I have passed through fire

  "Did you know that there are some seeds that cannot sprout unless they are first burned? I think of gardening constantly these days. I wear your gift, and I think of you."  

[midsommars-deactivated20201109]

The Little Drummer Girl (2018—) Created by John le Carré

[hirokazukoreeda]

Florence Pugh in MIDSOMMAR 2019, dir. Ari Aster.

[midsommars-deactivated20201109]

The Little Drummer Girl (2018—) Created by John le Carré

[fy-florence-pugh]

rebeccacorbinmurray Florence in #AlexaChung for #Midsommar press in nyc today 🖤 #FlorencePugh

[rogerdeakinsdp]

Florence Pugh in Fighting with My Family (2019) dir. Stephen Merchant

[timotaychalamet]

Florence Pugh in In The Time It Takes To Get There (2019) dir. Zach Braff

[morningsmead-blog]

carrionhead‌:

One moment his legs stood on solid ground, the next that chunk of earth sprang up as if dug up by a gigantic invisible hand. Baltasar crouched low at the edge of it, ready to leap back down before it carried him any higher when whatever power held both him and the chunk decided to let them crash. Rattled from the impact, he disoriented himself further looking wildly in every direction in search of the girl only to find himself trapped by a ring of… some kind of bush? He had no time to try and figure out how dangerous the plants could be. The girl was running away. She could be the next one launched to the sky. Baltasar squeezed through and hundreds of tiny barbs pierced his skin, made it burn and sting, but he kept going after the girl. He’d heal from this quick. Hopefully.

Baltasar caught up with the girl.  Hurry, hurry. He nipped at her heels, barked and growled and snarled for good measure in his best impression of something spawned from the cursed woods. Finally, they were moving in the right direction. His run slowed once the town’s border was almost within sight. He’d remain close until he could see the girl enter safety with his own eyes.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she ran, eyes focused on the lights ahead. She could hear the animal behind her, close on her heels and with a twist of her hand, large roots began to rise from the ground behind her as she attempted to trip up her pursuer. Once she was in town, she was fairly certain it would fall back. There weren’t many creatures that enjoyed leaving the woods, especially not for the increasingly populated town. 

Allison had no idea how close behind the animal was and she knew that if she turned, she’d lose the momentum she’d built up. So instead, she continued to run. Pathetic, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. She could control the very earth and instead of putting an end to the creature once and for all, she was bolting. All those centuries of training, gone. She’d become soft. The voice shifted and suddenly, it was Embric. What a waste. And though her speed didn’t falter, Allison clutched at her chest as a sudden ache began to fill it. It didn’t even register as she passed into the town. The lights were all a blur as hot tears trailed down her cheeks; she didn’t stop running until she was back home, the large oak door slamming shut with a final bang. 

end. 

[morningsmead-blog]

Text Ash and Allison

Ash: Allison...is there a reason you sent me a plethora of plant emojis?

Allison: ....

Allison: because you're the bee's knees?

Allison: and bees love plants?

[morningsmead-blog]

prozny‌:

@morningsmead

Henryk didn’t care anymore. He was over caution and he was done with asking nicely. Screw waiting around. Once the streets were dark and quiet, he made his way over Teas to Please. There was no one out on the streets when he broke off the door handle and let himself in. Maybe there would be something in there to help with his problem, maybe not, but he would rather pick a fight with a fae than a witch. At least Allison didn’t look like she would do some voodoo on him if he crossed her.

The shop was quiet and his sight adjusted to the dark quickly, leading him through the room to the back door. She had led him in there the last time, where she kept her goods. The vampire reached for the jars on the shelves, looking them over. He was thankful for the labels. “What the fuck is this?” He whispered, opening a jar and cringing at the strong smell. “Oh, this is bad. This is really bad.” Putting it back, he tried another jar and this time he brought a piece of its contents to his lips, taking off a bite. “Bitter.” He chewed on the leaf anyway and moved on. 

Something in there could make him feel different — or poison him. At that point, he’d prefer to get poisoned than feel his hunger.

She’d forgotten her phone behind the counter at work. That was the only reason she was out this late, her wool coat wrapped tightly around her body. Although spring was approaching, without the sun the air was still freezing and she was completely over it. Her hair was twisted back in a loose braid and, while it kept it out of her face, it meant that the tips of her ears were quickly turning red. All complaints of the cold however, fled her mind as she turned the corner and saw the broken door handle on her shop.

Approaching softly, Allison carefully pushed the door open and slipped into the dark shop. Her face twisted with annoyance - seriously, who broke into a tea shop? It’s not like she kept piles of money just laying around. A rustling noise caught her attention and she headed towards the backroom, a quick glance at the register confirming that none of the money had been taken. Flicking up a switch as she passed by, the backroom flooded with light. 

“What do you think you’re doing back here?” she asked, her voice unusually icy. Allison couldn’t say she was exactly pleased to see Henryk snooping around her personal wares. She wondered if this meant the tea hadn’t helped. 

[morningsmead-blog]

diabolics‌:. 

Oh, this is not good, Philippe thought as she moved about to produce the brown paper bag and show him the shards. She not only had broken a one of a kind cursed object, but she had stained the shards with her own blood. The ghost that had been used to make it was now free from its prison, but it seemed to be attached to her now. By blood, he supposed, and took another sip from the tea, wrinkling up his nose and setting the cup down. Not his thing. “We could try destroying the mirror,” Philippe reasoned, though he wasn’t sure it would be enough. “If it is the only thing tying the two of you together, then destroying it might be enough to unlink you.” He doubted it would be that easy, but it was worth a try. “If it isn’t, you will need to call for an exorcist.” If only he still had his collection… his books could’ve provided another alternative. “Do you have a fire place?”

She couldn’t even bring herself to smile at Philippe’s face as he set down the tea, clearly not a fan. This was never something she’d had to worry about before – what was the point of making a cursed object? Shouldn’t this have been in somebody’s basement or collection and definitely not tucked away on a dusty old shelf where anyone could pick it up. Fear twisted into anger and Allison could feel it begin to ache in her chest. “Let’s hope this works then. I don’t exactly have an exorcist on speed dial,” she said, her words sharper than the glass still safely packed away in the brown bag. 

Leading Philippe from the kitchen, she headed into the living room and gestured towards the stone fireplace nestled away in the corner, a small stack of dust covered wood next to it. She began to build the fire, rooting around in a nearby drawer for a match once everything was set. Pulling out the small box, she went to strike it and then hesitated – if she was already possessed, she didn’t want to take any more chances with the universe. “Do you mind?” she asked, softer than her earlier comment and held out the small matchbox towards Philippe.

[morningsmead-blog]

thisthinskin‌:

East of Greenfield. Okay. He nodded, piecing his bearings together. “Yeah… yeah,” Gabe took a deep breath, a deep, cold breath. Wrapped his long arms around himself. Ran hot, like wolves tended to. Still a brisk-ass day. “Not like they’re that safe anywhere,” he managed a grin, faltering. Maybe that hadn’t been the best thing to say. Given the circumstances. What kind of crazy wandered around like this? In Ashbourne, most people probably had a good idea.

Not this one, it seemed. Gabe shrugged, brushing his - rain-wet, slightly blood-sticky - hair out of his face. “Sure, you know, now and then. Not for everybody, but…” he couldn’t avoid it, really. “You, uh… run around here clothed, much? Almost as crazy, all things considered. There’s big-ass cats in here, cat fairies, they’ll scream at you. And eat your soul. Apparently…” Stop, stop talking. Get home. “Don’t suppose you could point me north, huh?” If he had north, that was all he needed. North and his nose. 

Allison raised an eyebrow at his question. “I suppose a better question would be, do I ever run around not clothed. To which the answer would be no, definitely not.” Now that she had gotten over the initial shock of running into a naked man in the middle of the woods, she was able to take in his appearance. Concern flitted across his face as she realised that it wasn’t just the rain that had slicked back his hair. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Moving closer, she shrugged off her jacket and began to pull off her knitted sweater. It was cold but, considering she was at least dressed, would probably still be better off than him. “Here – I doubt it’ll fit but if you want to wrap it around your waist while you head back to town, it might be slightly less conspicuous.”

[morningsmead-blog]

percystone‌:

Fae. Allison wasn’t the first fae that Percy had ever met, so she at least had some idea of what she was dealing with, though when it came to her specific element, Percy had about a hundred questions that died on her lips as she reached out, slowly and hesitantly, to run a finger over the soft, delicate petals of the flower that had appeared between them. It was beautiful. It was small and delicate and it brought a small smile to Percy’s lips as she looked up again. “Interesting.” It was all she could think to say in the moment.

“Pleasure, Allison.” Percy offered as she pulled her hand away again, shuffling her papers up and setting them in a neat pile to the side of her. She glanced at the sheet on top, the notes rising and falling like a strange drawing of a mountain range, and she offered a bit of a head shake, a laugh. “A little over ten years. I started playing at 16, and once I had the basics down, I started trying to write my own tunes. My piano teacher gave me my first piece of blank sheet music when I showed him a song I had been plinking out between lessons.”

A soft smile stole across her face as she watched Percy carefully touch the carnation. Some would probably considering it insignificant but there was something so satisfying about filling others with happiness rather than crushing it, human or not. Their lives were so fleeting – absently, Allison wondered what it would be like to only have a set amount of years to live, to feel the crushing weight of time with every day that passed by. It must be exhausting, to keep running as fast as possible to make the most of their time in this world. 

“That’s amazing Percy,” she said with genuine awe. “Do you perform them anywhere? Or teach? Or publish them?” Allison wasn’t sure how exactly it worked in the human world but surely Percy must perform her pieces for large audiences? Surely there was an auditorium or performing hall where she could put on shows.

[morningsmead-blog]

carasoliz‌:

“Fae… Oh yes,” Cara said, slowly coming to the realization. She was well acquainted with fae from the sea, but she had never met a kind that did not dwell in the water. She only knew there were others and she was assuming this woman was one of those others. Allison did not strike Cara as a water fae. They had a particular attitude about them this woman lacked.

“Your mermish is wonderful,” Cara complimented with a soft smile. Speaking her mother tongue was proving very comforting for her. “I have so many questions… But perhaps I will just bother you with a few.” She chuckled lightly. “At least until I can find this… Greenfield street. I heard it is where I can borrow a home for the time being. Could you please show me where I must go? I’m sure I can find my way afterwards.” 

Allison smiled – she was glad that the word had translated well. And it seemed Cara even knew what fae were which made sense, the more she thought about it. “Of course, follow me. And feel free to ask away! I’ll answer what I can.” 

Changing course slightly, Allison started down the street to her left, towards Greenfield Park and Greenfield Street. Her sixth year anniversary since coming to Ashbourne was coming up soon and yet, it still surprised her how familiar she was with these streets. The passage of time was something she usually felt very removed from, used to decades passing her by in the blink of an eye, but in Ashbourne, time seemed to move much slower. Maybe it was due to the amount of mortals who she surrounded herself with or maybe it was because there was no where for her to lose herself. Either way, six years felt like a lifetime. 

She glanced over at the mermaid, a question dancing on the tip of her tongue. “I hope you don’t mind me asking Cara, but how did you get here? And where are you from? I’ve never heard of the town sucking in anybody who wasn’t already wandering towards it?”

[morningsmead-blog]

ariafcwn‌:

> @morningsmead​ !!

The morning after the chaos that was the Cor Meum Hall meant a busy day at Herbs and Hexes. People were coming in trying to find ways of binding their consciousness into their bodies permanently, only to leave disappointed the solution was not as easy as drinking a potion or rubbing ointment. Fortunately, Aria had one of the Trillium kids working the register so she was free to take stocks and organize while poor Jeremy Foster and his sister Jenny were forced to deal with the customers’ inquiries.

Aria wasn’t keen on talking to any of them until she saw the familiar face come in through the door. “Allison,” she sighed in relief, bouncing the enchanted quill box in her hands. 

“Fosters’… I’m taking lunch break,” she called out to teenagers, passing the box to young Jenny. “Jer, you’re in charge.” The boy looked up from counting change. ‘Got it, boss.’ Ah, wonderful. For Aria, the younger Trillium members were always so much better than the adults and elders. Aria gestured for Allison to follow her to the back. “You can relax. Anything you brought, just set it down on the table.” She willed a plastic bag and a bottle of water into her hands. “You look like you could use a break too.”

Allison set the box in her hands down with a heavy thud, leaning on it as she tried to will the pounding in her head to stop. It didn’t seem to matter how much human medicine she took, nothing was slowing the large sledgehammer that was hammering away behind her eyes. Last night was a blur of hazy memories and, while she had redone her glamour this morning, it couldn’t take away the entire aura of exhaustedness she currently wore like a cloak. 

“Aria,” she said slowly, not looking up from the box. “I am never drinking again. If you even catch me with a glass of wine, I give you full permission to knock it from my hands.” Looking down at the box of leafy greens and dark roots, Allison tried to remember all she had packed. More vervain, the next batch of mandrakes, and…was that a bundle of snapdragons? She took another look. Yup, definitely snapdragons. Which meant… “I think I left the dittany at home.”

[morningsmead-blog]

hadleyxbowen‌:

morningsmead‌:

 Allison tilted her head to the left, considering Hadley. She didn’t understand shifting, could never fathom what it must be like to change shape and become an animal, suddenly free to do things not possible when confined to a humanoid form. But she understood pain all too well and right now, Hadley’s expression was excruciating. Somehow, she didn’t think tea would fix this issue. 

“You’re still new here,” she said kindly. “Give it a couple more days to adjust to the weirdness that is Ashbourne and the people here and maybe your form will come back on it’s own. If it doesn’t,” and here, a mischievous grin crept across her face. “We can always try jumping from the tallest building and kickstarting your instincts. If you don’t shift, then I can be at the bottom, ready to catch you.” 

A surprised laugh tumbled out of her. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve jumped from high heights,” she mused. “But I’ve sort of tried that already. Not that Ashbourne is full of skyscrapers, but there are trees to climb. It’s a good thing I heal fairly fast.” The offer was sweet though, this girl seemed to sweet for a town like this. Who worried about tea and comforting conversation when they were a prisoner? Hadley’s instincts were screaming to care about herself and only herself, but she’d gone that route before and it had left her empty. Perhaps this was an opportunity.

“I guess I’ll just pull my head together and find a witch. You must have some in this town, right?” Hadley downed the rest of her tea, fumbling in her pocket for spare bills from the starter fund The Hub had given her. “I don’t normally pay for things,” she admitted sheepishly with a shrug of her shoulder. “Do people tip for tea these days?” Deciding not to wait for an answer, she slid forward an extra $5. “Thank you for the tea, and lending an ear. I’ll….probably be back tomorrow. Best cup of tea I’ve ever had.”

end.

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

morningsmead‌:

Thoughts of protest and ‘I can take care of myself’ quickly fell away from her lips as Hadley’s stroked her neck. Water long forgotten on a nearby table, Allison couldn’t help but lean into the touch. It had been so long since she’d been held and this night had been heaven for her touch-starved body. There was no resistance from her as she was drawn closer, Allison resting her head on Hadley’s shoulder.  

“You smell so good,” Allison murmured, uncaring whether that was weird comment or not. Bringing up one hand from Hadley’s waist, Allison twined it in the shifter’s brown hair and scrunched her face up in concentration until small daisy vines began to twine with the locks. 

“Careful there, Allison. I’m trying to be on semi-good behavior with you,” Hadley warned. Oh what a move with the daisy vines in her hair…this girl probably knocked people off their feet when she was sober and straight up interested in them. But underneath the rose flush of her cheeks and the bright distraction in her eyes there was a sorrow and a caution. So Hadley did indeed stay on her best behavior. She pulled the fae close, nuzzled along her neck, placed light nipping kisses along her jaw Hadley was always touching, always seeking to earn it and deliver it. But she imagined that if someone had starved themselves of it you couldn’t just expect them to dive in the deep end. They had to stretch metaphorical limbs that had fallen asleep. 

As the song wound down she guided Allison into a twirl, then pulled her back in. It would have been easy to taste her lips, but instead she let their foreheads press together. “You don’t have to be tipsy for this to be okay you know,” she murmured thoughtfully. “Needing to be touched. You have the kind of lips that should be kissed at least once a day if not more. You shouldn’t wait till your tipsy to try and nourish those needs. Take care of yourself with the same care you use to make a cup of tea.” A kiss was pressed against the fae’s forehead and Hadley let herself pull away. “I can’t steal you away for myself all evening, that would be simply unfair. But do continue to enjoy yourself, Allison”

END

[morningsmead-blog]

a-painintheneck‌:

“Interesting? That a curious choice of words. What did you find interesting about it? The vampires? The human blood bags? The sex?”  He chuckles as they continued to walk out of the graveyard, across the street that would lead them back into town. Allison seemed eager. It’s not every day that someone gets excited over wanting to meet a Hellhound. Typically the reactions is the exact opposite. They hear about a hellhound and they take off running. I suppose it’s different when they are caged, right? Like less likely for them to cause any harm. “Good, yeah. Well, I got the Hellhound as a gift for someone. I think if it had been my choice I would have named her something more threatening.”

The club was not far and pretty soon he could hear the music and the chattering of the undead. Of course, they ignored the entrance and instead, Malachi walked her to the back. This was where they kept her. As soon as Kropka felt their presence the cage rattled. She was getting bigger now, too big for the cage they had her in. Eyes glowing red and a flame burning under her chest. She was starting to look more like a hellhound and less like a giant dog. “Here she is. You can pet her if you want, but you might lose your arm.”

“Yes, well - all of that I suppose,” she answered faintly. Following Malachi through the streets, it didn’t take them long to reach the club and as he bypassed the familiar front door, Allison kept her confusion to herself. It would make sense not to have Kropka front and centre, she silently supposed. Maybe on a normal day, in a normal town, she would have been more hesitant to meet a hellhound. But trapped in this forsaken town, she missed exploring and seeing new things. 

As they rounded the corner, Allison heard the rattling of metal and before she had time to process just what that meant, she was standing in front of a caged hellhound. Her breath caught in her throat and sheer terror crept up her spine, threatening to paralyze her. Kropka was beautiful, in her own way, eyes bright like embers and a deep glow flickering out from her body. “Aren’t you just gorgeous Kropka?” Allison murmured, heeding Malachi’s warning and keeping back. “Terrifying, but that’s a good thing isn’t it?” From what she had seen at the club and from Malachi, Kropka fit. “You’ve got yourself a good home here.”

[a-painintheneck]

THE END