#cursed woods

[lumitoad]

Hug a tree they said, it will be fun they said.

[pluttskutt]

Cursed Woods

Once known as the Enchanted Forest, these woods have changed so much since the curse that the inhabitants now call these woods cursed. Animals rot from the inside, soldiers fallen in battle rise again to attack the ones they swore to protect, and hope to end this curse and heal the land has long since been abandoned.

[naminethewriter]

What story do you have backstory that no-one seems to ask about? I want to hear it all!

Oh Edu, that's a can of worms you're attempting to open 😂 I basically never get asked about backstories to my stuff, so I'll see what I've published so far and what I remember of those. I might have talked about some of these things before but for most of them it's been so long, I don't really remember 😅

Let's start with my first Sanders Sides Gift X-Change story His Brother's Wedding. It's a Romile story, my first and only for that ship, and I had a lot more ideas for the AU then I got around to, both because of procrastination and other story ideas. Coincidentally, as I saw in my notes, I did plan to add Lilith to this one as well! Emile is in town to help his grandmother with her flower shop and he's taking a break from his psychology degree to do so. Roman on the other hand is working in Remus' tattoo parlor, though he actually wanted to be an actor and was in Los Angeles for a year or two trying to get into the industry but he failed. He hasn't given up on his dream yet though! As for the other sides that weren't mentioned in the fic, Patton is Emile's cousin who lives in town and is otherwise the one who checks in on Granny Maggie the most. Virgil is his best friend. Janus is Remus' best friend from their school days and he'll be Logan's best man since Roman will be Remus'. Lilith is a distant relative of Remus' landlords, an elderly couple that adore him and see him as their son to a degree. Lilith is spending her summer vacation in town and bonds with Remus, even becoming the flower girl at his wedding.

I might still return to this AU someday, but it's not very high on my priority list...

Second, let's return to Between Two Lives, which I wrote for Intrulogical Week 2 years ago. I don't actually have a lot of extra info about my future plans for that AU written down, but from what I remember some background stuff that might come up is that Janus always has been a demon and he is the reason why Remus became one too. Roman arrived in the afterlife after Remus and while Remus couldn't be there to greet him as soon as he died, he visited him as soon as he could. Roman did think about reincarnating for a bit but decided against it in the end, becoming an angel instead. Patton is one of the first soul to ever become an angel, as in human souls transformed to be an angel. Virgil is a spirit of death that guides souls to the afterlife.

The one one shot I wrote for a ship week that I'm really proud of and that didn't get much attention is Cursed Woods. I really like the vibe I created with it and while I don't have the backstory for it entirely figured out, I can say that Janus is not trapped in there maliciously. In fact he made that choice himself, even if he doesn't remember it. Roman on the other hand was betrayed by someone he trusted and banished. It will be a struggle for him to rebuild his position once he gets back.

Lastly (for now), let's talk about the story I gifted to you: You're Not Alone. As is very clear in the story, Logan was raised by a single mother, but Janus and Remus both have loving parents who all made it their mission to give Logan all the parental love he missed out on. Remus and Roman's parents are immigrants from Germany and they were with the twins on their Christmas trip though they stayed longer and will only come back in the new year. Janus' parents live a state or two away but they will come around before the year ends. They're a bit hippy like and like traveling a lot. Patton, Roman and Virgil are in a QPR, though only Roman is aromantic so Patton and Virgil are dating.

That's all I have right now and a lot of this is more me making up stuff on the spot than actual notes I made but all of these stories have a place in my heart and I could spin more out of them if I wanted to. But there are other projects I feel more connected to. For now at least 😉

Thank you for the ask, even if it took me a bit to get to it 🤭

[tagarilaghost]

This is Part 1. Part 2 is coming soon! (This takes place in my AU: “Cursed Woods” I hope to publish more about it soon.)

[whumpforthewin]

Whoomp Prompt - 17

“People day to fear the woods, that there is a beast that will rip and tear you limb from limb if it catches you! No one survives going in the woods! I’ve never believed it of course,” the man boasted.

The young woman laughed. “Of course not.” They we’re in the woods, a few hundred yards in. The sun was high in the sky. “That sounds ridiculous. If no one survived how would people know of the bests?” She asked lightly.

“Exactly! See, you’re a sensible woman,” he said proudly. “I told you coming out here was a good idea.”

“Unless,” she mused and started walking, slowly, deeper into the woods.

“Unless what?” He said, following her without thinking.

“Unless the beast masters tell the stories,” she mused, stepping up on to a fallen tree. “Brag about their pets and all that.”

“Beast masters?” The man asked, suddenly uncertain.

“Of course.” She turned away from him. “You know the stories. Not the same one about the woods but similar. Hellish beasts and their hellish masters.” A rumble shook the ground and the man struggled to stay on his feet the woman was unconcerned on her tree. “They take different forms to lure men to feed their beasts.”

Another rumble and this one did knock the man down. The woman looked down at him, her gaze now icy and her smile cruel. “Thank you ever so much for joining me out her, by the way. A man like you never could resist a challenge.” Another rumble kept him from getting to his feet.

“Devil!” He cried, trying to scoot back away. The sky was dark now. Hadn’t it just been daylight? He looked around and couldn’t see the exit, the fires from the town, anything!

“Close, but not quite. He is though.” A giant wolf, eyes bright yellow and fur a dark red stepped up, with each step a rumble. He tried to scramble away but the wolf didn’t stop.

“I wonder what rumor I’ll make up about you. Perhaps that you wanted to prove yourself a man, and slay one of the forbidden animals.” She thought for a moment. “Yes, I like that. Nothing heroic, just stupidity for something beautiful. I’m sure they say it proved you a fool.”

“No please!” He begged, still trying to escape. The wolf was almost upon him, unconcerned with his attempt to escape.

“How about yes.”

****

Wailing could be heard the next morning from the man’s wife. He hadn’t come home.

“I saw him in his hunting gear,” one man said.

“He went into the forbidden forest,” another man said.

“Got what’s coming to him,” still a different man said.

And woman simply smiled as she walked by them. The wife’s wails could be heard through the town. It was a common occurrence, a few were sympathetic but most went about their daily lives. The woman simply stepped around the wailing wife. She would wait before taking another. They hadn’t survived this long by being greedy. And this wife’s pain would last her a while and the man’s pride would last her pet.

She nodded to a handsome man, perhaps he would be next? She would just have to wait and see.

[herbalcompendium]

Sea Stalks

Colloquial Names: Sailor’s Noose, Southsage Root, Gentle Warning, Widow’s Wail Physical Description: This plant, when held in my clutches, feels like the memory of a thing. The herbs of Kul Tiras are as ancient and storied as the isle itself, dredged in something far more than the waters which they frequently lie. Such is true with the sea stalk. It is an interesting looking little bloom, a pale, pea green to turquoise along its feathery, small leaves and fleshy, translucent stems. The leaves cluster underneath like the nest of a bird, giving way to long, soft, slender stems and cradling emerging blooms. The true mark of beauty of this herb, however, is its gentle flowers. They present almost poppy-like, a scaffolding of pastel petals - most commonly pink, albeit I’ve heard of other colors emerging on rare occasion. The sea stalk grows, as its name would suggest, near banks where water flows freely, or the shores of the great ocean itself.  Described Usage: For each plant in the isle, a certain reverence, a certain animus and mythos walks along with it. For the sea stalk, it is an omen that some consider a blessing, and some a curse. As the story goes, the stalk of a sea stalk is the particulate infused with the most power, alchemically - but also in another way. The stalk of the plant can live by itself, removed from the sand gently. It is customary for a sailor to take the bloom of a single stalk, leaving the stalk itself with a loved one. As the sea stalk requires some measure of fresh water to live, either stored within or gathered from the ground, exposure to salt water will kill the bloom. Thusly, if the bloom-carrying sailor finds himself in the clutches of saltwater- overboard, or a ship sinking, the stalk in the hands of the sailor’s loved one will wither inward, dying as the bloom does, the sailor does, withering as the heart of the loved one does. Hence the colloquial name it finds - Widow’s Wail. I have actually seen this happen, and the sound is like no other - the sound of a heart breaking. Many think this tradition ill-advised, but I carry several stalks close to me, now, several blooms in my hair. For I’d rather know than be left to wonder, and return the favor to those whom care for me so dearly. Alchemically, the stalk of the herb has an interesting properties. A certain prudence of Kul Tiras is to never gather a plant to the point of ending its life - a tenet I adhere to. The stalks only need a gentle milling in warm, fresh water to coax out their potent properties. A certain sort of preparation blessed by ocean water or Tidesage transfigures one into a misted pale cloud, and allows safe passage over water - aptly called a sea mist potion. To ask the ocean for its blessing, find a seed of the sea stalk and plant it in pale sand, then submerge the capped vial in the ocean and ask earnestly. Should the ocean listen, the draught will turn to a bright green, resembling seaglass. A small measure is said to be carried by fortunate sailors in their time of need.

[movieassholes]

Lips red as blood. Hair black as night. Bring me your heart, my dear, dear Snow White.

Queen Ravenna - Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

[herbalcompendium]

Siren’s Sting

Colloquial Names: Waspbearer, Fairyhome, Woodsbalm, Dronefern, Buzza-bloom (Zuldazar colloquial)  Physical Description: Siren’s Sting is a rather delightful little creature, nestling within the crooks of trees and springing from their bark. It is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on the surface of another plant  - or in this case, tree - and absorbs its nutrients from the rich rainwater and seaspray that runs down the bark of the tree. The plant resembles something of a cross between a small orchid and an air plant in composition. It is a frequent, bright punctuation on the grey, black, fawn, and tawny trunks of great trees in Zuldazar and Kul Tiras alike. Due to aforementioned environmental factors, namely, the presence of blood in the soils of Zuldazar, the plant grows in different shades along each isle. In Kul Tiras, it is a pea-green to chartreuse cluster of slender, spear-shaped leaves, with long-stemmed magenta and lilac blooms curling out at a downward angle. They are bell-shaped and elongated, boasting a bright cluster of golden pollen within. In Zuldazar, the plant’s leaves tinge grey, almost silvery, its blooms presenting as a deep crimson - the pollen inside burnt orange to gold in coloration. It is likely called Siren’s Sting because of both its composition - for it resembles the barb of a ray, and because while the plant itself does not sting, it is a favorite plant of isle pollinators - namely bees and wasps. And dear reader, these creatures do sting, especially if one is after the same reagent as they. It is a curiosity of Zandalar that their primary pollinators are not bees, but wasps. Fearsome, black and red creatures, with a sting that I have heard resembles the sensation of liquid metal dripping through the flesh. In any event.  The correct way to harvest the pollen of this gentle epiphyte (for the pollen is the usable reagent), it was first thought, was to simply blow into the flower, dusting the pollen towards the outside. Do not do this. This is known as a Siren’s Kiss in herbalism, and it is as unpleasant as its namesake in sensation. For while the pollen is indeed dislodged, so too will any pollinators be, directly into the face of the one exhaling towards the bloom. The better, less injury-inducing way to go about this is to get a set of tough gloves, and wet them gently with ocean or river water. Then, very carefully press a finger to the bloom, cradling out the pollen. This will stick to the glove, and can then be gathered in a jar for alchemical usage.  Described Usage: Siren’s Sting pollen, called simply Siren’s Pollen, is a useful reagent for several reasons. The pollen itself can be rubbed into injuries as a sterile agent that aides in healing - quite like honey, ironically enough. This has granted the plant the colloquial name “Woodsbalm”. Three teaspoons of the pollen in a gently boiling vial of sea or swamp water will produce a fiercely crimson elixir known, quite appropriately, as a coastal healing potion. This is a very strong, very simple folk remedy used across the isles as a powerful agent of rejuvenation and restoration. This preparation can be used with a different measure of pollen - ten to fifteen teaspoons - to create a pale yellow liquid known as a potion of concealment. Truthfully, the color of the potion is nearly identical to the color of the pollen, and as such, the herb lends some of its properties in this elixir. For when one imbibes it, as long as they stay as still as the trees upon which the plant grows, the potion of pollen will shroud them from sight. Combined with dew gathered from Star Moss clusters, the pollen produces an amber-hued potion of restoration, putting once in a trance-like state for some moments while their wounds are washed over by a tide of deep golden, spectral water, rejuvenating the mind, body and spirit.  As a last note, children seem to like to sleep under trees bearing this bloom, as do adults native to the lands of which it grows. The faint hum of insects within its petals thought to help them fall to sleep, and it is said to whisper faint, beautiful songs along the damp airs of the isles at night.