#i really really really want people to start calling salem hot dog head

[fbfh]

you're mine (and I'm yours) - scott mccall x witch!mate!reader hcs

wc: 4k

genre: soulmate au sort of, lowkey a sabrina the teenage witch au (hilda and zelda are your aunts) bc I'm in my 90s witchy whimsigothic era,

summary: trying to balance your newly realized powers as a young witch with a social life and starting at a new school is a lot to handle, and you're thrown for a huge curveball when the hot werewolf on the lacrosse team forms a mate bond with you, dragging both of you into each others secret worlds

warnings: not proof read, some predator/prey dynamics bc scott is a literal werewolf, scott realizes he's being kind of creepy towards you but you can tell he's not human so you get it yk, you pass out bc you're a tad overwhelmed, scott is very posessive, scott is very clingy, scott is so fucking down bad for you, implied size difference (specifically he has bigass hands), astral projection/eavesdropping through dreams, awkward mate talk with Derek and Scott, mention of future conversations about ruts but otherwise sfw, your Aunt Hilda and Salem both make dog jokes at Scott but he takes them in stride, I think that's it??

song rec: we belong together - ritchie valens, wereowl - sj tucker, wolf bite - owl city, head over feet - alanis morissette, also here's an outfit but it's totally optional lmao

a/n: had this in the works for a while!! It spiraled out of control lol,, I was debating using this as an outline but it's already pretty long and I'm coming out of a slump so I'll take what I can get lol but if yall like this def expect more of scott x whimsigothic witch reader bc I have SO many ideas lol ALSO for your consideration chris flemming's take on witch summer, and scott introduces himself to you like skunk from a diy basement show ((also tagging people on the movie/tv show au tag list and the omegaverse tag list bc of the genre so if you don't know why you're getting tagged in a teen wolf fic that's why lol))

@yesv01 @almostjollypizza @fictionalcomforts @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @urmum-xoxo @raajali3 @paige-creates @lubsana @demirunner @almostjollypizza  @mystic-writings  @babiesimagines  @lizziebitch33 @jacksondeeznuts @hopefullhearts @justbookworm @Asunnyhunny @cowboylikekelsey

You and your family have always been somewhat quiet, kept to yourselves

In spite of some family members more… flashy joie de vivre

And in spite of the fact that you’re all at least a little eccentric 

You really do try to keep to yourselves

You just want a chill, peaceful existence 

You’re not looking for trouble 

Do no harm take no shit kind of energy

A lot of this is due to the fact that almost everyone in your family are witches 

You have a cousin who’s a sorcerer that lives out in tallahassee 

But besides that

You’re pretty much all witches

Your mom and dad live in michigan, often visiting family in the hudson valley or up in northern new england 

Quiet places where no one will look too closely at private lowkey eccentric people 

Once your magic and clairvoyant powers started to develop on your 16th birthday, you move in with your two aunts in northern california

A small town called beacon hills

Everyone knew figuring out a balance between learning about your powers and heritage and maintaining a normal social life was going to be hard

Your aunts arranged a split schedule for you

You’d homeschool half the week to give you more time and freedom to learn your craft

And go to the public high school half the week 

Hybrid schooling isn’t exactly conventional, but nothing about your family really is

The school board apparently weren’t very pro on this but your aunts managed to convince them

So for the first half of the week, everything goes fine

You’re doing your homework as fast as you can and learning so much about your powers

You’ve been studying auras and energy reading

Once you get the hang of it, you find it’s hard to shut it off

The second half of the week surprisingly also goes okay

At first

Your first day at beacon hills high, you get a tour from a guy named Stiles who is either taking way too much or not enough adderall 

He seems a little sidetracked and you get the impression he has a lot going on outside of school

You’re also approached by a girl named Allison and her friend Lydia

Allison tells you that she’s somewhat new to beacon hills too, and you form a sort of bond over that

You wonder if she’s a fire sign, you immediately pick up on a strong warrior/fighter type of energy from her 

Lydia is really nice too, and you can tell she’s a lot smarter than she lets on

You pick up an unusual energy from Lydia, something tugging at your gut and poking the corners of your mind, but it doesn't feel threatening so you brush it off

You sense Stiles nearby and turn your head, seeing him talk with a lanky blonde dude

Your stomach drops 

There is something very weird about this guy 

You can feel a really distinct energy but you can't put it into words 

You squint, wondering what his name is

You're getting a lot of vowels, something sort of old, biblical??

Eventually your attention is pulled back to Allison 

"Were you staring at Isaac?"

Isaac

That makes sense

"Uh, yeah no, I just spaced out for a second…"

You get that bubbling feeling that something is coming really quickly

"Come on, we should get to class." You drag them away, walking in front of them

You're right once again, as Scott McCall rounds the corner looking for Stiles and Isaac

"Hey we need to-"

He cuts himself off, distracted by the scent he picked up

It's different from any other scent he's ever encountered 

It's sweet and electric, like the first sip of your favorite soda 

"Scott?" Stiles asks 

He picks it up again, this time on Stiles 

He leans closer, sniffing him like a bloodhound 

He shoves his nose in Stiles neck, then makes his way down his torso and over to his wrist as Stiles protests

Stiles’s scent immediately overwhelms the new one and Scott recoils

"Dude, don't do that in public!" He hisses, catching the strange looks from the students passing by them

"Or in private- or ever!" He corrects 

He looks back at Scott, whose pupils are super dilated 

"What… what was that?" Scott wonders regarding the intoxicating scent 

"Yeah, I was going to ask you the same thing," Stiles grumbles, thrown off by the odd (and almost intimate) gesture 

For the rest of the day, whenever he starts to clear his head, he'll catch that scent again, completely pulling his focus away

Meanwhile, you've found at least 3 people with that same weird energy as Isaac

It doesn't feel bad, not right away at least 

But it's really really strong 

It’s strange and overwhelming

Between how exhausted you are from all your magic lessons and how hard it was to keep your powers under control at school

AND the fact that you spent basically all day half blinded by people’s auras and energy 

You’re totally exhausted

And you don't have time to unpack that today

So naturally as soon as you start to sense that weird energy

Especially that one particularly strong source of it

You pivot and head the other way

You're sure Lydia and Allison must think you're crazy by now but they don't seem to be too phased

Much like with Stiles, you get the sense they’ve seen a lot of weirder shit

And your instincts are never wrong

You know, the whole psychic clairvoyant witch thing

So by the end of the day, you’ve avoided it thus far, and you start to head with Allison and Lydia to the parking lot

You stop suddenly,remembering you forgot your wand in your locker

There’s no way you can leave that at school, so you run back inside, telling them you’ll be right back

Meanwhile, Scott has spent all day chasing down every hint of that scent he possibly can

He’s about to give up when he smells it at the end of the hallway, just around the corner

He was on his way to lacrosse practice

But honestly he couldn’t care less about that right now

He starts running, desperate not to lose the scent again, or lose control

You tuck your wand somewhere safe, then you feel it seconds before it happens

The hair on the back of your neck stands up

Your stomach drops and you get that feeling that something is about to happen

And you feel the strong as fuck super intense energy barreling towards you 

A strong chill runs down your body

You turn around right as Scott pins you to your locker, eyes glowing red and as big as the moon, pulse racing

He’s breathing hard, fanning warm over your face

And god, the world shifts and everything makes sense

A shiver runs down his spine, and yours in tandem, and he has to physically hold himself back from kissing you everywhere, from pressing his face into your skin to breathe in your intoxicating scent

The logical part of his brain, the human part is screaming at him not to scare you, stop being weird, at least introduce himself and ask for your name

But the primal part, the wolf part, is too loud

He didn’t know he could feel so protective, so possessive over someone without knowing them

His wolf brain insists he does know you, you’re each other’s…

Each other’s…

That’s it

You’re each other’s

You’re his and he’s yours

God, he’s yours

And he is drawn to you

It’s like you shoved a bear trap in his chest and are pulling him closer and closer by the chain

And he’d let you

He wants you to

Fuck he wants to kiss you

At the same time, you’re trying not to fall over from the sudden force of emotions this guy is feeling for you

You can physically feel how badly he wants you

How much he desires you

Like you’re the only thing that matters

And fuck that weird energy is radiating off of him so close to you

It’s definitely not bad or malicious

You can tell that much

But it’s really really fucking powerful and needs to be treated carefully

The combination of all these things is making you kind of dizzy

And when you look at him

Really snap out of your thoughts and look at the guy pinning you against the wall

Fuck

He’s hot

He’s really hot

His breath over your face in little puffs is hot

It’s all too much

You feel yourself start to fall

You pitch sideways into his arms, blacking out before you can say something or sit down

Scott catches you as you begin to slump against him

Everywhere you touch, he lights on fire

He holds you gently, nuzzling his face against you, finally allowing himself to bask in your addictive, intoxicating scent

You don’t respond to his touch, and he can sense your pulse slowing down

“Fuck!” he growls, snapping out of it and realizing you passed out

He sniffs you closer 

You smell okay, so it's probably nothing serious 

But he has to get you somewhere safe

“Scott?”

Stiles’s voice echoes down the hall

“Scott!” he sees Scott clinging to your unconscious body, eyes glowing and teeth bared

A low growl emanates from his throat as a warning and Stiles freezes in his tracks

He doesn’t think Scott has ever growled at him like that

He barks at Stiles to stay away from you on instinct

A moment passes and you still haven’t woken up yet

He starts to worry

“We need to get to a doctor,” he mutters, suddenly charging past Stiles, with you still in his grip

Stiles chases after him, making a mental note to talk to him about how fucking weird he’s being right now

One very tense jeep ride to Deaton’s later, you’re laying on a table slightly too small for you as Scott rambles, explaining how you passed out

Deaton’s not exactly sure why he’s examining a human and not an animal or supernatural creature, but Scott is way too worked up for him to be hung up on details

Derek had somehow gotten wind of what happened, and is waiting for Deaton to confirm you’re okay so he can give Scott the lecture of a fucking life time

He got a panicked call from Scott’s stupid friend, and now he has to clean up another one of their messes

He’s so ready to yell at Scott, but the second he walks into the building, he smells it

His stomach drops

He runs into the back, throwing open the door, and is overwhelmed by the smell of the mate bond freshly formed between Scott, and you, who’s still lying unconscious

He tries to drag Scott out of the room to talk, but Scott refuses to leave your side, growling and snapping at him

“Okay,” Derek says, “I really didn’t think I was going to have to give you the talk so soon, but…” 

Stiles and Scott protest, while Deaton looks even more uncomfortable than he already had

“Not that talk!” Derek snaps, “...The mate talk.” 

“The mate talk?” Scott asks, “Like…” his words hang unspoken in the air

Derek nods

“Yeah.” 

Using every ounce of willpower in him, Scott manages to tear himself away from your side to step out of the room and talk to Derek, but he insists on standing right outside the door so he can watch you through the window, Stiles following behind him

He’s barely able to pay attention to what Derek is saying

He’s so preoccupied with you

You look so vulnerable on that examination table

It’s not like he thinks Deaton wouldn’t take great care of you or anything, he just wishes he was there to make sure first hand that you’re okay

He doesn’t like that he’s not next to you right now

It brings on a heartache, a devotion he hasn’t ever felt before

“For fucks sake, Scott, pay attention!” Derek snaps, realizing he’s been spacing out

“I’m listening!” Scott counters, and tries to focus on what Derek is telling him

He’s glad Stiles is there to retain the information he’s missing 

It’s like his brain is a sponge that’s been soaking in a bucket full of you, it can’t hold on to anything else

He just wants you to be okay

In the depths of your sleep, you make a mental note to thank your aunts for giving you that book on astral projection (among many other witchy texts and spellbooks) for your birthday 

You flex your hands, feeling them tingling warm with magic, then wiggle your feet, tingling the same way

You continue to gently separate your astral form from your corporeal form, and the dream you had been  having shifts

You’re in what looks like the back office of a vet’s office, a guy in a lab coat stands near you looking concerned

Gently, slowly, you get up and creep towards the door

You watch a rugged looking man with dark hair, and that same energy, explain something seemingly important 

“For fucks sake Scott, pay attention!” 

You look over at Scott, who’s looking back at where you’re presumably still asleep in the back room, and the guy keeps explaining what’s going on

Mates are a rare connection, usually made by alphas, and it’s even more rare for an alpha to have a mate that’s not a werewolf, he tells Scott and Stiles

You look up at Scott

He’s a werewolf

And an alpha

That makes sense, you think, it confirms the feeling you’d had before but couldn’t put into words

With a fresh mate bond (which is what you have) being separated can be painful, and even fatal, so until this calms down you’re basically going to be joined at the hip

You’ll form a deep connection, possibly even some sort of telepathic bond, but most likely you’ll just need to spend enough time together, make sure you’re both doing okay

He’ll probably feel possessive and territorial over you, that’s normal, but it’s also important to keep those feelings in check

Scenting can help with that too

“There’s also the issue of, uh,” Derek looks around awkwardly

He knew he would need to explain ruts at some point, and now that Scott found his mate, he needs to tell him before he gets his first rut

But he feels like now is really not the time or place

“What?” Scott asks with a blank stare

He really has no idea what he’s getting into

“Come by my place this weekend, I’ll tell you then.” 

“Okay,” he says, clearly antsy, glancing back at you, “if that’s everything can I-”

“Fine,” Derek sighs, warning him not to scare you, “and don’t come on too strong!” 

Scott opens the door, rushing into the room

In an instant, you feel yourself getting pulled back to your body as the scene goes dark

You open your eyes, lying on the table, Scott right next to you

“Oh, you’re awake,” he says, breathing an obvious sigh of relief 

“I’m… Scott, by the way,” he beams down at you, utter adoration obvious on his face 

“I know,” you smile, turning to the others, “Can we have the room?” 

It’s more of a statement than a question, and Stiles, Derek, and Deaton awkwardly shuffle out

You’re sure Derek will be able to hear everything you’re saying with the whole werewolf hearing thing, so you choose your words carefully, wanting to keep at least some cards close to your chest

You know there’s not much you’ll be able to hide from him, what with you being mates and all, but you’d like to be a little strategic about how you break some of this to him

He’s still gazing at you, beyond enamored, and it’s like his whole world has shifted

His center of gravity no longer rests an inch below his navel, now it’s wherever you are, and he feels himself swirling and orbiting around you 

You’re the center of his universe

You take his much larger hand in yours and his chest squeezes as the breath is pulled from his lungs

He smiles again, he’s been doing that a lot more around you 

“I know you’re a werewolf,” you start slowly

His stomach drops

“But it’s okay, I’m not freaked out or anything. I actually have something kind of weird to tell you too, but,” your eyes flick over to the door, “I don’t think this is really the ideal time or place.”

“Okay,” he breathes, waiting for you to continue so he can hear more of your voice, sweeter than honey and as soothing as a cozy blanket

“I know we can’t really be far apart because of the whole…” you motion between you two, “mate thing, so if you want we can go back to my place and catch each other up a little?” 

He stares at you as you talk, focus split between your words and how wonderful it is to be around you, and a moment after you’re done he agrees

“Yeah, there’s probably a lot to talk about,” he says with a chuckle

On your way out to the car, you send an incoming spell to your aunts with a quick flick of your wand

It’s a simple spell that tells the recipient something’s coming, mixed with a little bit of the sender’s intention and sometimes a short message, so they can tell if it’s anything dangerous or not

The message you mutter under your breath is “big news, we’ll be home soon, get ready” 

You tuck your wand back into your boot as Scott opens the door of Stiles’ jeep for you, helping you in and buckling your seatbelt for you

Your heart flutters a little at the gesture

Stiles gives you both a ride since he had been your ride over, now under significantly less stress than he had been during your previous drive to Deaton’s clinic

Scott is glued to your side the whole time, radiating heat against you

You’re both sitting in the back, and Stiles grumbles something light hearted about Scott already ditching him for you

A while later, Stiles drops both of you off at your house

It looks slightly out of place in beacon hills, with its looming victorian frame and tall turret protruding into the otherwise clear sky

Various lawn decorations and ornaments made of heavy metals and deep jewel tones (all enchanted and serving a purpose) decorate the yard, kept company by the occasional gnome 

The inside, as Scott will soon find out, is decorated in a similar fashion

Deep, rich jewel tones with eclectic prints and patterns, heavy velvet drapes, and a lot of celestial imagery and detailing cover every room, with books and nicknacks tucked away anywhere there’s space for them

You can sense your aunts freaking out a little, catching a spell book flying across the room through the window

They’re not sure what kind of trouble you got in so soon, but they’re ready to do whatever needs to be done to help you out

You open the door, and everything stops in its tracks

Most of it was out of sight, but you see a few things that had been floating about drop to the floor or skitter to their place on a table in a way that your aunts hope is inconspicuous 

They pause in their tracks about to greet you, when they see Scott

Both of your aunts, and the black cat sitting on the couch in front of a soap opera playing quietly on tv all stare at him curiously

After a moment, aunt Zelda’s eyes go wide in understanding, and she nudges Hilda, who catches on as well as you greet each other

Aunt Zelda addresses you, happy that your home, “and who is this?” she asks, motioning towards Scott

You smile

“Aunt Hilda, Aunt Zelda, this is Scott. He’s my boyfriend,” you say

Scott almost feels dizzy

He really likes being called your boyfriend, much more than he thought he could

He wishes he could hear you say it again

“He’s a werewolf.” you state simply

Scott’s eyes flare, and he looks down at you, what the fuck, dude?? Written all over his face

“Oh,” your Aunt Zelda says, trying to sound surprised

“Is he?” Hilda says rhetorically 

“So, he’s already familiar with all kinds of magic and supernatural stuff. It’s nothing new.”

They let out a sigh of relief, and all the magic that had been ground to a halt flies back to life

A pot in the kitchen starts stirring itself, the items that had been flying around make their way back to their places on shelves and drawers, a broom in the hallway begins to sweep up by itself 

Scott is sure the shock is evident on his face and you giggle, sounding like music from the heavens 

“Scott, these are my aunts, Hilda and Zelda. They’re witches.”  

“Oh,” he says, nodding

That makes more sense

“And I am also a witch. So,” you turn between Scott and your aunts, taking out your wand and flicking it with a swish. The book on the table in front of them flips a few pages, and the letters rearrange themselves with a glimmer into the word mates. Their eyes widen in understanding. “Now that all the cards are on the table, Scott and I have some homework to do, so we’re going to catch up a little and take care of that.” 

“Sure,” Zelda says with a smile, “let us know if you need anything, Scott.” 

“Peanut butter is in the pantry, and I think we have some bone broth in the freezer if you want to-” Hilda says, starting to make a gnawing motion before Zelda smacks her arm

You’d expect nothing less, and you’re relieved as Scott chuckles at the dog jokes

You start to bring him through the living room past the couch to go up to your room and talk a little

You’re a witch

You have a wand and (presumably) spell books and can do literal magic 

Okay, he can totally handle that 

He’s dealt with weirder stuff 

Honestly, he can feel deep in his bones that nothing can pull him away from you

This is nothing more than a slight curve ball

And he actually thinks it’s really fucking cool

He’s processing what he’s seen since entering your house, and it makes sense, he thinks

He’s sure he can handle this, he doubts after all that there’s anything else in the world that could shock him

You pass by the couch, and he hears a deeper voice let out a petulant whine

He turns his head, seeing the black cat who’s been sitting on your couch the whole time

“Is he going to make the whole house smell like wet dog?” 

The cat just spoke

“Gag me.” he groans with a roll of his eyes

“Salem!” you exclaim, dragging Scott away

Okay, maybe that will take some getting used to 

“Sorry about him,” you say as trails after you up the stairs. Your voice is low and intimate, and he feels that deep connection to you again

Everything in him pulls him towards you, towards you warm embrace

Then you gently hold his arm to guide him into your room, flashing a sweet smile his way that makes his chest squeeze and his stomach flip

He’s sure he can handle anything as long as he has you

#scott mccall x reader #teen wolf x reader #scott mccall #teen wolf #scott mccall x witch!reader #witch!reader

[badgirlcovenrep]

My thoughts on Motherland Fort Salem: Ep. 6: "My 3 Dads"

- whew... this is gonna be a long one, this episode had SO MUCH going on

- I thought cape lady was Scylla for a second ngl

- this is like... way too much spree. Like- WAY too much

- the "bleed for freedom" speech is pretty poignant tho. Like, they're not wrong and that's what makes the Spree so scary to me

- I can see why witches would give their lives to the Spree with how the world is going for them and that's why they're so powerful

- tally is seeing through Alder's lies! My cinnamon roll will bring waste upon the U.S military herself and I'm SO here for it!

- so they hate Alder in the Cession? That brought me so any questions

- If the Cession is mostly native American is there some historical beef between alder and the first nations?

- when alder gave them the cession in exchange for biddyship like eliot said was it done as peacefully as alder implied? We know she could definitely cover up smth like this

- did she do something shady to get the biddies?

- They need Charvel's blood? How long has she been dead at this point? Does she even still have blood? I'm so confused

- love abigail and adil being rebelious together tho. They're so hot. I'm a sucker for bi couples

- i also think it's nice to see adil be so cool and outspoken, he's definitely different nowadays

- abigail's dads are so cute but i do not trust them

- can they legit leave abigail alone? Like they won't stop for A SECOND to acknowledge she's still traumatized from being hunted and almost killed but they want her to honor her family by being a glorified incubator for the army? Fuck THAT

- this handfasting thing makes me so MAD, literally EWWW

- Shane killed tiffany's parents... honestly i'm glad Scylla killed that psycho

- he deserved to die and Scylla did Brianna a favor idc what anacostia says

- he was definitely gonna groom his daughter into the Camarilla she's better off away from this mess

- hopefully bonnie and her get to have a normal life now

- I also fully support Tiffany going with the Dodgers

- they're truly the only pacifists out of this whole show

- and like Scylla said, if she goes there, she has a chance to actually choose for herself what she wants to do

- if she went with the military she'd be like, instantly conscripted, and she deserves to choose if she wants that

- #justicefortiffany

- so Raelle is only going to find out Willa is alive when she sees the bitch, huh? Okay. Okay, yeah. I'm fine...

- not really I'm dying inside this meeting is gonna be SO UGLY

- like if she found out first she'd have sometime to think about it, now she's just going to have to deal with it on the spot and that is NOT going to help

- the conflicting feelings are going to be delicious though, she's going to feel happy and relieved that her mom is alive but also probably be so hurt and angry that she left them to mourn her all this time I'm so nervous for all this

- beanie!Tally has my whole entire heart

- I don't like Anacostia being back with Alder but I guess she wasn't ready for all this shit

- scylla is way more of a little shit than she predicted

- I already love Gwen. I was hoping we'd get to meet Willa's unit at some point, wonder what happened to the third one

- cool to see her use the same off-canon work as Raelle tho, still curious to know where that came from

- love adil literally not caring about Abigail's family's dumb traditions

- also I hate her dads now

- like calling witches MARES??? What is wrong with these people?? Do they not see how wrong this is? 🤢🤢

- they literally KNOW they're treating Abigail like a freaking animal to be bred

- this is so disgusting I stg and so very reminiscent of how women were treated back in the day, like baby incubators

- did- did this show jus imply Abigail was made in an orgy...

- kinda liked seeing willa be so nice to tiffany, you can definitely see she has a lot of maternal traits abt her

- it MUST eat Scylla alive a bit that Tiffany lost her parents just like she lost hers

- the Camarilla keeping kids in animal cages and feeding them dog food is literally so vile. Eliot didn't have to go THERE, but he did and it makes this all so much scarier

- it's like willa said tho, they're doing this bc they're literally so scared of witches they won't even go for grown up ones

- we saw how they ran like little bitches when the lights went off at the party

- they're all just cowards

- on another note. "Bedtime for tally" lol

- YESSS put it all together, TALLY!! My baby is gonna start a rebellion I can feel it!

- was not expecting Nicte to still be alive tho

- in my head the flashbacks were WAY older

- Petra is being such a bitch to Abigail I stg. She said she'd change in episode 1 and she's only getting worse

- was not expecting granny Minerva to side with Abigail on this but literally GO OFF, LITERAL QUEEN OF PERFECT MICROBRAIDS

- YA'LL RAELLE IS SINGING. RAELLE IS SINGING STFU THIS IS SO PERFECT.

- if we don't get Raelle serenading Scylla by the end of this show what's even the point

- AND eliot said she was thinking about Scylla aaaaaaaa

- she deserved those dad hugs, I'm so sad she still thinks her mom's dead tho

- watching tip: go back on the scene Alder is getting her throat burned and just watch the biddies roll around dramatically on the floor. You don't have to thank me. I was laughing hard at that

- I had a feeling Raelle was gonna get taken but STILL JESUS THAT SCENE

- it scared me so much and poor Tally tried to save her 😔

- ya'll get what THIS means right??

- Scylla and willa are gonna HAVE to go get her

- there's no way they won't

- I'm 100% not ready for next week but I want it sooo bad

#motherland fort salem #mfs theories #raelle collar #raelle x scylla #scylla ramshorn #tally craven #abigail bellweather #adil mfs #willa collar

[guymaito]

For the ask thing :3:

Top 5 animals? Top 5 fav/comfort movies? Top 5 fav cartoons/shows?

I’m honestly glad to know theres other people including you who actually like Pakku and his character :3 Yes he was a completely asshole at the start but he did change, it’s just that it was so subtle that not everyone saw it

Also random song associations with characters:

Fighter by Jack Stauber reminds me very well of Piandao, Pakku, and Jeong Jeong as their younger selves during the war.

Why do I associate Grace by Lewis Capaldi with Bumi? (the music video tho would give more context to why it might make sense)

Oh Klahoma by Jack Stauber reminds me of Piandao and his overall anxieties for his partners.

Consider some of these songs as sorta song recs? Idk but still :3

1. Giraffes!! the reason why their tongues look like That is cause of extra melanin and to prevent sunburn!!

2. Seals!! there are 33 different kinds of pinnipeds and there over 50 extinct pinnipeds

3. Dogs!! they can only see in shades of blue and yellow, so bright red roses look yellowish brown and lively green grass look dehydrated and dead

4. Crows!! a group of them are called a murder

5. Cows!! they’re actually colorblind, they can’t see red specifically, so male cows, bulls aren’t getting mad at the color, they’re getting angry at the movement

1. The Losers movie from 2010, it’s a action mystery movie about Clay and his team that are a part of an elite US Special Forces Unit and are approached by a mysterious woman to exact revenge on their handler, Max, who betrayed them and just,,,the characters, CHRIS EVANS, jake jensen and all of his kinda weird glory, THE ELEVATOR SCENE, also cougar!!

2. Captain America and The Winter Soldier movie, it’s a action movie, which makes me realize that a lot of my faves are prolly gonna be action something, but anyways, it’s about Steve Rogers, who now lives in the nation's capital as he tries to adjust to modern times. An attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague throws Rogers into a web of intrigue that places the whole world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Natasha Romanov, and a new ally, Sam Wilson, Steve struggles to expose an ever-widening conspiracy, but he and his team soon come up against an unexpected enemy. oh my god,,,just,,,the fight scenes, the running scene at the beginning of the movie, steve meeting sam that way, just everything!! this was also my introduction to marvel so in my mind no other marvel movie can live up to this (other than spiderman away from home)

3. Spiderman Far from Home, again, it’s a action movie, i’m not gonna explain this cause the post is getting long, but!! mj and peter!! just,,,all of their scenes!! also jake gyllenhaal!! the fight scenes!! the soundtrack!! everything about it is amazing!!

4. Thunderforce, again, i’m not gonna explain, it’s an action adventure and comedy movie (ofc it is look at the other 3 🙄 /s), the relationship between lydia and emily!! the relationship between lydia and emily’s daughter!! the humor!! the fight scenes!! the soundtrack!!,,,,just everything about is good despite the bad ratings

that’s more like a top 4 than a top 5 but that’s like,,,,all the movies i genuinely like and will rewatch if given the chance and for that where’s a honorable mention: Hamilton (the movie version on disney+ that came out i think nearly a year ago), the soundtrack is amazing, the characters are better, got some funny moments and is mostly historically accurate, like yeah angelica did forget her name cause at the time of her meeting alex ham, she was married to a man named john church (or something church idk) so her last name was church but she introduced herself to alexander as angelica schuyler, not angelica church, so in satisfied she was telling the truth about forgetting her own name, but in the same song she said that her father had no sons even though the real angelica had 3 brothers.

1. Avatar the last Airbender, ofc or else i would have a blog (mostly) centered around it and it’s sequel /s but fr though?? it’s such a good show!! zuko’s redemption arc, iroh’s redemption arc (even though his more subtle than zuko’s) , aang!! love him and his character so much, especially when he gets to be a sassy little shit, sokka and his shit humor and brains, katara, toph, hakoda and HIS shit humor, the fight scene with hakoda (he fights kinda like a waterbender, using his opponent’s momentum against them), bato and his lovely, lovely voice, piandao, aang going ‘how about he get on YOUR back and you can fly us to the south pole’ or something like that to sokka after he complained about appa not flying higher, the boiling rock episodes, hakoda apparently being a good dad but a shitty prison riot starter (love that for him), just!! atla is such a good ass show, im not changing my mind. also!! i like the way they introduced ozai, not showing his face but still presenting him as not only a shit dad, but a shit person as well, like up until book three, we only saw him like, the neck down and in like, a flashback or two (i don’t really remember how many flashbacks ozai was in actually cause it’s nearly been a full year since i last watched it) and that’s it, so it made seeing his face for the first time all the more better cause you was already like ‘what the hell does this shitbag look like’ and then you see him and now ur like ‘oh!! THATS what he looks like!!’

2. The Legend of Korra, again, ofc or else i wouldn’t have a blog (mostly) centered around it and it’s prequel, just,,,,korra’s arc from being hot headed to calm is fantastic but also sad considering the way she went from that to this, korra’s book 1 character!! for whatever reason i really like b1 korra, just,,her design, her hair style (even though she had it for nearly the entire series) just!!! book 1 korra <3, also the entirety of book 1!! just amon posing as a anti bender nonbender despite being a waterbender himself, the scene where tenzin and his kids nearly lost their bending, which would’ve meant that, if tenzin did lose his bending but his kids didn’t, that would’ve meant the strongest airbender would’ve been his 11 year old daughter, the gruesome way to end the season finale episode by doing a murder suicide which was dark as fuck for what?? a kids show??, also the villains in this show!! their good as hell!! the backstory of the red lotus and how and why they were created?? amon and his anti bending?? kuvira and her plan to basically rule the earth kingdom (idk i haven’t finished book 4), unalaq and his spiritual stuff and wanting to become a dark avatar and fusing with vaatu?? also!! the other disturbing scene of korra basically getting tortured near the end of book 3, i mean?? it deadass left her hella traumatized and unable to walk, again hella dark for a fucking kids show

3. The Walking Dead, even though i haven’t finished it or watched in like, 4-5 months, i just,,,the way the presented negan!! practically foreshadowing him the entirety of season 6!! him appearing at the very end of the season 6 finale and pretty much having an entire episode dedicated to him in the very beginning of season 7 (which is why some fans argue he was introduced in s7 not s6 cause of the fact that he didn’t show up until the very end of the s6 finale but had an entire episode with him in it in s7, while others say vice versa cause the very the first time we see him was in s6 not s7), the fact that the walking dead logo was getting progressively more and more decayed as the series go on?? the fact that the WALKERS (the zombies) are getting more and more decayed as the series go on?? dale’s death scene?? shane’s death scene?? negan’s relationship with rick’s daughter?? the fact that this show also has what?? 11, 12 seasons?? which reminds me that i’m still on season 9 of twd

4. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, just,,,salem and his sarcasm?? sabrina’s aunts?? sabrina herself?? just!! everyone is just so fucking funny in this show it’s unreal, specially salem!! a lot of my favorite scenes have salem in them, the ‘are you on a women’s chat room again?’ (or something like that) and salem saying ‘i like the attention’ in response, that one harvey and salem scene that i don’t know how to describe without turning this into a giant paragraph like the ones before this one

5. blue’s clues, it was my favorite childhood show and i love the reboot of it so much!! especially p for pride moment in that song i don’t remember the name of, blue themself!! steve leaving which was sad but getting an equally amazing host in the process?? amazing!! the scene where salt and pepper introduced their baby, paprika?? just,,,it’s such good show and i loved it when i was younger and i still love it now!!

#asks #moots #piandao was in what? two episodes? #but do i still love him? i do no doubt #oof i really need to catch up on twd #long post #this got long as shit oof

[jj-lynn21]

Party At Greenwald’s ch 3

Warnings, sex, drugs, angst, possessive relationship

Images courtesy of @dearcardan on twitter, @billofourtime,imdb, mood board my creation

ch 1   ch 2  ch 4 ch 5 ch 6 ch 7

{flash back continued}

Minutes after you pull his arm around you for comfort and warmth he is up. He seems to roll over you to stumble to the bathroom to be sick.  

You get up to go take care of him. As he purges the night before concoctions you put a warm damp wash cloth on his neck and rub his back.

“I didn’t think you were going to be here,” Mark is on his kneed hugging the toilet as his stomach lurches and he spews more.

“Flight was cancelled,” You take the cloth off his neck, warm it and put it back on him. “I’ll have to rent a car and drive.”

“Bullshit,” He starts dry heaving.

“I’m going to get you some ginger ale.” You head downstairs to the kitchen for the drink to settle his stomach and yours.

Mark is sitting on the edge of toilet with his head in his hands. He looks up as you walk in with two cans of ginger ale. “Damn, that was an insane night. Now what’s going on with your flight, babe? I didn’t hear you because I was puking my guts out.”

“They cancelled my flight and closed the airport for at least a week.” You sipped at the ginger ale. “Like I said while your head was in the bowl, I’ll rent a car and drive home.”

“Oh yeah, that’s why I called bullshit.” He sipped his ginger ale. “I don’t like that plan. I’m going to shower. We can pack our shit in my car. And your going to be quarantined with me.” He grins.

“Oh, they will love that,” you roll your eyes.

“My parents fucking love you.” He strips. “They love you more than they love me, I think. Besides we barely need to see them. We can stay in the guest house.” He gets into the shower.

“I’ll talk to my parents to see what they think.” You head out the door.

You are completely surprised they like Mark’s idea. You haven’t told them much about your boyfriend, but they trust you made a good choose. It is too dangerous to drive eighteen hours. The hotels and motels are closed due to the virus. You would have no where to stop to rest.  You just have to promise to video chat them daily. You agree.

You join Mark in the Shower. He is just rinsing off. He smirks, “Good idea. Get dirty where we can get clean.”

You giggle, “my parents think its best I stay with you. Well, with your parents and you.”

“Fuck, that’s the best news I’ve heard all week.” He pushes you to the back wall of the shower.

He kisses down your neck. Nothing on the mouth since neither has brushed your teeth yet. Last nights party, this mornings toilet trash does not make for a please breath. And you both know this. The smell of whatever and everything in your gut still permeates the air, yet that does nothing to slow Mark’s or your libido.

Mark has you crying out his name softly in minutes. The shower water cascading over you both. His hips slapping into yours as your bodies connected deeply.

Mark groans, “Its going to be fucking paradise to have you 24/7 with me. Ffff u c k i n g p a r a d I S E” He pulls out and comes on your stomach. Leans his forehead against yours. He reaches down to make sure you finish so you don’t withhold sex. He is practically terrified you will withhold sex if he doesn’t finish you off. You were already really close to the edge. So sensitive to his touch. You get what you need from him. He gets all he needs from you.

He steps out of the shower so you can actually take one since you are now partially covered in his seed. He brushes his teeth and messes with his hair before going to get dressed. You enjoy the hot water beating over your body. You power the shower nozzle over your body before even taking your favorite soapy bath sponge to all your part.   Brushing your teeth is a must when you get out.

Mark has made some toast for you both by the time you get downstairs with bags packed. “Its only an hour drive to my home. We’ll probably just chill tonight. May order in something unless my mom cooks.”

“I don’t want to even think about eating anything other than this toast for hours.” You eat and drink some ginger ale.

“Glad you didn’t want anything else,” Mark shakes his head. “I think I told everyone to raid the food supply since we all had to leave. I got so fucked up from that stuff Brian dropped in our drinks. I don’t even remember what it was.”

“Let’s not take anything from him again,” you smirk. “We don’t need to be so sick in the morning. And I like to at least partly remember the party.”

“Yeah, to fucked up,” He shakes his head. “I’m with you babe.”

This is a recurring conversation. When you get to that point where the hangover is worse than the high. You always make a deal to never do that again. It’s a deal you both easily break for a good time.

When you get to Mark’s hometown of Salem, it has the vibe of suburbia in a Steven King novel. There are joggers. People are walking their dogs. Little kids ride on bikes. They are all staying away from each other. At least six feet.  And there is an almost burned down home surrounded by caution tape in the middle of the street on one side.

“That’s Greenwald’s,” Mark points to the monstrosity. “I guess no one bought it to fix it up yet. His Father and him both got blown away. His Mother left town the next day. Its like this eye sore they keep intact from that night to remind people of the evils of social media.” His voice catches a little in sorrow. “Stupid Greenwald’s”

You didn’t really know how to react. Mark seemed so emotional about the place which usually wasn’t his thingl. You could swear there were tears in his eyes. He looked straight ahead blinking the tears away or maybe some bad memories away as he drove. You moved over as much as the seatbelt would let you, to lay on his shoulder hoping to comfort him. He took one hand off the wheel to wrap around your back. You were both quiet as he drove to his childhood home.

#mark assassination nation #assasination nation #fanfic #fan fiction #mark and x reader #x reader #fantasy #au #quarentine fiction #creative writing #quarentine #virus #shelter in place #social distancing

[rwbyconversations]

Why Emerald and Mercury’s scene in Lost is one of the best scenes in all of RWBY

Lost is a really underappreciated episode in Volume 6. It tends to get overlooked because Dead End precedes it and that’s easily the weakest episode of the season, while right afterwards we get the three-parter of the Argus Battle and Adam’s return meant focus was shifted for a hot minute. But I adore this episode, nearly every second of it barring some choices at the end (barring Oscar getting shafted for development- again- and Ruby’s oddball speech of “we didn’t need adults this far” to Qrow), but it’s honestly one of the best episodes of the season in my eyes, and that falls down to one major scene- Emerald and Mercury’s conversation in the first third of the episode, which is one of my favorite scenes in all of RWBY.

I know when people think of character arcs involving Lost they tend to go for the obvious lure of the Pyrrha statue, which, to be fair, is a really solid character moment and I loved a lot about it- especially the small reference to the Volume 1 OP of Jaune looking at the statue, it’s framed with almost the exact same camera angle. But as someone who mains my two murder kids, I cannot stress how hyped up I was going into Lost. Finally, after years of being relegated to background fodder with their one big moment since Volume 3 being their humiliating appearance at Haven where Emerald took a literal dive and Merc was left holding an arm like a numbnuts, Lost was gonna give me the content I’d been waiting for.

The fact that Merc and Em were getting the thumbnail- something neither of them had been in since Volume 3- was something that made my goddamn day when the thumbnail went up on VRV

And ultimately, I think the scene delivered, and delivered with a gusto that makes me unironically call it one of the best scenes of the Volume, one of the best of the show, in fact- and today I’d like to explain why I love Emerald and Mercury’s scene in Volume 6 Chapter 9, Lost.

1) The establishing context, or: a quick breakdown of Merc and Em in V6C4 

Merc and Em had one scene earlier this volume, in Chapter 4, “So That’s How It Is.” It chronicles them and Hazel returning from Mistral several weeks after the Battle of Haven, Hazel having contacted Little Miss Malachite and gotten the heads up on where RWBY were going next. Spirits are low as they leave the ship, and an unexpected welcoming party in Tyrian doesn’t lift the mood. Emerald in particular lashes out at Tyrian when he mockingly notices Cinder’s absence, which just gives him all the motivation he needs to get up in Emerald’s personal space and mock her for her weakness. 

Fun fact, in the Volume 6 trailer, Tyrian creeping on Emerald happens in Salem’s conference room, presumably to throw people off the scene on when the scene would be happening. 

Tyrian proves to be as sharp as his dearly-departed stinger (now resting in Ruby’s cabinet of Maimed Body Parts), mocking Emerald in a delightfully chilling voice that “Cinder isn’t here to protect you anymore.” You know who is though? 

This asshole, that’s who. Mercury fucking Black, finally showing the spine he lost after Volume 3 and getting up in Tyrian’s grill to protect Emerald. He even got his eyebrows back just for the occasion! 

Never forget Volume 4 and Merc’s penciled-on eyebrows

It’s a short but sweet scene that sets up the duo’s dynamic well- they’ve really only got each other out in Evernight so even if they bicker... a lot... Merc and Em will watch each other’s backs because it’s that or deal with Tyrian, Watts and most importantly Salem alone. And that’s not a thought either of them truly want to consider. 

The rest of the Evernight scene in chapter 4 has some small but important moments for them- I especially love Mercury being the first person we see realizing Salem’s about to snap because of his abusive father. If anyone’s gonna know how to read the room and know to get out of dodge before the glass starts shattering, it’ll be him. How he just stands at attention, eyes locked forward when everyone else looks at Salem is also a nice subtle bit of character- eyes forward, since he was probably told not to move without permission. Emerald’s sheer terror for much of the debriefing is just a masterclass in animation- her eyes are these narrow pinpricks that can’t focus on a single spot, she cringes in anticipation of a slap when she rats out Cinder (gee it’s almost as if Cinder is her abuser who conditioned her or something why do people still ship them), how she flinches when Salem touches her shoulder and only relaxes when Salem moves on and reveals that Cinder’s alive. It’s all just great stuff for their characters that you get from looking at their body language. 

That’s all that we see of Mercury and Emerald until chapter 9, and unfortunately the last we see of them from there until the post-credits scene, but fortunately, this is a real doozy of a scene. 

2) The actual scene

We open with Merc and Em alone in a room, Emerald bitterly noting how much she hates being kept in the dark about Salem’s future plans. Mercury agrees, stopping some training to note that at least Cinder kept them up to speed, before resuming his combat. 

Mercury and Yang are two of the easier foils to compare and contrast to in the series, especially in the RWBY/CRME contrasts between Ruby/Cinder, Weiss/Emerald, Blake/Roman and later Adam and Yang/Mercury. Both are close range fights with firearms strapped to their limbs of choice, both have cybernetic limbs and as we learn later this episode, both had fathers with wildly differing views on their Semblances. But something else that connects them is that neither Mercury or Yang stay down for long when they get knocked out. Yang lost her arm and once she got back on her feet, she updated her fighting style to be more acrobatic and all-around, which paid off in dividends when she got to fight Adam and was able to move around his strikes. Similarly, the first time we see Mercury get some free time after Haven, he’s training... except he’s working on his fists, since he was overly reliant on his legs until now. I like this, it would have been easy to have Mercury just working on his legs or even just doing nothing but not only does it give the conversation a more lively feel, but it shows that Mercury is working on covering his weaknesses. And if there’s one thing Mercury hates, it’s leaving a weakness uncovered.

Your daily reminder that Yang vs Mercury is some of the best choreography in the show BTW

Emerald, seemingly out of boredom, decides to pry a bit and asks Mercury why he came with Cinder and Emerald in the Volume 3 flashback. I’ve seen some people criticize that Emerald is only asking this now, but given how when she tried to object to Cinder she got a slap for her troubles, I think it’s safe to say she decided it wasn’t worth Cinder’s wrath a second time for asking too many questions about Mercury. 

Mercury tries deflecting with a simple answer “Just made sense,” to which Emerald calls bullshit with one of the most deadpan-laden lines she’s ever uttered. “It ‘made sense.’” 

Mercury decides to keep up that path, trying to cover the question with his usual sarcasm and wit. It’s notable that his explanation gives nothing away that Emerald didn’t already know- Marcus trained Mercury to be an assassin, Mercury killed him and right afterwards, Cinder showed up. It’s almost clinical how, despite covering it with his usual wit, Mercury doesn’t let anything slip until Emerald gets under his skin by calling bullshit again, since to her that Mercury joined Cinder for as shallow a reason as “right place right time” is anathema to her- there has to be something in this for Mercury beyond just getting to fight. Mercury again deflects, giving Emerald knowledge she already knows- “Salem’s promised us everything. We win this thing, we’ll be top dogs in her new world.” Again, he’s only telling her what she already knows, and when he asks her what she gets out of this, Mercury manages to throw Emerald off the scent and tricks her into talking about herself- a topic Mercury enjoys because it means he’s not the one under the microscope. 

Something I adore and hate in equal measure is how musically when Emerald talks about Cinder, the score itself changes to a more whimsical version of Cinder’s theme- as if Emerald’s using her Semblance on the soundtrack itself to paint Cinder in a better light. 

Also something worth noting is the lighting symbolism for Emerald in the first part of this scene:

She starts in darkness, surrounded by light.

When Mercury gets a rise out of her, she walks out into the light to confront him, but Mercury moves into the darkness, a barrier separating them. But when Emerald begins talking about Cinder...

The camera pans to put Emerald back into darkness. This scene is loaded with this kind of symbolism on a lighting and musical level, the two dancing around the edges of light and dark, separated usually by the barriers that form from the overhead light.

Regardless, Mercury is perfectly fine to let Emerald prattle on about Cinder, right up until Emerald begins having a crisis of conscience. Not one based on how Cinder used her to stage a terrorist attack, no. Mercury butts in when Emerald’s crisis of conscience is based on how now that Cinder isn’t here, Emerald isn’t sure if they’re doing the right thing. And thus Mercury’s fandom finally got to see the scene they had been waiting years for: Mercury telling Emerald Cinder doesn’t care for them. Emerald gets angry, still caught up in the web of lies that Cinder spun around her, but Mercury doesn’t give a solitary shit about any of that and keeps saying things Emerald doesn’t want to hear- that Cinder never cared about Emerald, let alone either of them. 

I absolutely adore how the ever-present smirk on Mercury’s face just melts off while he’s trying to get Emerald to realize Cinder never cared for them- either because he’s done playing nice or because he’s trying to stress to Emerald that he’s not messing around, just this once.

Mercury’s mocking line to Emerald finally sets her off, and she charges him furiously, trying to beat him into shutting up. But it doesn’t work- of course it wouldn’t, Mercury is leagues above Emerald in skill even if she uses her weapons, going in without them is tantramount to suicide. This guy danced around Coco and Yatuhashi and gave Yang and Pyrrha good fights while deliberately throwing both fights. Beating Emerald would take less than a minute if he tried. But he doesn’t. Mercury never actually hits Emerald, focusing on just blocking her blows. It’s only when Mercury finally decides to stop giving Emerald information she already knows and actually give her some honest truth that he begins trying, and immediately Emerald is forced back. But even then, Mercury throws his kicks. Compared to the ones he threw in training they’re sluggish, easily predicted. He’s not trying to hurt Emerald, he’s just stressing his point. 

Literal chills went down my back when I heard that line the first time, Yuri killed it.

Mercury basically decides to throw his abuse in Emerald’s face, which I’ve seen some people deride and describe as Mercury basically playing the victim card, but I think this is perfectly in-character for him. Emerald’s locked in her cycle of abuse with Cinder, even though the bitch is on another continent and now is the perfect time for Emerald to break free, to get out before Cinder maims her like Marcus did Mercury... and she’s not. Taking. The chance. Of course Mercury would be pissed, of course he’d get heated for the first time- he’s basically watching Emerald squander one of the only chances she has to get out of this life before Cinder catches her again, and he (and the audience) know if Cinder gets her hands on Emerald again, that’ll be it; Emerald will be ride or die for Cinder all the way to the finish line due to her paternal/romantic love. If it takes Mercury being this most callous and blunt he’s ever been to finally get Emerald to see the truth or even just to make sure where she draws her battlelines, then he’ll do whatever it takes. 

As we get an orchestral reprise of I’m The One, Mercury finally gives us a new hint into his backstory- one of the most fucked up of all the cast according to Kerry- for the first time in three years. Marcus didn’t just beat Mercury senseless, didn’t just excuse it as training and potentially even cut off Mercury’s legs to refine him into a perfect killer- he stole Mercury’s Semblance with his own, seeing it as a crutch that Mercury relied on and holding it over his head with the promise of its return once Mercury got strong. To quote the normally Unirkable Merc himself, “So I got strong, but I never got it back!” 

Mercury forced himself to get on the level of titans like Pyrrha and Yang without having the safety net of a Semblance like they have- he got strong in spite of his father, not because of Marcus taking his power from him. But that power- that strength that lets him fight at a skill ceiling beyond what Marcus likely thought possible, destroyed this young child. It stole from Mercury, things that he can never get back- a literal piece of his soul was taken from him and the thrill of the fight is the only thing he’s ever found that can fill the hole. That confidence is earned because Mercury was defiled by his father and spat in the face of destiny, he chose to get back up and try and earn back what was rightfully his. And when he got the strength to kill his abuser and burn his house down, just to realize he couldn’t get that power back? In walked Cinder Fall, looking for another lost youth to corrupt and twist the worldview of- and here was one such youth, with all the corruption done complete with a neat little bow on top. 

All of this- all of this- goes without mentioning how not two volumes prior we had a different character go through an arc involving her Semblance and a father figure teaching her how to control it and not let it control her. 

I’m just saying guys if you still wanna live in denial over Yang and Merc’s foil status and how they’d be the coolest rivals in the show, door’s right there, I’m gonna be here eagerly awaiting their proper rematch (Fuck off and die Volume 5, you mountain of wasted potential). 

The kicker (pun not intended) is Mercury’s line at the end of the training with Emerald- “I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” he confidently declares, absolutely sure in himself. The whole dynamic of the scene has been Mercury and Emerald calling bullshit on each other’s excuses, with Mercury dominating once he got Emerald to play the Cinder card. But he gets so caught up in his rage over how he got defiled by Marcus, that he loses sight for a second and forgets that he’s lying to himself as much as Emerald- the difference is he’s gone thought he cycle before and seen it so he can see that Emerald’s in it, but he hasn’t yet realized he’s gotten caught in a different cycle and still can’t see the trees from the forest. Denial is a recurring trait in Mercury and Emerald, and one neither of them are ever truly free from (”Salem promised us everything,” like how Marcus promised you back your Semblance, Mercury?). Emerald attacking Mercury after he mocks her “crisis of identity” can almost be taken as her subconsciously agreeing with Merc that Cinder doesn’t care, but after all she’s done for Cinder, everyone she’s hurt and helped kill, the idea that it was all for less than nothing is something she’s got to run away from- the alternative is just too nightmarish.

Mercury “I’m right where I’m supposed to be” Black, ladies and gents. He’s feeling really confident in these scenes, can’t you tell?! 

And who sees this and realizes it, but none other than Tyrian fucking Callows of all people. And of all the people in Salem’s castle, who expected him to be an adept armchair psychologist? Tyrian is blunt, completely unforgiving in his assessment of Mercury and Emerald- they’re trapped in a cycle of violence, pain and misery, and they’re too afraid of what’s on the other side to ever leave it- what’s waiting for Mercury out in the world of Remnant? All he can do is kill, and now that he’s burned his bridges with Huntsmen society, all he’d wind up doing is assassination work like father like son. Granted, Tyrian being the one to break this down to them both is... ironic given how Tyrian himself is trapped in Salem’s web of devotion and has been for so long he couldn’t find his way out if he wanted to, but here he raises a valid point. 

After this the scene mostly moves away from Mercury and Emerald and becomes Tyrian informing them and the audience that Watts and Tyrian are going to Atlas to intercept RWBY, but before he leaves, Tyrian leaves some parting advice.

“Do what makes you happy children, please? I’m begging you.” 

Reading through the mile-wide lines, it’s obvious Tyrian wants them to run so he can hunt them down himself, even though he denies telling them they should leave earlier when Emerald asks point-blank if he’s telling them to go (of course he isn’t saying that, he wants them to come to the conclusion himself, no fun stalking prey when the hunt’s made easy for you after all). But the scene ends with a somewhat more optimistic note.

Emerald and Mercury, still unsure about a lot of things after this group therapy session, are still standing together, almost more unified than they were before now- no barriers of light and darkness separating the two now. And that should be something that terrifies anyone who crosses their paths, especially the guy who made a point to T-Bag Mercury and basically promise he’ll draw the straw on killing them if they stray out of line. 

3) Conclusion

Mercury and Emerald are my favorite characters in the show, and while that’s been a bit harder to maintain in the Dark Times of Volumes 4 and 5 where they got nothing to do, 6 reminded me and a lot of other people why they’re the characters to keep an eye on in future years. They have these wonderfully dark backstories that let them serve as haunting foils for two members of team RWBY each (Emerald and Ruby and Weiss, Mercury for Blake and Yang) that show how far things could have gone if the RWBY girls had been born with a bit less luck. On top of all that, I’m The One is just a killer of a song that excites with its spiteful air, its cockiness only accentuating how horrific these two have had it. 

Mercury and Emerald start the Mistral seasons separated by a barrier (the window) but after their conversation in Lost and time away from Cinder, the barrier’s gone. They’re closer than they were before. And Merc got his eyebrows back too, that’s a sign he started caring about Emerald! 

Their scene in Lost I feel encapsulates a lot of what keeps them together and what makes for one of RWBY’s best dynamics- they don’t really like each other a lot of the time, but they have each other’s back come hell or high water because they need each other like a lifeline. Mercury does, at least a little, genuinely care for Emerald; he goes about it in a dickish way but trying to recognize Cinder’s abusive behavior is one of the most noble things he’s done all show. And while Emerald did try to attack him, he goaded her into it and she was indignant with rage when Tyrian pinned Merc down. Everything about the scene just works for me, from the small musical cues (alongside the return of I’m The One and Cinder’s theme, I love how right before Emerald attacks Mercury, this beeping starts and then accelerates into this droning sound like a flatline, which really captures Emerald’s temper reaching fever pitch and then snapping, to the lighting symbolism (Merc and Em both begin the scene in darkness but come together in the light at the end after Tyrian leaves, alongside everything I said above) and of course, Katie Newville and Yuri Lowenthal both knocking it out of the park with a home run of a performance, alongside Josh Grelle being his usual self when Tyrian shows up. While it was overshadowed by Jaune’s scene with the Pyrrha statue, I’d be very comfortable marking Emerald and Mercury’s spotlight scene in Lost as not just a highlight of the season, but one of the best scenes of the entire show. Everything came together for this ambrosia of a scene, and I can only hope I sold how much it means to me and how much I appreciate the work that went into it on a technical, writing, animation, acting and musical level. 

Keep an eye on Merc and Em is all I’m saying, and if you’ve written them off in the past, I hope this convinced you to take another look at them and hope they get their due time to shine in future. 

Thank you for reading. 

#rwby #mercury black #emerald sustrai #Tyrian Callows #yang xiao long #salem #marcus black #taiyang xiao long #rwby analysis #yuri lowenthal #katie newville #rwby volume 6 chapter 4 #rwby volume 6 chapter 9 #josh grelle #rwby6 #so that's how it is #lost

[supercasualtj]

                      truth or dare: totally cool and chill

from cleo raja — truth: since coming back together again, who can you not stand? or just don’t like all that much? or dare: kiss everyone here, besides me, and tell us who’s the best.

“I’ll be the first to admit, I definitely think Kai’s too hot now, so fuck that,” TJ began. She was feeling pleasantly loose, having helped herself to a shower smirnoff before the game began. “But in general, everybody’s exactly the same as they were. The only difference is that Julian and Jenny are stuck with us and can’t ditch us for all their richer, cooler friends. I’m glad to be hangin’ out with my old buddies.”

from dakota harrison — truth: what’s one time you felt like the squad let you down? or dare: eat something you don’t like, right here and now.

Eating gross things was a Powell family tradition, and TJ had always had weird taste buds anyway. She considered, peering around the hotel room. “Did anybody bring a slim jim or jerky or something?” Since they had roadtripped, the teriyaki jerky was eventually produced-- TJ opened a new drink in preparation to eat a single nugget, choking it down before downing the third wine cooler just to rinse the taste of haunted cow from her mouth. “God, that mummy heat is so gross. It makes me feel like a zombie and I don’t know how anyone can casually snack on it-- but make note my mamma ain’t raised no bitch.”

from jenny jordan — truth: have you ever had a crush on someone in the room or dare: compliment me for three minutes straight.

She could already feel her cheeks burning at the idea of confessing to a crush, even in her late twenties, amongst her friends, so instead TJ was content to bite the bullet. She leaned forward, looking deeply into Jenny’s eyes and stated: “Start the timer.” Waiting for the go ahead, she began the flow of words. She’s already drunk, so they flow quickly and with sincerity. “Jenny, you’re so hot you put us all to shame. Your skin looks, and I cannot stress this enough, amazing. You could crush my head with your thighs and I would say thank you.  Your hair smells like sunshine and your teeth are super white. You never made me feel out of place when I was an awkward androgynous teen, and I’m really grateful for that. I’ve always loved your fashion sense and it’s only gotten cooler in the last decade. Remember when you loaned me a scrunchie in the eleventh grade? I do. It was the cutest part of my whole damn outfit, all thanks to you. I always thought you were really clever, and sometimes I used to suspect you could read minds. I think your job and the connections you make there are super cool, and I really envy your jetsetting lifestyle. You should have a show about your life like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and you are so interseting I really would watch every episode--” The timer went off and TJ drew in a deep breath, feeling a little nauseous for having gushed nonstop without coming up for air. “Don’t let any of that go to your head, now, babe.” 

from julian campbell — truth: what is the cruelest thing you have ever done to a friend? or dare: let the person on your right give you a hair cut, right now.

“Well what I’m not gonna do is give any of you drunkie-drunks a pair of scissors,” TJ asserted. She was drunk but she sure wasn’t that drunk. Besides, if it wasn’t something she could undo after her hangover wore off, she wanted absolutely no part in it. “So I guess I’ll just have to admit to trying to exclude Cleo a little when we were all in school, y’know, cus she was such a baby and it kindof made me feel bad to be willfully providing her with booze and weed and things that would rot her tiny pre-teen brain. Sorry, Cleo. I already told you you’re way cooler now, though, so now return the favor and don’t do anything to me while I sleep.”

from kai eastaughffe — truth: would you kill a spider for me? or dare: kill the spider in my room for me.

TJ let out a dramatic sigh and got to her feet. The booze hit her then, she realized as the world tilted sharply to the right and she braced one hand on the wall behind her, trying to look casual as everything slowly righted itself. “C’mon, A-Kai Berry, show me where the spider’s at. I’ll keep you safe.” She didn’t even really want to kill the thing, but a dare was a dare so she made quick work of it with Kai’s hotel room remote.

from salem st. ives — truth: do you think your family was right to warn you to stay away from the dirtbag? or dare: phone any one of your brothers and tell them kai has always had a crush on him.

TJ barked out a laugh, completely forgetting the first option as the tantalizing dare was presented. “Oh, baby, you got it,” she agreed, pulling her phone out and waiting for the Face ID to unlock it. “Siri, call Miley Cyrus.” The phone rang a few times before TJ’s youngest brother Miles picked up. “To preface this, I do need you to send me a picture of Gizmo, stat, because I miss him,” TJ started, not even waiting for Miles to ask why it was he was calling her at such a late hour, clearly intoxicated. “But I did call you to let you know that all those years ago? My friend Kai was like, totally in love with you. Used to stare at your closed bedroom door while you were being a super emo, and pine for you, waiting for you to come out.” “Well, you’re clearly drunk,” Miles responded finally. “But that’s good to know, I guess. Which one’s Kai, anyway?” “Oh, you know the one. Skinny, big hair, looks a little nervous. He’s a lawyer now, though, so you could do worse.” Miles snorted, which TJ knew was an acknowledgement-- he knew exactly who she was talking about. “Yeah, yeah. Your dog’s asleep, do you still want a picture?” “Absolutely I do. Thanks for pickin’ up, Smiley. Go to sleep soon I’ll see ya in a couple days.” “Yeah, yeah. Night, Teej.” “G’nite!” She let the call end, looking over at Kai. “Miles is just a simple woodworker, but I bet he thinks you’re cute. He could be your trophy husband.”

from samuel flores — truth: do you wish that the squad had never parted ways? or dare: let each member of the squad send one text to anyone they want in your phone..

Since TJ had already tucked her phone away, she decided to take the truth, nodding empathetically as she finished her drink. It seemed wise to steel herself before this confession. “You guys were my only friends, like ever.” She lets out a nervous half-laugh. “Seriously, when I moved here nobody thought I could talk, remember? It wasn’t until I was accepted by all of you guys that I felt like it was, y’know, even worth it. Talking. And now I’m doing too much of it, a little? It would’ve been nice to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments when they happened. Coming together again like how we did is a real bummer.”

from skylar murphy — truth: what’s your biggest worry in life? what keeps you up at night? or dare: confide in someone you normally wouldn’t confide in.

Skylar’s question is the one that gives TJ the most pause. Maybe its because her drink is gone, maybe its because her tongue feels funny, but she takes a long time, chin tucked into her knees before responding. “I think I worry that, I’m going to be alone. Not like, romantically or whatever,” TJ clarifies, waving that away in case anyone tries to remind her that she don’t need no man. “I’m not worried about that. But... I just said you guys were my only friends. I think I just loved you all so much it’s been really hard to make space in my life for new people even after all these years. I think I worry that I can’t ever get our old friendships back, so I’m going to be alone.” Since that was thoroughly depressing, she reached for a cup that wasn’t empty and tried to settle comfortably back into her spot. “Who’s next?”

#thesquadevent #thesquadtask #so late but im always late

[avengers-nextgen]

The Aftermath I

The monster’s growl resonated throughout her bones sending painful vibrations through every sleeping nerve. Drool pooled in the crevices of its teeth before tumbling onto the ground with a faint patter. Each second that passed was another Bianca had wasted on trying to escape the inevitable.

Those dark eyes and sharp teeth were all too familiar; she knew the damage they caused.

Heart hammering in sharp bursts she watched the beast’s muscles tense just before it pounced. Fur smothered her in a thick blanket stifling the cries of pain. Each breath only drew in the sickening scent of sweat, blood, and wet dog.

The sounds of the carnage were the worst. At last, the monster withdrew to study its victim. Slobbering jaws seemed to unhinge and just before sharp teeth clamped onto her face she woke.

Sweat coated her skin in a thin layer plastering strands of dark hair to her face. The sound of scratching at the door sent a chill tumbling down her spine. Bianca realized for the first time she was on the floor. How she’d gotten there she didn’t know, but she needed to hide. Those nails only meant one thing.

In desperation the soldier crawled beneath her bed for refuge. She lay there with hands over her ears, eyes closed, and body quivering.

Bianca didn’t know how long she stayed like that but something brushed against her and it was a moment of fight or flight.

Eyes flashing open, fists clenched, Bianca prepared to lash out only to realize there was no immediate danger. She recognized the person crouched beside her bed.

“Hey, it’s me. You’re okay, come on out,” Alex smiled thinly, extending her hand. Bianca rejected it and made her way out alone. With some effort she managed to sit up and prop herself beside her bed. “Bad dream?”

“It was real,” Bianca whimpered, “it was real.”

“No, Bee, it wasn’t,” Alex shook her head, speaking gently.

“Yes it was! I could feel it.” Bianca protested, “it was here. I don’t know how but it-“

“Calm down,” Alex took hold of her friend’s shaking hands.

“I am calm.”

“No, Bianca, you’re not. It’s okay, just focus on me,” Alex tried to keep Bianca’s attention, but the soldier was scouring the room for a hidden presence.

“There were nails on the door. They were scratching. I-“

“It was Salem,” Alex explained, “he sensed you were upset and made me come here. I’m glad he did.”

“Salem?” Bianca breathed, finally identifying the cat curled protectively by the door.

“Yeah. It was just him. That’s all,” Alex promised.

Sighing, Bianca let her head fall back against the side of her bed. Eyes closed, her breathing began to slow. “I should have known that. I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not. You’re just experiencing something lots of people do, me included. There’s not much you can do about it,” Alex sat patiently with her friend for some time explaining exactly what PTSD was. Bianca listened half heartedly. By the end, her head was bowed in defeat with strands of damp hair clouding her face from Alex. “Hey, none of that. Don’t be ashamed of it.”

But Bianca couldn’t help the tears sliding down her cheeks. She wanted to be normal again, but her normal wasn’t even that normal to begin with. She was never going to be normal. She’d been designed from the beginning to be broken.

Eyes softening, Alex collected the other girl in her arms and held her close. She ran a careful hand through Bianca’s hair trying to soothe her thoughts, but it was of little use.

“Is she okay?” Alex jumped slightly and glanced up to see a very concerned Sage standing in the doorway.

“Dreams,” Alex sighed.

“Bee?” Sage approached her friend with caution sitting beside her. Bianca spared the new arrival a small glance that broke Sage’s heart.

“I wish they’d killed me,” came the raspy words. Cries of despair turned to tears of hot rage.

“Don’t-“ Alex started only to be interrupted.

“I wouldn’t be like this. I don’t want to be like this. I don’t want to be scared or broken or just a stupid weapon. I wish I’d never been born,” Bianca clutched at the nearby nightstand, and in her anger managed to pull herself to her feet. For the briefest moment a look of determination settled on her face.

Scrambling to her feet, Alex attempted to calm her down, but Bianca wasn’t listening. “Easy, easy-“

“Don’t tell me to be calm. You don’t know what this is like. I can’t walk! I can’t do anything on my own and I hate it. If I ever get my hands on-on that stupid-I’m going to kill them. I’m going to break them-“ Alex stood wide eyed watching Bianca unravel for the first time. The anger, the hate, and the absolute pain in those dark eyes was terrifying. She was certain that - had Max been nearby- Bianca would kill them.

With an unsteady step the soldier left the nightstand behind only to collapse. As soon as she hit the floor an angry yell escaped her lips. Sage stood watching with a wounded expression knowing she should help, but also knowing there was little to be done. No one could curb such despair.

So she stood there as Bianca threw a tantrum of absolute anger. Not the kind a whiny child did, but the kind someone who’d truly been hurt did.

It wasn’t until Bucky entered the room and collected the wailing girl that things began to settle. He stole her away to his own room and the silence that followed was deafening.

As Sage and Alex headed back into the hall they noticed each door slightly cracked with eyes peering out. They had all heard it, all seen it, and they all were broken by it.

That night, Sage made her way down to the cell block. She knew it was dangerous, she could very well lose control, but she’d promised to stay calm. There was nothing she could do to fix what happened.

Eyes cast down, she stopped once parallel with the designated cell. A figure was sitting upon the floor looking at her with wide and fearful eyes.

“Don’t think about yelling for help,” Sage warned, finally meeting Max’s gaze. “I’m not here to hurt you no matter how bad I want to.”

“Please don’t-“

“Shut up or I’ll consider it,” Sage glowered. Max clamped their mouth shut. “I want you to know something very important and you sure as hell better listen.”

“Understood.”

“Whatever happens to you, whether you get out of here or not, if I ever have the choice of saving you or letting you die I will watch you be torn to pieces with no sense of guilt at all. You deserve to rot, to be eaten by bugs, and feel rats nibble at your bones, but I won’t make it happen. I’m not that kind of person anymore no matter how badly I want to be in this moment. What you’ve done to my friends and my family is absolutely unforgivable,” Sage hissed.

“I’m sorry-“

“I don’t want an apology,” Sage yelled cutting him off before continuing in a whisper, “I want you to be afraid. I want you to know that no matter what Enzo does or says about you I will never be on your side. Maybe, one day, if you can find a way to change my mind we can forget this ever happened. Until then, I won’t lift a finger to clear your name.. You have no place in my heart whatsoever. No room for pity, or sorrow, or forgiveness, and if you expect any you will be sorely mistaken.”

“You blame yourself don’t you?” Max asked softly.

“Yes,” Sage admitted, “because I’m the one who let you into this house. And I’m the one who let you destroy it. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

Turning curtly on her heel Sage marched with a set jaw back towards the entrance.

“I really am sorry,” Max called out, “you have to know that!”

Sage paused just briefly, “Maybe you are, but I’m not the one who needs to hear it.”

#avengers #avengers next gen #marvel #black widow #captain america #mcu #natasha romanoff #pepper potts #romanogers #scarlet witch #the aftermath

[jerusalemblanchard]

the president’s missing crup

6:30am, march 4th, outside of president taheri’s residence ( self para. )

It feels like a set up, even if they refuse to let themself think too hard on the possibility that maybe the reason Snow let this case fall on them was because MACUSA needed someone to blame when things inevitably didn’t make sense. 

Because none of it makes sense. 

They had decided to take the train up as close as possibly before apparating in, wanting the time to go over the case file in depth, but it doesn’t really help. It shouldn’t be possible to get through the wards, yet alone make it all the way into the President’s home to steal her pet without anyone getting there in time. Between the wards and the highly skilled wix protecting her day and night, it doesn’t seem possible. There are too many precautions, too many people around. Something just doesn’t add up.

And yet...

They can’t say that out loud, though, because that would be akin to calling the President a liar, and they’re already worried enough that whatever the solution is isn’t going to make them look great in front of the leader of the free wixen world, anyway. Five minutes between the first crashes and the President alerting security is strange, but security not coming running immediately first is worse. So they resolve to try their hardest to act like what they’re working with is the truth, until they have irrefutable evidence that it’s not. 

And they try not to think about what’ll happen if they find out it’s not.

Dealing with it on their own, though, is nerve wracking, and as they’re taken in past the wards into the President’s private residence, they can’t help but wish someone was here with them to help, or that someone else had been given this case instead of them.

Before heading to the President, though, Salem takes a slow path around the residence, wand out, feeling the wards themself, looking for any potential breaks in them, or ways around them. They’ve always considered themself something of an expert in non-combative magic, but this is something they’re not particularly skilled in, much too advanced for someone without the specific knowledge to break through. Much too complicated for someone who didn’t know exactly what was done to get through.

It makes them think that it had to have been someone who knew, perhaps one of her guards working for the Freedom Fighters to make a point, using that inside connection for the sake of the cause. 

The sun is only just up, and the haze of fog over the grass makes it all feel a lot more sinister. It makes them wonder if the plan was more sinister than that, too, an Imperius, perhaps, of someone who already knew their way around. The thought sends a shudder through their body, thinking they may be dealing with an Unforgiveable Curse.

But there’s a job to be done, and before they head to meet the President, they make their way to the missing door, one of the guards, Andrei Tolvaj waiting nearby, looking a little lost and perhaps even more confused. 

“You must be the auror they sent to solve this mess,” he frowns, voice low, a little gruff.

“Uh, yes, that’s me. Jerusalem Blanchard, from the Eastern Squad,” they nod. It feels a whole lot like they’ve encroached on his territory from the look he’s giving them, which makes sense, but doesn’t make them feel a whole lot more confident about everything. “I was going to speak with the President first, will you be around in a while?”

“Do whatever you have to do, I’ll still be here, at least until you figure it out and they end up kicking me and Rachel to the curb.”

“Why would they fire you two?” they ask, and immediately regret it, seeing the look on his face. It’s obvious, after all, and probably not the best to ask someone who just had a massive security breech why he’s worried about his job security.

“I don’t think many people are too big on the whole someone breaking in and stealing the President’s damn dog without us noticing thing, you know.”

“Um, yeah, yes, makes sense. Is there, um, anyone else around who would know how to break through your wards?”

“Maybe another cursebreaker, but I don’t know how they would’ve gotten so far without setting at least one off and alerting me. I didn’t use a preset combination or anything; whoever’s on duty adds their own wards for their shits, so I’m the only one should be able to change clearance.”

“So, uh, maybe it was someone who already had the clearance.”

He’s silent for a second, staring at them, a strangely blank look on his face, and Salem can’t help but reach out to his mind, to feel what’s at the front. Serene, calm, strange for someone who just had a major security breech, strange for someone who might get fired any minute now.

Before he answers, though, a voice from behind them interrupts their thoughts.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking, to be honest. You’re the auror right? I’m Rachel Higashi. The President is ready to see you whenever you’d like,” the guard says with a soft smile, something a little nervous, a little gentle.

“Thanks, I was just about to ask to see her. You were the one who noticed the doorframe felt hot to the touch after the break-in, yes?”

“I was, yes. I have no clue what that was about, though. I didn’t see anyone coming in or out, or notice anything on my walkthrough, but when I came running at her alarm, the door was missing completely, and the frame was hot, like someone may have burned through it and then vanished it,” they suggest with a frown. That was their thought, too, but why was the question. Nothing else had been burned, the valuables that were gone had no appearance of damage in their place, only the note left as evidence. 

“Interesting,” was all Salem mutters, trying to piece things together with little luck from the scene. For a second they reach out, and feel the front of Higashi’s mind. Less defenses than Tolvaj, and also less calm. She’s worried, and confused. But not just confused in the normal sense. 

She’s Confunded.

“Are you sure you don’t remember seeing anyone on your walk around the perimeter?” they prod.

“Andrej and I checked in before I made my rounds, as always, but I didn’t see anyone after that. The next person I saw was the President, when I came to find her after she called us.”

“Do you remember hearing crashes when the President did?”

At that question, Higashi frowns deeply, as if more confused by the question than anything else. It seems that no one else had thought to ask that question, as of yet. 

“I, um, I’m not sure...I don’t think I did, but it was a strange night...”

Salem lets out a breath; at least this is something, although not a particularly helpful something if she’s still in this state even after hours since the incident. A strong charm, and one there’s no  reversal for but time. 

“Mr. Tolvaj, uh, do you think you could, um, take Mx. Higashi somewhere to sit down while I speak with the President. I, um, I think a glass of tea and something to eat may help get the thoughts straight.”

7:00am, march 4th, president taheri’s sitting room

They had been so busy worrying about the case, that somewhere along they way they had forgotten to be nervous about meeting the President one on one in her home. The President, who they weren’t particularly a fan of, considering her opinions on Rappaport’s Law, or perhaps more accurately, her lack thereof.

But she seems kind enough, if not shaken up by the incident, when they finally come into her sitting room, and take their place opposite her, a cup of tea offered and accepted immediately.

The initial questions go by easily, Salem making more of an effort than usual to try to read what she’s feeling even at a surface human level, and being as delicate as possible reassuring her that they’ll get her dog back, even if they don’t quite understand the importance of a pet in someone’s life in their own right.

But there’s work to be done, and there’s a certain point where they had to stop beating around the bush and get down to business, even with the President. 

“I, um, they said that you didn’t want to speak to the press until you’d spoken to aurors first...was there something you wanted to make sure we knew before giving the press a statement?” they ask, their own notebook open, quill taking notes for them just on the coffee table.

“I have my own suspicions, and I wanted to make them clear to the authorities before I give some watered down fluff to the press.”

“Oh,” is all they manage to say in response to that, frowning back at her.

“Corrine would never ask someone to do this, or encourage it, and for whatever the Freedom Party is and believes, they have never been violent, even in disagreements. They may want more radical changes, but isn’t it easier to shift the views of someone who’s office has lessened the issue, than someone who disagrees entirely?”

They’re already starting to see where she’s going, now wondering if maybe she also thought this all was an elaborate setup, as well, and what would happen if they were correct in thinking this. They had thought that perhaps she had set it up for some political reasons, had her own dog kidnapped to make herself look sympathetic perhaps, and to make the Freedom Party look worse. But that doesn’t seem right, anymore.

“To them, my reelection would be a disappointment, of course, but threats to scare me away? That seems more another group’s style.”

They nod slowly, agreeing with her on that front. It didn’t seem the sort anyone who would call themself a Freedom Fighter would do, but more the sort of thing done by someone attempting to give them a bad name, as well as try to rid themselves of more competition.

“Two birds, one stone,” Salem mutters with a frown.

“My thoughts exactly,” she hums, nodding, looking at them with a mild curiosity. Is she pleased that they seem to agree? And if she is, why? After all, how would anyone disagree with the President on the kidnapping of her pet?

In the moment of silence, in which she makes herself another cup of tea, taking care with the sugar added, they look gently into her mind. It’s not a surprise that she had forces protecting her, Occlemency apparent from the very first touch, but on the surface she doesn’t seem to be lying to them, doesn’t seem to be concealing anything. It seems the pup is actually missing, and not by her own orders, which is a small relief.

“My file says that there were a few minutes between when you heard the first noise and called the guards, why did you wait?”

“I thought it was perhaps one of my guards who made the noise.”

“You, um, didn’t hear Eros bark when you heard the initial noises, either, did you? It could’ve been a charm, of course, but you’d think if your dog heard something unfamiliar he might’ve raised the alarm himself,” they suggest.

“No, I didn’t hear him. He usually sleeps in my room, but he was out in the living room then. Not a peep from him when the first sounds happened.”

“So...maybe it was someone he was familiar with,” they say, although mostly to themself. The more they talk, the more the pieces seem to fit together, but it still doesn’t make sense as to why the Freedom Party was handed the blame. “Have the guards who were on last night both worked for you long?”

“Since my election. They’re both loyal, and highly skilled. Although, I suppose after last night, I don’t feel quite as confident in either of them as I did before,” she sighs, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t think either of them would do this, but it’s hard to say what someone would or wouldn’t do if they were forced.”

“You think maybe one of them was involved.”

“Perhaps not directly, but who else could’ve gotten someone past the wards? I trust Tolvaj’s magic, I don’t know how anyone could’ve broken through it.”

Salem lets out a long sigh. All of the signs are starting to point to Tolvaj in their mind, but the question is why? Was he a silent Freedom Fighter? Or was Taheri right, and was he a Rappoport Party supporter, in search of a way to kill two birds with one stone? Whatever the reasoning is, they’re fairly certain it’s not just him. And the thought of taking on a whole organization is a bit more terrifying than even questioning the President over tea.

“Thank you for your time, President Taheri. I’ll let you know if I have any more questions. But, uh, I’m going to get your dog back as soon as possible. I promise.”

8:05am, march 4th, president taheri’s kitchen

By the time they’re finished talking with the President, the only person sitting in the kitchen is Tolvaj, and it feels a lot like like walking into a stand off that the other person doesn’t realize is a standoff.

He doesn’t seem like a bad man, but there was something strange about him, from when they first met a little while ago, and they wonder if that has to do with the break-in.

He looks up as they come in, and gestures to the seat opposite them at the island. He’s got a glass of something that doesn’t look like tea in his hands, and Salem looks at it questioning.

“Calming Draught. Always keep some around, and, well, the nerves are a little touchy after last night. Rachel took a cup and went to lie down,” he explains. “There’s tea, though, too, if you want any.”

Their heart sinks at the news that Rachel’s gone to lie down with a supposed Calming Draught given to them by Tolvaj. They shouldn’t have left them alone with him, should’ve done something the moment they thought that they were Confunded, even if it meant keeping the President waiting longer. In the time talking to her, he could’ve easily erased any memories they did have about what had actually happened, or Confunded them again. Or worse.

They didn’t let themself think about the worse.

“Thanks, I’m alright, though. I, uh, just had some with the President,” they nod, taking the seat he had indicated, flipping their notebook open again, and charming their quill to start taking notes again. “So, I, um, I never did get your thoughts on if perhaps it was someone who already had clearance who stole from the President?”

“I suppose that would make the most sense. Otherwise, it would’ve triggered our wards. They’re tried and tested, after all, they’ve worked for years, before now. I don’t think they failed now. We’re updating them constantly.”

“Did you, um, update them recently? Could there have been a lapse that was exploited?” they ask, and as they ask, they start reaching forward into his mind, deeper this time, than the surface. The problem is, though, that he’s got defenses up. Strong defenses, the likes of which they haven’t encountered in anyone but seasoned aurors who specialize in Occlumency. 

But they have to keep trying, which is easier said than done when having a conversation with someone, too.

“No, the last update came a few months ago. We check them daily, there was nothing off when I did my check earlier in the day.”

They nod, mostly focused on trying to break through the defenses than actually listening to his answer. They’re getting flashing of emotions, flashes of fragments of thoughts that make little sense when given what they’re talking about. A man with a child in his arms, a warm happy feeling. The sense of calm washing over him, washing over them. They shake their head slightly, confused.

“You, uh, you were at the front of the house when the alarm was rung? And you didn’t notice anything suspicious before then, or when you spoke to Rachel before their round?” they ask, knowing how sloppy the question is.

“I can feel what you’re doing, you know. And it’s not going to work on me,” he says, conversationally, raising an eyebrow.

They can feel their heart beating frantically against their chest, fingers practically itching for their wand, worried a duel might be coming soon.

“Oh?” they breathe, pulling back from trying to break down the defenses, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable they are in a fight against a cursebreaker.

“I’m an Occlumens. And a good one at that,” he says. There’s a pause, in which he looks at them thoughtfully before throwing back the rest of his Calming Draught, and then going on. “I don’t know what the President told you. But she’s probably right.”

“Rappaport, not Freedom?”

“Yeah. From what they gave me.”

“What they gave you? You weren’t part of it?”

“No. But I guess they chose the wrong man. They thought their threats would be enough, but I guess five years working for someone to protect her makes you care about her, too.” 

Salem frowns, waiting for more, not knowing what to ask, not truly believing that that was that, a solution, and so many more questions all in one.

“Give me twenty-four hours. I promise I won’t run. String them along with questioning the rest of the day, tell them you’re close, but you need more, and then come get me and Eros tomorrow morning. Let me have one more night with my family.”

They look at him, eyes wide, feeling a little bit like they might cry if they look at him for too long. After a second, they look away out the window at the sun finally risen in the sky.

They nod.

10:00am, march 5th, the tolvaj residence

They give him twenty-six hours.

Mostly, they give him twenty-six, because they had no idea what to do with what they’ve found. They have their answer, but there are so many more questions, and so much more work. The thing is, they’re pretty sure that they won’t be the one doing that work. Their main job was to assure that the President was still safe. With no wards actually broken, no security actually breeched, it seems they’ve accomplished that. Whoever it is who chose Tolvaj isn’t working from inside her protection, or else they wouldn’t have had to rely on someone so apparently fickle to get the job done.

And it doesn’t seem, either, that they actually want her hurt at all.

There is the distinct possibility, in their mind, that it’s just a ploy, a distraction from something bigger, and that whoever did this, whether the Freedom or Rappaport Party, doesn’t truly care about seeing Taheri drop from the race, or lose her pup. It’s meant to draw attention somewhere else while something bigger is going on.

They spend the night writing all of their suspicions out, their own recommendations, although they had a feeling no one is going to take them into account when deciding how to follow up on the Rappaport Party’s apparent involvement in the case. In the morning before leaving for Tolvaj’s home, they send their notes to Snow, telling him that if all goes according to plan, they’ll be bringing in the suspect soon enough, although they’re not convinced they will, in all honesty.

Especially once they apparate to Tolvaj’s home, appearing in the suburbs of Rochester at ten on the dot, before a home that looks completely and utterly ordinary.

They stand at the door for a long minute without knocking, thinking for a second that maybe they should just apparate back home, tell Snow that their lead had been wrong, and they were going to need to keep looking, but before they can make the choice, the door opens and Tolvaj is standing in front of them.

He smiles at them, a little wearily, as if they’re old friends.

“For a while there, I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“I did, too, to be honest.”

“I’m glad you did. This damn dog is needy as hell,” he says with a laugh too light for the situation he’s in. “Come on in, no one else is here right now.”

They follow him into the home, a cozy, ordinary home, full of pictures of family lining the walls, the smell of breakfast still lingering in the air. He leads them into the living room, where the President’s crup is sleeping peacefully on one side of the couch. He’s a cute little thing, and they go sit next to him instinctually, reaching out tentatively to pet behind the ears. He doesn’t wake even as they touch him.

“So you probably want more of an explanation now, don’t you?”

“That, uh, that would be good. Although, I know they’ll probably ask you all the same questions once we get to MACUSA, so if you want to wait...”

“No, it’s fine. You deserve to hear it from me, since you’ve had to deal with this,” he said taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch. “I was approached about two weeks ago. All the person did was grab me by the shoulder, and put a piece of paper in my hand, then they were gone. It was near headquarters, though, if that helps any.”

“Do you remember what they looked like?”

“Their face was hidden, but...they had a badge. A MACUSA badge. It almost felt like they wanted me to see it.”

Their stomach dropped, someone working on the inside, and probably not someone working alone. This was all much bigger than them, bigger than just the President’s crup.

“Do you still have the paper?”

“No. It burst into flames after I read it once, like a howler,” he shakes his head. “But it was a threat, and what to do to keep them from following through. Said they were a group, trying to make things right, although they didn’t say for who. I thought it was the Freedom Party at first, too, but it doesn’t feel right. I’d say Rappaport, or maybe just someone who wants that sort of change. Wanted to make the Freedom Party look bad, while taking care of competition. Or maybe something bigger than that even.”

“Yeah, that’s what the President thought, too. I’m, uh, I’m inclined to agree,” they nod slowly. “So they told you what to do, and you followed through? Made the noises, got in and got out before Rachel came running? That seems like...a lot in that timeframe.”

“It was a lot. But she helped.”

“Who helped?

“The President.”

“She helped you?”

“She caught me. And I couldn’t bring myself to hurt the person I’ve been protecting for the past five years, so I told her what was happening. And I begged her to help keep my family safe. So she agreed,” he explains, shifting in his seat. “I told her I’d find a way to get Eros back to her, if she helped me for now.”

“And she did it?”

“Five years around someone is a long time. You grow fond of people. You start to care about what they care about. She cares about my family. I care about this stupid dog of hers,” he says with a little laugh.

It’s all so mind-blowing, so completely out of nowhere that they’re having trouble formulating proper questioning.

“And the door?”

“I had exact instructions on what to do. Just vanished it, then heated up the frame. That part was a distraction. It was meant to throw you all off. Did it work?”

“Yeah, it did...”

“Good, I guess. I don’t fucking know. None of this is good,” he sighs, shaking his head. He looks tired, more tired than he has any other time until now. “I didn’t do it of my own accord. They forced me to do it.”

“Were you under the Imperius?” they ask, almost hopefully, wanting a good excuse for him, after hearing all of this.

“No, no, no. They threatened to hurt my family, my parents, my husband, our child. They said they weren’t the only ones who would get hurt if I didn’t do what they asked. We had to keep everyone safe. And if this is what it takes, then so be it. The President feels the same.”

Before they can go on, Eros wakes up, letting out a small ruff at the sight of someone sitting so close to him. Salem looks down at the dog and puts their hand out for the dog to sniff, which he does so tentatively, before letting out a small, pleased bark, and all but leaping onto their lap. 

“You’re not going to tell them the President was part of this, are you?” Salem asks, as they scratch Eros behind the ear.

“No, I don’t think so. She did it for me. I’ll leave that choice up to her.”

Salem nods and they both sit in thoughtful silence for a long moment before either of them move again, knowing what comes next. After a while, they send a message back to headquarters on their telekit telling them that they’ve got the crup, and they’ve got the culprit, that there’s someone working in MACUSA who helped plan all of this, but it doesn’t feel nearly as satisfying as it should.

When they finally stand up to leave, after Tolvaj’s taken one last round about his house, taken a photo of his family and folded it into his pocket, he looks at them.

“Blanchard, will you make sure they’re safe, my family? I don’t care what happens to me, but I can’t let anything happen to them.”

“I’ll do what I can. I promise.”

And it’s a promise they intend to keep, in any way they can.

12:30pm, march 5th, MACUSA headquarters

They’ve never had to do this part before, and they sort of hope they never have to do it after this, either. 

Bringing in the suspect to headquarters, a warning having been sent ahead. They walk in side by side, with no sort of restraints or charms on Tolvaj because that just feels cruel in a way they don’t have the heart to be. He acted to protect his family; no one was hurt, and it’s clear that he had no intention of trying to run, knowing that would probably just put his family even more at risk.

Instead, they’re holding Eros close to their chest, maybe a little too tight, even knowing the dog doesn’t seem to have any desire to leave their arms. And maybe now they’re starting to understand why people love their pets so much, why having your pet stolen might’ve been the move someone would pull to get you to give up the fight.

As soon as they’re in the elevator, though, Salem looks over at Tolvaj, almost desperately. 

“They’re not going to put you away for long. You didn’t hurt anyone. You were blackmailed, the President knew, they can’t keep you away for very long,” they tell him, emotion clear in their voice.

Tolvaj looks back at them, with a sad smile.

“She’s the President, Blanchard, I’m not going to put this on her. I told you I’d be around ‘till they fired me. This is it. Even if they don’t keep me locked up for long, they’re not going to let me survive.”

They stare back at him, biting their lip, knowing that he’s right. Even if it wasn’t long, the people who had forced him into doing this weren’t going to let him live. But they can’t just leave it at that.

“Lie if you have to,” they say suddenly. “Even if they use Veritaserum, they won’t know. You’re an Occlumens. I couldn’t even get past your defenses. If you say you were under the Imperius, I’ll say you were, too.”

“I’ve never been a good liar, Blanchard. That’s why I’m an Occlumens. And you don’t seem like a very good liar, either. No offense.”

Before they can reply, the elevator dings, and time’s up.

When the door opens, there are two much burlier men waiting for them, and they take Tolvaj by each arm and pull him towards one of the less comfortable interrogation rooms.

They want to say something else, to try to stop them men, or tell them that he doesn’t deserve anything harsh, but their voice is caught in their throat as they follow them on autopilot to the room.

The door opens and Snow greets them with a grin they’re certain they’ve never gotten from him, a little too wide, a little knowing. 

“We’ll take it from here, kid, don’t worry about a thing. Good work. Take the weekend off, do something nice for yourself. Hell, get yourself a crup, looks like you’ve got a hand for them,” is all they get from Snow before he gently waves them out of the interrogation room, Tolvaj looking back at them with a nod, and a sad smile. 

He mouths the words thank you.

Before they can say anything, before they can ask for them to give Tolvaj a chance, to tell them how desperate he must’ve been, that he never meant anyone harm but was actually keeping people from harm, the door closes in their face, and they’re left alone with Eros in their arms, feeling a little empty.

1:00pm, march 5th, president taheri’s residence

It’s strange going back knowing what they know, and when they see her, the nerves they had had last time are gone completely.

Perhaps if they didn’t know what they did, the reunion between crup and master would have been more touching, but as it is, it leaves a bitter taste in their mouth, knowing that Tolvaj is risking is family for a dog.

“He told me everything,” they say, as she scratches the dog’s belly. 

“He’s never been much of a liar. And are you going to tell Snow?” she asks, barely looking up from her dog. The tone of her voice suggests that she knows the answer to the question already.

“It’s pointless. Nothing’s going to change if I tell him. You have to tell him,” they say, a hint of emotion creeping into their voice.

“We’ll see.”

The words feel so dismissive, the sort of thing that you would say to a child when you don’t feel like dealing with the tantrum that comes with a no at the moment.

“But he was doing it to protect his family, he just wants to keep them safe. Would it really matter so much to tell them that you helped him? Then he’d be free, and you could help them suss out who did this. Who cares if you have one negative article written about you, considering everything else. Can you please, just, I don’t know, do something to help the person who cared enough about you to risk his whole family for your dog? Or at least protect his family. Just...do something.”

She is silent for a long moment, and when she stands again, she’s much more serious than before.

“He knew what he was risking when he did it.”

“But you helped him,” they all but plead. 

“Sometimes things are bigger than they seem, Salem. Thank you for helping Tolvaj keep his promise. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

9:00am, march 6th, salem’s apartment

They almost don’t want to read the paper the next morning, but it’s hard not to be drawn to the headline face up on the kitchen table, as if taunting them, when they come out of their room in their dressing gown.

PRESIDENT’S CRUP RETURNED, SUSPECT APPREHENDED 

They don’t know what they’re expecting from the story, the look that Snow had on his face when he saw them bringing in Tolvaj probably should’ve been a clue, but it’s still a disappointment to see what the press has been told. Because it’s a clearly manufactured version of the events. The break in and robbery is blamed on an unnamed disgruntled employee, who may or may not even be related to the Freedom Party at all. Nearly every detail is left out, with nothing outright denying or confirming any other party’s potential involvement in the crime. Nothing said about the why or the how, even the President’s own statement is fluff compared to what she had said to them when they met.

Their name is mentioned, briefly, as the auror who helped find the President’s crup, but it doesn’t feel very good, knowing that they have no say in making sure everything they found is actually used when tying up the loose ends of the case. 

They had never really thought about that part of being an auror before. How it’s their job to solve the crimes and make certain people are safe, but once they do that, their involvement is over, and it’s on someone else to decide how things should be handled from there. Something about that doesn’t sit well in their stomach, even if they know the truth, and know they did all they could to make sure everyone knew the truth.

They can only hope that the President might be a little more insistent than she ever has been on other issues on something more personal, but it feels a lot like that’s an empty hope.

A hollow victory.

And the worst part is, there’s nothing they can do about it.

Not even the tea makes their stomach feel settled after reading the article, and for once, they wish they had the power to do more.

They flip the newspaper over, and their eyes land on an ad for a litter of crups looking for homes. The picture is small, and full of pups, but it feels a whole lot like the big, light one in the corner might just fit well with a name like Andrei.

#( the president's missing crup. ) #don't fuckin read this it's a fuckin NOVEL #just know that the dog lives and it gets solved but salem is disappointed in the american justice system #(big mood amirite)

[shenandoahandback2021]

We didn't get very far on the 19th. That was OK because we only had to drive to Raleigh the next morning, about 50 miles. We dropped anchor at the state fairground RV park for the night. I contacted my friends who live just North of Raleigh where I used to have some property and they wanted to see us the next day for a visit.

Sep 20

 We drove to my old, first house in Cary, NC to look around and boy is it different. You can hardly tell it was a single-family house.  There are so many trees in the front yard and side yards that you can hardly see the house. It has really changed but that's what happens after 40 plus years. We found an authentic German bakery downtown and got some really good German bread.

Sep 21

We managed to find a parking space near the campus of NC State and took a walk over to look at some of my old haunts. Some of them were gone, but found my freshman dorm.  I couldn't tell where my window was on the 3rd floor, but I took a picture of the area anyway. We went to the Student Union and I presented my lifetime membership card to a young lady at the information booth. She was impressed and surprised but said there was nothing going on that I could use the card for. I wanted to shoot some pool, but apparently, they don't shoot pool at college anymore because there was no poolroom.  It was shocking to see some of the changes. The green area between my dorm and the one beside it was grown up with trees and landscaping. We used to call it the Owen/Tucker beach where everybody went to sun bathe and hang out. No more.   We got some curious looks but no one ask us what we (two old folks) we're doing when we were looking around the area.   We drove back to the area we had been earlier yesterday and found a state park to spend the night near our friend's house. It was really closer than I thought, only 3.6 miles away. We thought we we're just going to have just coffee time so we waited to almost 3 o'clock to call them. They said please come on we've been waiting for you. They have a fantastic house in a subdivision with only about 15 houses that they built by Skype 15 years ago while they were living in Germany and it is beautiful. They had some kind of good builder who worked well with them long distance. Rudy and Patty are so talented it makes me kind of feel bad that I can't do much artistically. Rudy was a master porcelain painter and designer in Germany before coming to America. Now he paints porcelain, in oils, pastels and water colors. Patty does mostly pastels and water colors. They showed us some of their work and it is fantastic. Rudy is having a show in Raleigh this weekend. He was a designer at Lennox in Philadelphia and he designed the is the famous white on white China that Lennox is famous for. Many times, when he goes to a show or an antique place and looks at some China, the people start telling him about it and he says I know I designed that. There are super good friends as well. They learned a little bit about HOAs from us because they had had some small difficulties all with other neighbors but not affecting them. They didn’t realize that the governing documents overrode their bill of rights, because they agreed to that provision when they bought their land.   22nd- 25 AM    We drove the short drive to Winston-Salem to visit our friend Billie and her boyfriend. It was a great visit from the start and a relative of her late husband and a friend of ours came down for a few hours who I knew from growing up in the mountains. Everything was going very well and we were thinking about having something for dinner when Billy stood up and almost collapsed. She was in really bad pain and we tried to do something with heat and so forth but she knew it was a kidney stone. She eventually had to go to the emergency room and didn't get home till after midnight. The next 2 days we just hung around the house while Billie took care of herself because she was very weak and in a lot of pain that was managed somewhat with drugs. We all 3 took care of what she needed and her daughter came over yesterday for a belated birthday party of hot dogs with 4 of Billie’s grandchildren.  We had a good time seeing her daughter and grandkids from her son and daughter-in-law and her daughter’s daughter and son.  Her son and daughter-in-law were celebrating their honeymoon in Asheville.   Sep25    We headed for the mountains and had dinner with 2 to my classmates at a local restaurant before we head to Morganton, North Carolina tomorrow to visit with my younger sister. We may get a chance to visit with my older sister and brother-in-law before we head home on Monday.    I have a couple of pictures to upload, but this may be the last post for this trip.  

[keptin-indy]

Dresden Files: Salem

I’ll try to post these on Mondays or Tuesday, since that’s when I do the previous weekend’s writeups.  Feel free to ask questions if anything not clear or you just want to know something!

Background info

If you know the Dresden Files books, this game starts during the events of Changes, but with some small changes.  If you don’t know the books, the relevant info is that wizards and “Red Court” vampires have been at war for some years now and the main character, Harry Dresden, just managed to set off a really powerful curse that killed all of them.  For some reason, during the fight leading up to that, the Wardens - wizard cops - were unable to help him because “they were sick”.  The big change in this campaign is that the illness was a deadly plague set off by the vampire ambassador who had just been by and it killed a swath of the powerful people who had gathered to meet her.

I’ll try to link Dresden-specific terms to wiki pages for people unfamiliar with the universe.  There may also be some easter eggs in the links sometimes...

Setting (in the GM’s words)

If anyone in America were asked to compile a list of the locations important to the occult history of the country, it would surely include Salem.  The town is nearly universally associated with the witch trials of the 1690s.  Everyone, clued-in or not, associates Salem with witches, and, in this world of the occult, associations can have power.  In this case it has lead to Salem having probably the largest supernatural community on the east coast of North America.  That area includes (for the supernatural community at least) Boston as well.  

And community it is, much more so than many other cities around the globe.  Salem is a geographically small town, yet rich in history, emotions, and magic all attracting a different crowd from the spooky side, if they didn’t have some structure and order there would be constant conflict (well, more-constant conflict).  The city has evolved a particular brand of stability, with regular gatherings of all the major power-players in the city.  This isn’t a court or anything so formal as that, but usually neutral parties will side with the aggrieved party in conflicts, preserving the status quo.  Until recently these gatherings were informally lead by [Warden regional commander] Michael Rowland, one of the more powerful denizens of Salem, how they will shake out going forward remains to be seen…

Characters, or at least what was known about them at the start of game.  The Dreseden Files RPG is set up so that most of the PCs had met each other by the start of game, but we weren’t a coherent party yet.

Murchah O’Dougal has lived in Salem for a long time.  He switches jobs every few decades, but it’s Salem, so people have caught on that the tall, thin, taciturn, middle aged man isn’t your vanilla mortal.  Additionally, he likes taking long walks on the beach...the parts under the water, without the benefit of breathing gear.  He’s not a very social man, but he helps out where he can, especially if it involves ghosts, which he can see and interact with.  He’s the one who convinced Eunice to leave her nursing home.

Eunice Featherham’s son married a witch.  Now, Eunice was an intelligent woman and knew there was no such thing as magic, so it was pretty insulting that her daughter-in-law could use it.  It was even more insulting that she taught it to their daughter Evelyn, but then both her son and the witch had to die in a house fire, leaving Eunice to raise Evelyn the Right Way, eg without magic.  Over the years as Evelyn grew up, Eunice could feel her age catching up with her, and when it was time for her granddaughter to go to college, they sold Eunice’s house for tuition and put her into a nursing home, where she eventually died.  Damned if that was going to stop her, though, not when there were so many people who needed her sage advice, starting with the nurses at the home.  In desperation, the home called the Salem Witches’ Circle (kind of a magical chamber of commerce), who asked Murchah to talk the irate ghost out of terrorizing the staff.  

They also called Dr. Evelyn Featherham, who was now living in Boston as the city’s only therapist dealing with the supernatural.  After a long struggle with Eunice’s parenting, Evelyn had finally reclaimed her magical heritage and was using her experiences to help others through situations they couldn’t explain to anyone else.  One of those people, 10 years ago during her clinicals, was a teenage mage grieving over the loss of his father.  Now, though, she had to deal with being permanently haunted by her grandmother and trying to convince her receptionist not to quit because of the new office ghost telling her how to answer the phone correctly.

Once upon a time, a witch found a tiny black kitten in a dumpster.  She had been looking for a familiar, so it seemed like serendipity and she took him in and named him Sir Adler Toebeans.  She was absolutely not expecting her cat to start talking a couple years later and even less to change his shape into anything he felt like.  It seemed her kitty was in fact some kind of fae or at least a changeling, though he didn’t have any more idea what he was than she did.  Regardless, she switched awkwardly from pet mom to real mom and Adler eventually moved out and got a job at Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery, where he worked in the museum itself and made short films as both advertising and subtle education. [A note on pronouns: I’m using “he” because Adler has presented as slightly more masculine than anything else during the game.  He doesn’t seem to have an innate sex or gender, so I may switch back and forth with “they” depending on how game goes/the situation.]

A wizard with a mysterious past came from Syria to America and fell in love with a woman whose high-society family had profited off of the supernatural while disdaining them as people.  The pair ran away together and she was disowned, so they settled in Boston where he took magical odd jobs and she tried to figure out how to be working class.  Eventually Sebastian “Baz” Bassam was born and later his sister Olivia, and their father began to teach them how to control their magical talents.  When Baz was 14, his father was killed in a multi-car pileup, but not before his uncontrolled magical energies shorted out an entire hospital wing, unintentionally taking a lot of people with him.  This large-scale violation of the First Law of Magic brought the attention of the local Warden-Commander, Michael Rowland, and when Baz subsequently brought down a possession victim with his therapist during his grief counselling, Rowland decided to train the boy alongside his daughter Sylvia.  These days he’s a full-fledged Warden who likes to think of his duties as magical community outreach rather than beheading first ans asking questions later.  He also looks like a cheerful Syrian lumberjack.  [Note: Dat’s me!  It’s going to seem like I spent a narcissistic amount of time on my own character in the writeups, but a) the first arc just has a lot of Baz-plot and b) when the GM asks if anyone is doing anything, the others haven’t really answered much and I hate to leave the GM hanging.]

As part of his education in control, Rowland sent Baz to a Tibetan monastery when he was 19 to learn meditation and healing with the monks there, traditional allies of the White Council of Wizards.  While there, Baz befriended a litter of Temple Dogs, newly returned from having been dognapped and taken to Chicago of all places.  One of the puppies was notably rambunctious and ended up outside the monastery walls trying to eat a yeti several orders of magnitude bigger than it.  The puppy ran back to the temple, yeti in hot pursuit, and hid behind the Warden-in training, who fought off the yeti and saved the puppy and monks from the puppy’s own bad decisions.  As a “reward”, he was given the perpetrator so the monks wouldn’t have to deal with it.  Baz named him Samuel Gompers Bassam and took him back to Boston, where he grew into a very large Tibetan Mastiff who can see spirits and whose teeth technically count as a holy weapon, which he mostly uses against Baz’s shoes.  At one point while attempting to eat a ghoul, Sam met Adler as a dog and brought him back home, where he stayed for a few days before abruptly turning into a bird, thanking Baz for his hospitality, and leaving before any questions could be asked. [Note: Yes, Sam is a PC.  One of my friends decided it was an awesome idea to play an actual, only slightly magical, non-talking dog.]

Session 1

The town of Salem had been enjoying an uneventful Fall, supernaturally-speaking.  Even Halloween, always an anxious time for those in the know, had gone by without any major mishaps.  That all changed one night in November, when every practitioner or supernatural being in the world awoke from vivid dreams of the world ending in fire and blood.  Many people recognized the dreams as the psychic backlash from some kind of spell, and those with more magical experience further narrowed it down to some kind of worldwide curse effect even though such things were thought to be impossible.  Around Salem, the Community woke in terror and reached out to one another.  The shapeshifter Adler called his mother in the Witches Circle, who told him that calls had begun to come in from several of their members, including some of the older ones, who were so shocked by the experience that they had been taken to the hospital.  Dr Evelyn Featherham likewise checked in with the Circle and headed to the hospital herself to volunteer for on-call psych services.  Her late grandmother, Eunice Featherham, checked the news on the constantly-on TVs in her nursing home and saw confused reports rolling in of simultaneous coups and assassinations in several South American countries, which she assumed was the work of either the CIA or Communists.  Finding that news less than interesting, she floated out to track down her granddaughter.  Murchah O’Dougal, always watchful of the ocean for reasons known only to himself, walked into the Bay, but saw nothing amiss; whatever he was looking for had not been disturbed by the hideous dreams.  Baz Bassam, Warden of the White Council, immediately checked on his mother but found that her sleep hadn’t been disturbed at all; presumably meaning that regular mortals were unaffected by the spell’s backlash.  He called his sister at college, who most definitely had woken up, but had nothing to offer her besides assurances that they were all okay for the moment.  Knowing Warden-Commander Rowland was in Edinburgh at the moment, he called head witch Mary Harrison, who was coordinating a makeshift command center to coordinate help to those who needed it and a response, should it become necessary.  Before heading over to lend his help there, he checked in with Warden Command at Edinburgh, but found chaos there, too.  The wizard who answered the phone said that they only thing they knew right now was that the Red Court appeared to be no more.  From what they could tell, every single member had been wiped out at once by a spell.  Once they had more information, they’d be sure to get back to Warden Bassam, but in the meantime they had to figure out who was in charge of the Wardens.  This was almost as alarming than the giant curse as far as Baz was concerned, but with no more info coming from Edinburgh, all he could do was head to the witches’ command center and try to keep people calm and safe until more news came out.

After a long, sleepless night, morning came with no more information.  Invitations went out to the members of the Greater Boston supernatural community from Ian Fitzpatrick, the caretaker of the largest neutral territory in the area, Hamilton Hall.  Before the meeting in the evening, one of Edinburgh’s army of clerks called Baz to read off the last wills and testaments of Michael and Sylvia Rowland, naming him as heir to their magical holdings.  Baz was gutted, as Michael Rowland had been his mentor and surrogate father-figure since his father’s death, and he’d grown up and trained alongside Sylvia for nearly ten years.  The clerk couldn’t tell him how they had died or any details about what was happening within the Wardens; only that he would likely get “official” notification of the Rowlands’ deaths at some future date.  That the lawyers were working faster than the Wardens was significant cause for alarm all on its own.

That evening, Fitzpatrick welcomed representatives from all the major power blocs and notable individuals into Hamilton Hall, formally allowing everyone through the threshold.  Baz sought out Mary Harrison before the meeting proper began and warned her about the deaths of the Rowlands and magical killing of the Red Court.  Fitzpatrick brought the meeting to order and announced the Rowlands’ deaths himself, calling for a moment of silence that was observed by most people present, with the notable exception of the representatives of the Winter Court (and Eunice, though due more to her difficulty hearing than any disrespect).  Adler asked how they had died and Fitzpatrick said there had been an attack on the Wardens in Edinburgh, which was the first Baz had heard of it.  Ignoring that for now and trying to give the impression of a calm and level-headed authority figure who wasn’t grieving, Baz announced that he knew where the nightmares had come from and explained the curse that had taken out the entire Red Court.  The gathering was shocked that something that large could have happened and that the threat of the Red Court was suddenly gone (though the Summer Court and Daniyah, a powerful local sorceress, seemed less surprised), and Fitzpatrick adjourned the meeting , saying that he knew full well some people were going to use the situation to jockey for power.  He gave them a week to get it all out of their systems and then he would call another meeting to see where Boston should go from there.  The jockeying and networking began before anyone even made it out the doors.  Baz asked Daniyah what she or her spirits knew about the attacks, but she would only tell him that “things” were awakening that had lain dormant for many years.  Knowing it would do no good, Baz continued to press for details and was informed that the city faced two threats...from within and from without.  Eunice floated from group to group eavesdropping and overheard the Winter Court proposing to murder someone for the sole reason that the scarier warden was dead now, which she dutifully reported to Baz with a stern admonition to stop them.  Without more details, Baz simply went over and stood meaningfully by the faeries.  Meanwhile, Adler took on his dog form and sought out Sam, warning him that his wizard was in danger and offering his help guarding him for the next few days.  Sam, in turn, told him to be aware of Daniyah, who no longer smelled purely human anymore, but instead like some kind of spirit, and also her owl familiar, who was definitely a spirit, though he hadn’t been able to figure out what kind without licking it.  Baz turned around to see a familiar black dog incongruously petting his own dog, and asked if he would stick around and answer some questions this time.  Adler agreed, but answered everything as literally as possible without offering any information was wasn’t specifically spelled out and some that was.  He told Baz that he had enjoyed the name he’d given him last time and to keep using that, and that he would follow and protect Baz along with Sam while the immediate danger hopefully passed.  Seeing that Baz was distracted from his rightful duties, Eunice got into an argument with the Winter Court, but her attempt to spook them into following the straight-and-narrow backfired when they scared her right back, startling her back into a dementia episode.  Baz and his two large dogs circulated amongst the other faction heads, assuring them that he was as dedicated to keeping the peace as his predecessor and generally attempting to politic.  Murchah drew him aside and offered to train him to use the sword he carried and Baz tried to find a polite way to tell him that he had specialized in swordplay for years.  Unconvinced, Murchah asked to see his fighting stance and was pleasantly surprised to find that Baz was not merely boasting.  

Finally, the meeting broke up and Murchah headed back out to his ocean patrol, only this time he noticed strange behavior in the fish.  Not being a spellcaster himself and having no way to track magical energy, he called the Circle, who told him to call the Warden.  Baz had not yet made it home, so Murchah left a cryptic message with Baz’s mother to call him back.  Eventually Baz returned home with one dog more than he left with and reintroduced “Fenrir” to his mother, warning her this time that he was definitely sentient and could talk (though Adler refused to do so on principle now).  He returned Murchah’s call, but with nothing more to go off of than “the fish are weird”, decided to let it wait until morning.  Adler insisted on sleeping in Baz’s room, which required some setting of ground rules, starting with a promise never to harm his mother.  Adler agreed, but was less forthcoming in answering Baz’ questions about his nature or allegiance, saying only that he wanted to protect both Sam’s human and the city balance he represented as a Warden.  He otherwise revealed only that he could take on many forms, though he wouldn’t say if he had a natural or default one, and that he usually worked at Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery, where he could use his skills to great effect.  Baz was both fascinated and slightly frustrated at the mysterious creature playing bodyguard for him, but when he found that Adler could use computers, he immediately handed over the password for the email account Olivia had maintained for him and begged his help keeping in contact.

“Fenrir” woke up early the next morning and got the household coffee, which he served to them with creepy mostly-human hands on a dog body.  Betsy (Baz’s mother) was relieved when Baz gathered the dogs and put on some swimwear to meet Murchah at the beach.  After some discussion about everyone’s underwater capabilities, Baz conjured air bubbles around his and Sam’s heads while Adler turned into a Lovecraftian fishman, and the group followed Murchah into the Bay, but Baz was at a loss figuring out what was causing the irregularities Murchah claimed to see.  Sam happily ate one of the affected fish.  Returning to the surface, Baz asked Murchah to call Dr Evelyn Featherham, who was more sensitive to tracing ongoing magical effects than he was, but shortly after her receptionist answered the phone, the poor woman was shoved aside so that Eunice could do her job “better”.  Talking around the old ghost, Baz asked the receptionist to pass the message along when Evelyn had a free moment.  Evelyn eventually had a chance to call back from her ghost-proofed office and promised to come out during her lunch break.  Murchah hired a boat so that Evelyn (followed, of course, by Eunice, who was determined to chaperone her daughter meeting a young man on a beach) wouldn’t have to get her work clothes wet, but she couldn’t see the magical eddies from above the water and ended up having to do into the drink anyway.  Unfortunately for her, only Adler seemed to be adapted enough for underwater hunting of this kind, and he realized that the fish were all swimming in a huge circle tens of miles across.  The group returned to the boat to track down the center of this circle, which was occupied by a “fishing trawler” that didn’t seem to be doing any fishing.  Adler turned into a bird to scope it out and noticed that some of the “fishermen” milling around on deck not fishing were concealing decidedly non-standard tentacle-arms.  When he reported this back to the group, Eunice immediately floated over to the trawler and began haranguing the people on deck about their terrible work ethic.  The “fishermen” were not expecting a sudden ghostly tirade and very sensibly tried to escape her senile wrath.  Taking advantage of this distraction, Adler changed from a bird into a rat, dropping onto the deck and scurrying below.  One of the doors inside was both locked and well-sealed, so he disconcertingly grew hands in order to pick it.  The door swung open, revealing the rat with hands on the one side, and a number of tentacled cultists chanting around a circle on the other side.  Adler scurried out of sight, but the cultists merely locked the door rather than give chase.  Adler tried to direct Eunice’s wrath downstairs, but she found that the room was warded against spirits.  Adler again reported back to the other boat and Murchah drew up alongside the trawler so the mages could board and follow the shapeshifter below.  Adler once again picked the lock and Baz opened the door and demanded to know what was going on with as much gravitas as a man wearing a tank and swim trunks could manage.  The cultists rushed to attack the newcomers while Murchah ran straight for the summoning circle and began disrupting it, hearing unsettlingly familiar and ancient voices whispering in his head while he did so.  As Baz and Sam fought the cultists, Adler transformed into a hideous claw monster and jumped into the fray, startling everyone on both sides.  Eventually the cultists were knocked unconscious and Evelyn could examine the remains of the circle Murchah was still determinedly wrecking, declaring that it had been meant to awaken something deep in the ocean.

#dresden files rpg #tabletop rpgs #livejournal replacement #game #Dresden Files: Salem #actual play

[inloveandwords]

This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story).

It works like this

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.

Order on ascending date added.

Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books

Read the synopsis of the books

Decide: keep it or should it go?

Trial by Fire (Worldwalker #1) by Josephine Angelini

The exhilaratingly seductive new series from the author of the bestselling Starcrossed series

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted… which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily’s life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem – one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian… Lily’s identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can’t hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

Date added to TBR: Dec 06, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: I own this book!

♥

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals–well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Eh, this premise no longer interests me.

♥

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: I honestly don’t remember why I added this to my TBR…

♥

Stay by Deb Caletti

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city and Christian behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough….

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: My reasoning for keeping all of these Deb Caletti book is the same – I own almost all of her books and am determined to read them all!

♥

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Right away I got that Something About To Happen feeling. Right away I knew he was bad, and that it didn’t matter.

It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she’s with him.

In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby’s mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group”s own members is the subject of the tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, this mission turns out to be much more than just a road trip….

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

♥

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti

Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise: Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.

While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her….

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

Maybe it was wrong, or maybe impossible, but I wanted the truth to be one thing. One solid thing. Quinn is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken. Between her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother, Quinn hears nothing but cautionary tales. She tries to be an optimist — after all, she’s the dependable one, the girl who never makes foolish choices. But when she is abruptly and unceremoniously dumped, Quinn starts to think maybe there really are no good men.

It doesn’t help that she’s gingerly handling a renewed relationship with her formerly absent father. He’s a little bit of a lot of things: charming, selfish, eccentric, lazy…but he’s her dad, and Quinn’s just happy to have him around again. Until she realizes how horribly he’s treated the many women in his life, how he’s stolen more than just their hearts. Determined to, for once, take action in her life, Quinn joins forces with the half sister she’s never met and the little sister she’ll do anything to protect. Together, they set out to right her father’s wrongs…and in doing so, begin to uncover what they’re really looking for: the truth.

Once again, Deb Caletti has created a motley crew of lovably flawed characters who bond over the shared experiences of fear, love, pain, and joy — in other words, real life.

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

♥

He’s Gone by Deb Caletti

“What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?”

The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she’s surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He’s gone.

As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations—he’s hurt, he’s run off, he’s been killed—Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can—and cannot—remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth—about herself, her husband, and their lives together.

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

♥

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

I suddenly see where I’m standing, and that’s at the edge of change – really, really big change. Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye feels like she has it all – a waitress job she loves, an adorable refrigerator-delivery-guy boyfriend, and a home life that’s slightly crazed but rich in love. Until a mysterious man at the restaurant leaves her a 2.5 million-dollar tip, and her life as she knew it is transformed.

At first its amazing: a hot new car, enormous flat-screen TV, and presents for everyone she cares about. She laughs off the warnings that money changes people, that they come to rely on what they have instead of who they are. Because it won’t happen…not to her. Or will it? What do you do when you can buy anything your heart desires — but what your heart desires can’t be bought?

This is the story of a girl who gets rich, gets lost, and ultimately finds her way back – if not to where she started, then to where she can start again.

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

♥

The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti

“People ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is, was he always crazy?” High school junior Jordan MacKenzie’s life was pretty typical: fractured family, new boyfriend, dead-end job. She’d been living with her father (the predictable optometrist) since her mother (the hippie holdover) had been too embarrassing to be around. Jordan felt that she finally had as normal a life as she could. Then came Gayle D’Angelo.

Jordan knew her father was dating Gayle and that Gayle was married. Jordan knew it was wrong and that her father was becoming someone she didn’t recognize anymore, but what could she do about it? And how could she — how could anyone — have possibly guessed that this illicit love affair would implode in such a violent and disturbing way?

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: “”

♥

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes (Goodreads Author), Michelle Rowen

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed… and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It’s the eve of war…. Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword….

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: In re-reading the synopsis and some of my friends’ reviews, I’m thinking this one needs to get ditched.

♥

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

Date added to TBR: Dec 6, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Nah, I don’t see myself picking this up any time soon.

♥

Eligible : A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice (The Austen Project #4) by Curtis Sittenfeld

This version of the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.

Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches.

Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy, reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: This is the fourth book in a series that I haven’t read, so…

♥

Storm and Silence (Storm and Silence #1) by Robert Thier

Freedom—that is what Lilly Linton wants most in life. Not marriage, not a brood of squalling brats, and certainly not love, thank you very much! But freedom is a rare commodity in 19th-century London, where girls are expected to spend their lives sitting at home, fully occupied with looking pretty. Lilly is at her wits’ end—until a chance encounter with a dark, dangerous and powerful stranger changes her life forever…

Enter the world of Mr Rikkard Ambrose, where the only rule is: Knowledge is power is time is money!

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Something about that unnecessary exclamation point in the first sentence of the synopsis makes me not want to read it lol

♥

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

A collection of humorous autobiographical essays by the Academy Award-nominated actress and star of Up in the Air and Pitch Perfect.

Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”

At the ripe age of thirteen, she had already resolved to “keep the crazy inside my head where it belonged. Forever. But here’s the thing about crazy: It. Wants. Out.” In Scrappy Little Nobody, she invites readers inside her brain, sharing extraordinary and charmingly ordinary stories with candor and winningly wry observations.

With her razor-sharp wit, Anna recounts the absurdities she’s experienced on her way to and from the heart of pop culture as only she can—from her unusual path to the performing arts (Vanilla Ice and baggy neon pants may have played a role) to her double life as a middle-school student who also starred on Broadway to her initial “dating experiments” (including only liking boys who didn’t like her back) to reviewing a binder full of butt doubles to her struggle to live like an adult woman instead of a perpetual “man-child.”

Enter Anna’s world and follow her rise from “scrappy little nobody” to somebody who dazzles on the stage, the screen, and now the page—with an electric, singular voice, at once familiar and surprising, sharp and sweet, funny and serious (well, not that serious).

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: While I do really like Anna Kendrick, these types of books rarely hold my attention.

♥

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) by Alwyn Hamilton

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic. For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three. She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: I have this one on my bookshelf and I definitely want to read it!

♥

The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen #1) by Roshani Chokshi

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: This is another one I have on my bookshelf. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.

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The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Nah

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: I have this on my bookshelf. I’m pretty intrigued by this story!

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North of Beautiful by Justina Chen

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You’re the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It’s hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She’s tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably “flawed” face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob’s path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

Date added to TBR: Dec 12, 2016 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Unless I come across this at a used bookstore, I don’t think I’ll read it.

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Here are the stats

Total Ditched Today: 9 Total Kept Today: 11

Bye-Bye Books: Decluttering my TBR December 2019 This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story…

#declutter