#Witches night out conjure market

[vampfairywitch]

Darqkrafts will be vending at this amazing event!

BOOKS!

Our famous date night with a book is back to tease and delight! Loaded with free goodies your bound to fine a tale that delights!

Witches Night Out Conjure Market

Darqkrafts

[adamwatchesmovies]

House of Spoils (2024)

House of Spoils is labeled as a supernatural horror film. Unnatural events take place, there are scary moments throughout but the conclusion recontextualizes so much of what we saw and is so tonally different from what came before that the label feels inaccurate. I’m not sure if a warning that this does not go the way you expect it to will make things more palatable for the audience but I’m going to try anyway.

Elena (Ariana DeBose) leaves her position as the sous chef in Marcello’s kitchen (he’s played by Marton Csokas) to open a new fine-dining restaurant in a remote location in the countryside. Her first efforts prove fruitless – all of the food spoils immediately. In a desperate attempt to meet the deadline imposed by her patron, Andres (Arian Moayed), she begins harvesting ingredients from the abandoned garden next door: a selection of strange plants the locals say was catered by a witch.

The film begins with a flashback to some time ago. Weird, ominous chants are whispered around a fire while a woman is strapped down and fed a strange little cake etched with a symbol. The mood’s been set. You know those lines mean something. The seemingly innocuous things happening to Elena confirm that by settling down in this area, she’s set herself up for trouble. The food that goes moldy instantly, the neverending bugs and the ghostly visions are not stress-induced; there’s something evil here. It gets you excited the way a good horror movie gets you excited. Our heroine is alone, she’s isolated and desperate. You admire her determination to open up her own business and move out from under the shadow of Andres, who isn’t terrible as far as head chefs go… but does make you wonder why ANYONE would want to work in fine-dining if the environment is that stressful and that toxic. The film successfully showcases “scary” aspects of the business too; the way a single critic can just throw your entire menu into the fire, how a single missing ingredient can derail an entire evening and the challenge of having to come up with a revolutionary menu out of thin air.

Another aspect of this film written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy that’s intriguing is the food. In most dark food/restaurant movies, dishes look simultaneously delicious and grotesque to confirm the malicious environment. As Andres puts it when he sees what Elena and her appointed sous-chef, Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) have cooked up, his stew looks like it's been scraped off of a shoe. It's unappetizing. You know it’s a hint that what he's eating has a sinister origin. Only a spell could convince someone to take a bite.

The film’s scariest moment comes in a claustrophobic scene where Elena, locked in the restaurant cellar, is forced to escape through a tunnel that leads to a makeshift tomb. From there… any horror elements in the film vanish. We learn that while the garden Elena has been picking from was tended to by a sorceress… she was a good witch who healed people. So if there was no evil this whole time, why was the building's previous tenant driven to horrifying madness? Why does the witch’s ghost show up in the middle of the night to terrify Elena? Why all the bugs? Why the mold? This sensitive, female empowerment conclusion doesn’t fit the rest of the movie AT ALL. I suddenly had flashbacks of Andrew O'Hehir's butthurt review of The Conjuring, which complained about the depiction of witches as child-murdering, devil-worshippers. Is it possible the movie started off as a straightforward horror film but the writer/directors had a change of heart and hastily rewrote the conclusion to portray more "realistic" depictions of witchcraft? Maybe it was the opposite; it didn't have ANY horror elements at first, but they were introduced after the producers looked at the script and marked it as "non marketable"? Whatever the reason, this finale is a mistake.

I was enthusiastic about House of Spoils for about four-fifths of the running time. Ariana DeBose is likable. You cheer for her character and you're worried when she gets scared. Even if the conclusion comes out of nowhere, doesn’t make much sense and left me dissatisfied, I’m not sorry I saw the film. The parts that work are highly effective. The mismatched ending also works… just not for THIS movie. (November 15, 2024)

[astarab1aze]

➥ CirQuet Dancer

⸻Technical Information. // Face, Voice, etc.

01. Faceclaim. Lucyna Kushinada  [ Cyberpunk: Edgerunners ] 04. Voice Claim. TBA

⸻Profile Information. // Name, Age, etc.

01. Name. Nishka Varonis 02. Alias. Neesh, Ninnie Mouse (given by Faith) 03. Sex. Female 04. Gender. Female 05. Age. 26 06. Birth Date. April 24th   [ Aries ] 07. Blood Type. Sub-type HS-WB+ 08. Race. Witch, American by nationality ; Polish-Latvian by ethnicity. 09. Marital Status. Single   [ Multiship ] 10. Orientation. Bisexual  [ Biromantic / no preference ] 11. Residence. In the same shitty apartment complex as Faith (they’re neighbors, actually!) in Salem’s Crossing, Miami, Florida ; She keeps her place as neat and as clean as possible, almost as if nobody lives there.

⸻Physical Information. // Body, Equipment, Family, etc.

17. Physical Description. Nishka has short, iridescent white hair cut into an asymmetrical bob, some illusionary hints of various colors shining through in certain lights. Her eyes are pale white with an almost-luminous white ring around each of her pupils, framed by thick black lashes. Her skin is pale, almost milky white, delicate and soft, unblemished. She stands at 5’3”, slender, petite, lean and lightly toned. She has no scars, but myriad minimalistic geometric tattoos across her back, shoulder, and collar bones, with some mechanical doll-like joint tattoos throughout her body in similar style to the others (sort of…built-in costuming), which she enhances with illusion magic in order to make them glow. She has a wide variety of tastes, but can most often be found in any odd assortment of handmade costuming, enchanted with illustrious illusion charms, and she may occasionally wear a wig depending on the vibe of the show. Salmon lip gloss, red eyeshadow, and sharply-winged eyeliner (thank you, Faith!).

13. Equipment. She doesn’t keep much on her aside from the very basics; A traveling mirror, her cellphone, wallet, keys, her howlite wand, a broom for posterity’s sake, and a change of clothes. Often, she can be seen carting around a suitcase full of costumes and outfits for the Cyber CirQuet. 14. Occupation. Technically, she has many, but the job she was actually hired for was to be a simple acrobat - it just so happened to be that she would play nearly every role in management, customer service, performance, and more. She’s a contortionist, illusionist, dancer, clown, juggler, tightrope walker, special effects specialist, HR– Working for a small-time cyber-themed circus show, Cyber CirQuet. 15. Job Performance. Highly valued, the circus would dissolve without her hard work. They would never have made it out of Salem’s Crossing to New York or Chimachi were it not for her dedication, willingness to sacrifice personal time, and ability to work a crowd. 16. Parents. She’s an orphan, raised by sectarian bloodweavers of the Sightless Eye. 17. Siblings. She considers some of the other orphans to be like siblings, but she wouldn’t say she has siblings at all.

⸻Personality Information. // Likes, Strengths, etc.

18. Likes. Performing, making people laugh, smile, or gasp in wonder, lavender and lemon, gin, periwinkle, shrinking violets, FrankenLeeches, boo berry pies, practicing her routines, spinning unique conjurations for the kids, sewing, reading fantasies, stargazing, gossiping with Faith, photography, music, lemonade, chatting up the Bearded Lady for beauty tips, night markets, building ‘bucket houses’ for dumpster fey, etc. 19. Dislikes. Bearing all of both the responsibility and the risk, making mistakes, bruised feet, scarbuncle cheese, the ‘dirty’ aspects of magic, modernist architecture, uncleanliness, dolls, bugs, Sanguinarians, snallygasters, blackwyrms, humans, daytime, popcorn, water, Salem’s Crossing, people who can’t directly answer a direct question, slime, affinities opposed to her own, cleaning up the mess after a show, eye stalks, beanstalk stew, etc.

20. Positive Traits. Friendly. Fun-loving. Hard-working. Compassionate. Flexible. Generous. Resilient. Moderate. Patient. Loyal. Mindful. Gentle. 21. Negative Traits. Proud. Unforgiving. Workaholic. Short-tempered. Stubborn. Picky. Jealous. Cynical. Impulsive. 22. Goals. To bring the Cyber CirQuet to new heights in popularity as an attraction and show, earning enough of a raise in pay she might be able to more comfortably split rent on a possible joint apartment with Faith. 23. Desires. To eventually learn about her birth parents, find some closure and peace there, where she comes from and why she was orphaned. 24. Alignment. Neutral Good

25. Personality. Nishka is somewhat socially detached despite being a bit of a butterfly, uncertain of the world around her and exposed only to illusions and elaborate lies. Other people are separate from her, at arm's length, while she painstakingly recharges her batteries, rifles through her mind on what she needs to prepare for work, what themes she's going to use, whether or not she brushed her teeth and hair, what year is it-- Somewhat scatterbrained, mostly preoccupied, and happily so, putting off her goals in an effort to distract herself from the context. She is a hard worker and often incredibly proud of her work and herself, sometimes to her detriment. She doesn't trust other people easily and will have cynical views of their (presumed) intentions, managing her (and others') expectations - she doesn't like to be proven right, and when she is, well, she can be quite unforgiving. She's lived an interesting enough life that sorta dips to one side or the other - safety and security vs chaos danger, simply put, so she knows not to put too much of her heart into something when its certain to fail, even if she's just stubborn enough to see it through to the end anyway. Ultimately, she's a complicated and somewhat contradictory woman, informed by a number of experiences, loving and good in her own ways but woefully wrapped up in her own little world.

⸻Sorcery Information. // Affinity, Talent, etc.

26. Affinity. Light, Air, some Bestial - low-level but high acuity in select spells and talents, truly above and beyond potential but an inability to apply herself. 27. Shapeshifting. Innate Sugar Glider- naturally capable of shifting into the form of a palm-sized white sugar glider with a single, almost entirely invisible stripe down her back; She cannot maintain this form for long, limited to the transformative capabilities of any low-level mage despite her blood. 28. Utility. Alteration, minor conjuration, light enhancement, Float, barriers, minor telekinesis, charms, animal speech, 29. Specialization. Neon, Prismatic, and Illusions - in combining her natural-born affinities, she’s developed the ability to harness neon gas and prismatic light, using both in conjunction with her illusions to enhance her performances. 30. Graduate School. Dogwood J. Cotton’s Vocational Sorceries - school dedicated to job sorting lower classed and academically unclaimed children into a fitting magical career choice 31. Classification. Non-Anthromorphic Hybrid - Witch & Shapeshifter ; As she is both witch and shapeshifter, she is considered a hybrid between the two, though she lacks the potency of a full-blooded shifter.

⸻Background Information. // Past to Present.

    Yaddayaddayadda working on this later (sorry)

[wigilham]

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[almafell]

Enki and the Dark Place

Long ago, there was a little witch girl. She had bright eyes that shone in a multitude of colors, and she possessed powers beyond imagining. She was a beautiful and innocent girl, and her heart was full of love. But there were those who grew fearful of her great power. There were those who grew envious of her beauty. There were those who scorned her childish heart full of love. And so, they turned against the little witch girl.

    They tried to burn her, but their flames became gentle and cool. They spoke words of magic and conjured every vile spell, but the girl was not harmed. They sicced upon her hounds, tigers, pigs, and every violent beast, but they each grew docile and did not harm the girl. They fed her poison and filled her blood with venom, but the girl's health did not waver. They tried to cut her down, but their blades rusted and turned to dust. They beat her and filled her lungs with smoke, but the girl still did not die.

    Finally, they brought her to a dark place, where no light shone at all. They drove nails into her brilliant eyes, bound her hands and feet, and imprisoned her with heavy chains. Trapped in total darkness and without her wondrous eyes, the girl's magic left her. And they sealed every entrance and every exit, and never spoke of the little witch girl until they had all forgotten about her. But the girl's heart did not lose its love.

    There in the dark, she imagined the beautiful things of the world. She loved candles, flowers, and colorful birds. She loved grand orchestras and dramatic theatre. She loved the creatures of the wild and the simple pleasure of a gentle breeze. She loved beautiful flowers, mighty trees, and the fantastical dreams she saw at night. She loved the

aftermath of a rainstorm - the fresh petrichor, the worms wriggling up from below, and even the rust left behind on tools. She loved bustling markets and exotic festivals full of life. She loved finely crafted dresses and dolls and umbrellas. And even now, she loved the people of the world and every unique thing about them.

    And she imagined her favorite things for a long, long, long time. She imagined she was not alone here, in the dark. She imagined she had friends, and she shared all the wonders of the world with them. And there she lived, enjoying every good thing with her friends at her side, for a long, long, long, long time.

    Until one day, a tiny crack opened far above. The tiny crack let in an even tinier ray of sunlight. And that little ray bounced around the place here and there until a fraction of a fraction of a tiny ray of light landed on the girl's face.

    And suddenly, she was not a girl trapped in a dark place with nails in her eyes, bound and alone, pretending she had friends. Suddenly, she was a beautiful girl in a place full of brilliant colors, with powers beyond imagining and a heart still full of love. And she was surrounded by friends, who remembered all the good things of the world.

    The girl (and her dear friends) ventured out from the not-so-dark place and into the world. And the girl saw her favorite things, and they were good. But she was not the same girl as before. She was still a beautiful girl with eyes that shone in a multitude of colors and a heart full of love, with powers beyond imagining. But she was not so little anymore, and her hair had grown very long, and - most importantly - she was missing something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Yes, her favorite things were good, and she still loved them very much. But they weren't quite the same things that she (and her friends) remembered from a long, long, long time ago.

    And so, for the rest of her days, the old witch girl used her powers beyond imagining to create many new things which nobody had ever seen before.

[kgorge-curtains]

The Magical Curtain

Ava had always been enchanted by the idea of magic. She loved reading fantasy novels and watching movies about witches and wizards. So when she moved into her new home, she was determined to make it as magical as possible.

One day, while browsing online for new curtains, Ava stumbled upon a set of silk curtains that caught her eye. They were a deep shade of purple and seemed to shimmer in the light. Ava knew she had to have them.

When the silk curtains arrived, Ava couldn’t wait to hang them up. She was excited to see how they would transform her bedroom into a magical sanctuary. As she was hanging them up, she noticed a small tag on the back that read “Made with Magic.”

At first, Ava thought it was just a clever marketing ploy, but as she spent more time in her bedroom, she began to notice strange things happening. Objects would move on their own, and she would hear whispers in the night. At first, she was scared, but then she realized that the silk curtains were the source of the magic.

Ava started to experiment with the kgorge silk curtains, pulling them closed and opening them in different ways. She discovered that if she closed them in a certain way, a portal would open up to a mystical forest. If she opened them in another way, she could communicate with her ancestors.

Ava spent hours exploring the magical world that the curtains had unlocked. She met talking animals, encountered fairies, and even had conversations with her deceased grandmother. The kgorge silk curtains had opened up a whole new world for her, and she was grateful for the experience.

But as much as she loved the curtains, Ava knew that the magic was unpredictable and potentially dangerous. She realized that she needed to find a way to control the curtains and the power they held.

Ava reached out to a wise old witch who lived in the nearby woods. The witch agreed to help Ava and showed her how to create a spell to control the curtains. Ava performed the spell, and to her relief, the curtains no longer caused unpredictable magical occurrences.

Now, Ava uses the curtains as a tool for her own magic. She can open up portals to different dimensions, communicate with spirits, and even conjure up spells. Her bedroom has become a sanctuary of magic, and she’s grateful for the curtains that brought her there.

[sepublic]

The Golden Guard: Eda’s Dark Parallel?

           Does anyone else think that the Golden Guard actually reminds Lilith a LOT of Eda, specifically Eda as a kid, during the good old days before she got cursed?

           Think about it… They’re both sassy, hot-headed teen prodigies with an owl motif and yellow attire. And the way Lilith angrily talks about the Golden Guard, it seems her feelings of resentment mirror how she felt towards Eda back when they were kids? Lilith, who was by-the-book and traditional, worked so hard… And then there’s this younger person with an Owl motif who just swoops in out of nowhere and through talent, completely outclasses her!

           If you go with the idea that Lilith wanted Gwendolyn’s approval and had to compete with Eda over that… Then for all we know, maybe Lilith lowkey wanted Belos’ approval as well, but felt like she was being cheated out of that with the Golden Guard, who kept stealing the spotlight from her! 

          Like she was afraid he’d take her spot as head of the Emperor’s Coven, the way Lilith feared that Eda would win the initiation duel back when they were kids… And lo and behold, the Golden Guard DID take that! Granted Lilith left an obvious vacancy from her own betrayal of Belos so of course he took that spot, but still; It’s quite a sore spot.

           In some ways, perhaps Lilith is aware of this, deep-down or not; She might see the Golden Guard as just Young Eda, but without any of the emotional connection, nor any redeeming qualities; If he does have them, again, it’s not like Lilith knows the Golden Guard well enough to know these traits, much less take them into account.

           LOTS of text and speculation and analyses below!!!

           The Golden Guard is even sixteen years old… Which, is very likely EDA’s age, back when her and Lilith competed for the Emperor’s Coven! That can take on a whole new, dark meaning for her… 

          Perhaps Lilith is low-key disturbed by the Golden Guard’s existence, because he reminds her too much of Young Eda? Eda, before she was cursed- So it’s like the memory of her is coming back to haunt Lilith, in the form of someone who has no concern for Lilith whatsoever to hold him back, unlike the actual Eda.

           And in a way, it’s a horrible reminder that some things never change, that some things stay the same and Lilith can’t get past them, she can’t outgrow it like she thought she did; Because even now, even as head of the Emperor’s Coven, there’s still a 16-year-old prodigy with an owl motif and yellow attire, who is sassy and playful and mischievous, who threatens to upstage Lilith’s self-esteem and sense of power. Somebody Lilith is afraid of; Thirty years later, and she STILL has to deal with this kind of person in her life, but it’s worse because she’s actually older and should be better, yet somehow isn’t…

           Who knows? Maybe Lilith even recognized the similarities to Eda, enough to actually be sympathetic to the Golden Guard at first? Perhaps she, on some level, saw the Golden Guard as a way to vicariously redo her past with Eda, but without the mistakes… Maybe she tried to be nice to the Golden Guard, but then he quickly turned out to be a snob, he’s not REALLY Eda; So Lilith settled on never cursing him like she did Eda, but then otherwise decided that she didn’t owe him any love and could just quietly loathe his guts.

          Lilith failed Eda in part because she was an older sister who abandoned her in a time of need, but there’s not really that expectation with the Golden Guard, so why bother? She’s got enough on her plate as is, and an ACTUAL Eda to worry about, to look after, to be concerned for and patch things up with.

           I’ve even seen people make the very good point that in a lot of ways… The Golden Guard is like a Dark Eda? In the sense that, he’s Eda, had she joined the Emperor’s Coven as a kid. He’s a look at Young Eda, if she didn’t reject the Coven System, and joined Belos- Reveling in her own talent and power as granting her ‘special treatment’ over the rest, so any downsides to the coven system weren’t HER problem anyway!

           Again, this adds another layer to the Golden Guard being very reminiscent of Young Eda, and even current Eda as well… Except, he never lost his magic and was never cursed. Maybe that’s another thing he unknowingly haunts Lilith over; He’s lowkey a reminder of what Eda could’ve been, had Lilith not been selfish and a coward, or had she communicated better. Yet at the same time, he’s frustrating- Because the Golden Guard is like the worst parts of Eda, the parts that Lilith hated and made her resentful…

           And this constant reminder of the past, of her own issues with Eda back then that culminated in the curse- It could’ve made it a LOT harder for Lilith to really resolve things with Eda, because this kid keeps reminding her why she was so angry, and it’s impossible for her to move on because the Golden Guard isn’t some distant memory, but an actual person who continues to threaten her, the way Eda had…

          And of course, the Golden Guard reminds Lilith of the Eda she lost; The happy, carefree Eda who wasn’t cursed, the Eda she could’ve had in a sense. The Eda that Lilith in some ways wanted, yet is forced to confront and acknowledge is a very obnoxious and terrible person that makes her unhappy…

          And this kind of rude reminder that the Eda that Lilith wanted would’ve continued to make her miserable, if not moreso, is not something she appreciates shattering her dreams and low-key denial, of a world where things had just been a little different.

          The person you’re trying to get, maybe get BACK, wasn’t so great after all- So you just have to move on, and be glad for the Eda who IS happier with her life and more mature, despite being older and more cursed. You gotta move past your guilt Lilith, and realize that Eda is in a better place- Not that she ever needed the curse, but she doesn’t quite need saving from the parts of her life she actually chose for herself, in part to be kind to Lilith no less! Because I bet Lilith believes that deep down, she didn’t deserve Eda’s kindness, so she wishes to reverse that compassionate decision of Eda’s that only resulted in Eda suffering because of how terrible Lily secretly is.

           But, back to the subject; There’s more similarities to Eda and the Golden Guard, especially at the end of Separate Tides; How he makes an ominous warning before casually, happily yelling “BYYEEEE!!!”, just like Eda when she warns Luz about trying to have a Moonlight Conjuring in Hooty’s Moving Hassle, before heading off to the Night Market. His widow’s peak even bears a decent resemblance to Eda’s, doesn’t it? Which…

           Combined with all of the talk about bird motifs being a Clawthorne thing, it DOES raise many questions about the Golden Guard’s potential connection to Eda. Is he some long-lost son? A third child that Gwendolyn had later in life, because witch biology might allow them to do that? Some homunculus, crafted from bits of DNA from Eda, and maybe even Belos? Belos does seem weirdly fond and trusting of him, the two are placed together in the Season 2 outro when nobody else, not even Kikimora, is there; And of course, the Golden Guard wields a staff, red magic, and fleshy creations, VERY similar to Belos…

           I can’t say for sure- But the idea of the Golden Guard as an alternate Eda is fascinating. An Eda who became completely arrogant, and didn’t stop to care about others; Her cockiness and mischief becoming cruel and obnoxious, essentially the worst parts of Eda, down the path she’d always dreaded. A look into another life, a different choice in such a pivotal part of her past… Personally, I LOVE this kind of dark parallel of a character, so I’m hoping these similarities are commented upon in-universe, assuming they’re not outright literal!

           In a way, the Golden Guard could haunt Eda, because he reminds her of herself… Of her carefree youth, but what she could’ve had… But also, the terrible things she’d done. And obviously Eda despises the coven system too much to really change her mind, and it’s safe to say that the Golden Guard is not at all what she wanted to ever become… But still, it’s a neat bit of character writing and parallelism. If Belos is like a Dark Luz, what Luz could’ve been had she not grown… And the same could apply between King and Kikimora;

           Then who knows? The Golden Guard could be a Dark Eda, who got by talent and continued to take things for granted. An Eda who swore loyalty to Belos and was embraced by the emperor for her skill and ability. Jovial and cheery, but without any of the actual compassion that makes this genuine with Eda. An immature brat who never grew up (granted he’s only sixteen and hasn’t gotten the chance), unlike Eda. And if the Golden Guard is an alternate Eda;

           It’s fascinating how his roles are reversed with his alternate Luz… The Eda parallel is younger than the Luz parallel, learning from them, and taking after their motifs as well! But I guess it’s not all too surprising, with how Eda and Luz both learn from one another, though I suspect Belos and the Golden Guard aren’t as mutual, but who knows? 

          It does make you wonder about Kikimora and King as potential mediators between these duos, whose placement remains consistent… How does Kikimora, the King parallel, interact with her Luz and Eda? Did she become close friends with HER Luz, while, as Dana’s art suggests, she seems somewhat irritated by and resentful of her own Eda? So it’s like Eda and King never grew to be friends and conquer differences… As well as if King never grew to respect Luz and saw her as just a “f*cking nerd”?

           With how Luz is taking after Eda, and possibly getting a Cardinal palisman to complete the Clawthorne motif as a new member of the family… Who knows? The Golden Guard could be an intriguing character for her to bounce off of narratively, maybe as someone Luz might have, in another universe, learned to look up to and admire? How well Luz’s relationship be with the Golden Guard, if they are a Dark Eda? And how can this indirectly show us about how Luz and Young Eda would’ve interacted, what Young Eda was like, what Lilith went through as a kid…

           And, for all we know- The Golden Guard’s owl motif doesn’t hint at a pre-existing connection to the Clawthornes, but rather a future one… Maybe he’ll end up being adopted by Eda, the way Luz was? I’d love to see the Golden Guard become an evil older sibling who’s protective of Luz… 

          I ADORE that trope to death; Evil older brother with bright, younger sister, whom he cares about, and the sister cares for him too, even if it’s complicated because the sister believes in the brother to be better, while the brother doesn’t want to be better, or is at least reluctant about having to change…

           I’d love to see another Hugo and Kipo dynamic, and actually… If the Golden Guard parallels Eda, then who’s his Lilith? Could it be Luz herself? I’ve talked before the similarities between Luz and Lilith, as kids who were bullied and struggled with a lack of talent, but made up for it with hard work and ingenuity; They’ll give you a lot of trouble for doing the right thing, but then happily leap at the opportunity if they think someone is improving.

           And, as Separate Tides has also shown us; They both grapple with guilt over making Eda suffer, unintentionally to varying degrees. Luz and Lilith both learn that they’re not a burden and that it’s okay to ask for help, and come to terms with their guilt with Eda… If Belos and the Golden Guard are Luz and Eda reversed, then could Luz and the Golden Guard also be Lilith and Luz, reversed?

          With the Eda parallel being the older sibling in this scenario… An alternate timeline where Eda and Lilith were the same people, but switched places in birth, and it was EDA who ended up being the cruel and toxic sibling who left the younger feeling demeaned and worthless. I imagine if that were the case, the Golden Guard’s toxicity would occur largely in the beginning, as he acts adversarial to Luz and mocks her, taunts her over Eda’s loss of magic, and her own glyphs no doubt; The Golden Guard doesn’t seem to acknowledge glyphs as a valid form of magic himself.

           But then, if he were to get a redemption, the Golden Guard’s tune might change as he matures and learns to treat Luz more kindly… In a way mimicking how Eda really grew to care for Luz, but also the way Eda has begun to reconnect with Lilith, except with the Golden Guard as the one with the baggage and guilt.

           And, a redemption might not be too implausible, because… He is literally only sixteen, the same age as Emira and Edric, and likely the same age as Eda when SHE was cursed. Younger than Lilith, when she made the worst mistake of her life, because she didn’t understand the coven system for what it truly was –and who could blame her?- and was grappling with a likely terrible mother in Gwendolyn… The Golden Guard is literally a minor, and possibly an overworked teen prodigy.

           After all, the first glimpse of his personality Dana gave us, way back in 2020, was of the Golden Guard admitting that he was tired; And despite his usually cheery personality, all of our glimpses at his face behind the mask (symbolism!) have had him look likely serious and glum… But then again, we don’t see the lower half of his face, so who knows? 

          Perhaps the Golden Guard is abused and overworked by Belos, kind of like Amity with her parents… The Golden Guard is a child dealing with a very toxic influence, and a huge burden of responsibility no less. And with all the potential connections to Belos as maybe even a literal father, or at least a parental figure, it’s not hard to see why the Golden Guard would turn out so messed up. And the Golden Guard being ‘tired’ could be a connection to how Eda is left exhausted from her curse, too.

           So, who knows? Because of his age, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect, or at least hope, for a redemption for this kiddo. But a recent sister show to The Owl House has taught me anything, kids aren’t free from death, and Infinity Train made it clear that you can humanize and sympathize and mourn someone who deserved better, yet ultimately dug their grave and was condemned to a sudden death because of that; All because they didn’t know any better, and really couldn’t have.

           And on another note- Maybe the Golden Guard has owl motifs like Eda… Because in a lot of ways, he actually admires her? He admires the Owl Lady, or at least the certain ‘past’ version that others such as Lilith may have brought up… Maybe the Golden Guard seeks to supplant Eda the Owl Lady as The Most Powerful Witch in the Boiling Isles. Maybe he sees himself as Eda, but better, and this rebellious, hot-headed kid feels the need to prove himself by defeating someone he sees himself in.

           Maybe the Golden Guard is like Lilith, as someone who wishes Eda could’ve joined the coven system, and he’s disappointed in how all her talent was ‘wasted’ on other things. Maybe the Golden Guard was disappointed in Eda losing her magic, losing further respect for his ‘problematic idol’, and/or he felt some validation and vindication in being a successor to Eda. 

          Does he hold some grudge? Did the Owl Lady’s power excite him, give the Golden Guard a goal to recklessly challenge and defeat, so he can experience the thrill of victory and add to this feeling of invincibility that teenagers, especially the talented ones, have?

           Eda as a kid, and even now, has always been fond of spiting what others say she can’t do, or setting new precedents and accomplishments to prove herself. Maybe the Golden Guard is like that, and hopes to take on the onus of outdoing the Owl Lady; Perhaps he admires Eda, and wishes she could’ve joined a coven like him. As an outside admirer, he mourns Eda’s ‘potential’ in a way similar to Lilith, but different; Because he’s a kid who looks up to her, and not an older sibling that has an actual childhood with Eda. If so, then that’s another dark parallel to Luz;

           After all, Luz got frustrated by Eda in Adventures in the Elements. So maybe the Golden Guard is someone who grew resentful of Eda for not living up to the legend he hoped, the image he wanted, sort of like Lilith! I’ll go out on a limb and even suggest him as a past apprentice, who unlike Luz, never learned to be patient and appreciate Eda’s teachings, so he turned to the coven system and Belos for easy gratification. He didn’t want to be challenged… And in that way, the Golden Guard could parallel my speculation on Belos, as also a Dark Luz.

          So of course, it makes sense that Belos would recognize this same dilemma in the Golden Guard, and perhaps be sympathetic and take him under his wing for it. Eda might not recognize the Golden Guard because he’s changed a bit himself, is hiding his own identity –Lilith doesn’t seem to know much about the witch beneath the mask either, just the public image and façade- and Eda’s been having memory issues. Maybe this will add to the Golden Guard’s resentment, who knows? He really might just be a rebellious teen who Eda failed, unlike with Luz… And that could add to more envy, perhaps.

           At the very least; Dana’s fondness for the Golden Guard takes on a whole new meaning… What with how Eda is pretty much one of, if not THE most favorite character of hers, the one who really jumpstarted this entire show and world to begin with… Having this other character she likes essentially be a canon AU version of that beloved creation, would certainly make a lot of sense! Dana likes Eda, she likes to show us about Young Eda; So a character who IS Young Eda, just on a different path, would likely appeal to her. We’ll see…

           I think it’s worth noting that in her art of the Golden Guard, it depicts him as essentially a normal, lazy teenager who’s asking someone else to do his chore for him, while he lounges around to do something else. I could see a young Eda as occasionally fulfilling that role and asking her older sister Lily for a favor- And maybe this could allude to the Golden Guard being frequently exhausted from being overworked himself, hence “I’m tired” and wanting to extend his breaks as much as possible. We’ll just have to wait and see…

[galactic-magick]

As Long As I’m With You: Agnes/Agatha Harkness x Reader

Request: Hi, can you please do where Agnes (a villain) saves fem reader's life because she has feelings for her? In the end they end up together // also took some ideas from this request

Summary: You’re accused of witchcraft in your village, and a mysterious beautiful witch comes to your aid.

Words: 2200+

Warnings: fem reader, Agatha is low key evil so she hurts some people, a swear word, reader has an angsty past

Author’s Notes: This can be read as either a standalone fic or as a prequel to my other fic “Spell Practice.” I took quite a lot of creative liberty with this, hopefully that’s alright. Also disclaimer I am in no way a history expert so even though this is set in like the 1500s-1600s it’s probably very inaccurate, but it’s fanfic so anything goes right?

Taglist: @nyx-aira​ @midnight-lestrange​ @thestrangeundoing​ @thegayances @sleep-deprived-athlete @dr-robotnik-said-hella​ @fallingfor-fics @p-nymph​ @thelanawinterrs @sunproud​ (if your tag didn’t work it might be bc your blog isn’t searchable so make sure that’s on so you’re notified of future fics!)

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You had no idea how much your life would change when you left your house that day.

It started out with a simple run to the market and the garden to get what you needed for supper that night, a job that almost always falls to you. You don’t necessarily mind getting away from your family and talking to some people in town, but it’s clear that your family doesn’t want you in the house as much as possible either.

It’s gotten to the point where they’re just looking for a reason to get rid of you. You’re a disappointment, after all. You refuse to marry in order to help your family’s status, even though you’ve gotten a couple offers. You counter your parent’s rules and ideas every chance you get, no matter how much they tell you you’re crazy. They belittle you constantly, saying your dreams are worth nothing and you’ll have to be dependent on them forever if you never submit to the role in society you’re supposed to.

Obviously bullying you out of their lives wasn’t working, so they’ve moved on to spreading rumors about you and setting you up for crimes. None have worked yet, of course, but every day you fear they’ll get too close.

Until you get burned at the stake, though, they’ve given you basically every responsibility of the house. You do all the shopping, cooking, and farming, as well as taking care of your younger siblings. You wonder what they’d do without you, despite how much they seem to want you gone.

As you’re buying a few crops and eggs from your neighbors, you swear you see something move. You turn around and see a little boy floating in the air, screaming.

You drop everything in your arms and reach up to him, trying to grab him and help him down, but he keeps flailing, and his screams start to feel directed at you.

“Hey! It’s okay! Let me help you!” you hold your hand up, speaking as calmly as you can. “I’m not going to hurt you,”

“WITCH!” a man yells as he sees you. “SHE’S A WITCH!”

Everyone around turns and watches you.

“No! No! I’m not the one doing this! I’m trying to help!”

“Let him down and maybe we’ll wait to kill you til tomorrow!” someone else demands.

A couple people march towards you to grab you, and all you can think to do is start running.

You race out of the center of town into the trees, and about five men chase after you. You keep going until it feels like your legs are going to give out and you can barely breathe, but they keep coming.

“Please! Please stop! It wasn’t me I swear!” you cry. “I don’t know what was happening!”

“Shut up, girl,” one grunts. “Your father always said there was something wrong with you, makes sense that you’re a witch!”

“What’s so wrong about witches?” a female voice calls.

You and the men spin around, trying to figure out where it came from.

Before you can blink there’s purple smoke surrounding you, and the men are thrown against the trees. They’re knocked unconscious instantly, but you remain standing and untouched.

“Who are you?” you ask, your voice quivering.

“Don’t be afraid, my dear,” the smoke starts to fade and you can make out her silhouette, then eventually her face. “I’m here to help you,”

She’s beautiful. You’ve never seen someone that immediately feels so friendly, so different in all the best ways.

“It’s alright to stare, I know I’m quite a sight,” she laughs. “I’m Agatha,”

“I’m Y/N,”

“Ah, yes, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of you,” she smiles. “Everyone in the village can barely stand you,”

“Thanks…?” you’re not sure how to respond, especially after all that just happened. “Wait, if you live in my village, why have I never seen you? And how come you’ve never gotten caught using magic?”

“Memory spells, of course,” she shrugs. “Now, let’s get you somewhere safe, alright?”

You nod, and she wraps an arm around you. She takes you deep into the forest until you reach a small house, the glimmer of the fire peering through the windows.

You settle down on a chair while she makes some tea and food. She offers you a blanket and hands you the cup and plate, sitting down across from you.

“So how long have you been practicing magic?” she asks.

“Oh…I…well actually I don’t know how to use any magic,”

“Really? Why were the witch hunters after you then?”

“I was set up, I think,” you say. “There was a little boy floating in the air, and since I was near him they thought it was me. But I wasn’t doing anything,”

“Well,” Agatha sips her tea. “Sometimes magic can manifest itself subconsciously. Maybe you were doing it but didn’t realize it. It’s quite common,”

“But…how would I have magical powers? I’ve never learned it from anywhere,”

“Some people are just born with the gift,” she grins.

You exhale, thinking over what she said. Could it be true? You’ve been a witch all your life without even knowing it?

 -

 That night, Agatha conjures another bed for you to sleep in. But even though she made it as comfortable as she possibly could, you can’t get a wink of sleep.

You lift off the blanket and wrap it tightly around you, getting up slowly and quietly. You walk outside and sit against a tree, looking up at the stars.

You’re sure your family has heard the news by now. Their disappointment of a daughter is finally gone, accused of witchcraft. It seems that the foreseeable future will be spent with Agatha, the only safe person you have.

You wonder just how much she already knows about you. She mentioned she’s heard people gossiping about you all the time in town, yet she still saved you after hearing all those negative things.

Why is that?

“Can’t sleep?”

You jump at her voice, and she chuckles a bit at your reaction.

“Sorry,” you sigh. “I just have a lot to think about from today, I guess,”

“No worries,” she sits down beside you. “So do I,”

“Agatha,” you say. “Why did you save me?”

“Us witches have to stick together. I saw you were in trouble, so I saved you,”

“But you knew, didn’t you? You’ve known I was a witch long before this, didn’t you?”

“I had my suspicions,” she agrees. “Whenever I heard people talk about you, I figured you weren’t like everyone else. But I didn’t know for sure until today,”

“I wish you had taken me before,” you huff, a few tears falling down your cheeks. “It’s been so bad, Agatha, feeling worthless just because you’re different, everyone hates you…”

She pulls you into her shoulder, letting you cry into it, “I know, dear, I know,”

 -

 It takes you a while to come to terms with your potential powers, but as soon as you’re ready Agatha begins to teach you how to use them. You spend your days studying her spell books and practicing simple spells, most of which you fail at.

She encourages you as much as possible, explaining to you that magic is not something you can learn overnight, sometimes not even over years. She tells you that she’s actually thousands of years old (a surprise to you due to her stunning looks) and she’s been practicing for much of that time, and there’s still some spells she hasn’t mastered.

Your impatience still gets the better of you most days, though. You can’t imagine waiting several centuries to get something to work, if you get it to work at all.

One day you’re sitting at the table, trying out a simple transfiguration spell. You wave your hand repeatedly at a potato, hoping to turn it into an apple. It doesn’t even wobble, not even a single spark, but you’ve been sitting here for hours and don’t want to give up just yet.

You nearly fall asleep from exhaustion when all of a sudden it happens. It works.

There’s an apple in front of you. Not a potato, an apple.

“Holy shit!” you scream. “Agatha! I did it!”

You run over to her and point at your small accomplishment.

“Look at you go, darling!” she smiles, hugging you. “At this rate you’ll be changing rocks into cats before you’re 200!”

You laugh, “Oh come on, this is literally just one of the beginner spells,”

“So what? That’s where everybody starts,”

You break out in giddy excitement again, jumping up and down a bit and looking back and forth just to make sure your creation is still there.

Without thinking, you kiss Agatha quickly on the lips.

She stares at you, mouth open.

Before you can apologize, she grabs your face and kisses you hard. She’s everything you’d imagined and more, soft and warm but with a spark you can’t ignore.

When you finally break apart, her hands linger, brushing across your features and in your hair, “I’ve been waiting to do that,”

 -

 Things change after that, but in only the best ways.

Agatha isn’t just your mentor anymore, the only friend who came to your aid.

She’s your everything now, a soulmate, your home.

You tell her all about your life, and she tells you all about hers. As she has significantly more stories to tell, you’ll fall asleep many nights to her whispering all the legends she lived through that no one else knows are true.

She makes you laugh every day, and makes sure you always know how much she cares about you. There’s only so much you can do in your hidden home in the woods, but with magic the possibilities are endless and she’s never short of romantic ideas.

Tonight you find yourself lying your head in her lap while she plays with your hair, close to the fire so you can watch the little shows she creates with the flames.

“What about love?” you ask.

“What about it?”

“Out of all the stories you’ve told me, you’ve never mentioned being in love before,”

“Well,” she sighs. “That’s because I haven’t been,”

“Why not?”

“It’s just never appealed to me,” she says. “Until I met you,”

“Oh,” you grin, looking up at her.

She leans down to kiss you, but you’re broken apart by a loud noise outside.

You shoot up, looking at Agatha in pure panic. Your heart races as the noise gets louder and louder, eventually leading to shouting and knocks at the door.

“WE FOUND YOU!” a booming voice yells.

“Aggie?” you whisper. Everything crumbles around you. Your perfect, happy life, now about to be stolen from you. You have no idea how they found you, if you are about to be dead, if you’ll be able to defend yourself at all.

She kisses you and stands up, “Stay here. I’ll take care of it,”

With a fling of her fingers the door flies open, and the torches the townspeople are holding are burnt out. She smirks, purple smoke covering the area as she goes through them one by one, some just throwing to the side and others suffering a painful death.

She turns their own weapons against them, their own people against them, and makes them regret everything they’ve ever done.

When she returns to you, you’re still in so much shock and panic you couldn’t tell exactly what she was doing.

“Did you…kill all of them?”

“They got what they deserved for threatening us,” she says nonchalantly. “But we’re not safe here anymore. It’s time to find somewhere new,”

“Okay,” you nod as she pulls you against her. “As long as I’m with you,”

“I’ll always protect you, even when you learn enough to protect yourself,” she kisses your forehead. “Always and forever,”

 APPROXIMATELY FOUR CENTURIES LATER

 “I’m back, darling!” Agatha calls, shutting the door behind her.

“How’d it go?” you run to her, grabbing her hands.

“Splendid, that poor Wanda already loves her new neighbor!”

“Wow,” you giggle. “You know I must say, this whole living in a sitcom thing isn’t that bad, you look gorgeous in that 50s dress,”

“Oh darling, somehow after all this time you still flatter me,” she pretends to fan herself. “I have to go back over real quick, alright? Gotta give her this spicy magazine,” she holds her hand up in the air and magically forms one in her grasp.

“Ah! Be sure to get some ideas to use on me when you get back,” she laugh.

“Oh I will honey,” she winks, kissing you before going out the door.

You settle on the couch, looking around at your home. Out of all the places you’ve moved to together, this was by far the weirdest. There’s no color, and everyone besides you and Agatha and Wanda are under some kind of mind control.

You never imagined that day all those years ago would bring you here, spending your life with a beautiful witch and being her partner in all things, even sinister ones. But you wouldn’t have it any other way, and you know this strange town will only bring you more opportunities to practice your magic and help Agatha with her plans.

[vampfairywitch]

I will make each an individual event. For now you can catch Darqkrafts at the follow events!

Spooky Galveston November 2nd!

Witches Night Out Conjure Market

Enchanted Fair Festival November 16th

Shadow Alley Market November 24th

The Spirit Quest Center Psychic Fair November 30th!

[incorrectlumityquotes]

FULL REVIEWS: “Hooty’s Moving Hassle”

I’ve only seen Howl’s Moving Castle once and I thought it was just okay. The animation was amazing. The story and characters were just...okay. But we’re not here to talk about that today.

A Hooty centric episode? Count me in, hoot hoot. The hype train just keeps on going and I was so glad that I found my new favorite show. AND my niece loved it too, so that’s a huge plus. The only thing that I was sure about this episode going in way back when was that Gus and Willow were going to be in it. Let’s check it out and see if it’s still as good as I remember it, hoot hoot.

“Cards! The paper rectangles that old people think are fun.”

Hot damn, Luz. The episode just started and she’s already out firing shots. But to be fair, she did grow up with smartphones and game consoles being a thing so I doubt she sees the appeal. Do kids even still play with toys anymore? Or do they all just play on tablets now? Probably why Toys R’ Us closed. 

Speaking of things that can only happen in this generation, callbacks and continuity! Eda’s curse is rearing its feathery head and like the irresponsible adult that she is, she’s out of elixir, hoot hoot.

It’s not our full introduction to Owlbert, but at least he gets some screen time where he actually moves and stuff. I totally get where Luz and King are coming from. When a friend discovers they’re really good at a game and they want to play it all they time because they like winning but it’s super annoying and you always lose because it’s not a game you would ever play on your own, hoot hoot. Yeah. Eda is that friend. 

People watching in a fantasy world would actually be a fun little way to do some worldbuilding, but I’m afraid some people would call it lazy. We get a bunch of set-up for the third act and then the spice of life returns, hoot hoot.

“Who hurt my babies?”

Hyper fangirl Luz spots her babies wearing frowny faces thanks to Amity and her little group. Apparently Amity’s forced friend brigade is going to have a moonlight conjuring which is basically just a slumber party. It’s literally exactly like a slumber party. I have proof. Just check out this video and see that slumber parties are just modern witch gatherings. 

Thanks to Luz though, Willow has enough friends to have a moonlight conjuring of her own. Wow, typing out that sentences actually made me feel really sad. Willow is a sweeties and she deserves the world. Okay I feel better, hoot hoot.

Also Penstagram? Really? Like freaking really? I hate Instagram. The feed is never in chronological order, I don’t know what “link in the bio” means and I never have enough pictures to just be on there. I mean, who freaking takes pictures for everything all the time? It’s a madhouse, I tell you. A madhouse, hoot hoot.

Like Owlbert, this is our kinda introduction to Boscha and her crew. It’s not a full introduction, but it’s not like we’re not going to see more of her later. There’s Skara again and Cat. Thank you, Owl House wikia.

Eda’s dealer suggests going to the Night Market to pick up what she needs and shoots down Luz’s moonlight conjuring idea. But Luz isn’t going to let something small like a parent’s permission stop her from helping her friends, hoot hoot. So Luz pulls the laziest plot device in all of fiction and lies. 

Sleeping King in a baby sling and Willow saying “I’m a sneaky sneakster” hoot hoot? This episode is all kinds of cute.

Eda heads to the night market and Luz has her little slumber party. A sad thought just occurred. What if this is also Luz’s first slumber party too? Her mom did say that she didn’t have any friends. I made myself sad again, hoot hoot. 

Luz, ever the good host, tries to accommodate her friends and they get to work on the moonlight conjuring. Luz chanting that she doesn’t know the words made me laugh. Especially because I’d do the same thing. 

Side note, but Gus insisting that Beefy Bob is a figurine is just kinda funny. All I kept thinking about was the difference between action figures, dolls, and figurines. Dolls don’t move but you play with them. Action figures do stuff and you play with them. Figurines don’t move and you don’t play with them, hoot hoot. “A real man never takes accountability” is hilarious and unfortunately true. 

“Light as a feather; stiff as a board. Light as a feather; stiff as a board.”

“Something ridiculous this way comes, hoot hoot.”

And just like that, our heroes conjure the whole house. How? Why? Never mind that shit, here comes Bosha! And the set up from early in the episode, hoot hoot. 

Meanwhile at the night market, Eda meets the recurring villain of the series. I like to call these guys jobber villains.

For those who don’t know, a “jobber” is a pro wrestling term. It’s a guy who is hired to just lose to the big name guys. I use the term “jobber villain” to describe any antagonist who isn’t the main villain who is used frequently to lose to the heroes. Think Team Rocket in Pokémon, Dr Light in Teen Titans, Ludo in Star vs the Forces of Evil, etc, you get the idea.

Tibbles hustles Eda over the Hexes Hold ‘em game and we get a bunch of funny ass jokes that I dare not ruin for you. The two plots cross for just long enough for Luz and co to get busted. 

I have concerns, hoot hoot.

Meanwhile, back in the other failed moonlight conjuring, the moonlight conjuring has failed. The girls do what every young girl would do in that situation and complain on social media. Amity gets a really cool shot that I don’t have and the episode ends with a hint that someone on our main trio is more powerful then they are letting on.

FINAL SCORE: 5 - Loved it.

This episode is funny as hell. That’s the main highlight for me here. There are so many good jokes especially since it’s my type of dialogue humor. 

Lots of character work. The reveal that Willow and Amity used to be friends adds depth to both characters, making the relationship a bit more complex than just bully-victim scenario.

I love it whenever Luz speaks Spanish. As a Hispanic guy myself, I’m really happy about this kind of representation. This plus Marco Diaz. 

We kinda get introductions to several characters who play bigger parts in later episodes. Bosch and Owlbert get soft intros while Tibbles takes the center stage as the episode’s main villain.

I’ve never been to a slumber party but I doubt they’re as fun as this.

.

.

.

I forgot what the next episode is so I don’t have a lead up line for it...hoot.

[carewyncromwell]

“How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die? It is love we must hold onto -- Never easy, but we try. Sometimes our happiness is captured; Somehow our time and place stand still... Love lives on inside our hearts and always will... Minutes turn to hours, days to years, then gone, But when all else has been forgotten, Still our song lives on...”

~“How Does a Moment Last Forever? (cover)” by Celine Dion

x~x~x~x

tw: character death, funerals, grief

x~x~x~x

The kelpie known as Ru Ollivander always knew their time on Earth would be fleeting -- at least, in comparison to the human witches and wizards they’d ended up living alongside. It was the main reason Ru had such a passion for photography, animation, and moving pictures. The thought of capturing a single moment and making it last beyond that moment...making it possible to relive that moment over and over again, as many times as one wanted...it was meaningful in a way Ru couldn’t quite put into words. 

And so over the years, the eccentric, blunt kelpie -- never the best at expressing themselves in the way more upright, classy humans did -- captured as many memories as they could of the things they found most remarkable about the Wizarding World they’d entered. They sketched the rows upon rows of disgusting-looking ingredients in jars set up in the Potions classroom. They took pictures of the way the moon looked from the Astronomy Tower after a thunderstorm. They made animations of how Venomous Tentaculas and Mandrakes grew, compressing entire months into mere seconds. And, of course, over the years, Ru used their cinematograph, Aeroscope, and other cameras to film the humans who had become most important to them -- their best friend, Galen Stagg @cursebreakerfarrier​​; their fellow Ravenclaw and Galen’s eventual other half, Siobhan Llewelyn @kc-needs-coffee​; and their “keeper”-turned-muse-and-life partner, Estrid Soelberg @thatravenpuffwitch​​. 

One morning, however, in the 1930′s, Estrid returned to the cottage she shared with Ru from a trip to the market to find the entire place in disarray. A table had been overturned, Ru’s camera was knocked over on its side, and a drawer of photographs had been pulled out, its contents spread out all over the floor. Alarmed, Estrid rushed to find Ru -- when she did, she found them on the floor, in full kelpie form, looking very restless and distraught as they huffed and puffed through their nose and mouth. Estrid hurriedly rushed over and bent down, trying to help, but it soon became clear what the problem was.

Ru couldn’t change form. They couldn’t transform themselves out of their real appearance. ...They couldn’t turn into a human anymore. 

The realization overwhelmed Ru. As much as they always knew the day would come, it wasn’t any less devastating. They’d never have hands again. They’d never have legs or feet again. They’d never speak properly again. They’d never be able to take any more pictures, or make any more movies, or make improvements to their cameras, or draw any more sketches or animations. They’d never be able to visit Galen’s classroom anymore for his lectures. They’d never be able to exchange any more friendly swears with Siobhan over a game of Wizard’s Chess. ...They’d never be able to comfort Estrid again...never be able to stroke her hair and hold her until she stopped crying...never be able to play her film reels of her grandfather, or plant flowers in the garden with her, or dance with her in the rain...they’d never be able to tell her how much they loved her.

The kelpie’s eyes fell toward the ground, darkening, as they flooded with tears. Those tears streaked down their long face in cold, deafening silence. Estrid, who’d almost never seen Ru cry in all their time together, found herself struggling not to break down completely herself as she threw her arms around Ru’s snout and hugged them, resting her face in their overgrown seaweed mane. The two sat together on the floor for what felt like hours, crying and cuddling as best they could, Ru pressing their soft nose into Estrid’s cheek and the crook of her neck and Estrid kissing their nose and the top of their head. 

Estrid wrote to the Staggs to pass along the news. Galen pretty much dropped everything to be by his friend’s side -- the magizoologist had always had a particular talent for speaking to magical creatures, and it had never been more useful than in those final weeks of Ru’s life. It seemed that what upset Ru most out of everything was that they’d had a project they hadn’t been able to finish. It was an incomplete film reel they’d stored under their and Estrid’s bed for the last year, taking out and working on only whenever Estrid wasn’t home. 

Galen had made as if to go get it, but Ru had snatched his sleeve in their teeth and pulled him back so he couldn’t leave their side.

“Not yet,” they were clearly saying. “It’s not time. Please, not yet.”

Reluctantly Galen respected his friend’s wishes. 

Within a month of them being unable to change back into a human, Galen and Siobhan received the owl they’d been dreading. Ru had passed the previous night, Estrid by their side all the way up until the end. 

As per Ru’s wishes, their funeral service was very small. They were laid to rest beside the small pond behind their and Estrid’s cottage -- Galen knew that kelpies’ bodies tended to decompose quickly, leaving only the seaweed of their manes behind at the bottom of the seafloor. There wasn’t a dry eye during the modest ceremony.

On Galen’s prompting, Estrid went to their room and fetched Ru’s unfinished project from under their bed. Inside the box holding the film reel were hundreds, maybe thousands of old photographs and drawings, many of which Galen, Estrid, and Siobhan had never seen. Some featured Hogwarts, from different angles; some were of the places they’d been to, or the creatures they handled, or the food they ate, or just cool and random things they only half-remembered. Most of all, though, the pictures were of them...and a small fraction, toward the very front, were of Ru themselves. 

It was incredible, just looking through the pictures. Forty years of memories were compiled together, documenting not just the changes in those years, but the advancement in Ru’s talent as an artist. The newest pictures were so much clearer and more life-like -- the magical ones moved with such clarity -- the drawings were more refined -- the animations more complex. The pictures placed side-by-side were an animation unto themselves: a beautiful montage of time, like a blooming flower. 

Siobhan was the one who knew Ru’s equipment well enough to work out how to set up the projector so they could play the incomplete film reel. The beginning featured Ru as the three remembered them -- very long, wavy black hair, bright blue angled eyes, and diamond earrings, dressed in a dark violet velvet suit and vest with no collared shirt underneath and a gold and emerald necklace around their neck. They were smirking right at the camera, but it seemed to be a bit strained. 

“Hi, Estrid. Galen...Siobhan...reckon you’re both here too. You are the only one who could ever figure out how to work the projector, Sha.”

They cleared their throat, snorting through their nose before continuing. 

“...I’ve...recorded this a few times already, trying to get it right, but...well, I’ll just be straight. This morning...I had trouble creating my daddles.”

They held up their right hand and flourished the fingers in explanation. 

“I woke up with hooves and it took me about a minute to conjure up my fingers. I didn’t tell you, Estrid, since I knew it’d only make you worry, but...well, I know I’ll only be doing more of that, soon.”

They forced a stronger smirk.

“So I decided to make this for you. It’s a compilation of our lives...one that you can hopefully play, when you need to remember. When you need to get away from the present, and run back to the past for a bit. Watch it every time you feel the urge to drink -- and then push away that urge.”

The moving image of Ru was replaced with the pictures, movies, drawings, and animations the three had seen in the box, overlaying Ru’s voice as they continued.

“When I first started disguising myself as Rudolph Ollivander, all I cared about was living in the moment. But the thing I found so amazing about being human was this instinct you all have to try to make moments last long after they’re over. Considering how long you all live, and therefore how short my existence is in comparison, I loved the thought of making something last. Something I made last. I wanted to plant some seed that would grow into something that would keep growing long after me. But it didn’t take me long to realize that even if I took great photographs, or made beautiful films, or made the best magical camera in the world...it didn’t matter. Because I didn’t have a family who would tend to my garden, after I left it. I didn’t have a family who would keep the things I’d made, and pass them on, and share them with the world. ...I didn’t have a family who would pass on my legacy. After Hogwarts, it’d be a lot harder to hide what I was from the world...and once everyone knew the truth, I would undoubtedly be alone again. It was something I knew was inevitable, really, so it didn’t break me or anything...but me leaving something lasting behind was still a dream I knew would never come true. And I won’t lie, that hurt like shit.

“But then, somehow...somehow or another, I ran into you, Estrid. I was steamed as all get-out when we first met, mind you...but I don’t think I’ll ever be more grateful for anything than you stopping me from eating that first year that day. The bridle you put on me? I hated it. I had to stay in one form for almost eight whole years, and that was a real pain in the arse. But as I told you before, over time, I found I didn’t mind so much. Kelpies don’t stay in one form because changing forms helps us survive. It keeps us safe and keeps any other creatures from getting close enough to eat or trap us. And sure, I couldn’t change form...but I wasn’t exactly trapped. Hogwarts was a fun place to be. There was a lot to learn and do and get into, and there were all sorts of rules to buck and dozens of lick-spittles to give a good arse-kicking to. And better still...there were even some humans that were fun to be around.”

The pictures all started to reflect Galen -- at the piano, with a tree of bowtruckles, laughing at a joke -- Galen and Ru running down the lane away from the Shrieking Shack --

“There were ones who were gentle. Pacifistic and wussy, yeah, but also...well, kind. Good at expressing their feelings and making others feel stronger. Good at being brave without being loud or obnoxious. Good at being a friend, to someone who didn’t know anything about friendship.”

The pictures then started to add Siobhan, often alongside Galen, but also on her own, or even with Estrid and Ru.

“There were ones who were clever. Too proud for their own good and prone to overthinking things that are really quite simple...but brilliant, and witty, and a blast to be around. Someone who you can share your interests with and know they appreciate them.”

The pictures then shifted over to Estrid with braids in her hair -- Estrid sitting by the pond in their garden -- Estrid dancing -- 

“And...there were ones who could change you...more than you ever thought possible.”

The pictures abruptly cut off -- Ru’s face returned to the projector. They were still talking to the camera, but it was clear they hadn’t intended for their face to be seen, as they weren’t looking straight at the lens anymore. 

“A ‘keeper,’ who became a friend, and then a muse...and then something more. An equal and a partner...someone who makes you unafraid of the future and how fleeting life is, who actually makes you think that your life makes a difference. Who teaches you more than any book, without even trying. Someone patient, and brave, and compassionate...who never tries to stuff the silence full of worthless words...whose beauty masks a greater one underneath, one that few people ever are fortunate enough to see...”

Ru’s eyes on screen had begun to flood with tears. They closed their eyes and breathed in and out through their nose to try to get a rein on their emotions.

“...Estrid...my whole life, I wanted to leave something behind that would outlive me. That thing isn’t just my pictures, or my films, or my drawings -- it’s you. You are my legacy. You and Galen and Siobhan...you are the wonderful thing I’ll leave behind. It breaks my heart that I’ll have to...and it breaks my heart more, knowing I can’t make sure you all remain as you are, in this moment. Healthy. Successful. Stupid and happy and full of life.”

They forced a smile even as their electric blue eyes overflowed with tears that streaked down their face. 

“I don’t have a family to make sure you all last beyond me...but I do have you. So, for me...I need you to tend to my garden. I need you to maintain my legacy -- by maintaining yourself. I need you to live, and heal, and grow, and do everything I can’t do...”

Ru was unable to keep themselves from breaking down into sobs. They bowed their head, clutching onto their own hair as they vainly tried to keep their voice steady. 

“Don’t throw your time away. Don’t throw your lives away. If you do, I’ll never bloody forgive you!”

For the next minute they took a few stabilizing breaths, sucking in air shakily through their nose and mouth. 

“Damn it...” they hissed under their breath. “Now I have to cut this...”

They swallowed, wiping the tears from their eyes with both hands. The tears left tracks on their face even as they forced themselves to return their focus to the camera. 

“...Make every moment count...and when you can, make that moment last forever.

“I realized, when I was looking through my old pictures, that I’ve never really taken many pictures of me. I guess in the moment, I really was a lot more focused on capturing everything I saw, rather than myself. So here are some pictures I took more recently that have me in them. Hopefully you can use them to imagine me behind every picture I took earlier, of all of you. Even though I probably wasn’t smiling or anything...I’m sure you know I was enjoying myself, right? ...I did enjoy myself a lot, with all of you...”

They forced another smile, even though the tears on their face still shone in the light from the next room.

“I remember you once said, Galen, that you could see the love in the pictures I take. I still don’t really know what the hell that’s supposed to mean...but I reckon you bringing up love made some sense. I did love taking those pictures, every one of them -- and more than that...I learned about love, through the people in those pictures. So thank you. Thank you for loving me...and for teaching me so much. And even when this film reel’s obsolete, and my pictures are ruined, and my drawings fade...don’t stop doing things that are worth remembering. Keep making more memories. I know I’ll never forget you -- all you have to do now is make sure the rest of the world won’t either.

“So live. Live, and learn, and love. Make today last forever.” 

When Ru’s film reel finally ended and faded to black, Galen, Siobhan, and Estrid were all in tears. Galen was clinging to his wife, his face buried in her hair and his hands clutching at the back of her dress as he sobbed. Siobhan herself had her eyes shut tight as she held Galen in return, unable to contain her own grief. Estrid was holding herself, tears streaming from her hazel eyes still staring at the blank projector screen where Ru had been smiling moments earlier. She closed her eyes, her hands covering her face as she cried silently. 

The grief in the room was overwhelming, and yet Ru’s final unfinished present tapped into something at the base of the grief -- the deep, bottomless love they all felt. For as blunt and stubborn as Ru could be, the depth of their feelings was undeniable. They didn’t want their loved ones to despair -- they wanted them to remember, yes, but not languish in the memories...to live with an eye on the past and feet walking toward the future. Ru knew the grief Estrid had gone through when she’d lost her grandfather, and had tried so hard to give her something to help her through her grief again even when they weren’t there to physically support her.

And so over the years, Siobhan, Galen, and Estrid maintained Ru’s legacy. The three lived their lives to the fullest and worked to make sure that no one forgot about all of the advancements Ru had made in the world of wizarding photography. Galen used Ru’s old film reels of magical creatures in his classes; Siobhan took even more pictures of her own; and Estrid fought to ensure Ru’s work was put up in wizarding museums and exhibitions all over Europe, as a testament to her partner’s talent and dedication. 

A man has no control who lives, who dies, and who tells their story...but the ones who they love in life, and who inspire them in death, are the most precious legacy they can leave behind. 

[mountainsluna]

ouija boards

pairing(s): witch!wooyoung & witch!reader (as best friends)

also demon!san x reader

genre: humor + supernatural + fluff

word count: 2.2k

✩ [author’s note] Happy Halloween Everyone! 🎃 Tonight is a full blue moon and I am so insanely excited! Even if you don’t celebrate halloween, I hope you all have a good day :)

✩ masterlist

✩ requests :  check bio or masterlist ♡

You turned over to see San sleeping peacefully on your bed. His devil horn twitching as he snored softly. His eyes fluttered open at the sound of your giggling. “Can I help you, gorgeous?” He smirked, his voice deep with sleep. He movied his arm underneath you as your leg draped over his.

“No...I just can’t believe you’re mine.” You say, his jet black tail coming up to caress your leg.

He chuckled sleepily into your hair as his fingers played with the strands lazily. “I’m lucky you found me, angel.” He said softly, the ironic nickname making you smile. You ran a finger along his chest as he drifted back to sleep, your mind wandering off to your memory of the night you two met.

9 months ago...

“Ughhh!” Wooyoung groaned as he swung your apartment door open, plopping himself next to you on your sofa, waving his hand at the open door to close it.

“And what’s your problem?” You say, not bothering to look away from the tv show you were watching.

“I’m so bored. This has been the most boring week of my life!” You rolled your eyes at his juvenile complaints.

“So what do you suggest we do to liven up your life a bit, Jung Wooyoung?” 

“I don’t knowwww! But we’re witches! There has to be something fun we can do.” Wooyoung whined, he was silent a few seconds as you mumbled something about dismantling the patriarchy before he gasped, grabbing your attention. “Y/n! Do you still have that Ouija board your mom gave you?”

Your head snapped in his direction, your finger shooting up to close his mouth shut. “Wooyoung we can’t mess with it, you know that! And she gave it to me for safe keeping not for playing!”

Wooyoung motioned your hand away, hating when you used your powers on him. “Come onnn! It’s not any more dangerous than all the crazy things we’ve already done!” You shook your head turning away from him. “Y/n pleaseeee, do you want me to die of boredom?”

“It wouldn’t be my favorite way for you to die but I could live with it.” You chuckled as Wooyoung scoffed at your words.

“Fine.” Wooyoung vanished into smoke off of your sofa.

You let out a sigh, beginning to relax back into your show when he reappeared in the same spot. A large box, sealed in plastic in his hands. “Alright then, now we can have fun!” He said standing up to make his way to your bedroom.

“Hey! What is that?!” You followed after him, grabbing the box from his hands as he set up candles around your room. “Wooyoung did you not just hear a word I said?!”

“You said we couldn’t mess with your mom’s board, but this one is from the toy store down the street! Can you believe they market these to kids?” He says nonchalantly, tearing the plastic off as he sat on the floor with the box. You sat across from him stopping him from opening it.

“Wooyoung I’m serious, this isn’t a game! Not with the kind of powers we have.”

“Well if our powers are strong enough to actually conjure something then they should be strong enough to handle whatever comes through.”

You sighed in defeat, removing your hand from the box. You knew Wooyoung was too stubborn to listen to you, sometimes he needed to learn things the hard way. Why you let yourself get dragged into his nonsense, you didn’t know.

You closed your eyes, forming a circle of light around you both as Wooyoung finished setting up the board. Your hands joining his on the planchette. “Okay, spirits of y/n’s apartment. Let yourself be known.” Your eyes shot up at Wooyoung’s words as he smirked at you, you swore you could’ve ended him right then and there. But it didn’t move.

“Sh...should we swirl it around the board a bit? Ya know...like to wake it up?” He asked and you honestly didn’t know.

“Like how they move it on the movies?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay go.” You fingers pushed the planchette around the board as Wooyoung asked again, stopping after a few seconds. Nothing.

“Ugh either your apartment is too cleansed or this board is a piece of trash.” Wooyoung said, leaning away from the board.

“Well, I’m fine with either of those being true.” You said placing the board back into the box, shoving it against Wooyoung’s chest. “Now get that thing out of my house.”

“Scaredy cat. You’re lucky I have work in the morning or I’d stay longer.” You walked him to the door, waving goodbye before closing and locking it. As you turned away from the door a heavy feeling of uneasiness fell over you. It was the kind of feeling that had you looking over your shoulder at every noise you swore you heard.

Once you were settled into bed, you tried your hardest to fall asleep. Damn Wooyoung. You were sure it was the bad feeling you had from the Ouija board he brought that was still lingering within you. You took a deep breath, as you attempted to meditate yourself to sleep.

Just as you had begun to drift off there was a loud noise coming from your hallway closet. Your eyes shot open, the realization hitting you that that was where you kept your mom’s old board.

You made your way to the hallway, waving your hand slowly to open the door. You noticed the box had fallen off the shelf as it was now laying on the floor. It absolutely had to be the source of all the uneasiness you were feeling, you pulled the box out walking it to your living room coffee table. You weren’t one to play around when it came to negative energies, the longer they stayed the harder it was to get them to leave. So you wanted this one gone as soon as possible.

You took out the board, not bothering to cast a circle. You wanted whatever was trying to scare you out in the open so you could take care of it face to face.

Placing your fingers on top of the planchette, you let out a deep breath before speaking. “Alright, who’s in my house?” You asked, not letting your voice waver.

A jolt of electricity ran through your fingertips as it began to move, you gasped, your hands instinctively flying off of the small piece of wood. But it moved right along without you. Spelling out the letters S.A.N.

You sat there in complete shock, your voice stuck in your throat. You cleared you throat before speaking again. “San?...What do you want?” The board began to shake at your words. You pushed yourself back as the board hovered then flew towards you, you ducked to the side as it collided with the wall behind you. The broken board casting a red hue throughout the room.

You shot up, turning around to be met with a tall male figure sitting atop your kitchen counter. He was dressed in all black, horns on full display, long tail swaying casually behind him. “Y...you’re a demon.” Your voice was barely above a whisper as you spoke.

“Well, look at you. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with Ouija boards, darling?” He asked, his deep chuckle sending a shiver up your spine. He settled himself to the floor, taking a few steps towards you. Your hand shot out in an attempt to use your powers to push him back but it merely caused his shoulder to waver a bit, mainly from the surprise of your actions, not the actual force.

“Ah I see...you’re a witch aren’t you?” He smirked wickedly at the realization. “Why don’t you show me what other tricks you have up your sleeve?” San stepped near you, his black tail coming up to caress your arm, you nearly swatted it away. “Go ahead...I won’t hurt you.”

“Bite me.” You spat, determined to show him you weren’t scared of him. But your actions only amused the demon in front of you.

The laugh that came from him echoed throughout the room. “Don’t tempt me, darling. I already think you’re a pretty little thing, your feistiness is just gonna make me wanna keep you even more.” 

Before you could respond, San began to wince at a loud ringing in his ear. The noise rising so loud, you had to cover your ears as well. Once the ringing stopped, San cleared his throat, standing so close you had to look raise your head to look up at him. “It appears I have some business to take care of back home.” He said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “What a shame...I was looking forward to playing with my little witch a bit longer.” He smirked, running a finger along the underside of your chin, tilting your head up to look him in the eyes. His irises glowed red as he winked down at you.

“Yeah, what a shame.” You said, not breaking eye contact with him.

“Aww, don’t sound too sad, darling.” He leaned down to your ear. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on.”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” San let out a deep chuckle at your words before vanishing into a black smoke. The uneasy feeling you felt earlier disappearing along with him.

However, now that you think about it, even after he returned. The bad feeling never came back with him. In fact, you felt even more protected having him around now.

You stood there in complete shock. Your legs unwilling to move. Once you snapped out of it, you snapped your fingers, your phone appearing in your hand as you dialed Wooyoung.

“Y/n this better be insanely important, it’s 2 in the-”

“There was a demon in my apartment.”

“.....” “..........”

“Woo? Wooyoun-”

“A WHAT?!” He yelled into the phone, fully awake after your words had registered.

“A DEMONNNN, WOOYOUNG.”

“OH MY GOD.” His voice sounding way too close.

You screamed loudly, whipping around to see the dark haired boy standing behind you still holding the phone to his ear. His bed head and lack of pants catching you off guard. “JUNG WOOYOUNG!” You hit his chest with a little too much force as you caught your breath.

“Ow! I didn’t mean to scare you! Tell me everything! How are you even still alive? Did he try to kill you? What did he look like?”

You held your head in your hands, making your way to the sofa, Wooyoung following behind you. You let out a sigh before speaking trying to recall the events. “No, he didn’t try to kill me he was a little intimidating but overall he was just...really...flirty?”

Wooyoung laughed loudly at the last word. “Huh...a flirty demon...Was he scary looking like the red all over kinda cartoon ones?”

“Besides the horns and tail, he looked human. He wasn’t too tall...taller than me. He was dressed in all black, his hair was black, his eyes were dark red but up close they were almost bright red.”

“Well damn, y/n. He sounds like your type.” He teased.

You threw a pillow at him, rolling your eyes at his words.

“You must’ve gotten pretty close to him to have seen his eyes change like that...Y/n~...Did you like the flirty demon?”

“Will you stop it!?” Grabbing the pillow you had thrown, using it to hit him repeatedly as he tossed his head back in laughter.

“I’m just saying!! Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad having a demon around if he likes you. He could protect us from evil things we can’t handle.”

“Yeah when have you ever met a demon willing to protect two amateur witches just for the fun of it?”

But that’s exactly what had ended up happening. Not necessarily for the fun of it but because he actually ended up falling for you.

San did continue to show up after that. Usually just to bother you as you studied up on your spells. But then there was the time your oven broke and San sat in front of it for a whole 20 minutes, heating it up enough so that your cookies could finish baking.

Or that one day your heater went out and he stayed overnight to cuddle you, claiming a demon’s body was warmer than any heater you could buy anyways. Even though after all these months you’re sure he gives off the exact same amount of body heat as any other person on the planet.

At first, you told yourself the reason you kept him around was for protection, but now you could admit that it ended up being for your own comfort. Wooyoung hadn’t seemed to mind either, also claiming if it hadn’t been for him, you two would’ve never met so now you owed him a boyfriend too.

San would also say he got along well with your best friend for the most part, usually bonding over the pranks they played on you from time to time. Although it did get annoying you would get them back in your own ways.

It was an unconventional relationship in the most unconventional way but you cared so much for him and you knew he’d never hurt you. You were absolutely in love with your demon boyfriend.

[nadacwriter]

A Monument of Love (TOH)

Amity, Gus, and Willow pay a visit to a monument just outside of Bonesborough to perform a midnight conjuring.

OR, @moringmark‘s art HURT me and I’m not okay with it.

Please read THIS comic first, as it inspired this piece. Here’s Markmak’s DA page. Please support him in any way you can. PHENOMENAL art.

Wordcount: 1,819

Amity had mixed feelings as she snuck out of the window of her room. Emira and Edric had, in a surprisingly tender moment, offered to sneak her out themselves, but Amity didn’t want to bring anyone else down with her if she got caught. This wasn’t Emira and Edric’s task, anyway. She didn’t want to saddle them with that kind of weight. Not even the twins needed THAT dose of reality.

As Amity’s feet touched the ground, and she pulled the dark cloak tighter around her, she wasn’t getting any more clarity out of her emotions. The cool night air, the soft breeze, the crystal clear sky, they were all distractions. Reminding her of-...the reason. That she was out here. The one she didn’t want to think of. The one she skirted around, as she gently closed the gate to the manor house behind her, and walked toward the market.

Despite her stoicism (and confusion), Amity nearly lost it as soon as she set foot in the market.  But it wasn’t sadness that she felt; it was a bizarre frustration. A feeling of malcontent pervading her body. ‘It isn’t fair,’ she thought to herself, ‘it isn’t fair that she’s gone, and the woman who took her from me still stands there. Looming.’

Amity stopped only to look up at the poster of Lilith Clawthorne. Even SHE looked sullen and graceless in this new line of posters and propaganda. Amity could only imagine how Lilith felt about all this; what, with her sister gone and everything. It must have been a blow, despite the fact that Eda and Lilith never seemed too close…

But that didn’t mean Amity hadn’t lost someone. Nor did it mean she couldn’t be angry.

Amity COULD imagine how Lilith felt. Or she COULD burn the image to the ground. She chose neither, instead choosing to keep walking. One doesn’t want to stand still in the night market too long. Even though the full moon provided plenty of light, there were still pickpockets to worry about. So she kept moving.

Amity came out of the market, and walked to where she thought that the others may be. She was clear from population, out in the woods. But the hood still stayed up. She didn’t want any chance encounters with anyone out here, especially if they were the emperor's coven. They had gotten somewhat stricter about curfews nowadays. Petrification worked, but it didn’t stop riots. At least not for long.

Amity was getting closer and closer to what remained of-

“Amity!”

“AGH!” Amity formed a circle, “STAY BACK!”

Amity heaved a sigh of relief when she saw two bushes transform into Gus and Willow. Gus with a gentle smile, Willow sporting puffy eyes and a tear stained face; Amity wasn’t the only one feeling emotions this evening.

Amity dissipated the circle, finally removing her hood, “Sorry, but with the coven out you have to be jumpy.”

Willow walked forward and hugged her, “It’s fine. I’m just glad you made it.” She said, squeezing her tightly. She gripped that cloak, too. It still...it still felt just a hair like-

“I’ve got everything we need,” said Gus, joining into the hug, “and it’s good to see you, Amity.”

“You too, Gus. You too.”

And so, the trio walked, deeper into the woods, Amity still pulling the cloak tight to her. She wanted to keep it safe; after all, she was returning it this evening. And she wanted to keep it as safe as she could.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

As the three approached their destination, Gus was the first to speak up.

“I remember learning that bush trick, just to hide in front of the owl house. I use it all the time, now!”

Willow chuckled, “That was a year ago?” She shook her head, “It feels so recent. Maybe it’s the sky doing that.”

Gus nodded, ‘Same as last year, moon’s juuust beginning to rise, stars are all out…”

Amity, the quiet third in the middle, looked up at the stars. “...It was night time, when we-” her breath hitched, and she looked back down. She gripped the cloak, blushing a little, “When SHE…”

Amity felt Willow’s hand in hers, followed almost instantly by Gus’ hand.

“It’s okay, Amity.” Willow said, “It’s okay to cry.” She wore a gentle smile, a motherly one. Amity could barely bring herself to look Willow in the eye, but when she did, she saw that Willow was once again welling tears. When she looked to Gus, she saw much of the same. And so, Amity blinked, and stopped trying to resist.

She let tears fall from her eyes and roll down her cheek, looking back up at the moon. The light so bright it reflected off of her own tears. She also stopped walking, still gripping the pair’s hands with her own. Amity huffed, and stepped forward, clearing her throat.

“Agh,” She began, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have started crying before we even GOT there.” She said. She wiped her eyes with her own sleeve.

“Don’t be sorry, Amity,” Willow said, that same gentle smile on her face, “I’ve been a wreck all day. So’s Gus.”

Gus nodded, “My emotions have been all over the lace. I cried. You can, too.” he said.

And so, the trio walked on…

“...What was it like? When you two kissed?” Willow asked, looking to Amity.

Amity sighed, ‘It was...desperate. Eda had just been turned, and we knew what was going to happen, so before she went out there, I just…”

Willow nodded, ‘Yeah…”

“I never got to know how she felt about it.”

“Maybe you can ask her?” Asked Gus, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a pen and paper, “I don’t think she’ll be able to talk, but she can write to us!”

Willow nodded, “She’ll have to...look.”

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The monument stood triumphant. If Amity didn’t know any better, she might’ve assumed that whoever this was died in some war, so stoically posed. Like she was ready to fight back a nation with her bare hands. And knowing her, she would have. Amity couldn’t help but smile.

“...Amity?” Willow looked over the second she heard a small giggle. “S-Sorry, I just...she’s doing that thing? With her pinkie. Where it juts out a little.”

Willow nodded, “She IS.”

Gus nodded, “I never really learned why she did that.” Gus said, getting closer to the monument. “She just looks so...ready to fight. Ready to go.”

Willow nodded solemnly, walking closer to the statue and putting her hand on the plaque, still looking up, “She always was. She fought for what she believed in. Always did.”

Amity walked to the plaque on the monument, reading it through Willow’s hand placed on the edge.

“LET THIS BE A WARNING TO ALL THE WILD WITCHES.

LUZ NOCEDA, apprentice of EDA CLAWTHORNE, petrified for WILD WITCHCRAFT and HARBORING A WILD WITCH.”

“Why put her so close?” Asked Willow. “To the house, I mean.” “Mockery.” Amity responded, blunt as always, “They wanted to turn her close to the house. So she would see it. See what she left behind.” Amity paused. “I’ve spent time with the coven. I know what they do.”

Gus got to one side of the statue. “Moon’s high. We ready?” he asked, extending both hands.

Amity took one of his, and then one of Willow’s. Willow mimicked the action, and all three were joining hands. They squeezed tightly, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads. Willow was the one to start the incantation.

‘Moonlight, we call, we sing,

Moonlight, take this chance.

Moonlight, come tie the string,

Moonlight, start the dance!’

Suddenly, they heard cracking. And the sound of stone, moving against stone. Rickety joints and dry rock crumbled and breathed. Amity opened her eyes, and saw the statue of Luz beginning to move. Its legs bent, then it slowly, methodically, stepped down off of the pedestal.

Amity felt the statue’s eyes on her, unblinking, unmoving. Luz’s lips and face did not move. Just her body and joints. She looked Amity in the eye, and the three dropped hands.

“It worked!” Gus said, smiling wide and gripping Willow, pulling her into a tight hug.

Willow hugged him back, before turning to face Luz, “We have to see if she remembers us…”

Amity blinked, and untied her cloak. “...Hi, Luz.” She said. “You left this with me, and I never got to give it back. So I figured you should have it, since it’s your cloak.” Amity was trying to keep her cool, but it wasn’t showing. Her facade was barely there, with hitching breath and teary eyes.

“Just. It’s yours. And you deserve it.” Amity said, taking the cloak and tying it around the statue’s neck and making sure it sat right. “Look, Willow’s here, a-and Gus, too! I needed them for the conjuring, and we brought a pen and paper, if you want to write anything, a-and we-” Amity gasped as Luz gripped her. Tight as she could, into a long, loving hug. Amity had never understood a hug. But she knew Luz only hugged people who mattered to her. Meaning that Luz did remember the trio. And that broke the last of Amity’s walls.

Not even Willow had seen Amity cry as hard as she did. And Gus had never seen WILLOW cry as hard as she did, breaking down and holding Luz. And Amity had never seen GUS cry so hard as that moment, hugging the last open bit of Luz he could grab.

For a while, they cried. Just holding Luz tight to them, and each other. When Gus eventually handed Luz the Pen and paper, she went about writing. She slowly, shakily wrote a note out, placing it onto the ground.

“Memories here. Love you all. Miss Mami. Miss Eda. Miss world. Love you, Amity. Love you all.”

Before she could write more, Luz shakily drew something out. A light Glyph, on the paper. The form was bad, the circle was more an oval, and it was kind of poorly drawn.

“It won’t work,” Amity whispered through tears, “the glyph, it won’t-” “Shhhh,” Gus squeezed her shoulder, “She needs this. Let her have it.”

Amity huffed, “I-I don’t want to see it not work, it isn’t fair,” she whispered, “She tried so hard, to learn it all, and it’s gone, and-...Titan’s Bones…”

Amity was interrupted when she saw Luz pat her hand onto the paper. And up from it? A single little light orb. It was small, shaky, like a leaf in the wind or an injured bird, just gently rising into the air. Luz looked, her expression still that gentle stoic expression. But her eyes closed. Like she was smiling. And her hands went together, as well, though, slowly, and barely moving.

The light was faded. But the light was there.

LUZ was there.

And for one night, Gus, Willow, and Amity had her back.

[magical-grrrl-mavis]

Sibling AU

because apparently this is a thing I've got on my mind now. (Probs won't be writing it any time soon but I have a primal need to info dump, and maybe I'll inspire someone else.)

Characters

Eda Clawthorn - Canon Eda: She's Eda. She loves all 3 Noceda girls but is closest to Luz

King - Canon King: He's King. 

Lucia Noceda - Beta Luz: Her weirdness is sorta toned down compared to Canon Luz. She's a bit more angsty. Reeeaaaally needs to smile more. Absolute D E L I N Q U E N T.  Get’s into trouble on purpose, be gay do C R I M E. Feral. Totally down to help with Eda’s less honorable schemes. Tries to seem more “over it” and grown up but is secretly just as enthusiastic as Luz. She's more closed off, her life’s been a bit harder. Very protective of Luz and Laia, DO NOT fuck with them in front of her.  Ready and willing to throw down. Deeeeeefinitely not hopelessly in love with Amelia. Age 17

Luz Noceda - Canon Luz. You know her, you love her. Age 14

Laia Noceda - Pilot Luz: Just as weird as Luz but a bit more laid back and shy. Doesn’t like putting herself out there quite as much as Luz, but gets dragged into her schemes a lot. Huge nerdy bookworm but perfectly capable of being flirty. Actually pretty confident with Anna. Too precious for this world. Is babey. Sits back and observes her sisters antics bc she's actually got a little sense. Age 13

Amelia Blight - Beta Amity: Cold but F E R A L. Doesn't even try to be the little miss perfect anymore but will pretend in front of parents. C H A R I S M A. Will fuck you up. Sorta pyromaniac but not like crazy, just good w/ fire magic and feels calm when she watches flames. Will burn you to ash if you hurt Amity or Anna. Rolls eyes at the twins antics. “You were going to do WHAT with Amity’s diary!?” Lotta internalized shit from her treatment by her parents. THIS CLOSE to burning down Blight manor. “If I have zero friends nobody can hurt me”. Lucia really throws a wrench in that plan. Toooootally not madly in love with Lucia. Natural greenhead but constantly dyes her roots brown as a form of small rebellion and solidarity with Amity and Anna. Age 17

Edric Blight - Canon Edric: You know him. Age 16

Emira Blight - Canon Emira: You know her. Age 16

Amity Blight - Canon Amity: Our girl! Age 14

Anna Blight - pilot Amity: Is babey. Loves books. Shy and tries to stick silently to the background. Just so sweet and precious. PROTECC HER. Tries to do the right thing. Like, ALL her siblings do their best to protect her from her parents. Not good with people at all. Age 13.

Winona Park - Beta Willow: You've seen Dana’s drawing of her. This shady bitch. She knows all your secrets. She will use them against you. Likes a little trouble but doesn't get caught. Ever. By the time you figure out what rule she broke she's already won the game. Don't. Touch. Willow. T R O U B L E. Loner until Lucia came along. Just does not care about anything. Doesn't even try in school  but is still almost as good as Amelia. Not quite as powerful as Willow but still powerful. “What happens if I press this button.” Age 17

Willow Park - Canon Willow: You know her, stronk cinnamon roll. Age 14

Gus Porter - Canon Gus: Boy needs more character development. Age 12

(Story might not go quite like I'm describing it here but it's pretty close.)

Eda was going to eat King when they first met, they tell it like it's just some cute story.

Camilia was going to send both Luz and Laia to normal-person-camp but didn’t even try with Lucia bc she's clearly a lost cause. Lucia waited for the bus with them though, and she and Laia both followed Luz through the portal. Luz was the one who decided to stay on the isles, Laia just agreed bc she also hated the idea of camp, and being a witch sounded fun. Lucia agreed bc “well I'm not leaving my fucking siblings in another dimension on their own” but also was jumping up and down inside at the idea of being a witch.

Lucia and Laia were just vibing at the owl house during Witches Before Wizards because nobody told them shit.

Luz and Laia both went to the school in I Was a Teenage Abomination, Lucia didn’t bc “school? Why would I willingly go to school?” so she wandered off to town to do GOD knows what. Laia just hid in the bottom of the pot, but wandered off, Anna helped save her and get her out in the end. Later, at the covention, Laia gave Anna the “thanks pal” drawing.

Luz and Laia were both captivated by Eda’s magic lesson in Intrudor, Lucia was just hanging back with her arms crossed like she didn't care but inside she was going “I'm gonna be a witch! I'm gonna be a witch!”. Luz discovered the light glyph but Lucia came up with the idea of sticking it on the wall.

At the covention, Lucia saw Amelia and was actually gonna go over and be flirty bc Hot Witch Girl, but then she overheard her talking to Amity about her fighting Luz and instantly big sister mode. They got into a fist fight out back over “my sister’s better than yours.” their relationship after that is just Lucia constantly antagonizing Amelia and almost getting burned. Anna just stayed by the sidelines at the covention and Laia didn't see her until the very end, talked a bit and gave her the drawing b4 being dragged out by Eda.

Laia helped w/ the moonlight conjuring, but Lucia heard "night market" and sneaked off there. She didn't see Eda'z predicament but did run into Winona, who was making trouble and just being generally shady. Lucia helped her out with the shady business because why not and they were instantly friends, their friendship has a lot of Lucia going “you scare me sometimes.”

Laia went to the Library with Luz, she saw Anna just hanging out reading in the corner and immediately went over and sat by her. They were in Amity’s hideout sitting real close reading when Luz and the twins walked in, they left immediately, Anna red as a tomato.

The second Eda said body swap Lucia scooped Laia up and noped on out. It sounded fun to Lucia but for some reason she didn't feel comfortable subjecting Laia to that.

Laia and Lucia went with Eda when she talked to Bump abt enrolling them and just sat back and watched Eda clean up all her messes. Lucia was impressed.

Laia was just as excited to go to Hexside as Luz. But Lucia hated school, even magic school. She only decided to go to keep an eye on her sisters and fuck with Amelia.

Neither Laia note Lucia were interested in going to the Grudgby match. Laia stayed home and read (on the couch. She was so engrossed in her book she missed king walking out with half-transformed Eda) and Lucia went to hang out with Winona.

Laia and Anna worked together on a book for the writing contest. It won. Lucia wrote one too but it git rejected for being too graphic. It made one of the judges who read it start seeing a therapist.

All three went to the knee. Lucia went along with Eda'z crazy teaching because it seemed hysterical to her crackheaded mind, she missed the whole Slitherbeast thing bc she was off with moss in her ears, dirt over her eyes and pine needle mulch in her nose. Laia was incredibly disappointed that Anna wasn't there with the other blights. She didn't even try to stop Luz from stealing the wand bc she knew she wouldn't listen. She was just as impatient as Luz, just not rash. They figured out the ice glyph together.

Lucia chose the bard track in First Day bc she wants to be in a band. Laia couldn't choose just like Luz and got stuck in the Oracle Coven. Lucia got caught just like Luz and ended up in the detention track, Barkus was a bit more wary about her. She helped fight the basalisk I guess. Laia just stayed in class. Both Luz and Laia got to be in every track, Lucia chose only Bard, Beast Keeping and Illusion.

When Luz and co were shrunk at the carnival, Laia was off hanging out with Anna, and Lucia was doing something crackheaded with Winona. (Seriously, you could write such good fluff fics about Anna and Laia, and insane crack fics about Lucia and Winona.)

Idfk what Laia and Lucia were up top in Understanding Willow

Anna and Laia went to Grom together. They're such unassuming people that the only people who noticed were Eda and King bc they helped Laia get ready, and Amelia. Who had very mixed feelings bc 1- that's Lucia's sister, but 2- she actually kinda likes Laia and Luz.

Lucia begged Luz to let her take over as Grom queen but no dice. She ran to help too when Luz ran off but was too slow, she didn't get there until the very end of the dance.

Look, Laia is too much of a bookworm to care about sports and Lucia just thinks their stupid, so neither of them watched Luz play in Wing it like Witches.

Eda made cloaks for all 3 girls. Lucia and Laia were in the wrong year to go on the field trip to the emperor's palace. After school Laia went to the library with Anna and Lucia went to hang out with Winona. Laia and Anna fell asleep reading in Amity's secret room and Lucia and Winona lost track of time hanging out, neither got home until the next morning, and they found Luz crying on the floor.

Imagine with me, all 3 noceda girls breaking into the conformatorium to save Eda. All three wailing on Belos, Laia with a fuck ton of glyph papers, Luz with Eda's staff and some glyphs, and Lucia with a red aluminum bat covered in glyphs. They don't beat him but they do a lot more damage than just chiping his mask.

Imagine all 3 sisters agreeing silently to destroy the portal. For Eda.

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

Small Time Witch (17)

Thor woke up to the sound of people laughing in the kitchen. It smelled like coffee and bacon and something sweet and cinnamony. He loved this house. It was perfectly warm here like you might need a sweater but otherwise comfortable.

How stupidly romantic of his brother, he thought. Building this house without you knowing was very Loki but only if he also intended on keeping you as his prisoner. This was not his intention though. This was a home Loki built for the two of you. He made a space big enough for his big brother to feel comfortable when he visited. Rooms that would be perfect nurseries. He never envisioned his brother wanting children.

At the center of it all was you. He watched you holding court in the kitchen like a proper queen. Loki and Steve mooning over you hanging on your every word. You weren’t a mortal. You were a siren calling men to their deaths. Before his eyes he watched his brother and good friend happily following your song crashing their ships on jagged rocks.

You noticed him staring and smiled at him. “Thor, do you want pancakes or eggs or both?” He smiled back.

“Pancakes please. Everyone seems to be in a good mood this morning.”

“Come relax, brother. Coffee?” Loki was light. Not at all brooding line his usual self. When you delivered Thor’s stack of pancakes he grabbed your arm and pulled you close so that he could talk in your ear.

“Are you doing this?”

“No. I’m just as freaked out. Everyone woke up in such a good mood. Maybe a spell?” You said gritting your teeth.

Loki leaned over to whisper to you both, “It’s not a spell. Steve and I spoke last night. Everything is fine. Enjoy breakfast.” Thor shrugged and shoved some pancakes in his mouth. He’s Steve now? Ok. That’s not strange at all.

“Thor, Loki just got finished telling us that he went grocery shopping and to a farmers market.” Thor choked on his pancakes. “That’s exactly what I said” you laughed.

“Why is it impossible for you people to imagine me buying food? Am I so incapable of caring for myself?” He was beyond offended. You patted him on the head. “Don’t patronize me, girl. I am nothing if not a survivor. I needed sustenance.”

“Don’t listen to them, Loki. It’s funny because you are a prince. I’m sure on Asgard you sit at a table and food is set in front of you. Even royals on Earth don’t grocery shop.” Wanda said to sooth him.

When Steve cleared his throat the mood became more serious. “Ok. We need to get a move on. Buck and Sam you’re with me. Loki and Wanda you stay with Y/N. Thor you get to Stephen Strange. Hopefully we can get answers without bloodshed.”

Everyone got up from the table. You followed Steve to the bedroom. “What are you going to do? I don’t like any of this.”

“Please don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to Tony. He’s a good man. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding.”

“And if it’s not? What then?” He rubbed your shoulders trying to calm you down.

“Then we’ll get out of there and come back to you. Please don’t worry. You’re safe here. Loki and Wanda are here. I’m totally confident in all of your abilities.” You stood on your tip toes to kiss him.

“I’m worried about you. You were ready to tear the world apart last night.”

“When your life is in question nothing will stop me from protecting you. Nothing. I will be safe.” He bent to kiss you again. “I’ll call you when we’re on the way back. I love you.”

“Mmmm. Say that again.” Another kiss.

“I love you.” He smiled down at you gazing at you through his lashes. He ran a finger down your cheek and hooked it under your chin to lift your face towards his.

“I love you too.” He held your face and kissed you again. It was hard for him to pull away but he did. He took your hand and lead you down the hall to do final checks with everyone. You hugged Bucky and Sam and told Sam not to wreck your car. You hugged Thor although you were going to see him soon. You kissed Steve again by the car so Loki didn’t have to watch.

He and Wanda were sitting on the porch when you walked back into the gate. You looked a little sad with a wistful smile on your face. You sat on the step below them so you could rest your head on Loki’s lap. With your free hand you grabbed Wanda’s. You sat in silence for a while watching the car disappear into the woods. Once they were gone you sat up and patted them both, “Dishes.”

After you finished in the kitchen Wanda went out to the garden to meditate and wait for Thor. At least that’s what she said she was doing. She was really giving you and Loki some time to catch up.

He walked you around the house really letting you look at everything. You let your emotions loose and openly cried at his kindness. “I think you and Steve will be very happy here.” When he said those words the breath left your body.

“You gave up that easy?” He stepped forward to wipe your face. You wanted to hold him but he kept you at an arms length.

“No, pet, you gave up. You said as much when you essentially severed any link I had to you. Am I right to assume you’ve made your choice? I heard the two of you last night. At least I heard you. You so casually fucked him in the home I made for us! That pretty much put the final nail in the coffin that was us.”

“I don’t know what to say. I love you both. Can’t I have you both?” you sobbed.

He rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t work that way. You said to me, the day I left, you said you loved me more than Andrew. That what you felt for me was beyond what you’ve ever felt. Where does Steve fall? Has he surpassed me?”

“No...”

“Don’t lie! Don’t tell me what I want to hear because I swear...I swear I cannot take it.”

“Then what do you want?”

“The truth! Do you want me? Today everyday for the rest of our lives?” You were silent. “Right. I’ll be outside.” He turned away from you but you grabbed his wrist.

“Stop! Look at me...” you touched his face. He leaned into you. “I want you forever. What I said was true. You more than anyone. Give me more time.”

“I don’t want to have to be the one to point out the obvious but he lied to you. He allowed for you to be poisoned and put you in unimaginable danger. Doesn’t sound like love to me, Darling. But take all the time you need.”

You could make up excuses to try to justify what happened but you couldn’t. The fact was he lied to you. And you let it go without another thought. He has you going to Alaska and you don’t know why. He always says he’s trying to protect you but he never gives you the chance to make your own decisions. He treats you like a fragile child when you know good and well you can take him out with the flick of your wrist. Loki embraces who you are and what you can do. On your new list that’s a big ole strike one for Steve.

Hours later Strange and Wong are with you waiting for Steve to call. I told you so were the first words Strange said when he walked through the portal.

“Well you didn’t exactly tell me why they wanted you to bind me.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “But I did warn you to walk away. I don’t trust any of them. Not even your boyfriend. He was with Tony the day they first asked.” That was a gut punch. You guessed only Tony made the request. Loki wanted to echo the I told you so sentiment but kept it to himself when he saw how crushed you were.

“He thought he was protecting me. He knew I’d never agree.”

“Of course not,” he scoffed “binding you would leave you defenseless. With the Kale’s still looming somewhere there was no way you could agree. There is a power they want in Alaska and you’re how they get it. It’s something big that your body would otherwise reject. Either you sit this one out or we all go.”

Everything Loki and Strange said made you feel sick. You were anxious. It was taking so long for Steve to call. You were slowly seeing this life wasn’t meant for you.

You sat in the big tufted chair and conjured yourself some tea. Wong smiled and handed you a cookie to go with it. He was the only one who noticed your success.

Finally the guys pulled up to your house. Strange and Wong stood protectively at your side. Frazzled you did not look up from your tea.

They came in quietly with no excitement. Steve spotted you in the chair and didn’t come over at first. “You ok, Princess?”

“Fine. A little nervous that’s all. What did Tony say?” Your voice was steady but you were trembling. He knelt in front of you and took your tea cup and set it down on the table.

“Honey, they are sticking with their story. We are leaving tonight. They sent us back to bring you to the compound.” He held your hands and kissed your knuckles. You kept your eyes fixed on the floor. “Y/N, will you look at me?”

“Why do they want me, Steve?” Your voice was soft but strong.

He lowered his eyes. “I don’t know for sure. We think to absorb an ability but beyond that is anyone’s guess. What are you thinking?” You thought for a moment then stood up. Steve stood up too. Everyone in the room looked at you expectantly.

“I think I need to get on the plane. Give me five minutes. I just need to change.” They thought you’d fight back. They thought you would refuse. They thought you’d be afraid. They continue to underestimate you and it started to piss you off.

“No. No. Absolutely not. No. You can’t go.” Loki was like a coiled spring. He was bounding across the room to do what he didn’t exactly know. To stop you? To shake you until you came to your senses? He wasn’t sure but he had to act fast. “I’ll go. I am a shapeshifter. I can shift into you easily. See?” You were staring at a perfect clone of yourself. “And I can hold it for months if I have to.”

You patted him on the head and smiled. “I’m going. Please just this once trust me. I’m not as stupid as I act sometimes.” He shifted back and stormed out of the door. “I’ll be out in a few.” You went back to the bedroom to change and wash your face. As you pinned up your hair you stared at your reflection in the mirror. The person you saw looking back was unrecognizable. You had gone so far into cover that you didn’t know yourself anymore. Best to focus on the task and hand and finish this so you could resume your boring life.

Everyone was waiting for you. Strange and Wong said very little except they would be waiting for your call. Everyone jumped in your car. Bucky took the bike ahead of you all to be on the look out for any trouble along the way. Loki stood pouting in the doorway watching you.

“Hey can you give me a second with Lok?” Steve’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t keen on the idea but let it go.

“This is insane. I don’t trust any of them.” Loki started to spin out. You grabbed his arms and forced him to see you. You pushed him inside to avoid prying eyes and ears.

“I need you to do something for me.” You pressed a piece of paper into his hand. “Call the number on this card and ask for Logan. Let him know where we’re headed. If they aren’t in Alaska already they can be on the X-jet and to the site faster than we can. Please just trust me.”

“Who is Logan?” he said confused.

“Back up. Lok, you know I can take care of myself. You know how strong I am. I know you can feel it.” You took his hand and placed it over your heart, “King of my life, this is yours. I promise I will come home to you safe and sound. I love you.”

“I’m begging you.” He searched your face and found that he was fighting a losing battle. “Fine. As the rightful king of your heart, I command you to keep it beating.”

“I swear I will be safe.” You kissed him hard. So hard your lips swell a little and turn a fresh shade of pink. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you, Y/ N.” He didn’t notice the tiny screwdriver on the leather cord in your hand. You slipped it around his neck and he felt that it was warm again. When he closed his eyes your pulse beat steady in his ears. You flashed your wrist and showed him the bracelet back in its place.

[imaginejamesandsirius]

Hey! love your blog. Could you do a cinderella au maybe?? Thanks

James had had a good life up until his parents died. First his mum had died, and it was a couple years before his dad remarried. He didn't begrudge him for it. Mum had been kind, but she was gone and he deserved to be happy. His stepmother was nice enough up until Dad died, and then it was like living in hell on Earth. Apparently the nice stepmother thing had been an act. His stepsisters had always been kind of bitches, but now it was worse. They didn't have any appearances to keep up, and the only way James could stay happy was by avoiding them. 

So James avoided his step family whenever he could because if they saw him, they'd remember that he existed. If they remembered that he existed, they would do one of two things. 1. Mock him or 2. Give him a chore to do since they'd fired most of the staff when his father died and subsequently decided that James would do all of it. Some years after his father's death, they'd sold the estate despite James's protests-- it was a family home, one the Potter's had lived at for several generations-- and moved to a smaller home. Much smaller. Small enough that it wasn't completely ludicrous to expect for James to be able to take care of its upkeep. 

If he were younger, or perhaps his parents still lived, he wouldn't have hesitated in tossing them out on their arses, or making them so unhappy that they would leave of their own free will. But his parents were dead and he was older now. Old enough and lonely enough that he didn't fancy trying to make an entirely new life for himself with no friends. This was his life now, and he didn't plan on doing much to change that. 

Until, of course, there was an event that changed his life-- not that he ever could have predicted it. 

James was in charge of picking up and handling the post. That meant he was the first one to see the royal invitation. There was a ball. One being held at the palace that invited all people of marrying age in the kingdom to see the prince and hair apparent for the throne so that he might choose someone to marry. James had the vicious urge to throw the invitation away. His step-sisters would be primping and preening every day until the ball finished, and he was going to have to deal with it. Not just their horrid attitudes, but their hair and makeup and dresses. When both of them failed to wed the prince, James was sure they would blame him instead of their own lack of good looks or will. 

He would have thrown it away too, if it weren't for the knowledge that they'd find out about the ball from some other source and then he'd be in deep shite. No. Better to give it to them now and bear the next month as well as he could. 

Easier said than done. 

*

James blinked. "What do you mean?" 

"Have you gone deaf while I was in the market today?" Step-mother asked, none too kindly. "You will not be accompanying us to the ball. I am more than capable to looking after my daughters without your interference. Besides, you would not make the impression we are hoping to make." 

"You're delusional if you think the prince is going to look twice at either of those hags." It would've been smarter if he kept his mouth shut, he knew, but he'd been looking forward to going. To seeing people again. 

*

"So... what are you?" James asked. "Fairy? Witch?" 

"Something like that," the man who had introduced himself as Remus said. 

"Why are you helping me?" 

"I'm not exactly filled with goodwill. I'm doing you a favour so you'll do me a favour." 

"I don't have much," James said with a wry twist of his mouth. 

"It's something you are plenty capable of doing. All I need is for you to deliver a message to Prince Sirius for me. Maybe a few messages, if you manage to give the first one and get one in return." 

"Why can't you do it yourself?" James wanted to immediately accept. Not only was Remus offering to get him into the ball, but he was offering to give him appropriate clothes and fix him up for it-- with a little magic, of course. He'd be able to go the party of the decade without any worries, able to just enjoy himself for a few days. 

Remus's nose twitched. "His parents aren't very fond of me." He gestured to the scars on his face and added, "They've made it quite clear over the years. So long as both of them are living, I can't step foot on the castle grounds, and Sirius is watched too carefully to get out to meet me. So? Do we have an agreement?" 

"Why not," James muttered. It's not like he had much to lose if this was a set-up. Besides that, what would anyone stand to gain from this? James was at the bottom of the pecking order these days. 

*

James hadn't looked this good in... well, years. After his mother died, he hadn't had much cause to dress up for events because he was no longer attending them. He'd looked nice for his father's marriage, but he'd gotten bigger since then. All the housework had made his shoulders broad enough that he wouldn't have fit in his old clothes anyways. 

The clothes Remus had conjured for him were gold. In another kingdom, that might have gotten him into trouble-- someone not royal wearing the colour that was usually reserved only for them-- but the Black family kept silver as their royal colour. James didn't think much of it until the Prince saw James out of the corner of his eye and immediately started working his way over. Was gold a signal colour for Remus and the Prince, and Remus had forgotten to tell him? That would certainly explain Remus's certainty that James would be able to pass along the message. 

James had that idea firmly in mind when the Prince got up close to him, a smirk making him appear even more handsome. Bloody hell, people who were born in royal families should not be allowed to be that gorgeous. There should be a rule that you can either be born into the most powerful family, or you can be the most handsome man on the planet. Being allowed to do both was going to make James's heart stop before he had a chance to really enjoy the ball. 

"Hello," the Prince said, smirk widening into a smile. "I'm Sirius." 

James was staring. He knew that he should say something, but he couldn't unstick his tongue from the top of his mouth. 

"This is the part where you tell me your name." 

"James. I'm er, James." 

"Nice to meet you James." Sirius glanced around them. "Are you here as an escort?" 

James snorted. He'd absolutely be murdered if his step-family discovered that not only was he here, but he was talking to the Prince. "Not as such, no." 

"Dance with me." 

"Aren't you supposed to ask, not order?" 

"Well you're not here to escort someone, which means you're here for me. If you're here for me, why would I bother to ask when the answer is going to be a yes?" 

"A fair point, if a touch unoriginal." 

"Unoriginal?" the Prince repeated, raising an eyebrow. He was still smiling though, so he wasn't offended. "I would like to think that I maintain most of my originality by not asking if you wanted to dance with me." 

"Ah, I guess that means I have to dance with you." 

The Prince's smile widened. "Quite." He offered his hand, and James let himself get pulled onto the dance floor. 

It had been a while since he'd been the center of attention, and he found that he still remembered how to deal with it. A hint of a smile as his resting his face, and he didn't make eye contact with anyone without making it seem like he was avoiding looking. That part was easy. The less easy part was pretending like he wasn't as effected by the Prince's presence as he was. It was one thing to meet him, smile at him, and exchange a few words. James had expected all of that as a matter of course when delivering the letter-- which he hadn't forgotten about, but he was going to wait for a time when less people were staring-- but now his hand was in the Prince's, and he had an arm wrapped around his waist. 

He wasn't pressed all against him so much as to be improper, but it was enough that James could feel the heat radiating from him. Their faces were close enough that he could see the flutter of dark eyelashes when the Prince blinked, could feel his breath, and see the light sheen of sweat across his brow. 

"So, James. What brings you to this disaster of a ball?" 

"Doesn't seem so disastrous to me." 

"That's because you're not the one everyone's groping. Not that you're not worthy of it," the Prince said with a wink. 

"You're the one that approached me, so I hope you don't consider this to be another unwanted grope," James said. The only thing worse than getting out of this party without having a good time, would be if he had a horrible time. If the Prince hated him after this, that would be... well, another disappointment to add to his life. One he certainly did not need. "And if you didn't want this ball, why are you holding it?" 

"My parents are holding it." 

"Ah. Well thank you for the dance all the same." 

"Don't go running off," the Prince said, arm tightening a fraction like he thought James was going to run for the hill. "You're the first decent person I've met all night." 

"Yes, with all that talking we've done." 

The Prince shrugged. "You're fit, as well. I won't say that had nothing to do with my decision. Mostly though, I liked your clothes. It takes stones to wear a traditionally royal colour to an event like this." 

"I can't say I had much to do with it." 

"Your parents give you as hard a time as mine?" 

"Not my parents, no. A friend of yours, actually. Bugger didn't even ask first. Personally, I would've gone with red." 

"Red's a good colour, if it doesn't make you look pale as a bloody ghost, that is. Who is this friend we seem to have in common?" 

There was a careful lightness to the Prince's words. He knew who James was going to say, but he wasn't going to out himself first. "Didn't catch a name," James lied. A description of Remus would get him in less trouble than saying his name. There wasn't any plausible deniability if he said the name. "Pleasant disposition. Had a few scars on his face." 

The Prince's arm tightened again, reflexively. "How is he?" he asked quietly. 

"He looked alright when I saw him. It's not like we're mates. He did me a favour, so I'm doing him one. I've got a letter for you from him." 

"Too many people watching right now." 

"I've noticed." 

The Prince hummed. "I suppose we should enjoy the rest of this dance, then." 

James hadn't been sure he would remember all the steps, but not once for the rest of the song did he step on the Prince's toes or turn the wrong direction. 

The Prince left him with a kiss on the cheek and a muttered, "I'll find you later, don't leave." 

*

"Did he get the letter?" Remus asked, and James nodded. 

He was out of his fancy clothes, but the confidence it had given him lingered. He used to be like this all the time. It used to be that he wouldn't have let his step-family push him around like they did, but he'd been blind with grief and done nothing. "Thanks for the clothes. I had fun." 

Remus glanced at him. "Aren't you going again tonight?" 

James shrugged. "One night was fun, but it's not as if I'm going to the ball for the reason everyone else is." 

"So? You wanted to enjoy yourself. The ball lasts for two more nights, and you have the suit for it. Besides, if I know Sirius, he'll send something in return. If you're not there, I'll have no one to retrieve it for me." 

It didn't take much convincing. 

*

The second night of the ball, the Prince greeted him with a bright smile. He slid a return letter to James at the beginning of the night, but he came back to keep dancing with him. Could James read into that? Could he expect that it meant something other than James was the point of contact between the Prince and Remus? 

The Prince, who kept coming to him dances and smiling like the was the damn sun of his life. The Prince, who kept telling James that he should call him Sirius instead of Your Majesty. The Prince, who at the end of the night, pressed a kiss to James's cheek that caught the corner of his mouth-- and not on accident. "You're coming back tomorrow night, yes?" 

"Not going to order it?" James joked to hide his nerves. 

"Haven't you heard the story? If you let something go and it returns to you, you get to keep it." The way Sirius kissed the back of his hand after saying it was innocent; the look he gave James as he did it was not. "I hope to see you again, James." 

James swallowed, said a perfunctory goodbye, and practically fled the ball. 

What was he doing? This was a favour for Remus. He was passing a few messages between two friends who couldn't see each other in person. That's it. 

*

"Are you going back tonight?" Remus asked, his gaze far too perceptive. 

"Not unless you have a return letter you need for me to pass." 

"I don't." 

James's shoulders sagged without him meaning for it to happen. 

"If you want an excuse, I could always manufacture one." 

James glared at him, but it had no effect. Remus calmly raised an eyebrow and held that expression until James cracked. "He acted like he wanted to see me." 

"And this is... bad?" 

"No, but Sirius said that he didn't like the ball. And then he goes and asks for me to come back." 

Remus didn't respond immediately, taking the time to choose his words carefully. "In my experience, Sirius doesn't ask for things he does not want. If he asked for you to come back, I believe that he means it in the same way you want it to mean. Whether or not you decide to go though," Remus said, turning his attention to the book he'd been reading when James came by, "do remember that the magic runs out after midnight. Like everything else in this world, it has a time limit." There was the weight of a world in what he wasn't saying, and it was impossible for James to miss it. 

*

"But... you came back," Sirius said, sounding crushed. His eyes were wide and uncomprehending. He still had a firm hand in James's jacket sleeve, the only place he'd been able to catch when James tried to run. 

James swallowed thickly. "I wanted to see you again." 

"Then stay." 

James shook his head. Remus's magic did a bit more than conjure the suit he was wearing; it had gotten rid of the cuts and burns on his hands and made him look presentable for high society in a way he hadn't been for years. He didn't want Sirius to see him like that. Sirius was... he was amazing. Too high up for James to be able to touch. Like a cloud in the sky, no matter how close it looked, he was too far away for James to hold and make his. 

"James no, please-" 

"I can't. I can't-" he shook his head again. He couldn't do this. He couldn't try only for it to fail or for Sirius's parents to decide that he wasn't a suitable match and be met with the same curse that had been laid on Remus. James wrenched his arm free, losing a button to Sirius's fingers, and he ran. He started running, and he didn't stop until after the spell ended, leaving him in his usual raggedy wardrobe. 

*

James opened the door and froze. How was Sirius- but no, that wasn't Sirius. James peered at him and decided that this must be another member of the royal family. Not old enough to be the King or Queen, but he was close enough in looks that he was definitely related to Sirius. 

"Can I help you?" he asked. 

Wordlessly, he held up the button that had been attached to James's jacket. "Magic is funny. Had it still been attached to the rest of the clothes, it would've vanished, but separated like that, it could be traced back to you. I'm Regulus, Sirius's brother." Regulus didn't have the same casualness to his posture that Sirius had had. He held himself a touch stiffly, like he was paying attention to a tutor instead of confronting someone who was basically a peasant. "He misses you rather terribly, you know. Won't shut up about it, as a matter of fact. Our parents told him that he had to choose someone to marry like they agreed, and he says that he did choose. However, since you refused to stay and went missing, they are at a stalemate." 

James swallowed. "That's not my problem," he said quietly. 

"Perhaps not," Regulus said in a way that meant he did not agree with James, "but it most certainly is my problem and I have no patience. You're coming with me." 

"That's kidnapping." 

"Not when you're a prince." 

"Do you really think you could force me?" James asked. He'd rejected Sirius once, and that was all he had the strength for. If he saw him again, he wouldn't be able to say no a second time. 

"I don't believe you're going to make it that big a problem for me. You see, you care for Sirius, whether you want to admit it or not. So when I say that if you don't come along, my parents will take drastic measures that will make Sirius very unhappy, I know you won't resist." 

"You're lying," James said, but he wasn't certain. He didn't know Sirius's parents, and he didn't know Regulus. 

"Is that a chance you're willing to take?" 

James grit his teeth. "I can't just leave in the middle of the day with no warning. My family-" 

"Will be taken care of," Regulus said with a careless wave. "Stop wasting time. I've got one rather incensed brother to calm down before trying to sell your relationship to our parents." 

*

"I can't believe you ran away from me," Sirius said, months after the ball and weeks after they'd gotten married-- the marriage would've been sooner had it not been a royal wedding and not needed as much planning. 

James snorted, working out a tangle in Sirius's hair with his fingers. "Frankly, I don't know what else you expected." 

"Something other than utter rejection at the hands of my one true love. A kiss, perhaps? A responding declaration?" 

James kissed the top of his head. "Love you." 

Sirius tilted his head to glare at him. "It doesn't count now. You needed to do it back then." 

There was no magic that James had heard of that could turn back time, and even if there were, he could neither do it nor have access to it. So, in lieu of saying he would fix it or would've done differently (a lie), James gave him a kiss that made the scowl disappear from his husband's face. "I think it counts just enough, saying it right now." 

Sirius grumbled a bit, but it was for show as he relaxed against him.