#gem bottle stopper

[swanmaids]

thank you @ethanray for letting me write for your gorgeous @fall-for-tolkien piece young elwing with birds! i hope you like this short drabble sequence. read it on ao3 here.

~

The daughter of Nimloth the White and Dior Eluchíl the Beautiful is born at night under a blaze of stars shining against the silver waters of the Lanthir Lamath. Star-Spray, her mother names her as she rests, for the beauty of it as it lights up her newborn face, each tiny eyelash picked out perfectly in the light. Eyes closed, she curls into her mother’s breast.

The song of the nightingale has scarcely been heard in Beleriand since the departure of Melian. But as the dawn rolls over the horizon, their chorus rings throughout Ossiriand. It seems to say: sister. 

~

Hello, the terns that nest in the soupy marshes at Sirion say to Elwing, we love you.

We love you, say the gulls, as they dive between the painted houses of the Edain. We love you, say the petrels as they make their way overhead to faraway places unseen and unheard of. 

It is a small thing, but it helps, in its way. Elwing is only three, and she is very lonely. She holds her secret kinship with the seabirds of Sirion close to her chest –- like her father’s gem, it is precious, and so it is worth caring for. 

~

“Is it true you can speak to birds?” the boy Eärendil asks her, not long after his arrival at the Havens. 

Elwing shrugs a little. “They speak to me. Sometimes they listen, too.”

“Wow.” He kicks lightly at the sand. “I wish I could do something like that.”

She looks at him, from the corner of her eye. There is an earnestness in his young face that she likes. “I could show you how I call them to me, if you’d like.”

She holds out an arm, whistles, and they watch together, smiling, as the seabirds dive down towards them.

~

Here, the gull tells her. Look. 

Elwing follows it across the sand, to the small tidal pool where it perches. Floating in the water amid the hair-like weeds: a bottle of blue sea-glass stoppered with a cork. She pulls it out, and unrolls the parchment within. 

Elwing, beloved , the letter begins, all is well on the maiden voyage of Vingilot. But I miss you so!

She feels herself begin to smile, and hugs the letter against her breast. The gull rises into the air, its work done, and Elwing’s heart soars with it, high among the stars and the clouds. 

~

The fairy terns hop along the shore in a miniature ballet, while Elwing’s sons watch, enraptured. Friends? One tern asks, shy. Friends. She assures it. 

She pushes her bare toes into the sand as she observes the scene. Sirion is at its best in high summer: the laughter of children ringing along the beach, the shimmer of the sun and the Silmaril against the waves, the migratory birds returning towards the warmer weather. The twins’ father will be home soon, too. 

One brave tern steps onto Elrond’s chubby hand. Another flutters towards Elros. All around them, tender joy takes flight.

[silvertiefling]

Iago slips another gift into the pocket of her apron without a word and leaves quickly. It is a wine stopper decorated with a silver moon at the top, surrounded by small gems like stars that are enchanted to lightly twinkle, even in the absence of light.

Give the muse an object and see how they react.

She finds the gift later, when Iago is no longer around and inspects it, seeing the shimmer it gives off, even in the dark of night. It's beautiful - useless to her who has never left a bottle of wine unfinished - but beautiful.

She puts it on its own little shelf in her tavern office.

[gdjica]

1920s Hoffmann, Czech Perfume Bottle "Nude dauber" Exquisitely mounted in gems and minerals, the stopper is a nude woman wearing a floral scarf. ©LiveAuctioneers

[catadromously]

(person who knows nothing about perfume) you would smell like the needles lying in a sunny patch in a spruce wood + wet dirt after a long dry spell + a nature center auditorium when it's raining outside + something bright and crisp like apples and your bottle would made out of old glass (the kind with the bubbles that's sort of greenish??) and tall with a wiggly tapering neck and a silver metal stopper with a mermaid on some rocks carved in it. and the mermaid has the littlest gems set in her tail. trust me on this..i know...from my thoughts.. -@riding-with-the-wild-hunt

I love this more woodsy take and may I repeat that you’re all so good at the bottle design?

[wildbeautifuldamned]

Antique Blue Gold Enamel Perfume Bottle Chatelaine w Floral Design Victorian ebay dicksnfairies

Vintage Perfume Bottle - Green Cut Glass - Flower Design ebay shekers52

Blown Glass Perfume Bottle Purple Swirl with Flowers 7 Tall ebay Estate Sale Outlet

Vintage Perfume Bottle ebay Minerva Treasures

Vintage Smokey Quartz Hand Carved Miniature Perfume Bottle ebay VINTAGE GEMS

Vintage Fifth Ave Crystal “Geode” Style Amber Perfume Bottle With Stopper ebay jboysmommy45

Waterford Perfume Bottle ebay co_girl

Three vintage cut glass perfume bottles with stoppers ebay tbjorkl

[turanga4]

🔁 pls and thx

I love this one!

It could work for the warm n fuzzy also, although fear not, I will have OTHERS for warm n fuzzy.

Lil hidden gem, with a mere 173 hits right now: everyone reblog this shit, let's change that.

mutually assured pursuit of us, by bettysgarden12

The premise of this one-shot is that the kids get to choose their own Houses. It is just so sweet, so gentle, so lovely.

Gonna spoil the last paragraph just so you can see for yourself how beautiful the writing is: click on the whole thing above if you trust me, click to keep reading if you're not sure:

And then Harry’s eyes fell onto Gryffindor table, and he saw the same impulse in scarlet and gold. He didn’t see knights in shining armour or bottled glory, stoppered fame. He saw no heroics, no House Cups and Quidditch Cups and Orders of Merlin, First Class. He didn’t see walking through a dark forest to lay down his life at someone else’s feet. He didn’t have to carry himself with that steady, heavy, unbearable love. 

He saw friends and strangers alike, pushing at each other in mutually assured pursuit of them. He saw the daring to bite into the apple, despite how exquisite the waiting and wondering had been. He felt the sunglow of acceptance, of belonging. If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too! He tasted, like the tang of blood, the fierceness of We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same and worth saving. Of I knew you wouldn’t be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort; said without anger, without hurt, but an I know you; and the knowing was a kiss, a hand squeezing his, a ruffle of his hair. Friends leaving a seat when you’re late. Making sure you eat something. Saving each other in a bathroom from a troll. Like a watch handed down to the son of other parents, like yelling over telephones and riding a dragon out of Diagon Alley. Like teaching the Patronus in the Room of Requirement and watching light dance through a room full of us.

[roughentumble]

got a minibottle full of rocks with a little cork stopper that is supposed to be a necklace+hold certain intentions, like a magical thing, and i needed to take the stopper out to super glue it in place because otherwise it might fall out and o'd look the bottle+gems, but when i went to pull it out the cork DISINTEGRATED 😭

the main part of the cork remained and i was able to get it plugged back up and the eyelet screwed back in and it SHOULD be fine after it absorbs all that superglue and holefully becomes sturdier in the process, and the part shoved into the bottle seemed to hold together fine because of the pressure of the glass around it, but it was sooooooooo. Augh

Do Not Disintegrate. Remain Together.

[shoegasams]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage 1969 White Milk Glass Jim Beam Whiskey EMPTY Bottle Decanter & Stopper.

[laithesque]

Perfume bottle with stopper, rock crystal inset with gold and gems, gold chain, Delhi India, 19th century. Victoria & Albert Museum.

[ormspryde]

Another Pagan December piece, using the prompt 'frog'. Just a little froggy guy.

[ID: An anthropomorphic frog, colored in green with orange eyes and a pale yellow underbelly. He's dressed in a grown cloak that's fastened at the neck with a red gem, and is carrying a cobalt blue bottle corked with a stopper. /ID]

[mosslounge]

Silky gold crystal stopper. Available for wine, sparkling and champagne bottles. #mosslounge #winestoppers #wineacessories #winetools #golden #silky #goldstopper #silicone #winenot #wineinline #wineyes #unwine #wineme #gem #crystal #limpid #jewel #clear #cystalline #pellucid #aeration #aftertaste #close #reserve #wineexperience #corked #winecork #wineenthusiast #winelovers #winedrinkers https://www.instagram.com/p/CkwcJYTAK6t/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lailoken]

‘:Formulae:’ [Pt. 2]

“Jewell'd Waters of Radiance.

A Sacred Bath For Women; being a most excellent preparation for the rites of any sylvan goddess, nymph, female spirit or deific form. The Balneum requires generous amounts of fresh flowers, hence several hours should be allotted for gathering, being ever mindful of the spirits to be honour'd.

Leaf of Raspberry, dry. 35 g.

Rose Petals, fresh. 35 g.

Cherry Blossoms, fresh. 35 g.

Blossoms of Honeysuckle, fresh. 35 g.

Orange Flower Water. 350 ml.

Rose Absolute. 13 drops.

Let a cold infusion of the fresh blossoms be made, allowing them to steep in large seal'd vessels of well or spring water. Make a hot infusion of the Berry Leaves, with sufficient boiling water to cover. Seal in a stopper'd jar and steep for 30 minutes. When the Bath is drawn, strain the Leaf infusion decoction into the water, along with the Orange flower water and Rose Absolute. Add double the amount of Salt of Lilith to the ablution, and agitate the waters. Finally, pour in the cold infusions, leaving the fresh flowers to float freely. Let the Spirit to Be Honour'd be invoked with the Wand of Quickening, and the bath-chamber lit with candles.

Aqueum Liliya.

A lustral sacrifice for ritual conveyance of the benedictions of Lilith in her fully waxed, angelic, and tutelary lunation. The bath may be modified for succubi, nymphs, or water-spirits. All flowers should be fresh-gathered in Her name.

Petals of White Roses. 200

Blossom of Jasmine. 200

Blossom of Gardenia. 100

Blossom of Lily. 3

Blossom of Angel's Trumpet. 1

Place into the Working Basin and cover with 4 litres of cold spring water. Knead the blossoms gently between the fingers for several moments while a graven image of the Lady is silently focused upon with Eye and Heart. Let stand for three hours prior to use in a quiet, sheltered place, away from the light, with a single white candle lit for the Lady before her Idol. During the rite wherein the lustration is to be employed, the Lady should be invoked with a wand of Crooked Willow or Tamarisk, and the branch employed to quicken the florid waters. The petals should be left in the waters and the lustration sprinkled upon the crowns, brows, and palms of those who would receive the Lady's goodness.

Waters of Magnetism.

An excellent bath for increasing Charisma or one's natural Charms, ideal for attracting a mate or other sexual glamours. The Balneum may also be used prior to gambling. Owing to the seasonal nature of Cherry and Quince, the Bath is best employ'd in Spring. Cherry blossoms are rarely found at the local apothecary. Thus, one must gather one's own in Spring. One may also employ blossoms of Apple, Plum, Pear, or Peach for like effect.

Cherry Blossoms, fresh or dried. 200

Blossoms of Flowering Quince, fresh. 100

Chamomile Blossoms, fresh or dried. 100

Rose Buds, fresh. 30

Steep in enough boiling water to cover. Let the infusion sit for 10 minutes. Strain into bathwater, washing the Herb material through several times. Immerse oneself for at least 30 minutes and allow the waters to air-dry on the skin after emerging.

Lustration of Mercurius.

A bath appropriate for invoking the patron of magic, and alchymic wisdom. This Bath of the Wise grants especial gifts prior to labours of the spiritual laboratory.

Lavender Blossoms. 30 g.

Essential Oil of Lavender. 8 drops

Essential Oil of Sandalwood. 8 drops

Kosher Salt. 60g.

Epsom Salt. 60 g.

Infuse Lavender Blossoms in 1.5 litres boiling water for the space of 30 minutes. Strain and add to a 300 litre bath and stir in, adding salt and oils. For best results, soak for at least 40 minutes and drip dry afterward.

Warrior's Ablution.

A stimulating brew to lend power during confrontations with enemies, the law, or for use prior to negotiations.

Leaf of Rosemary, fresh. 70 g.

Cinnamon chips. 30 g.

Bloom of Chamomile, dry. 30 g.

Flowers of Broom. 30 g.

Add Rosemary and Cinnamon to a cooking vessel with enough water Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. In a separate vessel, steep the Broom and Chamomile blossoms in 1 litre boiling water. Strain both infusion and decoction and discard Herbal material, adding the liquids to the bathwater. cover.

Earthing Bath.

For drawing stray powers back into the Corpus, centering the Mind, and subduing quarrelsome spirits.

Linden blossom, dried. 60 g.

Oak, leaves and twigs, dried and crumbl'd. 60 g.

Leaf of Wormwood. 33 g.

Infuse the Linden and Wormwood in 1.5 litre boiling water for 20 minutes. As it is steeping, simmer Oak leaves in 1 litre of water for 20 minutes. Strain both fluids into the bath tub and soak as long as is needed.

Midsummer Gold.

A Solar infusion made from traditional Herbs for washing the body and clearing and fortifying the aethyric orb.

Herb of St. Johnswort, dry. 30 g.

Herb of Vervain, dry. 30 g.

Leaf of Mugwort, dry. 25 g.

On the morning of the Summer Solstice, seal each of the Herbs in a separate steeping jar with enough water to completely fill the vessel. Allow to steep for at least four hours in the sunlight, absorbing the Solar Genius at the peak of its power. During this time of steeping, the very Fires of the Sun should be invoked and beseech'd into the Womb of the Waters of the Moon. In this conjunctio the Fruits of Our Labour arise. The exhausted plant matter is then strained out, and the resulting infusions mixed. The potentiated wash may be poured on the head while holding clear in the Imaginal Eye the Solar virtues cleansing the crown, and gradually seeping into the entirety of the aethyric orb. The wash may also be added to bathwater for extended soaking.

Floor Wash.

A general but potent Encharmed Solution for cleansing the oratory or home of Noxious Spirits or in the wake of an unpleasant event.

Leaf of Vervain, dry. 40 g.

Leaf of Sagebrush, dry. 30 g.

Leaf of Thyme. 20 g.

Root of European Mandrake. 7 g.

Steep Vervain, Sagebrush and Thyme in 1 litre boiling water, leaving to stand in an airtight jar for 7 hours before filtering. In a separate cooking vessel, add Mandrake to 400 ml. water and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Filter and reserve liquid, burying the boil'd Root in an honourable location and with a coin and thanks. Add to Herbal infusion when it has been strained.

Purification Bath.

A relaxing bath excellent for quieting and realigning the disrupted psyche, as well as nourishing and envigorating the bastions of spiritual defence. Our Fair Decoction may be simmered longer than the 15 minutes given, up to 25. The resulting brew may be used for a cold bath as well, omitting the salts and oil.

Fir Needle. 50 g.

Atlas Cedar. 33 g.

Epsom Salt. 30 g.

Root of Valerian, chopped. 25 g.

Root of Calamus, chopped. 25 g.

Essential Oil of Sandalwood. 5 drops.

Bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Add Fir, Cedar, Calamus and Valerian. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and add to hot bath water, along with essential oil and salt. For cases of extreme disruption, double the amount of Fir, Salt, and True Oil of Sanders.

Mist of Dispersion.

For banishing rude spirits or flocculum abomini. Mix all ingredients in 4 oz. atomizer bottle and agitate before use.

Essential Oil of Palmarosa. 5 drops.

Essential Oil of Fir. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Juniper Berry. 3 drops.

Essential Oil of Atlas Cedar. 2 drops.

Essential Oil of Birch. 1 drop.

Water. 75 ml.

Perfumer's Alcohol or 100 proof spirit. 40 ml.

Asperge Sylvaticus.

A suitable brew for asperging brethren prior to Congregational works of sorcery. The ingenium derives from a subtil congressus of the Lord and Lady of the Desert, the Lord of the Forest, and the Lady of the Garden.

Leaf of Sagebrush, crumbl'd. 33 g.

Leaf of Douglas Fir, Larch, or Hemlocks, chopp'd. 30 g.

Leaf of Scent'd Geranium. 30 g.

Leaf of Wormwood. 5

Make a strong decoction of the Fir, Hemlock or Larch with 1 litre of water in a covered cauldron, simmered for fifteen minutes. Pour the hot decoction over the remaining ingredients in a steeping vessel and let stand seal'd for half an hour. Strain and asperge with a branch of the evergreen employ'd. Tincture of Myrrh may also be added in small amounts to enhance the cleansing virtue.

Mist of Severity.

Another Compound'd Mist for the more potent workings of Exorcism or in instances of stubborn hauntings. Mix all ingredients and store in 4 oz. atomizer bottle, shaking before use.

Essential Oil of Hyssop. 5 drops.

Essential Oil of Cajeput. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Juniper Berry. 4 drops.

Essential Oil of Black Peppercorn. 3 drops.

Water. 75 ml.

Perfumer's Alcohol or 100 proof spirit. 40 ml.

The Viridian Broom.

A potent asperge for sprinkling, using a fresh bough of Cypress.

Sprig of Douglas Fir, chopp'd. 35 g.

Herbe of Pennyroyal, whole flowering. 35 g.

Leaves of Cypress. 28 g.

Berries of Juniper, crush'd well. 25.

Place Douglas Fir, Cypress and Juniper Berries in the Wort-Cauldron with 1 litre of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer, cover'd, for 20 minutes. Remove from Heat and add the Pennyroyal. Strain when cool.

Sorcerer's Hand Wash.

For hand-anointing prior to works of the Magical Arte. Place 11 Devil's Shoestrings, along with a slice of the very best Galangal Root, a twig of True Cinnamon, a pinch of Sweet Tobacco, and a small slice of True Mandrake in a bottle of dark glass and fill with 151 Proof Rum. Stopper, storing in a dark place. Gems or minerals sympathetic to the magician may also be added as desired.

Balneum of the Wayfarer.

A blessed wash especially for the feet prior to Sojourning forth in the Greenwood, or for such as wander long in lonely places, giving invigoration and purpose to the stride. Fresh-harvest'd Rhizome of Wild Ginger (Asarum spp.) may be substituted for Ginger.

Root of Ginger, fresh, sliced. 90 g.

Leaf of Bay, fresh. 50.

Leaf of Holy Basil, fresh. 40 g.

Make strong decoctions of the Ginger and Bay in separate vessels. Pour both over the Basil into a large Hermeticus and steep for ten minutes. Pour wash without straining into a basin and soak feet for 30 minutes prior to Sojourn.”

—

Ars Philtron:

Concerning the Aqueous Cunning of the Potion and its Praxis in the Green Arte Magical

by Daniel A. Schulke

[choco-courtier]

Ghost of a Flower

This is my entry for the lu server creator competition a few months ago! Doesn’t actually have a lot to do with lu but it’s there towards the end. Main characters: Aryll, Marin Word count: 1900

-----------

Aryll knew her brother could See things.

Once, twice, thrice, she’d caught her brother staring at nothing for a moment too long, sometimes he just looked like he was following the path of a butterfly that wasn’t there, other times he’d go pale and not look again until long after she and Link left.

Grandma told her not to ask about what Link saw unless he brought it up first.

Link never did, so Aryll never asked, but if she pointed out a pretty or funny thing whenever he looked like he’d seen a ghost so he didn’t have to look. Well, he never mentioned that either, so neither did Aryll.

Once, late at night, he came home crying. He told Grandma that he had seen someone scary, but they weren’t scary because of something they did or how they looked. He said they were scary because of something that happened to them.

Aryll didn’t understand how someone could be scary because of what happened to them. Wouldn’t the thing that happened be what was scary?

Aryll had wanted to ask, or at least comfort her big brother, but she’d been up way past her bedtime and she didn’t want to get in trouble, so she’d went to bed.

Once, just once, Link told her about what he saw. He said he saw people, old people, but they didn’t always look old. He said they looked blue and see-through, and that they shouldn’t be there, but they had to be for some reason.

Why do they have to be there if they aren’t supposed to be? She’d asked,

Because they need to do something, He’d said. But usually they can’t do what they need to, so they just.. Wander. Sometimes I can help them, and then they disappear when I do, but...

He’d trailed off then. Aryll didn’t pry, so they’d just looked at the stars until it was bedtime.

---

Aryll hadn’t known she could Feel things.

Not for awhile anyway,

How was she supposed to know it wasn’t normal to be able to hold something and just Know what it had gone through?

Sometimes knowing what something had been through was comforting, like when she held her spyglass and felt the way her mom’s hands once wrapped around the wood, she could almost imagine her mom was wrapping her own hands around it, showing her how to hold it just so.

And when she looked through the glass she swore for a moment she could see distant islands, places her mother had been to and spied with the glass, and later on, what her brother had seen with it.

Sometimes it was overwhelming. Like when Tetra threw her a loose bag of rupees and it had spilled, she’d tried to pick them up, but every gem had so many feelings in them, different enough that she heard them all and similar enough that she couldn’t sort through them, instead they echoed off each other so loudly she could barely hear the ship around her until she managed to shove them back in the bag so she wasn’t touching and hearing them anymore.

Sometimes it was useful, like when Link sent her to open up a few bottles of something or other they’d gotten from Tetra. But the bottles hadn’t been closed with cork or tops or anything Aryll knew how to open.

She’d gone back and asked Link how to open them, he’d said something about a bottle opener, which was apparently wrench shaped.

She’d searched through their little tool box, running her hands over the items until she recognized a pop-fizzle-pour that felt like opening a cork stopper, and triumphantly returned with the opened bottles.

---

Aryll had just been discovering she could Feel things others couldn’t when the Helmerock King swept her away from Outset, away from Grandma, away from Link. Away, away, away.

Aryll tried to be strong her first night, but stuck in the lonely cold wooden cage before the other two girls were brought there too, she couldn’t help but cry.

She wanted her brother, she wanted Grandma, she wanted anyone to hold her and tell her it was a bad dream, that she’d wake up and it would’ve never happened at all.

She didn’t quite get her wish, but she did get something, someone, who helped.

She woke up somewhere in the night, the feeling of what seemed like warm mist carding through her hair. She opened her bleary eyes and looked up, up, up at the person sitting above her.

For a moment she thought she was Seeing the way her brother did, the person— woman? Was see-through the way Link said the people he saw were, but the lady above her wasn’t blue and pale like Link told her they always were, instead she was hazy, and almost pink-ish? It was too dark for Aryll to be sure, she couldn’t even see the lady’s face properly.

But she could make out a sundress like hers, and a large flower like the one on her dress in long, long hair that should’ve tickled Aryll’s nose, but seemed to trail into nothing before it could.

The lady shifted a bit and Aryll realized she was staring.

Aryll tried to sit up, but the cold stone floor made her achy and stiff so it took a little while. She could tell the lady tried to help, but her hands only passed through her like warm air.

Once she was sitting up, Aryll and the lady seemed to find their voices at the same time.

“Who’re-”

“Are yo-”

They paused.

“..Are you okay?” The lady continued after a moment, concern and confusion written on her face.

Aryll didn’t know how to answer that. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say ‘fine’ the way you did every time someone asked, but she was trapped in a wooden cage at the bottom of some weird pit because a giant, stupid, terrifying bird swept her off the ground and over the ocean away for her home. She wasn’t fine.

The lady seemed to realize this too, the longer it took for Aryll to reply.

“Okay, yeah, that was kind of a stupid question huh?” She said, glancing at the bare floor, the barred walls, Aryll’s own tear marked face.

“..Mhm.” Aryll mumbled, tears threatening to return.

The lady seemed to think for a moment, brows drawn together and a hand fidgeting with her dress, Aryll noticed her eyes were brown.

“Alright, let’s try something different.” She started,

“My name’s Marin, I’m not really sure how I got here, or where here is. The last thing I remember is, well. Nothing? I mean, I remember but— ugh, that’s not the point.”

The lady —Marin, paused, gathering herself again before starting a third time.

“The point is. My name is Marin, and I want to help you if I can. What’s your name?”

Oh, Aryll thought. No wonder she hadn’t even questioned if she could trust this strange lady, she was already so nice.

She didn’t even know Aryll’s name yet and her first thought was to run her hands through her hair, an attempt at comfort that made her think of Grandma.

The tears that were threatening before had receded as Marin spoke, but now they returned full force. At least now they weren’t only tears of sadness.

Marin looked panicked as Aryll started to cry, especially when she lurched forward, trying to hug Marin —and passed right through her.

Marin tried to catch her, and when that failed, curled around her as best she could without phasing through Aryll.

Aryll cried harder as she felt Marin’s ghostly warmth around her, staving off the cold of the cobblestone and open air.

She wanted Grandma, she wanted Link, she wouldn’t get either of them.

She wanted to leave the wood cage she was in and just climb up out of this hole and look at the stars with her big brother, even if it was just on the rim of the pit she was in, anything would be better than only the small disk of sky above her and the cold floor beneath her.

Aryll leaned more into Marin, or, well, attempted to, it was the thought that counted.

As the stars turned above them Aryll slowly calmed down, enough to lean back (right through Marin’s arms) and remember Marin’s question.

“My—my name’s Aryll.” She said with a final sniffle.

Marin smiled, “That’s a pretty name, Aryll.”

And as the night went on, the two talked, trying to puzzle out how Marin was there.

Aryll explained her Feeling and Link’s Sight as best as an eight year old could, and how she’d ended up in the wooden cage.

Marin told Aryll what she knew as well, that there should only be one person left who remembered her, that maybe because Aryll could feel memories she might be able to see one like Marin too.

But they couldn’t explain why Marin was only there now, Aryll had never Seen before and there was no telling how long Marin had been drifting, only existing on a technicality.

Ultimately, they didn’t get far on that front, but Marin was determined to stick around no matter why she was there.

Slowly, slowly, the night turned to day, and Aryll fell asleep for a while, and then it was night again, then day, then night, again and again.

On one of those days the other girls were brought there by the Helmaroc King.

Once they were there Marin and Aryll could only talk when the two girls were sleeping, they bickered so much Aryll dared not risk gaining their attention,  especially not to risk making them think she was crazy.

But just Marin being there made things so much easier than they might’ve been, a warm hand hovering where it would usually rest on her shoulder but no less comforting.

A hazy, pinkish form to follow when looking up at the patch of sky above was too much.

And a calming voice, heard by no one but her that distracted with stories of a pink haired boy with a sword and shield.

Eventually, Link came, he came to finally take her home, home, home.

Marin never left, she kept Aryll company when she couldn’t sleep from the rocking of Tetra’s ship.

Marin stayed, and returned Aryll’s look of delight when Link came home.

Marin watched, as nine boys and men stumbled through a portal onto Outset, and giggled with Aryll at their nicknames, especially Link’s —or, Wind’s.

Marin smiled, melancholy, at the boy with pink hair. Aryll didn’t understand why the boy made her sad, but he was gentle with her beloved gulls, and Marin never seemed upset with him, so Aryll didn’t say anything.

And one day, while Link, Wind, her brother, was still off with those eight Heroes, Aryll felt a tingle in her hands, like her Feeling, but more like she was feeling something that was to come rather than long past, she turned to Marin and said,

“I want to find out why you’re here.”

Marin just nodded, and watched patiently as Aryll packed her things, helped her spell the word she couldn’t remember in her letter telling Grandma where she was, and pointed out the gate to somewhere new standing just in the forest of their little island.

[thetruearchmagos]

Loot Box Tag Game!

Thank you kindly to @athenswrites for tagging me for this little game!

Here lies a collection of things that you might find in a "Loot Box" in the 12 Worlds assuming I actually understood what that means...

A fountain pen. Jet black, smooth polish coats the slim body, with finishes of shining chrome ringing the body and cap, and comprising the clip, with the letters K.K. etched in silver on its body. While perfect at a glance, the slight scratches and tarnishing tell of many, many years of faithful service.

A Crystal, wrapped in red silk. It is large, in the emerald cut shaped, the size of a fist, and as it rests there it shimmers a pale white with flecks of gold and green. If you pick it up, the shimmer turns into a bright glow, enough to light up a room, and the flecks of colour form long, arcing streaks across the crystal's finely cut faces, shifting in shape and colour, as the gem vibrates and quakes in your hand.

An automatic Pistol, with wooden grip finished in silver. It is heavy, its metal body painted a dark black. It is, all in all, a bland, blunt instrument, the latter observation supported by the dent that can be seen at the bottom of the pistol's grip.

A steel medal, with a ribbon of brown, yellow, and green. It shows a snake, curled to encircle a shield under two crossed swords, with the numbers 175-178 marked on its front face, and on the reverse a circle of twelve interlocking rings, within two crossed laurels. The medal comes with a letter, reading "Remember Al-Shatihab, our dear Cobra?"

A large glass bottle, rustic in design, complete with wooden cork stopper fixed in place with bent wire. Swirling within is a bubbling, purple liquid, and turning to see the label it reads Fruispritz Classic: Grape, in large, straight lettering, over a faded watercolour image of a grape vine. The drink is pleasantly sweet, with the flavour of the grapes shining through as if you had just plucked and eaten them, and afterwards you feel a sensation of almost magical energy rise from within you.

[octopus-defence-squad]

inkpot gods by amazing devil and roseblings twins

(warning: touch of angst below cut, with implied character death and grieving, which is followed by an ambiguous but positive ending. precede with some caution)

"and i can hear him break when he doesnt understand. and i wish that i could take his hand, but where i'm going is for me and me alone" followed by the refrain of "if i dont make it back from where i've gone, just know i loved you all along" repeated like a prayer.

-----

repetition brings meaning, makes things significant, and with enough force of will and no small amount of luck and magic, if you repeat something enough you might tear a hole in the unyielding nature of the universe, wear it thin enough that something otherwise impossible might become true. if you are persistent and determined and stubborn enough, you might just get your miracle.

gem, her shoulders set with a determined look on her face and steel in her eyes, cloak filled with supplies and her staff clutched in her hand as she turns away from fwhip and faces the portal fwhip, resigned and obviously biting back words, tears carving paths through the gunpowder and redstone and grime on his face, sitting with a supply of healing items and looking like he would do anything to follow her

her mouth moving, soft words barely pressing past her lips as she rubs the folded and sealed paper tucked into her breast pocket, addressed to fwhip and labelled "to be opened only upon death of gemini tay, wizard of the crystal cliffs" in curling letters of violet ink she left another paper, similar but for the instructions, buried among his supplies. she couldn't say it aloud; couldnt force herself to admit that real possibility and couldnt bring herself to force him through it as well. just the same, a breeze carries her words back to him and he silently mouths them with her.

she doesnt look back.

--

the only thing that returns is her cloak, singed and torn into streamers and barely recognizable but they manage to rescue the paper from the pocket. with shaking hands and apologetic faces they offer it to the count. he crumples into his chair, face frozen and hands numb. tracing the soot along the edge and the faintly flickering amethyst enchantments, his fingers linger over his sister's handwriting. the ink is a purple one he got her for their birthday back when they were barely teenagers, when she had told him—hesitatingly, in stuttered whispers under the blankets of the fort they built together—that she wanted to learn magic and leave for the crystal cliffs. she had treasured that ink, only using it to sign his birthday cards and the certificate that solidified the alliance between their two empires. he turns it over, carefully removing the wax seal with the emblem of a dragon and an amethyst that he had first seen her sketching in their room, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth with concentration. he places it gently on his desk and begins to read.

teardrops stain the velvet of his vest, but he only cares not to let them touch the letter. the ink is too precious, he thinks, ignoring the half-full stoppered glass bottle sitting on a desk in an empty tower. the dragons’ cries have not ceased, but they do nothing to drown out the wail of the Universe itself reacting to the grief of one of It’s chosen which echoes in the hollow, ringing space where another should be standing nearby. 

------

the remains of the cloak are buried beneath the wither rose field directly in sight of the count's bedroom window, a solitary figure whispering a broken promise above the petals. their voice breaks and they bow their head, hiding the red flash across their irises as three other things happen

somewhere else, in a place unknown to all but one living being, a body's heart begins to beat again;

the dragon on the wax seal still sitting abandoned on the count’s desk flaps its wings once, then twice, then a third time; and

a bolt of brilliant purple lightning flashes through the sky

-----------------

“The worst dreams I have ever had weren’t nightmares of being chased by monsters, nor were they the jump-scares that refused to let me sleep for more than an hour before startling me awake again, panicked and shaking.

The worst two dreams I ever saw rank in rising order. The lesser of the two was the one where I died and was forced to watch, impermanent and invisible, as my twin grieved me even as she grew into a life I would never get to see or share with her—trapped beyond a mortality I had lost. The worst was the one where I didn’t die but she did, and I spent years reaching for a hand or speaking to an ear that wasn’t there and realizing once more that I would never see her again, and that my triumphs and joys were mine only, ringing hollow without her to share them.

I know the nightmares are fiction, or at the very least that they are incredibly improbable. Those dreams don’t allow that comfort, small as it may be. Those dreams remind me of a certainty I want more than anything to forget, and it’s real.”

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, 34: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

An eccentric plum coloured hat decorated with a silver buckle and a long egret feather that droops over the bearer's eyes.

An unremarkable gray stone covered in myriad tiny pink growths, ranging in shape from rough textured flowers to near-perfect spheres. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as rhodochrosite.

A blank envelope containing a single jigsaw puzzle piece and a  note that reads “You have two months to find the rest of this puzzle. If you do not, the entire population in this forsaken area will die.”

A centaur hair pictorial prayer rug.

A small harp with little vines for strings and a oaken body with stray leaves. It appears to be alive, requiring water and light to sustain itself. Its leaves change with the seasons and it blooms in the spring. If broken or damaged, it will slowly but surely repair itself.

An accordion made brown suede of with bronze keys.

A tiny hourglass no larger than a man's pinkie finger filled with phosphorescent sand that emits a faint Random Coloured glow in the dark. It takes one hour for the sand to pass from the top end to the bottom.

A shiny leather doublets trimmed with seal fur and belted with checkered woollen sashes.

A single stick of chalk carved with swirls and twists across the powdery stone.

A finely crafted leather backpack that seems to have been handmade from excellent materials by a master’s needle and knife. The style is simple, but durable and effective.

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

An eccentric plum coloured hat decorated with a silver buckle and a long egret feather that droops over the bearer's eyes.

An unremarkable gray stone covered in myriad tiny pink growths, ranging in shape from rough textured flowers to near-perfect spheres. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as rhodochrosite.

A blank envelope containing a single jigsaw puzzle piece and a  note that reads “You have two months to find the rest of this puzzle. If you do not, the entire population in this forsaken area will die.”

A centaur hair pictorial prayer rug.

A small harp with little vines for strings and a oaken body with stray leaves. It appears to be alive, requiring water and light to sustain itself. Its leaves change with the seasons and it blooms in the spring. If broken or damaged, it will slowly but surely repair itself.

An accordion made brown suede of with bronze keys.

A tiny hourglass no larger than a man's pinkie finger filled with phosphorescent sand that emits a faint Random Coloured glow in the dark. It takes one hour for the sand to pass from the top end to the bottom.

A shiny leather doublets trimmed with seal fur and belted with checkered woollen sashes.

A single stick of chalk carved with swirls and twists across the powdery stone.

A finely crafted leather backpack that seems to have been handmade from excellent materials by a master’s needle and knife. The style is simple, but durable and effective.

A small, flat slab of dark stone that, nondescript though it is, gives off an unmistakable eeriness.

A torc fashioned from a coiled length of interlocking chains, constructed of two unknown metals. Black and white, they swirl around each other like yin and yang, darkness and light.

An armoured gorget consisting of a metal throat-shield and a series of overlapping metal plates that encircle the neck. The entire device is connected to a belt made of leather. When worn, the battle gorget protects the wearer from physical strangulation and bites to the neck such as the case if they were hung by a noose or attacked by a vampire.

A clear crystal the size of a child’s fist, covered in eldritch runes. The gem flickers with a weak glow in various coloured hues depending on who its being held by.

A heavy iron bell inscribed with distorted musical symbols that releases an incredibly cacophonous noise when rung.

A magnificent goblet formed from a basalt-like stone permeated with veins of violet crystal.

A hauntingly terrifying mask that appears to have be fashioned from leather, metal and nightmares.

A druid’s staff fashioned by woodland spirits. The shaft is carved from sturdy oak and bound in vines. The head piece of the staff is a slightly oversized rose bud which blooms whenever its wielder casts a spell whose power stems from natural magic.

A peacock-feather quill that always writes smoothly and never needs to be filled with ink.

A large oil painting of some otherworldly sea, where creatures who are octopoid from the neck down but with human heads float in bliss.

A piece of torn red cloth bearing a royal insignia.

A leather bandolier that can be worn over one shoulder and runs diagonally across the chest and back. It has small loops or pouches for holding eight objects the size of a flask or small dagger. The bearer can easily retrieve any of the items stored in it during combat without having to dig through their pack.

An obsidian icon of a forgotten deity.

A recorder carved from brilliant white ash.

A short necked, round bottom flask that could hold about a half-gallon of liquid. Clearly visible through the glass sides, though, is a city. When viewed extremely closely, such as under a magnifying glass, what appears to be tiny people walk through the streets, conducting their daily lives. No matter how the bottle is moved or tilted, those within don’t seem disturbed.

A leather military horse saddle, engraved with battle scenes of human knights slaying kobolds.

A damp beaver skin bagpipe.

A marble sculpture of an elven woman being swallowed by a large wave.

A twisted warhorn blasted into a dark ebony hue and wrapped in bands of bronze with draconic runes that glow with purple eldritch fire. The low moaning drone of the horn discomforts all who hear it.

A wooden armband, intricately carved with interweaving vines and snaking dragons’ heads,

A silver horseshoe with foreign writing etched on to the side of the shoe. Roughly translates to "Trailfire".

A high, conical mask, intricately decorated with dried corn kernels of different colours.

A war banner depicting a bone-white skeleton on a field of midnight blue.

A maple linen chest with false bottom holding a number of lewd porcelain figures.

An innocuous-looking, fist-sized piece of faceted glass. When placed upon a flat surface the object floats about three feet into the air, glowing and chiming softly.

A fist-sized orb that resembles the eye of a dragon and dangles from a heavy gold chain.

A simple quartz crystal with a series of emerald green and brown straws extending from within its central structure. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as tourmaline in quartz.

A colourful ball formed from silk ribbons that randomly unfurls in a multi-hued explosion of noise and whipping fabric, before suddenly reforming.

A small cut glass bottle has a hinged silver top emblazoned with a caduceus.

A bronze rattle with a set of small openings that allow you to see the glowing purple stone within it.

A lacquered wood-carved mouth instrument resembles a duck-hunter’s call, except for the red band along the mouthpiece and the hooked dragon’s claw wood-burned into its side. Blowing into the object causes it to sound like a drake's mating call, barely resistible to any draconic creature within earshot.  

An empty djinn lamp. There is a note attached on which are written the words: “It's out. It is coming for you.”

A pair of small ceramic vials stoppered with corks. The sigil of the local constabulary has been stamped into the sides.

A handful of small, silver and copper coins pressed with unfamiliar faces and strange lettering.

An empty, crumpled leather belt pouch with a large hole opened along the bottom seam and a snarling beast embossed on the side.

A set of thieves’ tools that includes a small file, a set of lock picks, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle, a set of narrow-bladed scissors, and a pair of pliers.

An egg-sized smooth white stone poorly carved on one side to resemble a grinning skull. The tiny eye sockets appear far deeper than should be possible on an item this size.

A dozen brass keys in various sizes linked on a polished steel ring. One of the keys appears far too intricate for any mechanical lock you have ever encountered.

A polished dark wood box inlaid with silver tracery and lined with velvet, suitable for displaying a single piece of jewellery.

A small metal cube with dark glass on two opposing faces. Holding the box up to a light source causes it to project a colourful image of two men in orange robes, arguing over what appears to be a carefully flayed human skin.

A garish tabard made from simple red cloth, with gold-coloured trim that has frayed badly. The effect of the wear is such that the tabard’s edge appears to be fluffy; the strands of cheap gold fabric float like tentacles in the slightest breeze. The front of the tabard is dominated by a somewhat-successfully stitched image depicting a drop of blood. The back is adorned with a single letter “I” and has undergone the same transformation as the gold trim. Donning the tabard causes several wayward strands to drift upward into the bearer's face.

A doss lute carved from alder wood in a graceful, pear-shaped form. Abstract designs were inlaid in the wood in copper.

A mask of smoked glass cut into a half shell that obscures the bearer's features.

A golden, translucent bracelet made of a lightweight, silky material that resembles warm amber. In fact, small creatures can be seen trapped within. If watched closely, they seem to move.

A disguise kit consisting of cosmetics, hair dye and small props that allow the bearer to create disguise and change their physical appearance.

A coinpurse crafted from shimmering bronze-hued fabric that features humanoid teeth as part of its clasping mechanism. The incisors seem particularly pronounced.

A rough, milky white gem with a red crystal grown directly through one side and tinged with yellow discolorations. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as realgar.

A curious jade rod tipped with a glowing knob of crimson that shimmers with eldritch phosphorescence like a live thing.

A tiny finch made of overlapping metal plates. A gentle tug on its tail causes it to unfold into the shape of a small flower. Touching the centre of the flower causes it to reconfigure into the shape of a small lizard.

A tightly rolled vellum scroll, apparently blank on both sides, but with a deep blue shimmer as it catches the light.

A simple clay pin in the shape of a human face. Its eyes dart about and its mouth moves as though attempting to speak.

A small brown leather bag contains a double handful of black shale shards that ring like coins as it moves about.

A slate-grey box covered in tiny blinking lights. Along one edge is a panel which folds down to reveal a seemingly random assortment of letters and numbers on individual buttons opposite smooth black glass.

A padded trunk that contains a device to extend and display several small drawers when the trunk is opened. Beneath the display drawers are several additional removable padded drawers, all of which contain neatly sorted tiny decorative beads and wires.

A simple silver mirror that shows a perfect reflection delayed by several seconds.

A soft fur stole lined with black satin. Something solid has been sewn within the lining at one end.

A filthy, mummified monkey’s paw, curled into a fist and clutching what looks like an egg.

A tiny, polished wooden coffin. The lid is sealed with wax and the sound of tumbling glass shards can be heard as the box is moved.

A pair of excruciatingly detailed false glass eyes, in grey and green. While held or placed on a solid surface, they gradually turn to face each other.

Some garish crushed velvet pantaloons, monogrammed with the initials ‘AJW.’ So obviously out of fashion that they can only be antique.

An old, thick coin, dented but cleanly cast with bas reliefs. Some runes on the obverse; and on the reverse: the cruel-eyed face of a woman with spiral horns. The con has a scent of mildew and copper that rubs off when handled.

A small glass cube filled with a faintly luminescent blue fluid, with a small latch on one side securing the top. Something about the liquid suggests a degree of consciousness to its movements.

A leather drawstring pouch filled with a dozen perfectly spherical polished stones. The stones stick together as though magnetic, but come apart again with almost no effort.

A hard black leather case containing a flawless set of well-used professional kitchen knives, one nearly as long as your arm.

A coloured glass hemisphere made to resemble a distant galaxy seen on a clear dark night.

An odd red badge in the shape of a hunting bird’s head. The maker’s mark on the reverse appears strikingly similar to the local duke’s seal.

A folding leather wallet filled with strangely coloured bits of paper. Tucked within, you also find a small pewter badge showing the symbol of a great wyrm atop a castle wall, with the initials ‘GG’ on its reverse.

A shattered magenta stone with two dark green edges and that vaguely resembles sliced fruit. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as watermelon tourmaline.

A miniature castle constructed from a series of slick, modular blocks. Tiny, smiling figures man the parapets.

A well-polished brass oil lamp covered with intricate characters and a strange landscape in relief.

A brass and steel orrery, animated by clockwork and magic in real time. The spheres are nearly perfectly aligned.

A military chest with silver handles, three drawers, and iron-edged pigeon holes. The chest is covered in crossbow bolt holes.

A bronze candelabrum depicting angels being chased by stirges.

A crystal-beaded gossamer headpiece that sparkles with the slightest movement. The pattern of beads is that of an icon for a long-dead religion.

A clay pot with four faces; one a jackal, one a crocodile, the third a vulture, and the fourth a grinning hawk swallowing a human eye.

A large pot scarab filled with mummified human fingers.

A flat brass clockwork dial so richly studded with circles and hands and curious symbols that it looked like a cross scowly face.

A painted limestone incense burner set with a garnet.

A black basalt statuette of a lion wearing a gold crown and crushing slaves beneath its paws.

A leather wallet stamped with the design of a market stall, containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a member of the merchants guild. The section containing the member's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A pouch filled with a dozen silver coins of great age, depicting forgotten gods and god-kings engaged in carnal acts.

A terracotta lamp with silver filigree work depicting lions killing escaping slaves.

A suspiciously clean wallet made from sewn mice and rats.

A scroll case made of sewn snakeskin and metal plates.

A fancy snuff box made from carved whale bone.

A set of flint and steel in an old calfskin wrap with the tail still attached held in a wool holdall.

A walnut, iron, and onyx pipe with a clay bowl depicting a swan.

A set of dice carved from white dragon bone. They will chill small quantities of liquid if placed inside a vessel of any kind. If rolled the dice will cover a small surface in a thin layer of ice.

An ornate linen headband with brass decorations.

A strange looking stone made of a material that looks like basalt, only with small insets of strange red, almost gleaming, material. It is slightly warm to the touch, and if one examines it very carefully or is very tactile to the touch, it seems to be almost pulsating.