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nat-20s · 3 years ago

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what’s poppin everyone please have this fun lil writing warmup/short story inspired by me thinking “Dancing in the Moonlight” was definitely 100% about werewolves

~*~

“So, this your first transformation?”

The counselor? Leader? Tour guide? Asked this with a perfectly jovial tone, as if the typical social mores surrounding, ugh, lycanthropy, didn’t apply to her. They didn’t know what exact title to call her, and her name tag just said “Luna”, which, reflecting on it, either was a joke on her part or a reflection of her parents’ sense of humor.

Picking at the scabs from last month, they cringed and replied, “No. Uh. Second.”

Luna lets out a low whistle. “Oof. That sucks. Guessing you got bitten rather than inherited the ol’ wolfman gene?”

“That’s...kind of personal?”

Unlocking the front door of the log cabin that served as King Harvest’s Headquarters, Luna shrugs and says, “Shit, sorry. Forgot the whole weird stigma around your source of the once monthly nightmare, as if it fuckin matters. Also, I know, I know, ass out of you and me. Hey, you got any dietary restrictions? Gluten, peanut allergies, the like?”

Voice flat, they tell her, “I’m vegetarian,” and waits for the obvious response.

As they wander through the cabin towards the kitchen, Luna flipping on the light switches, generic club music starts to filter in. Instead of the obvious response, Luna asks, “You like veggie burgers? Or maybe pasta? I’d offer salad, but that’s really not gonna cut it for tonight.”

“I ate before I came.”

With a snort, she tells them, “Oh yeah? Did you have about 4000 calories?”

“No? Why would I have?”

Sweeping out her arm, she gestures at the food laying out on the counter and tells them, “Then eat up! 4000 is really a minimum for the night if you don’t want to feel like someone physically beat out all of your energy in the morning. 6000 is more the target area, but we got, hmm, about 15 minutes before things get uncomfortable, and half an hour max before things get dire.”

They glance down to the food, and, admittedly, the broccoli alfredo does look pretty appealing. Still, they have to ask, “Is this a cult?”

Luna lets out a bark of a laugh that has nothing to do with her (maybe) being a werewolf. “Okay, first of all, what kind of cult is like ‘fuck yeah, we’re a cult’? Secondly, despite the first thing, I can say that we’re not a cult. I know how “King Harvest: Center for Movement Therapy” sounds, both clinical and vague enough to be suspicious as hell, but I didn’t come up with the title, blame my long deceased dad for that one. Plus, ‘King Harvest: Bitchin’ Wolf Dance House’ probably wouldn’t look good on the grant applications.”

“Grants?”

“Oh yeah. This bad boy’s been publicly funded since its opening in 1972. Hence no membership fees.”

“Is that why animal control is giving out your business card? Are they one of your sponsors?”

“Nah, that’s just Jack. Me ‘n’ him go way back, hell, to his park ranger days. I mean, yeah, I think he’ll campaign for us, but mostly I think he just hates capturing a wolf in the night only to have a naked, trembling human in the morning, and he knows that our program significantly reduces the odds of that happening, at least in this neck of the woods.”

They let out a hum, then glance back down to the food. As appealing as it down look, they’re still about..30% convinced this is an elaborate organ harvesting operation. Or sketchy sex thing.

Apparently sensing their hesitation, Luna says, “You got a favorite chip?”

“Salt and vinegar.”

Grabbing a sealed family sized bag from the overhead cabinets, Luna tosses it to them. “If you come back next full moon, either eat enough in advance or have a real meal here. That being said, excuse the turn of phrase, you should wolf that down. It’s sure as hell better than nothing.”

They catch it, and the bag opens with a puff of air that speaks to a reassuring lack of tampering. As they toss a chip into their mouth, Luna grabs a water bottle from the fridge and places it down next to them. “So? Any questions for me? We’ve still got about ten minutes before we have to go out there.”

Rolling their eyes, they tell her, “No. None at all.”

“Great! Soon as you’re done eating we’ll get you started.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Yeah, no shit, smart-ass. Seriously, what are your, we haven’t got much time.”

“I don’t know? The whole..thing? I mean, how is it supposed to..work? Like? At all?”

“You ever see Amok Time?”

“Is that relevant?”

“It’s a yes or no question babe.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then the explanation is going to be a lot more technical and take a lot longer, ultimately to likely make less sense.”

“...I’ve seen it.”

“Great! So, Pon Farr is basically this chemical blood imbalance that results in fuck or die disorder, yeah? But then Spock neither fucks nor dies, and eventually the vulcans get their shit together and find out that an intense fight can serve the same function, and the blood fever chills out. Lycanthropy operates on a similar enough basis for comparison. You’re compelled to act out on energetically heavy base instincts, returning to the ways of the wolf or whatever. Traditionally, that’s done through running and hunting, which has, historically, been a crapshoot at best. Theoretically, sex can also get the job done, but I’m sure you can imagine how that gets extremely dicey extremely quickly. Either restraints or isolation has been implemented for a while, but, c’mon, they’re bandaid solutions, and they’re far from foolproof. Luckily for us all, my grandmother decided to connect back with her ancestors, and there was a handful of stories having huge festivals to deal with ‘moon violence’. She tried it out, and, yeah, dancing works.”

“That sounds…”

They don’t know how that sounds. Made up, mostly.

“Like a bunch of hippie bullshit? Yeah, it kind of is, Grandma Josephine was a huge hippie, but it’s hippie bullshit that works. In fact, let’s go see the others, it almost always makes things clearer.”

Figuring that whatever they’re about to see can’t be worse than their transformation last month. They head through the sliding glass door out the back, the thump of the music suddenly loud enough to be felt in their chest. The sight that awaits them makes them drop their chips and let out a gasp. Barely able to speak, they exhale out, “None of them...they’re not wolves. How..how??”

Indeed, the roughly forty people jumping to the pulse of whatever they’re listening to (some to the in house DJ, some, apparently, to what’s playing over the large headphones they have adorned), resemble the image of a wolfman much more accurately. They bare claws, fangs, elongated snouts, upright ears, and serious amounts of hair, but they’re on two legs, and moving like humans. Some of them are even singing along to the lyrics, which really shouldn’t be possible.

Luna grins, making it obvious that she’s used to this level of shell shocks. “Ultimately, you do have to give into some damn rigorous instincts. But dancing is a human instinct, not a canine one, so you end up, well, humanoid. Pretty nifty, huh?”

“And they all..they all keep their minds? I didn’t...they don’t blackout?”

“Not since we banned alcohol in the 90s! Here, watch this.”

Luna nods her head at the DJ, and the DJ, obligingly, turns down the music for a moment. The members of the crowd not listening to their own music pause, then look towards the door. She cries out, “Hey gang! HOW WE ALL DOIN’ TONIGHT?”, and gets a mix between a howl and “WOO!” cried back. The DJ then turns the music back up, and the general movement of the crowd resumes.

They should be more skeptical. They want to be more skeptical, they were just minutes before, but it’s hard to disagree with something right in front of you. “This will work for me? I just..have to dance?”

“Well, it’s not guaranteed. Few things are. But we have yet to have someone turn violent on us. If you start to fell yourself slipping from consciousness, though, I do ask that you start heading further into the woods, as to not hurt other guest. If you find yourself just getting tired, there’s beds inside, and a fair amount of pillows around the edge of the quote unquote dance floor, if you end up in more of a nesting mood. Also, I recommend taking off your shoes before you start.”

“What? Why?”

Luna gives a pointed glance at the dancers’ feet, which, ah. They’re about twice as large as normal and at least twice as sharp. The converse on their feet would be no match. “Ah.”

“Ready?”

They shove off their shoes and place the remainder of their chips aside. “As I’ll ever be.”

Good thing, too, as they’re starting to feel an uncomfortable pressure in their chest that was the prelude to disaster last month.

Luna strides to the center of the dance floor, which is really a plush lawn surrounded by forest. The crowd naturally moves around her, and she yells out, “Aiyana! Play my song!”

Aiyana gives a nod, and the opening notes of “Dancing in the Moonlight” start to sound out. “Seriously?”

Luna shrugs, grinning like a fool, and says, “It’s a classic!”

“It’s cliché at best.”

Luna shrugs, and then begins dancing. She’s hardly elegant, but she is dazzlingly joyful in her uncoordinated movements. As the song reaches the first chorus, she gives a twirl, and in the split second it takes, she’s transformed. They blink in shock, not knowing you could transform that seamlessly, that quickly, that painlessly. Luna in half wolf form is just as expressive as the human Luna, and she gives a nod over her shoulder as if to say Come on.

Feeling somewhat foolish, they start to bop their head to the tune. Luna lets out a huff and grabs their hands, spinning them around and forcing them to get moving. At first, it’s them indulging Luna, but as they let themselves get lost in rhythm, they feel a stretching sensation in their face and limbs. It’s not unpleasant, more like when you wake up and work out the tension in your spine. They open their eyes and look down at their hands, now covered in fur in and made for slashing. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt, and they’re still themselves, and they had no idea that full moons could be like this, maybe for the rest of their lives.

They turn their head to the night sky, and their body can’t help but continue to dance. Despite all their fear, all their dread, “movement therapy” worked, and they can admit, at least to themselves, that they feel warm and bright.

#my writing #nats journey into writing short stories based on 70s songs continues lmao

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amycathryn · 8 years ago

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Everyday Magic

I know I'm starting this post off with a cliché, but...magic is everywhere. It's in the air. It's the blissful feeling when you're around someone you love. It's the hope you get in a beautiful morning sunrise. It's everywhere.

For me, magic is what I prefer to call "energy". In my not-so-scientific opinion (as I drink my glass of cab sav) I view the "energy" I sense as the thing that puts movement to mass—regardless of whether or not it's kinetic or potential. It's just energy. It's what makes atoms vibrate. It's what ties this reality together. I may go as far to even say mass (in the physical realm anyways) is really just thought-forms vibrating at the lowest and densest frequency they can vibrate (without going negative) and energy is the force that puts these thought-forms in the state of kinesis.

It's even in science, in my humble opinion. Science has this funny way of historically trying to catch up to things magic already had a handle on...and just when Science thinks it has a handle on things, along comes Quantum Mysticism and Von Neumann–Wigner. I've also noticed when studying energy and its behaviors that an even basic understanding of Quantum Physics/Mechanics can be useful—especially concepts like Schrödinger's cat and Tesseracts.

What is magic?

Yep. In all likelihood, you've probably done magic (or "magick" as some like to spell it) without even knowing it. It's in just about every religion (sans Atheism) and numerous cultures. The concept of magic has been on an interesting roller-coaster throughout history and I'd like to clear some misconceptions up about it. But first, let's have a look at its definition:

According to Merriam-Webster, "Magic" is defined as:

"1 a : the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces b : magic rites or incantations"

...or, my favorite interpretation:

"1. used in magic or working by magic; having or apparently having supernatural powers. 'a magic wand'"

So, if you've ever prayed, believed in a lucky charm, listened to a weird (yet accurate) feeling, or crossed your fingers, that's a form of magic. When it comes to magic, it is all about intent. It boils down to doing something to encourage or alter seen forces with unseen ones. And just because it didn't work, doesn't mean the magic wasn't necessarily working. It just means it wasn't working strong enough. Not enough gas in the tank, so to speak.

Let's take prayer, for example. Prayer is a form of communication to a supernatural entity (often times in my case, asking God for help). The act itself of communicating to God is magical because he's supernatural...and even more so when he answers my prayer!

But what about that "feeling" you've gotten about someone—a feeling you couldn't explain—and it turned out to be right? That time you just knew your friend or family member was in trouble, or that dream you had that came true. That extrasensory way of knowing could technically be called "magic"...

...Psychics especially so. I've even begun to break it up into levels and a noticeable (though not necessarily a causal) correlation in personality traits. Read it here, in case you were curious...

Magic is for EVERYBODY!

Just like being psychic, magic isn't just for "special" people, or for people belonging to a specific religion. It's for everyone. Belief and intent are the gas and steering wheel, so to speak, behind doing magic. The best way to understand it is this—magic is like a hammer. You can use it to make a home or smash someone in the head. It depends on the person wielding it.

I have personally used spells and rituals to encourage the outcome of certain events and circumstances, and they have always worked to one degree or another. I also consider myself (very loosely) Christian. In the VERY old days, before science, hygiene or antibiotics, people used magic and rituals all the time. God gave people magic as a tool to affect the world around them. Certain religions adopted and integrated these rituals into their beliefs, but if you do enough research you can find there are basic common "themes" to magical rituals and prayer. I guess what I am trying to say that magic is magic, and no one religion or another owns it. As long as you are respectful, mindful and ethical, it's no holds barred.

Magic You Can Do

There are plenty of rituals out there involving magic. Some you might've even heard of. I'm going to list three common, ethical and safe ones I do that you can do at home as well.

Moon Rituals

This one is crazy simple. Lots of cultures & religions base rituals on the phase of the moon. Especially Paganism. However, just like magic, the moon doesn't belong to any person, religion or culture in particular.

The moon has 4 phases: Full Moon, Waning, New Moon, and Waxing. Many people, including myself, believe certain times of the month, depending on the phase of the moon, can increase the potency of other rituals. This ritual, however is pretty basic—but first you must have a basic understanding of the meanings/symbolism behind the phase of the moon.

The Full Moon is all about releasing. It can be associated with the apex of inhaling. You're about to let go of all of that air in your lungs. So can be said with the light of the moon. If you're wanting to release or banish something—worry, anger, frustration, people, you name it—a full moon is the perfect time of the month to do just that. Just stand outside under the full moon (doesn't matter if it's cloudy or not) and visualize letting go of whatever it is you want to let go of. Imagine the moon's rays taking it from you. You could also write it down and burn it in a candle. As the month progresses and the moon shifts from Full to New, you'll notice the issue dissipating.

The New Moon, as you might've guessed, holds the opposite energy of the Full Moon. It's all about intake. Just like when you've exhaled all of the air in your lungs and are about to take in a breath, the New Moon is all about bringing things to you. Just as with the Full Moon ritual, stand outside under a new moon (regardless if you can see it or not—though preferably at night) and imagine receiving the thing you're wanting. The stronger you believe in the ritual, the greater effect it has. As the month wears on and the moon shifts from New to Full, you'll start to notice the energy of what you're wanting start to come to you.

Salt Baths

Not to be confused with Salt Bae, salt baths are perfect for releasing. I recommend them all the time to clients—especially empaths who've taken on too much energy. I take one about once a month. It's perfect for releasing just about anything, and is great to do at bedtime because it puts me in a relaxed state.

What I usually end up doing is cleaning the tub out first ('cause let's face it, it needed it), then get 4 white tea candles and place them on the four corners. I'll take 2 cups (or more) of kosher salt and dump it in the tub. Then I take 2 cups of epsom salt (especially the lavender kind) and put that in the tub as well. I fill it with hot water, maybe add some sage drops to the mix and BOOM—Amy soup.

The best thing to do before you get in, however is to pray first. Ask God to bless the water and for your angels to help you release what you need to release. That's the part that is most important. I usually make sure I submerge myself and even dunk my head under water to get everything in contact with the water. I recommend sitting in the tub for at least 10 minutes, 30 ideally for optimum effect. Then afterwards, simply drain the water and rinse off.

Candle Magic

I briefly mentioned this under Moon Rituals and saved it for last—partially because they're so powerful. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. The most effective way to use candle magic is ethically. Make sure your intent is clearly stated in your mind before you even go out to get the candle you're wanting. Also, please keep the free will of others in mind. Getting a "love" candle to attract a certain person is a big no-no. Getting a "love" candle to attract love into your life however, is just fine. Another tip is to always keep positivity and God-like love in your heart to attract the best outcome that serves everyone's highest good.

I tend to buy my candles at Phoenix & Dragon here in Atlanta—especially Coventry Creations brand. What you do is buy a pre-dressed candle (or dress one yourself if you have that kinda time on your hands) and write your name (or the names of who you want the spell to effect) on it (I do it with a pin/needle). Then, set the candle on your oven on a cake pan or cookie sheet, since this ritual will be involving fire. Heck, you could even set it in the sink if you're not planning on using it for a while. Just be sure to use a fireproof surface.

Write down neatly and clearly your intent for the outcome of the ritual. Do so as clearly and neatly as possible. If it involves specific people, use their full name(s). Please also be sure to mention that you want the outcome that serves the highest good for all.

After writing what you want down, fold up the piece of paper and light the candle. State your intention out loud as clearly as possible (you could even practice beforehand) and use the flame of the candle to burn the paper. I like to hold the paper with a pair of tongs so I don't get accidentally burned. Then simply let the candle burn. Sometimes it can take up to 48 hours to burn—though I would strongly recommend to NEVER leave a candle burning unattended.

When I light the candle I'll start to immediately feel the effects of it. It feels like tingling or a "shift" of sorts. It's also handy to pay attention to the wax after the candle has melted. It has interesting symbols that can form. Also, keep the wax in a special place to retain the effects of the candle. You can keep it in a cabinet, under your pillow, or even under your bed. Often times the candles will have a nice scent to them so they're fun to keep around.

So, In Conclusion...

Magic is neither out of your grasp nor complex. It is easy to do and accessible for all—regardless of religion or beliefs. It's all about intent and ethics. The more ethical you are with magic, the better the results.

#magic #spirituality #spiritual #metaphysics

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