#life is a river she is Ophelia

[badartxd]

Tfw instead of settling on what new Origin to play next, I have created Anxiety Mage, the non Müllerian Amell with a great curiosity for blood magic and absolutely zero survival skills, Maker help her.

[lina-studen]

"something floral": literature student blabbering about the usage of flower symbolism in "nevermore", how it ties to the theme of insanity and a little bit (a lot) about shakespeare.

from lenore's perspective, flowers are closely associated with isolation caused by her trauma and supposed "hysteria". floral pattern wallpaper accompanied her loneliness for days, months, even years. image of the flowers signaled that lenore's position would remain unchanged, that she was stuck, that she would continue to slowly loosing the clarity of her mind.

having torn the wallpaper off the walls, lenore believes that she will never see this image again, but flowers continue to accompanying her. lenore sees them again during her first meeting with annabel lee. and during the last one, too. she may have managed to get out of her lonely room, gain more strength in her legs, find a new friend, but lenore is still trapped. she's the daughter disowned by her parents, a stain on the family reputation that must be hidden forever. the image of flowers doesn't let her forget about it.

similar symbolism is also not alien to annabel lee. episode 66 is interesting in particular, because it directly quotes ophelia's monologue. I'm a big fan of shakespeare, it was he who instilled in me an interest in floral symbolism. a year ago, for a conference on foreign literature, I wrote an article about flower language of "hamlet". it's not available in english, but I'll list down some points that I considered relevant regarding "nevermore".

• rosemary can serve as a keepsake between lovers and also between the dead and the living. it could be seen at both weddings and funerals. in the old days it was also believed to be helpful in mental illnesses treatment.

• pansies, just like violets, symbolize innocence and devotion. ophelia doesn't consider the people around her worthy of violets, since she blames them for the death of her father.

• rue is a symbol of eternal suffering; grieving over her murdered father and the loss of her beloved hamlet, ophelia leaves some of the flowers for herself.

• the image of daisies has a close connection with the concepts of innocence, fidelity and eternal love. in shakespeare's tragedy, this symbol is overshadowed by the fact that in the world around ophelia there's no place for these beautiful things. for "nevermore" the symbol is also not so positive, since the readers are already familiar with daisies. they were on that wallpaper in lenore's room.

it's impossible not to note that annabel lee recites the monologue while in the bath, in the water. ophelia decides not to resist the river flow. her life turned into a tragedy: she was left without a father, her lover has seemingly lost his mind. her own sanity is also called into question. ophelia sings cryptic songs, goes into the field to weave a wreath, gives flowers to other characters. in the eyes of those around them, hamlet and ophelia seem crazy, while being the only sane and honest people among them. there's no place for tender, innocent ophelia in a cruel, deceitful world, so she drowns.

annabel lee also reflects on how both she and lenore are considered madwomen. her meeting with "leo" is accompanied by floral pattern on the annabel's dress. their madness is contextual, they both are perfectly sane, but don't fit into the system that could be leading to real madness with time. "all madwomen die twice. at least twice".

now about the arboretum. it obviously has a lot of flowers, but in my opinion this place is interesting in a different context. lenore and annabel visited the arboretum twice to discuss upcoming plans and such, and there are many parallels, both visual and narrative. not much time has passed since last time, but their situation has changed. they seem to look on their past selves from the upper level, having their conflict more acute now. I'll make a more detailed post about it later.

and now I'll just focus on how the characters in this arboretum full of roses behave as lost and confused as in the phobia-inducing flower labyrinth from earlier episodes. “the closer you get to beautiful flowers, the closer you get to their thorns,” says duke in episode 38. the flower imagery haunting the main characters doesn't let them forget that their sanity is always on a verge of slipping. and once a flower falls from its stem, it cannot be fixed.

p.s. guess which writer’s works I chose for a new article this year?

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode thoughts

listen, as someone who enjoys some good dragon drama, i feel fantastically well catered-to by this episode

the confrontation between rhaenyra and addam was fun, i liked that it's apparently kind of inspired by western face-offs but with dragons instead of guns

that conversation between larys and ironrod while they were watching aemond sentence men to the watch definitely implied to me that, unlike with his brother, the council is so wary of/intimidated by aemond they don't even want to talk to him about possibly important war developments. which does not bode well for team green's stability in the future, tbh

jace stop being mean about mysaria that's your mom's girlfriend you're talking about :(

i did find the conversation between rhaenyra and jace really interesting, i hadn't considered that the sowing of the seeds plan might bring out so much of his insecurities about being a bastard. he and rhaenyra have probably the most functional parent-child relationship in the show, but they really DON'T talk about this aspect of his life at all, and it really shows

oscar tully unexpected mvp of the episode perhaps? holding his own against that whole council of river lords…calling daemon loathsome…making him execute willem blackwood to atone for spurring on those war crimes…king shit!

i enjoyed getting to see viserys again, i've really missed his actor this season and seeing daemon's reaction to his ruined face was quite interesting

daemon you are SO close to realizing that you don't actually want to be king and would make a terrible ruler, i'm rooting for you to figure this out by the season finale

the scene with aegon and larys talking was probably my favorite from last week so i really liked that we got a follow-up on it. very impressed that aegon is capable of walking even the tiniest amount after what he's been through

rhaena running off into the mountains…she's getting that dragon by hook or by crook

ulf trying to get out of claiming a dragon by claiming he had an injury made me laugh

i like that hugh and ulf have totally different reactions to being possible dragonseeds, one boasting and the other hiding it

alicent was serving real ophelia by john william waterhouse vibes this episode

loved that the dragonkeepers had a huge fight with rhaenyra over the sowing of the seeds, they're in the background of so many dragon scenes but we've never gotten much perspective on what they think of dragons or the targaryen right to claim them before

i do admit to saying "wow, those are some toasty boys" out loud when vermithor was torching those poor dragonseeds

love love LOVE that we got to see both vermithor and silverwing this episode, they look so cool and i love their distinct designs

i have been waiting ALL SEASON for the payoff of hugh and ulf claiming those dragons and it was such an exciting sequence, you could really feel the adrenaline and the danger the whole time

ryan condal on the inside the episodes comparing the death of the dragonseeds to ritual sacrifice was also super fun symbolism

another daeron mention, hi daeron and tessarion :)

also house beesbury making problems for the hightowers, love to see it

after aemond has spent so much time this season intimidating and terrifying other people it WAS super fun to see him do a hard swerve into fear when he saw how many dragonriders rhaenyra has now

that final shot of rhaenyra standing on the dragonmount with syrax, vermithor, and silverwing behind her DID get to, i must say. it's house of the dragon! and we have the dragons!!!

okay yeah i am super hyped for the finale and whatever it may bring, seems like it's gonna be epic. the triarchy! the dragons! the riverlands! helaena in the war effort, apparently?! what fun!

[vacant--body]

stay with me pt 4

<azriel shadowsinger x OFC>

part one, part two, part three, part five

warnings: ANGST, graphic description injuries

✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖° ✧˖°

Something was wrong. Azriel didn’t know what, but he could no longer feel Ophelia as strongly on the other side of the bond. Her presence was just a flicker of energy, like a spark that refused to light.

“We’re moving in. Now.” He quietly growled.

Mor, Cassian, and Nesta had all deliberately disobeyed Rhysands instructions to not enter the Autumn Court territory without his permission. They would all surely pay for it.

But at this moment, he didn’t care what Rhysands punishment would be. He could cut off Azriels wings, set his hands alight, and throw him into the Sidra and he would take it. As long as he got Ophelia back. He was beyond grateful that his friends were risking their own lives and Rhysands wrath to find her too.

His shadows cast the corridor in front of them into darkness, snuffing out the fae lights lining the walls. They moved silently, as a unit. Quickly and quietly taking out any guards that they came across. What was more blood on Azriels hands? As far as he was concerned they were all complicit in this crime.

Gaining access to the Forest Palace wasn’t easy. It had taken them entirely too long. They had to wait for changing of the guard and had to slaughter their way through just to get in. It was messy and harsh, but they did it all without raising alarm.

Azriel led them through twisting and turning hallways, going farther and farther down into the lower levels. He didn’t know where he was going, it was just a feeling. He could feel that tug at the bond growing tighter and further down they went.

None of them questioned him, and thank the Mother for that. He wasn’t sure how he would respond. They all were calm and quiet around him since departing from Velaris, as if a single word would set him off.

He supposed it would. After departing the River House, he had flown out into the forest and taken out several acres of trees with his siphons before collapsing. He had been trembling, barely containing the anguish and rage that was crawling under his skin. It was nightfall before Cassian found him, telling him that they were leaving to find her.

Suddenly, the feeling in his chest exploded into a frenzying warmth, spreading across his body. Azriel halted in front of a small, dingy cell, and his friends stopped at his heals.

“What is it?” Mor whispered.

The metallic scent of blood was so overpowering that it almost masked hers. Almost.

He would know that combination of scent anywhere. Jasmine, lavender, and chamomile. With just a hint of lemon. Before it had calmed his wildest nerves. Now, it ramped them up, dreading what he would find in there.

In two strides, he was at the door. He grasped the lock on the cell and the faint blue light of his siphons illuminated the space. He barely heard the metal hit the ground as he flung the door open and rushed in.

What he saw would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Ophelia was slumped against the wall, hands chained above her head. Small, precise cuts littered her mostly naked body. Deep burn scars around her neck, wrists and ankles. The only thing that covered her was a red see-through chemise. No. The chemise was white. It was stained red. With her blood.

And Azriels heart stopped beating at the sight of the dagger embedded to the hilt in Ophelia’s side.

“Cauldron-” Cassian gasped, coming to stand beside him.

“Help me.” His voice was tight, despair laced in every word. Azriels eyes stung with unshed tears. No, he couldn’t do that. Not here, not now.

If she didn’t make it-

Cassian braced Ophelia up, mindful of her wounds, as Azriel broke the chains around her wrists. He stooped down and took her small broken form from Cassians arms, careful of the dagger. A soft, broken whimper came from the bloody mass that was Ophelia. It shattered his heart even further.

But she was alive, she was still alive.

“We have to get her back to Velaris.” His voice was raw, full of the promise of death and bone deep despair.

“Winnowing could move the dagger around.” Cassian responded quietly, looking down at her.

“We could take her to the Winter Court-” Mor started.

“No.” Azriel snarled. “She needs to be home, not in some frozen waste land.”

“But the risk-”

“I know the fucking risk!” He was starting to panic now. It was rising to the surface, the pressure building and building against his too tight skin.

“Whatever the decision, it needs to be made now. We have company.” Nesta hissed from the front of the cell.

“Go to them. I’ll meet you back at the River House.”

His shadows swirled around them, Cassian disappeared from sight, his brothers eyes full of sadness and quiet rage. He knew he would make them pay for what they did.

In the cold emptiness, he brought Ophelia closer to him. Praying to the Mother that she would make this, she had to make this. If Azriel needed anything in his life to go right, it was now.

Azriel swore to the Mother and to the Cauldron that when she had recovered, he would tell her everything. About his messy emotions, the feeling of how unworthy he was to her, and that they were mates. He was hers.

But oh, the Mother was cruel.

His feet hit the solid ground just outside the River House, the world swimming back into focus. Panting, he looked down at Ophelia.

His mate.

She almost looked like she was sleeping, if it wasn’t for the agonizing pain he felt on the other side of the bond. It was so intense that he momentarily swayed before reality gripped him by the throat. The dagger was no longer there. It laid several feet away in the grass.

The panic he had been barely keeping at bay finally bubbled over.

Blood was pouring from the wound, fast. Too fast. Gasping, he went to his knees, laying her in the damp morning grass. His scarred hands pressed into her side attempting to staunch the bleed, but it was no use. Blood seeped past his fingers, coating his hands.

Rhys. Rhys I need you.

“Phia? Phia, I need you to open your eyes.” He whispered.

“It hurts.” She whimpered. The pain he heard from her snapped something deep and vital in his head.

“I know, I know sweetheart.” Azriels cheeks were wet with the tears he had been holding back for weeks. No- years.

“Azriel?” Her eyes fluttered open, squinting up at him. “You’re here.” She sounded so relieved, he wondered if she thought this was a dream.

“Yes, Phia. I’m here with you. Now stay with me, help is coming,” He sobbed.

Rhysand!

She muttered incoherently, and it wasn’t til later til Azriel would realize what she was saying.

Stay with me.

The familiar scent of Cassian, Mor, and Nesta invaded his senses, momentarily taking over the smell of blood. He heard one of them cry out, felt their grief slam into him. But he couldn’t look away.

He whispered small encouragements to her, begging and pleading with Rhys in his head to fucking hurry.

Almost there.

“He’s almost here Phia. Just hang on.” His eyes swept down her body, examining the wound. It was ghastly, deep and jagged with infection just starting to set in. Mother, how long had that been in there?

He looked back up to her face and his gut twisted. Her eyes were shut, her lips unmoving. “Hey, hey! Do not shut your eyes. Please,” A painful sobbed ripped from the depths of Azriels chest. “Please open your eyes!”

“So tired.” She whispered, struggling to open her eye lids. “Az, I’m so tired.”

Hands suddenly replaced where Azriels were. Someone was talking, shouting at the others but he wasn’t sure who it was, and he didn’t care. Maybe it was Rhysand, or was it Feyre?

Moving carefully, he cradled her head in his lap. The back of her scalp was sticky with blood, the entire ground around them was drenched in it.

“Stay. Stay here with me.” He whispered to her, smoothing her hair away from her sweaty and sallow forehead.

“You’re my mate.” Azriel choked out in broken sobs. “Ophelia you’re my mate.”

She inhaled to speak, but her chest stilled

The bond went silent.

And Azriel screamed.

[ratmobstudio]

Los Aquillios, CA. 1968. It’s the hottest summer on record since ‘32, and the heat is not the only thing starting to get under everyone’s skin.

You’ve spent your entire life as an associate to the Verano crime family— one of the three biggest mob factions this side of the West Coast. This life has brought you respect, a steady income, even a family who treats you as one of their own.

But you’ve grown tired of constantly looking over your shoulder, of the bloodshed that paints the streets far too often for your comfort. You know as well as anyone that there are only two ways to leave the life: disappearing into the harsh clutch of witness protection or in a bodybag.

Fortunately, you’ve discovered a third way: making enough money on your own to vanish into thin air. 

Yet when your plans collide with two different men, the trajectories of your fates will be changed forever.

Play as a down-on-his luck mobster with several secrets that could result in a one-way trip to the bottom of the river.

Make allies and enemies among the people you’ve known your whole life. Burn bridges or stick together, sink or swim.

Shape the MC’s personality and worldview.

Forge relationships between a cast of shady characters, each with their own flaws, and earn your reputation among the city’s crime factions.

Try to claw your way out of the mess you’ve dug for yourself, kid.

Walter “Angel Eyes” LaTorre [M] | Verano family associate

Your childhood best friend, Walter is now nothing but a thorn at your side— and everyone else’s. A degenerate gambler relying on his boyish charm and enthusiasm to get by,  there’s nothing Walter likes better than to spend money that isn’t his. But time is ticking, debts are unpaid, and you’ve always been one to help a friend in need. Haven’t you?

Carmine Pitera [M] | Verano family made man

Balanced on the edge of the family’s inner circle and egged on by the ever-burning ambition in his gut, Carmine is a cunning and dangerous mobster. He’s been around the block since long before you ever came on scene. With nine lives almost up, Carmine has started looking at you differently, and you’re not quite sure if you should run.

Ophelia Gallo [F] | Civilian

A femme fatale found at every bar the Three Families' own, Ophelia delights in the air of danger and allure that has permeated every inch of her life. The daughter of the don of the Perricone family, what she isn’t given, she’ll take— even if it’s detrimental to her. She’s set her sights on delving deeper into the dangerous world her father occupies, and she wants you as a guide. 

[Full Character List]

Demo TBA + Ch1 in development

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 131 - The Portal

No… No, Ophelia definitely heard that wrong.

Ophelia: What the woohoock do you mean you're not coming back?

Xander: What?!

Ophelia: Anna, if this is some weird cult shit-

Anna: Please, I'll explain everything. Just… Just listen.

And so… Anna explains everything.

When Calvin was elected to be the church treasurer, as she had told Ophelia weeks ago, what she didn't tell her was that Calvin was dissatisfied with how funds were being spent. So he took matters into his own hands.

Calvin thought the church could do more good in the name of the Watcher if he just used his connections at his job at Espo Enterprises to invest a good chunk of church funds into the stock market. He said it was a sure thing… It wasn't. He lost it all.

Anna: We sold the house, and all our worldly possessions, to replace the funds before the church leaders noticed… But it wasn't enough. They found out.

Ophelia can't speak.

Anna: Calvin had me help him. I-I knew it was wrong but I thought he knew best. Clearly not.

Anna: One of the church's biggest donors is a very powerful, influential secret agent, and he wasn't pleased when he heard the news. He doesn't even care about the money, he wants us dead for what we did… so we're leaving the save file.

Ophelia: Sims don't just LEAVE the save file. Where are you going?

Anna: We don't know. Calvin found a spellcaster willing to help, but the portal is finicky. We could end up in a save file with the Extreme Violence mod, or worse, Devious Desires. We can't risk bringing Jaden.

Anna: We're CAS Sims, we have no family to leave him with. Even if we knew the file was safe, this guy has connections, he could still find us. Being on the run because of our actions is no life for a child. We want him to have a normal life… He'll have that with your family.

Ophelia: What if this guy comes after Jaden here?

Anna: He won't. He's after us. We tried and tried to think of where Jaden would be safest… And we both agreed it was with you and Xander and your girls. He loves you two… We hated how much he loves you two.

Anna: I was always told to submit to my husband, that that was what the Watcher wanted. I can't imagine a world where THIS is what the Watcher wanted. I thought I was so holy, now look at me… On the run for embezzlement. The Watcher is punishing me for being a coward.

Anna: I knew, deep down, that I should do something to protect Jaden… But I didn't want Calvin's ire. Now I've had to give up everything. My home. My life. My baby boy… I hate Calvin. I hate him for it… At least he hates himself for causing this more than I ever could.

Anna: Ophelia, I know we're asking entirely too much of you two, but we're doing what we have to to survive and keep our son safe… Even if it means we'll never see him again. I don't care if he forgets about us, if he calls you mom and dad, just… do better by him than we did.

Ophelia looks at Xander, who only nods. There's only one choice.

She takes a deep breath to keep her voice steady.

Ophelia: We love Jaden. We'll treat him like our own flesh and blood. He'll have the best life we can give him.

All she can hear is Anna sobbing into the phone.

Anna collects herself once again.

Anna: Thank you both. I… I just had to tell you that. I'll never be able to pay you back, but just… Raise Jaden to be a good person. Make sure he's nothing like his father… or me.

With that, Anna hangs up the phone, tosses it into the river, and makes her way toward the portal.

She doesn't know what's going to be on the other side, but she'll be fine as long as she knows her child is safe and loved.

Ophelia and Xander's composure during that phone call completely cracks the second Anna disconnects.

Their lives have changed in the span of 20 minutes. What were they going to tell Jaden? How do you explain to a little boy that his mommy and daddy are never coming back?

Ophelia: What are we going to do?

Xander: I… I don't know… but we'll figure it out.

Life has given them plenty of hurdles, but this one feels too big to overcome.

[darksplashofscrapclan]

JACK STAUBER'S OPAL BUT IT'S OPHELIA HAMLET

DO YOU SEE MY VISION IS THIS ANYTHING (this is partially inspired by @rudymentari's Frostpaw project lol) (TW for mentions of abuse, toxic family relationships and MEGA CRINGE bc I got a bit too silly mapping this out)

We begin with Ophelia in this idealized version of Elsinore where Laertes, Hamlet and Polonius are all happy and nice but THEN WE SEE THE RIVER

Ophelia's told not to pay attention to it but that night she sees some distorted figure crying there

She starts heading over, coming to the balcony of the throne room where she encounters... LAERTES!!!

Easy to Breathe in this context revolves around his dependence on her as an emotional crutch, someone who makes it "easier to breathe" in his stifling life as Polonius' son. He abandons her to go to France ("on TV") and be with the "idea salesmen" and "singing girls," leaving her all alone.

Throughout this segment, we see her simultaneously feeling jealous of Laertes' new "friends" (they just want to steal his soul, not like her, he needs her) and beginning to realize that maaaaybe they were unhealthily close???

Laertes fails to recognize her as Ophelia, chasing her into the throne room before falling off the balcony (we can see him laying there twitching in the background of some shots in the next segment)

She's discovered by HAMLET YAY MAN OF THE HOUR woo fuckin hoo

GOD I cannot put into words how much the "small growing thing" monologue fits his victim complex and casual disregard for Ophelia's humanity like HOLY SHIT THAT'S HIM

Mirror Man focuses on how he makes Ophelia feel responsible for never "turning him down," ensuring he's not "living his nightmare." He only really sees her as a mirror to view himself through-- if she doesn't like him, who will?!

He hypes himself up to her, trying to keep her interested; failing that, he proceeds to outright attack her in a blind rage

He calms himself down, only for Laertes to wake back up and attack him! Laertes continues pursuing Ophelia while Hamlet is left on the ground just like in his death scene, whimpering pitifully

She breaks through one of the mirrors, walking down a long pathway where she encounters POLONIUS

He keeps fading in and out, leading her further down the path like a Will o' the Wisp. He looks wistfully back at the palace, seeming like he's about to admit to regretting something or another, before pushing the feeling aside and talking about how he's the only other person who can understand surviving, not living, just like she does.

Virtuous Cycle shows Polonius and Ophelia's messy, codependent relationship. Polonius resents the fact that Ophelia requires extra care, and can never quite fit in, but being there for her makes him feel whole, like he's doing something good for once in his life. Likewise, Ophelia can't stand Polonius' controlling nature, but feels like she needs his approval and guidance to function.

The scene with the phone dialing 911 and the broken bottle is replaced with a shot of a bunch of thick bars in front of a small, red, abstract shape. As it cuts to Ophelia's distorted, screaming face, we're supposed to realize that it's her view of her dad's body being taken away

Polonius' voice echoes in her mind, telling her she's just as powerless as him as hands burst out of the darkness, trying to drag her back into the castle

After she escapes them, she comes to the river

I'm torn on whether the replacement for Billboard!Opal is Ophelia's reflection, showing her how she appears in part 2 of the mad scene or Ophelia's mom (as she appears in that one photo on Polonius' nightstand) bc like

While the former makes more sense in the context of the original short the latter would imply that this is a cycle where Elsinore just keeps driving people to madness; this cost Ophelia a mother and the only way she can feel her unconditional love is by joining her in death

Laertes, Hamlet and Polonius start crawling out of the bushes, and Ophelia climbs up the willow tree to escape them

Whichever of the two entities I decide on quietly approaches, pulling her into the water as she screams

How I'd deal with the reprise of We See You, Opal depends on which entity I go with

Option 1: Ophelia's spirit approaches Elsinore with Polonius in tow, ready to collect the souls of Hamlet and Laertes. At first, it looks like she's happily guiding them to Heaven, but as the scene changes and she glitches into her alternate form (the one seen at the river), it becomes clear that she's pulling them downwards, grinning wickedly as they stare at her with panicked expressions.

Option 2: The entire thing is sung by Ophelia's mother as she drags her daughter further into the depths. Ophelia struggles against her at first, but then closes her eyes and embraces her mother. Maybe it eventually fades back to Elsinore, where (ONE OF MY FIFTH HOUR OCS LOL GOTTA REVEAL THEM) is looking up at some group of authority figures, indicating that the cycle is gonna begin again.

[the-witchs-cafe]

Hi there- I hope it's not too much to ask, but, if that's alright, do you have any advice on designing witches in general? Or if there's a certain philosophy you follow in regards to it?

It isn't at all, dearie! Thank you so, very much for asking in the first place!! I cannot emphasize how much this has warmed my heart ^^ /v v pos

My most important advice above all else...if you ask me, I say it's best to take all the time that you need- even if it took weeks, months, or even a year or two, it's best to allow your brain to cook at its leisure. In the meanwhile, I also recommend setting up a way you could archive any and all inspirations/ideas that come your way- whether we're talking about an inspiration board or even a discord server that only exists to compile information, just find a method that best suits yourself and stick with it.

Don't be afraid of going off the walls when designing the witch themselves, either; so long as a theme has been established and everything is sticking to it, you won't have a thing to worry about.

I mean, come on! Ophelia is dubbed as the Witch of Wudan, with a European name serving as a reference to Hamlet, possesses a candle for a head, and has powers over illusions. Candeloro, meanwhile, is a headless little toy known as the "witch of dress-up", whose labyrinth possesses a river of blood contrasting with the idyllic scenery of her labyrinth, and had taken all the measures she's managed to come up with in order to keep her familiars from leaving her alone.

To bring my own creations into the spotlight of shame, and ironically so when considering who he was, Sayf al-Muharib is the Gladiator Warlock who resembles a sheep-wolf hybrid with design elements invoking both the Golden Calf and a "wolf in sheep's clothing" (full credit goes to @gummybonebanes for the wolf part esp), is constantly burning/melting so that he could further imitate his hero, has an Arabic name that means "the warrior's sword" in spite of Gladiators being a mainly Roman thing and his weapon being a HALBERD, and the center of his labyrinth even looks like a soccer arena once you take a good look at it.

All these aspects may look like they make little to no sense for them to be put together, but, once you look at them a little closely and inspect the people they once were, it all begins to fall into place. Like working with individual cogs of a machine, just try to find the piece that keeps the design operational and working in the manner that befits what you had in mind. I also recommend looking at other media that possess story elements that happen to be similar to PMMM's witches for further inspiration as well, such as the Baal bosses from the Bravely series, or the abyss enemies and the concept of the samsara from Genshin Impact.

Finally, and I know this sounds corny as hell, but...don't stress about the design and the labyrinth too much, and try not to push yourself to write even when you're nervous or are dealing with other unrelated strifes. The reason why I regret how Bianchi and Liang-Hui turned out they way they did is because I was, for lack of better terms, not at all in the chillest of moods to write, and, boy, do I regret that now. Find the right mindset and mood you want the labyrinth to embody, try to capture that very emotion and sensation, and just go from there!

For example, the reason why Kealamauloa Kinimaka's labyrinth is the way it is and why I am so proud of it is because not only does every little detail symbolize an aspect of Hau's life, but it invokes a certain emotion; comfort and disconnection from the struggles around you, and, by letting go, you could even float high up to the skies. Sayf al-Muharib's, meanwhile, invokes the emotion of being watched at all angles; denied of freedom by the people surrounding you as you struggle to strive forwards through these suffocating hallways, with the withered statues of his older brother looking down on him- casting a reflection of the beast and failure he has become.

Remember, a labyrinth is the "mental headspace of a magi prior to witchification", as stated by the creators themselves; it can be interpreted as their own worldview and how they saw themselves in the story they're in, the magnitude of their life struggles in their eyes, or are just places that exist to keep the witch's wounds wide open at all costs- a cage forged from their own curses, locking them in this eternal hellish state. Don't be afraid to exaggerate aspects of their lives when it comes to labyrinths; make us plunge into the eyes of the magical people they once were and how they saw their problems! It is all about perspective here.

Best of luck and wishes, anon- and godspeed!

[inmyaera]

Under His Wings, You May Seek Refuge

A poem by Aera.

“To be a woman is to be an actress. Being feminine is a kind of theater, with its appropriate costumes, decor, lighting, and stylized gestures.”

You stop me in my tracks before I even begin to make a move

Before I understand which route is more suitable

My compassion is nurturing and my empathy is rare

However you fail to perceive my ingenuity

It overwhelms you

Pours down and consumes you

Turns around, fools you

Threatens your intelligence and loses you

The rumination of the illumination of the universe’s picture perfect rave

The Empire State of Parallax Agendas with their rickety scaffolding of desperate, overworked wage slaves

A vile, tempting bitch and her vapid, adoring friend

One’s innocence gets dilapidated and she cries

One purpose serves her eyes

One’s innocence stays pure and captivated as she lies down with a smile and succumb’s to the wrath of a one man army, and dies as a wife.

One purpose serves her life

Maybe that’s who I’m meant to be

A real Ophelia

Floating down the river beautifully

Centaureas wrapped in my veins, thorns in my neck

My sexual expression repressed as a feeble dream

You’ll never have to know what that means.

My dichotomous views will tend to confuse

You’re a man, you have nothing to lose

So am I, or so I’m told

Leave me to die beautifully, as I will be, forever bold.

You watch our bodies melt together from the ashes of your mind

Your mind is lost in translation as you utter careful words, and society claims you “kind”

You take control of your soul and only dream of one measly thing

An opportunity to conquer the girl you dream of, and she looks just like me

She claims my body, claims my name, she claims the tongue in my cheek

She’s missing one thing

One thing I’ll have until I’m dead and fifty

One thing you used to cower at with pity

She can have the lips, the hips, and the shoulders of a tween

But she can’t take my mind and verify the abundance of gleam

The gleam I get when I yell my thoughts or even how fast I get mean.

You and your opinions

You can go ahead and toss ‘em.

I don’t care, oh, I care, and that’s just true

But I don’t care that I care

I care that you don’t care that I don’t and I do.

You tear my wings, I’ll rip yours apart

The only refuge I seek, I found in my heart.

[wwalkingcontradiction]

I forgot I actually needed to introduce the Bouges so here’s the whole thing if you wanna know. I’m not gonna tell you the WHOLLEE thing yet because I added extras at the beginning. But here’s where it turns into an Au -

At the end of AAT, Fenchurch is transported back with Arthur, and by sheer probability and my will, Arthur does not transport randomly throughout the galaxy. Him and Fenchurch are still as I remember it (I haven’t gotten thru the series again yet but I think that’s it) going to look for colleges for Random. Arthur is so happy and Fenchurch is happy but confused why Arthur is so happy, because nothing had changed for her. So they continue and come back as promised, Random goes to college and she does what she does. Since Arthur really has nothing left to do, and he has the love of his life back, he decides he finally wants to settle down. He knows he’d said that a million times before and he never really stopped wanting to settle down, but he meant it this time. So he begins to search on his guide, with the help and opinion of Ford and Fen. They finally land on a planet that was logged by only 1 hitchhiker, in which the blog was very old. It describes of ‘only a few civilizations scattered among the planet, including the Bouges, the Vaelas, and the Tahm. Most (emphasis on MOST) of them are harmless. Just watch out for the Vaelas’. They were a little concerned about the last statement, but decided that between a huge mountain and loads of desert, they don’t need to worry. After some discussion, they pack up and meander their way over (Probably through Zaph). They build themselves a house tucked away in a corner of a vast (as vast as it can be on the tiny planet) forest and large mountains. They live happily together, already befriending the local towns folk. They call themselves people of the west, as they have little contact due to the enormous gushing river between them. Sometime a long while later, Random comes back to Mistrule. With a child in her arms and dark streaks running down her face, she tells about how some people running against her in the presidential elections (yes, she wants to become the president. I don’t know where I’m getting that from it might be in the book but idk she just is going to be. She needs to be great.) had done it to her. She had chopped out a section of her brain, for it was “getting in the way” (it was her imagination) and she left it sitting in a Petri dish (like a college student). Her opponents snuck into her lab and dripped a tiny drop of improbability juice (college students developed a way to harness improbability into a physical substance) onto the brain. It didn’t do anything so they shrugged and left. Random came back to an infant lying on her table, crying and wailing. So she took it all the way to Arthur, cuz of course she couldn’t take care of this baby while she was running for the election. Arthur, Fenchurch, and Ford are all given the option to adopt a child. It’s an immediate yes and they get to work preparing a room. Random thanks them, and goes back to being the president. This child grows up with her family and the residents of the land, the Bouges. This is where Alax Bugsby and Elai Ferwoud are from, and their families. This is an entire civilization that has been evolving for a good couple thousand years. I can get farther into the evolutionary track later if we want. Next! They live happily for a while, until Ophelia is around the age of 12. Alax confesses his love for her, which causes Elai to break down because he’s in love with Oph. Ophy I honestly just so distressed she made her best friends fight. So she goes back to her house and cries for a bit. Fenchurch asks her what’s wrong, and like a good mother goes to comfort her daughter. Yet this is a BREAKdown, and accidentally with her powers (yes this baby has powers. She is the creation of imagination personified) that she can’t control well, accidentally ends up with Fenchurch dead. She freaks the fuck out, doesn’t even tell arthur, just picks up her mom and starts flying to fucking anywhere. She ends up at the ocean, where she lays her mother down. Arthur only found out and followed because there was a trail of blood coming down from the sky to the ground and no daughter or wife to be found. - (1/3)

[the-harvest-system]

Hello! We're the Harvest system, welcome to our blog/public system journal! 

Our collective name is Harvey (very creative, we know /sarc) you can call us Nico too though! Please use he/they(plural) pronouns on us! 

Keep in mind, we're bodily a minor, and while we may make some dirty jokes, we do not want to have an nsft interaction/view nsft posts.  

Both our simply plural and pronouns.cc are a WIP however, they'll be linked as soon as we finish them. 

Autism, adhd and possibly social anxiety - so talking to/interacting with people is hard. 

We're a traumaendo/mixed origins system of 60+. We form new headmates easily. Like, very easily. Fictive + nonhuman heavy. Disordered, probably DID.

We won't be sharing everything about our system, since we'd still like to keep some privacy for safety reasons. (You never know on the internet, it's even worse as a system)

ASK GAME ASK GAME ASK GAME

Collective interests include: hermitcraft, empires smp, life series, The magnus archives. That's it, yeah.

Most of us are dogkin/caninekin, almost all of us are non-human in some way, and we're collectively foxkin.

Follow our spotify for amazing music recs ;3

Spotify - LemonMuncher

Stances, DNI, tagging system, blinkies/userboxes and system members below the cut.

STANCES:

Pro endogenic (we're critical of the community but think that endogenics do exist)

Anti Radqueer

Anti TransID

Anti proship (we won't harrass people, we just find the whole proship thing very weird and uncomfortable personally)

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Pro good faith identities + we're mspec mono ourselves (pansexual gay)

DNI:

anti-endos

Proshippers/comshippers

Radqueers/TransID

MAPs, Zoophiles, etc.

Israel supporters

Singlets that can't be normal about systems 

Anti-alterhuman/nonhuman

TERFs

Transphobes, homophobes, racists, ableists etc. (Surprising there's any on this site but...)

TAGGING SYSTEM:

harvestposting - original posts

harvestinfodump - system infodump

harvesthottakes - opinions, mostly syscourse

*emoji* writing - the headmate that wrote the post

harvestfandoming - fandomposting

harvestsillies - stories from headspace + quotes

SYSTEM MEMBERS

note: updated barely at all, not all headmates are featured here, "neos" stands for neopronouns

🍁Maple/Harvest - they/fox/He, gatekeeper and the headspace personified

👁️Xel/Cyrus - they/neos/it/he, protector

🌞Grian/Sunny - he/sun/other neos

🌈Neon - they/neos/it

📼Tubbo/Tobias - he/neos, archival assistant

💥Inni/Tommy - he/him, adhd holder+social headmate

🪻Ranboo/Cranberry - he/they/neos/xe

🦷Lennox/Lynx - he/they/neos

🔑Karl/Grayan - he/him

🔪Wiktor - he/him

❄️Scott - he/aer/neos

🐟Jimmy - he/him, memory keeper

🏺Kaian/Joel - he/him

🫧Lizzie/Meri - she/sea/they/any

🌻Peril/Pearl - she/neos/they

🍄Shrub - any/all

💐Katherine - she/neos

🎆Gemini - she/they

🧨Fwhip - he/him

🌙Pearl - she/they, junior gatekeeper

🔦Grian/Elliot - he/they, archivist

🪦Cleo - she/they/it, protector

🌲Gem - she/neos/it

🐺Ren - he/paw/neos, caretaker

🌱Bdubs/Oakley - he/neos/it

🎙️Etho - he/neos, no role

📻Oscar/Scar - he/xe

🌿Jellie - she/xer, sassy shit of a cat (affectionate)

⚙️Mumbo - he/they/it/neos

🔥Tango - he/flame/it

🍃Joel - he/him

📟Doc - he/any

🧊Cub - he/ve/it

🪽Angel/Halo - they/he/she, comforter

🐅Cassian - they/he, protector

🌼Will/Finn - he/star/shark/bloom/⭐️/🦈/🌼

🥕Brownie/Arvey - social anxiety holder

🕯️Kit - he/they/it, traumaholder

⛓️ Icarus - he/it, comforter

📀Cyn - xe/they, mood booster

✨Milo - they/them, former host

🐾Alex - he/they/it

🦴Amaranthus - he/they, traumaholder

🪵 Cedar -they/them

✴️Felix - he/neos

🐾Alex - he/they/it, therian identity holder

🕓Bdubs - he/him, gatekeeper

🌸Lizzie - she/they

🎀Minx - he/she

🌊Raffy - he/it, animal headmate

🫚Ginger - he/him, animal headmate

🥀Valerie - she/her, protector, caretaker

🕊️Ophelia - she/her, caretaker

🎸Xavier - he/him

🦝Bastian - he/it

🦅Phenic - mirror pronouns, protector

🧸Scout - he/paw/it?

🐕Cody - he/him

🦊Fern - they/them

🍄Faye - they/them

🃏Finley - xe/ve/fizz

💻Alistair - they/them, social protector

🪶Grian - he/him, architect

🌳Scar - he/him

   + Jellie - she/her, non-fronting

♦️Max - he/him

🧪Zedaph - they/he

🌷Stress/Sylvie - she/her

👾Xisuma - they/he

🪓Fallon/Faolan - they/she/he

🧳Antique - they/them

☁️Ghost - she/hxr

+Two littles we'd rather keep private

[practically-an-x-man]

✨💼🎯❤️✂️🍎💀🎓 for Madison Ophelia and Gia

Thank you so much!!!

Ask Game for Someone's OCs

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Madison: Her first name was just picked because I wanted her to have nicknames - I wanted her changing her name/nickname to represent the different stages in her life, where she goes by Maddie as a child, then exclusively uses her full name after running away from home, then is called Mads by Alex as a symbol that she's found another home. Her last name, Douglas, comes from the Gàidhlig "dubh" and "glas", which directly translates to "black gray" but less-literally means "dark river", signalling her connection to water and her aquatic mutation.

Ophelia: It was a combination of several things: alliterative O's to connect her to her father and the superhero trope of alliterative names, the name Ophelia to reference the tragic character in Hamlet and represent all the grief in her life and that her death was sparked by her own action (and potentially as a piece of long-game foreshadowing to Charybdis, with her madness), and her first and middle name (Jo) both being literary references as a connection to her mother.

Gia: Her first name was mainly picked just because I liked the way it sounded (technically it means "God is gracious" or "gift from God" which I suppose could be linked back to her clover, but I didn't plan it that way), but her last name is derived from a Greek salutation meaning "may you live forever" - fitting, don't you think? I was actually pretty proud of that one.

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Madison: At the moment, she's a full-time X-Man and doesn't really have a personal source of income outside that. Later, once she soft-retires to settle down in her own place, she'll make money selling wood carvings and ornate carpentry pieces.

Ophelia: She's a biomedical engineer who primarily works in prosthetics, and later acts as the face of Denarii Technology and Proceedings (AKA what used to be Oscorp, but rebranded and no longer military-focused)

Gia: She owns a flower shop in Hell's Kitchen!

🎯 -What do they do best?

Madison: She's a fantastic survivalist - drop her anywhere, she'll make it out alive.

Ophelia: Problem-solving, in a technical sense. She's great at building a machine to fix what needs fixing, and troubleshooting that when it goes wrong.

Gia: Appreciating the little things. Despite her anxiety, she is genuinely happy about the small pleasures in her life, and she's an optimist at heart (when the anxiety and PTSD doesn't interrupt that, at least)

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Madison: When her older brother first got his driver's license, the two of them went driving around to look for Christmas presents for the family - they stopped for hot chocolates on the way, went through all kinds of gift-shopping gymnastics to avoid the other one discovering what present they got them, and then Johnny crashed into a snowbank getting out of the parking lot (everything was fine, it was just surprising and hilarious)

Ophelia: Winning the state robotics competition in high school and going out for ice cream afterwards - it was both an incredibly happy memory on its own and one of the last times she saw both of her parents alive and happy.

Gia: Visiting her grandparents and extended family in Greece for the first time, swimming in the ocean and hearing her grandmother cluck about riptides and sunscreen, getting into a splash war with her siblings and cousins until her eyes burned from the saltwater...

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Madison: Excluding the absolute worst of the worst since that's a big plot point... being captured by the Brotherhood and having her mutation enhanced. She was physically struggling since the cell was so cold it put her into torpor, mentally struggling because having her mutation enhanced gave her some dysmorphia and depersonalization issues, and she either expected to die there or escape and have to rewrite her life entirely (since she expected to be cast out from the X-Men). It was torture for her in so many ways.

Ophelia: When Officer Stacy came to her door to tell her that her father had passed away. For one thing, her mother had died only a few months before that, so she was already grief-stricken and now newly orphaned, but she was also closer with her father to begin with and it was utterly devastating to lose him. It literally changed the entire course of her life, in a way.

Gia: When HYDRA cut off her leg in an attempt to see if the clover would regenerate it. She doesn't remember much from her time with HYDRA because of the trauma, but she remembers that. It was the most painful thing she's ever experienced, and to her represented a turning point in her life (she could, and does, pretend that her clover didn't change her life, but she can't ever get her leg back).

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Madison: Moderate. She grew up in the 50's, so she always felt stifled by expectations of conformity. There was a lot more strain once she became a teenager, since they expected her to play into traditional gender roles and expect to become a housewife for someone, and that's never been how Madison rolls. Still, they weren't bad parents, and she genuinely does love them.

Ophelia: Incredibly close, to the point that losing them absolutely devastated her.

Gia: Very close at first, but it fractured after her younger sister's leukemia diagnosis and eventual death. It was never really the same after that, and only fractured further after everything with HYDRA.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Madison: Not really. She gets incredibly protective of her family - we're talking protective like a wild animal, she goes feral when they're in danger - but this isn't exactly a phobia.

Ophelia: Not a phobia either, but she's definitely a lot more wary about the multiverse after everything that happened with Charybdis. She's also a lot more wary of herself - Charybdis is a version of her, they're the same person at the core of it, and she's inwardly terrified of going down the same path as Charybdis.

Gia: Strangers. After HYDRA, she develops a strong case of agoraphobia, particularly with the anxiety that HYDRA could still be watching/targeting her through undercover agents, and anyone she encounters on the street could be one of those agents.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

Madison: Since 2020, I think? I started writing her story in mid-2021, but I think she was marinating in my mind for a while first.

Ophelia: Since December of 2021, after No Way Home came out.

Gia: A few months, since somewhere in the realm of November or December of 2023. I was in rehearsals for Little Shop of Horrors at that point, and all that time being cooped up in the puppets got me thinking about the codependence between Seymour and Twoey, which led to me thinking about an OC who's also linked to a plant (to both the success and detriment of their life), and Gia was born

[yallemagne]

“There is no use your telling me that you are going to be good,” cried Lord Henry, dipping his white fingers into a red copper bowl filled with rose-water. “You are quite perfect. Pray, don’t change.”

Henry stop fucking grooming him for one second, he's trying to have a character arc.

Dorian's great act of mercy is finally not fucking over a young woman just because he has a fleeting interest in her. For maybe anyone else I'd be like nooo you're just isolating yourself it's unhealthy, but Dorian just is a shitty person, so yeah, if he "can't help" but hurt everyone he knows he should avoid impressionable young people. Of course, Henry is a whore, so--

“Besides, how do you know that Hetty isn’t floating at the present moment in some starlit mill-pond, with lovely water-lilies round her, like Ophelia?”

"Dorian, you should have just slept with her and ruined her chances at a normal life anyway. She would have killed herself either way." Remind me why people think he's charming.

"You must play Chopin to me. The man with whom my wife ran away played Chopin exquisitely."

GOOD FOR HER. Go get it, Victoria, hell yeah. If I seem like a hypocrite cheering her on and condemning Henry, yes, I am, and I have no shame, I truly hope he was hurt by her leaving him. I wish every inconvenience upon him.

"I dare say he fell into the Seine off an omnibus and that the conductor hushed up the scandal. Yes: I should fancy that was his end. I see him lying now on his back under those dull-green waters, with the heavy barges floating over him and long weeds catching in his hair.”

Does Henry have a fetish for suicide by drowning? Is the only way he can finish by looking at that one painting of Ophelia? Jesus man. He complains Dorian's idea that Basil was murdered is "too romantic" and then he gets all hot and bothered saying "mm imagine Basil rotting in a river".

"There is some one at White’s who wants immensely to know you—young Lord Poole, Bournemouth’s eldest son. He has already copied your neckties, and has begged me to introduce him to you. He is quite delightful and rather reminds me of you." [...] "We might go together, and I will take you to lunch afterwards with Lady Branksome. She is a charming woman, and wants to consult you about some tapestries she is thinking of buying. Mind you come. Or shall we lunch with our little duchess? She says she never sees you now. Perhaps you are tired of Gladys? I thought you would be. Her clever tongue gets on one’s nerves. Well, in any case, be here at eleven."

Henry, what the fuck do you think you are? A pimp??

[angelicgaming1007]

Ophelia and Astarion

If you don't know who Ophelia is check this post

This is my headcanon for her Adventure Act 1

When Ophelia met Astarion she knew right away what he was because of the stench of death on him. Or she knew he was some sort of undead she wasn't certain what kind.

When he revealed his vampiric nature by trying to bite her it was just a regular tuesday for her, she wasn't even surprised, a bit offended that he'd try to do so when they barely knew eachother but not surprised.

When they met the Gur Ophelia was ready to kill the Gur in a heartbeat, She didn't see the undead as monsters, she seen them as family she always had so she didn't like Astarion being in danger.

Ophelia had no issues feeding Astarion because she seen him like she seen her ghouls and zombies, someone to take care of, family, a friend. She wanted to pamper him.

Ophelia would get Astarion random books everywhere they went just to pamper him and gift him things, she would save the fanciest and most elegant clothes when they were pillaging closets and chests just for Astarion.

She banned Garlic from the camp the one time Gale tried to bring any into the camp she tossed it in the nearest river and threatened to shove it up where the sun doesn't shine next time he brings garlic. (Dont worry she loves Gale and isn't mean to him except that one time)

Everytime Wyll makes comments on Astarion, Astarion has to pull her back before she throws a punch because she gets so annoyed with him over it. (She warms up to wyll only when he stops making comments on Astarion)

Sometimes the group would randomly find her eyes glowing talking to spirits and it'd freak them out in the middle of the night. Astarion took amusement in the others reactions and would stay up with her just to watch everyone get spooked. It never failed to be amusing.

The first time she raised a corpse Astarion was upset because he thought the corpse had no free will but she proved she lets her undead think for themselves. (Shes no Cazador)

She trusted him with the necromancy book when they found it wanting him to have a piece of her world delighted he took interest in necromancy because of her.

Act 2

The shadowlands are terrifying for the others but for Ophelia its nothing, she navigates it with ease and takes joy in studying it

When Astarion confesses to her Ophelia has no idea how to take it and resorts to hugs, she has feelings for Astarion too but doesn't realize it. She goes along with it wanting to provide him companionship incase they all die anyways, knowing she cares about him wanting to protect him.

Ophelia confesses that she sees Astarion as family and cherishes him, however she doesn't confess her own love because she hasn't yet realized it.

Act 3

Ophelia finally realizes her feelings and confesses them late. Astarion already knew by how she acts that she has feelings for him but is relieved when she verbalizes them.

They become one of those sickeningly PDA couples

When Astarion and Ophelia confront Cazador, she makes sure this is what he wants. When he asks her for him to Ascend she helps him because she knows from her old Necromancy masters, how horrible it is to be under someones control from the way the Ghouls talked about their masters back then. (She killed her own teachers to free the ghouls and took them as family. Back where she used to live the ghouls are living)

Ophelia eagerly agrees to be a spawn happy to join the world of the dead where all her family is. To be like her ghouls, her zombies, and Astarion. To her its the necromancers dream life.

[velvet-cupcake-games]

An Indigo Girls Song for Every Romance

Welcome to Becky's late-night self-indulgent character-related Tumblr posting! The Indigo Girls is one of my all-time favourite groups, and they have written so many wonderful songs about the amazing, messy thing called love (love of many kinds, but we're focused on the romantic variety here).

So I'm finding an Indigo Girls song for every romance in Made Marion. (This is the love interests in relation to Marion.) With the particularly pertinent lyrics below it.

Hope you'll get some thoughts about the romances and hear some amazing music! I even provided a teensy scrap of Mystery Love Interest!

Robin: She's Saving Me

Robin's PoV:

She's saving me I don't even think she knows it Such a strange way to show it as distant as Last nights dream unravels She's saving me I'm a very lost soul I was born with a hole in my heart The size of my land locked travels

John: Keeper of My Heart

John's PoV:

Some things I hold too tightly Some things I'll never I'll never touch Oh but I'm wearing down the stones In the river And you see all my life I've painted with anger's brush

For you Lift me through my love and anger You see now these are my gods These are your scars Lift me through my love and anger Oh and my arms are burning And they're open wide

Pointing out the graveyards I will be the reaper If you will be The keeper of my heart

Will and Gui: Mystery

Will's segment (Marion's PoV):

But you like the taste of danger It shines like sugar on your lips And you like to stand in the line of fire Just to show you can shoot straight from you hip There must be a 1000 things you would die for I can hardly think of two But not everything is better spoken aloud Not when I'm talking to you

Gui's segment (Either Character PoV):

Oh the pirate gets the ship and the girl tonight Breaks a bottle to christen her Basking in the exploits of her thief She's a very good listener Maybe that's all that we need Is to meet in the middle of impossibility We're standing at opposite poles Equal partners in a mystery

Meissa: Wood Song

Either Character PoV

Sometimes I ask to sneak a closer look Skip to the final chapter of the book And then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took To get us where we are this far yeah But the question drowns in it's futility And even I have got to laugh at me No one gets to miss the storm of what will be Just holding on for the ride

Alanna: Fugitive

Alanna's PoV:

We swore to ourselves we'd go to the end of the world But I got caught up in the whirl and the twirl of it all A day in the sun dancing alone Baby, I'm so sorry Now it's coming to you the lessons I've learned Won't do you any good you've got to get burned Well the curse and the blessing they're one in the same Baby, it's all such a treacherous gain

Hide yourself from me I said hide yourself from me All for me

Geoffrey: Strange Fire

(I associate the IG song Pushing the Needle Too Far with Geoff in general, but this is about the romance)

Both Characters, to Each Other: Geoff: First Verse Marion: Second Verse Both: Third Verse

Layton: Blood and Fire

Layton's PoV:

I am looking for someone who can Take as much as I give babe And give back as much as I need you know And they, they still have the will to live 'Cause I am intense, I am in need I am in pain, I am in love, but I feel forsaken You know like the things I, I gave away

And blood and fire are too much for these Restless arms to hold And my nights of desire They're calling me back to your fold And I am callin' you, callin' you From ten thousand miles away Would you whet my fire with your love? And it's babe, babe, babe

???: Secure Yourself

Marion's Pov:

In the ink of an eye I saw you bleed, Through the thunder I could hear you scream, Solid to the air I breathe, Open-eyed and fast asleep. Falling softly as the rain, No footsteps ringing in your ears. Ragged down worn to the skin Warrior raging, have no fear.

Secure yourself to heaven. Hold on tight, the night has come Fasten up your earthly burdens, You have just begun.

Bonus: Alvin: Least Complicated

(Marion's former lover who you'll meet in the prologue, in unrequited love with her, poor Alvin)

Alvin's Pov:

I sit two stories above the street It's awful quiet here since love fell asleep There's life down below me though The kids are walking home from school

Some long ago when we were taught That for whatever kind of puzzle you got You just stick the right formula in A solution for every fool

I remember the time when I came so close to you Sent me skipping my class and running from school And I bought you that ring 'cause I never was cool What makes me think I could start clean slated The hardest to learn was the least complicated

[jennyandvastraflint]

Xena reactions S1Ep4!

Aw nooo, they yeet baby into river. Well. Place in basket.

Awwww, "You sleep like a rock" "On a rock"

PFFFT, are they taking care of a child in their FOURTH episode

Lesbians raise baby together. In episode FOUR

IT IS EATING FIST SO CUUUTE XDD

Gabrielle just adopts the babe

"Why's he crying, you holding him wrong or something" ddhdhshgf

Gabriel and Xenus szddhdhdhs

Gabrielle humming

Pls. "Cowardly mobs are usually led by weasels"

Always one for saving women. (lesbian heroism)

OOP SHE STRANGLED THE GUY

Ominous box with a hand print

PANDORA.

Oh. Her grandmothe is the Oandora's Box kinda Pandora. But oop.

"The hope of mankind" ooooh

"It's why I can't live my life" GNAWING ON CARDBOARD BITE BITE BITE DEVOTION TO A CAUSE OVER LIVING FREEDOM... (I'm getting The Locked Tomb flashbacks, how dare you)

"Don't even think about it" 😂

"Get Nimos" UH OH

Pls what do you think about three women walking into an inn with a baby. That's right lesbians.

SHE BURNED THE GUY'S FACE. Or at least spat fire at him.

FIGHTSSSS

The innkeeper is just like C'mon my pots and pans on shelves? Really?

BWAHAHA hit the guy as he runs

The baby is just chillin'

Xena cutting off bloodflow oop

Oh fuck. Did they take the box

OF COURSE THEY DID

Xena's army is literally her girlfriend, a baby, and another woman

"I'd turn myself in" plsss, Gabrielle you are worth so much more.

Xena wanna go to them

OH THE LOCK MUST BE RESET. FUUUUCK

The king is kinda... silly

OPHELIA?

Pandora and Ophelia I shall ship now. Simply bc I can.

"Good work" Xena just slightly turned on

Oh so Nimos is really gross. Or well... The men in general are shit. Treating women as servants and objects for their pleasure

OH XENA

Bendy af. The muscles needed for this? Impressive.

Aaand the king nicks the box

Is he gonna try and usurp the throne

Awwww, Pandora sings to the baby

Bah. Gross. Man.

Baaaaaah... HA

SHE FUCKING PUNCHED HIM

"And you spoke of pain" GET HIS ASS

Yeah King is sad etc. Boxeeeeeh

JOMP OUT DA WINDOOO

Ooooh, damn.

THE EPIC SLOWMO

R they gonna pretend that's his kid

"He's a child who needs a father to love him, you're a father who needs a child to love" OH.

Did Xena just... Yeet a child.

Shdhdhshshs HELP THEY'RE TOSSING THE BABY AROUND WHAT IS THIS

LESBIAN DISASTERS

SHE CAUGHT the sword 😳

And stabby stabbed.

I feel like at some point Gabrielle will not stand for the killing.

Platonic family? Raising a kid together? Pandora, King guy, and Pandora's gf Ophelia? 😂

"Isn't there anything you want" name the child after my girlfriend.

"I think it all happened because you slept on a rock"

OOP the box is empty

[the hope of mankind] is inside every one of us... I'm getting flashbacks to Vastra's "Inside every warrior" line btw XDD

Vastra 🤝 Xena

Finüshed with disc one!