#miss girl was chilling and all of a sudden black rose plot is a thing

[lettersfrombeyondthegrave]

They rlly sent ekko and Mel in the shadow realms cus these bitches would have solved the plot in 2-3 business days

[dontbipanicjonsa]

A confusing clusterfuck of thoughts re: Jonsa

Or: why the fuck are Jon and Sansa so compatible if they're not canon, huh?

He saw the Wall shining like blue crystal, and his bastard brother Jon sleeping alone in a cold bed, his skin growing pale and hard as the memory of all warmth fled from him. - Bran III AGOT

So....Jon is going to lose memory of all warmth? I'm going to separate the changes brought about in post-resurrection!Jon here as changes caused by death and changes caused by Ghost. This post is only speculating about the changes caused by death i.e. loss of memory of all warmth.

More foreshadowing for that-

Chunks of coal burned in iron braziers at either end of the long room, but Jon found himself shivering. The chill was always with him here. In a few years he would forget what it felt like to be warm. - Jon III AGOT

"It was. The fort is in a sorry state, admittedly. You will restore it as best you can..." ... You'll sleep on stone, too exhausted to complain or plot, and soon you'll forget what it was like to be warm, but you might remember what it was to be a man. - Jon II ADWD

So, I did a word search for warm and memory and I found some interesting stuff. Read under the cut.

1. Home

Jon- warmth and memory of home

The memory of her laughter warmed him on the long ride north. - Jon II AGOT (thinking about Arya)

The weariness came on him suddenly... So cold, he thought, remembering the warm halls of Winterfell, where the hot waters ran through the walls like blood through a man's body. There was scant warmth to be found in Castle Black... - Jon III AGOT

...Iron Emmett was still urging on his charges in the yard. The song of steel on steel woke a hunger in Jon. It reminded him of warmer, simpler days, when he had been a boy at Winterfell matching blades with Robb under the watchful eye of Ser Rodrik Cassel. Ser Rodrik too had fallen, slain by Theon Turncloak... All my memories are poisoned. - Jon VI ADWD

The warmth took some of the ache from his muscles and made him think of Winterfell's muddy pools, steaming and bubbling in the godswood. Winterfell, he thought. Theon left it burned and broken, but I could restore it.-Jon XII ASOS

So, these are the memories of warmth he'll lose? This warmth, that he associates with Winterfell (and the Starks), is the first memory of warmth Jon has.

Dany- memory of home

The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind... and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door.

"… the dragon …" - Daenerys IX AGOT

Home? The word made her feel sad. Ser Jorah had his Bear Island, but what was home to her? A few tales, names recited as solemnly as the words of a prayer, the fading memory of a red door … was Vaes Dothrak to be her home forever? - Daenerys VI AGOT

..."What shall we talk of?"

"Home," said Dany. "Naath. Butterflies and brothers. Tell me of the things that make you happy, the things that make you giggle, all your sweetest memories. Remind me that there is still good in the world."

Missandei did her best. She was still talking when Dany finally fell to sleep, to dream queer, half-formed dreams of smoke and fire. - Daenerys VIII ADWD

Dany's idea of 'home' changes over the course of the books. In the beginning she uses home for Illyrio's house, or the house with the red door. She very clearly doesn't think of Westeros as her home. After Viserys's death however, there's a sudden shift. Now, Westeros is her long lost home that she must return to someday. It's jarring. Interestingly enough, she pretty clearly rejects the idea of Dothraki khalasars as home, and the only time she calls Meereen home is in her last chapter of ADWD where she's trying to convince herself to return there. But we know that she ultimately rejects that too, in the same chapter.

Sansa- memory of home

Snow was falling on the Eyrie.

Outside the flakes drifted down as soft and silent as memory. Was this what woke me? Already the snowfall lay thick... The sight took Sansa back to cold nights long ago, in the long summer of her childhood. - Sansa VII ASOS

Last of all came the Royces, Lord Nestor and Bronze Yohn... Though his hair was grey and his face lined, Lord Yohn still looked as though he could break most younger men like twigs in those huge gnarled hands. His seamed and solemn face brought back all of Sansa's memories of his time at Winterfell. - Alayne I AFFC

She missed Septa Mordane, and even more Jeyne Poole, her truest friend... She tried not to think of them too often, yet sometimes the memories came unbidden, and then it was hard to hold back the tears. Once in a while, Sansa even missed her sister. By now Arya was safe back in Winterfell... - Sansa II ACOK

Arya coz why not

"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths.… Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you …" - Arya II AGOT

Needle was Robb and Bran and Rickon, her mother and her father, even Sansa. Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes. - Arya II AFFC

Again, all this (and much more) is stuff that reminds Sansa (and Arya) of home. This is, presumably, shit that Jon is gonna forget. Or maybe he'll retain the memories and only lose the emotions (warmth) associated with it?

2. Suitors or romantic/sexual partners (+Ben Plumm)

Jon

Many a night he lay with Ygritte warm beside him,... - Jon V ASOS

So, Ygritte becomes his second memory of warmth.

When he turned he saw Ygritte.

...cloaked in darkness and in memory. The light of the moon was in her hair, her red hair kissed by fire. When he saw that, Jon's heart leapt into his mouth. "Ygritte," he said.

"Lord Snow." The voice was Melisandre's.

Surprise made him recoil from her. "Lady Melisandre." He took a step backwards. "I mistook you for someone else." At night all robes are grey. - Jon VI ADWD

AT NIGHT ALL ROBES ARE GREY...yea I know, this is a well established connection between the Girl in Grey and Ygritte. Since Jon associates Ygritte with warmth so strongly, I think it's safe to assume that the Girl in Grey might play a role in warming him too (hehe).

… one hears queer talk of dragons."

"Would that we had one here. A dragon might warm things up a bit."

"My lord jests. You will forgive me if I do not laugh. We Braavosi are descended from those who fled Valyria and the wroth of its dragonlords. We do not jape of dragons." - Jon IX ADWD

Yikes.

Dany

"If my queen commands," he (Jorah) said, curt and cold.

Dany was warm enough for both of them. "She does," she said. "She commands...

When he was gone, Dany threw herself down on her pillows beside her dragons. She had not meant to be so sharp with Ser Jorah, but his endless suspicion had finally woken her dragon. - Daenerys IV ASOS

So, here the warmth is because of anger (woken the dragon).

Dany could feel the warmth of his fingers. He was warm in Qarth as well, she recalled, until the day he had no more use for me. She rose to her feet. "Come," she said, and Xaro followed her through the pillars... - Daenerys III ADWD

She remembered Ben's face the last time she had seen it. It was a warm face, a face I trusted... Even the dragons had been fond of old Brown Ben, who liked to boast that he had a drop of dragon blood himself. Three treasons will you know. Once for gold and once for blood and once for love. Was Plumm the third treason, or the second? And what did that make Ser Jorah, her gruff old bear? Would she never have a friend that she could trust?- Daenerys VI ADWD

This is twice that Dany associates warmth with people who use/betray her.

"You're hurt," she gasped.

"This?" Daario touched his temple. "A crossbowman tried to put a quarrel through my eye, but I outrode it. I was hurrying home to my queen, to bask in the warmth of her smile." He shook his sleeve, spattering red droplets. - Daenerys VI ADWD

Dawn always came too soon.

...If only she had the power, she would have made their nights go on forever, but the best that she could do was stay awake to try and savor every last sweet moment before daybreak turned them into no more than fading memories....

Dany wrapped her arms around her captain and pressed herself against his back. She drank in the scent of him, savoring the warmth of his flesh, the feel of his skin against her own. Remember, she told herself. Remember how he felt. - Daenerys VII ADWD

Ok, I forgot how smitten Dany was with Daario. It would be cute if Daario wasn't so horrifying. Girl has some seriously questionable taste.

Interestingly, the phrase 'fading memory' is used four times in the text (as far as I can find) and three of those times are in Daenerys's POV. One is in the above quote, where she's commanding herself to remember her time with Daario before her marriage to Hizdahr, and the other time is while thinking about the red door. Both these are memories that are important to her, that connect her to the hopeful/little/not-dark girl she once was.

Sansa

Gently, he spoke of Braavos, and met a wall of sullen courtesy as icy and unyielding as the Wall he had walked once in the north. - Tyrion VIII ASOS

"I am composing a new song, you should know. A song so sweet and sad it will melt even your frozen heart. 'The Roadside Rose,' I mean to call it. About a baseborn girl so beautiful she bewitched every man who laid eyes upon her." - Sansa VII ASOS

"Alayne." Her aunt's singer stood over her. "Sweet Alayne. I am Marillion. I saw you come in from the rain. The night is chill and wet. Let me warm you." - Sansa VI ASOS

You must be very cold. Let me warm you, Sansa. Take off those gloves, give me your hands." - Sansa VII ASOS

Yea no. Sansa has not had a good experience with people offering to warm her (unfreeze her? melt her?)

Looks like in TWOW there's going to be two people in desperate need of some warming.

It's pretty neat actually. Jon associates memories of warmth with two things primarily: Winterfell/the Starks, and Ygritte. Sansa is both a Stark, and a much (much) improved Ygritte.

Sansa's iciness-wall-armour is a form of protection that she employs against predatory men. The only person who can melt her frozen heart...is someone who is not predatory. Someone who cares for her. Jon.

It fits perfectly. They fit perfectly.

[princeoftheroses]

Since you want asks, PLSSSE I want your Utena TH0ughts. WHAT is your favourite black rose episode? actually how do you feel about the black rose arc in GENERAL

black rose arc, black rose arc, oh black rose arc!!! by you adding how do i feel about the arc in general you are unleashed me to make a long post giving my very disorganized thoughts about this arc.

a couple of people call it a filler arc? i guess technically it is because it does not directly contribute to the main storyline and it wasn't in the manga and also the ending of the arc sort of makes it so the whole arc kind of didn't happen???

but also i think if a person labeled it as a filler arc they are kind of missing the point?? even if it doesn't contribute to the main plot (which it absolutely DOES but i'll get to that) it adds so much nuance to the characters of utena.

you get to see side characters and how they tick!! some of which like kozue and shiori become very important later as they become miki and ruka's rose brides in the akio arc! (side note : what was up with ruka he just kind of showed up and disappeared lmaooo)

also, it adds to akio! (tw warning for only the next paragraph, i'm talking about akio so you can except me talking about grooming and abuse)

not only is this where akio is introduced, but he is always so omnipresent. it was ... honestly really terrifying to see how chill he acts with utena here. of course the real grooming begins in the akio arc but you can see how he starts here. how he kind of builds himself as anthy's cool older brother that utena can trust and ask for advice for... but we the audience know that he CANNOT be trusted as even know we see him being shady af in the background. i really feel like if we skipped straight from the first arc to akio arc a lot of the creepiness of akio would not have been realized because of ... just how NORMAL he akio acts to utena. he's charming, he's smart, and he overall is somebody utena SHOULD be able to trust bc we should all be able to trust an immediate family member of a best friend , but of course the world doesn't really work that way. anyway akio tangent over because BOOOOOO akio (he honestly terrifies me so much because of how many predators like that exist and you can meet without realizing their intentions)

BACK TO BLACK ROSE ARC

one of the main reasons i feel like this isn't a filler arc, at least not in the traditional sense of the phrase, is because it builds a lot character relationships. something that i didn't like when i first watched revolutionary girl utena but now is one of my FAVORITE things is that for a while we don't really get a straight forward utena/anthy episode. because their relationship doesn't need to build in an episode, it just slowly builds over time. we just see these two causally existing and they just start to trust each other.

in the akio arc we get to see just how close utena/anthy have gotten over the series because of their late night conversations. like how if the black rose arc didn't exist akio wouldn't have been as impactful, if the black rose arc didn't exist it would feel more sudden how close utena/anthy have grown imo.

this arc adds a lot to the world as well. as long as the students stay inside of school they will not grow. dead people wander the halls thinking that they are still alive. these two facts contribute a lot to utena theorizing and analysis (mainly, the ideas that ohtori exists within a plain of frozen time literally because of anthy's magic and metaphorically because the cast is very cozy in their coffin) and i could not thank this arc for that enough. not only are these very cool ideas that may or may not have inspired elements in my own story (i can neither confirm or deny that one of my oc story is heavily inspired by utena) but they just add so many layers!

this arc also felt necessary because of the new duelists??? if we went straight from the first arc to the akio arc then it would've kinda gotten very tiring to see the student council constantly duel and lose to utena (with the exception of touga's sole victory to utena in the first arc before she duels him again and wins) but these new duelists possessed by the black rose are very interesting!

if i did have to make a compliant about this arc, though, i will say that at times the stories felt very disconnected to each other. while it was very funny for utena to not even know who keiko was when she dueled her, it would've been nice if sometimes the arc of the black rose duelist intertwined more with utena. as the arc goes on, the student council is on alert and is trying to figure out where the black rose is coming from, but they never really try to ask utena about it and utena never really tries to get involved? she just is chill until she gets the note to go to the duel arena to fight the black rose duelist. i don't really have a solution on how to fix this? maybe have the student council member that the black rose duelist takes the sword from be more involved? idk.

the villain of this arc mikage also really fascinates me??? i... really like him??? but not even as a villain ... i just really pity him. the realization he has in his duel with utena that everything he has been doing is for nothing because mamiya is already dead .. that always really hit me? the horror in his voice when he starts to recall the truth in his false memories.... for some reason, this is one of the most terrifying parts of the show for me. the realization that something you were doing, something you were doing that might've been awful but you were doing it because of somebody you care about deeply and love, it was all for nought. how much time he has wasted...

even before his duel with utena, there's this moment when after he got punched by utena he says something like "if she hadn't seen my duelist ring and challenged me to a duel, she could've killed me" or something like that, he's just so pathetic and i feel very bad for him but at the same time am too disconnected to him to truly feel empathy for him... that's some TOP TIER shit

overall, this part of the show is one of my favorites. the only part i like more is the last few episodes because it makes me very emotional.

NOW FOR THE SPECIFICS

favorite black rose duelist: honestly? wakaba. the girl deserves it this is stress relief for her. not only is this duel very emotional as i don't think we've ever seen utena refuse to duel somebody (at least not in the way that she does in this episode) but just the SHEER emotion.

i'm a real sucker for fighting the person you care about the most which is why the dark signer arc in yugioh 5ds is the best yugioh arc and this just really takes the cake in this arc. utena always shows concern for the black rose duelist because they are clearly people in pain who were not able to properly duel with their grief which let mikage manipulate them, but it's taken to a new level here.

the way that after the duel is completed, wakaba comes home to her empty dorm where saionji used to be but now isn't always gets me. she's just such a lonely girl and that's never really resolved for her. a lot of the other duelists have a optimist note to end on (kozue asking miki for a milkshake, shiori and juri saying hello to each other as they walk past, keiko being friends with nanami again, etc.) which is why the fact that wakaba is more alone now then she is ever... it is a feeling i can relate to an almost embarrassing amount.

favorite episode: COWBELL OF HAPPINESS, NANAMI TURNS INTO A COW-

ANTHY YOU GLORIOUS TROLL-

favorite episode that isn't cowbell of happiness: i'm very torn between the landscape scaped by kozue and thorns of death. shiori and kozue are both very interesting characters that i like a lot. but i'm going to go with thorns of death for now, as while i really like the landscape scaped by kozue, i think my preferred miki/kozue episode is their episode in the akio arc. meanwhile i like thorns of death way more than i liked whispers in the arc (mostly because i just do not really care that much for ruka, but azure paler than the sky was a banger and he was in that?) i just loved the feeling of seeing shiori the girl juri loves so much and juri's reaction to seeing her. the way my heart was wrenched when black rose shiori mocks juri... it really did hit different. but the hopeful ending did make me feel a lot better. i do like the way that juri out of all the student council members is the one closest to self actualization and this really sets that up even if there is still a bumpy road until then.

honorary mention: the boys of the black rose and kanae as a black rose duelist are both really great. i feel like if this wasn't the arc opener it would've had more room to stretch its legs and show how horrific it could've been. kanae is a girl i feel really bad about and similar to wakaba, i don't really think her episode was a very optimistic ending for her especially since akio probably killed her later in the show?

honestly the minute akip appeared on screen, engaged to a girl who HASN'T EVEN GRADUATED and is also emotionally manipulating her so much and having his little sister manipulate her too... throw the whole man away

tl;dr - the black rose arc is very good and i like it a lot, the ending of the arc really fucks me up, somebody give mikage & all the black rose duelists therapy, throw akio in the garbage, and this show probably exists in some sort of time loop / frozen time space as a metaphor for the whole coffin thing but you can probbaly find people smarter than me talking about that.

oh and go rewatch cowbell of happiness it's great

[reversecreek]

hi it’s me... clicks across the linoleum of the dash wearing high heels w a spray tan like i’m a member of jersey shore suddenly..... best summary of willa is that she got moira rose as her #1 chara on a What Character Are You Most Like personality test out of thousands of options.... says so much. u can find her pinterest here n her playlist here 😋 like this or hmu fr plots!!

* ashley moore, cis female + she/her  | you know willa deneurve, right? they’re twenty-four, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, most of her life, on and off? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to watch me by the pom poms like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole sticking gold stars over old polaroids until you can barely see faces, dressing as marie antoinette at your high school prom & delivering fake laughter to a bratz doll you’re pretending is a talkshow host thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is august 1st, so they’re a leo, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( nai, 24, gmt, she/her )

HISTORY:

willa ws born to honestly like….. the perfect family not to honk my own tit bt……………. they were jst rly quite wholesome. her mum celeste was this larger than life person who could never b contained by the four walls of any room she was in. she hd the presence of a gold glitter chess piece on an otherwise mundane wooden board. her dad marlon used to always joke that he had absolutely NO idea how he landed her bc he was just this like. rly average guy by all accounts n purposes….. blended into the sea in high skl……. had a few close friends but was never rly Notable or made a proper impression anywhere…… he always retold it as him coasting thru life until he met her in college. kind of like he’d been half awake before. they just Clicked n no-one cld believe she’d chosen him bt she was jst. completely head over heels n didn’t care what anyone had to say bc that was That

willa always very much took after celeste…… there’s this one quote i remember reading that goes vaguely like “my mom and i would sit and listen to leonard cohen and joni mitchell lyrics together. from a young age i remember her being like "i’m playing this song and when it’s done i want u to tell me what’s happening in it” n she would give me a fake glass of wine when i was 8 and i would listen and b like. i think there was an affair.” which so much summarises their dynamic…… she ws just so like. dramatic n fun n always encouraged that in willa too. her mum was like. everything she aspired to be…… got scouted by a modelling agency in college n shot one campaign before blowing it off simply bc she was bored. starred lead in a play. spent a few weeks travelling asia selling handmade candles shaped like koi fish or curled up foxes or elegantly stretched hands. dated a parisian movie star during a break she and her father took n was featured in tabloids on his arm at the premiere. sm fun n exotic stories willa literally cldn’t get enough. whenever she’d tell them to willa as a kid her dad wld roll his eyes like ohhhhh here she goes again but it’d all b playful n he’d smile bc he honestly cldn’t get enough either. the stuff dreams are made of luv (lizzie mcguire stans rise)

(car accident & death tw) so u know when ur walking down a flight of stairs n then out of nowhere u miss a step n u get that lurch in ur stomach like ur in free fall? yeah. i won’t go into it too much but one night they were driving back from getting frozen yogurt and then suddenly they weren’t. she doesn’t rly remember much about it except for completely ignoring the doctors trying to give her the news and just saying “dad chose pecan. who chooses pecan?” n repeating that over n over n over until it didn’t rly register in her ears as english any more.

willa was uprooted from irving at 11 to go n live w her aunt in NY. this was like. a huge adjustment honestly….. her aunt blanche hd always been a little unconventional bt extremely glamorous. she lived in an old defunct theatre she’d bought out n came from a lot of money. willa’s mum’s side of the family hd always been well off bt celeste opted to live a little more Ordinarily shall we say after settling whereas blanche ws jst balls to the walls dripping w eccentric excess…. wld say she was never naked bc she ws always wearing black opium by yves saint laurent…… probably the living embodiment of la vie boheme….. she’d been admitted a yr early to a rly prestigious parisian design school n is an AMAZING seamstress. a corset she stitched a broadway star into got commissioned fr an actress’ red carpet walk at an indie film festival. rly just lived such a life rich w lots of stories n lots of talent too…… had that star quality essence tht her mum had n that was smthn willa found quite comforting everything considered.

(grief tw) u would think maybe a situation like this (one involving so much sudden change) wld cause a kid of tht age to withdraw into her shell bt willa only came out of her shell MORE. she coped w her situation by spinning it into a celebrity origin story inside her head. the tear jerker tale someone tells during their x factor audition to get the judges rooting for them. mentally streamlining things. repackaging all that hurt as a surefire ticket to success bc it had to be useful for something right? there had to b a point to it right? willa decided the point was she’s a star. KFHSGKFHGFKHGKJSFHG. get it girl….. she ws literally just like ok well clearly i’m destined to be famous n i’m the main character of this story. this story called earth. it’s all about me.

rly heavily immersed herself in her high skl theatre scene……. loved experimenting w fashion n literally wore the most outlandish things like. she treated the hallways like her milan f/w debut every new school yr…… a lot of the things she wore were actual like. costumes frm her aunt’s collection…… she has a multi-story closet u have to climb ladders to reach things in like a very rustic library…. it rly wasn’t uncommon for willa to turn up one day corsetted like a pirate with billowing sleeves or sporting the baby blue gingham of a swedish milk maid. it’s like she literally jst…… became a role. always. every day. the world ws her stage. the cameras were always rolling. her aunt only encouraged this tbh n honestly? icon. we love to see it. willa partied a bunch n rly lived a lax lifestyle where responsibility was concerned…. her aunt ws her best friend…… made rly gd friends with performers in the drag club scene n loved the glitz of that….. lots of wild nights turned grossly bright mornings

snagged an agent fresh into her first yr of college (she gt accepted to a pretty competitive theatre program at [redacted] in NY bc i haven’t looked into what that wld be yet <3 i’m merely a helpless british lass <3) n booked a few commercials n things….. when i say willa wld enter audition rooms like she owned the place i’m rly not exaggerating…. once she turned up to a casting call for MEN n just walked right to the front of the line scraping a random chair along the way n then took a seat w her legs crossed popping a bubble in her gum as they all glared at her like wtf is literally going on who are u. she received several complaints n she was just like “ur all acting so jealous of me….”

i feel like she got a pretty big role in a theatre production in her last yr at school. haven’t decided what yet. maybe smthn rocky horror or even mimi in rent. this was meant to b some like huge moment for willa like yes girl finally making it ur on ur way this is what u wanted n she WAS happy abt it but once it was wrapped she jst had this strange like Huh feeling in her chest……. n a la celeste w all her exciting stories was just like well i’ve done that so what’s next? i think she’d graduate n then jst suddenly decide to move to irving in a fit of impulse. to all her college friends she’d be like “ugh a beach retreat is so necessary honestly the city is sooooooooo toxic this place cld literally enlarge my pores if i wasn’t so rigorous with my skincare routine” bt like 🤔 what u seeking girl? results pending.

SO basically i feel like she finally moved back to irving little over a yr ago. she hd a brief stint starring on a reality tv show tht filmed in one of the larger beach houses where her dog gained a handful of fan accounts dedicated to him……. u maybe will see why in the first bullet point of her personality section………… FKGHKSHFGGKFSHKHG. honestly she ws received pretty well too (mostly bc she’s so fking dramatic n like a caricature of a person) bt it wasn’t anything to warrant actual Fame (despite what willa herself might think). she’s mostly jst like. chilling honestly. accepting scripts n flying out fr auditions still. she’ll nab the occasional part bt she’s looking for that One Thing that rly feels like her big moment….. otherwise i cn just imagine her treating irving like a little dollhouse compared to the roaring mansion of NYC n having fun playing around in it. strikes a pose w a hand on my hip…. and now to personality.

PERSONALITY:

got a very large n lithe greyhound n named him marlene dietrich bc she was a black n white hollywood starlet famously known for her affairs n “bedroom eyes”. willa was like ugh. icon status instantly. didn’t rly foresee the responsibilities tht came w owning a dog tht loves exercise n complains abt him being like “ugh he wants to run soooooooooo much 🙄 like where are u literally going”. having said tht loves him dearly n he can often be seen wearing little clothes. a baby’s bonnet. a quilted leather waistcoat. a custom dog boa. he’s very glamorous. willa calls him a gay icon despite no evidence to support this theory. she also says he can sniff out evil in ppl so she brings him sometimes when she’s first introduced to a friend’s new bf n if his nose quivers a certain way she’s like “marlene has spoken. it’s done”. her friends r like omg? what’s done? willa gets up n walks away without elaborating. marlene’s little paws clicking along the floor w attitude.

literally dressed as marie antoinette for her high skl prom even tho there was no theme pertaining to this. jst loves the spotlight. can fake cry and WILL to get out of a parking ticket or teach someone to watch their tone or even simply for the theatrics of it all. the Most dramatic………….. rly fits being an actress like when people find out what she does it’s very like oh that makes sense.

says she doesn’t get hangovers. she’s just like “i revoked that it doesn’t happen to me”. alludes tht this is bc she’s an all powerful deity that was Chosen to be Blessed bt really she’s jst great at bouncing back n acting fine even w a blistering headache. it’s about believing the performance so much that u even convince urself.

has an extremely elevated sense of self importance bc this is kind of the equivalent of several layers of bubble wrap to cushion her frm the world. strives to b extraordinary bc ordinary honestly feels like a death sentence n there’s nothing she’d want to b seen as less. despite this weight she puts on that she rly doesn’t tend to let ppl’s opinions affect fr the most part like she’s quite firmly set in this I’m Literally The Most Gorgeous And Beautiful Angel Star Creature To Walk This Narsty Little Earth view

probably an incredibly big fan of dramatic short lived love affairs. she wants the glamour of it all. the scandal. the randomly breaking up w someone in a public place n sliding on sunglasses after delivering the words over a freshly ordered coffee (tht she’ll leave without drinking bc that’s star power babey she waits fr no man or no hot beverage)…….. has no preference gets w any n all regardless of gender……… romanticises things so they hv a better spin or story in her head n doesn’t rly take things seriously like jst has fun in her fantasy world…. she’s like ugh chuck i know u wanted to marry me but i’m a beautiful bird in a cage n u literally need to undo the latch n set me free……. the guy’s like……. my name’s chase n we’ve only been on two dates….. willa’s like…… please don’t take this so hard i can tell ur besides urself but people r starting to stare……. gets up n leaves. no-one was staring. chase is confused n honestly probably semi concerned fr her welfare.

always has to b the hottest n most glamorous person in a grocery store…. probably goes to them when she doesn’t even need anything jst holding a basket nonchalantly over her forearm glancing over at a cashier in her wizard of oz corset seamed interpretation on a dorothy dress thinking he wants me soooo bad it’s not even funny….. seduces him over the check out counter jst for him to ask her to come back to his so she can lean back scandalised n cry “IS THAT THE KIND OF WOMAN U THINK I AM, PAUL?! YOU’RE A GHASTLY LITTLE MAN, YOU ARE….” with all the gusto of a telenovela. attracts the shocked glances of all surrounding elderly.

speaks fluent french. probably on her brief stint on tht reality show i mentioned earlier was like “ugh can you believe Deneurve of this guy?” n in her head was like this catchphrase is sensational it’ll catch on fast the twittersphere is abt to implode but it didn’t become a thing except for in a small isolated community. despite this she’s like “yeah it went viral….. go figure. just another day in the life.”

honestly like a lot of fun bt also a huge handful at the same time. keeps her real Serious emotions in a locked box bt is always overflowing w melodramatics n rly giving her all at the drop of a hat where Performing is concerned. probably Loves parties n sees them as another form of production in which she wants to b the lead. rly just. loves herself. except does she? 🤔 lifts my hand up like rihanna n winks. find out next time. lucky by britney plays as i slowly disintegrate in spiderman rp…..

WANTED CONNECTIONS

unrequited flame: willa burns thru people like matches. bright n fast. honestly i feel like she struggles to take romance seriously so it cld be fun to play around with someone who’s been singed by that in the past…. mayb they hd actual feelings whereas willa was just messing around n having fun…. living la vida loca so to speak…….. we can discuss a time frame or specifics to expand upon this but. sexy angst perhaps.

those she knew from childhood: willa moved to NY at 11 n i feel like it was very sudden n soon after the accident. maybe she didn’t even say goodbye. maybe they were rly close n all of a sudden she didn’t show up to school the next day n when they rode past her house on their bike the sign said sold and that was that. honestly very dramatic of her even at a young age. we love a disappearing act. houdini who?

acting rival: honestly jst feel like this cld be funny. willa’s so dramatic she’d be like i literally want them dead they’re a despicable little gremlin fr trying to steal my spotlight. cld be as simple as having auditioned a few times fr the same parts or something.

childhood sweetheart: i think it cld be rly cute n sad if there was someone that kind of echoed the dynamic her mum n dad had except she was the celeste n they were the marlon…. (open to any gender)…….. so like. willa was always very larger than life commanding attention in a room n they were more to the sidelines but they just kind of got each other n brought out the best in one another. added angst to the fact tht willa wld maybe want to avoid them as much as possible now bc it dredges up feelings she doesn’t want to confront where her parents r concerned n also in a way any possibility of them winding up together feels like sellotaping an expiration date to both of their foreheads in willa’s brain

someone who was either a fan of or also on the reality show willa was: i imagine it like a reinvention of the hills honestly except based in these irving beach houses…. probably didn’t run that long bt there was a bunch of drama on it mostly staged…… maybe they were willa’s love interest bt it was all fake fr the cameras…… it wasn’t like. a huge deal n didn’t rly catch flight so much where popularity’s concerned bt. cld be fun to play with <3

patti frands: jogs in high knees to translate that into party friends as i adjust my spectacles. willa’s very sociable bt she’s also like kind of full of herself n obnoxious so do with that what u will. KFHGKSHGKGHFSKG. she knows hw to have a gd time tho like growing up she was rly into the gay club scene n the drag scene in NY so like. let’s hear it fr the gays who know how to do it right <3

someone equally over the top: i luv the idea of willa having someone who just like runs with made up scenarios n roles she makes up on the spot n them hanging out is like a 24/7 improv session tht they reel random surrounding strangers just fr the fun thrill

the other woman: willa is quite detached n selfish so she wld easily be the other woman in a relationship n not care about it n this cld make for good spice <3

[lynelovespopculture]

The Wedding-Missing Scenes for Ch. 16

Zelda Spellman ran along the path that separated the church and the school, clutching the full skirts of her black and red wedding gown. She could faintly recall her mother telling both her and Hilda that a lady, be she witch or mortal, shouldn’t run in a dress, certainly not a wedding dress. But Zelda knew her mother has never experienced anything like this. Her head swam when thinking of the events of the last 20 hours. As a devoted daughter of the church of night, Zelda was overjoyed and honored to know that the anti-pope agreed to marry her and Faustus. The arrival of his unholiness seemed to be going well but the true madness came that night. It was when she and Hilda were waiting for the dark lord in her new chambers at the academy to see if he would come and bless her on her wedding eve. Zelda, of course, would never admit it but she was frightened if the dark lord would take her, as was his right. When he at last arrived, Zelda kept her back to him, yet knelt to submit and she swore her heart stopped when she felt his long claw around her shoulder but then it happened. A scream, loud enough to wake the dead. She and Hilda rushed into the hall, with the others and saw it; the anti-pope, bloody and dead in his bed. The Academy of the Unseen Arts was supposed to be a haven for the young witches and warlocks of the Greendale coven and now the father of fathers had been murdered under the school’s roof! Worse still, 1 of the boys standing over the body was her nephew, Ambrose, covered in blood and looking confused. Despite Zelda’s and Hilda’s pleas to wait, Faustus killed the 3 others in quick succession, but Ambrose was able to be spirited himself away. Before Zelda could even consider what happen, the manhunt for Ambrose was on and the bride-to-be found herself back home at the Spellman Sisters mortuary. As Faustus and his boys combed the house for Ambrose, Zelda could barely feel her legs as Hilda led her off the parlor to sit with her sister and Sabrina. Sabrina’s big, pleading eyes were like twin daggers in her heart.

“You don’t really think that Ambrose killed the anti-pope, do you, Aunt Zee? I mean, this is Ambrose we’re talking about here. Our Ambrose.”

“Yes, the same Ambrose who plotted to blow up the Vatican.” As usual, her remarks were sharper than she intended.

After another sip of brandy, Zelda looked up to see Faustus coming in saying that Ambrose was nowhere to be found but the hunt for him would continue. Faustus then completely shocked her by insisting on going ahead with the wedding.

“Come Zelda. We must return to the Academy.” Faustus held out a hand for hers.

Oh, that right. Zelda thought, suddenly remembering. I don’t live here anymore. Zelda had a sudden urge to stay here, cuddle up with Sabrina and Hilda and pray for Ambrose, wherever he was. Don’t be a child! She scolded herself. Faustus was right; what the coven needed now was strength. Zelda was a Spellman, very soon to be a Blackwood, 2 very important names in the coven. After all, her late brother, Edward had been high priest and now it was Faustus. Her coven, her school, her world was looking to her now. Zelda put down the glass, stood up to straighten her dress and left with Faustus and the schoolboys.

Back the academy, chaos still reigned. Teachers were trying to calm down students, to coax them back to bed. The headmaster’s living quarters were on the 3rd floor. When Zelda saw the still blood-stained bedroom of the witch pope, she held tighter to Faustus’s arm.

They stopped just in front of her chamber door. “You must rest, Zelda.” He told her softly.

“Who can rest after all that has occurred here tonight?” Zelda genuinely wanted to know. “I’m still trembling.”

“Try” Faustus said softly and then stepped closer, his voice lowered even more. “There are still a few hours before dawn, you may still be visited.”

“Oh.” Zelda lowered her eyes to the ground; when all the twists and turns of the evening, Zelda had almost forgotten. “Faustus, I have already been visited.”

 “What?!” Faustus was beyond shocked. “When?!”

“Earlier this evening” Zelda admitted.

“And? Did he...christen you?” Faustus wanted to know.

“Almost, I mean he was just about to but then I heard Dorcas’s scream and quick as lighting, the dark lord disappeared.”

“Then I must be the luckiest man alive.”

“Faustus! What a thing to say on the night the father of fathers was murdered.”

Despite the scolding, the groom smiled and took Zelda’s hand. “I’m sorry, Zelda, but it’s true. Think about it. What other warlock can claim highest blessing from the dark lord on his marriage and yet have his bride completely…untouched for himself.”

His heated look of utter desire bore into to her and Zelda felt her insides melt. Just because she was marrying him for power and not love, didn’t mean that Faustus wasn’t the best damn sex of her entire life. Faustus stepped closer and kissed her brow, the way he always did when he felt she was anxious. “Goodnight, my dearest.” He whispered before taking his leave.

Zelda watched him leave, before she sighed, turned on her heel and entered her own room. Zelda felt sure that the dark lord would not return so for the 2nd time that night Zelda undressed, putting on her most unflattering nightgown she had. It was also her warmest and she needed that. Knowing that a messy murder had taken place across the hall just 1 hour before chilled her to the bone. Zelda laid down in the cold bed and closed her eyes but just as she suspected, there was to be no sleep for her that night. Zelda met the dawn fully dressed and half done her 2nd cigarette. By 7, Faustus had called the teachers in his office for a staff meeting. Faustus laid out the schedule for the day. After morning assembly, students would report to their homeroom for attendance,  as usual, then everyone would walk to the church for the funeral then lunch where Zelda would hand over her group to go dress for her wedding, which would take place as soon  as the students would settle back into the church. After the staff  left, Zelda hung back and once again, asked Faustus if it wouldn’t be better for everyone to delay their wedding, only a little.

“No one and nothing will stop me from marrying you today!” Came his sharp reply.

Zelda’s eyebrow rose. It wasn’t what he said but his tone. Almost as if he knew someone would object to the union but aside from Sabrina’s teenage outbursts, who would dare? Faustus was Greendale’s high priest and she, the sister of his predecessor, as well as a known teacher and midwife. True, it was a little soon since Constance’s death for her widower to remarry but truthfully, she and Faustus were too high standing in the church and the coven for everyone to say anything. Faustus must have sensed her unease because he took a step toward her and took her hand.

“It will all be alright.” He said and then led her to the morning assembly. It passed in a blur for Zelda as did homeroom. It was just as 4 senior boys acting as pall bearers bringing in the coffin that it hit her. I’m at a funeral. Zelda thought. I’m at a funeral on my wedding day! Faustus conducted the service, of course and after it was over, Zelda gathered up her students and herded them into the lunchroom. 15 minutes later, Brother Lovecraft arrived to take over and Zelda exited the room. Outside, in the main hall, Zelda saw her sister and Hilda tossed her a smile and an apple.

“Knowing you, Zelda, you probably haven’t a bit to eat all day.

Zelda smiled at her little sister and bit into the apple. “So, how’s Sabrina?” She asked softly.

“I don’t know. She was still sleeping when I left this morning.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, Hildie.”

Hilda shrugged and curled both her arms around 1 of Zelda’s.   “Maybe I am, but it’s my big sister’s wedding day and as maid of dishonor it’s my job to get you dressed for the rest of today, you’re the star.”

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Zelda confessed quietly and with her free arm bit into the apple again before her smile got too big as the sisters climbed the rest of the grand staircase in silence.

20 minutes later, Zelda smiled at herself in the full-length mirror as Hilda hummed as she fastened the back of Zelda’s gown. The sisters wore matching dresses made of red full skirts and black overlay sewn into the corsets and long selves. As the bride, Zelda had the grander gown.

“There.” Hilda said with a sigh. “Finished. Now you look like a bride.”

“Well, I’m starting to.” Zelda walked away from the mirror and from her opened chamber door saw Prudence in the hallway. At first, Zelda was filled with dread. Surely, the girl wouldn’t pick now to ask her yet again to pled with Faustus on her behalf. Then again, maybe not.  Prudence seemed to just be walking by, unaware of Zelda’s nearby presence. Odder still, the girl was smiling to herself and happiness was a rare emotion on Prudence.

“Prudence, child?” Zelda found herself calling out. “Are you alright?”

Prudence blinked. “Oh, Sister Zelda, forgive me, I did not see you.   I was just dressing for the ceremony. I’m late because I was called down to the main office. My father had finally decided to give me the Blackwood name!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful for you, dear.” Hilda proclaimed. The entire coven knew how badly Faustus’s daughter wanted to be recognized.

“Indeed, it is.” Zelda smiled and put a gentle hand on the girl’s back. “It appears that we will both be Blackwoods before the day is out.  Come in.”

Prudence smiled. “My father says he needs family around him at the altar today.”

That statement set off a lightbulb in Zelda’s mind. “Then why don’t we grant his request?” Zelda took a step backwards to look at her sister. “We still have Sabrina’s bridesmaid dress here, don’t we, Hilda?”

“Of  course, yeah. It’s in the other room. We could just pop over.”

Zelda nodded and turned back to Prudence. “Well? What do you say? Would you care to join us and attend me at the wedding?”

The child’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, Sister Zelda! You honor me!” Then, as if catching herself in her own happiness, Prudence caught herself. “I mean, of course I will.”

Zelda had to chuckle. Poor Prudence, so afraid to show genuine emotion, just in case someone may mistake it for weakness. Just like herself at that age. “Hurry now, we haven’t time.” Zelda gently pushed the girl toward Hilda’s waiting hand. The 2 scurried into the next room to make ready. Meanwhile, Zelda sat down at the vanity and fastened her thick, gold necklace and put on her earrings. She was brushing her hair when Prudence and her sister returned.

“Prudence, you look wonderful.” She really did. True, the red dress was made for Sabrina, but Prudence was slightly older and um, more developed and the very low neckline looked stunning on Prudence. “But something’s missing.” Zelda stood up and fastened a sliver necklace around the girl’s neck. “There. Now, you’re perfect.”

“Thank you, Sister Zelda. I promise to return it right after the ceremony.”

Zelda smiled. “Keep it. It’s a gift.” The necklace was supposed to be a surprise for Sabrina, but Prudence didn’t need to know that.

After all she’s been through, the poor girl deserves a kind stepmother.  Zelda thought, thinking about how long it took Faustus to recognize his daughter and worse still, when Constance tried to kill her last Feasts of Feasts.

“Come along now,” Hilda said, breaking into Zelda’s thoughts. “We must finish getting you ready.” Hilda guided her sister back to the vanity and with Prudence’s help, fixed the golden deer crown and black veil upon Zelda’s head. Just as they were finishing up when a schoolboy knocked on the door.

“Sister Spellman? Father Blackwood sent me to say he’s ready when you are.”

Zelda thanked the youth, stood up and held hands with the other witches and said the words to teleport them to the church small front lobby. The bells rang out while Hilda adjusted her sister’s veil and gave Zelda the dagger and they were ready. The precession began; Prudence went first, then Hilda and Zelda bought up the rear. The bride was slightly annoyed when she saw that some people who attended the funeral didn’t see it important enough to stay for the wedding. Zelda dismissed the thought and kept her eyes front. Maybe Faustus was right, maybe everything would be okay.

Famous. Last. Words!

The wedding was a complete disaster. Zelda couldn’t decide which part was worse. Was it when Sabrina and Nicholas used glamours to transform into Edward and Diana and even when that magic was exposed, they accused her groom of murdering her brother and sister-in-law. Or was the worst part, mere seconds later, when Ambrose showed up seemingly out of nowhere, and tried to attack Faustus.  Thank the dark lord Prudence was there or Zelda might have been a widow before she was a wife. Anyway, the schoolboys had seized him, but Ambrose was so wild, so out of control, that it took a new bunch of guards plus Faustus to teleport him away. It wasn’t until she took a breath, turned and faced the crowd that Zelda realized it. She was alone. Zelda Spellman stood at the altar, facing the entire coven, exposed and humiliated.  A bride without a groom. A still unmarried woman in a wedding dress. Zelda bit her quivering lip but still felt hot, terrorist tears behind her eyes. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry, not here, not now. Zelda grabbed her gown with both fists and ran. Ran out of the church and down the path. Hearing the nearby pleas of Hilda and Sabrina only made Zelda run faster. She didn’t stop running until she reached the school lobby. Zelda took off her veil and that damn deer crown that was giving her a headache. Somehow, probably by teleport, some witches she just left at the church, stood before her. Zelda ignored them and went down the hallway that led to Faustus’s office.

“Is he in there?” Zelda asked the boy guarding the door.

“Um, yes but Father Blackwood said to give no entry to anyone.”

“Surely that doesn’t apply to me.”

Zelda tried to step around the youth, but he lightly touched her stomach. “Stop, miss.”

“Miss?” With or without her wedding day ruined, she was still Zelda Spellman damn it and now, this schoolboy, this child, thought he could lay his hand on her and tell her what  to do. Zelda raised an eyebrow.

 Faustus Blackwood crossed his arms as he watched 2 of his boys throw Ambrose Spellman against the wall for the third time. “Tell me, Brother Ambrose, why shouldn’t I throw you in the witch’s cell and throw away the key?”

“You bastard!” Ambrose screamed. “You killed Luke!”

Luke? This whole thing was about Lucas? Faustus suddenly fought off the urge to laugh. The boy had him! Faustus was certain that Ambrose had choked up that damn familiar by now and then it was just a short step to figure out who truly killed Enoch. That’s why he had killed the other boys, that why he had done everything in his power to find Ambrose last night and when that mission had failed, he knew he had to marry Zelda now. But no, this jackass had to appear at the worst possible moment and ruined everything. The only luck Faustus had with him today was young Ambrose was in too much grief to see the truth staring him in the face.

“You killed Luke!” Ambrose repeated, still screaming at the top of his lungs.

Before anyone could say or do anything, a sudden gust of wind blew the double doors of the office wide open and the boy guarding the door, landing flat on his back, helpless as a turtle. Faustus felt his heart skip a beat as Zelda came into view. It seems that Faustus had hated Edward Spellman forever, but he has loved his sister for even longer. Even now, years, centuries after they first met, Faustus could swear Zelda was his own fallen angel sent from hell.  Zelda was strong, intelligent and powerful, exactly what his father told him NOT to look for in a wife. Yet, the qualities made Zelda, well, Zelda and Faustus could never resist her. Also, her beauty, her beauty was always overwhelming. Her soft hair was as red as hellfire and clothes hang on her so well that Faustus wondered if she enchanted all her clothes or was her body  just that perfect. Right now, Zelda wore a wedding gown, but her finger was ringless. Due to the children’s wild antics, Zelda was his bride, but still not his wife. Satan in hell, what was it going to take?  It didn’t surprise him that Sabrina interrupting the ceremony, he swore that girl stayed up late thinking up new ways to test him and he wasn’t even that upset that young Ambrose tried to kill him. What really burned him that he had to leave the church unmarried. Faustus had been dreaming of marrying Zelda Spellman since he a little more than a boy, but Edward had blocked the marriage and forced him into a union with Constance. With his 1st wife finally dead and he and Zelda carrying on a newfound affair, Faustus had his chance.

Meanwhile, Zelda frowned and walked towards her nephew. “Did I hear you right? Did you just accuse Father Blackwood of killing Lucas?”

“Auntie Z, he did it!” Ambrose insisted.

“Oh, did he?” Zelda smiled and nodded slightly. “Then, please tell us, we would love to help, where did you find Luke’s body?”

“I didn’t find the body.” Ambrose’s screams turned into broken whispers.

“Then where did you see Faustus hide the murder weapon?” Zelda tried again.

Ambrose shook his head. “No weapons.”

Faustus went to his desk, his head down so no one saw his smile. Maybe he wouldn’t have to defend himself.  The boy seemed perfectly capable of hanging himself.

Zelda sighed. “So, let me get this straight. You attacked the high priest at his own wedding,  not to mention, my own, to get revenge for a murder that you have no proof he committed  and to do so, you came out of hiding for murdering the anti-pope.”

“Father Blackwood killed the anti-pope too!”

“Are you insane, Ambrose? I was there last night; we were all there.  We saw you and the other boys over the father of fathers with those knives. Father Blackwood came in only a moment before your Aunt Hilda and I did. How on did he kill him?” Zelda wanted to know.

“Leviathan!” Ambrose chocked when the boys pulled him backwards.

Zelda was confused. “Your familiar? The one that went missing weeks ago? What’s he got to do with anything?”

“That’s enough!” Faustus stepped forward. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense. It’s the witch’s cell for you. Take him away!”

“No!” Ambrose tried desperately to free himself, but he was too outnumbered.

“Don’t worry,” Faustus called after him. “You won’t be alone for long. Soon you’ll have company, such as Mr. Scratch and your cousin.”

“No!” This call of distress came from Zelda.  Faustus gave a groan and closed his eyes. Why did he say that out loud? Of course, Zelda would object to her precious niece in a cell.

“Your excellency,” Zelda addressed him formally, “may I have a word with you in private?”

Faustus sighed but turned to wave his other boys out. Once they were alone, Faustus sat down behind his desk. “I know what you going to say, Zelda, but I cannot just excuse Sabrina, not this time.”

“That is not what I was going to say.”

Zelda not defending Sabrina? That’s a first. “Then what do you want?”

“I want what you want, Faustus.” Zelda journeyed to the desk. “I want strong leadership for this coven and for this school. I would also like to see justice done and you can’t have justice if you give 2 wayward students the same punishment as the anti-pope’s murderer.”

Faustus hated to admit it, but she was right. “What do you suggest, then?”

Zelda sat. “I suggest that you forget the bad blood between you and Sabrina.” When Faustus opened his mouth, Zelda held up a hand. “Just for a moment. Suppose 2 students using glamours, coming into the academy and accused a teacher of murder with no grounds. As headmaster, what would you do?”

“I would have to expel them immediately.”

Zelda nodded. “Then that is what you must do with Sabrina and Nicholas.” She said firmly.

Faustus sighed and stood up. “We need to discuss one more thing. I got a call from Rome this morning. As high priest it’s my duty to escort the anti-pope and the monks back to the Necropolis.”

“I understand. If you are asking me to look after the school- “

“I’m not asking you to look after the school” He  cut in. “I want you to come with me.”

Zelda nodded. “Of course.”

He smiled at her, walked nearer, took both her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. “But I don’t want to take you as Sister Zelda Spellman, they’ll not lodge us together unless we are Father and Lady Blackwood. Marry me, Zelda. Here and now, in this office. Unless, your family’s accusations have changed things between us somehow.”

“No.” Zelda’s eyes held his and her voice remained strong. “Nothing has changed between us, Faustus.  But if we are to marry here, we will still need witnesses and we left the rings at the church.”

Faustus nodded. “Quite right.” He left her to cross the room and opened the door.

“Marcus” he addressed the boy on the threshold. “Tell Brothers Lovecraft and Barker, I wish to see them and please send someone to fetch the wedding rings from the church.”

The teachers arrived before the rings, so Zelda and Faustus took the chance to sign their marriage license. When a bodyguard arrived with the rings, each witness took a ring, the bride and groom joined hands and the wedding began anew. Faustus called back the demons of the deep, however he skipped the blood and blessing and went straight to the vows.

“I, Faustus James Blackwood, take thee, Zelda Phonia Spellman, to my wife and lady. To be my sole partner to walk beside me along the path of night. By day, by night, in bed and in life, forever and ever.”

“I, Zelda Phonia Spellman, take thee, Faustus James Blackwood, to my husband and lord. To be my sole partner to walk beside me along the path of night. By day, by night, in bed and in life, forever and ever.”

Faustus turned to Brother Barker, who stood behind him and handed him the ring. He then slid the silver band onto Zelda’s bare finger. “This is my eternal vow, from this day until my last day.”

Lovecraft gave Zelda the ring   and she put it on Faustus’s hand. “This is my eternal vow, from this day until my last day.”

All 4 knew the wedding was completed and Zelda smiled as Faustus leaned in to kiss her. However, their lips met for a mere 4 seconds before the door opened again.

“Father Blackwood!”

“What is it now!?” growled Faustus.

The boy trembled. “Forgive me, Father Blackwood. But the students are done with their dinner and the staff are unsure of what to do next.”

“Doesn’t evening assembly usually follows dinner?”  Faustus’s tone was annoyed.

“Yes, sir. But you usually lead evening assembly. Plus, Sabrina and Hilda Spellman have been seated outside your office for quite some time now.”

Faustus narrowed his eyes.  “Oh, have they now?”

He walked forward menacingly but Zelda walked backwards with him, her arm around his waist. “Faustus, Faustus!” They stopped but Zelda continued to speak. “Go to evening assembly. I’ll go tell Sabrina her punishment and send her and Hilda home.”

“Are you sure?”

Zelda sighed, stood on her tiptoes and gave her husband a proper kiss. “I’m right behind you. I promise.”

Faustus looked her over. “We’ll be leaving soon. Perhaps you should skip assembly and get ready.”

Zelda nodded. The doors opened, Faustus and the other warlocks went right while Zelda turned left and beheld her niece and sister.

“Congratulations, Sabrina. You ruined my wedding day!” Zelda told the others about Ambrose and Sabrina’s own expulsion. Zelda was angry  and annoyed going into this conversation, but it really irked her when Sabrina said that she was glad she stopped the wedding. Zelda responded by smiling and announced that she had married today anyway. She turned and left  but was followed.

“Aunt Zelda, you can’t!”

“I already have, Sabrina. Now, if you excuse me, Father  Bl-“ Zelda caught herself. “My husband and I will be leaving soon, and I need to change. Hilda, take her home.”

Zelda looked back and found that her little sister was silently crying.

Zelda took Hilda’s hand and pulled her out of Sabrina’s hearing. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Do you think it could be that Father Blackwood could’ve something to  do with Edward’s plane going down?”

Zelda recoiled as if Hilda had slapped her. “You doubt him. Which means you doubt me.”

“What? No, sister, I would never doubt you.”

“Then you must think I’m evil enough to betray our brother’s memory by hearing about his murder and then turn right around and marry the man who did the crime?”

“Forget I said anything.”  Hilda placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder.  “Let’s get you dressed.”

“No” Zelda brushed the hand away. “Go home, Hilda.” Zelda went upstairs, alone. As she pretended to scratch her eye, she really was wiping away a tear.

“Sister Zelda?” Prudence, who had changed out of her bridesmaid dress and was now wearing her normal short black dress with the white peter pan collor, met her at the top of the stairs. “Would you like a hand to get out of your gown?”

Zelda smiled. “Yes, Prudence. That would be kind, child.”

As they walked to the chambers, Zelda could only focus on the last word she spoke. Child. My stepchild. My oldest stepdaughter. Zelda then thought of baby Leticia, who she visited a few days ago. The wood witch was taking good care of her and Zelda would visit them after they returned from Rome.  She and Prudence  entered the chamber and found a few schoolgirls fussing around the room. As soon as they saw Zelda, they all stopped, lined up and curtsied. “Lady Blackwood.”

For 1 insane moment, Zelda wanted to turn around and look for Constance. Then she felt foolish. Oh right, I’m Lady Blackwood now.

The schoolgirls were leaving, Zelda saw that there were 2 piles of folded clothes on the bed.

“Wait,” Zelda said to the last girl. She went to the bed and picked up one pile of clothes.

“This belongs to my sister. She’s downstairs, please see that she gets it. I don’t want her up here.”

The girls left and Prudence moved forward to unbutton Zelda’s gown. She was helping her new stepmother into a basic black dress when Agatha came in. “Pru, Father Blackwood wants a word with you.”

Prudence looked torn but Zelda smiled at the girl. “Go on, see your father. I can finish up here.” Zelda was alone when she changed her heels, put on her hat and gloves before she fastened the diamond broach on her new black cloak, a wedding gift from the teaching staff.

A schoolgirl knocked on the open door. “Lady Blackwood, the others are ready.”

“So am I.” After 1 final look in the mirror, Zelda left her room. She found Faustus at the top of the stairs. He took her hand. For 1 insane moment, Zelda wanted Faustus to tell her he loved her. She pushed the thought aside as Faustus kissed her, almost as if to claim her. Together, they went downstairs and out the front door where all the students were lined up. As Faustus explained where they were going, Zelda spotted the monks that came with the anti-pope and had done nothing all day but stay in the guest chambers, praying and now they were getting into the waiting limo. Faustus had finished speaking and Zelda thought nothing of walking beside him until he stopped.

“You forget yourself, my dear,” Faustus whispered to her. “A wife walks behind her husband.”

Wait, what? Zelda was confused by his statement, she froze, unable to speak   or move for a few moments, then she started to walk again. Faustus got into the car and the boys fussed over getting baby Judas into his car seat, so Zelda walked around to the other side. Her heart broke when she looked across the way and saw Sabrina and Hilda on a bench, both with tears in their eyes. Zelda took a step forward.

“Lady Blackwood?”

Zelda suddenly saw the boy that was holding the car door open for her. After a quick glance at her niece and sister, Zelda got into the limo. She watched as the car drove away from the school. Zelda felt Faustus’s hand cover her own and returned the smile he gave her. Her smile widened as she watched Judas play with his rattle. They’re all my family now. Zelda would focus on enjoying her time alone with her husband and stepson. Maybe after some rest and sleep, Zelda could perhaps even think up of a way to help Ambrose. Once home, she would make up with Hilda and together, they would decide what to do about Sabrina. Yes, everything would be fine.

[zaheela]

You know when you have a plot bunny...

And you think it’s a great idea, but when you finally finish it, you kinda feel it’s half baked? Yeah, it’s one of those. I blame my love of the Ancient Magus' Bride series and a random idea. *sighs*

Isabella was the only one left, locked away behind her dreams and trapped in her broken body. In that hospital bed, she looked frail and breakable, a far cry from the stubborn woman he had fallen for, engulfed in sterile sheets. Ashton wasn’t in a better state, having lost both Rebecca and Zach to the fucking curse, and he desperately needed Isabella to wake up. It didn’t matter to him if she took months, even years, he just needed to see her eyes open again. He needed another chance to at least protect her, to redeem himself and somehow survive the crushing guilt on his shoulders. So when he saw a stranger standing by her bedside, his hackles rose. With his silvery hair and sickly hazel eyes, there was no way this man was related to her, and the way he looked at her reminded him of a jackal eyeing a wounded doe. He made sure the man knew the back the hell away as he entered. The stranger gave him a smile that made his skin crawl, before he had the gall to pat her on the wrist.

“Pardon the intrusion, I just had some business with this young lady that couldn’t wait.” His words push Ashton even more on guard, moving closer as if to physically block him. The man just impassively looked at him over the rims of his glasses, before giving him another one of those smiles. It made his fist clench, barely suppressing the need to punch him in his smug face. “After all, it’s not often you find one trapped by a spirit this twisted.”

“Wait what?” The words tumbled out, his mind racing as the memories of that horrible week rushed back. His eyes darted down to Isabella’s prone form. What did he mean by trapped. The man nodded, before pulling out a blood red stone, holding it up and the walls of the hospital room shifted black, the screams that haunted his dreams ringing through the walls. But now he saw Isabella, hovering over her own body, hands clasped over her ears.

“Someone, anyone. Please. Please just make it stop! I don’t want this!” Her words shook him to the core, watching her refuse to open her ghostly eyes. As sudden as the room had turned, it regained its normal sterile look as stranger pulled the stone away.

“Curses are rather sticky things, I don’t know how she managed to wriggle out of this one, but I must applaud her efforts for clinging to life. That being said, I think it’s time to wake the poor princess up, but it’ll be difficult for me to do it alone.” His words still made his skin crawl, but it also held a sickly sweet tone now, like some sort of drug. The man continued on, as if he hadn’t noticed that his words hit home. He placed the clear stone under her pillow, and instantly her face seemed to relax.

“You see, I am something of an expert when it comes to these things, but it also means that they are wise to my tricks. This spirit of yours won’t ever let herself be seen by the likes of myself and my associates, but as one of her former prey, you may just be the key to prying her out of her nest. I was planning on using the young lady here, but it was a last resort.” Ash’s shoulders jumped a little, this time moving firmly between the stranger and the bed.

“Don’t you fucking dare drag her into this.” He hissed, grabbing the lapel of his coat. The man simply waited for his temper to die down and smoothed the fabric down.

“Well, that’s where I hope you come in. You see, she won’t come out for me, but you on the other hand?” Ash was in no way ready to jump at the bait the man dangled in front of him, one hand reaching back and catching Isabella’s limp one, giving it a firm squeeze. He hoped somehow she could still feel him, especially now that he knew she was still there.

“Now why the hell would I do anything for you. You just admitted you were about ready to use my.. my friend as bait. A helpless woman against that thing?”

“Ah, you do have a point young man. But it wasn’t going to be for free, after all she would have benefited from it, despite all the dangers involved.” The man tapped his cheek, thinking, before his face broke into the smuggest of smiles. “But if I ask for your help then I suppose I would need to reimburse you as well. Huh, well I think I can offer something that would make it worth your while.”

“Try me, jackass.” He snapped back, ready to throw a punch and send the man out the door on his ass.

“Even if she wakes up, the poor girl would be stuck suffering through months of near unbearable pain as she would need to do through intense physical therapy. But what if I said there was a way to shorten the time for her recovery?” The words teased his ears, but as much as he wanted to believe it, there was that small voice that made him doubt every word. But he was so tired and just waiting was taking its toll on him.

“It would at the very least heal her body in a quarter of the time, and at least give her brain a chance to recover from the impact trauma. It’s not like I’ll be asking you to slay the spirit, just retrieve something specific to her. A stone she seems rooted to.” He knew exactly the item the man spoke of, the corpse of Hannah Wright had it proudly displayed around her neck before the mansion burnt down. “With the stone I’ll be able to bind her to a new vessel and thus her current hold on you would be done with and the poor girl can wake up before any more damage is done.” In his mind, Ash fought with his instinct and his wishes. Everything in him screamed there was a catch to all this, but Isabella… Isabella…

“Fine, but how the hell would I get out of there if she gets me.” To that, the man held up a gray stone with a hole in the center.

“Leave that to me.”

 ___________

The ruins of the mansion lay before him, stone and burnt pillars now overgrown with plants. A sea of daffodils covered the majority of the grounds, but other wildflowers sprung up in patches here and there. If Ashton didn’t know the history behind this place, seen the horrors, he would of called it beautiful. Scanning the grounds, his eyes zeroed in on a bare spot, and the lump that lurked just below the surface. Brushing away the dirt, he found what he was looking for, but the stone itself seemed to reject his touch. His skin burned the moment his fingertips brushed the surface, and yet left him chilled to the bone. Jerking away, he stared at his now cracked fingertips, blood seeping out of hair thin lashes.

“Damnit, I was careless there.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, carefully bundling the wretched thing in the makeshift pouch. But as he stood, the air around him twisted and an angry howl raged through the clearing. The familiar creep of fear washed over him as the clicking began, before he grabbed the stone in his pocket. It dug into his palm, pain making his legs work again, and he turned to run, not daring to look back. The woods around him seemed to shudder and creek closer, but he wouldn’t stop.  Nature itself tried to stop him, vines lashing around his throat, before exploding in flame as the charm flared to life. It gave him enough time to stumble back onto his feet and continue to run. Each time the ghost came back, the stone pushed her away, but he didn’t want to see if there was a limit to its abilities.

He broke through the cover, before he came to a sight that both made his breath stop and his blood boil. The stranger had just placed Isabella down on the ground, carelessly brushing a stray lock behind an ear.

“Oh good, you managed to retrieve her pendant.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ash roared, this time throwing a punch, only to stumble as he missed entirely.

“Now now, she is alright. The machines are not needed after tonight, so I figured your sleeping beauty would rather see something other than the hospital ceiling. It is a very lovely night after all.” He straightened his gloves, before pulling a vial out of his pocket, the golden liquid within sloshed around, casting an eerie glow over her calm face. “You kept your side of the bargain, so I will keep mine. Your reward.” He held the vial out in one hand and the other held outstretched for the pendant. Ash eyed him, before carefully trading the pendant, a little too eager to get away from the accursed thing. The vial was warm and calming, luring him into a numbing haze, but he instead moved to lift her up. He froze when the man held up a hand.

“You need not worry, she won’t perish if you return with her back to the hospital, but I don’t think any of the nursing staff would approve of you feeding her something; by the time they would be finished analyzing it, the magic would have seeped away. Besides, magic doesn’t work well within the city limits, too much interference. My actions were completely calculated.” Ash growled, cursing him under his breath. He wanted to call bullshit, but he knew about as much on magic and he did curses, and considering that the bitch hadn’t leapt out to ambush him yet made him unsure even more.

“So what do I do, just pour this down her throat?”

“Well, in most fairytales, the princess is woken up by a kiss, but do what you want.” The man mockingly explained before he turned, holding up his prize with a grin. Ash shifted Isabella in his arms, watching as her face scrunched in pain, another terror or seizure springing to life. Pulling the cork out, he threw he head back, the thick concoction almost making him choke. Forcing his stomach to calm down, he carefully tipped her head back and pressed his lips to hers. The liquid dribbled down her throat and she reflexively swallowed. His heart thudded in his chest as time seemed to crawl before her brows furrowed and her eyes fluttered open. Fighting to focus, she zeroed in on his face. One hand rose up to touch his cheek.

“Ash?” She croaked and winced. “Ash, you’re squeezing too tight.” He laughed, unsure how exactly to react to the whole situation. She gave him a worried look, before hunching over, fingers digging into his shirt. Her breathing became labored before she screamed. He froze, unable to do more to hold her as her very flesh seemed to shift and warp under her skin. Suddenly she stopped, her voice grown hoarse. She gave him a pained look before her body began to literally break apart, flames engulfing each fragment.

“Ah, a thing about magic, there are no miracles. A price is always paid, so for her to heal, she must pay with her own lifespan. Seems like your princess’ was too little for the asking price. She must have been near death’s door after foolishly letting herself get hit.” Ash only saw red as he bolted up, ready to lunge at the bastard when cold rotten hands slammed down upon him. Above him, the ghost twitched and smiled, before glaring at the other man.

“Ah, I was hoping to tame her a little more before using her, but you did just attack me. Now onto my business with the princess.” Ambling forward, he kicked aside the smoldering ashes before reaching in to pull out a stone, the rich amber hues reminding Ashton immediately of Isabella’s eyes. Lifting the stone up, the man twisted and turned it, before pulling at a crimson spider thread that hung off of it.

“The soul and body is in here, but where is the will?” He tsked, before tugging at the string, not even sparing Ashton a glance. He muttered something, turning to give Ash a long hard stare. Another shriek from the ghost was silenced with a command, before a sick grin broke across his face. “Oh this is rather poetic. Here I thought I’d have to go searching for the other one, but lady luck favors me tonight. It’ll fetch a better price now. Say, Prince, ever wonder how DID you manage to escape the curse yourself? Want to know the answer?”

The man mockingly waved the stone around, before making a gesture and his head exploded in pain, the feeling of fingers desperately clinging to his hand. The feeling slipped away and a cry of his name made his eyes snap open, watching as a familiar shape was absorbed into the stone, which now glowed softly, like a sunbeam through a window. The Crimson thread was a stark contrast against the dark sky lingered, pulsing in time as a heartbeat.

“Such a lovely soul, even if the body wasn’t anything to really talk about. But a soul is easy to get ahold of.” Another tug at the string, and this time Ash realized his hand had moved. “Of course, where there is a princess, there’s always a valiant prince in the story. Two star-crossed lovers, now there is a rarity. But don’t worry, your efforts won’t be wasted. At the very least whatever alchemist who buys you two will put you to good use… Maybe.” Rotting hands began to pry his head up, forcing his clenched teeth apart. A hand covering his mouth made it impossible for him to see, but Ash could hear the cork pop from the bottle and taste bitter brew being poured down his throat. Self-preservation made him try to spit it up, but the same hand that held his mouth open slammed it shut. He expected fire and pain, if only to know what he had inadvertently forced Isabella through, but instead, he felt bitterly cold.

“Don’t worry, in a few decades you’ll get your chance to try again, if you can find her again. I do admit, I almost feel bad for robbing you of your happy ending.... almost."

A sharp pain barely registered, before all faded to black.