Ncantari - ᴸᴬ 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐇𝐄 .

I’m not afraid of you anymore. Because I’m holding the axe.

emilia  didn’t  move.  not  when  sayuri  leaned  in,  not  when  that  familiar,  too-sure  smirk  tugged  at  her  mouth,  all  sharp  edges  and  thinly  veiled  provocation.  it  was  the  kind  of  smile  people  wore  when  they  thought  they’d  won  something.  when  they  believed  proximity  could  be  mistaken  for  power.  she’d  seen  it  before  —  in  nobles  who  mistook  charm  for  cunning,  in  demons  who  thought  a  well-dressed  threat  could  outmatch  centuries  of  silence.  she’d  learned  to  wait.  to  let  the  theatrics  run  their  course. sayuri’s  voice  lilted  with  practiced  confidence,  each  word  polished  to  provoke,  laced  with  just  enough  mockery  to  test  her  reaction.  the  jab  about  the  crystal  ball  was  a  tired  one  —  she  didn’t  let  it  land.  she  rarely  did.  mockery  was  a  poor  currency  to  trade  in  when  your  opponent  had  learned  to  live  without  the  need  for  validation. ʸᵒᵘ  ʷᵃⁿᵗᵉᵈ  ᵗʰᶦˢ,  emilia  thought.  ʸᵒᵘ  ᵇᵘᶦˡᵗ  ᵗʰᶦˢ  ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ  ᵖᶦᵉᶜᵉ  ᵇʸ  ᵖᶦᵉᶜᵉ.  ᵃⁿᵈ  ⁿᵒʷ  ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ  ʷᵃᶦᵗᶦⁿᵍ  ᵗᵒ  ˢᵉᵉ  ʰᵒʷ  ᶦ’ˡˡ  ᵖˡᵃʸ  ᶦᵗ. she  let  a  beat  of  silence  pass  before  answering  —  long  enough  to  be  deliberate.  then,  with  the  faintest  curl  of  irony  at  the  edge  of  her  voice  ❝  you  must  be  fun  at  parties.  ❞  she  shifted,  not  out  of  discomfort  but  control,  creating  distance  with  the  kind  of  easy  grace  that  said:  i  decide  how  close  you  stand. her  gaze  swept  over  sayuri  again,  not  in  challenge,  but  in  quiet  recalibration.  the  arrogance  wasn’t  surprising  —  what  interested  her  was  what  wasn’t  being  said.  the  hints  tucked  beneath  the  performance.  the  weight  behind  the  word  business.  sayuri  wasn’t  bluffing.  that  much  was  clear.  but  she  also  wasn’t  being  entirely  honest  —  which  made  her  interesting.  ❝  i  don’t  need  ᶠᵒʳᵉˢᶦᵍʰᵗ  to  recognize  someone  who  likes  the  sound  of  their  own  schemes,  ❞  emilia  said,  tone  mild.  ❝  or  someone  who  confuses  being  clever  with  being  in  control.  ❞  and  yet  —  she  didn’t  walk  away.  because  as  much  as  sayuri  was  a  disruption,  a  complication  …  she  was  also  a  window.  and  emilia  had  learned  to  pay  attention  when  the  world  handed  her  one. ❝  fine.  business.  talk.  ❞  she  turned  her  back  fully  now,  unbothered.  ❝  just  don’t  waste  my  time  pretending  you’re  doing  me  a  favor.  ❞  let  sayuri  think  she  had  the  upper  hand  for  now.  emilia  wasn’t  in  the  business  of  showing  her  cards  until  it  mattered. 

@ncantari,  continued  from  here  !

A smirk, subtle in both amusement and triumph, tugged at Sayuri’s lips at the witch’s blunt, yet truthful accusation. She reveled in both pride and immense satisfaction at the fact that her plan had worked, and at the vague acknowledgement of her wit. Of course she had planned this — known for her meticulous nature and aversion to chance, there was no way the ghoula would leave anything to fate, least of all let herself end up in such a compromising position if it weren’t for a larger scheme at play, a woven intrigue. Sayuri nodded, a gesture betraying her overflowing delight, her expression radiating the brimming confidence born of arrogance — of the firm belief that she held the upper hand.

❛ That’s where you are correct, ❜ she chimed, her voice laced with playful mockery. ❛ Didn’t see that one coming in that little crystal ball of yours, did you? Tsk. You know, I thought witches were supposed to have foresight — or is that just a marketing gimmick? ❜ Borrowing from the tired clichés and overused prejudices often hurled at witches, each of her words was designed to subtly undermine her opponent, to paint her as predictable and limited. Truth was, Sayuri had never bothered to delve beyond surface-level understandings of witchcraft, unwilling to concern herself with something that didn’t seem to directly affect her.  

Leaning in, eyes gleaming with a predatory light, she closed the distance between them, invading Emilia’s personal space. ❛ But don’t look so sour. I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if I didn’t think you had something worthwhile to offer. So, how about we skip the dramatics and talk? Seems like the perfect opportunity to discuss business, don’t you think? ❜ For Sayuri, the word ‘business’ carried a weight of unspoken implications. It usually meant that she wanted something, as simple as that — and her negotiation methods were rarely fair. 

Oh yeah, I know them, we grew up together on tumblr.com

WHEN I FOLLOW YOU, I WANT TO INTERACT. I don’t follow for follow, I follow you because I’m interested in your character and want to write with you. sometimes, even when you follow me, I’m too shy to approach, or I’m just not really sure HOW. please; if I’m following you, shoot me a message. go ahead and RANDOMLY JUMP IN MY INBOX. Something – just know that if I follow you, I WANT to interact with you!!

“Don’t / Accommodate: write in blood or don’t bother.”

— Sina Queyras, from “I Know a Queen That Swallowed a Sword, I Don’t Know Why She Swallowed That Sword, I Guess She’ll Cry,” My Ariel (via lifeinpoetry)

“—a gentle girl with beautiful, soft eyes and a romantic little soul.”

— Colette, from Claudine at School

♱ ⠀⠀… ⠀⠀𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐖 ⠀⠀your ⠀⠀𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖊 ⠀⠀.

tagged by ⠀⠀… ⠀⠀@ashbalfour & @stvrmlicht tagging⠀⠀⠀⠀… ⠀⠀@geisterwelt, @heiliqe, @renchoku & @sternleer

Catherine Zeta-Jones THE HAUNTING (1999)

⠀ take⠀me⠀to⠀𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋,⠀ˡᵉᵗ⠀ᵗʰᵉ⠀ᵈᵉᵛᶦˡˢ⠀ʰᵉᵃʳ⠀ᵐʸ⠀ⁿᵃᵐᵉ ﹔ ⠀ for⠀I⠀have⠀​ᴺᴼ⠀𝐆𝐎𝐃⠀left⠀to⠀ʎɐɹd⠀to⠀ .⠀

⅋̳  𝐍𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐈  …  a private   and selective   portrayal   of  𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨 𝑫𝑰 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑶  ⸻   𝖑𝖆 𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖆 .

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀…⠀⠀ ⠀⠀a  𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐇𝐄  born  to  an  ancient  bloodline,  Emilia  is  the  daughter  of  a  legacy  whispered  in  candlelit  rituals  and  bound  by  the  secrets  of  witches  who  have  lived  among  mortals  for  centuries.  Raised  in  the  sun-drenched  heart  of  𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐘,  she  and  her  twin  sister,  Vittoria,  spent  their  days  steeped  in  tradition  —  tending  to  their  family’s  bustling  trattoria,  grinding  fragrant  herbs,  and  weaving  magic  hidden  beneath  ordinary  touch.  Emilia  was  the  careful  one,  the  dreamer  with  a  cautious  heart,  raised  under  the  watchful  eye  of  her  grandmother,  who  taught  her  the  sacred  ways  of  𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐀 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈  and  the  peril  of  stepping  too  close  to  the  darkness.  [  ...  ] And  then  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  𝐎𝐅  𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃  came.  Emilia's  world  shattered  with  her  twin  sister's  brutal  murder.  𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅  burned  away  the  girl  she  once  was.  𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄  forged  the  woman  she  would  become.  The  careful  witch  turned  reckless.  The  believer  in  𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃  𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒  became  the  one  who  broke  them.  In  her  desperate  search  for  truth,  Emilia  ventured  into  the  realm  of  𝐋'𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈 𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈,  walking  paths  from  which  no  witch  had  returned  unscathed.  What  was  once  forbidden  became  her  𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍,  her  weapon.  With  every  step  deeper  into  the  unknown,  she  felt  herself  unraveling  —  becoming  something  new,  something  feared.  A  force  willing  to  tear  apart  the  heavens  and  the  underworld  alike  to  reclaim  what  was  taken  from  her.  𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  𝐀𝐍𝐃  𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒  war  within  her,  but  one  thing  is  certain  —  she  will  not  stop  until  the  wicked  have  𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐃  𝐈𝐍  𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃.

𝖓𝖚 𝖘𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖎𝖚 𝖘𝖚𝖕𝖗𝖆⠀ ﹕ ⠀cursed lineage ⠀ ❝⠀𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 ˢʰᵃᶜᵏˡᵉ⠀❞⠀﹒⠀sicilian gothic⠀﹒⠀ancient prophecies⠀﹒⠀forbidden scripture⠀﹒⠀flour dusted hands⠀﹒⠀the seven deadly sins⠀❝⠀𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐈𝐍 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡⠀❞⠀﹒⠀veiled grief⠀﹒⠀

₀₀₁.𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃 ₀₀₂.𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 ₀₀₃.𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ₀₀₄.𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 ⅋ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 [ are always welcome ! ] ₀₀₅.𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒

  ⸻  indie  &  single  muse  crafted  for  —  but  not  exclusive  to  —  fakevz. mutuals  only,  mdni,  crossover friendly, always down to plot, activity varies. triggers will  not  be  tagged!  cursed  by ﹕ luna, she / her, 25+  —  side blog.

[  …  tied to the kingdom of the wicked series by kerri maniscalco ± taking visual and plot inspiration from a variety of other sources such as ﹕ monica bellucci, yennefer von vengenberg, wanda maximoff, alicent hightower, mary stuart ❪⠀reign⠀❫, my lady jane, various book series, mirror palais, catherine zeta jones  ᵉᵗ ᵃˡ  ]

In no version are they not hunting us.

— Jihyun Yun, from “The Daughter Transmorphic,” Some Are Always Hungry