SANDRA OH at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (March 10, 2024)
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@ravenwitch-lilith
SANDRA OH at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (March 10, 2024)
CRISTINA YANG GREY'S ANATOMY | 2.04 "Deny, Deny, Deny"
SANDRA OH as Dr. Cristina Yang 'Grey's Anatomy' #2.09
'Krabat' illustrated by Antoni Boratynski
The Ends Are So Cliche || Deamonthorne Edition
Takes place: Late April 2025, after Darius returns to the Isles Summary: Darius and Lilith reconvene in the emptied throne room of the Emperor, where they discuss what happened
DARIUS:
Darius did not particularly want to return to the throne room.
He had nearly died there. Hunter did die there, though he was brought back to life. But a powerful man had powerful secrets, and there were very few he trusted to discover those outside of himself and a selected few.
As the doors groaned open, far slower and less triumphantly than when they’d burst in a mere few days ago, his eyes fell upon a dark woman standing in the center.
“I see we shared the same thought,” Darius said, starting to walk in. His first instinct was to be suspicious of her, to think that she might be here to claim some glory and power for herself. But she had done more than her fair share in working to lift those suspicions. And more than that, she was an archeologist. Of course she would return to a scene like this. “Have you found anything?”
Secrets Lilith Kept: The Secret of the Stone
Dated: April 2025
Summary: Lilith finds one of the most powerful artifacts of her career... and then she puts it back.
READ HERE!
The First and the Last || Boiling Isles Rebels
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Prior Reading: The Isles Are Dark For the Future The Last Supper The Sun Will Rise Smoke Signals
Hunter, Willow, Darius, and Lilith face off against Belos... and Hunter must make a choice... takes place: April 20th
tw: violence, gore, death, authoritarian government takedown, belos being a shit head and all that jazz
(the specific sections with those particular bold triggers are marked!)
@halfawitch-willow @darius-dues @ravenwitch-lilith
READ HERE
The Sun Will Rise || Boiling Isles Rebels
Prior Reading: The Isles Are Dark For the Future The Last Supper
The Boiling Isles rebels storm Emperor Belos' palace! takes place: morning of April 20th
@halfawitch-willow @darius-dues @ravenwitch-lilith @owlwitch-eda @mxrainewhispers (@headpatsforsteve is also here briefly)
cw: violence, rebelling against an authoritarian government!, destruction of property
READ HERE
The Last Supper || Boiling Isles Rebels
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Prior Reading: The Isles Are Dark For the Future
Hunter, Willow, Darius, Lilith, Eda, and Raine reach the Isles and gather with the rest of the rebels. Together, they make preparations and share one final meal... takes place: the evening of 4/19
cw: authoritarian government, plotting to take over said authoritarian government, thoughts of inevitable death/dying
@halfawitch-willow @darius-dues @ravenwitch-lilith @owlwitch-eda @mxrainewhispers
READ HERE
For the Future || Boiling Isles Rebels
Prior Reading: The Isles Are Dark
After Willow and Darius learn that Emperor Belos has shut off all communication to the Boiling Isles, they call a team meeting of trusted allies in Swynlake and decide they have to end this once and for all... Takes place on the evening of 4/18/2025 @halfawitch-willow @darius-dues @ravenwitch-lilith @owlwitch-eda @mxrainewhispers
cw: authoritarian government, plotting to take over said authoritarian government, thoughts of inevitable death/dying
READ HERE
In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne
Darius watched her carefully as she responded. Of course what she could be saying was a lie, but a woman like her loved to lord her superiority over others. If she was in the Emperor's good graces during these trying times, she certainly would be feigning shock that he didn't have those same permissions.
This was different. If she was telling the truth then it had grave implications. If the Emperor was not even communicating with the Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven then who was he communicating with? Anyone at all?
Just what was he planning?
He regarded her for a moment before shaking his head. "No more than anyone else, it seems." That wasn't entirely true. Of course, there was everything with Hunter and his relationship to Belos, but they weren't nearly on that level. Not yet.
In the darkness they shared, he wouldn't blow out his candle entirely, but he'd guard its light behind his hand.
"I'll admit, it's been quite frustrating. Never in my career has the Emperor ever acted like this. There have been whispered concerns happening throughout the covens. What do you make of it?"
@ravenwitch-lilith
Lilith hated to speak ill of the Emperor, especially when she wasn't aware of his grand plans. But it frustrated her to no end to be left out when she was one of his greatest assets left out in the cold.
"Honestly, Daemonne, I'm not sure. He's... a paranoid type, but he hasn't shut me out like this before." The words came out smoothly, despite the force it took Lilith to voice them.
She swallowed her pride to keep sharing, knowing what Darius knew would only come with trust. And if their game were to play out in anyone's favor, she would need to show her hand first.
"As far as I am aware, this is unprecedented. The Isle... they've been open as long as I can remember and the Emperor not--" she winced with her words, "the Emperor not informing me of these plans means he is holding them closer to his chest than ever. Perhaps, his paranoia has gotten to him in the time I have been away."
@darius-dues
So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow
Hunter wasn’t sure what he expected Lilith to say.
A woman in her position, in her power, could simply throw him out. She was under no obligation to believe him, especially considering how close she’d been with Belos before she came to Swynlake. When Hunter thought of her, he always pictured the two of them walking down the corridors of the Isles’ administrative buildings, talking about great plans.
But she spoke and Hunter realized that maybe he’d been wrong about Lilith.
Maybe like himself, Lilith had been dumped in Swynlake on a wild goose chase. Maybe Belos had removed her from the equation for some reason, wanted to control his assets more tightly. Maybe he did genuinely believe that Lilith could find the Philosopher's Stone, but in the end, she’d just been a tool to him, something he could cut off easily if the situation called for it.
Maybe he and Lilith were more similar than Hunter had thought.
He swallowed.
“I — Darius said as much,” he said. “I don’t know… it’s a big ask. Especially considering, well… he’s already put a spell on me. I should’ve died during my accident. He’s keeping me alive till he finds another. I — I’ve more or less accepted that I…" His voice trailed off, his gaze wandering. When he looked back at Lilith, there was a newfound determination in his voice.
"The important thing is that it doesn’t happen again. To someone else."
@ravenwitch-lilith
Guilt clawed its way up Lilith's throat, tearing at the back of it. Her eyes stung with a fire she'd felt before. Maybe she hadn't known about the necromancy, the torment of the Golden Guards, but her hands were not clean in any way.
The Head Witch did not get to the top without being just as vicious. She thought of Edalyn, young and scrappy but just as talented as her, maybe even more so. That was what turned the elder's blood so green. Her jealousy made her a monster and thus she made her sister into one too. Lilith had years to face what she'd done but she just couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the guilt.
This revolution had a way of forcing Lilith to see the carnage she wrought, all by the hands of a boy she hardly respected last year.
She took a steeling breath, "The thing about spells and curses, Hunter, is that they can be broken."
The boy's life force was tied to Belos in a way she feared breaking it would kill them both... but she kept that to herself. Her hunt for the Philosopher's Stone was over in one capacity though Lilith believed she would keep looking for Hunter's sake. And if it couldn't save the boy, maybe she could use it to save her sister.
@thegcldenguard
In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne
Darius quirked a singular eyebrow at her response. When she spoke of her work, he assumed she meant the stone, which he was not unconvinced was a mission given by the Emperor directly. For a man who had no problem siphoning the lives of his most trusted subordinates to replenish himself, he had no doubt that he might be looking into other methods to extend his lifespan.
And yet, she invited him to sit down, to have further conversation. Why? Hunter had already been ousted by the Emperor, and yet he, and Darius, were expected to continue their search for the stone. Was Lilith only keeping them close to keep an eye on them?
Or was something else going on? Carefully, he sat, brushing out his cape from underneath him. "Well, surely I would assume the Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven would have special permissions to come and go as needed. Unless that isn't the case?"
@ravenwitch-lilith
"One could assume I would have special permissions, but with communications down I haven't gotten any updates as of late..." She wanted to curse him for making her flash her cards before him. But Lilith understood the art of the exchange. Give a little, get a little.
She leaned back in her chair, gathering her air of superiority when she needed it most to feel at ease again. "You're also a coven head, surely you have the same information I do regarding the matter. Unless... you know something that the masses aren't privy to?"
This was the closest Lilith Clawthorne would ever come to begging. If Darius recognized that, this interaction could go one of two ways: he realizes she knows nothing and leaves her in the dark alone, or he sees how they are in the dark together and they could join forces to leave it behind. The latter requires trust. Trust Lilith didn't have with the people of the Isles. She was just too relentless and too cryptic to ever be someone anyone could trust.
Lilith regretted that now.
@darius-dues
So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow
It was true that Hunter didn’t know exactly what Belos’ plans were. But he did have some suspicions. Those suspicions being that Belos wanted him back, and he was suffocating the Isles till Hunter showed up on his doorstep.
There was still a lot that Hunter didn’t understand — like why go through all this trouble?
He also wasn’t entirely sure what he should tell Lilith.
He’d told Eda, in a moment of bullheaded bravery (or brave bullheadness, depending on what your read of the situation was). But he wasn’t sure if that trust could extend to Lilith.
Except —
Well, she was in the dark too, wasn’t she? Upset at Belos for leaving her behind? Hunter knew what that was like. He’d been there. He’d been desperate for approval, for acknowledgement. Answers.
Maybe an answer was what Lilith needed.
“I learned he was planning a spell,” he said, slowly. “One that would make him — powerful. Immortal. And he… he needed me for it.” He swallowed. “Just as he needed the Golden Guard before me.” Hunter did his best to keep his voice steady. “As you can imagine, I, er, do rather like being alive even if he didn’t want that. So… I managed to escape and that’s why I’m public enemy number one.” He cleared his throat. “Apparently, he says I’ll die soon anyway!”
He wasn’t sure why he added that; maybe to show Lilith that he wasn’t a threat? Maybe because saying it over and over again made it feel like it was something that was going to happen to someone else, instead of his own very imminent future.
@ravenwitch-lilith
The weight Lilith wanted lifted sank deeper, heavier on her chest. Her great task was only a back up plan, or merely a tool to make Belos stronger just like Hunter said. No one was entirely sure what the Philosopher's Stone was capable of so perhaps it could work in tandem with the methods he was currently using.
If Lilith were to believe what this boy, this fugitive, said... she would have to accept some unfortunate things were true. One, that she was never as close to the Emperor as he led her to believe. Two, that he was using the Golden Guards to replenish life force he couldn't make on his own... to be immortal. And three, her hunt for the Philosopher's Stone needed to end.
"That is... unfortunate." Were the only words of condolence she could muster.
Lilith was never good at this, the empathetic part. She could feel the sorrow, the worry, but the witch could only express emotions on the opposite end. She could show her pride, her rage, her indignation. Words of pity didn't cross her lips much.
"I... I didn't know. I know that's hard to believe with my position in the administration. But... you know more than anyone that the Emperor is a paranoid, secretive man. If he is a man at all..." She all but whispered the last part. "We can figure this out, Hunter. You will not die."
Lilith's gears were turning in her head causing the flame of nearby candles to dance. She hadn't signed up to commit necromancy, to kill innocent young men to keep power over the Isles. The sorceress loved being adjacent to power, having power, but not at the expense of Hunter's life.
@thegcldenguard
In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne
When everything had come out, Darius didn't go to Lilith. His first priority was the children of the Boiling Isles, who were now stuck in a dilemma of whether or not to go home, and what might happen to them. In all honesty, he assumed it would be the last he'd ever see of her. Whatever machinations the Emperor was planning, surely he would be surrounding himself with his most loyal and trusted lapdogs.
But that wasn't the case. First, the other Coven Heads who were most supportive of Belos seemed just as lost as the rest of them. And then, even when the deadline for the closure had passed, Lilith was still here, in Swynlake.
He needed to see it for himself. He didn't call her ahead of time or let her know he was coming. He simply showed up in her office, cloak billowing behind him.
"I'd let the team know if I had found anything," he said, making it clear that the mission for the stone was one that was collaborative, not for her alone. "I'm surprised to see you still here, even after the closing of the borders."
@ravenwitch-lilith
Social call, then.
Though, not the friendliest of catching up it seemed. It made Lilith feel like a cornered dog, him calling her out directly like this. As straightforward as the Head Witch was, she wasn't the kind to show her hand to just anyone.
Lilith kept her face stoic as she replied, "Well, I have work in Swynlake to do. My job here is as important to me as anything back home."
A slight pause and Lilith stood to welcome Darius in further.
"I am sure we will all be able to go back to how things were before once matters have settled in the Isles. Sit, please."
What matters, exactly? Lilith didn't know. And she wasn't completely confident things would ever be the same in the Isles when her letters went unanswered. She didn't want Daemonne to know that though, in fact, she wanted to know what he did.
@darius-dues
So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow
Lilith was a paranoid creature.
In order to quell her mind of threats, she kept tabs on everyone in her circle and on the outskirts of it. Hunter, boy wonder, was always on the outside of her circle. That is, until he became wanted shortly after she entrusted him to help her find a relic for the Emperor.
That was when she became the most interested in a Golden Guard that she ever had been. They were one in the same, lap dogs to the mighty and powerful, so what did he do to spark that wrath? She elected to ignore it for her own selfish gain, but now the paranoia in silence was getting to her. Lilith invited the fallen, once golden boy in to her shadowy abode.
She made tea. She set the fire. She lulled him in with hope of a break through in their hunt.
"So, Hunter... I've given you enough lead with your personal life, but it seems the times are changing, for all of us." Lilith set her nightshade colored tea cup closer to his side of the table they gathered around. "I'm afraid I can't ignore it anymore.
Why is the Golden Guard a wanted man?"
@thegcldenguard
Hunter hoped this would just be about the philosopher’s stone.
Even though he'd barely been thinking about that. Could you blame him? He’d been kicked out of the Boiling Isles, orders to arrest him should he ever return. He was suddenly on his own, working a job that he frankly was not qualified for (Cass Hamada must’ve taken much much pity on him) and trying to study for a degree that probably wouldn’t matter in the end.
And of course, there was the situation in the Isles.
But Hunter would rather talk about his lack of research with the Stone than about that.
Yet, of course, Lilith Clawthorne, razor sharp as a raven’s talon, would waste no time in cutting straight to the point.
He swallowed his tea, trying to keep his hand steady.
“I —”
What could he say? Belos was going to use him in a dark necromantic ritual? For all he knew, Lilith was still loyal to Belos. She could just drag him back to the Isles, lock him up in Belos’ dungeon. Except —
“Why didn’t you go back?” he blurted out. He sat up a little straighter. “I think that’s fair. An answer for an answer.”
He hoped it sounded much more confident than he felt.
@ravenwitch-lilith
The boy looked ill. Lilith wanted to response with petulance, but thought better of it. The pair of them were both too scared to fully show their cards and expose how screwed they were.
Lilith was proud, revolutionary. She could set the example, even though she wanted to sneer and tell Hunter that she asked first.
She sighed, “it seems our emperor has neglected to inform many of his servants of his plans in this time of strife. Belos hasn’t spoken to me about his plans, I assume you are just as unknowledgeable?”
@thegcldenguard