#31 Days of Witchcraft

[enterprise420patriots]

Halloween at Hogwarts

[the-trans-folk-witch]

The Red Devil Stirs The Boiling Pot: A Red Apple Turns Man Wicked

Autumn is in full swing as I write this. The fresh apples of September have become the yellow and red leaves of October. Soon they will become the woolen blanket of leaves on the cold earth in November.

My devil has shifted as the seasons have. From the Boogey man came the Foul One. The red devil of the west.

The devil wasnt always red. He was traditionally green, black, or blue in Europe. It wasn't until the protestant reformation that he became popularly known as red in the United States and soon the world over. The red devil was commonly depicted as a silly little thing who was quite imp like. He was said to stir the pot metaphorically and physically. As if the souls of the damned were boiling in his cauldron of torture. It was his job to take his staff (wand?) and stir, whip, beat, and prod condemned souls. Just as one stirs, whips, beats, and prods in the kitchen.

His imagery is toted in the west during the fall and he remains somewhat a god of Halloween, the dead, hell on earth, and wicked celebrations of the veil thinning. He is the apple bobber, the bonfire, the hard cider, and the fornication of lovers in this romantic and chilly time. He is the suffering we endure when white girls tout their pumpkin spice lattes. He is the cause of the season. The Great Pumpkin if you will. He is the flame of hell made man and stored within the jack-o-lantern. He is the commander of demons and unruly spirits. He is the butchered face of a gutted pumpkin. His seed is toasted and eaten warm with spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. He beckons the witch to bake poisoned apple cobbler or pumpkin pie filled with urine. He is the altering of foods for blessing or bane. The great chef, the burning man, the roasted imp. The season is fully his as are all who celebrate it. Halloween is truly a demonic holiday.

[thepenultimateword]

Spooktober Prompt #19

“Only 5 brass pieces,” the witch bargained, the four such discount she’d shouted out to the prince poking at the charms and curses spread throughout her booth.

The prince stared at her dryly. “No matter how low you make the price, I’m not going to buy the potion that obviously turns me into a frog.”

[chthoniclakewitch]

31 Days of Hellenic Polytheism

The original post is here if you want to participate

DAY SEVEN: Are you openly a Hellenic Polytheist offline? How does being open/not being open effect your worship?

Yes! Anyone who knows me knows I have been a pagan for a few years now. The Hellenism is new, but not a huge shock. I have my altars out in my home, and I am always talking about the Gods in a nerdy sort of way.

Honestly it really helps strengthen my relationship with the Gods that I am able to be so open about worshiping them. My parents don't like it, of course, but they haven't disowned me for it yet.

I really love and appreciate my husband, who was very skeptical about me being a Christian, but absolutely encourages me to be a pagan. He made me see that I was unhappy pretending to be a Christian to make my family like me. I love him so much.

[rodrigoincolors]

#31DaysOfHalloween Day 22: Morgana

Just a context to my non-Brazilian folks. This Morgana, the witch. She was one among many iconic characters from Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum - a very popular children's TV show from the 90s. Many kids grew up watching the show and I guess till this day, it still adored by the new generation of children. She was always with Adelaide, her faithful and very smart owl. Although Morgana's costume was dark, colorful and mostly purple, I was feeling red a lot more better, so the dress she's wearing in my piece, is my adaptation.

[gh0st-f4iry]

♡ 31 days of hellenic polytheism: day 10 ♡

What’s something you’ve learned about Hellenic Polytheism that you wish you knew sooner?

i wish i learned sooner that you could just do things and that it doesn't matter if you're perfect or know everything. i was so nervous to start because i didn't want to mess up (yay perfectionism), but that really doesn't matter. as long as you're putting in as much effort as you can and are genuinely respectful, the gods won't be pissed at you.

and this fear came less from pinterest and ig witches with their aesthetic altars and notes and more from a lot of people (at least in the communities i started in) building deity work up as something scary and almost dangerous for beginners. i agree that it's probably not something total noobs should dabble in, but it's also really not that scary

[wardenred]

Angstober 31: Won't Forget

And to round another month of flash fiction off, a tiny Halloween-appropriate drabble. Whew!

“Memory spells are tricky and fickle  things,” the witch explains. “I can erase this man from your mind, for sure. The time you spent together, and how he loved you, and how he hurt you. Your heart, though... The heart won’t forget. It will be as broken as ever, full of feelings you can’t explain. All the dreams with their razor-sharp edges. Are you sure you want this?”

She hopes her customer hesitates.

They say, “Do it.”

I will see them here again, the witch thinks, and wonders fleetingly why the notion squeezes around her own heart like a manacle.

[seospicybin]

SEOSPICY TIMETABLE.

DEC 6

TOO CROWDED. (A new chapter of The Crowd series) Lee Know x reader. (s,f)

Synopsis: Years of marriage haven’t fully prepared Minho for the arrival of a new family member or the changes that come with his growing family. As he navigates these new challenges, he realizes that love and family are constantly evolving in ways he never expected.

DEC 13

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU TOO. (The second part of I Put A Spell On You) Hyunjin x reader. (s,a)

Synopsis: Having a common enemy, you and Hyunjin work together to secure your futures. With your witchcraft, the plan sets in motion, the boundaries between right and wrong blur, and secrets begin to unravel, leaving you and Hyunjin bound by more than just circumstance.

DEC 20

THE FUCKBOY NEXT DOOR: Final Part. Bangchan x reader. (s,f)

Synopsis: When a new fuckboy, Minho, moves into the building, Chan’s sense of security is shaken. Minho’s flirtatious confidence and bold claim to win you over rattles Chan, igniting a rivalry. As Chan struggles to defend his relationship, he’s forced to confront his insecurities while proving his worth to you.

DEC 27

THE BABYSITTER: Final Part. Hyunjin x reader x Felix. (s,f,a)

Synopsis: You find a home away from home while caring for Aster, the lively son of Felix and Hyunjin and what begins as a temporary job blossoms into an unforgettable bond with a family that changes your life. But after graduation comes a difficult choice: pursue your dreams or stay with the people who’ve come to mean the world to you.

DEC 30

SEOSPICY WRAPPED '24

Recap and statistics of Seospicy fics in the year of 2024.

DEC 31

NEPTUNE. Hyunjin x reader. (s,a)

Synopsis: In a distant future where an app can predict your death, a retired dancer and an ambitious swimmer cross path by chance. With their final day looming, they choose to share it together, finding unexpected connection in the fleeting hours they have left.

[creativewaygrace]

Bible Verses About Witchcraft

1 Chronicles 10:13- Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord's word He even consulted a medium for guidance.

1 Samuel 15:23- For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

1 Samuel 22:23- Stay with me. Don't be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life. You will be safe with me.

2 Chronicles 33:6- He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hinnom Valley. He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord's sight, angering him.

Leviticus 19:31- Do not turn to mediums, or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them, I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:6- Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists and prostitutes' himself with them, I will turn against that person and cut him off from his people.

Leviticus 20:27- A man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritists must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault.

Revelation 18:23- The light of a lamp will never shine in you again and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Revelation 21:8- But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

Galatians 5:19-20- Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions.

Galatians 5:19-21- Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and anything similar. I am warning you about these things, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Micha 5:10-12- In that day, this is the Lord's declaration, I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune tellers.

Acts 19:17-20- When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem. And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver, in this way the word of the Lord flourished and prevailed.

Isaiah 8:19-22- When they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the spiritists who chirp and mutter, shouldn't a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead, on behalf of the living? Go to God's instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and looking upward, will curse their king and their God. They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.

Isaiah 19: 1-4- A pronouncement concerning Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt's idols will tremble before him, and Egypt will loose heart. I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians, each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Egypt's spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate it's plans. Then they will inquire of idols, ghosts, and spiritists. I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

Acts 8:9-13- A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while calming to be somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest and they said, "This man is called the Great Power of God". They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time, but when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed

Deuteronomy 18:10-14- No one among you is to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or spiritists, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these acts is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable acts. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this.

Isaiah 47: 8-14- So now hear this, lover of luxury, who sits securely, who says to herself, I am, and there is no one else. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children. These two things will happen to you suddenly, in one day, loss of children and widowhood. They will happen to you in their entirety, in spite of your many sorceries and potency of your spells. You were secure in your wickedness, you said No one sees me. Your wisdom and knowledge led astray. You said it yourself, I am, and there is no one else. But disaster will happen to you, you will not know how to avert it. And it will fall on you, but you will be unable to ward it off . Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly. So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed, perhaps you will inspire terror! You are worn out with your many consultations. So let the astrologers stand and save you, those who observe the stars, those predict monthly what will happen to you. Look, they are like stubble, fire burns them. They cannot rescue themselves from the power of the flame. This is not a coal for warming themselves, or a fire to sit beside!

[psalmicwitch]

Baneful Magic in Christian Witchcraft

There’s a LOT of Christian witches on spheres that aren’t tumblr (on here we’re sort of few!), namely reddit. And one misconception I keep seeing is that Christian witches don’t and can’t practice baneful magic.

For the record, I don’t, and if you’re a Christian witch (or any baby witch, really), I’d highly contemplate if cursing and hexing is a practice you really want to get into.

Why do people say you can’t practice baneful magic as a Christian witch? Couple of sources:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. – Leviticus 19:18

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34

That’s some super compelling scripture, huh?

Here’s some evidence to the contrary:

If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. - Galatians 1:9

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. - Psalm 69:23-24

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. - Psalm 109:6-9

The psalms are some of the most well recorded, oldest, pieces of magic text of all time. Literal curses are written into the Bible.

If you believe in biblical inerrancy, curses are woven into our sacred text, from the metaphorical mouth of God.

For the record, I don’t believe in biblical inerrancy, and I don’t practice baneful magic. But to blanket that statement and say that all Christian witches do not practice baneful magic is false. Christian witches have likely been weaving curses out of the psalms for centuries.

[imimprisoned]

Hecate/Hekate: Goddess of Magic, Crossroads, Witchcraft, Sorcery, Ghosts, and Necromancy,

Offerings include:

1. almonds

2. foxglove

3. mint

4. sage

5. yew

6. rose petals

7. lavendar

8. cypress and willow leaves

9. frankensince

10. obsidian

11. quartz

12. seashells

13. black dog fur

14. dog nail clippings

15. images of dogs (pictures, personal drawings, dog plushies, etc.)

16. keys

17. personal offerings (nail clippings, hair)

18. anything relating to the moon (pictures, keychains, personal drawings, etc.)

19. crow, raven, and/or owl feathers

20. crossroads dirt

21. owl feathers

22. raven/crow/black feathers

23. snakeskin

24. horse hair (UPG, because horse is sacred to Her)

25. Lapis Lazuli

26. iron and bronze

27. lodestone

28. black stones/gems

29. candles, lanterns

30. statuettes of Her sacred animals

31. artwork of Her and Her sacred objects and symbols

32. poetry, music and writing in Her honour

Prayers to Hekate:

1. Glory to you, O Hekate Goddess who guards our opportunities

Queen of magic and circumstance

Keyholder, beloved mother of witches Hekate, guide me through blessed doors

Shut those that might lead to my destruction

Hekate, she who holds the keys to the realms of time

Hekate, the goddess of wisdom and fate

Who hears the whisper of prophecy

Goddess of mysteries

Take my hand, O Goddess

Put all your knowledge into my palm And let your magic flow through me

2. "Hekate, Mother of the Night so dark, Guiding spirit, with wisdom to embark.

In the moon's gentle glow, and shadows deep,

Your presence and power, our souls do

keep.

Goddess of crossroads, guardian of the way,

Hear our prayer on this sacred day.

With torches aglow, and keys in hand, Lead us through life's mysteries, we understand.

Hekate, your guidance, we humbly seek, In your wisdom and strength, we find what we need.

Protect and guide us, in darkness and light,

Mother of the Night, bless our path tonight.

3. Hecate when I doubt, Show me my strength;

When I am wrong,

Show me the right path;

Light the crossroads before me,

That I might see my way,

Queen of transitions,

Guardian of Doorways, Hecate, bless my journeys,

Through dark and dawn, day and dusk.

Help me bring into balance the forces within myself.

Light and dark, above and below,

As a coin can not have only one side, I am not whole, one without the other.

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Celtic beliefs in trees (24)

Ss for Straif (Blackthorn) - Samhain/Hallowe'en, opening the veil between this world and the spirit world…

“Mother of the Forest – The Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref), The Beginning of Winter”

Colour: red; Star: Mars, Saturn; Gemstone: black opal; Gender: female; Patron: Morrigan; Symbol: inevitability of death, protection + revenge, discord + insidiousness

Blackthorn forms vigorous young trees from the roots, from which dense, thorny bushes grow in dense clumps. Armed with sharp thorns, which can damage human skin. It already starts flowering in early spring, at the beginning of March, and with the onset of winter it produces black berries, commonly known as 'sloes'.

Samhain is the most important festival in the Celtic world, celebrated on 1st November to mark the beginning of winter and therefore the new year. The name 'Samhain' means 'end of summer'. The seasons change from summer to winter (the time of the dead) with this festival. It is a period of short days and darkness, but it is a necessary period for nature to enter a peaceful rest and welcome the bright spring. In the calendar of agricultural societies, this is an important stage for the germination of crop seeds.

Samhain was the solemn festival, when fires were lit and sacrifices were offered to gods such as Taranis and Teutates. Importantly, it was believed that on the eve of this day, 31 October, a passage between this world and the spirit world was opened, allowing inhabitants from the other world to come and visit this world freely and interact with humans in this world. However, while the comings and goings were sometimes favourable, it was also envisaged to be dangerous.

On the Samhain eve, children went from house to house to collect festive offerings. It was also customary to celebrate Samhain by placing a brightly burning candle inside a hollowed-out turnip at the entrance to the house.

Blackthorn is a tree traditionally used for black magic and witchcraft, and its thorns remind us of our own insidious roots. We must remember that we hurt ourselves and others in many ways. If we think about how to avoid hurting each other and courageously face our own insidious roots, blackthorn can guide us to overcome this dark side of our human nature and help us to return the debts of our hearts.

It also helps us to accept the fact that death is something from which no one can escape.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (24)

SはStraif (ﾘﾝﾎﾞｸ) -サウィン/ハロウイーン、現世と霊界のヴェールを開く…　

『森の母 〜 ケルトの木の暦（参照）、冬の始まり』

色: 赤; 星: 火星、土星;  宝石: ブラックオパール; 性: 女性; 守護神: モリガン; シンボル: 死の不可避性、保護+復讐、不和+陰湿

リンボクは根の部分から活力のある若木を形成し、ここから棘だらけの茂みがびっしりと密生する。鋭い棘で武装したリンボクは密生した藪をつくり、人間の肌を傷つける。３月初旬、早春にもう花をつけ始め、冬の訪れと共に、通称「スロー」という黒っぽい実がなる。

サウィンとは、ケルト世界で最も重要なお祭りで、11月1日に冬の始まり、つまり新年の始まりを祝う。「サウィン」とは「夏の終わり」を意味する。この祭りを境に季節は夏から冬（死者の時期）に変わる。日が短く暗い時期だが、自然が穏やかな休息に入り、明るい春を迎えるために必要な期間である。農耕社会の暦では、作物の種が発芽する重要な時期でもある。

サウィンは最も重要な厳粛な祭りで、火が焚かれ、タラニスやテウタテスといった神々に生贄が捧げられた。重要なのは、この日の前夜、10月31日に現世と霊界を結ぶ通路が開かれ、あの世の住人が自由に現世を訪れ、現世の人間と交流できるようになると信じられていたことだ。しかし、その��き来は時に好ましいものであったが、危険なものであることも想定されていた。

サウィンの前夜には、子供たちが家々を回り、お祝い用のお供えを集めた。サウィンを祝って、内部をくり抜いたカブの中に、明るく燃えたろうそくを立て、家の入り口に飾る風習もあった。

リンボクは伝統的に黒魔術や呪術に使われる木であり、その棘は私たち自身の陰湿な心根を思い起こさせる。私たちは、さまざまな形で自分自身や他人を傷つけていることを忘れてはならない。どうすれば互いを傷つけずにすむかを考え、勇気を持って自分自身の陰湿な心根と向き合えば、リンボクは人間が持つこの暗い側面を克服するように導いてくれ、心の負い目を返上するように導いてくれる。

そして、死は誰も逃れることのできないものであるという事実を受け入れる助けにもなってくれる。

[thepenultimateword]

Spooktober Prompt #15

The monster turned his clawed hands back and forth. As the realization hit, all his fur stood on end, and he pawed desperately at his face.

“What did you do to me?” His voice squeaked in sharp contrast to the violence of his eruption.

The witch blew out her spell candle with a flourish. “Taught you a little respect. At least I hope so. I did get the impression it may be some time before it takes.”

[chthoniclakewitch]

31 Days of Hellenic Polytheism

The original post is here if you want to participate

DAY SIX: What’s one way you incorporate Hellenic Polytheism into your routine (daily, weekly, monthly, etc?)

Pray, pray, pray. I pray all through the day to Aphrodite and at night to Hypnos. I make sure to stop at each of the altars I have. I dedicate showers to Aphrodite and naps to Hypnos. Every night I try to learn more about the Gods, and currently I am learning Greek which is an everyday task.

[antimony-medusa]

MCYT on Ao3 — September '23

The state of MCYT on Ao3, just for fun. Yes I do this every month, I like numbers. 

Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series) (8 works)

The Cube SMP (8 works)

iDots SMP (14 works)

30 Day SMP | Free Trial SMP (27 works)

Legacy SMP (28 works)

Cogchamp SMP (29 works)

Epic SMP (31 works)

Art of Survival SMP (32 works)

Dominion SMP (32 works)

Shady Oaks SMP (45 works)

X Life SMP (46 works)

IvoryCello's Prison Escapes (Web Series) (53 works)

100 Hours Hardcore SMP (54 works)

Kaboodle SMP (56 works)

Bear SMP (58 works)

SadSMP (68 works)

Area Unknown SMP (72 works)

Mer SMP (74 works)

Pirates SMP (105 works)

Tortillaland SMP (113 works)

New Life SMP (127 works)

House Builder Gang SMP | HBG SMP (134 works)

Slimecicle Cinematic Universe (Web Series) (138 works)

WitchCraft SMP (164 works)

Rats SMP (208 works)

SMPEarth (273 works)

SMPLive (283 works)

Outsiders SMP (314 works)

Mianite (Web Series) (363 works)

Afterlife SMP (382 works)

Yandere High School (Web Series) (434 works)

MindCrack RPF (493 works)

Evolution SMP (545 works)

Fable SMP (767 works)

Karmaland SMP (777 works)

Lifesteal SMP (1,220 works)

Origins SMP (1,478 works)

QSMP | Quackity SMP (3,842 works)

Empires SMP (5,633 works)

3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series (7,862 works)

Hermitcraft SMP (17,370 works)

Dream SMP (80,652 works)

Minecraft (Video Game) (108,355 works)

Video Blogging RPF (262,973 works)

Some Notes

We have one new tag this month! Interestingly, Pirates SMP, despite being a child tag of Video Blogging RPF, is not a child tag of Celebrities and Real People, which puts it up with Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series) and Minecraft (Video Game) as the only mcyt tags not officially considered RPF for sorting purposes. (Note: this is probably a bug.)

Fics are primarily in English, but now we have three exceptions with significant Spanish fics: Karmaland (691 works of 775, from 679 last month) , Tortillaland SMP (108 works of 113, from 106 last month), and QSMP (466 works of 3,833, up from 412 last month). QSMP also includes fics in Brazilian Portugese (175 works, up from 119 last month) and a few in French (19 works, up from 10 month).

In smaller SMPs, both SadSMP and Cogchamp saw a 3-fic decrease, one of the starker fandom decreases that I've seen. In terms of growth, Area Unknown SMP saw a 12-fic increase, Mer SMP saw a 14-fic increase, and New Life SMP saw an impressive 22-fic increase.

In mid-sized fandoms, it was the same three fandoms in a different order than last month. Fable SMP was the standout once again with 33 fics, though Evolution SMP saw a growth of 24 fics and Yandere High School saw 19 new fics.

For the larger fandoms, it was a reduced month from last month. Empires' 154 this month did not beat last month's 244 or the previous month's 218, 3rd Life's 340 this month did not beast last month's 395 or the previous month's 364, and Hermitcraft's 453 did not beat last month's 569 or the previous month's 501. Continuing the trend, Dream SMP's increase of 1,171 did not meet last month's 1,459 or the previous month's 1,376, and in fact the only fandom with a growth compared to July was QSMP, with QSMP's 725 this month not beating last month's 861 but Yes beating the previous month's 628. So the two-month run of increased growth that the bigger fandoms were turning out has definitely come to an end. Possibly the end of summer hit everyone's schedules hard.

Detailed breakdown of increases under the cut.

Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series) (8 works, 8 last month, 0-fic increase)

The Cube SMP (8 works, 8 last month, 0-fic increase)

iDots SMP (14 works, 15 last month, 1-fic decrease)

30 Day SMP | Free Trial SMP (27 works, 27 last month, 0-fic increase)

Legacy SMP (28 works, 27 last month, 1-fic increase)

Cogchamp SMP (29 works, 32 last month, 3-fic decrease)

Epic SMP (31 works, 31 last month, 0-fic increase)

Art of Survival SMP (32 works, 33 last month, 1-fic decrease)

Dominion SMP (32 works, 32 last month, 0-fic increase)

Shady Oaks SMP (45 works, 43 last month, 2-fic increase)

X Life SMP (46 works, 46 last month, 0-fic increase)

IvoryCello's Prison Escapes (Web Series) (53 works, 53 last month, 0-fic increase)

100 Hours Hardcore SMP (54 works, 53 last month, 1-fic increase)

Kaboodle SMP (56 works, 50 last month, 6-fic increase)

Bear SMP (58 works, 57 last month, 1-fic increase)

SadSMP (68 works, 71 last month, 3-fic decrease)

Area Unknown SMP (72 works, 60 last month, 12-fic increase)

Mer SMP (74 works, 60 last month, 14-fic increase)

Pirates SMP (105 works, was not canonized last month)

Tortillaland SMP (113 works, 110 last month, 3-fic increase)

New Life SMP (127 works, 105 last month, 22-fic increase)

House Builder Gang SMP | HBG SMP (134 works, 130 last month, 4-fic increase)

Slimecicle Cinematic Universe (Web Series) (138 works, 127 last month, 11-fic increase)

WitchCraft SMP (164 works, 162 last month, 2-fic increase)

Rats SMP (208 works, 208 last month, 0-fic increase)

SMPEarth (273 works, 265 last month, 8-fic increase)

SMPLive (283 works, 278 last month, 5-fic increase)

Outsiders SMP (314 works, 300 last month, 14-fic increase)

Mianite (Web Series) (363 works, 359 last month, 4-fic increase)

Afterlife SMP (382 works, 379 last month, 3-fic increase)

Yandere High School (Web Series) (434 works, 415 last month, 19-fic increase)

MindCrack RPF (493 works, 493 last month, 0-fic increase)

Evolution SMP (545 works, 521 last month, 24-fic increase)

Fable SMP (767 works, 734 last month, 33-fic increase)

Karmaland SMP (777 works, 761 last month, 16-fic increase)

Lifesteal SMP (1,220 works, 1,139 last month, 81-fic increase)

Origins SMP (1,478 works, 1,449 last month, 29-fic increase)

QSMP | Quackity SMP (3,842 works, 3,117 last month, 725-fic increase)

Empires SMP (5,633 works, 5,479 last month, 154-fic increase)

3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series (7,862 works, 7,522 last month, 340-fic increase)

Hermitcraft SMP (17,370 works, 16,917 last month, 453-fic increase)

Dream SMP (80,652 works, 79,481 last month, 1,171-fic increase)

Minecraft (Video Game) (108,355 works, 107,795 last month, 560-fic increase)

Video Blogging RPF (262,973 works, 259,553 last month, 3,420-fic increase)

[laylajeffany]

Grant Us Peace, Forevermore |  Chaos Universe OneShot for @endofn1ght

Summary: Wednesday and her fellow Raven (OC/Emiliana) engage in witchcraft, looking for additional peace after the horrific events of the past year continue to weigh on them. WC: 4.9k (part of layla's <5k challenge that barely makes it lol) Rated: E

Note: New Lovely Thorns content coming in the next day or so, for now enjoy revisiting another OC from the Chaos universe as @endofn1ght prompted Chaos-verse Wednesday with Emiliana doing witchcraft. Thank you for all the support and forcing me to analyze some of my work in ways I hadn't previously thought about. This is part of my less than 5k writing challenge of prompts that I'm only allowed to work on at my place of employment when my free time is actually free (was a little less than usual over the last week which is why this took so long).

Set between Wednesday's birthday at the end of Chapter 31 and the start of the epilogue; end of semester / late April-ish at Nevermore - enjoy!

Wednesday kicked the final bit of gravel on her way up to the front porch of one of her favorite places. Emiliana’s cottage looked somehow smaller in the late spring; with everything finally green, the large shade cast from centuries-old woods dwarfed the structure considerably. Augustus slithered down her wrist, excited to enter the home, irritate Piper and greet his favorite turtles. The windows were open on the front, and she assumed likely the French doors on the back. Glad that Emiliana was letting in fresh air, as sometimes the house took on a more powerful odor of stale cigarettes when it was just her home for a while, Wednesday was surprised to have to knock – that she hadn’t heard her coming.

The door opened, revealing a frazzled looking Emiliana. It wasn’t terribly out of the ordinary to find her hair tangled and in just her long, black skirt and too-loose tank top, but she looked particularly greasy that afternoon. Wednesday bit back a sigh instead of a hello as she considered she’d need to shove her in the shower before they did anything productive to relieve the nagging sensation swirling around in her gut. “What is the day?”

Struggling not to smile, Wednesday regarded, “It’s Thursday.”

“I have not gone mad, then. I hate it when you do this – you send me into mild cardiac arrest. You are unharmed?”

Nodding, Wednesday stepped in as she closed the door – spotting a mess in the kitchen, a sink filled with unwashed dishes, a pile of laundry on the sofa, and the floor of the living room covered in remnants of a spell. Her entryway altar was a disaster and Piper was nowhere to be seen – probably avoiding the chaos. She watched as Emiliana struggled to place Wednesday, and tried to read her energy at the same time. She wondered if Emiliana could sense just how unease she truly was.

“I attempted to call and text all morning. I finished working with Aunt Larissa on the proposal for the new council duties, and she doesn’t want me to start anything new until next week. Enid has physical therapy and then her rehearsal. Mother is working with the Doves on oaths, father is entertaining Fangs that are in town, Josie is doing real administration, and you know I simply can’t be bothered with the Nightshades.”

“I am your last resort, then,” Emiliana crossed her arms, her expression mostly playful.

“No,” Wednesday argued. “I just know that you prefer your alone time unless it’s scheduled and was explaining why I’m interrupting…” She looked around at the mess. “This.”

The older Raven gave a chuckle, tugging Wednesday to her and placing an obnoxious kiss on the top of her head. Augustus immediately tore off in search of the yellow and white snake he longed to bother. “You are the one person who can always interrupt me, little bird, regardless of how it fazes my mental state. I am afraid we will have to take most activities upstairs or outside as it is a touch of a mess in here…”

Wednesday popped a brow. “Just a touch? Em – go shower. You’re gross.”

She gave a little cackle into her smoker’s cough. “Indeed, I am. The week has flown by, apparently. I shall see you on the other side of clean,” She didn’t fight the direction, and took to the bathroom with a small salute.

Once she disappeared, Wednesday hurried to start picking things up. It was far from her responsibility, but as Emiliana had picked up so many of the pieces of her life that spring, it hardly seemed enough or like a burden to care for her. Realizing the laundry on the couch wasn’t to be folded, Wednesday rolled her eyes and stuffed it into the washing machine, then moved to unload the half-full dishwasher that Emiliana had been taking things out of instead of putting them away throughout the week. That didn’t take long, and she made haste to reload and run a cycle there, too.

She was sweeping salt away from her to put in a jar after getting the majority of the spell on the floor picked up when Emiliana came out with her wet hair curling into ringlets. She opened the French doors, as hoped, and wondered, “Might we start with music?”

Tilting her head a little, Wednesday decided that was more than appropriate. Her goals for the late April recovery period were to get back to some of her long-abandoned hobbies, and starting a spell session with Emiliana by playing her favorite instrument would be a remarkable way to return to it. Playing music had once been one of her only ways of settling her spirit, and to play with a fellow Raven would be helpful.

She moved it to the end of the couch, wishing Thing were there to turn the pages as Emiliana set up a collapsible music stand for her and placed the selection she wanted there. “I have been composing something I shall play for you after this warmup, and perhaps you can come up with the strings to match?”

“I confess, original music content hasn’t been my forte over my studies, but I would be willing to try,” Wednesday agreed with a small shrug. Emiliana slipped onto her piano bench, wiggled her fingers, and counted them down twice before starting the melody to a famous duet.

Wednesday came in on the third line of music, her bow sweeping over the strings as her fingers moved in time up top. She couldn’t help the smile that came over her features as she got into it – the old habit returning, a swell of joy filling her from the outside in.

The first selection was about eight minutes long, and as it wrapped, Emiliana clumsily dashed over to Wednesday, hugging her tightly. “I love you.”

Grinning into her shoulder, Wednesday gave something like a nuzzle. She considered what she knew about the other Raven that had impacted them – how David Bowie’s music had been the soundtrack of her life. There was something distinctly soothing about music to someone so dark-coded as they, and she wondered if Goody had preferences as well, even if they were liturgical.

“Play me your new song?”

Nodding, Emiliana returned to her favorite place, closing her eyes and squaring her shoulders before letting the ivory keys take her away. She started, playing mostly minor chords – a haunting tune that Wednesday knew just what to do with, instinctively after the first repeating section. She jumped in – natural ability filling the air with cello sounds along with the piano.

It went on – the two playing in harmony for nearly twenty minutes. As they managed to come to a close without a single line of verbal communication, Wednesday was the one to get up first. She tugged Emiliana’s wrists, leading her to the back porch, where they sat on the swing together in silence.

There weren’t words needed between them – the energy spoke volumes. Emiliana kicked back, letting the swing rock. They both lost time – but not in a dangerous way, as they swung back and forth, back and forth until –

“Em? Oh! Hey, Wednesday!” Josie appeared, wearing a pair of athletic pants and an old reptile rescue organization t-shirt, her hair up in a high ponytail. She leaned down to push a kiss on Emiliana’s temple. “I tried to get a hold of you earlier, I figured you might be in the ether. Did you still want to do spring foraging and grocery shopping…?”

Emiliana opened and closed her mouth. “I am afraid I was not aware of the day. What is the time?”

“Going on four-thirty…I finished a meeting and swapped duty with Larissa for Sunday – I’ve got things to do at school then, regardless – I might as well be required to be there. I am so cool to just have turtle time if you -”

“I would still like – and require to, head into the forest. My stores are woefully low. Might we bring a small bird with us?”

“Yeah,” Josie smiled with teeth. “Provided she wants to? Wednesday – I’m not sure what your intentions were here?”

“To spend time with another creature of the dark,” She spoke in earnest. She wasn’t upset with it being Josie who disrupted the moment – but she certainly wasn’t ready to give Emiliana over to her fiancée. “My mother is out of birch – we could collect and distill some – if you’d be willing to go that far into the woods.”

“Whatever you need. The evening is mine now – we can go for a gathering walk, get groceries, eat something – then I am content to leave you two alone after for a bit before we’re ready to wind down for the night.”

Wednesday hurried in for a basket and her boots, while Emiliana insisted it was more than warm enough to be barefoot. Standing on the back porch with Augustus back around her shoulders from where he’d been snuggled in with a half-consenting Piper, Wednesday watched her big sister figures sharing a kiss in the middle of the grass before disrupting them with a hard stare. Josie giggled and pulled her to be between the Ravens, one arm around either of them. They walked a familiar path deeper into the woods behind the cottage, while Josie filled them in on the latest with just two weeks left in the semester – she was busy, but it seemed like the warming weather had behavior incidents down and she’d been largely able to accomplish her work during the daytime hours, instead of being constantly disrupted. Wednesday was distracted by wildflowers, tapping into her unique botany abilities she’d learned to mimic, discovering that a few could very well be useful in potion making with Emiliana. The red aquilegia was particularly interesting, but she warned Emiliana thrice about not attempting to eat it – as the toxicity would prove for a long and challenging evening.

Josie rolled her eyes when she produced a knife from her boot to peel back birch bark. “I find it interesting you’re still keeping a knife on your person, given all the recent trouble that’s caused you?”

“Maybe I just never learn,” Wednesday said with a shrug. “The consequences didn’t relate to having it on my person-”

“Only because Emiliana and I tampered with a crime scene,” Josie sighed. Wednesday felt a strange twist in her stomach. “I’m just saying, Wednesday. I…I’m not saying to walk around unprotected, just…I don’t even know what I’m suggesting. I just don’t want you forget what you’ve been through.”

“Believe me, I couldn’t if I tried,” Wednesday grumbled, picturing the woman’s biological father in a pool of his own blood. The inability to forget was half the reason she’d come to Emiliana that day in the first place.

“Alright,” Josie pulled her close. “I won’t nag.”

Emiliana snorted in a yeah right sort of disbelief and Josie slugged her a little before gesturing to some wild berries.

The foraging walk went on until nearly five-thirty, where Josie pushed a fruit pouch on both of the Ravens before getting them ready to go to the store. Emiliana tried to argue that she wasn’t the one with blood sugar regulation problems, but Josie told her the last thing she needed was scurvy from a week straight of eating noodles and broth.

They loaded into her SUV and Wednesday apologized to Augustus, who was disappointed they weren’t heading out of town to the pet store to get some of the live tiny mice he was fond of killing before eating fresh. Realizing she’d never been grocery shopping with the two women before, Wednesday should’ve been less surprised at just what a scene it was, with Emiliana’s need to touch every piece of fruit or vegetable before putting it in the cart, and asking Josie to read every label on packaged foods that caught her eye. Understanding why Josie usually just helped her with a delivery order, she found herself exercising patience before finally making it back to get started on a late dinner.

Grateful she’d done the dishes so that it was one less thing to do before she got overly hangry and acted out on it, Wednesday enjoyed the simple dinner of warm sandwiches and the fresh fruit and vegetable cut up before Josie finished up and a knock at the door revealed her best friend, who was going to take her out for a drink while Emiliana and Wednesday did their...whatever they were going to do together.

Wednesday eagerly sorted the foraging materials and she and Emiliana set to work cleaning her altar, putting her stones and other items to charge in the moonlight in a basket before smiling at Wednesday when she plopped beside her. “Alright, my little witch, what are you thinking?”

“Something for peace,” She whispered, finally confessing what she really needed with her fellow Raven. “Enid and I…let’s just say – the nights are challenging. I’m not sure how long she is going to be tortured by memories. She’s already had the worst of the feeling removed by the twins, and still, each night at the witching hour…”

“Less you say,” Emiliana sighed. “I am unsurprised. I doubt that I could even attempt to fall asleep at all under the circumstances. Much as I might like to be under a weighted blanket, I do not like to be in an enclosed area, considering what she went through.” She shivered. “My parents used to lock me into the small powder room when I was tearing off and…well, let me just say – I understand. I think…it is not even peace you are looking for. More like certainty.”

“Either way,” Wednesday sighed. “If you can think of a blessing, a potion, or a spell that will help, I will try it.”

Emiliana wiggled her fingers, reaching for a spell book in her native language. She tried to read the contents but sighed and gave up after several minutes, flopping back dramatically on the meditative carpet, mindful of her head. “Wednesday, confessions of truth. It is getting worse.”

“What is?” She asked gently, looking at Emiliana out of the corner of her eyes.

“I am afraid…I am afraid I may be losing more skills. It is common, with a brain injury, regression, or worse, a total loss of a previously mastered skill. But you know I used to be able to at least read decently in French! Now I can hardly manage. Everything looks like squiggles.”

Frowning, Wednesday bit her lip. She really didn’t have any advice to offer. “Would you like me to read to you?”

Emiliana had the base of her palm pushing against her closed eyes. “How am I to read wedding vows if I cannot even read familiar spells?”

That was an entirely separate problem – but that one, Wednesday had a solution for. “You don’t need to read anything. You’ll speak from the heart. And – if you do prefer to have something prewritten, so you don’t slip up, I will help you memorize it. You will give Josie lovely vows, okay? Don’t worry about that.”

When Emiliana didn’t immediately respond, Wednesday frowned, stretching out on the floor beside her. “What are you worried about, if that was just a mask?”

“I feel perpetually like I burden,” Emiliana confessed. “I just do not want this marriage to be a trap for Josie to take care of me.”

Thinking about how other people probably thought that about herself and Enid – but they didn’t see just how Wednesday could show up or be there for her, because it wasn’t anyone’s business, she gave a hug to Emiliana’s shoulders. There were other people in the world who surely struggled with similar problems, but only they knew how uniquely different they were. What it was to be and love a creature of such dark, always striving for light…

Emiliana hugged her in return, and she could feel her crying. “Sometimes I want to take you and hide us away in the countryside and just forage and do potions and spells and meditations forever.”

“Josie would miss you too much, Emi,” Wednesday promised. “I was with her, when you were not. Believe me, she loves you more than you even understand. She takes care of you in different ways as one of her expressions of that love, not in spite of it. You are not a burden. It is to be without you, that is her burden. Hey,” She sat up a little, pulling her fellow Raven up. “Let’s make a peace altar, for both of us. For all we want to ask of the universe.”

“The universe does not want us to have peace, Wednesday! That is half the point of our curse, and you know it!”

“Want doesn’t always get,” Wednesday quoted the myriad of adults in her life who’d long warned her about always having things go her way. “We’ve defied the dark before, and we’ll do it again. Don’t be pessimistic.”

Emiliana sighed, looking up, then to the side. She frowned, sitting up and looking at Wednesday. “When did you become the hopeful one?”

“I had no choice, Em,” She spoke, thinking about that awful night that sent Enid screaming in the middle of almost every night since. “I had to have hope. And I’ll have hope today, for both of us if you can’t find it on your own. I’ll ask for it for you. Come, help me,” She said, closing the book. They didn’t need it. They’d do their own spell, their own way – with her intentions shining through the dark that was clouding Emiliana’s vision.

Heading out to the back porch, she lifted a small, homemade tarp (she loved the way that Emiliana made it her own, lining the silver with black, celestial fabric, and putting a clear vinyl over the top). Beneath it, she took a water carafe, willed with water that she blessed under the recent moon. Bringing it in and sitting at the altar, taking the trunk full of Emiliana’s stores and the basket from their walk, Wednesday watched as she wiped at her cheeks, but started to take out potion ingredients, her little picture labels likely coming in handier than ever.

“I am recalling, somehow,” Emiliana rolled her eyes even as the left one twitched. “Acorns, are for luck.”

She held up a jar full of those that were dried and collected likely from the fall, full to the brim. “Well, add fifteen and hope for peace, then,” Wednesday agreed simply, watching Emiliana line up three rows of five, watching her double count to be sure before setting them into a bowl. She looked at Wednesday, waiting for her to go next.

Reaching into the basket of their yield from the woods, Wednesday removed a blackthorn blossom, placing it with the acorns. “For warding off negative energy.”

Emiliana found a little bit of a smile, apparently finding her approval of Wednesday’s method, lifting a piece of bark. “The city was removing the trees with Dutch Elm disease in the winter. I took a sample, and Holly found it was actually not completely affected, so – I saved the healthy part…As Elm…um, it…helps to balance…?”

“The heart,” Wednesday finished, smiling herself, squeezing Emiliana’s hand.

“Four pieces, then – with a lucky knife. Perhaps…” She took on a serious expression, that also offered Wednesday an out. “Are you yet ready, to open my summoning chest, retrieve your own?”

Shaking her head, she made it clear – Wednesday was not ready for that. “Not yet. Perhaps, come fall – we could do a purification ritual under the harvest moon.”

“Excellent thinking. Add it to your mental calendar, then. I happen to have one…” She lifted up her hands, wandering over to the basket of tools on the tall shelf by her altar. “I once used this to so very carefully remove a hook from one of those babies over there – when Josie and I found him,” She gestured to the tank of turtles. “She says it is a lucky knife.”

She chopped her bark with even slices, tilting her head, inviting Wednesday to make the next choice.

Taking a glance through her many jars and small, homemade sinch-sacs, Wednesday found a dried, pink flower. “Hollyhock. Useful to personal growth.”

“Hm…” Emiliana’s left eye wandered for a moment before she pulled it back, blinking and reaching for a bag. “Mint – for energy. Goodness knows this grows everywhere I don’t want it to out there. I need Holly to spend some time with me,” She mumbled, dropping in seven leaves.

“Pennyroyal,” Wednesday took one from the basket. “For harmony, tranquility.”

“And finally, the liquids.” She took a basket off the shelf, putting lavender and sage oil out, before looking at Wednesday with a sigh, then – sudden watery eyes yet again. “I am so happy to have a partner in the dark to do this with.”

Wednesday gave her a half a smile before headbutting her. “Would you like to grind or smash?”

“Oh, grind, please. You,” She passed her a mallet, “Smashy girl.”

“Always,” She said gleefully, taking the acorns and elm sticks and rolling them into one of Emiliana’s homemade altar cloths, placing it all on a silicone mat and taking it outside, giving them a good few playful whacks before going to town – not letting them stand a chance against the depths of her unrestrained violence.

Once they were more into a powder, Wednesday brought the folded cloth back to Emiliana, who was grinding everything else together with a large mortar and pestle. She let Wednesday add the newly crushed ingredients and continued to grind it all together before Wednesday prepared a simple setup for their spell and blessing.

She carefully selected runes from Emiliana’s collection, placing one of her homemade shell symbols in the moon water she poured into a small simmering cauldron. “Peorth, for luck.”

Emiliana nodded, drawing three Ogham Staves, that Wednesday was sure she hadn’t used at least since the Solstice break at home with her mother. “Hm. Ironic, is it not?”

“Ura, for spiritual healing, Duir, for strength, and Sail, for balance? It sounds exactly like what we need. Put them on the meditation plane.”

Emiliana set it all up, rolling out a clean scarf, putting the three Ogham Staves in a row, placing the dry ingredients in front of them. She added six candles, a photo of Enid and Wednesday, and one of herself and Josie, then as many crystals that gave positivity that Wednesday imagined she had at the cottage. Satisfied with her spread, she crossed her legs and took Wednesday’s hand, lighting the candles with a wave of her own. “Would you like to give your intentions?”

“I acknowledge, the break in traumatic events that we are presently being allowed – from the universe. I express, my gratitude for it – as I am not sure how we could have continued to cope. But – the ramifications of all that took place, continue to haunt us. I implore, peace – positivity – light. I must be able to be more present and grounded, I must be able to provide comfort to my beloved who needs me most at the current time. Em?”

“I recognize,” She could hear her swallow, “My privilege in position, in wealth, in relative health. But I also feel a sense of futility – that I am not able to give enough to my own beloved, and that I am taking more. I implore – peace, positivity – light. I ask for these things to be stable. I must be able to give as much of myself as is given to me.”

Feeling their intentions were matched, Wednesday spoke in verse, letting a natural sense of rhythm and rhyme take over.

I seek both light and peace, I request that this darkness cease.   I need a positive force that can bring Something good to this endless spring. I require a flame from the eternal fire, To help me be a healer and inspire. I ask this, for the only one I adore - Grant us peace, forevermore.

Emiliana spoke a familiar blessing in French, and Wednesday smiled at her as she finished, pouring their dry ingredients into the pot, while Emiliana added the oils. They stirred together, focused on intentions, before Emiliana lit the flame in the fireplace and put the small cauldron on her hook. Cleaning up just a little bit from the spell – it wasn’t a terrible mess, they passed the time while waiting for the potion to brew, about three hours.

Not realizing how much time had passed, Wednesday felt her cheeks heat up when her mother opened the cottage door with Enid, finding Emiliana and Wednesday in the middle of a very dramatic tarot reading for her Beanie Babies. Enid managed to take a picture before suggesting they head home as it was going on her late snack and bedtime, and she wasn’t one to skip her routines.

Feeling just a little bit irritated that she wouldn’t be able to see the potion through to the end, Wednesday let Emiliana scoot both members of the party out to the front porch before she located Augustus from where he’d been antagonizing her own snake, putting the boy around Wednesday’s shoulders, and tugging her close. “I will mind the potion and bring it to you tomorrow morning with an appropriate color tie and charm.”

She hugged her in return, feeling a strange pit of emotion as she held onto Emiliana’s thin frame. She turned her cheek against her bony collarbone, looking to the side, staring at the fire. Wednesday knew her intentions were clear when creating the potion, but…she wasn’t so sure if it would hold up or prove effective.

As Emiliana embraced her long, it seemed like…sometimes – that homespun magic was all an illusion; the potions and spells sometimes felt like nothing more than a placebo effect. Perhaps it really was, and the magic of it all was belief and pluck and –

“You are thinking over, little bird.”

“I know,” She whispered, still clutching onto her.

“You have proved, time and again – you are very strong, very powerful.”

“At a cost. I don’t think that potion will cause anyone to be hospitalized.”

Emiliana’s fingers tangled under her braids as she pulled her back to look her in the eye. Her left one was twitching like it wanted to be shut for the night. “Do not estimate under the power you have,” Emiliana warned.

Nodding – not sure how to do that, but knowing Emiliana’s misused idioms were wise, she accepted her obnoxious kisses to her cheeks before taking her backpack and the Beanie Baby blackbird and scorpion from the floor, tucking them inside, seeing all the missed messages on her phone that had caused her girlfriend and mother to have to walk over to collect her. Giving a wave to Emiliana, Wednesday accepted next her mother’s hand to her shoulder before letting Enid envelop her in a warm greeting.

“Sorry for interrupting your Beanie Baby tarot reading. That looked really fun! Did you get anything good out of it?”

Wednesday hid a dramatic sigh, contemplating on the fairly neutral cards she’d drawn that night. “Nothing life-changing, for the better or worse.”

“Well, we’ll take that, too,” Enid let go and slipped her fingers between Wednesday’s, practically skipping along the solar-powered little garden lights that illuminated the path from Emiliana’s cottage to the Addams house.

Wednesday had made a potion to give her hope that night. The irony of it was – the only reason who’d ever given her any reason to chance that sensation in the first place, despite her chipper-looking demeanor on the trail, was the very reason she needed it, and would likely be hysterical in just six hours.

Trying not to think over as they made it home, ate her usual pre-bed snack and followed her established routine with Enid, Wednesday tucked in beside her. Enid was cuddled on top of her chest like usual, obviously exhausted from her day – and had slipped to sleep in minutes.  

She’d sought out Emiliana for the very same reason that her fellow Raven had spoken the quiet part out loud – when she struggled with her reading. Sometimes – the weight of the dark, even if there was no vision, no promise of horror from the universe, was simply too much. To be understood in a way that such a microscopic percentage of Outcasts had ever truly been cursed…

There was a light from the nightstand an hour and a half later as Wednesday wanted to take her mother’s sleeping potion, but also didn’t want to be too out of it when Enid woke up in short time. Reaching for her phone, she examined the picture Emiliana sent; her potion was in a small bottle, with white-dipped twine, tied around the neck, a small bird charm of promise adhered in wax. There was no text attached to it, just the picture of the potion.

It looked beautiful in the light of the still-burning candles and Wednesday sighed, putting it back, adjusting herself around Enid’s sleeping form as she rolled onto her side with a snore. She considered the poem she’d spoken in verse over the potion, willing the universe to grant her a few hours of peace before she’d be woken up to provide it to her traumatized girlfriend.