest, where its heart should be.

Something is terribly wrong .

It’s been a little over a week since you have been ‘integrated’ into Yaga’s second-year class. Even with the end-of-summer heat, your group trains amongst themselves often, even if it ends with all four of you splayed out on the cool grass after a measly ten minutes of physical exertion. Gojo is still apprehensive of you, Geto has been coming around more, and Shoko is constantly glued to you and your notebook. It feels like a good friendship is forming between you two.

Your nose is still broken.

Currently, you and Yaga find yourselves at the monthly meeting held with the higher-ups. They set it up under the pretense of being a time for them to catch up on the latest happenings in the schools across Japan, discussing how to go forward with strengthening the jujutsu society, and any progress on your current state – codeword for ‘ if there’s even one thing wrong, we’re putting you down like a dog,’. The meetings always end on a tense note, the higher-ups never failing to glare daggers in your direction.

And right now, it’s looking like they’ll kill you right where you stand.

“You want to do what ?” Gakuganji asks incredulously. He’s always the first one to jump at the opportunity to verbally attack you, no matter the situation.

“I just think it would benefit the other students and staff if everyone could understand them. They would also be able to communicate with us more easily. Not only that, Japanese Sign Language is very useful outside of just school. It’s worth the investment,” Yaga says.

“Why would we do that just to accommodate that? It’s unnecessary,” another elder speaks up. “It can read our lips just fine. Oralism seems to be working for it.”

“Not always. Some people mumble their words, or have beards that cover their lips. It is hard to understand most people, we’re just lucky that their eyes are keen enough to tell the difference between most words, but sometimes that’s not enough.”

You mentally thank Yaga for explaining it. The higher-ups have never bothered trying to understand you, so it’s all up to the teacher to speak up on your behalf.

“It’s ridiculous for you to expect us to bend to the curse’s every want or need,” the same elder says.

“I’m not expecting you to, I’m just asking you all to consider something that could benefit everyone in the long run. What if we have another deaf jujutsu sorcerer in the future? Or a mute one?”

That gets two elders giving each other a look. Yaga told you in the past that they’re hard of hearing, which might mean there’s a better chance of them considering the offer that he has put on the table.

“They unbanned sign language nearly three years ago, even public elementary schools are slowly starting to implement these kinds of programs,” Yaga puts his foot down again, trying his best to push the higher-ups to see at least an ounce of reason. He crosses his arms, a pinched, unhappy expression written all over his face in dissatisfaction. “Don’t you think we should catch up to modern times as well?”

They look around at each other, lips sealed shut.

You feel like you’re unable to look at anyone right now, so you look down at your hands, anxious at the conclusion that the higher-ups will come to. As long as you don't read their lips, you won’t know the result until Yaga tells you after the meeting ends.

The next time you look up, they’re discussing a completely different topic. Well, not exactly.

“Have there been any behavioural changes with it?” Gakuganji asks.

“Absolutely none. They have adjusted well with my students, and have been training with them daily. In fact, since we’re talking about this, I meant to bring this up as well – I want to send the four of them out on a mission. The latest Grade 2.”

Suddenly, the table shakes as all the elders start shouting in uproar, some of them standing up and pounding their fists against the desk in anger.

“You’re being ridiculous!” You read upon one of the elder’s lips. “First trying to bend the curriculum for it, now sending it out to fight against its own kind?! You realize how easily it could turn against your students?!”

Yaga sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s more complicated than that,” he slowly says your name, as if to emphasize his point, “– they aren’t a curse, they're a cursed spirit. ”

“There is absolutely no difference between the two,” another elder says.

Actually, there is. Your definitions are just skewed, you bitterly think to yourself.

“This conversation is going nowhere,” Yaga says, gently tapping you on your shoulder. “Come on, let’s head out.”

“Where are you two going?” Gakuganji asks, offended. The frown he sports seems permanently etched onto his features.

“You fail to see the progress ‘ the curse’ has made throughout these years. They have trained underneath me, learned to control their abilities better, and they’ve never done anything to harm us. In fact, I’d go so far to say that they’re completely harmless to us.” He gets up from his seat, motioning at you to do the same. “If you’ll excuse us, I believe this meeting is over, unless you’ve miraculously changed your mind.”

None of the higher-ups dignify either of you with a reply. With that, you both take your leave, Yaga making sure to close the door a little harder than is necessary – you can feel it when the floorboards lightly vibrate, the doorframe shaking.

“ Thank you for saying that, ” you sign to him.

“I meant it. They refuse to open their eyes and see the truth in front of them, it’s driving me up the wall,” he sighs deeply, brows knitted, before a wry smile makes its way across his face. “ Goddamn, imagine if I had told them I’ve secretly been sending you out to eliminate curses for months . I’d be out of a job and they’d be down a few higher-ups, considering the heart-attacks that would give some of them,” both of you silently laugh at that.

The pair of you walk down the hallway of the school. You attempt to teach Yaga the sign for ‘spirit’, the latter making awkward hand movements as he follows the instructions. You’re so wrapped up as you go to move Yaga’s finger in a certain way to make the sign properly that neither of you notice two figures turning the corner until it’s too late.

You run face-first into someone’s chest, feeling the breath get slightly knocked out of your lungs. Immediately, you jump back, already quickly signing multiple apologies and bowing profusely. When you stand straight once more, you come face-to-face with two unfamiliar young men.

One is taller than the other, his long blond bangs pushed to the right side of his face. Thin eyebrows frame his hazel eyes. He wears the school uniform along with a pair of dark brown leather chelsea boots and carries a briefcase in hand.

The other has short dark brown hair, his burnt umber eyes full of energy and curiosity, a smile plastered to his face. He’s a few inches shorter than his friend, and wears the same uniform, although his jacket is cropped and unbuttoned.

The brunette places his hands on his hips, motioning with his head to you.

“Who’s this, sensei?” He asks Yaga, curiously staring at you, who awkwardly looks anywhere but into his eyes. “Never seen you around campus before.”

“Ah,” the teacher introduces you to them, saying your name. “What are you two doing around here?”

This area of campus is usually occupied by only staff and the higher-ups, so it’s unusual for students to be roaming the halls of the building.

“We heard a commotion and Haibara was curious,” the blond explains, pointing at his friend.

“ Hey ! Don’t pin the blame all on me, you were curious too, admit it!”

“It’s quite alright. We were just in a meeting with the higher-ups…” Yaga lets his words trail off. It’s enough to explain how poorly the discussion went. “I didn’t realize they were being that loud.”

“Ah, that explains it,” blondie simply says, nodding to himself before turning to you. “I’m Kento Nanami, it’s nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Yu Haibara!” the energetic brunette introduces himself, holding his hand out for a handshake, which you return politely.

If either one of them is curious as to why you don't speak to them, they don’t mention it.

Nanami keeps his eyes trained on you for a moment too long, making you nervously look at Yaga. It feels like the former is staring directly into your being, as if he knows what hides underneath the layer of gauze wrapped around your arms.

“ Is there something I still need to do, or…?” You let your hands trail off.

“No, you’re free to go and make the most of the rest of your day. I’m sorry that the meeting didn’t go well for us,” the teacher replies.

“Not that I really expected much from them in the first place. You’ve done what you can, thank you. I appreciate it.”

You turn to face your two new acquaintances and bow before standing straight and signing at them.

“ It was nice meeting you!” You smile at them, albeit it feels slightly forced. Haibara, clueless at the inner turmoil that you’re going through, earnestly beams back at you.

“See you around!”

With that, you walk away from them, making your way outside and towards the dormitories. There are a few clouds in the sky today, but the sun is still shining bright as it peeks through them. You shove your hands in the pockets of your cargo pants, eyes wandering and observing the birds flying around campus. Suddenly, you notice a shadow that passes by in the corner of your eye, and then there’s two hands that abruptly clap down on your shoulders from behind, firmly gripping you. You flinch, nearly jumping out of your skin, feeling cold sweat gather at the back of your neck.

“Boo!” Shoko leans over, grinning widely at you. You return it with a nervous one of your own, shaking off her hands.

“ Good afternoon, ” you quickly sign back to her, taking two steps back to put some distance between each other. You didn’t think to carry your notebook around campus today, so you’ll have to settle on simple hand gestures in the meantime.

“Oh, I know that one! I did a little research on YouTube and read a couple of blogs. That’s… good afternoon, right?”

You nod, giving her a thumbs up, pleasantly surprised that she actually took the time out of her day to look up some sign language.

“I nearly blanked there, not gonna lie,” she looks away awkwardly, before wringing her hands together. “Anyways, I had a favour to ask.”

You motion her to go on, eyes trained on her mouth to read along.

“Follow me,” she beckons instead, and so you do. She leads you into another building, one that you’ve never stepped foot inside of. You go down a flight of stairs, leading into the basement where the hallways feel colder. Concrete walls painted white greet your sight before Shoko takes a turn into one of the doorways, bringing you into a room.

Is this… a morgue?

There are multiple autopsy tables in the room, the bright ceiling lights nearly blinding. It smells sterile, the scent of hand sanitizer weighing heavy on your nostrils. There’s a large metal cooler embedded into the wall with multiple cabinets to hold bodies. There’s a desk in the far right corner of the room with multiple files haphazardly strewn across it, a matching stool hidden underneath it. Multiple file cabinets sit on the floor next to it, one of the drawers wide open. Papers seem to have been shoved into it in a rush, small ink stains smudged across unintelligible handwriting.

“Sit, sit here,” Shoko brings you over to one of the autopsy tables.

You raise an eyebrow. Are you gonna perform an autopsy on me or something? The look on your face is enough to make her snort, rolling her eyes.

“No, I want to try healing your nose. I’ve been healing Geto’s small cuts and bruises, but I want to try my hand on broken bones.”

That explains it , you think to yourself. You hop onto the autopsy table, letting your legs swing back and forth as you lean forward, hands pressed against the cool metal. The brunette brings her hands up to rest lightly against either side of your temple, her touch careful and delicate. She closes her eyes, brows furrowing in concentration. Her nose scrunches up as she tries to focus completely on the task at hand.

Ever since you had fallen for Suliman’s dirty trick, your radar for cursed energy vanished. You couldn’t trace anyone’s aura or feel it in the vicinity, so it comes to no surprise to you that you feel nothing as Shoko works on you, even when you can see the energy flow around her hands.

Minutes pass, but you can still feel the dull pain of your broken nose and you notice that Shoko’s forehead is beaded with sweat, frustration written all across her face. Your arms raise to tug at her hands, which makes her eyes crack open slowly as she lets her arms fall back down to her sides.

“Why didn’t it work?” She frowns, shoulders sagging in disappointment. “I can feel the abundance of cursed energy flowing from you, but I can’t actually pinpoint your broken nose with my technique. It’s like it doesn’t know where to focus on the point where I need to heal; like every part of you needs to be fixed.”

You give her a halfhearted shrug. That wouldn’t be too far off, in complete honesty, you think to yourself.

“But I know I definitely used my technique, I feel drained…” She heaves herself onto the table to sit next to you, slumping forward.

You sigh out through your nose. You wish you could help more, but you don't have a technique or any understanding of cursed energy. Instead, you awkwardly pat her back to offer some semblance of comfort.

Shoko slowly raises her head again, peering over at you. “Well, I have to work on a few things, sorry for bothering you for nothing.” She rubs the back of her neck, obviously unhappy with how her small experiment turned out.

You wave her off, signing. “ It’s okay, you didn’t bother me at all. ” You know she won’t understand all of it, but it’s enough to get your message across.

“See you later,” she says before you hop off the autopsy table, leaving the room to go back up the stairs to finally go back to your dorm. You can’t help but slump your body at the inexplicable feeling weighing heavily on your shoulders.

As soon as you close the door to your dorm, you flop down face first onto the bed. The familiar feeling of the sheets surrounds your body, making your shoulders sag relaxingly. You turn around to lay down on your back instead, eyeing your surroundings. The walls of the room aren’t decorated much, only having an outdated lion-themed calendar nailed right above the lamp next to your bed. It was a gift from Yaga three months after he realized you wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

“Lions?” You typed on the man’s phone. By this point, Yaga realized that you could read lips rather well, and lended you his flip phone to communicate a bit more efficiently.

“Yeah, when we first met, your hair reminded me of a lion’s mane,” he replied before taking a sip of the green tea he prepared. You half-heartedly scowled at him.

He wasn’t entirely wrong, though. You couldn’t ignore the warmth that spread throughout your chest at that memory.

Looking back on it, that is the moment you realized you entirely trusted Yaga with your life. Three months is a long time to step on eggshells around someone who went out of his way to house you, feed you and make sure you were comfortable in a new environment. The constant feeling of discomfort and anxiety started to waver the more the two of you shared meals together, slowly learning more about each other. The gnawing fear and paranoia, having the habit to look over your shoulder, all of those things became more and more muted as time passed. It was hard to shake them off, but Yaga was strangely persistent, even though he was a rather quiet, introverted and withdrawn man.

Masamachi Yaga was a curious human to you, at first. He was stern, but earnest. A no-bullshit kind of guy, but his patience towards you never seemed to run out. He was certainly idealistic, and never gave off the impression that he thought he was better than others, and spoke to you like an equal, even when you could barely look at him most days without getting sent into a near panic attack.

It was like experiencing extreme whiplash when comparing it to how you were treated in the past.

Even though the lion calendar is the only thing that shows a hint of occupancy in this room, it still gives it personality. Your old quarters at Suliman’s residency were void of life, suited to fit her tastes specifically. It felt like a prison on good days, and a torture chamber on bad ones. You could never shake the feeling of dread that formed a deep pit at the bottom of your stomach whenever you would enter the room after a long day of training, all the bad memories and experiences rushing back and hitting you hard like a tidal wave. The nausea that haunted you would refuse to leave until you would eventually fall asleep – but even sleeping was a struggle, barely able to be called an escape. Insomnia and nightmares would keep you awake for hours, like an endless cycle.

But here, you could sink into the pillows and embrace the warm sheets of the bed, letting your eyes flutter shut, all while feeling comfortable and safe. There wasn’t that familiar dizziness that accompanied any nausea, nor a constant sinking feeling in your stomach. Besides the dull, throbbing pain of your left arm, everything felt okay. You could let yourself think and reminisce on the happenings of the day, how enjoyable the weather was, or what you would cook next for dinner.

For a fraction of a second, you could imagine that one day, you would be completely free.

#jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #gojo satoru x reader #geto suguru x you #geto suguru x y/n #geto suguru x reader #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x you

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4rainynite · 6 days

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EAH Dorm Rooms Headcanons pt 22

Teachers Addition

It wouldn't be high school without the teachers and to teach the students passed down legacies.

A good majority of the adults went to Ever After High School and some even became teachers to teach the future generation.

At the end of the day teachers need a place to sleep and we get to see who roomed with who during their high school years.

The teachers' living quarters are between the boys and girls dorm and is smaller than the students' dormitory.

Like the students each room is design to fit the persons personality.

Headmasters Milton and Giles Grimm

Brothers Milton and Giles created Ever After High to teach the future fairy tales their storybook legacies. Overtime Giles notice how some destinies weren't equal even if some were happy ever afters. Giles purposed a way to make everyone happy, but Milton didn't agree. Still traumatized of almost losing Giles when they were children made him deadset on following the pre-determined fates and because he fears he'll lose power. There was a huge fight and Milton cursed his brother to speak Riddlish and banish him to the Vault of Lost Tales.

Being co-headmasters and founders of Ever After High School, Milton and Giles have the biggest rooms in the living quarters.

Milton's room is similar to his office: full of portraits of himself, full of awards, clean, expensive furniture, posh, with a canopy bed, and blue.

Giles's room is similar to the Vault of Lost Tales: messy, papers everywhere, books piled high, mix-matched furniture, and red.

When Milton cursed Giles the police investigated and closed his room up. Milton avoided the room at all crime to not feel guilt for what he had done to his brother.

When, Giles is free from his curse (he didn't get cured in Thronecoming) and Milton is arrested for his crimes, everyone predicts that Giles will throw away Milton's things. But, he doesn't. Giles lets it be, even after his brother's betrayel he refuses to touch the room.

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga teaches home-evilnomics and facility advisor and though she sides with Headmaster Grimm with destiny she's less strict and willing to show sympathy for those who want change.

Baba Yaga doesn't need a room due to her living in her cottage/office with chicken legs so it changes locations and we've seen it plenty of times in the show.

Her cottage has Slavic designs, candles, spell books, potions, and she has a steering wheel to control the hut.

I believe Baba Yaga's cottage/office is like the shotgun houses from my home state Louisiana. For those who don't know what a shotgun house is it's a narrow house (front to back) and each room is divided for better examples: 1 2 3. The first section is her office, second potion making section, third kitchen, fourth bathroom, and last bedroom.

Mr. Breaker Badwolf

Breaker Badwolf was a student at Ever After High School where he studied (met the love of his life Ruby Hood and had a daughter) and now teaches General Villainy.

Breaker's room resembles a wolf's cave like his niece Ramona's room with rock formations, dim lighting, and leather furniture.

He seems like a hunter to me, so he has a collection of traps and snares in his room.

He keeps a two-way-book to speak with his with, photos of Ruby & Cerise, and letters from her hidden away in his room.

The White Queen

After, evacuating Wonderland due to the Evil Queen's curse, she and her fellow Wonderlanders escaped to Ever After. She got a job at Ever After High School as the new Princessology teacher.

Like all the Wonderlanders her room is messy, but in a organized chaos sort of way.

Her room is styled like a chessboard with Wonderland decor.

Maid Martha Marion

Maid Marion is the teacher of damsel-in-distress class and mother of Sparrow Hood.

Her cartoon and book appearance are drastically different in the show she looks like the perfect damsel while in the book she was described as:

Madam Maid Marian set a black bag under the desk, then removed her cone hat. Her hair was chestnut and cut in a short bob. She was fresh-faced, with no makeup. A few freckles dotted her wide nose and high cheekbones. She wore the colors of the forest, with a moss-green tunic and brown leggings. A pair of green feather earrings completed the woodsy look. Her suede boots looked super comfortable.

Appearances aside Unlike other damsels-In-distress she teaches her students to save themselves.

Her room is a hodgepodge of luxurious queen/ forest decor.

She definitely has exercise equipment and hunting gear like bows and arrows in her room.

Coach Gingerbreadman

Coachh Gingerbreadman is the gym teacher who encourages his students to run faster to avoid crazed bakers.

His room is more of a gym than a bedroom with a treadmill, weights, a rowing machine, and etc.

His room is mostly candy & gingerbread decor with trophies decorating the walls.

Evil Step-Librarians

Evil Step-Librarians (Stephanie and Sissy) are the librarians of the school, one is the mother of Prudence and Charlotte, and Cinderella's stepsisters.

While other staff members have their own room, they share one while at Ever After High School.

Their room has a gaudy luxury feel to it. Like everything cost of money but it looks cheaply made and tacky. And everything is bejeweled.

Since they're librarians the room has multiply bookcases with trashy romance novels.

Prof. Jack B. Nimble

Prof. Jack B. Nimble is the of tall tales and seems to be a popular teacher among the students.

Prof. Jack has a huge candle collection ranging from size, colors, and scents. He has the cleanest smelling room in the teachers' sleeping area.

As you can see by his desk most of the furniture in his room is candle themed.

Because of this the sprinkler system goes off in his room a lot (similar to Faybelle).

He also has a huge bookcase where he keeps a collection tale tales and poems.

Prof. Pied Piper

Prof. Alto Pied Piper is the music teacher and the father of Melody Piper.

His room is similar to the music classroom with many instruments and music books.

He keeps his Imperial Gold Turntables in his room when not using them in his class.

He has a mini fridge stocked with snacks for his pet rats.

He owns a huge collection of flutes and vinyl discs.

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin teaches chemistry and is one of the least popular teachers in the school due making students spin straw to gold for extra credit.

His room is probably one of the messiest rooms in the teachers' living quarters and screams goblin core.

He has a spinning wheel that he uses to spin his own gold.

Momma and Papa Bear

Ursula and Bernard are a married couple so obviously they share a room together.

Their room is cottage core with bear cave elements.

Like their story sleep in separate beds since Poppa likes his mattress firm and Momma likes her mattress soft.

Ursula teaches cooking class so she has a ton of cookbooks and Bernard teaches beast training and keeps many cages and pet supplies in their room.

Their son, Teddy, sometimes visits them when not in class.

Author's note: We were robbed that they never appeared in the show!

Hagatha

Hagatha is the school's lunch lady who is infamous for her porridge which she adds artificial lumps to.

Can't really say too much about her so maybe insects motifs on her dress she has food and bug decor in her room.

Mrs. Trollsworth

Mrs. Trollsworth is the secretery and Headmaster Grimm's assistant in his schemes.

Being a troll, her room is messy with a mix of grandma parlor room decor.

Mr. Green Thumb - Is the groundkeeper/gardener, due to his small size he most likely has the smallest room in the teachers' living quarters. It most likely full of gardening equipment and indoor plants.

Prof. Card - Prof. Card with the other Wonderlanders evacuated after the Evil Queen's curse, he is the current art teacher at Ever After High School. His room is full of art supplies and has a few weapons since he was a guard.

Prof. Knight - Prof. Knight teaches Hero Training and is one of the oldest teachers in the school who still remembers the art of knighthood. His room is decorated with suits of armor, swords, and horse decor.

Well, that's all the staff at Ever After High School!

#my art #ever after high #milton grimm #giles grimm #baba yaga #dorm room #dorms #The White Queen #Mr. Green Thumb #Mrs. Trollsworth #Hagatha #Rumpelstiltskin #Prof. Pied Piper #jack b nimble #eah

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xxcherrycherixx · 6 months

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the girls gather in the dragon stables where legend has just laid her eggs, holly scrolls through Dragonpedia to find out more about the eggs and how to hatch them "Dragonpedia says, in the wild, mothers lay their eggs near active volcanoes to warm them until they hatch. Apparently, it takes years." the girls beside her exclaim their excitement about the babies. meanwhile cupid keeps her eyes on the nest, ever since legend finally pushed them out she has felt a strange urge.

raven stands " I could cast a spell to keep the-" her words get cut off as cupid in a daze pushes past her and on top of the nest, making sure to be gentle and not damage the delicate shells beneath her. "what the hex" mira says with a frown, the other girls look confused at the scene before them "um cupid? what are you doing?" the girl ignores them, resting satisfied upon the eggs and cooing quietly to them as if they can hear her. when apple reaches towards her, cupid swipes her hand ready to scratch the girl. apple pulls her hand back just in time and she stands back shocked at the display of aggression. the girls try to figure out whats wrong with their friend and eventually head to the school to ask one of the more knowledgeable teachers. baba yaga and giles grimm follow the group into the stables where cupid still rests, a couple other students had also followed upon hearing about the dragon eggs being there. baba yaga and giles study the girls odd behavior, and still look perplexed as the give their opinions

"she's being very territorial over the unhatched eggs, treating them as her own. but i have no clue what is causing this behavior, i sense no magic affecting her" baba yaga explains, giles strokes his chin in thought and studies her mannerisms. "hmm this behavior feels familiar, but i cant quite wrap my head around how it could be what i theorize." raven speaks up "what do you think it could be?" the older man continues to study the pink haired girl " do any of you know who ms.cupids parents are?" apple speaks up "apparently she was adopted by her father as a baby, that's all we know" giles hums "so her biological parentage is unknown. madam yaga, i need you to collect a couple books from under the school. one is ' The Great book of cryptozoology' and another is 'The Complete guide to transformation magic'" baba yaga nods and heads off to collect them.

the students confer with each otherwhile they wait, the newly joined ones share their excitement over the babies, blondie lockes records an impromptu mirrorcast announcing their arrival and awkwardly giggles after her roommate swats at her for bringing the camera too close. the others still share their concerns with eachother and mira sits in the corner frustrated that her plan is being postponed.

eventually baba yaga returns with the two books, giles thanks her and skips to a specific page in the transformation book "miss yaga may i ask you to perform this spell for me?" the older woman reads out the incantation and everyone watches in wonder as cupid's form changes before their eyes. "just as i had thought, her behavior was reminiscent of a bone elemental." he opens the book of cryptozoology and shares the page on elementals "bone elementals are beings specifically designed to watch over and raise dragon eggs as the mothers will usually hibernate until after the dragons are born. they will usually continue to help rear the hatchlings until they are ready to leave the nest" the students huddle in and read over the page "it would seem that your friend is one of these beings, and its just her natural instincts kicking in"

apple looks concerned over at cupid "but dragons take years to hatch, will she have to stay here the entire time?" giles considers the worry and consults the book " it seems that these beings grow more attached the longer they sit on the eggs, she has thankfully only been on them for a short time so its likely we could remove her from the eggs and keep them apart to stop her attempting to hatch them again." raven considers the option "but she's lashing out at anyone who comes near, how would we move her?"

mira groans, having enough of this boring drama. she levitates the girl off and heats the eggs like she had planned, yells erupt out. "mira! what was that for?!" raven yells, mira shrugs dropping cupid onto the ground "the issue was that she wouldn't leave until they hatch, so i thought i would speed up the hatching process." all the students seem confused until the sound of cracking catches their attention, slowly the baby dragons poke their little bodies out of the shells and the room watches amazed. as the babies appear cupid rushes over to each one and begins the process of cleaning remaining shell pieces off and showing them love, baba yaga turns to mira "young lady, that was a show of power. where exactly did you learn this?" mira waves the question off "i learnt it when i was getting home schooled, my parents paid for really good tutors" the witch stays slightly suspicious but lets the matter go for now, all of the students gather in awe at the cute hatchlings. thankfully now that they are no longer eggs, the possibility of having your eyes scratched out for getting too close is not an issue.

apple moves over to cupid as the baby dragons explore the stables and bother legend as the mother dragon tries to get some much needed rest "are you ok now? it was a bit concerning watching you turn on us like that" cupid laughs, her eyes keeping track of the little ones "i feel better, i have never had this actually happen before. i had a friend tell me about my kind and she mentioned how were meant to be nannies, but i didn't think it was something that would take over me like that." apple nods and looks over the other girls appearance "why did you never tell us that you were a different species, we thought you were a cherub" cupid scratches at her arm, self conscious "i thought it would be best to let you guys see me that way, i don't exactly fit in like this." apple frowns and squeezes the other girls hands "we would have accepted you, we're your friends, you didn't have to hide like that." cupid smiles finally turning her attention to the other girl "thanks apple" the moment is cut short when she notices a hatchling trip over, she rushes to the small creature and checks it over.

apple giggles and walks over "it seems that the instincts aren't entirely out of your system yet" cupid laughs embarrassed "not quite"

the teachers head back to the main building leaving the students to be with the dragons, blondie records another live mirrorcast updating the school on the birth of the dragons. not long after more students come by to see them and soon enough the stable is filled with people, the change makes cupids head feel a bit woozy as she tries to keep track of the young dragons through the crowd but thankfully a couple of the girls offer their help in keeping watch, lowering the elementals stress slightly. she trusts her friends to keep the babies safe.

#ever after high #c.a cupid #apple white #mira shards #raven queen #EAH baba yaga #giles grimm #more students but i dont think its worth tagging them #i keep thinking about cupid being a natural nanny for baby dragons and how we didnt get to see her interact with any of them :(#i want her to enter protective mommy mode!!#this is my first eah fic that isnt heartlockes wtf #instead i wrote cupid and apple being friends!!#but i have written a little heartlockes follow up piece because of course i cant resist it-

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attichaos · 2 years

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List of recommendations *ongoing*

Please feel free to add to this list in the comments, I will be adding to this list in the future as well <3

Books

General

→ Spells For Change - Frankie Castanea

→ The Book of Candle Magic - Madame Pamita

-> The Witches Path - Thorn Mooney

→ Witchery - Juliet Diaz

→ The Book Of Spells - Ella Harrison

→ Weave the Liminal - Laura Tempest Zakroff

→ Mastering Magick - Matt Auryn

Green/Elemental

→ Plant Witchery - Juliet Diaz

→ Elixirs, Potions and Brews - Anaïs Alexandre

→ Elements of Witchcraft series (four parts) - Astrea Taylor

→ Wild Witchcraft - Rebecca Beyer

Baneful/Ancestral/Shadow

→ Of Blood and Bones - Kate Freuler

→ Honouring your Ancestors - Mallorie Vaudoise

→ Protection & Reversal Magick - Jason Miller

→ Hex Twisting - Diana Rajchel

→ The Crooked Path - Keldon

→ Walking the Twilight Path - Michelle Belanger

→ A Witch's Shadow Magick Compendium - Raven Digitalis

Astrological

→ Psychic Witch - Mat Auryn

Mythology/Folklore

→ Treasury of Folklore, Woodlands & Forests - Dee Dee Chainey & Willow Winsham

History

→ A History of Magic, Witchcraft and The Occult - DK publishing

Folk Practice

→ Italian Folk Magic - Mary-Grace Fahrun

→ Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft - Madame Pamita

→ Sister Karol's Book of Spells, Blessings, & Folk Magic - Karol Jackowski

Spirit

→ Consorting with Spirits - Jason Miller

→ Encyclopaedia of Spirits - Judika Illes

→ Encyclopaedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages - Judika Illes

→ The Book of Séances - Claire Goodchild

Reference

→ The Crystal Bible - Judy Hall

→ The Tarot Bible - Sarah Bartlett

→ Sigil Witchery - Laura Tempest Zakroff

→ Year of the Witch - Temperance Alden

→ Encyclopaedia of Spells - Judika Illes

Education

→ Witchcraft Activism - David Salisbury

→ Queering Your Craft - Cassandra Snow

→ Revolutionary Witchcraft - Sarah Lyons

Creators

Multiple Platforms

→ @chaoticwitchaunt

→ @thewitchofwonderlust

→ @jaqswitchyways

Instagram

→ @craftingwitch

→ @_hearth_witch_

→ @the_celestial_witch

Youtube

→ @thegreenwitch

Tiktok

→ @terminallyhomosexual

→ @thecrystalpatch

→ @astralwitch

→ @thathoneywitch

→ @witchy_apothecary

→ @king_clairvoyant

→ @sourpatchtarot

→ @ravensandcrow

→ @witchycannamom

→ @theglamourwitchla

→ @highpriestsiah

→ @lokiladdusaw

→ @ofbatbones

→ @curvyblackwitch

→ @cautionmagik

→ @astralarchangel

→ @onyxsouls

→ @fairytarotgoddess

→ @lightwands

→ @jewitches

→ @youngblkwitch

→ @sand.witchh

→ @jasminesgarden23

→ @innergymedgroup

→ @dark.moon.witch

And as always, merry meet,

Atti <3

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adarkrainbow · 23 days

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As you might have noticed with my latest post, I have been looking into Frau Holle recently. And I just read an article by Dominique Peyrache-Leborgne which has some interesting points.

The article starts out by pointing out the difficulty of translating "Frau Holle", the very name of the tale/entity, in French. "Frau" can become easily "Madame" or "Dame", Miss or Lady, no problem... But what about "Holle"? The very name is a part of German folklore - and not just German folklore, a very specific regional folklore in Germany around Hesse - and as such it means nothing to a French audience. Not only that, but since French is a Latin-derived language, unlike German, the very name "Holle" does not bear any connotations, implications or echoes in French the same way it does in German or even English. As such, while there were translations as "Madame Hollé" as early as 1869, the idea of keeping "Frau Holle" as "Frau Holle" or just transliterating as "Lady Holle" is quite recent - and only applies to scholarly translations. Meanwhile, for older or more "common" translations, a specific trend appeared in France, a translation-tradition that still lasts to this day. Translating Frau Holle as "Madame la Neige" (Miss Snow), "Dame Hiver" (Lady Winter) or other cold-related names.

An habit that the author of the article severely criticizes, because while indeed snow plays an important part in the fairytale, Frau Holle is not supposed to be a spirit of winter or an embodiment of the snow - or at least she does not appear exclusively as such. Frau Holle is a very complex cultural figure with various functions and appearances.

To help the audience understand the complexity of Frau Holle, the article presents in a simplified and summarized version the list of supernatural beings that appear in variations of the "Frau Holle" tale around the world - a list extracted from a work by Warren E. Roberts, a "very complete synthesis" called "The Tale of the Kind and Unkind Girls" (1958). To highlight this intertextuality not only helps understand the various roles and elements surrounding the "part" Frau Holle is supposed to play ; while also proving how Frau Holle synthetizes all of those various aspects together.

In most fairytales of the type "The Kind and Unkind Girls", the supernatural being is a female entity of magic. For example, a fairy - fairies are very recurring in this type of fairytale though, unlike in Perrault's famous "Diamonds and Toads", there is never just one fairy, they are always three. It is exemplified by Basile's "The Three Fairies" in his Pentamerone ; they also appear within several Judeo-Spanish fairytales of the Balkans (there was a recent anthology of them translated in French published by the José Corti edition), and it is quite common for these three fairies to be washer-women, or at least tied to water/rivers (several variations in the French region of Gascogne have the fairies as washer-women by the river). There is also an equally important number of fairytales, among these "female tales", where the girls rather deal with witches - characters that very easily replace or are confused with fairies in folktales. The most famous of those witches tale is the one Afanassiev called simply "The Baba Yaga", and where the famous Russian witch plays the part of Frau Holle. A third option also exists for the female magical being: just "an old woman", "little old woman", who is clearly magic but never called by any specific name like "fairy" or "witch" (this type of character, the "magical old woman", not quite a fairy not quite a witch, is very common among the Grimm fairytales). The "simple old woman" appears for example in another one of Basile's tales "The two little pizzas", and in a Bulgarian fairytale "Girl of gold, girl of ashes" (a story which did reach France through the Père Castor collection for children). Sometimes the old woman will ask to have lice removed from her head (for example in Greek fairytales). Finally, in lands with a strong Catholic presence, of course, the female supernatural entity is replaced by the Virgin Mary - something very common among Christianized fairytales, where the Virgin Mary plays the part of every positive female magical character (an example is the Spanish fairytale "Three Balls of Gold").

So we have here a quite coherent group of female entities, though quite ambiguous, the fairy-witch group. There is also a share of those stories that have male characters as the supernatural entity. Usually these are earthly entities tied somehow to nature: in the Ludwig Bechstein's "Golden Mary, Sticky Mary", it is a "wild man" or "savage man", the "Thürschemann" ; in Afanassiev's The Old Grumpy Woman it is a leshy, a male "forest spirit" ; and in Grimm's own "The Three Little Men of the Forest" it is, as the title says, three dwarves living in the woods. When it comes to the male stories, having them be a specific entity related to the weather or the flow of time similar to Frau Holle is quite common: in England you have Jack Frost, in Russia Grandfather Frost ; and in many European fairytales the supernatural group of men embodies either the four seasons or the twelve months (Basile's "The Months" for example ; the article also notes a 1996 French children book "Adeline, Adelune et le feu des saisons", Adeline, Adelune and the fire of the seasons).

Finally, there is also a set of tales with more enigmatic and mysterioues entities, whose roots seem to belong in myths, religious symbolism or magical rituals. For example in the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions, the entity is usually three disembodied heads within a well, that asked for their hair to be brushed, or simply to be treated with respect. Miranda Jane Green evoked this trope within her "Celtic Myths", and James Orchard Halliweel collected a version of it, "The Three Heads in the Well" for his "Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales of England".

And Frau Holle, as an old and ancient avatar of a lost Germanic goddess, manages to compile and regroup all of those aspects and all those various entities within her. Like the three heads in the well, she is associated with ancient myths and the world of the dead. Like the four seasons, the twelve months, and Jack/Grandfather Frost, she is a spirit of the weather and the cycle of time. Like the wild-men and forest-spirits, she is an entity of wilderness and nature (the Brothers Grimm, in their "German Legends", do note several times that she leads a "Wild Hunt" throughout the forest). And finally she is the ultimately fairy-witch ; she is the kind and benevolent wise woman... and the terrifying ogress-like long-teethed hag.

A complexity of character, a multiplicity of faces, that is retranscribed within the ungoing debate surrounding the etymology of "Holle". For those who want to study the German fairytales under a mythological angle (Jacob Grimm was one of the most famous names to do so, more recently Eugen Rewermann, a religion specialist, took back the Grimm theory), Holle is survivance of the old pagan goddess of Germany Hulda, a mother-earth goddess (hence why Frau Holle lives underground, down a well). This is notably this analysis that led Lucie Crane, the woman that translated the Grimm fairytales for the edition illustrated by Walter Crane, to translate "Frau Holle" as "Mother Hulda": it was an attempt to give back to her a mythological glory. But other scholars have argued that Frau Holle could also be a female version of this Norse winter-god associated with the dead that appears in the Eddas: Uller/Holler. Another analysis, that is tied to the fairytale, is the homonimy between "Frau Holle" and "die Hölle" - which is "Hell" of course, but since here Frau Holle rules over a benevolet underground "land of the dead", we can think of it as a generic term for the "Underworld" (the same way for example in some languages the Greek Underworld are referred to as "Hell" despite having the paradise of the Elysian Fields). And more so: "Holle" coul also be... "die Holde", which means kindness or benevolence.

Many, many possible readings all true in their own way, which not only testifies to the cultural wealth behind the figure of Frau Holle, but also reflects perfectly how the character is one of paradoxes, duality and multiplicites. Frau Holle is so powerful that she mixes the up and the down - her realm is underground and yet in it she makes it snow in the sky, as a goddess both chthonian and celestial... With Frau Holle, life and death becomes a blur ; and more importantly Frau Holle gathers within her all seasons, because she might make it snow like in winter, her domain is stilled filled with the fresh flowers of spring and the hot sun of summer...

[The author of the article did praise greatly John Warren Stewig's decision of translating the character's name as "Mother Holly" in 2001. "Holly" is close enough to "Holle" in sonority, but it also makes the character feel more familiar to an English-speaking audience since it is a quite common name ; and "Holly" also plays cleverly on both "holly", the plant, one of the defining symbols of winter, and "holy", evoking Frau Holle's alternate roles as a saint or a goddess]

#frau holle #grimm fairytales #mother holle #brothers grimm #mother holly #german fairytales #the kind and unkind girls #fairytale type #fairytale comparisons #supernatural beings #supernatural beings in fairytales #lady winter #mother hulda #european fairytales #mother winter

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elderlytourney · 11 months

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Welcome to the Old Woman Tourney!

In this tourney, 62 old women will face off for the title of Ultimate Old Woman! Our competitors are...

Avagon (Pirates of Dark Water)

Irene (The Mist)

Mama Coco (Coco)

Arcee (IDW's Transformers)

Eileen the Crow (Bloodborne)

Opal (Pokemon)

General Leia Organa (Star Wars)

May Parker (Spider-Man)

Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Legend of Korra)

Blanche Devereaux (Golden Girls)

Irene Frederic (Warehouse 13)

Link's Grandma (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Fortuneteller Baba (Dragon Ball)

Lucrecia Mux (Psychonauts)

The Fates (Hercules)

Fairy Godmother (Cinderella)

Grumples (Yo-Kai Watch)

Lady Butterfly (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)

Granny Rags (Dishonored)

Gwendolyn Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Outcast (Arknights)

The Urn Witch (Death's Door)

Matoya (Final Fantasy XIV)

The Faceless Old Woman who Secretly Lives in your Home (Welcome to Night Vale)

Ambessa Medara (Arcane)

Sadie Croaker (Amphibia)

Maria Calavera (RWBY)

Tala (Moana)

Esme Weatherwax (Discworld)

Baba Yaga

Xate Yawa (Baru Cormorant)

Crooked Rook (Pale)

Erin O'Niell (Dungeons and Daddies)

Granny (Looney Tunes)

Mama Odie (Princess and the Frog)

Kammy (Paper Mario)

Wrinkly Kong (Donkey Kong Country)

Suga Mama (The Proud Family)

Yan Lin (W.I.T.C.H)

Grandma Flexington (Borderlands)

Karin Chakwas (Mass Effect)

Rita Repulsa (Power Rangers)

Ubaba (Spirited Away)

Alice Green (Big City Greens)

Lucretia (The Adventure Zone)

Ginger (OK KO: Let's Be Heroes!)

Granny Goodness (DC Comics)

Alma Madrigal (Encanto)

Gertie Shortman (Hey Arnold!)

Faragonda (Winx Club)

Grandmother Fa (Mulan)

Jasmine Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

Madame Foster (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)

Nanefua Pizza (Steven Universe)

Nana (Nanalan)

Barbara Howard (Abbott Elementary)

Wendy Oldbag (Ace Attorney)

Thora Read (Arthur)

Grandma Spankenheimer (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer)

Erina Pendleton (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Helen/The Administrator (Team Fortress 2)

Mom (Futurama)

Next week, the battles begin! Each round will last only a day, and the 31 winners will move on. The losers will go to a redemption round where one of them will be able to return.

Thank you for your patience. It's been a wild couple of days, and things are only gonna get crazier. But regardless, I can't wait to...have you vote on the elderly...

...eh. It's not the weirdest poll on Tumblr probably.

(Masterpost will also be coming soon, to help keep track of certain rounds. You'll also be able to track them through tags)

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witchyfashion · 3 months

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Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods

Move Swiftly On Your Own Two Feet, for Baba Yaga You Must Meet

Discover ancient and modern Slavic magical practices through stories told by the legendary Baba Yaga herself. Learn about the magic of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the magic of weather, animals, seasons, stones, food, beeswax, and more. Each chapter includes a piece of the fairy tale of Vasylyna, comments from Baba Yaga, and hands-on tips and techniques from author Madame Pamita.

Explore magical activities alongside authentic folktales about the birth of the sun and the land of the blessed ones. Step-by-step instructions show you how to stitch Ukrainian folk embroidery motifs into protective charms, weave wreaths from herbs, make enchanted poppets, and work with the spirits of the forest, the hearth, and the sauna. With a bounty of tips and information, this book teaches you to embrace the beauty of these traditional practices and reclaim your personal magic.

https://amzn.to/3OIOgRV

#witch #witchcraft #slavic #baba yaga

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minaturefics · 11 days

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Questionnaire Tag

Thanks @ithilienns for tagging me!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Last song: First Class by Rainbow Kitten Surprise (the chorus always gets me ugh)

Currently watching: Nothing lol (im not really much of a tv/movie watcher) do twitch streams count? If so, I'm watching a favourite streamer play Oxygen Not Included

Currently reading: Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods by Madame Pamita and Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Current favourites: I love vintage clothes and recently got a new jacket - super obsessed with it

I’m tagging @tolkien-fantasy @scyllas-revenge @mxnshine (no pressure tho!!!!!)

#me

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xbomboi · 14 days

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yapping about Briar. fellow Briar enjoyers assemble.

okay okay i don’t make it too obvious (or maybe i do, i wouldn’t know) but briar is my personal favorite character. i think about where the stories of all the characters would go and what their arcs would be a lot, but hers in particular is really important to me.

so i wanna talk about it.

first of all, she’s narcoleptic coded, right. we all know that. but her mom on the other hand reads to me, like, an alcoholic mother? and her dad is just willfully ignorant. either way, there’s a huge sense of neglect going on in that family. i mean go figure why briar would be the one doing most of the work raising her brothers. and of course she’s a party girl, because who’s gonna stop her? her parents? see yeah exactly.

so i don’t think it’s unreasonable to say she doesn’t have very strong parental figures in her life, at least not at home. but, and now you have to really hear me out about this one, i think baba yaga could take up a parental role in her life.

i know it isn’t much, but the seeds for her having at least a hint of a connection with baba yaga are there.

in the webisode “Stark Raven Mad”, baba yaga scolds briar for rambling about her party, and then as the commotion picks up she’s still exercising authority over briar in particular.

then there’s thronecoming, wherein, when briar is sulking at the dance, upon noticing the picture on the projector, she asks baba yaga for answers, who provides them.

and then skipping all the way to epic winter, after the girls become a little creeped out by her mannerisms and book it, briar is the one who makes sure to peak back in and give a parting remark.

so i think there’s potential there to be explored. her feeling neglected at home and then finding solace in another adult at school would be neat.

but the fact that it’s baba yaga is important, so just put a pin in that and we’ll circle back to it.

now, i think out of the core four, she was (at least at first) the hardest to actually pin-point what the future of her story could look like. with raven, i think it’s pretty clear her journey is just continuing to combat the prejudices of the world as she fights for change, apple is now pretty much on a path to figuring out her own future as ruler of a kingdom and what that’s going to entail, and maddie is the goofball that’s there to have fun and be supportive along the way.

then there’s briar. and, let me be clear, no, in my mind that girl is not sleeping for 100 years with where things are heading; in the main universe of the story, briar will be free of the sleeping beauty destiny.

but it’s like, if she’s not gonna sleep, what more is there to actually do with her? what direction COULD her life go in? because if she’s no longer fated to sleep 100 years of her life away, then she can’t just party like there’s no tomorrow anymore. she’d need to decide what she actually wants to do with her life.

and i think i have an idea.

i mentioned her narcoleptic coding at the start with intent to bring it up again. see, you might notice that a lot of the fairytale aspects of ever after high can be read as allegories for real-world problems. for example, hunter and ashlynn’s relationship is treated in their world the same way society may look at queer couples or biracial couples. or how raven’s mom being trapped in a mirror is their world equivalent to not paying child support.

with that kind of correlation in mind, i think treating briar’s curse as a condition could open up an interesting opportunity. i think, in their world, curses as a whole could be viewed as a separate branch of medical specialization, with briar spearheading this notion of thought.

we know briar is well-versed in chemythstry already. in the webisode “Briar’s Study Party” she makes note of the fact that she’s been studying forever-after, and she demonstrates enough knowledge in the subject to enthusiastically teach it to her friends, who all end up acing their tests on it as a result.

i think this is something she could potentially make a career out of. i think she could come to the conclusion that she wants to be able to help break curses for people everywhere, and could pursue learning to develop potions and elixirs to do so.

which could happen under baba yaga’s tutelage.

picture this: briar declares her newfound goal, to which baba yaga offers to teach briar all she knows in order to achieve what she’s set her sights on. briar—with an ounce of hesitance—accepts, and baba yaga officially takes her under her wing with the intent of mastering sorcery.

obviously, she wouldn’t lose who she is in this. she’s still gonna be an impulsive, adrenaline junkie who desperately needs a screentime limit on her mirrorphone. but in this process, she’d be rounded out by baba yaga and would in turn mature a bit from the experience. she’d get serious about life, but she wouldn’t let go of who she is at heart.

this could lead to her becoming the resourceful one in the main group. like on adventures, she’d be able to pull out a potion or whip something up (because i’m not going to let raven’s magic make her too o.p. she’s gotta have limitations) as a solution to problems. she could really have a role that proves useful and important to the story.

that’s my ideal pitch for where to take briar’s character.

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zarya-zaryanitsa · 8 months

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Hi, I love your tumblr and I wanted to ask about your opinion on Madame Pamita ( Baba Yaga's magic podcast)

Thank you for your kind words!

I’m not familiar with her podcast but I read the book she released Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft. I was actually positively surprised, for a Llewellyn book it really wasn’t bad. It’s meant more as a 101 type of book and it’s clearly meant for foreigners trying to learn about Ukrainian magic and folklore (perhaps foreigners of Ukrainian ancestry that seek to connect with the culture of their ancestors). The tone of the book makes one feel like a child spoken to by a wise old grandmother - which some people will certainly find comforting and endearing, though I mostly found it to be annoying.

#Asks #it's a neat book tho #madame pamita

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ay3narra9 · 19 days

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Prologue :

est dimanche, cela fait maintenant dix minutes que notre ami marche pour trouver la localisation de sa future boutique. En tournant sur lui-même une à deux fois, il réussit à repérer le terrain qu'il a acheté à l'ancienne propriétaire. Il fait dorénavant face à une devanture plutôt ancienne, légèrement abîmée, la peinture rose saumon déjà présente n'a pas très bien tenu. Pas très fan de cette couleur pense t-il. Ce bâtiment était autrefois une parfumerie locale, mais le coûts des ingrédients devenaient trop élevés pour la propriétaire des lieux. En examinant attentivement la devanture, des idées lui traversent l'esprit : la décoration, le choix de la peinture, la disposition des produits dans la vitrine. Plus il observe, plus il est convaincu que cet endroit est parfait pour son commerce. Mais il y aura beaucoup de travail pour l'embellir à l'image de son propriétaire. Il est désormais 17 heures, il sort son téléphone de sa mallette et compose une série de numéros. Quelques sonneries se font entendre avant qu'une voix ne réponde :

"Je suis devant !... Oh que oui, j'ai déjà plein d'idées à te partager... Ne t'inquiète pas pour moi, je ne suis jamais fatigué. Je prends des photos et je te rejoins le plus vite possible."

L'appel se termine, il range son téléphone pour laisser place à son appareil photo. Il prend plusieurs clichés de l'extérieur afin d'oublier aucun détail. Il s'approche de l'entrée et s'introduit à l'intérieur. Il explore le bâtiment tout en prenant des photos à chacune de ses découvertes. Ses yeux regardent chaque salle avec difficulté dû aux cartons disposés partout sur le sol. Il ne pensait pas que cet emplacement possédait autant d'espace. Après avoir pris des photos de chaque salle, il s'approche d'une des portes qui n'a pas encore été ouvertes. En l'ouvrant, il fait face à des escaliers, une pépite cette boutique s'exclama t-il. Il s'aventure à l'étage et fait face à une grande salle. Il l'a prend en photo également avant de l'analyser plus en profondeur. Des cartons, des cartons, encore des cartons. Il se demande bien pourquoi il y en a autant partout. Avant de partir, il prend note de toutes les choses à réparer et à modifier. Par la suit, il commence son chemin pour rejoindre son amie qu'il avait appelée auparavant. En sortant de la future boutique, il fait la rencontre d'une vieille dame qui marche à une allure raisonnable. Elle lui lance un regard avant de poser une question plutôt intrigante :

"Vous êtes l'un d'eux, n'est-ce pas ?

- Je vous demande pardon, madame ?

- Vous agissez comme si vous étiez normal, mais vous amenez le mal avec vous, je le sens..."

Tout en levant les yeux au ciel, il continue sa route. Ces paroles ne l'affectent pas particulièrement, ce n'est pas la première fois qu'on lui dit cela. Sur son chemin, quelques gouttes de pluie se font ressentir sur son manteau. Il déploie alors son parapluie et rejoint sans encombre son véhicule.

Environ 10 minutes de route plus tard, le véhicule se gare devant un grand manoir, le seul du village. Vue sa taille, impossible de le rater. Il sort de la voiture et se rapproche de l'entrée principale. Il presse sur la sonnette se situant à sa droite. Une mélodie se fait entendre avant qu'une personne décide de lui ouvrir.

" Pas de problème sur le chemin ? dit-elle, elle fait entrer son interlocuteur et ferme la porte derrière lui.

- Non pas spécialement, mais je vais quand même devoir me faire discret. Baba Yaga m'a légèrement menacé..

- Oh elle, apparemment elle fait ça avec tous le village. Tu n'as rien utilisé de "surnaturel" ? dit-elle en s'asseyant sur le sofa.

- Oh non je t'assure, je n'ai fait que mon travail. Je n'ai pas que ça à faire, dit-il en se rendant dans la cuisine. Il se sert un verre et en offre un à son amie. Elle tient le verre à une main tout en réfléchissant. Elle repris la conversation :

" Alors, la boutique en vaut le coût ?

- Un peu qu'elle en vaut, il s'assoit à côté d'elle et lui montre les photos, bon elle à vue de meilleur jour mais je sens que c'est le meilleur endroit pour la boutique.

- Hmm en effet, d'après l'annonce il y avait un étage aussi.

- Oui, je l'ai visité et il est parfait pour ton atelier, il y a la place qu'il faut ! Bon j'ai fait une liste des choses à faire parce qu'il y a du boulot...Déjà la couleur de la devanture c'est non, faudra changer. Je n'ai jamais vu de salles avec autant de cartons faudra tout jeter... Le nettoyage est à faire également, cela semble logique. Va falloir aussi refaire tout le parquet parce que le bois est pourris, on va pas se le cacher.

- Haha t'es lancé on dirait ! Ca va nous prendre tellement de temps, on ne sera jamais ouvert avant le festival...

- Bien sûr que je le suis, je veux que la boutique soit aussi parfaite que sa propriétaire! Et ne t'inquiète pas, la boutique sera prête en un claquement de doigt et ce n'est pas qu'une façon de parler. D'ailleurs, une idée de nom pour la boutique ?

- J'y réfléchis encore...

- Un jeu de mot serait sympa non ? Toutes les boutiques font des jeux de mots ! Enfin toutes... Surtout les salons de coiffure...

- C'est vrai on pourrait....Peux-tu allumer la radio s'il te plaît ?"

Il fait un signe positif de la tête et se penche vers la petite machine sur un meuble proche du sofa. Après plusieurs essais pour trouver un réseau qui fonctionne, il tombe enfin sur un sujet intéressant.

" La météo d'aujourd'hui s'annonce pluvieuse, avec des orages qui seront visibles à partir de la fin d'après-midi. Cela fait désormais 15 ans que ce tragique incident s'est déroulé dans le village de /////////////SSS// un village connu pour son architecture remarquable, qui malheureusement a été touché par un terrible incendie dont nous ne connaissons toujours pas sa provenance. Cet événement à causé 10 morts et une cinquantaine de blessés, une minute de silence sera réalisée afin de rendre de nouveau hommage aux personnes qui nous ont quittés ce jour-là.

" C'était il y a 15 ans... dit t'elle en se frottant les yeux

- Veux tu que je change ?

- Non ça ira...."

"Alerte news, des nouvelles concernant l'affaire Redpepper, le meurtrier serait retrouvé proche d'une rue piétonne à côté de la place St Pierre. Le corps n'as pas encore été retrouvé, mais la police aurait pu entrer en contact avec une tiers personne lié à cette affaire plus ou moins complexe"

"Je te jure cette affaire, il y n'a rien qui va..

- Plus on l'écoute et plus cela ressemble à une mascarade. Imagine tout ça n'est qu'une mise en scène et qu'il y n'a jamais eu de meurtre haha.

- Une mascarade....ouai, pas bête comme nom ça ! dit elle en se levant du sofa, elle se procure un carnet et commence à écrire.

- Oh toi tu as des idées ! Je suis tout ouï !"

Elle s'assoit de nouveau sur le sofa et partagent son idée sortie à l'instant de ses cellules grises. La fin de soirée s'est finie par un grand brainstorming d'idées les plus innovantes les unes que les autres.

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#mask #story #first post #histoire #my story #fantasy #fantaisie #magic #prologue

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