#best aunt ever: salem hunt

[callfcradventcre]

Tag Dump: Relationships

[cursedphoenix]

V; Main - Takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, modern day, but the muses can travel accordingly.

V; Past - Takes place in the late 1600’s in Salem, Massachusetts. Tancred is the the black sheep of his family, his coven, and the village. Ever the rebel, he’d rather get up to hedonistic hijinks than cause any real harm, but he will fight for his beliefs if needed.

V; Royal - Tancred (21, male) is the king’s young nephew who became a ward of the court at a young age after the slaughter of his family. He is rambunctious and reckless with his love, but will always protect those he cares about.

V; Descendants - Available upon request. Tancred (19, male) is the son of Sarah Sanderson and Billy Butcherson. Raised on the Isle of the Lost, Tancred grew up to be a roguish and cunning youth with a silver tongue and a heart of gold. When Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay were all chosen for the Auradon transfer program, he held no anger or ill will toward them, but he was intensely jealous of their opportunity to escape. More than anything, he wanted to be able to make a better life for himself and his mother. Winifred had killed his father (again!) as soon as she found out that Sarah was pregnant, and would have killed both her and Tancred if not for the intervention of Mary. Leaving the Isle would mean finally escaping from his wretched Aunt Winifred and starting fresh in a new world. It would also mean that he could finally practice magic. Every spell his mother had taught him, good and bad. Every potion recipe, every charm, every ward, every hex, every hypnotic arcane song. He bides his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

V; Wizard - Tancred Sanderson (between 16 and 25, but I’d rather play him as an adult) is the son of renowned witch and singer Rhiannon Sanderson and an unknown but powerful American wizard. He grew up never wanting for material necessities, but craving the affection that his mother would rather direct toward her fans. Upon enrolling in Hogwarts, he was swiftly sorted into Slytherin, where he was immediately accepted…at least on a surface level. He learned early on to keep things close to the vest, use charm to get his way, and put more effort into potions and transfiguration to keep Professors Snape and McGonagall off his back. Defense Against the Dark Arts wound up being his best subject, however, until his fifth year, when Umbridge took over the class. In fact, all of his grades had begun to decline, as he’d discovered over the summer that his mother had been developing cirrhosis of the liver and denying that she was sick, concealing it with Pepper Up potions and glamours. When he’d finally confronted her about it, Rhiannon blamed him, stating that he was the reason why she always drank. Raising him while being a successful superstar had been too much of a chore. He began looking for a cure, and in sixth year, under Professor Slughorn, he finally found that he genuinely enjoyed Potions, improving rapidly enough to earn a spot in the Slug Club! He stayed out of politics for the most part, although Voldemort’s return was certainly a wake-up call for him. It didn’t quite matter, at the moment. His mother died just after his seventeenth birthday, and in the midst of this tragedy, he did manage to get into contact with his father, Aiden Fairchild (played by Ian Somerholder), and build a relationship with him. Though reeling at first, he managed to push through, growing more reckless as his seventh year approached. Unlike most of his Slytherin classmates, Tancred actually did fight valiantly in the Battle of Hogwarts, finally channeling all of his pent up rage and rebellion into scorching any Death Eaters who crossed his path. Tancred became an Auror after graduating, teaming up with his father to hunt down any lingering dark wizards.

V; Star Wars - (okay I don’t have a whole lot of ideas for this one yet…)

V; vampire - same as the main verse, but Tancred gets turned into a vampire at some point. He still has his magic, but it’s greatly weakened due to his corrupted blood. Not that he’ll admit it, of course. Besides, his new vampire abilities make up for it somewhat. He’s faster, stronger, unaging, able to walk on walls and ceilings, able to shapeshift into a bat or black cat, and can read and subtly influence the minds of others. Drinking blood is…unpleasant, unless he has permission to combine it with sex in some way. He’s also sort of beholden to his master, the vampire who turned him, which is far less than ideal. He misses his home and his coven, but doesn’t know what to tell them. All in all, he’s miserable, but putting on a brave face for the sake of his precious master.

V; Marvel - Shortly after waking up from the sleeping curse, Tancred was captured by Hydra. They experimented on him. Trained him. Broke him, or at least tried to. Injected him with the super soldier serum. Experimented on him some more. Then he met and became close with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, the only bright lights in an otherwise dark and dreary place. They became like siblings to him, and when they broke out, he escaped with them, casting any and every spell he could to aid them. (Credit to @illbringthechaosmagic for helping me develop this one! 🥰)

[dragonking10]

Lancaster: Love Is The Best Gift Part 2

Part 1

(Summary: It has been 12 years since Ruby's 'Death' and Garnet is now 15 years old attending Beacon 2 years early just like his mother. And just like his parents, he leads a team of his own consist of Garnet, Freya Ren (Ren and Nora's daughter), Ezekial Xiao Belladonna (Yang and Blake's adopted son), and Yuri Vasilias Schnee (Weiss and Neptune's daughter) and together they are Team GREY. He and his team eavesdropped on Headmaster Ozpin giving Jaune, Ren and Nora a mission to investigate some strange activities near Vale and Garnet couldn't help himself and convinced his team to quietly follow them. As they followed them to see some action all of the sudden chaos happened when Salem's Followers attacked and they lost sight of JNR. Salem's Followers saw the kids and started to attack them, the kids held their very well but by the end of the fight they were disarmed and held gunpoint but SOMEONE saved them.)

Team GREY were tied up and blindfolded as they are being held at gunpoint

Yuri: DAMMIT GARNET I BLAME YOU FOR THIS.

Ezekial: If I get out of this alive I'm gonna laugh my mum's terrible puns from now on.

Freya: I LOVE fighting and I would die fighting bad guys or grimm but THIS is the most embarrassing way to go out.

Garnet couldn't hear anything of what his team is saying because he is lost in thought regreting everything he made today.

Garnet thoughts: How could I be SO STUPID. Why couldn't I listen to Yuri when she told me it was a bad idea, but no my excitement to seeing my Dad fight baddies or grimm binded me and now my friends and I are gonna die and leaving my Dad in MORE PAIN. Dad I'm so so sorry . . . Mom I'll see you soon.

One of Salem's followers point his gun at the kids

Salem's Follower: This is for our Late Goddess Salem.

He was about to pull the trigger he saw rose petals falling every where confusing the goons and before they know it a certain Rose Reaper came and knocked them unconcious.

The kids suddenly felt their ropes were untied and they took their blindfolds off and they were greeted by a sight of a beautiful woman with black and red hair, red hood/cape and wielding a Scythe/Sniper Rifle and Salem's Followers laying unconcious behind her.

Yuri: Uh thank you ma'dam for saving us

Ezekial: HOT DAMN SHE GORGEOUS

Freya: THAT WAS AWESOME I WISH I COULD'VE SEEN IT.

Garnet could'nt say a word because the woman he was looking at looked very familiar then memories started play in his head of his father, uncle and aunts tshowing him pictures and telling stories of his mother and looking at her and he started to put two and two together

Garnet shaking and tearing up: M-Mom?

Ruby smiled tearing up as well: Hello sweetie.

Garnet: MOM!!!

Garnet ran and hugged his mom for dear life and Ruby hugged her son not wanting to let go. After some time they stopped hugging and Ruby wiped a tear off of Garnet's face.

Ruby: You have grown quite a bit, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you all these years.

Garnet: Mom where have you been all this time?

Ruby: I was hunting down the last of Salem's followers, I guess they can't handle peace after I took her down.

Garnet: But why? Why did you fake your death? Dad, Uncle, Aunts and I, we all thought you were dead.

Ruby: Ozpin gave me a solo mission to take down the rest of Salem's followers and he came up with the idea, I didn't want to do it but I thought you and your father would be safe if Salem's goons thought I was dead.

Ruby holds her son's hands

Ruby: Garnet I'm sorry for faking my death, can you ever forgive me?

Garnet thought about what his mother said and he was angry at Ozpin at first but he understood why they did it.

Garnet: I forgive you Mom.

Ruby smiled: Thank you sweetie.

Ruby then looked at her son's team and back at him, she can't leave them behind so she got an idea.

Ruby: Come on, I'm taking you all somewhere safe.

Garnet: Where are we going Mom?

Ruby smiled: To my hideout.

SOME TIME LATER

JNR came to investigate the scene and quickly tied up the bad guys all of the sudden Nora's bag started to move and Zwei hopped out of the bag

Jaune and Ren: ZWEI!?!?

Jaune: Nora, why was Zwei in your bag?

Nora nervously rubbed behind her head

Nora: I wanted to surprise Garnet but I forgot he was in my bag, which explains why I constantly felt movement on my bag.

Jaune looks at Ren and Ren denies.

Ren: Don't look at me I didn't know about this either and as for punishment Nora, no pancakes for a week.

Nora: Awwww

Nora looks down and noticed some weapons laying in a pile nearby.

Nora: Uh guys?

The boys looked at Nora as she pointed at the weapons in a pile and they all picked the weapons, Jaune took his helmet ( V9 trailer yes he has a warrior wolf-tail and beard) off to get a better look and they realized these were the weapons their children made and feared the worst. Jaune quickly reaches Garnet's weapon to Zwei to catch his son's scent.

Jaune: Find them Zwei. FIND THEM!!!

Zwei took a couple of sniffs to catch the scent, barked and started to run following the scent with JNR close behind.

RUBY'S HIDEOUT

They reached an old abandoned cabin that has a pile of firewood under a shed next to it. They got inside and used the fireplace to warm up.

Yuri: Ugh so THIS is where you've been all this time?

Ezekial: oh lighten up Ice Princess not everything has to be fancy or tidy up to your standards.

They both glared at each other

Freya: Just kiss already.

Ezekial and Yuri blushed and looked away refusing to look at each other

Yuri/Ezekial: LIKE I WOULD GO OUT WITH HIM/HER.

Garnet: Well you guys have been arguing like an old marry couple.

Yuri and Ezekiel blushed even more.

Ruby giggled and noticed the fire was getting low

Ruby: why don't you kids go to the shed and get some firewood in here and I'll cook you all something nice.

Garnet smiled: Okay Mom, come on guys.

They got up and went out to the shed to get some firewood and on they way back to the cabin they heard a dog barking from a distance and they looked to see Zwei. Garnet quickly dropped the firewood kneeled down to hug and pet Zwei.

Garnet laughed: Hey boy how did you get here.

Freya: Zwei?

Yuri: What's he doing here?

???: AHEM

They looked up and paled as they saw their parents as they glare at them, Garnet couldn't see his father's eyes through the helmet but he could FEEL his anger and disappointment.

Ren: Freya you are in so much trouble.

Nora: No pancakes for 2 months.

Freya: Awwww.

Jaune looks at Yuri: Your mother, father and I are gonna have a SERIOUS talk but first.

Jaune looks at Garnet: I'm am VERY disappointed in you, not only did you follow us in dangerous mission but you also almost got you and your friends killed. What do you have to say for yourself?

Garnet looks down afraid to even look at him

Garnet: I'm sorry Dad but there something or someone you gotta see-

Garnet was cut off as Jaune grabbed him by the arm drags him to the nearest bullhead with Ren dragging Freya by the ear and Nora dragging Yuri and Ezekiel by thier clothes

Jaune: I think I had enough surprises for one day

Garnet was trying get out of his Dad's grip

Garnet: No no Dad I think this is something you gotta see

Jaune: Yeah yeah tell me on the way back to Beacon

They stopped as they heard noises from the cabin. Nora handed Yuri to Ren and Ezekial to Jaune

Nora: I'll check it out.

Nora went to the side of the cabin and slowly looked in from the window and her eyes widened. She slowly turned around walked to Jaune and patted his shoulder

Nora: Uhhh you might want to take this one. Oh boy.

Nora went to sit down on a tree stump, she looked like she's seen a ghost.

Jaune and Ren knew it takes a whole lot for Nora to be shocked and Jaune pulled out his sword and started to go to the cabin.

Garnet saw that and followed his father

Garnet: Uh Dad you might wanna put the sword down I don't think you need it for this.

They both got inside and what they saw shook Jaune to the core, he slowly lowered his weapon and loses grip has his sword fell to the floor and he took off his helmet and slowly dropped it to the floor as well as he got a better look as he sees someone he thought was gone, his wife, Ruby Rose-Arc.

Ruby: I know what you're gonna say Jaune, how could I leave you to raise our son alone, how could I fake my death? I couldn't bare the thought of Salem's followers hurting or worse killing you and our son to get to me I thought you'd be safer with me gone.

Jaune slowly walks over to Ruby as she backed up against the wall.

Ruby: Come on Jaune say something, shout at me, ANYTHING!

Jaune slowly put his hand to Ruby's face fearing he might be going mad but she felt real and Jaune started to tear up and smiled at Ruby.

Jaune: You're as beautiful as the day I lost you.

Ruby's tears started to fell as she nearly broke down hearing her husband's words she leaned her head in more to her husband's hand as they slowly leaned in for a kiss.

Garnet was watching and started taking some pictures of this moment as he too had tears falling down his face because he felt happy that his family is back together, now and forever.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Off Day: Twelve

Bucky pressed the ice pack Steve handed him against his eye and sighed. He wasn’t exactly sure of the series of events that lead him here. Sitting in the clubhouse with all his friends worrying and no one is sure where you’d gone.

Nat cuddled Salem and tried to comfort the desolate little creature and glared at Bucky, “You’re really fucking dumb, Barnes,” she snarled. 

“Nat,” he groaned, “I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me.”

The redhead practically hissed at him and walked away leaving Bucky to play it all back again in his head. It hurt. You being gone felt like missing a limb. Like part of his soul had been torn out. 

Somehow, he knew that where ever you’d gone it was worse for you. 

In his mind’s eye, he could see three days ago. 

You’d staggered into his arms and burst into helpless sobs. The kind that didn’t even make noise. Deadweight against his chest. He didn’t need to ask. You didn’t need to explain. He tucked you into his bed and held you while your heart had shattered. 

Your best friend was gone and nothing would ever feel right again. 

“I couldn’t watch them carry her out,” you murmur, wiping your nose on your sleeve.

“I know,” he soothed, rubbing the back of your neck. He didn’t try and feed you. He knew you wouldn’t eat. Or be able to sleep. He put something soothing on in the background. Disney, something you don’t need to pay attention to. And when you hide your face in his chest, he holds you closer. Tears keep falling and Bucky can’t help but take mental stock of where the sharp things are in his house. 

The next few days, as you struggle with your aunt to plan a funeral and help them keep body and soul together, watching you shove your pain aside to be a rock. An anchor. That hurts him worse than seeing you cry. You’ve detached yourself from the pain so far that you’re numb. Dissociated. There’s nothing there but painted on smiles and unobtrusive helpfulness. 

“Aunt Judy,” he hears you say, “don’t worry about me. You and Uncle Jack need to go. Get out of here for a while and rest. Take your trip. Kaity would want you to go. She always wanted to see San Francisco.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked chucking you under the chin.

“Hold down the fort,” you answer smiling, “Do what I promised Kaity I’d do.”

She’d kissed your cheeks and hugged you hard. You’d walked into the living room and flopped face-first on the couch, studiously avoiding looking at the room Kaity had occupied at the end. Avoided looking at Bucky who knew there were cracks in your careful veneer. 

The funeral had been a trial. 

It was well attended. Half the town turned out. Friends of Kaity’s. People who had no idea who you were when you stood up to give the Eulogy.

“My whole life, I had two constants,” you start, taking a deep breath, “My life was a mess and Kaity. God love her. Was going to try and fix it.” You smile, taking a second to wipe tears away. “Kaity was, without a doubt, one of the kindest, most selfless people you could ever find. But. If I tell you about all of that, Kaity is gonna haunt me forever. She made me promise not to tell you about all of that, and, for those of you who don’t know, if I can do one thing reliably, it’s keep a promise to Kaity.” Jack snorts behind you and Judy smiles just a little. “I made a lot of promises to Kaity over the years. About a lot of things. But, before she passed, I got permission to break this one in exchange for giving a Eulogy that wouldn’t bore you all to death. Kaity informed me that as much as she loves you all, she doesn’t really want to play casket Tetris.” That brings surprised laughter from a few people and a few damp chuckles.  “Kaity gave me permission to finally tell the story of the mysterious brown stain on the ceiling in Aunt Judy’s kitchen.” More laughter, less shocked this time. Bucky knows this hurts. He can see you struggling to keep the promise you made.

“So,” you finish, smiling a little. “I told you that story to tell you this. Because this is the one thing Kaity wanted you all to walk away knowing. Love, much like Dr. Pepper, is meant to be shared. So let's take the love we have for her and spread it around. Love recklessly. Spread kindness like glitter. And for the love of God, just eat the garlic bread.”

Bucky wants to hug you. You’re trying so hard to hold it together. To keep your voice from cracking. To hold it together for the assembled mass of people that have now started to cry. 

That had been a day. The worst day. And Bucky still. Still couldn’t figure out how it had happened exactly.

He was aware that he had gone to the clubhouse. He’d been trying to set up a nice little dinner. He’d borrowed a backroom and set a table all pretty with candles and had his ma make something you might be able to eat. 

He was just doing some last little things, making it pretty and making sure the room was a good temperature. Not because he expected to get you naked but because you’d now lost enough weight just from the stress that you were always shivering. Sometimes, even with him wrapped around you. It was how you always were as a kid. He realized now that not eating when you were stressed had probably started as a way to exert control over your life and now it was just ingrained behavior. That bothered him.

When he heard the footsteps behind him, he’d thought for a moment it was you, that Nat had just sent you back.

He turned, ready to kiss you, hello and Char lounged in the doorway, arms folded, surveying the scene like she was hunting and had just spotted her prey. “Well. Isn’t this cute,” she hummed.

“And none of it’s for you,” Bucky said calmly.

“Aww, Buckaroo,” she sighed, “I really hoped we could put this aside for the baby.”

“Char, you’re not even pregnant. Or at least I hope you’re not after I watched you pound shot’s with one of Rumlow’s guys at the Time Out.”

She pouted, “Well, we could make a baby,” she purred, stepping closer.

“No thanks,” Bucky snorted, “I’ve got a girl, remember?”

Char rolled her eyes and stalked a little closer, making Bucky realize with a start that this was a back room and his back was to the wall. He tried to resituate himself but there was a table in the way and Char was faster than he gave her credit for. She pinned him uncomfortably between herself and the table, kissing him, hard, forcing her tongue artlessly into his mouth and leaving him struggling to get her off of him without hurting her but her grip was too strong for him to do anything without taking an action that would lead to it being her word against his.

“Bucky, I-”

The voice from the door way makes Char jump back, leaving Bucky with lipstick smeared on his face and looking confused and startled. You stand frozen on the threshold, a look on your face that makes his heart almost stop.

You don’t say a word, you just bolt through the nearest door. Desperate to get away from both of them before either of them see you cry.

“Oops,” Char had said, adjusting her lipstick in a compact mirror.

Bucky can’t even speak. He follows after you, watching from the doorway as your jeep pulls out of the drive. 

“What the fuck did you just do?” Nat said angrily, appearing next to him, holding the basket that Salem liked to travel in.

“I- I just-” He doesn’t get a chance to finish.

Char walks up out of the back and it takes Natasha all of a millisecond to piece together that somebody got caught kissing someone who wasn’t their girl.

To be honest, Bucky isn’t even mad Nat punched him. 

It was nice to know she apparently felt the need to look after you. That she considered you a friend enough to hit him for being an asshole.

_________

It had been 24 hours and no one but your Aunt and Uncle had heard from you. They were tight-lipped as to your whereabouts. Careful to only say you were safe. That it was okay and you were thinking clearly. 

Sam took a seat on Bucky’s other side with a sigh, “Well, I heard from a cop friend of mine,” he said.

“And?” Nat asked anxiously, stroking the little cat.

“The good news is, Y/N is very much alive. The bad news is she’s on a 72 hour psychiatric hold.”

Bucky turned quickly and his head throbbed, “What?” he barked.

Sam sighed, “A precautionary measure,” he said, “I guess she got home, tore her studio apart and was just generally enough of a mess that they had them come take her to the hospital BEFORE she tried to go play in traffic or something.”

“This is all my fault,” he groaned. 

Steve squeezed the back of his neck, “It’ll be okay, Buck. Once her head clears and they let her loose just go explain. You didn’t do anything.”

“I know but-”

“If I ever get a hold of that blonde tramp, I’m gonna kill her,” Nat growled.

“There are no kitties in jail, Nat,” Sam hummed, gesturing to the black cat she was holding like a baby in the crook of one arm.

_______________

“Baby?” Bucky said softly, stopping at the door of the shop. You were on a ladder behind the desk, shelving a book. You half turn and jump down carefully.

You look pale and tired. You look like you need a week on the beach and several good meals. You look sick. Bucky supposes you are and crosses the floor quietly.

“I know you’re probably still pissed at me but-”

You shake your head, “Who hit you in the face?” You wrap your arms around yourself, shivering and he closes the shop door to block the draft, “Nat,” he answers.

“Why’d you do it, Bucky?” you ask softly. 

“I didn’t-” he started, reaching for you, stopping when you back up. “I- I would never do that,” he murmured, “But when I was in the back, trying to set up dinner, Char came back and. Well, darlin’ she set me up.”

You look up at him, still shivering and bite your lip.

“She wanted you  to find us like that,” he murmured, “She wanted to hurt you, knowing that would hurt me.”

You nod and take a tentative step forward.

“I was so afraid when you wouldn’t answer your phone, doll,” he murmured, careful to keep his voice quiet. Careful to remember that you hadn’t been in your right mind when you saw them. That your reaction was all emotion. You’d just buried your best friend. Everything was raw and too real. 

“I’m sorry,” you whisper.

“It’s okay,” he soothes, “You were safe. You went someplace safe when you needed it. And you gave Nat a reason to stay out of jail leaving Salem with her. Otherwise, Char’d be dead right now.”

He held out his arms again and wrapped you up slowly when you walk into them, hiding your face against his chest. 

“I’m sorry I ran away. I should have known better,” you murmur, “She assaulted you and then I just ran off. And Nat punched you in the face.”

Bucky rests his cheek against your hair and hugs you tighter, “Shh, don’t you worry your pretty little head,” he scolds gently. “You weren’t thinking clearly, sweetheart. No one was. I’m just glad you’re home. And safe. It makes it a lot easier for me to take care of you.”

You look up at him and he kisses your nose, “Baby girl, when’s the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday some time,” you murmur.

He tuts softly, “It’s no good, Y/N,” he says, “Baby girl, let’s get you food okay? You need to put something in your belly. How about you close up early and I take you home? I’ll cook dinner and you can get a kitty cuddle.”

“I’d like that. I missed my kitty.”

He smiles a little, “Then let's get you home, huh? if you talk real nice I’ll even run you a bath.”

“With bubbles?” you ask, nuzzling his chest, cuddling closer, seeking comfort.

“With bubbles, princess,” he chuckles, basking in the feeling. It soothed the fear that had gnawed at him. That his one chance had ended. That you wouldn’t believe him. He couldn’t help it, he thought a quiet thank you to Kaity, wherever she was. Thanking her for keeping you safe, even now. If her parents hadn’t come by the house when they did, Char’s little stunt might have been the last straw. And that, Bucky reflected, was an unbearable thought.

Tags: @lancsnerd @thorfanficwriter @blameitonthecauseway @etherealwaifgoddess @stevieang @wellfucksorrymum

[theyearoftheking]

Book Twenty-Four: The Eyes of the Dragon

“His mother pointed from GOD to DOG. “These are the two natures of man,” she said. “Never forget them, because someday you’ll be King and Kings grow up to be great and tall- as great and tall as dragons in their ninth moltings.” 

I don’t really have much of a process when it comes to this blog, except reading all the books in chronological order, and making sure I have at least the next two books on my shelf. Abibliophobia... the fear of running out of books... it’s a real thing, kids. 

I was surprised to find a new(ish) copy of The Eyes of the Dragon on my bookshelf. I had never read it... the husband hasn’t read it since grade school... neither of us could remember buying it. But there it was, with yellowed pages and an un-cracked spine, just waiting to be devoured. Or something. 

I would not say I devoured this book. And I have a friend who is going to light me up for this review (sorry, WP); but I thought The Eyes of the Dragon was a watered down GRRM novel. Like, suuuuper watered down because the mass market paperback was only 380 pages with fairly large text.

The only thing that was remotely interesting about this book was the Dark Tower seeds it sowed. First, you’ve got King Roland, even though he’s a far cry from Roland of Gilead. King Roland is pretty much the Robert Baratheon of Delain. He’s fat, bowlegged, usually drunk, super into hunting (he killed a dragon once!), and shitty in bed. As far as being a king, he’s neither impressive nor a total snore. He just is. Much like this blog, he’s a solid C+.

In GOT, Baratheon had a pretty questionable small council: Grand Maester Pycelle, Petyr Baelish, and Varys to name a few. Likewise, Roland has Flagg. I don’t know if it’s Randall Flagg, or some other guy who just shares the same last name; he’s only ever referred to as Flagg. But he’s a wicked magician. Imagine Qyburn, except younger and craftier. My apologies, I didn’t mean for this to devolve into a Game of Thrones discussion, but here we are! 

Roland was married to Sasha, and they had two sons: Peter and Thomas. As far as we know, Sasha was NOT having sex with her brother, so the GOT comparisons end here. But Sasha was murdered during childbirth with Thomas (two guesses who murdered her); and Roland becomes even more ineffective after that. 

Peter is the golden son everyone loves, and they can’t wait for him to succeed his father. Thomas is as mediocre as his father, and wah-wah-wah... Daddy never loved him as much as his perfect brother. Eye roll. Flagg sees his opening and goes for it. He shows Thomas a hidden room in the castle where he can spy on his father’s chambers via (wait for it) “the eyes of the dragon”. Roland had killed a dragon in his youth, and had it mounted in his chambers. You could go into this hidden room, and spy via the eye holes. Clever, right? 

So, Flagg poisons Roland with a glass of wine, and Thomas happens to see it. But he also kind of talks himself out of what he saw. He’s a weak ass bitch. Flagg is smart enough to make it appear Peter had poisoned his father in an attempt to take the throne. Peter is arrested, convicted, and stashed up in The Needle, a tall ass tower where the convicts are held. 

Thomas becomes king, has no idea what the hell he’s doing, and begs Flagg to be his advisor. 

Flagg convinces Thomas to tax the hell out of farmers, which Thomas does, and everyone pretty much hates him. The stress of the job is getting to him, so he drinks too much, and can’t sleep at night. Thomas and I are pretty much the same person these days.

Meanwhile, up in The Needle, Peter finds a locket and a note from a former inmate, claiming Flagg also set him up for a crime he didn’t convict. Peter is pissed, and decides to plot his escape. He takes several threads out of his napkin at each meal, and uses a tiny, doll-sized weaving loom to weave them together. 

Several. Threads. At. A. Time. 

This takes him years. Literal YEARS. He’s far more patient than I am. I would have just kept the napkins, tied them together and used them to repel down the side of The Needle. But Peter was too worried people would notice the napkins were missing. He shouldn’t have worried; there was an entire room filled with napkins. No one would have noticed. Sweet irony. 

While Peter spends his days using a dollhouse sized weaving loom, and his brother drinks his way to cirrhosis; Peter’s friends and allies are convinced of his innocence, and work to free him from The Needle. Two of his allies are Ben and Naomi... named for Steve’s daughter Naomi, and Peter Straub’s son Ben. So that was kind of fun. The book ends with them married... which did not happen in real life. 

The book ends in a climactic chase where the allies and Flagg are in a race to either free Peter from The Needle, or kill him. It ultimately ends in two tons of irony. Or napkins. I’ll let you decide. All and all, it ended much happier than any GOT book/episode ever did. So there’s that? 

While Flagg’s true identity was never revealed (Randall or Random), the book ended with Thomas declaring, “He’s out there somewhere. In this world or in some other, he’s out there. I know it; I feel his poison in the wind. He got away from us at the last second. You all know it, and I do, too. I would find him and kill him. I would avenge our father and make up for my own great sin...” So, that’s a pretty sweet way to tie Flagg into all the other villainous roles throughout the Steve universe. 

One other Dark Tower reference... there’s mention of Rhiannon the Dark Witch of the Coos. Um. Anyone who has Wizard and Glass memorized knows all about Rhea of the Coos. So there’s that. 

Obviously no Wisconsin mentions, but that’s cool. 

The book was solidly okay. At least it was short, and I got to show my true nerd skills by comparing King Roland to Robert Baratheon. This little lady would be supes proud of me...

The best. Truly. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 16

Total Dark Tower References: 19

Book Grade: C+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

Next up is Misery, which my aunt pointed out is a terrible book to read during quarantine. I disagree, it makes me appreciate my roommates more. Even if I have to put headphones on and force them out of the house so I can get writing done. 

Until next time, Long Days & Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[lost-n-stereo]

A/N: Nabrina Prompt #18 “Did i ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?”

and I keep waiting (but I won’t say I’m waiting)

They say time heals all wounds.

That would be great if she wasn’t practically immortal, in an odd limbo where her body is barely changing but her friends are growing up and moving on.

You would think that it would hurt less as the days go by, since it’s been nearly two years since Nick sacrificed himself for the greater good and Lilith took him to hell. Except, he didn’t sacrifice himself for the greater good, he sacrificed himself for her. And that makes it a hell of a lot tougher to let go.

The first few months were the worst, when it was still fresh, always there in the back of her mind that he was possibly suffering in hell because of her. She took solace in Lilith’s promise to watch over him but it didn’t keep her from imagining horrible scenarios of torture and pain.

The Fright Club met often, dreaming up ways to go into hell to rescue Nick. They plotted ways to get Lucifer out of his body, searched tomes and spell books for clues or incantations, but always came up just a little too short.

Things changed within their friend group gradually over the last two years of mortal high school. Theo started dating a sweet girl from Riverdale and started spending less time with them. Roz and Harvey took a break in their junior year, in which time Sabrina and Harvey gave it another shot. They soon realized their mistake, that their love was one based in their past, and it wasn’t long before Harvey and Roz were back together for good.

Sabrina wasn’t waiting for Nick, exactly, but she always had him in the back of her mind. And always in her heart. She went on dates with nice boys, mortal and warlock alike, but never felt the connection she’d had with him.

“Tell me again why I decided to go to school all the way across the state,” Roz says, her voice pulling Sabrina out of her mind and back into the room her best friend is currently packing up.

“Because it’s fun and exciting,” Sabrina says, shaking off her inner monologue, as she grabs a pink stuffed bunny off of Roz’s nightstand. “Are you taking Mr. Wiggles with you?”

Roz laughs. “I’m eighteen now. Do I really need to bring my childhood toys with me to college?” She nibbles on her bottom lip and both girls speak at the same time.

“Yes.”

Sabrina giggles and sets the bunny on an already packed suitcase. “I think he’ll fit right in. Are the boys still meeting us at the diner before you head out?”

“Yeah, Theo said they would meet us around five.”

It’s been a summer full of the four of them, which isn’t to say it’s been much different than every summer since before she could remember.

Summer always comes with an expiration date. The days are long and warm, afternoons spent in Sweetwater River playing and splashing around with the kids from across the water and nights spent at bonfires and house parties. Fall is always a surprise no matter how much you’re prepared for it. She used to wait all summer long for autumn to hit. It meant her favorite season, her birthday and all the fun witchy holidays that she loved so much.

Now it’s just a reminder that high school is over and everyone is going their separate ways.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be all alone here for awhile,” Sabrina says wistfully. “Greendale won’t be the same without you guys.”

Roz stops packing, drops the dress she was holding into the open suitcase in front of her without folding it, and curls up on her bed with Sabrina. “You have so many responsibilities at the academy, time is going to fly by and before you know it, it’ll be Christmas break.”

“Winter solstice,” Sabrina amends and they both laugh. “You’re right. I’m just going to miss you all so much.”

They hug and Roz gives a watery laugh as she pulls away. “Okay, no more crying. We’re going to go have fun and we won’t be saying goodbye tonight. Just a ‘see you soon’.”

Sabrina nods and stands, wiping the corner of her eye with her thumb. “You’re right. Let’s get you packed up. You’ve got a long car ride ahead of you in the morning.”

*** The sun is shining high and bright when she wakes up the next day.

A look at her bedside clock tells her that it’s after nine, which means Roz and Harvey are already on the road and headed to their new school. Sabrina wasn’t surprised when Harvey told her months ago that he was applying to the same school as his girlfriend. Their relationship was built to last and it made her happy knowing they would have each other living so far from home. Theo wasn’t going far, only a short two hour drive away, so Sabrina knew she’d see him more often than the others.

She tried not to think about how she was losing her mortal friends to the real world. Instead, she decided to focus her attention to her non-mortal side and all of the people she still had here at home.

When Father Blackwood took off the Church of Night was left with only a handful of people, not many students at all. But with Aunt Zelda becoming High Priestess it brought forth a whole new group of witches and warlocks that were eager to study under her new leadership.

“Sabrina!”

Speaking of Aunt Zelda…

“I’m up!” She calls, popping up out of bed refreshed and ready to begin the next chapter of her life. Salem meows from his window perch and Sabrina smiles, scratches him on the head behind his ears the way she knows he likes. “You may not be a real cat, Salem. But you sure do purr like one.”

Twenty minutes later they are on their way to the academy, with Aunt Hilda and Ambrose in tow. Rebuilding the Church of Night was a family effort, one that Sabrina has not yet lived full time because of her dedication to finishing mortal high school. Now, she can not only help her family in their quest to make the church one that is wholly inclusive and thriving, but she can finish her dark arts studies without having to juggle her mortal ones.

“Conjuring today, eh Sabrina?” Ambrose asks as they walk through the doors of Gehenna Station. After passing all of her general courses last semester she’s finally able, and more than ready, to start her conjuring training.

In reality, she doesn’t need schooling or classes or spells, even. Learning you’re the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar, with power most witches and warlocks can only imagine, was difficult to come to terms with. She decided that she wouldn’t use those powers unless absolutely necessary and instead sticks to the magic used by everyone else.

“I’m excited,” she says as they pass the new sculpture in the center of the room, Lilith in her true form, beauty and power emanating from the carved stone. “Conjuring was always Nick’s favorite...”

Ambrose frowns when he sees Sabrina’s face fall. “I’m sorry, cousin. I know it doesn’t get any easier. But one day, maybe…”

“It’s a big maybe, Ambrose,” she says sadly. “Plus, there’s no use thinking about it constantly. Thinking about it changes nothing. I’m going to focus on what is happening in the here and now.”

“Good on you, Sabrina.” Aunt Zelda steps up beside her and looks up at the statue of Lilith. “I’m sure the Queen of Hell is watching over your young warlock as we speak. She knows how important he was to you.”

“Is,” Sabrina corrects gently. “How important he is to me.”

***

August turns into September and then into October with little fanfare.

She keeps in touch with Harvey, Roz and Theo over group chats and Skype sessions. There are tentative plans for Halloween, also known as her birthday, but she knows there are no guarantees when it comes to long distance friendships. They have mortal responsibilities that she just doesn’t have any more.

Besides, even if her eighteenth birthday is spent with just her aunties and Ambrose, it will still be fun.

“I love this weather,” Sabrina says to Ambrose as they walk through the woods on their way home from the academy. “The sky looks like it could crack open at any time. I can’t wait for the rain to begin.”

“Agree completely, cousin. All feels right in the world when it’s dark and gloomy.”

Sabrina kicks a small rock out of the way of the path with the toe of her boot. “How’s Prudence? Have you spoken with her?”

Ambrose shrugs and offers a small smile. “Still on the hunt for her father, o’course. I wish I could be out there with her but…”

“But Aunt Zelda needed you,” Sabrina finishes for him and he nods.

“She’s a strong girl, that one. I know she’ll find him and when she does…I’ll be there to help take him down.”

It’s been strange being at the academy without Prudence, especially considering two thirds of the Weird Sisters are still attending students. Dorcas and Agatha have been unlikely friends, although Sabrina thinks sometimes it’s her heritage they admire in her and not her personality.

Still, it’s nice to have friends.

“So what’s the big plan for your birthday this year, cuz? Your friends making the trip?”

Sabrina sighs. “I’m honestly not sure. They are so busy with school and the distance is a lot. I’m hopeful but won’t be disappointed if they can’t make it.”

“Very mature of you,” he says with a grin and she smacks him on the arm.

“Well I am almost an adult.”

Ambrose snorts, winds his arm through Sabrina’s and leads her towards their house.

“Trust me, cousin. You’re nowhere near an adult. Now your 118th birthday? That’s when the real fun begins.”

***

A knock on the front door wakes her up at 12:03 am on October 31st.

“Can’t even get a good night’s sleep the night before my birthday,” she mumbles as she climbs out of bed, slipping into a robe and a pair of slippers to save her bare feet from the cold wood floor.

No one else in the house woke up to the knock, which surprises her not at all. Her family sleeps like the dead most of the time and the knock isn’t particularly loud or demanding. In fact, she’s shocked that she heard it at all.

It doesn’t occur to her to maybe be wary of a knock sounding at midnight. There could be an untold number of dangers awaiting her on the other side but she doesn’t feel fearful at all.

Nothing can prepare her for what’s actually on the other side of the door.

“Happy Birthday, Spellman.”

Sabrina’s breath catches in her throat and she’s scared this is some kind of trick. An evil manipulation, perhaps, although she has no current enemies that she can think of. Except Lucifer, obviously, but he’s supposed to be in hell. In Nick. Except…

“Nicholas?”

“Hello, Sabrina.”

He looks exactly the same as when she last saw him, except his eyes aren’t red with the devil inside. There are no marks or blemishes on his skin, no visible signs of torture like she was afraid of.

“How…? What…?”

Nick chuckles softly. “Two very excellent questions. Sabrina…”

Her name is barely out of his mouth when she flings herself at him, her hands coming up to touch his hair, his face, his shoulders. He’s so solid and strong and real.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she says, relishing the feel of his arms around her waist. “I don’t know how this is possible but I almost don’t care.”

“Lilith,” he whispers. “She found a way to contain him in Hell. I can explain it all to you but right now…”

His fingers card through her hair and she smiles against his lips when he presses them to hers.

“Your hair is longer,” he says when they pull apart. His eyes are intense when he looks down at her and she blushes.

“What?”

“Did i ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are? Because the memory of them has kept me sane for the last two years and now, looking into them…it’s like a dream come true.”

Her blood warms at his confession. “Nicholas.”

He kisses her again and she can feel in that single moment the amount of love and devotion that he has for her. Nothing that’s ever happened in her life thus far feels like this.

“I know we have a lot to talk about,” he says, his eyes downcast. “So much happened before I left and I know how angry you must be with me.”

Sabrina shakes her head, puts her hand on his cheek so he’s forced to look at her. “I was angry, Nick. But I also missed you terribly. And I know why you did what you did. It doesn’t make it easier or excuse it but I do understand.”

“I’m so sorry, Spellman.” He practically collapses into her when he hugs her again and she can actually feel the wave of exhaustion roll off of him. “I promise to make it up to you.”

“Stay here tonight,” she whispers. “Come with me.”

She holds her hand out and he takes it, bringing it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

There is a piece of parchment on her bed that wasn’t there before. She turns it over in her hands to see a simple line etched in black ink.

Happy Birthday Sabrina. I told you I’d take good care of him.

“What is that?” Nick asks, coming around behind her to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“A birthday present from Lilith,” she says as she leans back into him.

“The parchment?”

Sabrina laughs, turns around in his arms and brings his head down for a kiss. “No, silly. It was you.”

***

She wakes up hours later to her aunts’ surprised voices.

“Nicholas? What are you doing here?!”

“And in Sabrina’s bed, no less!”

“Aunties,” she says, pulling her blanket up around her and Nick. “I’m eighteen and my boyfriend just escaped hell. Can you cut me a little bit of a break?”

Hilda mumbles something about baking a cake and Zelda eyes Nick carefully.

“We’ll expect a full report of how exactly you’re back,” she says and Nick nods earnestly. “Well then, have a good morning you two.”

Ambrose passes by the doorway as Zelda is leaving. “Happy birthday, cousin.” He does a double take when he sees Nick. “Nicholas, good to have you back, friend.”

Nick laughs when the door closes again. “Your family is something else, Spellman.”

She turns so they are lying face to face. “I still can’t believe you’re here. In the flesh, lying next to me right now. I thought this day would never come.”

“Not me,” he says seriously. “Every single day I had to be away was just one day closer to being with you again.”

Sabrina sighs happily and lets him pull her body flush with his so he can kiss her. “Nick…what would you have done if I had, you know, moved on?”

“Cried.”  They both laugh and he drops feather light kisses to her nose, then her cheeks and forehead.  “It wouldn’t have mattered. As long as you’re safe and happy, that’s all I care about. You’re all I care about.”

He snuggles closer to her and kisses the top of her head.

“It would have really fucking sucked though.”

Sabrina laughs out loud, pulls him so he has to brace himself on both hands over her.

“Good thing for you the other boys I dated were so bland.”

Nick kisses her, presses his body down on hers a bit before sitting up with a start.

“Wait…what other boys?”

SEND ME A SHIP + PROMPT

[bloodline-rpg]

Congratulations, JT! We have accepted your application for your OC Xiomara Lightwood  (FC: Tessa Thompson) Please create a blog for your character and send us the link via ask box as soon as you can. Welcome to Bloodline!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name/Alias: JT

Age:25

Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers

Timezone: EST

Level of activity (don’t give your activity a number value, please describe how active you will be as best as possible): I work a 9-5 during the week, but can expect to be on most weeknights and a fair amount of hours on the weekend

CHARACTER DETAILS

Character’s Name: Xiomara Lightwood

Desired FC: Tessa Thomspon

Character’s Age: 30

Character’s Species: Original Witch

Character’s Sexuality: Gay

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY

Magic was part of her. It flowed through her veins, spilling out through her finger tips and creating little sparks. Xiomara, or more affectionately known as “Xo” was a born and bred original witch. Her mother hailed from the Lightwood family of New Orleans, a name she carried with her proudly. She was surrounded by Lightwoods and her name gathered respect.  Her father came from Panama, the Sanchez family were claimed to be the original brujos within their city. However political unrest led to her father fleeing to the united states as a small child, settling in New Orleans with his parents.Her met Xiomara’s mother at a community gathering of covens, and he was in awe of the power and warmth her family gave his. They were childhood sweethearts that made it to adulthood, Xiomara being their pride and joy. She held onto the Lightwood family name as it had more influence within their social circle, but Xiomara was gifted the first name of a legendary witch, her father’s great-great aunt who was rumored to have been more powerful than anyone had ever seen.

Xiomara never went to school with humans, or really interacted with them much. In fact, she grew up thinking they were below her. As were wolves. Holistic witches were tolerable, but in a way, Xo pitied them. They had watered down magic, unable to fulfill the same potential she could. Xo took to magic like a natural, and in turn, her magic became her. She always felt comfortable in her own skin, learning alongside her coven and testing the boundaries of her powers.

Xo’s grandmother loved to tell her the cautionary tale of her long lost sister, who gave up her pure magic to be with a human man (despite the fact the Lightwood family certainly had mixed blood before that, but the woman was in denial). The harsh words of “disgrace” and “disappointment” always ran through her head when she interacted with a human. But as fate would have it, Xiomara was destined to fall in love with one. As a lover of history, her family had sent Xiomara and a close witch friend on a pilgrimage of sorts, so explore places around the world that were filled with magic and held tons of history, good and bad, for their people. Salem, Massachusetts. Triora, Italy. Ephesus, Turkey.  Bohonagh, Ireland. Catemaco, Mexico. And dozens of other locations worldwide. Xiomara grew more in touch with her magic, absorbing the history and learning of all the trials and tribulations that lead to her generation. She felt such pride, being pure of blood. But then there was a girl. A girl with soft skin and big brown eyes who possessed no magic, but could still bring Xo to her knees and manipulate her like a master.

She almost gave it all away for this girl, but soon her grandmother arrived and took Xo home, not allowing the teenager to run off with some human. Since then, resentment has been building inside her. Xiomara loves her magic, and still holds many of her beliefs, but she questions them. To the outsider looking in, Xo is an exemplary original witch, making both her family names proud. But inside, she’s confused and hurt, trying to figure out the answers.

Two years ago  on her deathbed, her grandmother spoke of some regret toward her sister. She spoke of the other woman, her human husband, the children she had and the line of the family tree they never got to know. She made Xiomara vow to find their estranged family and make amends on her behalf. While her grandmother may not have warmed up to humans, she could see the good and value in a holistic witch. That led Xiomara on a hunt to find her long lost family, and in turn - to Carden. She has been trying to re-connect with Aija for a few months and with the political climate the way it is, Xo admits there is an appeal toward a place where witches can be themselves.

CHARACTER PERSONALITY

Xiomara can be feisty and stubborn, so focused on tradition at times and projecting herself as nearly perfect. But deep down she’s a conflicted woman, who never had the chance to truly explore who she was due to feeling the weight of her family names. She can be vicious and nasty when the occasion calls for it. But above all, Xiomara will do anything to protect herself if backed into a corner.

PLOTS AND POLITICS

Xo has a lot of respect for any and all original families, but as one might predict, she feels her own names hold more weight than others. She’s warmed up to holistic witches, and is trying to challenge her assumptions regarding them. Afterall, it’s hard to keep a blood line clean. Xo is indifferent toward wolves, finding them useful to a degree and having some begrudging affection for a few in her life. Xo is conflicted toward humans, as she has seen the horror they can cause as hunters, but also having experienced the softness and purity than can exude  through her past relationship. She’s heard whispers regarding immortal witches, and feels relatively negative toward them.

[mortaems-blog]

*     taps     mic     *     so,     uh,     is     this     thing     on     ?     hello     !     my     name’s     stevie,     i’m     twenty     (     she/they     pns,     please     )     and     i’m     writing     out     of     aest     !     [     bill     hader     vc     ]     i     like     true     crime     and     pretending     like     i     don’t     have     a     million     things     to     do     outside     of     writing     !     anyways     !     under     the     cut     you’ll     find     information     about     francesca     ramorini,     ezra     kennedy     and     percy     frazer     !     u     know     the     drill,     like     this     &     i’ll     pop     into     your     ims     either     here     or     on     disc.ord     to     plot     !

francesca  magdalene  ramorini.  vampire.  old.

full  name:  francesca  magdalene  ramorini. physical  age:  thirty-one. real  age:  six  hundred  and  seventy  seven. birthplace:  milan,  italy. birthdate:  january  sixth,  1342. nationality:  italian. species:  vampire. gender  identity:  cis  female,  she/her  pronouns. sexuality:  bisexual.

when  i  say  she’s  old,  i  mean  old.  francesca  and  her  brother,  domenico,  are  from  13th  century  milan,  where  their  family  were  originally  some  of  the  most  prolific  hunters  in  italy.  the  ramorinis  had  been  vampire  hunters  for  years  previous,  but  it  was  their  parents  who  had  really  cemented  the  reputation  as  some  of  the  best.  the  ramorinis  were  a  big  name  in  milan  anyway,  just  because  of  how  ridiculously  wealthy  they  were.  these  guys  are  fucking  loaded.  they  were  very  much  the  apex  predator  in  the  milani  aristocracy  at  the  time.  naturally,  the  whole  ‘we’re  a  bunch  of  vampire  hunters’  thing  is  very  hidden,  concealed  under  the  family’s  reputation  as  the  owners  of  what  feels  like  an  impossibly  large  international  bank  that  funded  chunks  of  the  holy  roman  empire.  with  all  that  in  mind,  francesca  grows  up  with  absolutely  nothing  but  opulence,  and  their  parents  really  allow  her  to  grow  into  her  own  woman  ---  strong,  determined,  with  a  mind  for  both  family  trades.  there  was  never  any  chance  of  her  just  sitting  round  and  being  complacent  in  the  predetermination  of  her  life  ;  she’s  always  been  headstrong,  brave,  intelligent  and  opinionated,  too  loud  for  her  own  good,  a  face  to  turn  heads.  

they  have  a  younger  brother,  too,  fredo.  (  the  name  is  very  significant.  )  as  dom  and  francesca  started  to  learn  to  hunt  themselves,  they’d  often  end  up  with  fred  tagging  along,  and  for  the  most  part  that  was  fine.  fred’s  a  bit  of  a  weirdo,  but  having  them  around  wasn’t  so  bad   ---   until  one  particular  hunt.  really,  it’s  no  one’s  fault  (  despite  a  centuries-long  running  joke  that  it  was  fred  that  got  them  there  in  the  first  place  )   ;   it’s  a  case  of  wrong  place,  wrong  time.  anyways,  francesca  and  dom  were  turned  on  that  particular  hunt  and  their  entire  world  just  kinda  spun  out,  tbh.  they  were  so  accustomed  to  seeing  vampires  and  whatnot  as  the  absolute  enemy,  nothing  more  than  a  scourge  to  be  wiped  out   ---  but  now  they  were  part  of  that  scourge.  

francesca  especially  had  a  hard  time  dealing  with  the  transition.  everything  she  knew  was  flipped  on  its  head,  a  life  she  once  looked  forward  to  reveling  in  lost  in  the  blink  of  an  eye,  the  sink  of  a  fang.  the  transition  isn’t  easy,  but  she  shoulders  it  regardless  because  it’s  just  part  of  life  now.  she  gives  up  the  life  she  was  meant  to  have  and  forges  a  new  one  ---  and  she  thinks  she’ll  hate  it,  but  it  turns  out  to  be  oddly  freeing.  she  takes  up  art,  learns  to  paint  and  sculpt  from  some  of  the  greatest  ;  she  learns  more  than  she  ever  could  as  an  aristocrat,  becomes  rather  chameleonic  about  it  all.

so,  anyways  !  she  and  dom  are  in  louisiana  now,  in  this  massive  fucking  mansion  that  they  wrangled  ;  francesca  moonlights  as  any  number  of  different  jobs.  she  teaches  a  late - night  art  class,  runs  an  adult  ballet  class  (  she  danced  with  fonteyn  in  the  40s  )  ---  she’s  become  incredibly  comfortable  in  the  life  she’s  built.  falling  into  it  all  was  easier  than  she  ever  imagined  it  could  be.

anyways,  fun  facts:  

she  dresses  so  goddamn  well.  she  looks  good  literally  all  the  time,  and  she  fuckin  KNOWS  it  /  francesca  honey  stop  wearing  expensive  tailored  suits  everywhere  ur  going  to  make  men  insecure  

won’t  ever  shut  up  about  emily  dickinson  or  georgia  o’keeffe........  #ma’am  ur  crush  is  loud  and  painful

the  hot  aunt  aunt  at  the  dinner  party  who  simultaneously  judges  ur  decisions  and  encourages  them

yet  another  ramorini  casanova  ...  are  we  surprised  yet  (  no  )

ezra  riley  kennedy.  hunter.  twenty - one.

full  name:  ezra  riley  kennedy. physical  age:  twenty-one. birthplace:  hoboken,  new  jersey. birthdate:  july  ninth,  1998. nationality:  american. species:  human. gender  identity:  non-binary,  they/them  pronouns. sexuality:  pansexual.

i  need  it  known  right  fockin  now  that  i  would  literally  die  for  ezra  .  they’re  my  FUCKING  baby  and  i  won’t  shut  up  about  it

ezra  was  born  to  two  former  hunters  who  gave  up  the  minute  they  were  pregnant.  it  wasn’t  a  choice  they  were  particularly  willing  to  make,  and  despite  swearing  that  they’d  stop  after  having  kids  they  never  really  did.  almost  immediately  after  ezra  was  born  their  parents  were  back  out  hunting  again,  leaving  the  baby  with  their  grandparents.  as  such,  ezra’s  raised  entirely  by  their  maternal  grandparents.  they  simultaneously  teach  them  their  family  history  (  an  extensive  hunting  background,  the  expectations  that  sit  heavy  on  their  shoulders.  ezra’s  expected  to  carry  on  the  family  legacy  the  minute  they  turn  eighteen,  to  learn  how  to  hunt  and  kill.  admittedly,  it’s  a  shock  to  the  system.

they’re  not  in  much  contact  with  their  parents.  they  come  home  every  so  often,  greet  their  kid  and  go  straight  to  sleep.  there’s  very  little  real  interaction  /  gets  to  the  point  where  ezra  thinks  of  them  more  as  irritating  roommates  that  come  home  late  and  eat  everything  than  actual  parents.  their  loyalty  is  to  their  grandparents,  without  a  doubt.

ezra’s  keenly  aware  that  they’ve  got  no  choice  in  their  career,  but  they  can’t  help  but  want  some  kind  of  say  in  it.  they  excel  at  stem  subjects  in  school,  more  often  found  in  science  labs  testing  hypotheses  in  their  free  time  than  anywhere  else.  they’re  left  alone  more  often  than  not,  slipping  through  school  without  much  of  a  problem  until  they’re  sixteen  and  their  parents  die  in  the  middle  of  a  hunt.  it’s  a  rude  shock  to  the  system,  having  to  bury  both  parents  at  such  a  young  age  but  they  do  it  with  tremendous  grace  and  class.  shortly  after  the  funeral,  they  drop  out  of  school  to  start  hunting.

they’re  jaded  going  into  it,  definitely.  their  only  real  image  of  hunters  is  the  one  they  were  handed  by  their  parents   ---   of  dark  circles  under  eyes,  chain  smoking,  swallowing  bourbon  like  water,  passing  out,  rinse  and  repeat.  they’re  determined  to  break  that  mold,  to  do  something  different  but  they  won’t  lie,  they  considered  it  at  first.  for  their  first  few  hunts  they  tried  to  imitate  their  parents,  and  it  didn’t  turn  out  well   ---   so,  like  everything  else,  ezra  fits  it  to themself,  and  the  rest  is  history.  they  develop  their  own  style,  and  it  works.

hoboken  is  too  small,  not  enough  for  them  so  they  pack  up  and  move  off  to  louisiana.  (  they’d  found  an  old  journal  of  their  parents’,  with  notes  alluding  to  a  wish  to  move  to  new  orleans  and  despite  not  being  close  they  figured  it  might  be  a  good  idea.  )  they’ve  been  in  nola  for  about  a  year  now,  and  they’re  growing  to  love  it.  they’ve  always  been  a  city  kid,  and  there’s  something  about  nola  just  speaks  to  them.

so,  fun  facts:

super  good  with  technology.  they  fix  shit  in  their  free  time,  &  they  build  computers  n  shit   ?????

smells  like  frangipani  and  jasmine  and  ginger.  they  smell  really  fucking  good  for  some  reason

lots  of  denim  and  leather  and  yellow  in  their  outfits.  they’ve  got  one  particular  leather  jacket  for  hunting,  but  they  kinda  started  a  collection

angelic  in  every  single  way  possible

has  a  black  cat,  named  salem.  salem’s  a  good  cat.

percy  floyd  frazer.  witch.  twenty - four.

full  name:  percy  floyd  frazer. physical  age:  twenty-four. birthplace:  amsterdam,  the  netherlands. birthdate:  february  12th,  1995. nationality:  british. species:  witch. gender  identity:  demi  male,  he/they  pronouns. sexuality:  bisexual.

percy  .......  sighs.  i  love  him  so  fuckin  much

so  !  percy  is  born  to  two  english  witches  while  they’re  on  holiday  in  amsterdam,  a  pregnancy  that  both  parties  had  been  hoping  for  ;  their  household  was  starting  to  feel  awfully  lonely,  and  a  baby  sounded  like  the  perfect  way  to  round  it  all  out.  naturally,  though,  nothing  goes  to  plan  ---  his  arrival  puts  ‘unwarranted  stress’  on  his  dad,  who  cuts  his  losses  and  runs  about  a  month  after  percy’s  birth.  bit  of  a  dick  move,  but  let’s  move  on.  his  mother,  annaliese,  doesn’t  harbour  any  real  resentment  towards  his  dad  for  leaving  ;  she’d  fallen  in  love  with  amsterdam  on  their  brief  holiday  and  was  planning  on  breaking  up  and  moving  there  anyway.  

so  !  for  his  entire  childhood,  it’s  just  percy  and  his  mom,  and  it’s  the  best  kind  of  childhood  you  could  ask  for.  he  grows  up  watching  all  the  same  movies  as  his  mom,  reading  her  books  and  just  hanging  around  her  24/7.  ngl  he  kinda  had  the  coolest  childhood   ????   his  mom  loved  to  rent  out  her  favourite  bands’  old  tour  videos  and  there’s  many  an  afternoon  where  the  two  of  them  would  sit  there  and  just  listen  to  music  together.  their  relationship  is  very  similar  to  that  of  theo  and  his  mother  from  the  goldfinch,  if  that  gives  anyone  a  frame  of  reference.

he’s  about  thirteen  when  she  finally  sits  him  down,  tells  him  about  the  magic  that  whispers  a  steady  thrum  in  his  veins.  she  tells  him  about  the  uprising,  about  the  way  magic  has  become  outlawed,  how  he   has  to  learn  to  restrain  himself.  it’s  a  lot  for  someone  so  young  to  understand,  but  he  sits  through  it  patiently,  peppering  questions  here  and  there.  he  doesn’t  seem  particularly  enthused  about  his  heritage  (  really,  who  would  )   ---   his  mother  barely  holds  back  the  tremor  in  her  voice  throughout  the  conversation.

the  more  percy  learns  about  the  restriction  of  magic,  the  more  bitter  and  jaded  he  grows  about  it  all.  he  doesn’t  hate  himself,  nor  his  mother,  hates  the  pureblood  monarchy  with  such  a  passion  it’s  almost  terrifying.  he’s  sixteen  when  he  swears  off  magic,  tries  to  quash  it  down  the  best  he  can.  he  point - blank  refuses  to  accept  that  it’s  part  of  him,  and  tries  to  find  a  passion  that  distracts  him  from  it.  that  ends  up  being  music,  and  he  takes  to  it  like  a  fish  takes  to  water.  the  minute  he  picks  up  a  guitar,  it’s  like  his  world  makes  sense.

they’ve  been  living  in  amsterdam  this  entire  time,  wasting  afternoons  in  art  galleries  and  bakeries.  percy’s  eighteen  when  he  decides  that  it’s  time  to  spread  his  wings  and  move  away  ---  his  decision  is  hardly  precise,  he  throws  a  dart  at  a  map  and  hopes  for  the  best.  it  lands  on  new  orleans,  louisiana,  and  he  just  kinda  goes  with  it.  he  doesn’t  have  much  to  pack  up:  a  single  suitcase  full  of  clothes,  another  filled  with  books  and  dvds,  and  his  guitars,  that’s  it.  both  him  and  his  mom  cry  at  the  airport,  but  it’s  happy  crying.  

so,  anyways   !   he’s  been  in  louisiana  for  six  years  now,  and  he  loves  it.  when  he  first  moved  he  worked  any  number  of  casual  jobs,  but  he’s  settled  into  one  as  a  bookseller  in�� an  indie  bookshop.  he  writes  film  +  music  reviews  for  a  number  of  online  sites  as  well,  so  he’s  got  himself  a  steady  lil  income.  

some  fun  facts:

dresses  like  an  utter  e-boy  and  i  won’t  apologise  for  it  

looks  n  acts  like  an  arrogant  prick  sometimes  but  truly....... sweet,  kind,  would  do  anything  for  the  people  he  loves  (  even  if  that  number  is  small  )

totally  pretentious  about  his  tastes.  don’t  start  him,  for  the  love  of  god

perpetually  got  his  glasses  on,  perpetually  holding  an  oversized  cup  of  tea

has  a  collection  of  tiny  little  tattoos  (  they’re  all  references  to  books / movies / music  he  loves  )

i  ............  love  him  a  lot

[theresabookforthat]

Witch Lit!

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble…

In the spirit of Halloween we have a witch’s brew of books to offer all ages in the mood for spellbinding reading treats. Which witch tale will you put in your bag?

 THE WITCHING HOUR by Anne Rice

Demonstrating her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of four centuries of witches–a family given to poetry and incest, murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being called Lasher who haunts the Mayfair women.

 PRACTICAL MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic…

 A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: A NOVEL by Deborah Harkness

Book one of the New York Times–bestselling All Souls trilogy—”a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People)

Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript.

 THE WITCH: AND OTHER TALES RE-TOLD by Jean Thompson

A National Book Award finalist Jean Thompson’s new collection captures the magic and horror in everyday life as she revisits beloved fables that represent our deepest, most primeval fears and satisfy our longings for good to triumph over evil (preferably in the most gruesome way possible).   “Spellbinding” (Booklist, starred review).

 THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK: A NOVEL by John Updike

Toward the end of the Vietnam era, in a snug little Rhode Island seacoast town, wonderful powers have descended upon Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie, bewitching divorcées with sudden access to all that is female, fecund, and mysterious.

                            WHITE IS FOR WITCHING by Helen Oyeyemi

Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award

There’s something strange about the Silver family house in the closed-off town of Dover, England. Grand and cavernous with hidden passages and buried secrets, it’s been home to four generations of Silver women—Anna, Jennifer, Lily, and now Miranda, who has lived in the house with her twin brother, Eliot, ever since their father converted it to a bed-and-breakfast.

               BASIC WITCHES: HOW TO SUMMON SUCCESS, BANISH DRAMA, AND RAISE HELL WITH YOUR COVEN by Jaya Saxena, Jess Zimmerman

A magical lifestyle guide for everything from powering up a stylish crystal to banishing terrible Tinder dates! Want to feel terrifyingly beautiful? Want to increase your energy? Whip up a tasty herbal “potion” to rev up your stamina. DIY projects, rituals, and spells—along with fun historical sidebars—summon the best trends of the modern witchy lifestyle.

               THE PENGUIN BOOK OF WITCHES edited by Katherine Howe

Chilling real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America, compiled by the New York Times bestselling author of Conversion.

 FOR YOUNGER READERS

 HEXED by Michelle Krys; Young Adult

It’s Bring it On meets The Craft in this spellbinding series debut. Indigo Blackwood is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and cool friends. On the surface, her life looks perfect. But when a guy dies violently right before her eyes and an ancient family Bible is stolen, Indie’s world spirals into darkness. Turns out Indie isn’t just a normal teenager: she has a destiny. And it involves much more than pom-poms and parties. Check out the sequel Charmed!

 THE WITCHES by Roald Dahl; Ages 8 to 12

This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches. Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There’s nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma’s stories—but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!

 CONVERSION by Katherine Howe; Ages 12 and up

Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s?

 RAVINA THE WITCH? By Junko Mizuno

A bewitching and beautiful tale of an orphan girl who was raised by crows in a trash heap. One day, a dying witch gifts her with a mysterious magic wand and her life changes forever! Now, the human world is hers to play with…Or will this land of fear and corruption prove too much for the fledgling witch?

                              WITCHES: THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE TALE OF DISASTER IN SALEM by Rosalyn Schanzer, National Geographic Kids; Ages 5 to 10

In the little colonial town of Salem Village, Massachusetts, two girls began to twitch, mumble, and contort their bodies into strange shapes. The doctor tried every remedy, but nothing cured the young Puritans. He grimly announced the dire diagnosis: the girls were bewitched!

 AKATA WITCH by Nnedi Okorafor; Ages 12 and up

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she’s albino. She’s a terrific athlete, but can’t go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing-she is a “free agent,” with latent magical powers.

 HOW TO HANG A WITCH by Adriana Mather; Ages 12 and up

It’s the Salem Witch Trials meets “Mean Girls” in this New York Times bestselling novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern-day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

 THE LITTLE WITCH by Otfried Preussler; Ages 5 to 9

 “Once upon a time there was a little witch who was only a hundred and twenty-seven years old”—that’s how the story of the little witch and her talking raven Abraxas begins, and though one hundred and twenty-seven isn’t at all old for a witch, Little Witch already has a big problem. Every year, on Walpurgis Night, all the witches of the land meet to dance on Brocken Mountain. Little Witch is still too little to be invited, but this year she decided to sneak in anyway—and got caught by her evil aunt Rumpumpel!

  For more on these and related titles visit Witchy Lit

[swtdisasters]

meet laila bishop

► basics;

Full Name: laila alexandra bishop Age: 28 Birthday:  December 21at, 1989 Sexual Orientation: bisexual Relationship Status:  single Religion: atheists Occupation: Graphic Designer  Nationality: English/American Species: Witch           ► Abilities; enhanced senses, immortality, shapeshifting, enhanced healing. (while                      transformed) enhanced speed, enhanced agility, enhanced strength, and enhanced                      endurance

► background;

Place of Birth: Salem, OR Hometown: Salem, OR Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Master of Business Administration 

► physical;

Faceclaim: Claire Holt Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Blonde Height: 5′7 Weight: 130 Tattoos, Birthmarks, Scars:  poppies on her lefft forearm 

► relatives;

Father’s Full Name: Ryan Bishop Father’s Status: Deceased  Mother’s Full Name: Hannah Crownwell Mother’s Status: Deceased Siblings: None Uncle: Samuel Bishop Uncle Status: Alive Aunt: Robin Bishop Uncle Status: Alive

► personality;

Positive Traits: fun loving, positive, hard working, adventurous  Negative Traits: vengeful, quick to judge, vicious 

► misc;

Hobbies: Boxing, Hiking, Crafts, Browsing old record shops Favorite Book: The Grimm Tales Favorite Music Artist: The Killers Favorite Subject: Art Pets: NA Habits: Having one head phone in, speeding, foot tapping

► BIOGRAPHY; 

December 21st is a day that was supposed to bring about the change the Bishops, the winter solstice was the day they were the strongest and their power simply thrived. But in the year of 1989, it was the day Ryan and Hannah would welcome their daughter Laia to the world. The prophecy stated that the child of two powerful witch families would be born under the full moon on the longest day of the year, and that witch would become the head of both families. The most powerful, insightful, talented witch to be seen in generations. While this was a joyful occasion for most of the family, some saw it was a chance to be reedeemed. 

The history of the Bishops run deep, creating veins within the family that ran in two very different directions. The light side of the family who lived among the mortals, using the abilities for good and the betterment of their kind. And the dark side, who hold a deep seated grudge against the human race for crimes against their family. Crimes running as far back as the execution of women accused of being witches in Salem. The funny thing about the Salem Witch Trials was the fact that they only ever got it right once and it was the very first person that faced the stake. Emily Bishop, the first woman to be executed by fire and a Bishop witch. Her death began a battle against good and evil the world had never expected. 

Ryan and Hannah Bishop were born of the light and saw the good in the world. They were two young witches who met on a sidewalk and the rest was history. The pair wed just a year after their first meeting and their daughter was welcomed into the world just two more years after that.  And they could not of been happier. The three remained in Salem, embracing the history of their people and taking the adversity as a chance to grow.

Laila was a happy girl, born of the light of the mood and gifted beyond recognition. Usually a child’s magic ability did not show first signs until the age of puberty. She was special and the prophecy was true. The young girl’s powers arrived on her first birthday, taking her parents by utter surprise. They were forced into starting her training as soon as she was able, starting with what was bad and what was good. From then on, Laila was taught that the light was the only way to live a happy life. At the age of four, she was completing spells that most witches were even too scared to try. As proud of her as they were, her parents were worried.

Intuition told them they needed to be careful, to stay clear. They ignored that feeling to give their daughter a life she deserved. That, however, came crashing down on Laila’s fifth birthday. A fire in the Bishop cottage claimed the life of Hannah and Ryan. Many in the family believed the fire to be foul play, though the fire department ruled it to be an electrical problem. And some believed their death came at the hands of their daughter, gifted with magic she could not control. This fear hindered most from stepping forth and taking the young girl into their care, leaving her to Samuel and Robin Bishop. Her aunt and uncle were not born of the light, but were baptized into the darkness and the hate. They wanted to get revenge on the mortals and their plan was to use Laia to do it.

The rest of her teenage years were bathed in darkness. She learned spells most witches swore to never do, she mastered the dark arts, and the bid into the sweet siren song of the darkness. How could she not? That was the only life she knew and the only love she had ever been shown. 

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, a mysterious gift was left for her on the window sill. A witches glass, gifted with the truth that defined her whole life. For until this very moment, Laila believed she was the reason for her parent’s death and had been punishing herself ever since. But the glass told the story through the eyes of her mother. It was not an electrical fire, it was not her own magic, but it was the evil of her aunt and uncle that burned her parents. The people who had cared for her were only using her as a pawn. They wanted her to become a chaos the world had never known, so they killed her parents to see that it happened.

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Laila lost control for the first time in her life. Black flames licked at her boots as she watched the home she grew to love and know burn to a crisp. It was a warning to her aunt and uncle, to run now before Laila had a chance to find them. For their mission to bring chaos had failed, instead, giving birth to one of the greatest bringer of peace.

Laila set out in the world on her own, learning the secrets she had been sheltered from her whole life. She learned that there were more supernatural things out there, from vampires to phoenixes who rose from the ashes. She took to the world and fell in love the the curiosities that it had to offer. It was then she realized that she was born of the moonlight, someone of goodness but had a darkness inside that was destined to be there. She could see the best in people, but was not fooled by the demons inside. She took to hunting, riding the world of the evil spirits and creatures that threatened the peace. By day, she studied and worked towards a normal life. By night, she trained to protect herself and she studied the beasts she knew nothing about. 

Laila knew now that she was born to be something more than a Salem witch or a bringer of darkness. She knew she was born to protect those who could not protect themselves.

; give this a ❤︎ if you’re interested in plotting with Laila ;

[salemspoint-blog]

❝ I’ve been a saint, I’ve been the truth, I’ve been the lie. ❞

» Natalie Mercer » Thirty » Hunter » Deputy at Salem's Point Police Department » Caity Lotz

Physical Appearance —

Life on the run leaves no time for fashion or shopping. Natalie used to dress to the tens when she had previously lived in Salem. Always putting her best foot forward but since her Aunt’s return to her life and her decision to live under the shadows she started to dress simply. A simple shirt and some jeans were everything she was able to pack in her backpack, and it became her regular outfit. Her hair is always braided or in a pony tail, rarely does she let it down. Natalie never says more than she needs to. Rarely does she let someone in. She had a solid wall around herself and though she believes that there is nothing good left in her she does show compassion to people in her own way. When she talks to someone she is always listening to them and wanting to help them to the best way that she can. Her regrets and mistakes eat her alive but she is a silent person and if she was burning she would be the last one to point that out and would tolerate the pain. The anger has managed to shape Nat into someone that is short with her words and tends to express no emotions. She used to smoke whenever she was tense or stressed, it was the tell that gave her away but now that it is a constant state, she classifies herself as a smoker.

Personality Traits —

♦ Discreet, observant and resourceful ♢ Abrasive, destructive and determined

Biography —

Only a few people get to be left behind and disappear themselves. Natalie Mercer happened to just win that lottery. When she was eight years old she saw the last of her parents. It had been so simple and comical in the dark twisted way. They had just left to go get some groceries and never came back. Her aunt didn’t even hesitate to pronounce them dead. For the years coming up Natalie believed that was because nothing good happened in town. It wouldn’t be till much later that she would actually understand what had taken place. Eight years old she saw her entire life be packed up in a couple of gym bags and two boxes. The woman was then shipped off to Colorado with her aunt and other hunters. It should be noted that Natalie had always been the odd ball out. Even when she was young she had befriended the werewolves next door and promised them that no harm would happen to them if they didn’t hurt anyone. The brown hair girl never saw why there had to be hate towards what someone was and not what they had done. That was a trait that her aunt was not okay with. In fact, it was the one trait that she tried to claw out of Natalie with violence, physical and verbal abuse.

At a young age the woman took advantage of the young brunette and would often starve her and other times push her to murder whoever they captured. Whenever she asked about her parent’s whereabouts Natalie was isolated out of the camp for days. Natalie had believed that those days would come to an end when she didn’t get the blessing after all her parents were missing and no one gave a kid a blessing without their parents. That small hope that Natalie had been holding onto ended up coming crashing down on her when she turned seventeen, that was when her aunt requested that the blessing for her kids be placed on Natalie, after all, Natalie’s aunt wasn’t able to have kids so she was making damn certain that her legacy stood the test of time. So when the witches granted it Natalie stopped being some orphan that had been taking in. Instead, her aunt started to look at the brunette as property. As an investment that she did her best to protect with the constant training, sending her on hunts that she lacked experience, and pushing her to her limits.

Soon Natalie realized how to handle the situation. Natalie became everything her aunt wanted only in front of her. Behind closed doors, she was sick with herself, she did her best to not kill anyone that hadn’t committed a wrong, but at times she wasn’t able to choose. The guilt drove her to shut down. Even after her aunt murdered a childhood friend that managed to get bitten the hunter didn’t dream about crossing her. Natalie believed that this was normal after all this was the only family she had ever known. The hunter did not want to appear to be selfish. Her aunt could’ve tossed her aside and not want anything to do with her. But instead, she took in the complication that was Natalie and fed and bed her. That was until she met an older male in her early college years. The two were never supposed to be a thing. Everything about their relationship screamed that it would end up in flames. He had been honest and told her what he was from the start as she was. Honestly had never been a downfall of theirs. Just ask quickly as she met him she trusted him. Both were aware of how fucked up each others family was but she brought him home. For the first time standing up against her aunt and defying her. Their relationship was the first time that she was actually able to breathe again but it would be short-lived compared to the pain that was soon to come. Her aunt guilt tripped Natalie on going on a hunting trip that Natalie still wasn’t prepare for, not to mention she had just had finals and was not at her best. The hunter almost died in the hands of a vampire, she should’ve died was what everyone said but out of nowhere, she came back. When she came back home, she came back to an empty house, her boyfriend was gone. Without a note or an explanation.

The break up was the second emotional pang that she wished she could erase. Half the time she had been worried that something had happened. Then the other half she wished something did happen to him. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, soon she realized that she had to close that chapter of her life. She joined the police academy which ended up being allowed only if Natalie ended up staying with a family friend. A friend that her aunt had trusted would make her into the ruthless hunter that her parents had once been. It never managed to become a reality because the family friend ended up being more like a brother to Natalie than a friend of her aunt. He was more than aware of the abuse that Natalie had suffered but neither of them ever talked about it. Besides the town was always throwing grenades at her for her to even contemplate being more ruthless than she was. During one of the curses, Natalie managed to discharge her gun ending the life of an innocent person. She placed herself on desk duty for the longest time till friends reached out and pulled her out. Then there had been the whole getting kidnapped incident. All these took place while she started to get close to someone else.

As a hunter, she took part in the hunter community right away. After all, she had connections with most of them and kept in touch. No one ever did see her second guess her kills or even regret being a hunter. Natalie didn’t go around telling people what they were doing wrong, she kept things to herself. But always was there when she was needed and never hesitated to have her blade cut deep into the monsters. A co-worker and fellow hunter soon were able to give her an update about her family. There was a lead that her parents had not died – instead, they had been bitten and ran away cause they knew their family would kill them. So they left Natalie behind and now they had two other daughters and a family within the same pack that she had once befriend when she had been younger. Her aunt ended up being proven right once again – she shouldn’t have dug around because the next thing that she could recall was being surrounded by three werewolves. It would be easy to plea self-defense but what she did to them was everything her aunt had taught her. That line that she had refused to cross all those years had been crossed that line. It wouldn’t go unnoticed, especially since her aunt managed to stumble upon the scene. Natalie didn’t know how to grasp the reality that her parents had been alive all these years and never thought to check up on her. That they had assumed that she would hate them like she had been taught versus giving her a chance. And now she had blood on her hands, she had become everything her aunt had demanded. She was not able to actually process the situation because her aunt’s grin ended up being plastered throughout her head. Her words echoing in her head. That provoked Natalie to turn to the witch and ask him to erase their memories. Saying that would be the last time he saw her. For whatever reason, he decided to agree and it was done.

The next months she had nightmares but turned to her new relationship to get rid of them. Natalie had foolishly thought that a memory wipe would be enough to bury her skeletons but life quickly reminded her of reality. Five years ago – during one of her patrol walks she was taken. The ride back to Colorado was a complete haze and the next image that she being back in that same hole when she had been 15. Quickly she lost track of the days and her entire focus was to survive the next obstacle her aunt could possibly think. When she was finally released she had realized months had passed by. It had felt longer and yet it had just been 120 days. It became obvious that she wouldn’t be able to leave. Her aunt managed to blackmail her into staying with the fact that there was a pack of werewolves that wanted Natalie’s head on a silver plate. It was not till Mikael, her nineteen-year-old childhood friend, managed to break down her door and plea to her to stop her aunt from killing his girlfriend that was a werewolf.

For a couple of days, the hunter was not going to do anything. After all, this was just the circle of life. This was a lesson that he had to learn in order to prevent any future pain. But after a bottle of tequila, she found herself thinking otherwise. That night she ended up turning against the hunters and protected Mikael’s girlfriend, which led to her becoming an enemy and being attacked. Natalie barely escaped the fight alive. She would’ve ended up dead if Mikael hadn’t called her ex into saving her. Which was an action that was going to change the course of Natalie’s life forever? At the same time her own family was going up in flames so was Lucas’s. One of his elders ended up confronting Natalie about her ex’s accident and things became violent when Natalie refused to answer anything which managed for Natalie to become physically violent with an elder. At the end of the day the entire apartment ended up being damaged and Natalie delivered the final stab to the witch. It was during that confrontation that she learned that her ex-had healed her that night that Mikael had called him. Natalie was in deep water with an entire pack wanting her dead, her former fellow hunters, and now her ex’s coven did too.

With the hot-headed individual that Natalie was, she told them all to come at her. Her ex, on the other hand, had another solution. He managed to propose to Natalie. Portraying the entire thing as a business deal, one where his family would get off his back about the future and his nasty habit of always protecting Natalie and one where the supernatural would think twice before going after her. Around this time Mikael ended up disappearing into thin air. Another thing that marriage to a witch would give was giving her access to tools that she didn’t have. Natalie tried to locate Mikael with her hunter skills but nothing worked. Instead, she ended up running into Jeremiah Ainsworth who managed to confess to Natalie that no one had looked for her after she disappeared and that they had all acted as if she had never existed. That the guy had moved on – it was the first time she had seen Jeremiah be so honest, and he confessed it was because he had also seen his own version play out the same. So after weeks of yelling at each other Natalie gave in and got married in private. For an entire day, Natalie and her ex-didn’t banter or become petty with each other. For one day Natalie wore a beautiful white gown. And it felt similar to the days when they had been each other’s best versions of each other.

For two years Natalie did the marriage thing. Natalie knew she couldn’t leave because of the enemies that she had managed to make outside. But every passing day that she didn’t hear from Mikael she worried more and more. Till the point where she couldn’t stay still anymore. Not like that was the only reason that she picked up her bags and left. Her husband’s family demanded too much from Natalie, things that she knew she would not be able to give. On top of that, her aunt had located her and managed to draw her out by threatening to kill Clark’s baby sister that had managed to get triggered. Natalie didn’t believe her but showed up to the location and there enough was Cammy being tortured to the fullest. The sight of the smaller Clark being abused by the same hands that she had, was enough for Natalie to let go of any fight and give into her aunt’s demands. So a deal was made with the devil – her life for Cammy’s, and Natalie accepted the terms after all she was given little choice but to leave and follow her aunt wherever she wanted.

But as soon as Natalie was able to escape from her aunt she did. And ever since then she has been on the run, with the help of Zeke she has been able to be one step ahead of her aunt and both have been working to locate Mikael. Interesting turn of events since she would have never probably trusted Zeke before and now he is the one that she is the closest with. It was during this time that she dyed her hair blonde, as a symbol of change. During the past three years, Natalie wasn’t able to be a law enforcement because her aunt knew all the connections and how to get info so she with the help of her previous friends she became a hire for kill during the mornings and a hunter at night, traveling throughout the country and killing supernatural beasts. There were moments when she needed help and would call Zeke to come and help her out. With the three years, she managed to go from an adequate hunter to a specialist. It was during this time that she would help people deal with their supernatural troubles for the exchange of money and food. The woman that had once dreamed about a family got used to living in a studio apartment and living on a paycheck.

The woman excelled at her hunter skills. She put all her focused on her hunting cause if she was going to be hunted for killing, then she was going to kill as many as she could. Though the blonde managed to make it into her own job she started to just haunt those that hunted others for no reason. She never checked on Salem because she didn’t want to be reminded of the people that she had managed to hurt. Her ex-was someone that she had hoped would’ve moved on and created a better life for himself. She never planned to go back but she started to get short and strange calls from Zeke, that allowed her to know that something was up. Then Natalie got a phone call that Clark’s sister was back in Salem and it was only a matter of time before her aunt came, so she decided to make the one phone call to Zeke to let him know she was coming back home.

[thegloober]

Kiernan Shipka Casts Indelible Spell on Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

by Matt Fagerholm

October 22, 2018   |  

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All it takes is one great role for an actor to be rediscovered. Kiernan Shipka had already proven herself to be a formidable talent, growing up before our eyes on AMC’s “Mad Men” while displaying impressive range in a diverse array of genres—from the moody supernatural drama of Andrew Proz Palermo’s “One and Two” and the rousing adventure of Nickelodeon’s “The Legend of Korra” to the uproarious satire of her Funny or Die web series, “Child Star Psychologist.” 

Yet it was her startling dive into horror, courtesy of Osgood Perkins’ masterful 2015 debut feature, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” that revealed the astonishing breadth of her potential. Shipka played Kat, an alienated girl yearning to fill the void left by her absent parents. After answering the call of a horned demon that may or may not exist solely in her head, Kat undergoes a malevolent transformation that brings her a strange sense of empowerment, especially when it terrifies her peers. Aside from one climactic howl, she never raises her voice, even when hurling an expletive at a pair of bewildered caregivers. Overcome by the sudden power that has taken hold of her speech, Kat stares at her prey with fierce eyes as a tear rolls down her cheek. Later on, when she calmly raises her arms and replies, “Hail, Satan,” she appears fearsomely in control rather than out of her mind. Like Norman Bates, she’s simply focused on getting her job done, no matter how gory it may be. 

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As confirmed by Shipka in a recent BUILD interview, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” turned out to be a crucial inspiration for Archie Comics CCO Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa when developing the small screen adaptation of his own recent comic book series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Whereas “Riverdale,” Aguirre-Sacasa’s hit show on The CW Network, echoes “Twin Peaks” in its self-aware subversion of the squeaky clean adolescent archetypes once modeled after Andy Hardy, his reimagining of Sabrina’s teenage witchery pays homage to numerous genre-defining classics, lending a cinematic aura to its metaphysical mischief. Though Sabrina couldn’t be further removed from Kat in terms of her thriving social life and sunny disposition, she also lost her mother and father at a young age, and is on a journey toward finding her place in the world. Melissa Joan Hart’s sitcom incarnation of the character had no knowledge of her own capacity for witchcraft until she turned 16. The first season of Aguirre-Sacasa’s “Sabrina” series, debuting on Netflix this Friday, October 26th, opens with its titular heroine counting down the days on her calendar—in one of many shots evocative of “Blackcoat”—toward the same pivotal birthday. What makes Shipka’s Sabrina more in step with the original comic book character dating back to 1962 is the fact that she is well-aware of her magic from the get-go. This is an origin story not about discovering one’s powers but learning to own them.

Kiernan Shipka and Michelle Gomez on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

Aguirre-Sacasa provides a stellar showcase for many of the abilities she utilized in Perkins’ film, from her lovely singing voice to the arresting strength she derives from her vulnerability. No special effects or badass one-liners are needed for Shipka to register as a towering force onscreen. She traumatized me in “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” without the use of demonic prosthetics (quickly scrapped by the director), and on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” she casts her indelible spell with the layers of emotional nuance rippling across her face. Just as Kat’s world was shrouded in brown colors intended to signify the snugness of her newfound identity, the red glow of Sabrina’s wardrobe conveys a very different type of warmth. How refreshing it is to see a modern series built around a teenager whose most defining feature is an innate goodness.

Though each hour-long chapter of the show is linked by a continuous narrative, the “Adventures” in the title correctly suggests an episodic use of secondary conflicts that Sabrina must face in her everyday life. The child of a male witch and female mortal, she is dubbed a “half-breed” (or “mudblood,” as termed by J.K. Rowling), requiring her to straddle the line between the magical realm and the human one occupied by friends oblivious to her bloodline. The observation made by Aunt Hilda (a delightful Lucy Davis) that Sabrina’s father could’ve been a movie star “like Cousin Montgomery” is a sly nod to the star of Sol Saks’ beloved sitcom, “Bewitched,” about a witch-turned-housewife who refuses to suppress her otherworldly skills, much to the dismay of her mortal husband. In her stubborn battle against various forms of oppression at school, such as library censorship and hazing rituals, Shipka’s Sabrina is a kindred spirit of Elizabeth Montgomery’s Samantha. She is a terrible liar precisely because she is so sincere, yet with the aid of her witchcraft, Sabrina pulls off some satisfying pranks that earn many of the show’s biggest laughs. A priceless bit involving truth extraction reminded me of the “Bewitched” episode where Samantha’s husband, Darrin, is hexed by his mother-in-law, causing him to speak only in toddler-appropriate language at a business meeting (“I made a boo-boo,” he explains). 

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Kiernan Shipka and Ross Lynch on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

Never verging into the family-friendly silliness of Hart’s “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” where the protagonist had a penchant for inadvertently turning mean girls into pineapples, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” still peppers its increasingly grim subject matter with richly earned bursts of euphoria, starting with Sabrina’s dance to “Be My Baby” after professing her love for mortal boyfriend Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch). Like Shipka, Lynch is remarkably gifted at portraying shunned youth on the cusp of destruction, as seen in Marc Meyers’ “My Friend Dahmer,” and it’s a joy to watch them both liberated by the inherent sweetness of their characters, not to mention the palpable chemistry that they share. Episode three contains a beautiful sequence of consensual intimacy triggered by Sabrina’s urgent request that Harvey check her body for a birthmark. What could’ve devolved into a squirm-inducing leering session instead becomes a touching portrait of Harvey’s sensitivity. He handles her body with the utmost respect, while insisting that he strip down as well because “fair is fair.” 

Apart from its nostalgic trappings, the appeal of “Stranger Things” lies in its endearing band of misfits that drive the story, and there’s no question they’d get along splendidly with Sabrina’s cherished companions. Instead of exchanging witty banter with her cat, Salem (whose dialogue is limited to expressive meows), she finds an even better scene partner in Ambrose (Chance Perdomo), her pansexual cousin whose exuberance masks an underlying bitterness at the curse keeping him housebound. Sabrina’s school chums, Rosalind (Jaz Sinclair) and Susie (non-binary actor Lachlan Watson) further expand the show’s fully dimensional inclusivity, while the aunts that raised her—the irreverent Hilda and uptight Zelda (Miranda Otto)—form a most amusing comic duo. 

Rather than settle on derivative formulas, the show often soars to the provocative heights of Broadway’s “Wicked” and Robert Eggers’ “The Witch,” which both illuminated the exhilarating aspects of defying gravity, breaking free of societal strictures by “living deliciously” (Sabrina notes that there are many “delicious” reasons to be a witch). Of course, devoting one’s life to the Dark Lord comes with a price, and when Sabrina questions why their unholy leader is terrified of granting women freedom and power, the response she receives is unfiltered perfection: “He’s a man, isn’t he?” 

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The show is at its best when skewering the patriarchal oppression of organized religion, an ancient scourge no less prevalent in the witch’s own belief system that hypocritically derides the “false god” of Christianity. “Why must I save myself for the Dark Lord?” Sabrina demands, “Why does he decide what I do with my body?”, to which Zelda sighs, “Should’ve been homeschooled.” The crimson hue of Sabrina’s attire is mirrored by the apple she plucks off a tree, a biblical symbol of the knowledge God had intended on keeping from Eve. Her refusal to blindly obey orders breeds a healthy level of skepticism, especially when confronted by the sort of frightening fanaticism memorably explored in the original “Carrie” and “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” (for more context, read my in-depth appreciation of Perkins’ film here—after seeing the film, of course).  

Lachlan Watson and Jaz Sinclair on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

The coven’s High Priest, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle), and Sabrina’s principal, Mr. Hawthorne (Bronson Pinchot), are equally loathsome examples of puritanical masculinity, yet neither are a match for the manipulative games of Mary Wardell (Michelle Gomez), a mysterious, ever-watchful teacher on par with Severus Snape. Just as Sabrina’s pals debate the symbolism in their favorite movies, particularly “Night of the Living Dead”—which is referenced at the beginning only to later become unearthed, so to speak, toward the end—the show’s thinly cloaked commentary provides viewers with plenty to chew on. An episode deftly timed for Thanksgiving is chock-full of metaphorical subtext regarding the Native American genocide, while Principal Hawthorne voices the misogyny of men complicit in sexual abuse who label the #MeToo movement a “witch hunt.” Among the many shared understandings that exist between Sabrina and Harvey, one is the plight of being torn between two worlds. In Harvey’s case, it’s the world existing inside the local mine overseen by his father (Christopher Rosamond), and the one existing outside of it, above ground. Harvey’s dad may be the show’s most monstrous character of all, embracing a tragic occurrence as an opportunity to publicly shame his son while spewing propaganda about his chosen way of life, which is as destructive to the environment as the man’s words are to his family’s mental health. As a rebuke against the tribalism keeping witches and mortals apart, the program illustrates how their worlds really aren’t all that different from one another, and how Sabrina’s unwillingness to conform flies in the face of them both. 

With season two currently in production and slated for release next year, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” could theoretically join with “Riverdale” in creating its own comic book-based expanded universe. Aguirre-Sacasa already has ideal subject matter for a cross-over in the form of his Afterlife with Archie series, where the red-headed hero must team up with his buddies to combat a zombie apocalypse when it reaches their hometown. Sabrina’s town of Greendale is right next door to Riverdale, a fact mentioned only once this season, and that’s probably a good thing. Having the show debut on a network separate from the one airing “Riverdale” provided enough distance for it to have a tone and charm all its own, avoiding the pitfalls of interconnected exposition that mars many a Marvel vehicle. 

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If anything, “Sabrina” has more in common with the other seasonal 10-hour epic released on Netflix this month—Mike Flanagan’s riveting limited series, “The Haunting of Hill House”—yet their most glaring similarities aren’t worth replicating. Both shows incorporate cartoonish CGI (though “Sabrina” thankfully has far more practical effects) as well as use the repetitive refrain of “I have to fix this” so often in later episodes, it seems designed for a future Netflix drinking game. Weirdly enough, the best episode in each of the shows is the fifth one—both benefit from an ingenious structure that probes deeper into the minds of its characters. The longevity of Sabrina’s adventures has yet to be determined, but with Shipka and the gang signed on for the full ride, I’d gladly follow this witch to the moon and back.

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