#burning crossroads

[estbela]

Look! I even created a moodboard for The Fic.

I also regret everything.

Random thoughts (that I swear that in some manner relate to the fanfic)

This came to me in a dream, or rather, a daydream, during physics class.

The only magical creature I've ever seen Ro depicted as was obviously the vampire, so I decided that Ro ought to be literally anything else. And I like the concept of the iele, so this happened.

writing is fun but you better watch out for The Consequences (the consequences being sleep deprivation and if you already have a cold, like me, to worsen your cold somehow. Again, i regret everything)

I love putting Bulgaria through The Horrors. :]

This might have a continuation, it might not. I have...rough ideas in which I continue to put our protagonists in Situations. :)

You know shit's fucked when Serbia is the more well-adjusted individual (kind of).

The iele have a wikipedia page and mroe info about them on a lot of other places besides wikipedia if you wanna know more about them! :]

This might be badly written and slightly OOC at parts, so apologies for that. Idk Im kinda new to writing.

...that's it! :D

[post-it-notes7]

Thinking about how you put mir Dragato and mir Falspar on opposite sides regarding shattering. The- the drama-.. Dragato seemed sympathetic enough towards Falspar regarding his cracks. But I'm just imagining one of the few people Falspar trusted with that information hurting him by not understanding "why don't you just get over it?"

Aha, good catch there anon. Mir Dragato doesn't understand why Mir Falspar won't just tell him about it, they've established trust between one another already, haven't they? Mir Falspar, on the other hand, knows exactly why he can't. He's alone in his thinking; it's unlikely anyone will understand, much less Mir Dragato, and admitting that will only add insult to an already raw injury. Better to keep it under wraps. Better to pretend nothing has changed at all. Better to shove Mir Dragato away and let him find someone, or something else.

[gothicprep]

I think the most depressing thing that’s happened in my life over the past couple of months is watching an otherwise intelligent friend descend into paranoia and conspiracy. maybe ex friend now, because I don’t feel all that inclined to talk to him these days, but it’s still sad to be a bystander to this who can’t help even if you try to intervene.

[whispering-depths]

VEILGUARD SPOILERS

I'm level 31 currently, attempting to fight a level 50 boss and starting to wonder if all those smaller boss fights that I was way under-leveled for but beat by the skin of my teeth should've been a warning to slow down lol

[oatmilk-vampire]

Residential crossroads stop sign, burned and melted, revealing just the word "top" remaining.

[incorrectquotesideas-deactivated]

Person A, an alcoholic: [leaves an empty bottle of vodka on the crossroad a block away from their house while making their walk of shame at 7 AM]

Person A, to themselves: I wonder if Person C will notice I’m drunk.

Person B: Oh, so, you’re the reason Person D wouldn’t give me a ride today? Because they want to punish you?

Person A: Yeah.

Person B: Wow. Why won’t they just get a drink and chill, fucking Christ.

Person A: WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING!

[taylorliveperformances]

Taylor Swift and Def Leppard performing Picture to Burn for CMT Crossroads on November 7, 2008.

[ljf613]

Leftover sales for @crossroadszine are open, which means that I can now share my Yue x La fic, New Moon's Rising, with y'all. (The full fic can be read here.)

“Excuse me, have you seen m-” She tries to say my husband, but the words catch in her throat. There’s been no wedding. They’ve neither joined hands nor shared a cup. There will be no children. (At least, she doesn’t think so-- she’s not sure if spirits can even have children.) She hasn’t even met him, not properly. And yet, they’re married. That knowledge has been carved onto her heart-- she knows the truth of it as well as she knows her own name. The Moon and the Ocean have been bound together since time immemorial. And she is the Moon now.

(The lovely fanart is courtesy of @taizei-draws!)

[b4ldurians-archive]

MULTICHARACTER META : ON GENDER &. RELATION TO THE BODY

godric , halsin , kythus , nocturne , orion , raphael , shadowheart , visan , &. wyll are not cis. below are details on their difference journeys to understanding their genders &. what that may look like for them physically as well.

GODRIC : he knew from a very young age that he was trans. his family was very supportive &. aided in him in magically transitioning once they could afford it. his parents also offered to have his birth name removed from their memories so they couldn't deadname him , but he declined as he still felt a sense of connection to it as a part of his past. will punch anyone that uses it though.

HALSIN : has no real feelings on gender nor does he feel connected to being amab. typically defaults to masculine pronouns , but you can call him anything &. he's fine with it.

KYTHUS : knew early on they weren't fully a man. they felt nervous explaining to their family , as being the sole tiefling in the house already set them apart from the others , but they were happily accepted. he experiences little body dysmorphia &. while he prefers gender neutral terms , is more than okay with masculine ones as well.

NOCTURNE : it took some time for her to realize she was trans but was wholeheartedly &. confidently for it. while she did transition , &. it was something she majorly wanted to feel more comfortable in her body , there was some pushback as indicated by the diary entry you can find in act 3. i don't think it was widespread , just a select few who then got their asses handed to them for it.

ORION : doesn't give a shit about their gender or their presentation &. never really has. the orphanage didn't have opinions one way or another. being of elven descent helps with the androgynous vibes but they decided to do the equivalent of top &. bottom surgery when they were on their own as an adult , the first for appearance comfort &. the latter for convenience. they accept any pronouns , defaults to gender neutral language , &. love when people stumble over what to address them by. gender is a game &. they're winning.

RAPHAEL : he can choose his form &. typically prefers a masculine appearance , but occasionally presents other ways when he feels like it. considers himself genderfluid &. male.

SHADOWHEART : loosest of connections to feminine presentation &. her assigned gender. doesn't have a preference for pronouns but will occasionally refer to themself in a gender neutral fashion &. everyone else must accept that or not survive the winter. sometimes binds her chest if she's feeling it.

VISAN : born afab but has no desire to change anything about his body. still likes to dress in a feminine style as well ! it was a decision that came shortly before he left his people so anyone he used to know may not be aware of this change , as it was also quite gradual.

WYLL : knew when he was a teenager he wasn't cis but took some time to accept this about himself &. what it meant. boldly came out to his father in fear of rejection , but was meant with acceptance even if the duke may not have fully understood. didn't transition until after he was disowned but did present as a man before this. very happy in his body now.

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Stuck on the idea of vampires as a kind of reverse fae, or like someone's twisted, perverse attempt at moulding humans into fae.

They're repelled by liminal spaces.

A vampire could never enter fairyland, not just because they'd never be welcomed, but because most of the usual entry-ways are naturally barred to them.

They can't cross running water. They can't be seen in mirrors. They will wait forever at a crossroads, unable to pick a direction to go in. They can't even step over a thresh-hold unless there is absolutely no ambiguity about whether they are welcome inside.

They crave human blood, iron and salt, but are repelled by herbs and plants. They are supernaturally prevented from harming you unless the rules of hospitality have been invoked.

A fairy may replace your newborn child with something unnatural and ever-hungry. A vampire will do the same, but with your grandmother's corpse.

The fae are typically associated, even in stories where they're the bad guys, with flourishing and purity. Vampires, even in stories where they're the good guys, are typically associated with decay and corruption.

The fae turn ancient human burial mounds into fancy halls for their courts. Vampires take ancient human castles and let them grow mildewed and cobwebbed, exchanging the beds for coffins, turning them into burial places.

Fae don't tend to live among humans, but can generally pass for them with relative ease if they so choose. Vampires nearly always live among humans, but tend to find not revealing themselves a huge struggle.

I can't think of many stories I've read where fae and vampires even exist in the same universe, let alone ones where they actively interact. I feel like their enmity is almost more inevitable than that between vampires and werewolves, however.

The rivalry between vampires and werewolves is, essentially, the rivalry between two apex predator species who share a territory. (Even in stories where the werewolves aren't actually hunting humans.)

The vampires hate the werewolves because the werewolves interfere with their access to prey. The werewolves hate the vampires either because they consider themselves aligned with humans (the prey species), or because they are also predators and the vampires are competing with them.

By comparison, I think there's some story potential in the fae finding something genuinely creepy and uncanny valley about vampires.

They're immortal, like them, but also dead. They can be beautiful, like them, but that beauty is something they actively require humans to sustain. They like to inhabit beautiful and ancient ex-human dwellings, like them, but they actively work to make those places dark, damp and empty.

Fairies who are unflappable in the face of all sorts of Otherworldly monsters, can look an eldritch horror in the eye(s) without blinking, and have never been phased yet by any human, but will recoil from even the weakest vampire.

Vampires who hate fairies just as much, but in a more envious way. The way that the creature for whom immortality is a curse is bound to hate the creatures for whom immortality is an eternity of sunlight and laughter.

Maybe their touches burn each other. Maybe vampires can't stand physical contact with anything so alive and vital. Maybe immortal fairies become ill from too much exposure to the undead.

Maybe they fight over the human population when their territories overlap. The fairy need for servants and people to make deals with, competing with the vampire need for thralls and blood to drink.

Just… fairies and vampires. We need more stories about them interacting.

[estbela]

Some of the creative liberties that I've taken when depicting the iele in the story is that, realistically, Dimitar and Dragan would have probably not survived the encounter with them. The iele are like some sort of overpowered nymphs who may attack men for a number of reasons, that differ from story to story. For example, some iele get pissed off by men merely seeing them dance, while some get angry if a man copies their dance or refuses to dance with them if asked.

[deathblossomed]

Tag dump pt 3

[redemn]

tags. finally. pt 2. i genuinely never want to make tags for that many people again.

╰ ゜verse.  *  am i to wander as the wayward sun ? ╰ ゜verse.  *  when the time comes ; there ain't no forgiveness. ╰ ゜verse.  *  can you hear me ? the dogs are gettin close. ╰ ゜verse.  *  hang me for my trouble ; send me on my way. ╰ ゜verse.  *  i once stood tall ; now i feel my back against the wall. ╰ ゜verse.  *  oh traveler ; were there crossroads where you been ?

╰ ゜arthur.  *  may i stand unshaken amidst the crash of the world. ╰ ゜dutch.  *  the building of a shrine ; only just to burn. ╰ ゜hosea.  *  that's the way it is ; so many miles to walk. ╰ ゜micah.  *  born with a heart of stone ; fast with a gun. ╰ ゜john.  *  what's the meaning of the scar if we don't learn to heal ? ╰ ゜lenny.  *  now the guilt inside gonna make us bleed. ╰ ゜sean.  *  the day is done ; the time has come ; i'm sorry. ╰ ゜abigail.  *  can you hear how the wind blows in the valley ? ╰ ゜jack.  *  then his heroes ; his heroes all dress in black. ╰ ゜charles.  *  and i followed you big river ; when you called. ╰ ゜sadie.  *  she raised a few brows ; then went on down alone. ╰ ゜uncle.  *  off the radar and always into harm's way. ╰ ゜molly.  *  don't you go and get lost at the point of no return. ╰ ゜karen.  *  now she taught the weeping willow how to cry. ╰ ゜tilly.  *  then she heard her dream was back downstream. ╰ ゜mary-beth.  *  let the buzzards spit on their graves. ╰ ゜pearson.  *  and i turn to those i pass upon my reckoning. ╰ ゜swanson.  *  so i pray to my god for salvation ; as i suffer these. ╰ ゜trelawney.  *  haunting stranger ; in time we'll wait for no man. ╰ ゜kieran.  *  sitting in a hole ; waiting for the train again. ╰ ゜mary.  *  now i know the only compass i need leads me to you.

[atlabeth]

(not so) simple masterlist

pairing: anthony bridgerton x fem!reader

status: complete!

summary: coercing lord bridgerton into pretending to court you to avoid the affections of a baron is very simple. that is, of course, until it isn't.

featuring fake dating/courtship, minor rivals to lovers, idiots in love, mutual pining that they think is unrequited, slowish burn, hurt/comfort, a signature bridgerton happily ever after, and my blood sweat and tears!

total wc: 44,497

overall warning(s): historical inaccuracies, period typical misogyny, implied/referenced sexual harassment -- individual, more specific warnings on each chapter. reader is referred to with the last name worthing for convenience

part 1 ↳ 10k words | miss worthing makes an awful sort of proposal to the viscount bridgerton.

part 2 ↳ 7.1k words | miss worthing despises and enjoys the viscount bridgerton's company in equivalence.

part 3 ↳ 9.7k words | miss worthing has a terrible realization.

part 4 ↳ 7.6k words | the viscount has a revelation and miss worthing decides against her heart.

part 5 ↳ 9k words | miss worthing and the viscount find themselves at a crossroads.

[khaire-traveler]

🪄 Subtle Hekate Worship🕯️

Donate clothes, food, hygiene products, and the like to homeless shelters

Support food banks and homeless or animal shelters

Visit cemeteries; if allowed (please ask permission first), leave flowers on graves

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Have a stuffed animal polecat, dog, or toad

Have imagery of torches, crossroads, or magic around

Honor your ancestors; honor any spirits in your life

Volunteer at an animal or homeless shelter

Cook a warm meal for someone in need

Take care of yourself physically

Take a self-care bath/shower, especially those with herbs or candles

Visit a crossroads; walk/hike on paths that have a crossroads and pick the direction that calls to you

Take a walk during the new, half, or full moon (only if it is safe to do so in your area)

Take time to notice the phases of the moon; meditate under each one, and learn their meanings

Start a garden; tend to plants, especially herbs

Study herbalism; study the history of witchcraft

Ground yourself regularly

Include her within spell work, if you do any; practice discreet methods of spell-casting

Learn non-obvious divination methods; cartomancy, pyromancy, carromancy, etc.

Burn incense, if able; frankincense is great

Drink herbal teas; cook with herbs

Practice mindfulness and emotional regulation

Honor your home/space; keep it clean, and make it feel like your own

At the end of each month, cook a good meal and make drinks with added honey

Baking raisin and currant cakes

Practice patience and understanding

Work on your decision-making skills; what do YOU want? What do YOU need? What are YOUR goals/passions?

Making a bonfire; gathering around it, alone or with loved ones

Learning to have more confidence in your decisions and actions; you know what's best for you more than anyone else

-

I hope this helps someone! I may add to it later on. For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Hekate. Take care, y'all, and have a good day/night. 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[andypantsx3]

DEVIL IN THE DARK : TODOROKI TOUYA x READER

SUMMARY: There is no price you will not pay for revenge—and a demon comes to collect. NOTES: First Prince of Hell Touya, gender neutral Reader, revenge, blood, slight body horror, SFW, 1.9k. I did not actually plan a proper Halloween fic this year so here you go!

It's cold on the crossroads, an icy wind whipping along the pavement, rustling in the trees. It sounds like hundreds of whispers in the dark, though you know the stretch of road around you is empty for miles.

That's the only way to summon the demon you're looking for—the only way they say he will answer. He is too clever to appear where he may be at a disadvantage.

Against one lone human, demon hunter though you may be, he stands every chance. Against you in particular, he fares even better. You are not the strongest in the League, were never the best in your class at the academy. You were more a strategist than a warrior, better with a pen than your regulation silver knife.

Your only certain way out is if the demon you're looking for chooses not to appear—or if his interest is adequately piqued by the deal you're offering. You do not know enough to be certain his attention will be assured.

Despite yourself, you take a breath and scratch his sigil in the dirt at the side of the road. It had taken you years to find, hidden by the Council after losing too many hunters eager to prove themselves against this specific demon.

But you are out for a very particular revenge. You would have searched your whole life if that is what it would have taken.

Nothing happens at first, as the final stroke of his sigil settles into the dirt. You wonder if he's chosen not to come.

But then, slowly, the wind dies down. The rustle of the trees grows softer, then still. The scant slivers of moonlight pool strangely in the road, like liquid silver dripping along the grooves of pavement. The wind trails off into a breeze, then the softest, sweetest hint of feeling, like the touch of a breath at your shoulder.

—A breath at your shoulder.

You jump, reeling sideways at the exhale across your skin. You barely choke down a scream when you catch sight of the man waiting behind you.

He's taller than you expected, long and lean. His looks are also surprisingly human, save for the twisting horns curling out of the inky black of his hair, and the patchwork of purpling burns over his skin, left by a magic you don't even want to contemplate.

He's shockingly handsome, though, under the burns, his features perfect, careful, delicate—almost angelic. His mouth is a soft, sensuous curl, at odds with the hard, exacting blue of his gaze. He is watching you like a cat tracking a bug skittering across the floor, and every particle in your body screams with the desire to flee.

You plant your feet firmly in the dirt instead, trying to steel your nerves. But the First Prince of Hell's mouth lifts, a derisive twist of amusement.

"Your kind might be fooled," he says, his voice a low drawl. "But I can hear your heartbeat, human."

As if on cue, you can feel your heartbeat stutter and skip. But still you still your shaking fingers against your thigh. This is what you have worked for; you have come with a plan.

"Prince Touya," you acknowledge him, willing yourself to sound calm. "I am here to make a deal."

A sardonic eyebrow lifts as his eyes flick meaningfully to the knife at your hip, then back up to your face. "A hunter looking to bargain with a demon?"

You force yourself to look into the burning cerulean of his eyes, twin points of eerie blue in the dim. "Yes."

Touya does not look even mildly interested. "Let me guess, you want me to hold still while you stab."

You certainly do, and Touya smirks when your expression gives you away. But there is one thing you want more than to prove your worth upon a demon prince. One thing you are certain you can only get from him.

"I want you to lure your father out," you grit your teeth, spitting the words out quickly before you lose your nerve.

Prince Touya visibly pauses, expression icing over. The shadows around you seem to deepen, and a cloud draws across the moon, casting you into an even deeper dark. A shiver crawls down your spine.

"My father," he spits out, his tone blacker than the night.

You force yourself to nod. All the legends say there is no love lost between the First Prince and the King of Hell, detailing their many clashes across the eons, and the destruction that followed in their wake. You only hope that they have not found it within themselves to make amends in the five hundred or so years since the most recent accounts were written.

"And what would a little nothing demon hunter do with the King of Hell?" Prince Touya demands, taking a step closer. He moves sinuously, like a curl of mist. "Your blade bears not even a drop of demon's blood—I can smell it."

It is true, you have never killed a demon. "It would not be me. I need you to lure him into the League's trap. And there will be others, many hunters equal to the task."

Prince Touya studies you for a long moment, those eyes glimmering in the dark. "The League's gotten more underhanded since I encountered you last. And what would I get out of this deal?"

"The throne of Hell," you say. "The death of your enemy."

Touya steps closer, near enough that you can feel the heat of him, smell the magic of Hell on him. He smells heady and dark, rich like cinnamon and smoke. His proximity makes your blood race.

"And this trap that's going spring closed will exclude me, will it?" he asks. There's a little rasp on the edge of his voice, you notice.

It wouldn't, and you had hoped the prince would not think to ask it. But he has not survived millennia being stupid.

Your non-answer is enough for him, and he snorts as he walks a wide circle around you. In the silence of the night you can clearly hear the crunch of his boots in the dirt. You stand stock-still and pretend you are not unnerved by his attention, by the way he paces with the slow, unhurried gait of a predator.

"This trap of yours," he says finally, "Who's devised it?"

You feel him pass behind your back. "I did."

"You who have never killed a demon," he says drily.

You try to quell your temper, knowing you would not survive it were you to raise his. "Not directly."

Prince Touya's grin is a wicked thing as he stops in front of you, catching your eye. It is a touch too wide, a touch too pleased. His teeth are too white, canines too sharp.

"I thought hunters were supposed to be honorable," he says, tone gloating.

Many things were supposed to be that weren't. Your family was supposed to be alive, for one. But the King of Hell had seen to that, and now nothing was as it should have been.

"I thought demons were supposed to crave deals," you reply. A non answer.

Touya circles behind you again, passing close enough that your skin prickles.

"I want something else," he says finally, clearly enjoying the way it makes you stiffen. "The death of my father is something I can do myself. I'll need more if I'm to change my mind."

"What else do you want?" you ask.

Prince Touya stops in front of you again, too close for comfort. He is warm, too warm. His handsome face twists in another grin.

"A blood oath," he says, leaning down to catch your gaze.

A streak of fear tears down your gut. A blood oath would bind you to him, something he could easily leverage to escape what you had planned. It would ensure you could never raise a hand against him, would be compelled to obey him were he to come calling.

And demons always, always came calling.

Good sense told you to refuse, but of course good sense had told you never to come here in the first place. The First Prince's demise was a hoped-for bonus, but the King of Hell was who you were really after. You had all but already made up your mind.

In the end, there is only one choice to be made.

"Fine," you accept, letting a slow breath out. Your hand falls to your belt for your silver knife, unstrapping it and drawing it across your palm before you can talk yourself out of it.

Touya's eyes track the well of blood, glinting, a twinge of delight passing across his beautiful features. He raises a black claw and pricks his own palm open, pressing his hand to yours, fingers closing over you.

You nearly startle out of your skin at the feeling of those long fingers on your skin, the careful rasp of his claws over your wrist. His hold on you helps steady you when you realize his blood is not pooling the same way as yours—it’s moving, sliding as if of its own volition into the cut on your palm, seeping inside you as your own continues to pour out.

You have to close your eyes to keep from feeling sick.

There's a sweep of heat through your veins as he settles deeper into your bloodstream, warming you like a shot of whiskey. It settles into something almost pleasant, then disappears, as if growing dormant within you. And then it’s over. 

And then it’s done.

Your eyes blink back open when you feel Touya’s hand shift yours in his grip, and then he raises your hand to his mouth, licking across your palm. It’s another shock of warmth, his mouth surprisingly soft, gentle against your injury. His long eyelashes flutter shut as he tastes you, and it's all you can do to hold still again, not to curl away in disgust or embarrassment—or anything else.

Touya's eyes glow brighter when he raises them to your face again, and a pleased smile curls his mouth.

"Just as sweet as you look," he purrs, and you prickle. But disturbingly, he genuinely seems to mean it, tongue passing across his bottom lip to sweep up more of the taste of you.

Something unsettled churns in your gut.

You wonder if you haven’t gotten yourself into something deeper than you’d understood.

But Touya is already moving, pressing a wry kiss to your palm in a horrible mockery of intimacy. Then he steps away, leaving you feeling strangely cold.

"A pleasure doing business with you, little hunter," he tells you, as a scant breeze begins to pick up at your feet again. A few leaves skitter across the pavement, almost deafening against the prior silence.

The first glimmer of moonlight almost blinds you as the clouds move again, the wind starting back up. The dim pools and gathers around Prince Touya as he melds back into the dark, stepping back as if into a patch of shadow.

"I'll be seeing you very soon," he promises, his voice growing soft and low. 

You don’t doubt it, and another shiver creeps down your spine. But it’s too late to go back now, and Touya knows it too.

The last thing you see before he disappears is that white smile in the dark—before you're left alone with the weight of the decision you've just made. And the cost of your revenge.