wickedslip

[wickedslip]

“& where is that witch girl / unafraid of anything”

— Emily Skaja, from “Brute Strength,” Brute

[wickedslip]

"Looking finer than red wine today~"

❛❛ You know these kinds of compliments get you everywhere , Kitty Kat . ❜❜ Nausi grinned so hard she practically glowed . Her lilac eyes radiated with the inner fire that contained a hint of mischief , a dash of charm , and a sprinkle of flattery . She was nothing if not utterly infectious .

[wickedslip]

❛❛     But the Thorn way is so much better —— ,     ❜❜     she grinned with all the embedded charisma that she had been adorned with since birth .     She couldn’t help but chortle lowly with him ,     his laughter was contagious .     ❛❛     That’s the thing with consequences ,     mi amor .     No risk ,     no reward .     But the thing is—     you forget that I know you .     I know how you operate ,     I know your patterns ,     and it took very little time observing you to pick up on all of your little     [  .  .  .  ]      habits and anomalies .     ❜❜     

Placing herself on the corner of his desk ,     and gliding back slightly so she could grasp his full ,     undivided attention ,     her bewitching eyes sparkled with the radiance of unfettered mischief .     ❛❛     If you bothered me less ,     you’d be a bore ,     and we couldn’t have that ,     now could we .     That’s simply not the Mikaelson way .     ❜❜     Slowly she ushered forward ,     until she was but a few mere inches away from him—     she could feel the quick draw of his breath as she did so .     ❛❛     The art of seduction works both ways .     ❜❜  

@wickedslip sent: you've got me in a chokehold.

" it's the mikaelson effect, darling. " he says simply as a slight laugh escapes. " no it's much more than that. the fact that you could enter my mind and that i could do the same is one of those consequences. there's also my way of speaking and my way of seeing things. i already studied here while you weren't here yet. i'm not like all those kids who are with us in classes. i may bother you constantly but i also know how to stop when it's necessary. i know how to seduce like sheakspear while they only send text messages with ridiculous emoji. let's say that i've learned a lot in the past. so, knowing that i have this chokehold on you. something that could have remained a secret, but we both know that i know everything about everyone. especially when you look at me with admiration. " which he did too. did he know she knew it? of course. did he like playing it? yes.

[wickedslip]

I need to hit drafts today-- 👀👀👀 it's starting to look like 2024 in there.

[wickedslip]

Skin 4 

Pastel on paper

2018

lizzhamilton.com

[wickedslip]

[wickedslip]

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew by folia_folia

[wickedslip]

Did it hurt? When i told you to google it and i was right

[wickedslip]

IT HONESTLY SEEMED MORE TROUBLE THAN IT WAS WORTH— moving the whole heritage of the Luthor Estate from Scotland to the sticks of Kansas . And that was exactly what she had viewed when she unceremoniously drove through Smallville’s Main Street and toward impending doom . It was a ghost town by the strike of seven , and the rivulets of eddying fog rolling in made her feel as though someone had purposely walked right over her unmarked grave . She had to remind herself that something good awaited her amidst the quaint town that looked like it was the backdrop for Tombstone . It had been at least a few years since she darkened Lex’s doorstep . He was the only person in the world that could put up with her sophisticated smart - assery . And boy , could she brandish it like no other . In fact , she surmised that the last time she picked up three fingers of the hard stuff had been in their Swiss domicile after Lex had smuggled it in .

He so happened to be the one person that might rival her for whose father was worse— their explanations of the indiscretions were more like war stories jousted about comrades in the trenches rather than Ivy League brats that were up to their necks in the spoils of their ostentatious breeding . She went head - to - head with the best of them , and while they were intellectually sound , for the most part , they still lacked what she provided— until him .

He had been there that day . The day that their history instructor played ❝ just leave it to the date ❞ and quizzed her in front of the entire class on just how capable her brain was at interpreting information of bygone eras . Nausicaä could never explain it , but it was as though she was reading from a teleprompter . The information supplied to her synapses was there for the taking , and most of it was something that would take a person ages of studying and reading and schooling to take in— and even then , it would take them a few moments to put it all together to form cohesive answers . But not her— she knew it . Knew it without trying . And she succeeded at everything she touched— because where she lacked social cues and familial ties , she made up for in literally every other subject .

She needed to be around peers that could not only put up with her but could put up a good fight of their own . She had never understood why he had been so heinously picked on the way he had , which is how he had explained his Excelsior days . When he landed in her dorm at Institut Le Rosey , the world - renowned Swiss boarding school they attended for the better half of their high school years , the only thing that had eventually separated them was their reluctant choice made by their fathers of attending separate Ivy League schools . Lex had wound up at Princeton in New Jersey , and she had wound up going to Harvard in her home state of Massachusetts , which wasn’t all too far from her home at Rosethorns Estates .   She had missed her friend— and the occasional pen pal system wasn’t the same as living in the same area and going one on one with the Luthor prodigy .

It took every vestige of emotion to scroll through her contacts until his name emblazoned on the log . She had called him immediately , and it was as though all that lost time was a thing of the past— they caught up with one another as though she were still there with him , traversing through the lofty expanse . But she knew she couldn’t tell Deucalion about this— and the same thing for Lionel on Lex’s end . She had a feeling that they had carefully devised their very separate futures for a reason , and that reasoning was not made privy to either of them . Their whole upbringing and brand of parenting was nothing but a chess game , and if you didn’t know how to play , then you were doomed for failure . It would take both of them to take Black , Sr . and Luthor , Sr . down , one by one .

She knew how hard it was to break out of the cycle of abuse— she was no stranger to it , and while it might have been for different reasons and circumstances , abuse was the same . She had a feeling that Lionel went on the physical route , and that was something she had promised Lex that he’d wind up paying for . She could play pretty , and masquerade around in the snazziest cocktail dress , but when push came to shove , she’d destroy Lionel for him if that’s what he wanted . She wasn’t a pawn in the game : she was the queen . The most powerful piece .

She couldn’t describe it , but through the yawning chasm of silence and miles stretched , she could feel Lex’s need for her to be there . She wasn’t sure why he had never fully reached out to her , but the silent mental thought was there all the same , and she knew when she felt it : his own psychic brand even if he didn’t believe in it himself . She’d never thought to ask him about that . She had read through the papers that he had plenty of near - death experiences , so someone was apparently doing the guardian angel bit around Smallville . And that was what landed her within its city limits . Mostly for her friend , and an insignificant amount was chalked up to morbid curiosity .

When her Mercedes SUV crawled up toward the handsomely lit path , the fog rolled in like what one would expect in a Brontë novel . The longer she drove the beast , the more she liked it . And she loathed to admit that she understood with grim respect as to why Deucalion enjoyed the G class so much . Turning the music to the powerhouse stereo down to a deafening silence , the crunch of gravel beneath her tires made her realize just how much she wasn’t in the city any longer . She wondered just how much her friend changed over the years— had it really only been so few ? She felt like she had grown into a whole other person , let alone an actual woman , the last time she had seen him . Was it beyond a leap to believe that he had grown as well ? She gently shut the door with a resounding thud , and stretched her limbs to her full height , which she was pleased to admit was just about average— and that was the only average thing about her .

She was glad that she hadn’t dressed to the nines— Kansas wouldn’t know how to take her , if she had . But she was unmistakably aware of the hint of Terre d ' Hermès , and it mingled nicely with her signature scent of fruits , floras and spices : the vivacious femme fatales of scents , Black Opium . Upon first regarding him , she thought nothing but to extend her arms to brazenly wrap around him like a coiling serpent . She didn’t even bother with grabbing her purse or anything else , she had quite literally catapulted across the expanse to warmly embrace him .    

❛ I just about did ! ❜ She laughed and then pulled back slightly to give his visage a good once - over , her eyes glittering like amethysts in the waning light . ❛ But I ran across this cute little coffee shop on Main and would you have it that it turns out you own the establishment ! ❜ She grinned . ❛ And I happened to pick up two bone - dry caps . Something that might sober up the whiskey I know you just gulped down . ❜  

Slowly she walked in , and it was just as formidable as the video walk - through that he had displayed for her through the custom Apple Vision headset she had sent him for his birthday upon coming out .   Everything was gleaming and dark wood , and it reminded her ironically of the welcoming prison of Rosethorns— they could quite literally be sister domiciles . It didn’t surprise her that they had grown up as almost mirrors of one another . Just another thing she had in common with her favorite Luthor .

❛ This is a step up from that stuffy little Ivy League dormitory , Lex . I’m impressed . ❜ She smiled as she placed the cappuccinos down on the glass desk of his office , and walked slowly backwards to take everything in . No , the video certainly didn’t give it the justice it deserved— it was lovely and menacing .

Lex  stood  at  the  top  the  grand  staircase  of  the  Luthor  estate,  a  glass  of  scotch  nestled  between  his  fingers.  He  was  never  one  for  nervous  habits,  but  the  ice  in  his  drink  had  melted  -  and  he  found  himself�� swirling  the  amber  liquid  more  he  than  drank  it.  It  had  been  a  few  years  since  he  last  saw  Nausicaä  Thorn.

Years  since  the  late-night  philosophical  debates  over  whiskey,  since  their  dangerous  little  games  of  seeing,  who  could  piss  their  fathers  off  more,  who  could  outmaneuver  the  other—intellectually,  strategically,  and  sometimes  even  morally.  She  had  been  the  only  person  who  ever  truly  challenged  him,  believed  in  him,  and  the  only  one  he  had  called  a  friend  without  an  asterisk.  And  yet,  they  had  drifted.  (  it  was  his  fault,  uh  superiority  complex,  not  at  all  )   He  had  assumed  she  was  living  some  high-powered  existence,  cutting  through  the  world  the  way  only  she  could.

So  it  was  a  surprise  to  him  when  the  silence  broke  between  them,  when  her  name  appeared  on  the  screen  of  his  phone  one  late  evening,  and  ever  since  that  day  they  had  not  stopped  talking.  Simple  phone  conversations  were  just  that  *simpler*  seeing  her  in  the  flesh  was  an  entity  all  its  own.

This  newfound  exile  had  taken  Lex  down  a  few  pegs,  threw  him  off  his  game.  He  was  under  his  father’s  thumb  —  put  out  in  the  sticks  to  take  care  of  a  crap  factory  that  was  going  under  due  to  Lionel's  negligence.  It  was  his  responsibility  to  pick  up  the  pieces,  what  little  there  was  left.  He  knew  Nausicaä  out  of  all  people  would  see  this,  him  at  his  lowest  possibly  not  for  the  first  time,  she  seen  him  bad  off  but  nothing  like  this.

The  chip  on  his  shoulder  grew  into  a  carnivorous  chasm,  Lex  was  jaded,  careless  and  more  reckless  than  ever.  He  didn’t  want  his  mess  touching  her,  even  then  it  didn’t  stop  her  from  deciding  she  would  join  him  in  Smallville  —  and  he  didn’t  exactly  object  to  the  idea  either.

Lex  thoughts  broke  to  the  sound  of  gravel  on  the  driveway,  twin  beams  lit  colorful  panes  of  stain  glass  before  flicking  to  off.   It  was  quick  the  way  he  polished  off  his  drink,  setting  it  aside  to  climb  down  the  stairs.   Would  it  come  off  as  restless  anticipation  if  he  greeted  her,  helped  her  with  her  bags?  He  always  hated  stuffy  formalities,  the  ones  his  father  taught,  Luthor's  don't  fetch  guests  but  this  was  not  a  transaction,  it  was  different  Nausicaä  was  his  friend.  Outside  the  double  doors,  was  the  slam  of  a  car  door  -  he  pulled  the  entrance  doors  open  stepping  out  on  the  stone  pave  driveway.

At  first  glance,  he  felt  his  breath  curl,  years  had  done  nothing  to  her,  she  was  unchanged,  more  refined.  She  stood  beside  the  rental  with  that  same  air  of  dominance  she  always  had,  it  was  a  presence  that  sucked  air  from  the  room,  perhaps  anyone  within  her  vicinity.  Lex  nearly  forgot  just  how  formattable  Nausicaa  was...statuesque,  dark  intimidating.  He  loved  that  about  her,  though  the  years  changed  something  else,  it  unsettled  him  a  bit,  it  was  oppressive  almost.  Lex  shrugged  it  off,  intrigued  but  a  topic  to  prod  about  later;   

❛  You  know,  I  was  starting  to  think  you  made  a  wrong  turn  in  this  cow  town.❜   Lex  quipped  playfully,  giving  her  a  quick  smirk  as  he  walked  around  the  car  to  help  grab  her  luggage,  with  the  shut  of  the  car  door  he  looked  her  over,  gesturing  to  the  wooden  double  doors.

❛   Go  on  in,  I  can  show  you  to  the  room  you’ll  be  staying  in.  ❜ 

[wickedslip]

i don't believe you when you tell me you are fine.

❛ Would it be more believable if I said that I've got this in a way that no other could match me ? —— ❜

Nausicaä glanced up from the papers strewn in a haphazard manner across the polished oak surface of her long executive desk , the firelight playing along its gleaming surface . She surveyed the sly fox prince with great regard . Sitting back within the overstuffed confines of the high - backed supple chocolate leather chair , she placed her olive hands together to form a bridge along her left knee . Oculars just the color of Nordic fjords before the brunt impact of a violet - grey hewn tempest slowly accessed him , her eyebrows arching with adorned mischief .

[wickedslip]

Jeanette Winterson, from "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal," publ. in 2011

[wickedslip]

YOUR BOUNDARY DOESN’T NEED AN APOLOGY

[wickedslip]

oh

set your past on fire and leave

[wickedslip]

𝕽𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐓 . For living , for literal breath . Eventually , the witch knew that this house believed in the motto kill or be killed ― ― and Nausicaä was a survivor . She had what it took to see the light at the end of the tunnel , even if that said light was dispersed by the time she reached it . Valerie , who would always be coined as her little prey animal , was practically shaking with vivid animation . The house had struck again , and wouldn't you have it that Ankhe was nowhere to be found to find herself up to her throat in the beckoning noose of mischief .

❛ Don't pout , V . Don't you know that another lap the body , swallowing the serpent's tail , is only inducting you into the signs of aging ? Luckily for you , I've invented this topical agent that will reduce any and all of that . ❜ She grinned and pressed her nose delicately to hers . ❛ Then again , there's this other concoction that I made that's the equivalent of a sip from the fountain of youth . ❜ She chortled . The side - eyed look she was rewarded with from Valerie was enough to make her stomach hurt from force - stopped laughter . ❛ You don't have so much as a line or a crease . I'm obviously fucking with you . ❜

“ you need to rest now . don’t move . ” // & @wickedslip

it had been one moment that she was upright , though the next she had been brought into the other's arms , hugged close to her chest . it did not take long at all for valerie to snuggle into the embrace , though after a while , a pout forms on her face . she could not deny that she did need to rest , though she did not want to admit it . being brought over to the plush surface , she stills when she is set down , curling into herself ; she was not putting up a very good argument to the fact that she would be able to stay awake . she glances up at the woman , almost imploring her with her eyes to stay with her .

[wickedslip]

[wickedslip]

𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 , and the way her mind was racing , she could outmaneuver her Porsche at this rate . She didn’t want to upset Valerie , and while there were light - hearted jests in the past between the two , it never meant that she thought Valerie was less than competent . She had chosen her specifically because she knew what she was capable of . While she didn’t appear to have that special pedigree , and it looked like a small breeze could knock her over like bits of dandelion fluff , Nausicaä knew that she was right about her . Her intuition had never led her astray , not once in her two decades of being on this earth . Her actions were anything but powerful , and perhaps her zeal was over the top , and the reaction to it was Valerie was crumbling inward . It was a matter of self - preservation , and Nausicaä could be frightening .   

She’d never hurt her . Perhaps anyone else that came close , but that was not public knowledge . The best way to preserve this human body was to shoot now and ask questions never . It was how she had always survived in the past . This wasn’t the first life that she lived , and yet most of them were cut short , long before the expiration date . She knew her ancestress— and Queen Ankhesenamun could not be trusted . Hell , she might not even be her actual ancestress , but Deucalion had somehow trapped her ass in this house . Her house . And now they would all suffer for it as some kind of ill - fated prophecy . Not the kind of OMEN she subscribed to .

Knowing Valerie , she had been swindled into it . And Anhe’s story was what tragedies were born of— and anyone that would hear it would want to bring sympathy to her doomed plight . The Queen had been the primary inhabitant of Rosethorns , the vengeful ghost that liked to devour men and make women disappear in its ghostly , cavernous halls . She ensured that anyone roaming the house would suffer as she had suffered when alive .

❛ You cannot take this one , Ankhe . Do you hear me ? ❜ Her voice was commanding , virulent . Enraged . Dangerous . ❛ If you do this , you are going to land me behind bars . Not that you haven’t already made this damn house my prison . ❜ Her voice did not waver in her discourse , even if she had acquired a modicum of consideration for her over the years . She had taken advantage of her friend , of the situation . The irony of the matter was Nausicaä knew that , eventually , it would happen .

She finally turned to the girl whose body had contorted on itself , or more so her confidence , and her eyes softened to a violet bordering on cloudy wisteria blossoms . ❛ You didn’t upset me , Val . But you have to understand that to be here , to be in this place , you have to be able to protect yourself . Come on , let’s go to the apothecary . I’m going to fashion you an amulet that will protect you from such paranormal manifestations . It’ll keep you safe . ❜ Placing emphasis on the last of her spiel , she grasped her shoulders to take her in for a gentle hug .  

" w -- well , she . . . the m -- manner in w -- which she r -- req -- requested I do this was . . . p -- polite . " it was not like she had any other way to phrase it , & neither of them would make her sound any less naive than she is ; which nausicaä knows she is to a fault . it is often the subject of many jeers & jabs , all said in love of course , but the point still stands . valerie's own arms come up to wrap around herself , though more in a self protecting manner than an annoyed one ; & also slightly nervous of what the other might do upon learning this information .

the woman has never been aggressive towards her of course , though reading her body language , this time it might be a slight possibility , & Valerie is not sure she could even blame her for this . it was a foolish thing she did , especially without talking to her friend beforehand ; she was not even sure what she had agreed to , but judging by the reaction she received , it was not something pleasant .

" that w -- was . . . not e -- exac -- exactly how it w -- was p -- posed , but long s -- story short , y -- yes . " the plan being laid out in a lot more detail did make it all seem much more daunting & frightening than she would have first thought , but what was she to do ? she said she would , & she could not back out of a promise ; that is not like her , no matter who she agreed to let control her . she could almost see the gears whirring in the brunette's head , possibly spinning out of control as she did what she could not to unleash her full smite on everyone & everything . again , she has not seen it firsthand , though she was aware of the sheer force she possessed to do something quite . . . destructive .

perhaps they had sensed what kind of person Valerie was & they jumped right on that when she was alone , & she did not have nausicaä to consult . she never gave up the chance to lend her aid , & it was known she could go quite out of her way , though this was on another kind of level . she shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot , not sure where she should go from here .

" I . . . my d -- deep --- deepest a -- apol -- apologies for u -- up -- upsetting you . " Valerie tells her , & she is genuinely sorry about all of this . she never meant for her to be so frustrated with her , though she could not control someone else's emotions , nor should she think she should be able to .

[wickedslip]

PERMANENT STARTER / REVERSE MEMES CALL . no cap . Hit the 🤍 if you are interested . Multi-muse please let me know your muse preference in comments .