#The Artemisia Club

[skullfragments]

soooo i've been real busy this past month and change working on this monster of a painting! it was originally for the GO Ref library study club but clearly took much longer than i anticipated😅

for those of you who don't recognize it, this is based on one of my favorite historical paintings, Judith Beheading Holofernes (1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi. i love the Baroque period and this painting (as well as her other works) makes me insane. here it is Good Omens style so maybe all of you can be insane with me <3

"Aziraphale (and Crowley) Beheading the Metatron"

(non-bloody and non-glowy versions under the cut)

[phoebepheebsphibs]

If we turn left enough times, we'll have gone in a circle.... and end up right back where we started.

@boots-with-the-fur-club @daboyau @littlemissartemisia @thevoidbrothers @noval1t (I hope they don't mind I added their characters into the story for special guest appearance 👉👈)

CW: fight scenes, blood/ichor, panic attacks, slight body horror, hallucinations, abuse, experimentation, surgery, torture... cardiac arrest and character death

(It's a really long one. I am so sorry in advance lol)

Also, just for clarification: UIFY = Until I Found You NFIF = No Fun in Fungus DvD = Donatello Von Draxum 'Phael = Raphael Jurogumo

Prev || Next || Illustration

Misa waddled along the corridors of the arena as she retraced her steps. She couldn't recall exactly where she'd left the portal sword, but she knew it was in the area... Her families were counting on her. Her older little brothers and sister April needed her help! And she was so excited to help them and prove Lee-Lee wrong about her being "just a little kid". She wasn't little! She was 4 years old! That was so grown up and big, she could do all sorts of things by herself... If she could only find her sword. She'd show him just how big she was!

Out of the blue, a familiar floating sensation took her and she watched with surprise as she was lifted up high into the rafters. Misa squealed with delight.

"Up, up!"

Waves smiled at her, returning her laughter with chirps and giggles of his own.

"Are you going to keep playing with your food, or what?"

Misa watched as a splash of pitch created another figure -- a version of Donatello but entirely grayscale -- formed in the rafters next to them.

Waves turned to look at his brother with a great big smile on his face, his eyes empty and black as he stared at Signal. He hissed a warning. Misa is off-limits.

"Fine. Just didn't see the point in wasting such a sweet little snack."

Waves hissed at him again before nuzzling his face into Misa's. She giggled with glee. These brothers didn't scare her. Waves might seem spooky, but deep down he was a silly little sweetheart and she adored him. Especially when he would pick her up and fly around with her.

"What exactly is the little Artemisia doing way out here all by herself?" Signal asked, leaning in close to her tiny face.

"Getting sword for my family!" she explained.

"Ah, weaponizing children now, are we? I think Static was handing out medieval swords and maces earlier..."

"Did somebody say 'best void brother'?" came a glitchy voice as another void brother appeared.

"It's like he's Beetlejuice or something..." Signal growled.

"I just thought the little lady might like this," Static stated smugly as he handed Misa her retrieved portal sword. He'd found it for her!

Misa cheered happily as she brandished the weapon, the blade glinting in the light and reflecting her image like a mirror.

"What's going on up here?" a fourth and final voice boomed. Radio slowly emerged from the shadows of the rafter corners. "Static, you're not giving minors weapons again, are you?"

"How did you even get up here?" Signal asked incredulously. "You're practically the size of a dump truck, how can you even fit in these rafters?"

"Call me that again and I'll flatten you like a dump truck."

"Just worried for the structural integrity of the building, is all..." Signal sassed back.

Radio rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the others, specifically Static, who still owed Radio an answer.

"I wasn't handing out weapons, I was retrieving it. It already belonged to her!"

Radio's eyes shifted from Static to Misa, who nodded her head as Waves shook his (he wanted to get Static in trouble as a joke).

"Why would a little thing like you need a sword?" he asked cautiously.

"Family needs help! Misa gets her sword for them!" she explained. "Bad spores!"

"Your family? You mean that band of misfits and the anxiety-riddled shroomie teens?"

Waves nodded for her. Misa didn't really understand what shroomie meant. Radio scratched his chin as he considered the situation. He knew that there was an outbreak of fear spores going on, and the two AU teams had been working to find and destroy them. It wasn't looking good thus far. Even Signal had gotten spored, and though he wouldn't admit it... they knew it wasn't a pleasant experience for him. Radio couldn't say he was an expert on mushrooms, but he knew a thing or two about invasive beings and decay. And if that fungus was as bad as everyone was making it out to be, then it could mean disaster for every AU in this place.

"...I don't suppose we could be of any help?"

Donatello howled with maniacal laughter.

His prisoners watched with fear as he ordered the vines to wrap around Michelangelo like ropes, tying his arms to his sides and keeping a very strong grip around his throat just in case anyone got any funny ideas. DvD was screaming bloody murder and promising every kind of painful demise if Audrey III didn't release his baby brother immediately. But he could see the tears in his eyes, he could hear the panic and utter fear.

Oh god, the fear was delicious. He wanted more...

Raphael struggled against the odd vines that had sprouted from Donnie's shell, as he brought him closer towards the room where Leo and the others were. The vines were an amalgamation creation -- partially machine, partially Dee's ninpo, and partially... Raph could only assume it was the mushroom. Had it been growing inside of his shell?? He desperately tried to free himself from the terrible growth. He managed to get one arm out --

"Oh-ho-ho-ho, what are we trying here?" the plant asked through Donnie, smirking down at Raph and commanding several other vines to take ahold of his arms and pull, stretching him out in every direction as he yelled in pained protests. "You didn't really think you could get out that easy, did you?"

Raph grunted and growled as he fought against the vines.

"Donnie!! SNAP OUTTA IT! I know you like to play the mad scientist sometimes, but this is TAKING IT TOO FAR!!"

"I'll tell him you said that," Audrey III smirked. "He's on sabbatical right now, but I'm sure the message can get through... eventually."

Raph screamed in anger as hot tears streaked down his face.

"But in the meantime, I think I'd like to taste your fear again..."

The door behind them opened, and out came a stream of blue fog, followed by the Hand.PNG, which crawled up the vines and onto Donnie's shoulder like a spider.

"Let's invite our dear friends to dinner, shall we?"

The vines began to drag Micheal and Raph into the room.

DvD began to screech like a monster, the muscles in his arms tensing and flexing against the vines and finally breaking their hold. He ran towards the wall, screaming in fury as he spun the tech-bō and leapt. They would not take his brother.

A spark of light ignited in his eyes.

It spread across his body.

The light burst like flame at the end of his staff.

All eyes watched him in shock as he shouted a war cry and slammed the tech-bō into the wall Dee had created earlier.

It shattered completely.

A shockwave burst from the impact and threw everyone back, dissolving the vines that held everyone.

Mikey's limp body fell.

DvD rushed to catch him. He almost made it when Donnie/Audrey III stepped in front of him and kicked him back with one of his mechanical arms. The battle-shell-clad ninja crawled up the side of the wall and grabbed the child before he could hit the ground. Mikey's head bobbed, and he groaned in discomfort at having been thrown around like a rag doll.

"You duplicitous little --! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Audrey III spat angrily.

In all honesty, DvD had no idea what he'd just done or how he'd done it. All he knew was that he needed to protect Mikey at all costs. And then the wall broke. In his shocked stupor, he failed to get up in time and suddenly found a new vine wrapping around his neck like a boa constrictor and tightening like a noose.

Mikey's eyelids fluttered.

Donnie/Audrey III brought the alt. version of himself close to his face.

"YOU HAVE NO MAGIC, YOU YOURSELF TOLD HIM THAT! YOU LYING LITTLE --" Donnie's eyes peered into DvD's as he choked. "...Perhaps you are more interesting than you let on. Shall we see what else is in your silly little head, my dear anarchist?"

Donnie gasped for air, kicking and clawing at his captor as he tried to free himself. He... he was blacking out...

Mikey's eyes burst open.

He screamed as loudly as he could, his entire body erupting into gold and amber light, blinding the entire corridor.

A shrieking sound came from the dark room. The door slammed shut.

Donatello turned around in shock, as a torrent of chains burst from the boy, two for each vine he'd created.

Oh. Now we play.

He'd seen this from the boy before; he'd been rooting around in his mind and saw the memories from the last time. He knew the child was afraid of these powers, he couldn't control them very well. Especially the really strong spells like this. He knew how this scene played out. He just had to either wait him out to spend himself dry -- or let him do what the previous poor, sweet Michelangelo had done, and turn himself into a monster. Either would work...

Mikey held his hand out. A series of chains came and sliced the vine choking out his brother. DvD fell to the floor, quickly caught by the chains -- which also grabbed NFIF Raphael -- and carried them away to the others who watched in utter shock as the child landed on the ground and summoned his mystic nunchucks.

"Well, well, well... look who finally woke up."

Mikey's eyes were wide and glowed burning gold. He said nothing, his face empty, devoid of expression. Mikey was not at home anymore, he was controlled by his ninpo. He simply tilted his head in response to Audrey III's eggings.

"I wonder... you tried to save Donatello from my clutches earlier. Did you know then that your efforts would be in vain? Did you know that in your absence, you'd leave your brothers and sisters to face me alone?"

The two circled around one another, preparing to duel it out.

"I sensed your connection; you'd discovered the truth, hadn't you? You'd discovered this pathetic boy's treachery, how he'd joined my cause."

Mikey's face never faltered. His knuckles tightened around as his weapon.

"I suppose 'joined' was the wrong word to use. He really was weak and pathetic, you know. It was almost too easy to leech my way into his mind. I highly doubt his consciousness could have survived from my invasion. I do hope you said your goodbyes."

Michelangelo charged.

Donnie/Audrey III swirled the staff in front of himself, deflecting the impacts of the little child as he battled the fungus infected version of his brother.

Mikey's movements were graceful, practically a performance as he flowed back and forth, throwing his chains at the purple ninja turtle, whose movements in contrast were fierce and sharp and violent and purely angry.

"Did... did you know he could do that?" 'Phael asked shakily, turning to look at Leo.

Leo simply stared in silence, mouth agape with awe and shock of his baby brother.

"Leo, did you know he could do this??"

"I... I-I mean... sort of... I knew he could do magic... but not like this..."

Michelangelo danced around Donatello, waving his arms and creating ribbons of golden light as he filled the room with light.

Wait a minute, light...

"The light... the light!" NFIF Raphael shouted suddenly. "The light! It's how we defeated the spores the first time, using mystic light! It disintegrates them!"

"How poetic, the light drives away the fear," DvD muttered, still rubbing his neck from the constraining grip of the vines.

"If we can get the door open, we can flood the room with his light and free them all!"

"Okay, solid plan, great effort from everybody, just one slight hitch -- HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET AROUND THE MYSTIC BATTLE WHERE OUR BROTHERS ARE TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER?!" Leo yelled.

"Raph's still comin' up with the plan!! Cut me some slack!"

"I can try to poof you guys to the door," April offered. "It won't be completely accurate, but I can get you close."

"That'll have to do," Raph nodded. "And whatever you do, avoid the hand and the spores!"

April grabbed hold of NFIF Raphael, squeezed her eyes shut, and then - poof! - landed the two right in the middle of the fight.

"AAGH! Sorry, sorry!" she screamed, ducking under Mikey's advance against Donnie, as Raph created an enormous ninpo arm and shielded the two of them from Dee's barrage of ninpo torpedoes.

"Get to the door!" Raph screamed, taking her by the hand and pulling her away as he created two more clones to help in the fight.

Mikey danced and ducked under the glowing purple missiles shot at him. He gripped his nunchuck tightly, whipped it towards one of the Raph clones. It wrapped around his arm, igniting in flames, then swung over Mikey's head like a lasso. He flung the fiery clone at Donnie, who just barely managed to dodge the flaming brother, which created a crater in the ground before him. The second clone came and tried to keep him from firing anymore missiles at UIFY Mikey.

"I'm surprised at you," Donnie huffed, trying to keep up with the two attackers. "Why would you want to fight against me? We're brothers!"

"We don't want to fight you," one clone growled. "But you're not in your right mind, so we'll have to do what we can."

"I'm sure you will," Donnie snarled, changing his bō staff into a spear and skewered the clone straight through. It disintegrated into red blocks and pixels. He turned to the second clone, creating the oh-so-famed drill, and firing at the poor duplicate.

Meanwhile, Raphael and April had made it to the door, April gripping the handle as she waited for Raphael's orders.

"Get ready," she panted, out of breath from dodging both sides of the attack. "Once this door opens, a flood of blue is gonna come out."

"I'll get you out, don't worry," Raph said with a nod.

"It's not me I'm worried about. Donnie said the Hamatos are full of senseless martyrs."

"He's... not wrong. But I promise that I won't sacrifice myself."

April nodded, hoping that he would keep that promise.

"Okay, then."

April threw the door open. As soon as she did, a torrent of blue smoke fumed out, engulfing both April and Raphael. April kept her eyes closed, waiting for the nightmares to start. But they never did. She opened her eyes and saw the world from inside a red glowing giant. Raph held onto her, arms spread around her in a safety hold, his hologram form shielding them from the spores.

Donnie/Audrey III felt a pain in the back of his mind. They turned and saw that the spores were leaking out of the room. Okay, now they were getting irritated.

"Why, you little...!"

In this moment of distraction, Michelangelo's chains wrapped around the softshell's waist and pulled him in. Mikey reached out and grabbed him by his neck, holding him just mere inches away from his expressionless face, eyes still burning like melted gold, no irises nor pupils. Donnie's wide, icy blue-tinted eyes contrasted them sickeningly. Donnie smiled.

"Go ahead," he said, voice smooth and calm. "Kill me."

Mikey blinked at him, but that was all. Audrey III continued.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it? This ridiculous show of power, the fight? You were planning on finishing the job, weren't you?"

Mikey's fingers squeezed softly. A threat.

"What, are you afraid? Why? Shouldn't it be easy? Are you even in control of yourself? Why would you be afraid to squeeze the life out of someone who looks just like your brother, could actually be your brother?"

Mikey's hand let go, his arms shaking. A soft golden glow started to seep through the bandages.

"Ah, and it looks like you may be out of time."

Michelangelo looked down. Golden ichor dripped off of his fingertips. He pulled the bandages off, revealing the scars on his arms, which were glowing white hot, tiny cracks forming from their edges and shimmering, glittery ichor was bleeding from the reopened wounds. The price to pay for his powers.

Some Mikeys cracked.

He didn't.

Not again... n-not again...

Donatello/Audrey III dusted himself off as he watched Michelangelo slowly come to. With his ninpo overdrive giving way, his mind leisurely crept back into place; the golden glazed over his eyes melting as his irises came into focus and his pupils dilated. The ichor dripping down his forearms began turning a deep red, the glowing scars on his arms becoming irritated open wounds.

No, no! Mikey couldn't give up just yet, not when his family still needed him! But... he knew he'd used up almost all his precious energy... he... h-he... Mikey's breathing slowed, raggedy respiration as his hands shook and his knees wobbled beneath him. The room started to spin as black spots entered his vision. He managed to catch a glimpse of Donatello, swinging his staff with great force and slamming it into Mikey's chest with a hideous cracking sound.

Mikey was flung back several feet, dizzy and dazed and all the air knocked out of him. He vaguely registered multiple voices calling his name...

April screamed, NFIF Raphael screaming with her. April's teleportation powers activated without her realizing it, and she suddenly found herself by MIkey's side. Weak as he was, he had curled up into himself, clutching his stomach in pain and trying to catch his breath as he writhed on the floor. His brothers were also by her side in an instant, each one fretting over his injuries.

April looked up to see Donnie/Audrey III standing over them, the hand perched on his shoulder like a vulture.

Dee held out the severed arm, and gave it to the creature.

"Be whole again, dear disciple," he said with a smile, as the hand reattached itself to the limb, a flash of light combining the two together once again.

"That's gross," Leo grimaced. "Hey, DvD, you're a science experiment, can you do that?"

"No, but I can."

All eyes looked behind Donatello/Audrey III.

A black substance expanded and took form -- an adult version of Donatello, devoid of any colour whatsoever.

April cheered, whooping at his arrival. 'Phael screamed at a pitch that only dogs could hear. He was still convinced that these "Void Brothers" were the ones who'd sent him the ominous sticky note near the beginning of this entire adventure in the competition.

"So," Donnie/Audrey III said with a growl. "It looks like we have some more players in the game."

"Think you can keep up?" Signal asked, his form morphing into one of pure black, multiple arms expanding from his abdomen and several extra sets of teeth growing in his ever-widening mouth.

"The more the merrier," Donatello/Audrey III chuckled, letting the Hand.PNG crawl into his palm. "You know what to do," he whispered to it.

The hand instantly vanished, reappearing by the doorway behind Raphael, and scurrying into the room. A second later, blue chains shot out, slicing through Raphael's hologram.

"That's not good," he mumbled, forcing the hand to reach into the gargantuan stomach, pull him out, and fling him towards the others before the spores could seep through all the way.

Two figures emerged from the doorway, their movements somewhat sluggish. There were tiny mushrooms protruding from their skin. Their eyes glowed a neon blue, and their ninpo matched the shade.

Karai and Mikey.

"No..." Leo whispered, staring in horror. "Karai... what happened to her...?"

"Oh, Mikey," Raph whimpered. "Oh no, big man..."

"He's not gonna make us fight them, is he?" April asked nervously.

The two warriors charged.

"Yep. He is. He most definitely is. Shoulda seen this one coming, honestly. That's on me."

"Get outta here," Raphael ordered. "Me and... uh, these guys -" he said, gesturing to the four colourless adults that had already started combating against the swayed relatives, "- will keep them from following you."

"I thought you said you weren't gonna sacrifice yourself!" April yelled angrily.

"I know, and Raph is gonna keep his promise. But your little brother is hurt, he needs help now! I'm not gonna just hand myself over, I'm your cover. Now get going!"

April wanted to argue about it more, but before she could, she was taken by the wrist and pulled away. Waves was tugging her -- as well as the others -- off to a small clearing.

"Where do we go?!" 'Phael yelled, concerned that they had no real escape plan...

"Misa helps!" came a familiar voice. A sword slashed through the open air, and a bright portal opened in front of them...

...Donatello/Audrey III commanded a cloud of spores, hurtling them towards Radio.

"What are you, some kinda Avatar: the Last Airbender wannabe?" he joked as he dodged the cloud.

"I wonder why you would stand against me. Do we not fight for the same cause? Survival? We feed off of others, we only want to exist on our own terms... can you not see our similarities?"

"Nah, not really," Radio said, slamming his fist into the ground, only missing Donnie by half an inch.

"Such a shame. Then I suppose you must die."

"Happy to return the favour--"

"You can't hurt them!" Raphael shouted as he joined the fray.

"Whaddya mean, we can't? They're trying to hurt us!" Static shouted angrily, popping in and out of random spots, infuriating the heck out of mushroomed Mikey.

"They're not in control of their bodies, they're zombies! We hafta find a way to un-zombify them!"

"Well, no offense, but I don't think they share your mindset of 'no hurting the opponents'," Static sighed. "Besides, you're gonna have a hard time getting Signal to change his mind."

"Well, I'm gonna have to, those are my brothers and un-dead gram-gram from another dimension-- wait, where's Leo?!"

Raph looked around the corridor anxiously for the third zombie. He wasn't anywhere to be seen.

He must still be in the room. Raph darted among the others, rushing towards the dark room. There was still a huge cloud of blue smoke that surrounded the doorway, Raph couldn't go in without being infected. But he could see inside.

There was Leo, sitting up against the wall -- oh god.

Leo's body was half-engulfed in the biggest, scariest mushroom Raphael had ever seen. It's giant eye zeroed in on Raph. It... it looked too much like... his fingers traced over his own injured eye nervously. Why did it look so similar? Donnie had theorized that the fungus might've been kraang-related, but...

Leo. Focus on Leo.

He was there, being absorbed into the mushroom. He looked so pale and thin, like he was wasting away. Raph had to save him somehow, but --

"Enjoying the view?" Donnie/Audrey III asked, whacking Raph over the head with his staff as hard as he could. Raphael crumbled to the ground, clutching his skull and groaning in pain. Yeah, that was going to leave a mark... and a pretty nasty concussion, too...

While Raph was stunned on the floor, Donnie/Audrey III noticed the portal that had allowed for the Until I Found You group's escape. It was still open.

The hand appeared at Donnie/Audrey III's feet.

"This form has served its purpose," he said flatly. "I have what I need for now... But I require you to follow after them. Bring me back the scientist, I believe that he may be of some use to me. And even if not, he can't be left with them. He's too smart, he'll find some way to weaken me... I cannot leave it to chance. Bring him to me."

The Hand.PNG "nodded" at his master, then jumped away towards the portal.

Raphael struggled to keep his vision straight. He felt something wrap around his chest, tugging him backwards. He saw the Void Brothers driving the two zombified Hamatos back to the room... in Raphael's direction... the room...

Raph's head pounded louder than a drum. The ringing in his ears wouldn't stop. He knew April would have his head for giving in so easily... maybe she'd understand given the circumstances. He could barely hold his head up after that last hit... Donnie was a lot stronger than he looked.......

At least... he would be sleeping soon. At least he would be in good company. All the Hamato martyrs, together again. At least he was with Gram-Gram again.

At least he'd be with Leo, soon...

The door closed.

Leon recalled the feeling of portalling.

It was kind of like falling. Accidentally skipping a step down the stairs. An acidic scent that slightly burned the nostrils, a popping in the ears as you go from one altitude to the other in an instant and a half.

Leo hadn't done a lot of portalling, but he'd had his fair share of experiences with the activity. But he still wasn't used to the feeling yet. He stumbled through the bright blue splotch of light and tripped on his way out, finding himself in a brand new corridor. The others followed soon after, clambering out one by one and almost stepping on top of each other.

"Where... where are we?"

"Who cares! We have to go back!" April shouted. "Raph still needs us!"

"What exactly are we supposed to do? Go in, guns blazing? With what guns??" Leo yelled anxiously, waving his arms around to gesture to the obvious lack of firearms.

"P-Prilly's right, w-we haf-hafta... go... back..."

Mikey whined loudly, trying to push himself away from Donnie. The effort hurt his injured arms, which were still bleeding profusely.

"Micheal, hold still--"

"N-no, they need us, Donnie... th-they need us... they need..."

Mikey slipped out of his grip and fell to his knees, shakily trying to get back up.

"Michael, you're in no condition to be going into a battle like that!"

"Mikey all red," Misa whimpered. "Mikey's not s'posed to be so red..."

"No, he's not," Leo growled. "Dude, just sit this one out --"

"No!" Mikey sobbed. "I can't sit back and watch as the people I love and care about get hurt!"

"WHY DO YOU THINK WE WANT YOU TO STAY PUT?!" Leo shouted angrily. "I am NOT having you get hurt like that again! Donnie, take Mikey and go find him some first aid," Leo ordered.

Donnie nodded, picking up the angry box turtle and carrying him into a side hall that lead to one of the many lounge areas. "Raph, April and I will come up with a plan."

"What Misa do?" the littlest turtle mutant asked.

"...You have a very important job to do," Leo announced. "You got those ghosty guys to come and help fight... We're gonna need all the help we can get. Misa, you're the recruiter. Go find as many people as you can and get them to come. Tell them how important it is, okay? This is a big responsibility."

Misa's face lit up.

Lee-Lee trusted her! He knew she was responsible! Misa saluted him with a determined smile and nodded.

"Misa get all the families! Everybody comes!"

"Exactly, Misa. Everybody comes."

"So what, we're just gonna pull an Avengers Endgame on the shrooms? We need more of a strategy than that!" April groaned.

"What the heck is an Avengers Endgame?" Leo asked.

"It's a human reference for a movie. Basically it just means that everybody bands together against the bad guy for an epic finale," 'Phael explained.

"Then why not say that? It makes much more sense than 'Avengers Endgame' -- and how did you know what that meant??"

"I do live with humans, in a human hotel, y'know," 'Phael said, rolling his eyes. "I've seen human movies."

"Okay, well, the majority of our family has not, so maybe--"

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?!" April exclaimed loudly.

"Hand?" Misa asked, eyeing something behind them.

"She means the important stuff," Leo explained.

"Hand!" she yelled.

"Yes, yes, we're trying to get back to the matter at--"

"No, hand!" Misa pointed.

The group turned around to see the blurry trail of a small appendage rushing into the hall after DvD and Mikey.

"I don't just want to sit a-a-and do nothing," Mikey pouted, still shaking in DvD's arms.

"I understand that, you know I do," DvD sighed. "And you also know why I am requiring you to rest. You recall what happened the last time--"

"I know, I know, don't remind me. I was bedridden for days..."

"And yet you wonder why we won't let you go fighting."

Mikey grumbled and turned away from DvD. He was so mad, he could spit venom. He knew they were right, of course they were right. But that didn't make it any easier; in fact it made it worse. Because Mikey knew he was right, too! At least, half-right. He knew that they should go back and help. But he knew he couldn't do much, not with all his energy spent and his arms in the state they were now. They stung like mad, he could barely move them. Donnie had removed what was left of the bandages, doing his best not to gag at the sight and keeping his hands as still as possible, despite his aversion to the blood.

Mikey shouldn't feel guilty for this, right?

It wasn't his fault, right? It was just... how his mystic powers were. He couldn't help the way his body worked, just as much as he couldn't help when his hypoglycemia acted up. It wasn't his fault that he was the way he was... it wasn't a bad thing, right? Being Mikey? Being sensitive to others and sensitive to himself, having some few medical issues and mystic setbacks... that wasn't necessarily a terrible thing, right? Right...?

Mikey turned away so DvD couldn't see him crying. He didn't want him to think he was any more immature or any weaker than he undoubtedly did already. Than they all did. Leo had been taking care of him and his ailments since he was a baby. And Raph was holding on to that one special secret of his... and Donnie had cleaned up the blood and gone to get some more gauze and anti-bacterial supplies for Mikey's wounds. Mikey sighed and wished he wasn't so pathetic. He wished he was stronger, smarter, better. Anyone but himself. The only thing he was good for was his stupid useless mystic powers, and they always did more harm than good, especially self-harm. Mikey hated them. He hated himself--

NO, no, don't think like that! That wasn't kind, that wasn't fair! Mikey didn't actually hate himself at all, he was just mad. He needed to let it go. He needed to sit back and breathe...

Mikey leaned back, exhaled slowly, inhaled deeply.

And he saw it.

Crawling like a cockroach on the wall and up the ceiling.

With something blue in its grip.

"DEE, LOOK OUT!!"

The Hand.PNG shot the spores at Donatello Von Draxum.

Mikey jumped.

He had no time to do anything else.

He had no energy to summon mystic chains or make a spell or do anything clever like that.

He just jumped. Dove, really. Dove straight for his brother, in a desperate attempt to push him out of the way, move him aside, get him to safety!

The spores hit him.

"MIKEY?! MIKEY!!!"

Donnie grabbed his brother, holding him close, ignoring the hand as it disappeared into the shadows to watch the scene play out...

"Mikey, look at me, focus on me, okay? You can get through this, alright!? Just concentrate on my voice..."

Mikey nodded furiously, trying to listen to DvD. But there was a ringing starting, his head felt light and dizzy, the room began to spin and get darker. DvD was fading from vision...

NO! Stay, with me, Donnie, please! Donnie?! DONNIE!!

Donnie started shouting, someone was taking him away! Mikey tried to get up, go after him -- his leg caught on something. His arms, too! He looked down and saw titanium shackles, imprisoning him to a cold metal table.

A light shone in his vision. He squinted at the blinding brightness, wishing he could have a hand free to guard his eyes. Something stood in front of the light, casting a shadow over him.

"Well, well, well... if this isn't a surprise? Back again for more, are we?"

Mikey couldn't breathe.

It... it was him. It was him.

Baron Draxum.

"No... no... no --"

"I think we need to run a few more tests on our little friend here, don't you, Donatello?"

Draxum stepped aside and showed Mikey a view of DvD, chained by the wrists and gagged at the mouth. He was screaming at Mikey, trying to warn him, pleading with him to get out of here!

Mikey screamed back at him, begging wordlessly for Draxum to let him go, please, please!!

Instead, Draxum had one of his vines whip across the room and beat his son across the face. Mikey screamed, sobbing and wailing.

"STOP! NO!"

"He always was such a pathetic disappointment." Draxum turned to the other imprisoned turtle. "Perhaps you will show some promise."

No... n-no, this wasn't how it happened! Donnie w-wasn't -- he was never -- a-and Mikey wasn't awake for any of it, he was asleep for the entire thing! He shouldn't be awake now, he shouldn't be, he shouldn't -- H-he... no, no, no, no no no no nonononononononono!!

Draxum came forward with a needle and scalpel.

"Let's begin."

DvD couldn't stop crying, he just couldn't keep the tears from coming. Mikey was sitting on the floor, screeching his poor little head off, eyes wider than saucers and filled to the brim with fear. He couldn't move much, apart from shaking nonstop. He looked like he was constantly trying to wriggle away from something, but for some odd reason his wrists and ankles were invisibly anchored to the floor. Mikey's limbs twitched as he squirmed and struggled, screaming and begging for whatever he was witnessing to stop, please, please please please stop--

"WHERE IS IT, WHERE THE HECK IS THAT HAND, WHO'S SCREAMING, WHAT'S HAPPENING--?!"

Leon and the others rushed into the room, quickly inspecting the situation and coming upon the obvious conclusion.

"April, take Misa outside..." Leo said after inspecting the scene.

"Misa want to stay with Mikey--!" the little girl protested, but April quickly scooped her up and carried her off.

Leon and 'Phael immediately dropped to Mikey's side, Leo taking the box turtle's hand in his and trying to get him to wake up.

"Dee... fear spores, right?"

"...Yeah..."

"The hand."

"Yes."

"What... what is he seeing?" 'Phael asked nervously, eyes watering at the sight of his baby brother in so much pain.

"I... there's only one thing that could scare him this bad..."

"Draxum?" Leo whimpered.

DvD nodded.

"But... h-he doesn't remember anything from that, you said he was under heavy sedatives for the entire time!"

"He was! Draxum kept him under constant anesthetics -- perhaps his mind is creating an idea of what he thinks happened?"

Raphael started fidgeting with his hands.

"U-um... actually..."

The two boys looked up at him.

"'Phael? What... what is it?"

"...He told me not to tell ya..."

"Tell us what?" Leo questioned.

"H-he made me promise--"

"Raph," DvD said, his voice begging him in ways that words could not. "Please."

"He... he does remember. He does remember what happened in the labs."

Donnie and Leo stared. Mikey continued to sob and scream.

"...What... how... how could he know that... and how do you know that he knows?!" Leo asked, voice raising with each word.

"And why wouldn't he tell us?!" DvD asked in disbelief.

Raph swallowed nervously, a sweat breaking out across the worry lines on his brow.

"He... it started sometime after Karai arrived. H-he thought that m-might do with the mystic training she did with him -- but he started having... nightmares..."

"Nightmares?"

"He said he started dreaming memories about it. It was an out-of-body sorta thing, he said. Like he was watching from the outside... He could never get away from the visions, he said -- but every night, he saw a new one."

"And he... came to you about it? Why not ME?!" Leo yelled, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Or Donnie?! Why not tell us?! We're ALL his brothers!!"

"He told me... he said he didn't wanna burden you."

"...Burden?" Donnie whimpered. "...How?"

Raphael looked back and forth between them all. His eyes fell on Leon.

"...He told me he didn't want you to feel... responsible for another thing," Raph mumbled. "He said he felt bad enough about everything he's made you worry over already, he didn't want you to..."

"...He didn't want me to know...? Because... he felt guilty?" Leo wept, tears pooling and spilling from his eyes. "That... I don't... he shouldn't have felt that way, why did he..."

Leo's eyes glossed over, he squeezed them shut, clutching Mikey's tiny fist and pressing it against his chest.

"How could I make him feel like that...?" he wept. "I never meant... I never knew..."

"But... why not tell me? I could have helped," Donnie said in-between uneven breaths. "I already knew what had happened!"

"That's... actually why he didn't come to you, Don," 'Phael explained. "He s-said, he said he didn't want to hurt you. He saw how much you were struggling and wanted to wait until you were... doing better about the whole ordeal. To be honest, I agreed with him on that mark."

"But why did he tell you?" Leo asked. "Why only you, and not us?"

"I s'pose... because he knew that I knew what it was like to be afraid all the time," 'Phael sobbed. "He knew that I wouldn't judge him for his fears. He couldn't sleep at night anymore, he needed someone to stay with him and help him through his fits... But I told him! I told him to tell you both! I told him you should know!" he cried, whimpering nervously as he wrung his hands and rocked back and forth.

"Raph! Raph, it's okay..." Leo tried to reassure him. "I mean... it's not completely okay... I wish he'd told me, but... that doesn't matter now."

Leo held Raphael close.

"We just... we need to be here for him now... How much does he know?"

"...Everything."

"...This isn't going to be easy for him," Donnie exhaled.

"Or us," Leon added.

The trio gathered close to Michelangelo, each laying their hands on him, a sign that they were there and they were offering comfort in the only way they could.

Mikey kept screaming, he couldn't stop screaming. No matter what his brothers tried, they couldn't snap him out of whatever horrors he was experiencing. They just kneeled beside him, holding his hands and hoping their support made some leeway.

But Mikey just kept screaming, shrieking, crying, weeping, wailing, sobbing. He howled until his throat ran dry and his voiced cracked and went hoarse. He wept until his eyes were red and irritated and his cheeks were stained with saltwater and starting to chafe and the area around his eyes went puffy and soft. And on he went. For what seemed like hours, days, years, centuries even -- but was probably only 15 minutes. Mikey was stuck in a loop of fits and fear.

And then finally, he slowed. His breathing calmed, his sobs turning to hiccups and suck-ups and hyperventilation, as his eyes darted around, looking for something familiar.

"Is... is it over?" Leo asked, internally begging for it to be so.

Donatello was heaving along with Mikey, his cheeks also stained with tears.

"I... I think--"

"D-Donnie?" Mikey whispered shakily.

"Mikey? I'm right here, I'm --"

"No... no, not Donnie, please, I--"

"Is, is he --?"

"He's not done with the hallucination yet," Donnie realised. "It's about to get so much worse."

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Mikey screamed, bolting forwards. His legs tangled underneath him, causing him to trip over himself. His arms were strained behind him, his ankles struggling against the ground, as if something was still holding him back.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HIM, WHAT IS HE SEEING DON?!" Leo screamed.

"Me," Donnie whimpered, holding back desperate sobs. "He's seeing what Draxum did to me. On the last day. When we fought...."

Mikey shrieked in agony, his eyes somehow producing twice as many tears as they had before in this one moment, pouring out for his brother's sake.

Mikey's screams were cut short, he gasped in horror. They all could assume what he'd seen. Draxum had killed Donnie in his hallucinations. Mikey went horribly pale. His eyes widened.

"No... no... no, no, no, get away get--!"

Mikey jerked suddenly. His body seized up, his eyes went wide, and then --

He fell backwards.

Back into the hold of his brothers, who caught him almost immediately.

"MIKEY!!"

Mikey didn't hear them, he simply lay in their arms.

Mikey stopped shaking. His limbs had gone slack. His body went limp. His eyes went somewhere far away from them all.

Mikey exhaled.

And he didn't inhale.

"...Mikey...?"

He didn't respond.

"What... what just happened?" Raph asked nervously.

"He didn't... he didn't just..." Leo begged, slowly placing his fingers against his neck. He paused. He tried the wrist next. He couldn't find any pulse.

"He didn't just leave us, did he?"

"...Michael...?"

Leo pounded his fist against the ground.

He wasn't going to give up his baby brother.

Leo placed his hands across Mikey's chest, applied pressure.

1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3, 4.

"Come on, Mikey, come on...!"

1, 2, 3 ,4.

1, 2, 3, 4.

"Come ON, Mikey, COME ON! I'm not letting you go!"

DvD was crying, holding himself tight as tears soaked into his shirt and vest.

"Leo, stop... Leo, he... he..."

"Leon, mate, please, he--" 'Phael reached for him, attempting to comfort.

"COME ON!" Leo shouted, refusing to give up.

1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3--

"WAKE UP!!" he sobbed.

Mikey gasped for air.

His eyes blinked wildly as he bolted upright, limbs flailing about in a mad panic. Three bodies pounced upon him, wrapping themselves around him and sobbing into him. Mikey said nothing. He simply looked around in confusion, getting his bearings and perfividly coming back to reality. He listened, but couldn't hear them. Everything was numb and strange, every sound and image baffled him. All he knew was he hadn't been here anymore. But he was here again, now. Here with his brothers.

... I did not intend for this ...

Yes, I intended to send the spores.

And yes, I intended to have them sent after Donatello.

I even intended for them to miss him entirely, for Michelangelo to rush in his place and take the hit for him.

But I never intended this.

Michelangelo was meant to see a different fear entirely.

Michelangelo is afraid of being the frailest, the smallest, the weakest of the brood. Dear little Mikey is afraid that he has nothing of importance to offer. He is always relying on the others to help him, to save him. He has nothing to offer them in return. Mikey tries to do what he can, but deep down he is afraid that one of these days, his brothers will discover that HE needs THEM far more than they could ever need him.

Truly, THAT was what he was meant to see. I had no idea he would see... all that.

They told me no one would get hurt. They told me no one would die. They promised me. And they lied.

It was a good game while it lasted. But I'm not having fun with it anymore.

No one was meant to be hurt like this.

No one was meant to die.

I suppose this means I'll have to do what I can to fix things, now.

"L-Leo," croaked Mikey, who slowly raised his hand and pointed a trembling finger. "Hand…"

“What... what are you saying, Mike?"

“Hand,” Mikey clarified, stressing his wobbly finger as he gestured behind them.

The boys followed Mikey's direction.

The Hand.PNG was crawling towards them.

"G-Get it away from Mikey!" Leo screamed, kicking his feet in the creature's direction.

"Don't let it come any closer!"

"WHERE'S MY TECH-BŌ?!"

"Please, if you could simply pause for a moment, I'd like to make you an offer."

Everything stopped.

Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey froze, jaws dropping to the floor as they heard the hand speak at them.

"You... y-you can talk?" Mikey's voice came out grated and raspy.

"Yes."

"What... why are you just deciding to speak now?" Raphael asked.

"And why have you been tormenting us all?!" Donnie bellowed, gripping his tech-bō tightly as possible.

"And what did you mean, you wanted to make an offer?" Leon interrupted. "An offer for what?"

"I was wondering if I could offer you my services. How would you like to rescue your family and destroy the fear fungus?”

[12leafclover]

OOOKAY hi @where-does-the-heart-lie this is @shoplifting, glad u like my url 'cause i like your art. posting this here cause my bestie and mutual just started OP so no way am i letting her see that.

Instead of the autism that makes you good at tech or the autism that gives you encyclopedic knowledge of a tv show, I got the one that makes me really interested in playing cards.

Originally in France, the 12 face cards that we have today each represented a person, typically a mythological or historical figure. The Queen of Hearts was Judith from the Bible- the young woman who slayed the invading General Holofernes in order to save her people, which is depicted in the most badass gruesome painting ever by Artemisia Gentileschi. The Jack of Clubs was Sir Lancelot- yes, that one; out of all of King Arthur's best and most trusted men, he was number 1, second only to the king in many respects.

Both roles of these figures matched Sabo incredibly, so I tried to create both cards in one image, taking the color balances from both and attempting the line style of standard face cards. This went through.. a lot of versions, and idk if I'm happy with it, especially with my difficulty drawing limbs, and it's hard to make one eye pop with these five colors, but damn if it doesn't look cool.

Edit 3/3: "If I don't finish, I'll just submit this" version below the cut, looks better but I like it less

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by the hotness of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black*

inspired by a hilarious thread in @thethreebroomsticksficfest feat. @saintsenara and @artemisia-black

Walburga Black: Tom Riddle tried to ask her out but she turned her nose up at him. (asenora/saintsenara's idea!); Kreacher and his most beloved mistress

Orion Black: DILF. Harry to Sirius: did you look like your dad? Sirius: yeah, why. Harry: no reason. (artemisia!); Kreacher the trouser-snogger

Sirius Black: James Potter bromance, Harry 'he's handsome in everything' Potter

Regulus Black: Harry 'he's not as handsome as Sirius' Potter, Kreacher

Bellatrix Black: Lord 'if I had to have a baby with anyone' Voldemort and Harry 'look at all that panting and heavy breathing as I walk to my death' Potter

Andromeda Black: Ted 'runs away with the girl' Tonks

Narcissa Black: Lucius Malfoy, Harry 'her hands were soft that one time' Potter

Draco Malfoy: Pansy Parksinson, Kreacher

Nymphadora Tonks: Remus 'I didn't want to join this club' Lupin

*you may be entitled to compensation death

[banefolk]

Mab’s Drawlloween Club Day 5: Haunted

“Ghost Medicine”

Artemisias were/are utilized by Native Americans to ward off ghosts and prevent spirit attachment and hauntings. The fragrant fresh herbs were rubbed on the body or the plant was worn for protection (source: Native American Ethnobotany Database).

In western magic, wormwood (artemisia absinthium) is uncannily used for similar purposes. Artemisias can be added to charms, sachets, baths, incense blends or magical oils.

[evesaintyves]

snippet tag game

thanks for the tag @turanga4

ugh i have 8,000 words of this thing written - bits and pieces of it have been sitting in my notes app since like summer of 2022 - and i think i'm gonna start over. vibes are just off. working title is Cupid & Psyche '95. it's about Tonks.

Tonks told her maybe, and thought she probably wouldn't go. Her clubbing days were behind her. She'd puked on the Knight Bus enough. Besides, it had always struck her as a stupid kind of game, like a bunch of toffs shooting pheasant on some fenced-in grounds. Sometimes it was annoyingly like she'd volunteered to be one of the pheasants. But in the end she pulled on a skirt that showed the cleavage of her arsecheeks and apparated herself down to Oxford Street, where a taxi immediately splashed her with mud. Fleur towed her by the hand through the candlelight and garlic of a tapas place, through a steel door in the back, and down a stairway which jittered with bass. The bouncer looked the two of them down, then up, unclipped the plush rope, and swept them into the shafts of coloured light with a hand at the small of Tonks's back—wanker. And the blokes in there were just okay—muggle bankers in crisp shirts that glowed, ridiculous, under the lights. Tonks got legless for free, got kissed on the dance floor. Fleur didn't so much dance as glide, and whip her hair about dangerously, like a prehensile appendage. She had an enviable way of seamlessly sliding out of reach whenever someone tried to touch her. In the sweltering loo, they stood together at the mirror, ignoring the sniffing-coughing from the stall behind. Fleur watched with plain fascination as Tonks darkened her lips to stand out in the halflight and matted the shine on her forehead without ever touching her face. Tonks winked at her reflection, and Fleur arched a single perfect brow. She couldn't resist: She threw an arm around her friend's milky shoulders, looked herself in the face, and changed herself to a platinum-hair, icy-eye, high-cheekbone copy of Fleur. Fleur's mouth dropped open, just a little. Not in surprise. She gazed at herself, then at her other self, and with an inevitability like magnets snapping they turned their faces and fell into a kiss. Vodka-tonic coolness and the push of tongues. Tonks felt brave, wove her fingers into Fleur's silk hair, and Fleur let it happen. It felt like she'd won a prize. Girls walked in, gasped, burst out laughing. Fleur kissed like she was daydreaming: with relish, with ease.

sorry if you've been tagged before @ashesandhackles @pocket-lilacs @kay-elle-cee @artemisia-black @alohaemora @whinlatter @thecat-isblogging-blog

[themisimagines]

what the painting saw

1/? of making my way through the nosebleed club july prompts tw: blood characters: vyn, reader

"I wonder what would be the last straw for you, to decide to cut my head off. " Vyn says dryly.

"Well, if you decided to take my city by force, I would perhaps have no choice but to cut your head off," you reply playfully. "Of course, I would regret it."

You are both standing in front of Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, part of the museum's latest exhibition on eroticism and violence. You were surprised when Dr. Richter first suggested that you attend it together, but secretly, you've always felt there was a darker tone behind the doctor's crisp, buttoned up shirts.

And there is something captivating about the violence of the painting, which transfixes Vyn, his eyes glinting behind his glasses as he takes in the spurts of gore, the tight-fisted grip Judith has on Holofernes' scalp. He is impeccably dressed again, silk tie with an emerald paisley pattern and gold embroidery catching the light. He sees you watching him, and smiles curiously.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asks, touching it self consciously. You shake your head and turn away, on to the next painting, another Gentileschi, Lucretia.

The very picture of a determined woman ready to reclaim her honour in death, you feel strongly for Lucretia, watching her anguished face. Your own hand rises to your chest in sympathy.

"I think you wouldn't resort to death in the face of dishonour," Vyn comments after stepping closer to look at the description of the piece. "You would somehow find a way to fight your way out of the whole thing, tooth and claw."

"Is that how you see me?" You smile. "The victim? And what about you, Dr. Richter? Are you my Iago or Othello? "

He seems taken aback that you would compare him to these flawed characters, but cocks his head to one side to consider the question. "While the right answer is, of course, Othello. But... I confess, I see something in the mischief of Iago. Always in the shadows, manipulating the scene like a puppet master."

People around you jostle for a better look at the painting, the museum has become rather crowded. Vyn is forced to step closer to you, until the distance between your hands is electric.

Seized by a bout of daring, you close the gap, and reel him in sharply by the tie, a sharp tug that catches him off balance, and he stumbles, looking at you, flustered, pupils dilated in surprise. He holds your gaze, uncaring if anyone else has noticed your altercation.

You smile sweetly. "I've always had a soft spot for my Machiavellian heroes."

You let go of his tie and he straightens reluctantly, eyes dark and hungry. You turn and move on to the next painting.

[morgana-ren]

Are there any songs you associate with your ocs?Like, something that fits them?

Oh yeah, we both have a small list. Sea shanties work for any one of them, so I haven't put many of those on here. Obviously there's many more than this, but these are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. Some of them are very circumstantial in a 'you had to be there' kind of way, but a lot of them are vague as well. Yeah, some of them are the stereotypical ones you see on lists like this, but hey, I've been hanging around for too long not to have some of those.

Here's a small list of my songs for each idiot:

Corvus

Mare of my Night - Týr

Bloodstains on the captain's log - Carach Angren

Pretty when you cry - Vast

I'm your nightmare - The Brains

Sweeter than wine - The Brains

Sweet Things - The Pretty Reckless

Novelty Crosses - The Black Dahlia Murder

Whisper - Burn the Ballroom

In this world or the one below - Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

Mother Russia/Dominion - Sisters of Mercy

Pain - Boy Harsher

The Bondage Song (Unchained Mix) - London After Midnight (Slight flash warning)

Love you to death - London After Midnight

Keelhauled - Alestorm

Lorely - Blackmore's Night

One winged angel - Aurora Australis Music

Smells Blood - Kensuke Ushio

Fear and Delight - The Correspondents

The scorpion and the frog - Marc Senter

Cry little sister - The Anix

Scream - Avenged Sevenfold

Luci - Zand

He's a pirate - Falkkone

Ilya

Lingering in an imprint haunting - Carach Angren

Katyusha - Megaraptor

Бабушка - ПНЕВМОСЛОН

Yuve Yuve Yu - The Hu

Black Thunder - The Hu

Wolf Totem - The Hu

This is Mongol - The Hu

Kiss - London After Midnight

Lacrymosa - Kalafina

Swan Lake - The Agonist

Where good girls go to die - London After Midnight

Russian Girl - Женя Любич

ПЕСНЬ 1 - БАТЮШКА

Batse tsyku - Бетал Иванов

Грустная Сука - IC3PEAK

Dead but Pretty - IC3SPEAK

Это пройдёт - Pornofilmy

Дядя Володя - Pornofilmy

She's in Parties - Bauhaus

Bind, Torture, Kill - Suicide Commando

Alone again, or - The Damned

History of Artemisia - Junkie XL

I, Caligvla - Ex Deo

Doce Doce - Fred Bongusto

Astarion

The Masochisn Tango - Ringlefinch

Kiss me you animal - Burn the Ballroom

Villainous Thing - Shayfer James

Hades OST... but it's funky - Alex Moukala Music

Bruises and Bitemarks - Good with Grenades

Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six

She dominates - Blitzkid

La Bomba- Lord of the Lost

Hit me like a man - The Pretty Reckless

After Dark - Tito y Tarantula

Jolly Sailor Bold - Ashley Serena

Choke - Royal and the Serpent

Hatefuck - The Bravery

Sex Hat Keine Macht - Oomph!

Tongues and Teeth - The Crane Wives

Lovesong - Snake River Conspiracy

Before I'm Dead - Kidneythieves

Metal Woman - 3 Inches of Blood

I'm Charming - Black Dahlia Murder

White Wedding - Billy Idol

You are a pirate - Alestorm

Bad Voodoo - Kreeps

Dead Girls are Easy - The 69 Eyes

Ex Mortis - Ice Nine Kills

Paradise - Satanicpornocultshop

Fuck Me - Vernon Jane

You belong to me - Cat Pierce

Reaver

Laisse tomber les filles - April March

Sisters - Pain of Salvation

Stand and Deliver - Adam & the Ants

The pain looks good on you - London After Midnight

Esmeralda - Burn the Ballroom

Love me, love me, love me - Kikuo

Who is she - I Monster

Gunslingers Glory - The Dead South

Gett off - Prince

Bloodsport - KMFDM Vs Skold

Gintleman's Club - The Dreadnoughts

Sleep is for the weak - The Dreadnoughts

Stupid Girl - Cold

Platz Eins - LINDEMANN

G Spot Micheal - LINDEMANN

Skin City - Steven Tyler

Violent Pornography - System of a Down

Santiano - The Longest Johns ft. SKALD

Sex - Oomph!

Follow me down - The Pretty Reckless

Amore Fermati - Fred Bongusto

Pervert - The Descendents

Your heart is as black as night - Melody Gardot

Bück Dich - Rammstein

[thebashfulbotanist]

I just came across a plant called Devil's Beggarticks (Bidens frondosa). Since we're in the middle of spooky season, that made me wonder if there are any Halloween-themed plants (other than the pumpkin, of course). Are there?

There are a ton of plants with fun common names that might remind you of Halloween! These aren't traditional Halloween plants, but they are all interesting in their own way. Most flowers, with the exception of witch hazel (not actually named for witches, but for how bendy they are, from the Old English "wice"), aren't blooming by late October in North America.

Below are a few that we came up with. Can you think of any more? Feel free to share in the comments, or reblog with your favorite spooky additions!

Frightful sedge, Carex molestiformis

Witchgrass, Panicum capillare

Phantom orchid, Cephalanthera austiniae

Ghost pipe or ghost plant, Monotropa uniflora

Corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanum

Devil's club, Oplopanax horridus

Devil's walking stick, Aralia spinosa

Zombie palm, Zombia antillarum

Cursed buttercup, Ranunculus scleratus

Death camas, Toxicoscordion venenosum

Lambkill, Kalmia angustifolia

White doll's-eyes or white baneberry, Actaea pachypoda

Northern wolf's-bane, Aconitum lamarckii

Shadow witch orchid, Ponthieva racemosa

Dracula orchid, Dracula vampira

Devil's Dracula orchid, Dracula diabola

Toad rush, Juncus bufonius

Death apple, Hippomane mancinella

Veiny skullcap, Scutellaria nervosa

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

Zigzag spiderwort, Tradescantia subaspera

Common wormwood, Artemisia absinthium

[unlithour]

On Finding Oneself

It seems to me that finding oneself usually requires some sort of journey. I wish more than anything that I could push through the coats of an overstuffed wardrobe and step into Narnia. Fall through the looking glass and embark on a mad adventure.

Or maybe find a wrinkle in time, a way to return and repair my past mistakes; to pass hard earned wisdom on to my younger self. But in truth I'm in my mid thirties and on a budget. So here I am with only a lantern searching in this unlit hour.

Sipping my Blanchard's Dark As Dark blend with the Gallow Dance playing quietly in the background, I sit with the acknowledgment that I will not step through some magic portal. Probably won't even take a trip to Norway to lay in the crisp snow beneath the Aurora Borealis, which would also more than suffice.

I google "how to find yourself" and the results are frankly disappointing. I'm too jaded for positive thinking, too cynical for manifestation, and too cranky for affirmations. I'm reminded of the meditation penguin from Fight Club. *Slide!*

While any sort of grand adventure may be off the table for now, recreating a similar environment to a time in which I was enamored with the world may be a possible step in the right direction. This tiny hope, is in part responsible for my return to Tumblr and to writing. To me they are both relics of 2008, and symbolic of better days.

So I start this low budget quest to rediscover myself by creating a simple list of things I was once inspired by and enjoyed.

Activities:

Hanging out at book shops & cafes

Reading

Writing

Drawing, painting, & mixed media

Listening to new albums

Watching Criterion & Art House films + new movies in general

Playing PS1 games and board games

Visiting galleries, local artist co-ops, & museums

Solo camping

Day trips to other towns, national parks, & scenic destinations

Browsing art supplies at my local art store

Urban walk-abouts at night

Photography for fun

Dressing up for no reason

Live concerts

Researching & studying artists I loved

Paint your own pottery places

Y/A Books:

Mandy / The Last of The Really Great Whangdoodles

The Secret Garden / A Little Princess

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Harry Potter Series

A Wrinkle In Time Series

The NeverEnding Story

His Dark Materials Series

The Newford Charles De Lint Series

The Princess Bride

The Dark is Rising Series

Anything by Roald Dahl

The Light Princess

Wind in the Willows

The Hobbit & LOTR

The Historian

The Shadow of The Wind

Perault's & Grimm's Fairytales

Gothic / Atmospheric Literature:

Wuthering Heights

Picture of Dorian Gray

Dracula

Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe

Music:

Heavy metal, melodic metal, & doom/sludge metal

Dark wave, cold wave, & gothic rock

90's grunge, alt rock, & trip hop

80's synth wave

Artists:

Edward Gorey

Rene Margritte

Aubrey Beardsley

Erté

Marjorie Miller

Claude Monet

Elias van den Broeck

Dorothea Tanner

Edward Hopper

Mark Ryden

Artemisia Gentileschi

Botticelli

DaVinci

Michelangelo

Movies:

Waking Life

Fight Club

Vengeance Trilogy

Spirited Away

Style Wars

Any Art21 Documentary

Edward Scissorhands

Cry Baby

Labyrinth

American Beauty

Train Hopping

Heavy Metal

Dead Poets Society

A Scanner Darkly

Kill Bill Volumes

Any classic Disney animated film (except for the sad ones like Bambi)

Do you have any reading or watching suggestions based on this list? I'd love to hear them.

[mariekavanagh]

15 Questions | 15 People

Thanks for the tag @puppyduckster :)

1. Are you named after anyone?

My middle name is Elizabeth which was my mum's Confirmation name, if that counts.

2. When was the last time you cried?

New Year's Day.

3. Do you have kids?

Not yet.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Me? Sarcasm? Never.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Fingernails. It's weird, and don't ask me to explain it because for the life of me I can't, but when meeting new people I always find myself subconsciously taking note of the shape and length of their fingernails.

6. what’s your eye colour?

Mostly blue-green with a proper blue rim.

7. Scary movies or happy ending?

Happy endings. Scary movies are fake and not worth my time.

8. Any special talents?

Haha nope.

9. Where were you born?

Barking, East London

10. What are your hobbies?

Sitting on the sofa panicking about how I'm running out of hours in the day to partake in a hobby.

11. Do you have any pets?

Three cats; Rhaegar, Freya and Fenrir. Special mention goes to my family cat and dog, Zammo and Max.

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

I trained at a swimming club for a while as a pre-teen but quit when I didn't win anything at my first competition. Ditto with my short-lived stint at gymnastics around the same time.

13. How tall are you? 5ft 1 if I stand up super straight.

14. Favourite subject at school?

History, 100%. In Year 9 I seriously considered asking the teacher if I could buy one of the school's textbooks because I found it so interesting and wanted to properly read the sections we wouldn't be covering.

15. Dream job?

What I'm doing now but whilst actually being paid what I'm worth :)

Tagging @artemisia-black and @casquecest

[coffeefrenchandhistory]

Harry Potter and the Parselmouth Three! (and if I can be greedy, Blackborne)

Of course you can be greedy! I'll give you both — a little snippet and a little description for them.

Harry Potter and the Parselmouth Three: This one is probably my most far-reaching one. Usually changes in canon happen in like... fourth year, fifth year, or the summer before third year. Here? Second year.

Padma and Parvati Patil are both Parselmouths and, after Harry is outed as one at the dueling club in 2nd year, they decide... "Well... he needs help. So let's help him". Lavender joins in and the three of them work to help Harry as the school (and, unfortunately, even Ron and Hermione) reel from the revelation that Harry is a Parselmouth.

The Parselmouth Three snippet

They had frog-marched him out into an isolated corner of the castle. Harry had felt his heart try to beat itself out of his chest. It didn't help, Harry thought, that Lavender Brown had a bemused smirk on her face. Nor that the Patil sisters were giving each other a look that Harry couldn't quite recognize.

"What are you — " Harry started.

"I want to see if you can recognize this, Harry." Padma Patil hissed.

She hissed.

She hissed.

Harry felt his jaw drop, his eyes bulge from their sockets, and his heart froze in his chest. The Patil sisters giggled and Lavender beamed at his dumbfounded face.

"You... you're..." Harry began to stammer.

"She's not the only one," Parvati interrupted with a lilting hiss, "and your accent is terrible, Harry."

"You're Parselmouths." Harry scarcely recognized his own voice.

"The three of us," Padma gestured between her sister, herself, and Harry, "are probably the only ones in the school."

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were a Parselmouth?" Parvati giggled with glee and grabbed Harry's arm, beaming widely. "I love my sister, but there's only so many conversations you can have with her!"

"I didn't know!" Harry interrupted nervously. "I mean, there was that incident with the snake when I was eleven, but I didn't think it was this! I thought it was just me being frea — "

He didn't miss the flicker of concern on their faces.

"Ernie's right, isn't he?" Lavender spoke and her voice was soft like a babbling brook. "Your Muggle relatives don't treat you well, do they?"

Harry gave a derisive snort. "If I died, they'd celebrate. And if the whole school is going to do this..."

Lavender beamed at him and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"Then we'll just have to change their minds, won't we?"

"We?" His voice was hoarse.

"Us Parselmouths have to stick together, silly." Parvati laughed as she poked his shoulder. "Pads can help with the schoolwork, and Lav and I can help with your reputation."

"You... want to help me?" His voice was impossibly small.

"Mhm!" Lavender giggled. "And you're not getting rid of us that easy, Harry. So deal with it."

"I know my sister, Harry." Padma had a large, smug smirk on her face. "Better just go with the flow here."

Blackborne: This is my "Sirius Black has a son" fanfic. And I actually gave another small snippet to @artemisia-black on her blog! But Leonis Altair Black grew up with his first cousin/godmother/guardian Andromeda, her husband Ted, and their daughter Nymphadora. Sirius is in Azkaban. Leonis' mother, Cassandra Adler, was killed by Evan Rosier in 1981 (who was, subsequently, killed by Mad-Eye Moody). There's a few changes in how the House of Black and the Tonks interact — Arcturus and the rest of the House have to be more 'respectful' of Andromeda as she is, effectively, the keeper of the only Heir to the House of Black.

And Arcturus will be damned if he lets a Malfoy inherit everything...

Blackborne snippet

The House of Black was many things to many people and had been for centuries. It prided itself as the royalty of the wizarding world. It was cursed as a Dark house. A house of art and culture and pushing the boundaries of magic. It was a house from which all others were related and it was of the richest in the British Isles. Its sons and daughters had earned renown throughout the annals of history — enchanters, sorcerers, arithmancers, and the occasional honest politician. It was the House, the symbol of British wizardry. 

And the last war had decimated it. 

Its children were either dead or locked up in the fearsome wizard prison of Azkaban or in the chains of marriages to intolerable men. It was a family of old and tired and broken members, old men and women doddering in the vanity of ages past. Had it not been for Leonis, the last and youngest star in the constellation, the Blacks would be on the verge of extinction. 

The aging patriarch for the House of Black, Arcturus Black III, stood proudly in the Tonks family kitchen, scowling at the toaster that was smugly mocking him on the countertop. There were Muggle appliances all over the house, ticking and tocking and whirring, and he felt exceedingly out of place. Arcturus was a tall and proud looking man with a mane of white hair and piercing violet-grey eyes. His robes were an immaculate swirl of slate grey and teal, vivid golden stars whirling about on the fabric. This was a man who grew up in the lap of luxury and knew it, who prided himself on his breeding and his lineage. 

"You did get the boy, did you not Nymphadora?" Arcturus sneered as the pink-haired girl walked back into the kitchen, gripping his black walking stick tightly in a withered, shaking right hand. "I would like to get to the shops early before the rabble arrive and they turn the alley into a mass of people."

"I got him, yes grandfather." Tonks rolled her eyes at her mother, who was doing her best to hide the slight quirk of her lips. "He's down in a mo'. And stop using that name, I'm Tonks."

"Your mother gave you a serviceable name, Nymphadora," Arcturus drawled and watched as the formerly runaway daughter of his blood hid a smirk, "and a good name. A family name."

Tonks scowled. 

"I still do not understand, Andromeda," Arcturus gestured with his thick ebony walking stick at the toaster, a sneer crossing his lips and his nose wrinkling, "why you insist on using such... such jejune Muggle appliances in this home. A simple warming charm, or even charming the dishes to cook the food while you wait."

"Because, grandfather, it is my Muggle-born husband's home." Andromeda smiled a thin, wan smile. Ted Tonks had always described his wife as such — if Helen of Troy had the beauty that launched a thousand ships, Andromeda Black could launch a million. And Ted Tonks loved to remind his wife of it every day when he woke, in soft and gentle murmurs. "And my husband wanted to have Muggle items in the home we shared. And per the agreement we made ten years ago, Leo would grow up in a house that had both magical and Muggle items."

"Leonis would have grown up loved in my home." Arcturus spoke with the stirring of dragon's fire in his voice. 

"And Sirius demanded his son be raised by me. I am his godmother, his guardian." Andromeda spoke with a sense of finality in her voice. "I don't deny Leo would be loved in your home, grandfather. But your love led to uncle Orion and cousin Regulus' deaths. Led to Sirius doing a runner at sixteen. Bella falling in with You-Know-Who. Here, Leo is truly loved. He is happy."

Arcturus remained silent, turning a baleful eye to the toaster, and the kitchen fell silent. His fingers twitched around his walking stick. The family turned as Leonis entered and Arcturus looked and — there was no doubt Leonis was the son of Sirius Black. He had high and regal cheekbones like Sirius. The same crooked, mischievous and cheeky smile. The same warm and brilliant grey eyes which sparkled with amusement and a tinge of slight apprehension. 

For a moment, the old man stared into his grandson's face — the grandson he had been forced to abandon. The grandson he had left rotting in Azkaban for ten long, brutal, grueling years. Grief welled inside him, but a Black would never allow such expressions to rise to the surface. No, he would keep those feelings down inside his heart and refuse to let them out. 

"What?" Leonis looked between the adults with a haze of nervousness on his face. "Is there something on my face?"

"No. No, nothing at all." Arcturus drew himself up, slipping himself into the role of Lord Black like a hand into a worn leather glove, and raised an imperious eyebrow. "Now, young Leonis, we get your school supplies. I will not have my heir dawdling like a gannet."

[slightlyunconventional]

Hi!!

For the character asks, maybe ☃️ and 🍎 for kaz if you’re feeling it?

Thank you! x

hi anon!! tysm for these! (+ im ALWAYS feeling talking about kaz LMAO)

⛄ Would they have enough sense to wrap up warm while ill, or would fashion win out?

- no. absolutely not. i mean his clothes seem decently warm enough, but if he's actually cold he point blank refuses to put on another layer. this is something me and @artemisia-darkstar talked about the other day actually - we thought that i/nej would secretly replace his coat with an identical one that's fur-lined (and he would be fuming)

🍎 Would they advise somebody else on how to take care of themselves?

- i think maybe? obviously it would depend on the person, so,,, i think with the crows he'd probably be the type of person to give advice but in a mean way so it doesn't sound like he cares (but really he does). he'd be like "ghezen, go to bed. i can't have you spreading disease to this whole club" or "don't stifle like that, it's.... annoying." like he cares but he's pretending not to LMAO

[elle-p]

P3 Club Book pages 17-18 scan and transcription.

○ペンテシレア

桐条美鶴 (以下「美」) コホン、最初に言っておきたいことがある。私のペルソナの名は、ペンテ“シ”レアであって、決してペンテ“レ”シアではない！ あちらこちらで間違われては、さすがに気分��害するというものだ。これを機に、しっかり覚えておいてもらおう。さて、そのペンテシレアだが、これもアイギスのパラディオンと同じくトロイ戦争の登場人物で、トロイ軍の増援として現われる女だけの国アマゾネスの女王だ。12人の女戦士を引き連れて颯爽と登場し、ギリシャ軍を猛烈に追い詰めるのだが、敵陣に英雄アキレスが参戦したことで勝敗は決してしまう。12人の女兵士ともども、ペンテシレアは討ち死にしてしまうのだ。討ち倒された直後は、ペンテシレアの亡骸はアキレスになぶり者にされるのだが、その兜を取って素顔を見た瞬間、アキレスは倒したことを後悔したのだという。まったく、男という奴は......！ 余談だがアマゾネスの女性は弓を得意とし、弓を引くの��邪魔にならないよう右の乳房だけを切り落としたという説もある。ペルソナデザインに、そのエピソ一ドの名残が残っているぞ。

Penteshirea

○アルテミシア

美 このアルテミシアという名には、ふたつの由来があると言えるだろう。まず歴史上有名な女戦士として、ペルシャ戦争でギリシャ海軍を完膚なきまでに討ち破った、ハルカリナッンスの女王アルテミシアがひとつの由来と老えられる。彼女は別に自ら戦うべき理由は何もなかったにも関わらず、生来の激しく武勇を求める性格ゆえに、自分からギリシャ遠征軍へと参加したらしい。私が言うのもうひとつの由来は、先に紹介したペンテシレアのアルテミス (狩りの女神) 崇拝、アルテミスのカを受けし者という側面から来ると思われるもの。アマゾネスは狩民族だったため、女神アルテミスを厚く崇めていたらしい。なお、アルテミスは月の女神でもあり、口一マ神話のダイアナと同一視されることもあるようだ。

Artemisia

○ネメシス

天田乾 (以下「天」) 僕のペルソナはネメシス。ギリシャ神話の女神です。本編でみっともないところを見られてるんで、ちょっと恥ずかしいんですが、もうこれ以上ないくらい僕にピッタリな、復讐の女神です。しかも、神話でネメシスの母と言われるのが夜の女神ニュクス。これって、酒落になりませんよね。ただ本来の神話におけるネメシスというのは、人間が人間に対する復讐ではなく、神様が人間に与える天罰みたいなものを神格化したものらしいです。あー、でもあの当時は、荒垣さんに対して「これは天罰だ！」とか言いつつ復讐すること考えてたから、余計にハマっちゃってますね。いやまったく、僕もあの頃は若かったですから......。そうそう、ネメシスの別の一面として、復讐心をなだめて癒す神としてのものもあるようです。僕としては、こちらの解釈を取りたいですね。あ、 ちなみにペルソナの装着者が僕なんで勘違いしている人もいるようですが、神話のネメシスは女神ですからね。間違えちゃダメですよ？

Nemesis

○カーラ・ネミ

天 ネメシスが真のカを現わしたのが、このカーラ・ネミです。聞きなれない名前だと思いますけど、企画担当のスタッフの方が「ネットで検索しても名前すら見つからないはずだ！」と豪語するほど、専門書くらいにしか記述がない神様です。これはヒンドゥー教の古い女神で、カラ・ネミとも表記されます。ちょっとネメシスと名前が似てますよね？ じつはギリシャ神話のネメシスのほか、 その他いくつかの神の名前の由来となるほど古い神なんです。名前の意味は、「時の輪の外輪」あるいは「天球の外輪」という意味で、時やカルマの輪廻を司っています。ペルソナのカーラ・ネミがプラネタリウムみたいな形をしてるのは、後者の意味からイメージされたらしいですよ。また、別の解釈として、カーラは「黒」( 大黒天ニ=マハ 一カーラのカーラと同様) 、ネミは「聖所、聖なる森」を意味する言葉にもなり、黒い森という聖地そのものを指すものとして捉えられることもあるようです。何だか、すいぶん難しいですよね？

Curler Nemi

[parfumieren]

Polo (Ralph Lauren)

Perfumery, like all other art forms, is subjective. What makes an individual prefer one fragrance over another is largely a matter of personal association. If a scent reminds us of things or people we cherish, if it pushes our unique "happy" buttons, we like it. And if it doesn't, we don't. Nothing personal. It is what it is.

Less common -- but just as powerful -- are fragrances that tap into our bad, sad, or angry frames of reference. In such cases, prejudice overrides all attempts at objective logic. We know that a scent is just a scent. It's ephemeral; it can't hurt us. We grasp the concept behind it, appreciate the creative skill that brought it into being, and agree that the end result is a success.

And still, we hate it-- and nothing is going to change our minds.

I first encountered Ralph Lauren's Polo in 1982, the Christmas before my fourteenth birthday. At the annual family gift swap - held, for once, at our cramped suburban home - my uncle (an executive with Ralph Lauren Corporation) handed out identical canvas-and-leather gym bags stuffed with Polo promotional swag: perfume sample cards, lotions, soap-and-shampoo sets, bath towels, zippered makeup cases. We could never afford these items ourselves, and our uncle knew it. His real gift to us was this vicarious glimpse of the high life, a taste of luxuries beyond our grasp.

To working-class us, my uncle and his family inhabited Mount Olympus-- a stratosphere high above our messy, mundane world. Way up there, grownups knotted pastel cashmere sweaters over their shoulders and drank chilled white wine year-round. Their clean-cut junior-preppie offspring dropped references to "lessons"-- ballet, voice, flute, French horn. We envied and idolized and found it next to impossible to relax around them.

That year, my cousins responded to our generic mall-bought gifts with polite, detached thank-you's. Then came the Polo gym bags, handed around with indulgent smiles. They stood back and watched us coolly as we erupted with excited delight. Here was something we could flaunt in front of our peers, tangible proof that we were better than they thought we were (or than WE thought we were-- a subtle but important distinction). 

But by day’s end we still reeked from head to toe—not with Polo, but poverty.

Four decades have passed. I've rarely seen my cousins since, except in photographs. Time and reality have leached away everything about them that seemed divine to me. And as for what they think of me-- well, I just don't give a damn.

But Polo? Can't stand the stuff. Call it transference, if you will. But disillusionment, like despair, like fear, has a scent. For me, that scent is Polo.

Don't get me wrong. The objective portion of my brain thinks that Polo is a fine work of perfumery-- crisp, enlivening, reminiscent of the deep woods on a late spring morning. If it had been honest and unpretentious, if it had not put on airs, I might have even grown to like it.

But no. I loathe it. It steals the forest primeval and plants it in the center of a gated country club that will never admit me as a member. It brings back to me all that was elitist, excessive, and nauseating about the Reagan Era. It holds all the missteps, disappointments, and embarrassing moments of my awkward childhood. It makes me feel bad about myself, for no very good reason. As a result, I will always, always hold it at arm's length.

To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, no person can make me feel inferior without my consent. Why should a perfume be any different?

Scent Elements: Pine, chamomile, artemisia, basil, thyme, cumin, coriander, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, leather, tobacco

[leogichidaa]

url song game

thanks for the tag @secretpersona8!

L: Lydia by Highly Suspect

At your worst you're still the best/And at my best I am the worst/It's a curse

E: Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen

Everybody knows the war is over/Everybody knows the good guys lost

O: Oh Dearie by Matt Beringer

How do people do it?/I cannot see through it

G: Good Grief by Bastille*

You might have to excuse me/I've lost control of all my senses/And you might have to excuse me/I've lost control of all my words

I: I Can't Stay by The Killers

In the dark/For a while now/I can't stay very far/I can't stay much longer

C: Crave You (Adventure Club Remix) by Flight Facilities

Let's just stop and think/Before I lose faith

H: Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms

If you don't expect too much from me/You might not be let down

I: I Wanna Get Better by The Bleachers

From this dream where she was trying to show me/How a life can move from the darkness/She said to get better

D: Demons by The National

I sincerely try to love it/Wish that I could rise above it/But I stay down with my demons

A: The Approaching Curve by Rise Against

Long since dried, when we are found, are the tears in which we had drowned/As we were, so perfect, so happy

A: The Angel by Bruce Springsteen

The woman strokes his polished chrome/And lies beside the angel's bones

*I listened to this playlist on my way to work and ridiculously this is the song that made me tear up

No pressure tag: @foratmysidewalkshope @artemisia-black @casquecest