The Living & The Dead

We are a small town supernatural rpg set in the fictional town of Carthage, New Hampshire.

[anais-ninja-bitch]

if you’re too young or not american, what you need to know about Betty White is that she has been on american television for as long as american television has existed, and before that she was a radio star. she belongs to every living generation of americans, and she will be so so missed.

time to watch some “Golden Girls” and fucking weep.

[anais-ninja-bitch]

she was nominated for an emmy 23 times (won 6), which is pretty impressive in any event, but she also had a successful career in entertainment years before the award even existed.

[prismatic-bell]

She was on AT LEAST two groundbreaking TV shows that I know of (keep in mind I don’t pop culture, so for me to know two means there were undoubtedly more): The Golden Girls of course, where elderly women were allowed to have full and vibrant lives, but also The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was one of the first sitcoms about 1) a female main character who 2) was not married and 3) was self-sufficient with no need for a father, brother, close male friend, etc. to ‘save her from herself’. It’s been cited as a key work in the second-wave feminist movement and much of it still holds up and is relevant today.

An actor is lucky if they get to be on one “show that changed the world” in their lifetime. Betty White managed AT LEAST TWO.

[idontevenknowwhatimdoingbruh]

Let alone the fact that she was a major advocate for animals and the environment. Betty White was a good woman who did her best to fight for everyone, especially animals. If there is one bit of solace we can get it’s that she’s with her true love again.

[at-the-sign-of-the-fox-n-phoenix]

She had her own talk show and featured black performers* and when criticized for it, she said GET USED TO IT

and that got her show canceled.  Betty.  White.  Really cared for her fellow humans.

*Invisible disability haver here.  I have run out of spoons & still need to eat & shower.  Feel free to find this man’s name - he was one of my favorites as a child and even knowing that, i’m losing his name - and add it on if you know/can. I’m sorry I lost steam so soon.

[anais-ninja-bitch]

Arthur Duncan. from the rolling stone obit:

“She was just the perfect person. This is a tremendous loss,” tap-dancing legend Arthur Duncan tells Rolling Stone. Duncan, 88, was a regular featured performer on White’s NBC variety talk show, The Betty White Show, in the Fifties. When some Southern stations objected to his appearances due to his skin color, White refused to budge on his inclusion. “There was some resistance that was put up. Some people were calling in and objecting to me being on the show. She just thrust it off like it was nothing,” he says.

“It’s very heart-warming that she so preciously pursued fairness,” he adds. “She had so much respect for the people who surrounded her. She just loved everybody. And everybody loved her. I’ve never heard one unkind word about her.” Duncan adds that White gave him his “first shot” in television. “I know at the time, it was such a surprise that I went on that show. I’ll never, never forget what she did for me and many others. I have so much respect and love for her.”

An 'Original' 'Role Model' Who Fought for Her Co-Stars and Swilled Vodka and Hot Dogs: Stars Remember Betty White

Seth Meyers, Ryan Reynolds, Jenny Lewis, and more pay tribute to the late, great icon

[bigscaryd]

She was arguably on TV before there was TV: her first TV appearance was on an experimental station.

[depsidase]

[hickeywiththegoodhair]

[woolandflax]

[hazelsmazecave]

[rpings]

The Living & The Dead is an 18+ supernatural horror set in the fictional town of Carthage, New Hampshire. The dead lie uneasily in their graves and wait for their moment to strike against the living. Demons walk the streets, some looking to simply lead a life worth living, others to make the life they want on the backs of others through twisted deals and debts left unpaid.

Act I:  The Hauntings now beginning!

 Index ☾ Guidebook ☾ Requests ☾ Announcements ☾ Discord

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Grand Opening

If you haven’t heard yet hear it now, we’re loading everyone on in here!

https://toescapedeath.jcink.net/index.php?act=idx

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introduction.

alias: solomonpronouns: he/himtimezone: gmt-7 (mst)what kind of plots are you looking for?:

anything with the following themes/tropes- uncanny valley but make it small village graveyard & weirdly comforting (neil gaiman vc), the horror of being known!, ‘if I can not bring down heaven I will raise hell’, GriefTM, bitter//alone//aching eldritch in drag, dad who adopts anything that looks like it might need help surviving out there (like Joel from Last of Us Dadtm), murder husbands, a unrepentant bitch!with a vendetta & homosexual tendencies

favorite books/show/movie: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Sandman (comic and series), Hannibal, a deep knowledge of every rom-com from the early 90s to early 2000s, Tolkien (books and films), old theatre grad with a love of a variety of play scripts and also Shakespeare….a song you want on this site’s playlist: No One is Ever Going to Want Me- by Giles Corey (the end in particular is spectacular) first face reservation: Timothee Chalamet

the weirdest tumblr appropriate image/meme/gif you currently have saved:   

Tim-Tam is all yours!  We’ve already had a good shout over Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but now we may have to have a good shout of old 17th century play scripts seeing that and Shakespeare!

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intro!

alias: lev

pronouns: he, they

timezone: gmt+2 (i think?? daylight savings is confusing)

what kind of plots are you looking for?: dark himbo henchmen types, doomed romances, wistful ‘what if’s and bittersweet 'we’ll never know’s, anti-heroes & anti-villains, heists, enemies to lovers, enemies and lovers, ragtag group of unlikely friends, found family but they’re all absolute bastards, cain & abel-coded siblings, vengeance/investigation motivated by grief-centric plots, shifting moralities, sun and moon dynamics, unrequited feelings, anything that’ll make me want to throw my laptop out the window at 2AM

favorite books/show/movie: the magicians trilogy & show, nbc hannibal, russian doll, wwdits, ofmd, anna karenina, pan’s labyrinth, anything mike flanagan has ever breathed near

a song you want on this site’s playlist: mausoleum by rafferty !

first face reservation: oscar isaac

the weirdest tumblr appropriate image/meme/gif you currently have saved: 

Oscar Isaac is all set in the reserves and glad to see you here!  Also, grand love for The Magicians, all things del Toro, and also Mike Flanagan!

[lcngstoryshcrt]

alias: Steph pronouns: she/her timezone: gmt-6 (cst) what kind of plots are you looking for?: MESSY!!! ANGSTY!!!!! FLUFFY!!!! JUST FEELS GIF INSERT HERE!!! The character I'm currently planning to bring in is going to be someone that will get along with others easily since she is a business owner who will fill hearts and stomachs with her Armenian coffee/treats! I am someone who loves a vast of opportunities so unlikely friendships, found family, pseudo family dynamic, Pain In Sofya's Ass that she adores immensely, fellow right path witches (👀 ). Tdlr: I am always trying to make sure that each plot that I write is unique and ✨ special ✨ in it's own way!! My head is always working so be prepared to be sick of me. favorite books/show/movie: Gosh I am watching only a few shows atm: Ted Lasso, Criminal Minds, Real Housewives Franchises and Vanderpump Rules (get my reality trash in!). But I'm a huge Gilmore Girls fan, The White Lotus (S2 my girl Simona Tabasco ily), House of Dragon, and Stranger Things just to name a few! a song you want on this site’s playlist: Corridor of dreams by Calvin Love first face reservation: Angela Sarafyan 😘 the weirdest tumblr appropriate image/meme/gif you currently have saved:

[john-childerass]

Get your mess here!  Welcome!  Popping the reserve up now!

[omniliar]

alias: bird

pronouns: she/her

timezone: pst

what kind of plots are you looking for?: messy plots and weird connects. i love writing disastrous idiots whose lives are crashing and/or burning. unlikely or antagonistic friendships, partners in crime, overly complicated romance with a side of ‘i could honestly strangle you right now’. idk i live for the mess 

favorite books/show/movie: i dont know how to answer this i cannot choose a favorite anything. but im watching yellowjackets rn

a song you want on this site’s playlist: d.m.t. by stacey

first face reservation: Lee Pace

the weirdest tumblr appropriate image/meme/gif you currently have saved: 

[john-childerass]

Letting the days go by!  Let the water hold me down!

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It also helps if I reblog with the right blog

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Healing

Much of healing is done through potions and herbalism and can pass easily in the non-magical world as home remedies. Words and incantations are a pivotal part of the preparation of a true magical potion, but that isn’t something that is necessarily known to the person receiving the healing. As almost every plant has some magical connotation, the combination of herbs for a potion is something carefully selected with what is to be healed in mind, be it a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical ailment. Healing may not be as powerful as it should be if there is a curse or other unknown factor causing the illness. Magic also is not a cure-all and, short of making Deals, will certainly not cure any permanent injury, chronic disease, disorder, or perpetual state that isn’t truly an illness in need of a cure. Attempts to cure what should not be seen as a problem to cure by the intended patient have been known to come back on the overly aggressive healer, plaguing their own state of mind or health.

In addition to the herbal preparations, healing can be done through the use of effigies, not unlike the effigies used in cursing. The difference is all in the intent of the creator of the effigy. Noting the similarity with cursing and healing, one can also use similar methods of healing a location of malicious energies, potentially even hauntings. There is no guarantee this healing is successful, as what is unseen can simply be retreating and waiting for the time to strike. This is why further protection and wards would also be needed.

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Sympathetic Magic 

Sympathetic magic is the magic conducted at a target using a representation of that person. This can be a likeness that the caster crafts, an item of some significance to the target, or a piece of the person being targeted. The first step in this magic is tying the item being used into acting as a magical stand-in for the target. This is generally done by an incantation the caster crafts for this purpose. Most items used are for a singular spell or a small collection of spells. Any use of an item for an extended time runs the risk of breaking into the Law of Contagion, which would make the connection between the item and person permanent. Whatever was to happen to the item beyond the scope of the intended magic would happen to the targeted person.

Cursing Target: A Person Small jinxes and the like that are minor inconveniences for the target and can be accomplished through simple work. A truly malicious curse is spellwork that requires both true intention and a good deal of work. The fuel of a curse comes from that intention, and if there is any wavering from the task, the curse will either have a weak result or no result at all. In extreme cases, a curse without true intention can also come back on the caster. If this is a road you start down, be sure it is one you truly wish to get to the end of.

Effigies A common method of cursing throughout many cultures is the use of effigies (be they poppets, voodoo dolls, etc). While these may be used for other magics outside of cursing, an effigy is a good way of controlling what exactly you want to happen to your target. For simple aches and pains, one can utilize pins and nails or simply twist the effigy in a way that would crack or break bones in the person it is made to represent. In order for an effigy to be effective, it either needs to be crafted to have a close resemblance to the target or have something of the target’s at its core, either physically from that person or something that belonged to the person. If taken to its extreme, an effigy can be used to kill a target, although this takes continued use of said effigy without being discovered and thwarted. As any damage inflicted has to be done to the effigy, it is not a mode of cursing that can be carried out in the open without immediately being found out or, at least, bringing suspicion upon yourself.

Cursed Objects While not as direct or as targeted as an effigy, cursed objects are another method. A caster creates an object meant to blend into a place a target frequents. How the poisoning of the target takes place is determined by incantations spoken during the crafting of the object. The object can either be snuck onto the person, given as a seemingly innocent gift, or left for the target to find with an added incantation made to draw that particular person to the object instead of anyone else. Cursed objects are meant to act as more of a slow poison, something to take the target down without drawing any suspicion. One drawback to cursed objects can be the patience one has to have in order for the curse to take effect. Those that desire a faster-acting poison must take risks with their chosen object, making more noticeable objects and having to secret it away in a place they wouldn’t be found. An example of this would be a cursed nailed heart under the floorboards operating in days but a cursed pendant taking years or even being handed down as an heirloom while cursing an entire family line.

Target: A Place Cursing a place is a multi-step process and can be undone either by wards overriding the curse or by the discovery of objects left behind. This type of curse can work with both effigies and cursed objects, although the effigy can be painstaking to create and would require deeply detailed, up-to-date knowledge of the location. Cursing a location with curse boxes buried at certain points surrounding the place may also be time-consuming, but it does not rest on knowing all of the parts of the location. The drawback of that method is having the curse box discovered before all cardinal directions are marked with their own boxes.

Curse Boxes The contents of a curse box can vary but, in the area of Carthage, would commonly be wooden boxes containing items meaningful for the desired result. Examples of that could be graveyard dirt or items collected from burial sites that are connected with potential spirits, which can be used as an opening to death or destruction. Many herbs are included, their connotations twisted toward the negative, much like the twine or ribbon is twisted into knots to bind the curse to the location. Finally, there is a talisman in the box representing the center of the location you wish to curse. It must be a whole piece of whatever is chosen because if the item is broken, the curse itself will be broken.

Target: Anyone/Anything Possibly the oldest and simplest way of cursing, however, is the written word. This goes back millennia, as curse tablets have been found in many archaeological sites. Some are simply superstition but, written under a knowledgeable witch; these still would ring true and, once read aloud, could resurrect a curses long forgotten.

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Apotropaic Magic 

This is a term for all magics with the intended purpose of providing protection either for the caster, a target the caster desires, or a location. These magics are intended to turn away unwanted influences depending on the leanings of the caster. These spells can deflect basic misfortunes, cancel out unfriendly magics, or seal off a person or a place from the influences of the demonic and the unfriendly dead.

Protection There is a myriad of ways to craft protection charms, so please consider the following as examples rather than the only way such magic can be accomplished. Most protection charms are placed upon talismans and worn by the person they are meant to protect. This can be in the form of jewelry, notably common these days, hidden objects sewn into clothing, or satchels containing herbal magic deemed significant by the person making the protection or suitable against the assumed threat. In the creation of these objects, incantations are spoken as a directive to whichever source a witch uses for their power to plead the case for this protection to be given strength.

Protection magic, like any magic, can be broken, although it often takes a sideways approach to do so. The simplest way to break this magic would be to take the token given to the protected person. If this is not possible, the witch looking to break the spell has to word their attack in a way the protector would not have thought to shield against.

Wards Wards are created as a means to protect a place and are generally carved in hidden places to avoid detection from those who would want to break said wards. Hidden between walls or on the underside of floorboards, most magical homes would have wards carved somewhere to protect the place against unfriendly magic. Wards do nothing to protect people when outside of their bounds, so they are not a means to replace protection magic but a failsafe for locations and what objects said locations might hold. They can also act as a damper so that unfriendly magic may not be accessed within the bounds of the wards.

For a warding to be most effective, there must be multiple wards at each corner of an area, either the corners of the home or the land being protected. If warding land, there is a greater chance of one of the corners of a ward being discovered and broken without being noticed, weakening the warding spell and perhaps opening the space up to attack. The more wards broken the weaker the protection for the area becomes unless the broken wards are found and rebuilt in time before the entirety of the protected area comes down.

Common warding practices in the area of Carthage include the use of witch bottles, apotropaic marks (witch marks/anti-witch marks), taper burn marks, concealed shoes, and even mummified animals and animal skulls put within walls or buried at specific points of a property. Such things vary from culture to culture, however, so these are not the only type of wards that may be found in Carthage.

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Simple Works Simple Works are magic that crops up in more day-to-day use. It generally isn’t recommended by most of the magical community to use one’s magic for every little convenience, but now and then, we all indulge ourselves. These small feats of magic are things that the wielder is capable of doing without magic (albeit perhaps not as stealthily as with magic). A simple moving of an object with a quick motion, a chance to trip someone up with a foot of air, these are magics that are of little to no consequence but can be very satisfying in the moment. They require no call or incantation, simply a desire and a target.

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Deals

Preparation The first thing a witch or witches intent on making a Deal must do is gather their supplies. In order to create the summoning circle, the first thing that needs to be made is the material the circle is drawn with. Typical summoning circles are made up of flour, salt, or chalk, with salt as a more protective choice for the witch that may not be completely comfortable with what or who they might be summoning. For a summoning specifically for a Deal, there are additives that show the significance and are more likely to draw the attention of the demonic force called for (or any that may wish to answer). So, in addition to the flour, salt, or chalk, you will need to mix in equal amounts of skunk cabbage, and woodruff burned into ash and mix it with one of the other three to make the lines of the circle. Be mindful that skunk cabbage has few other uses beyond Deal summoning, so having it on your person or the aroma could be a giveaway of intentions.

Forming the circle is conducted like any summoning, although it is recommended to take great care of being isolated for a Deal. If the rite is conducted openly, the force being called upon, or any who may answer the call, will not appear, and the failure will also be remembered. Few demons want to enter into a Deal with someone who comes across as sloppy in their approach.

It is best to conduct these things in significant places, if available, places known to the magic communities that practice such craft that the seams between planes overlap. Haunted locations or locations already rumoured to have had demons or the Devil himself or other such figures cited are ideal just as long as there are no prying eyes that either party is aware of.

Summoning With the circle constructed, those wishing to make a Deal must step inside, something that isn’t done during a normal summoning. They cannot step outside until either the Deal is accepted, denied, or there is no answer, and the circle is broken and cleared. There is no guaranteed time for any summoning, so it is best to expect a wait.

When answered, the demon will appear on the opposite side of the circle of those making the Deal and ask what it is they are being asked for. Deals aren’t simply a boon granted. Simple wants and desires are not why someone would make Deals. Deals are for large asks that would not have come around save for the intervention of the Demon, such as unlikely riches and fame, wild success and power, a life snatched from impending death, or even a death that came unnaturally soon.

The First Price If the demon is favourable to what is being asked, they will ask what is being offered in return. This is the First Price. The First Price is a sacrifice that denotes the seriousness and loyalty of those offering it and, therefore, must match the level of what is being asked. As those asking for anything worthy of a Deal would rarely have anything that would meet that threshold, this is typically a life.

After the demon has asked for the First Price to be given, those asking to summon forth the life that they are giving. This could be done at random, a simple twist of fate in the moment, or they may name a specific person. The person named appears in the middle of the circle, and it is up to the caller to kill them before they have the opportunity to flee or break the circle. If the First Price escapes, the deal is rejected and will not be answered by that demon again. The escaped sacrifice would also have the chance to inform others of what has occurred, so there isn’t likely to be a second chance without swift action.

The Second Price If the First Price is successfully killed, the demon accepts it and then names their own price. The Second Price is something that those summoning the demon must pay for the duration they enjoy the fruits of their Deal, typically all of their lives but sometimes even beyond that. This can be whatever the demon chooses to name, so be prepared to pay for what it is being asked. They could ask for simple creature comforts to continue their lives in comfort and luxury on the mortal plane, they could ask for another life to be given that suits their own ends, or they can even ask for souls to be paid to them in the mortal plane and beyond if not wholly paid in the asker’s life.

With the payment of the First Price, there is no denying the Second Price. To forfeit is not an option if one wishes to leave the circle.

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Invocation

A witch’s first invocation traditionally occurs as they reach the age of majority in their culture. For the purposes of a place such as Carthage, a witch’s first invocation will be during their 18th year. There may be smaller family invocations on said witch’s 18th birthday, but it is most commonly done on their first Imbolc (February 2nd) that they are 18. Before their invocation, young witches may have dabbled in some precursor of their full abilities using the energies provided by older witches in their circle. This would have given them a chance to learn the ins and outs before being given the reins of a greater power source they could tap into after their invocation.

While there are different variations on invocations depending on various cultural interpretations, the initial invocation still features three main parts: the Call, the Offering, and the Acceptance.

The Call For the Call, the witch is either appealing to the power of the natural world, their own ancestral lines, or a member of the unseen world. The Call is an appeal to an audience and a declaration of the witch’s allegiances both by the literal audience watching the witch during the invocation and to the powers they are calling out towards. The words of the call, again, vary with each invocation and should be the crafting of the witch in question, but the points that all examples of the Call must cover are the naming of the intended, the declaration of loyalty, and what the witch intends with their life of magic. Here is an example of a witch making the Call toward nature.

As the earth feeds the root And the root pierces through the earth To the sky grows the tree And the tree bears fruit I take and am sustained by you. Grant me strength Beyond simple existence Let what runs through all around us Course twice through me So that I might provide A guiding hand of Protection For the creation you feed With what you grant me.

Similar things are asked for in the other two invocations, although invocations involving ancestral lines often involve a Naming of Names that can, at times, grow quite tedious both to the speaker and the listeners. As a part of a prepared altar, the witch will have a family book to read aloud from, naming each generation of parents that led to their own existence, making pleas similar to that of the call to nature to be favoured by these ancestors or any others that may hear and know them.

Given their connections to their deceased family members, it is common for the magic of the witches who use this method of first invocation to feel their magic is connected to these people and to feel some guidance from beyond the living world. While this can be a valuable connection and a great source of strength, caution is also advised. The dead are not necessarily who they claim to be, and even if they are, they can still harbour secrets those living may not even fathom.

While both would deny the similarity, this bears a passing resemblance to those that call upon demonic forces. There is no guarantee these forces are who they claim to be, and they also have their own agendas that may want more influence over the magic they grant.

Families in the left path attempt their first invocation by creating a summons for a force already familiar to the family. A circle is formed with symbols and names representing the entity they are calling. While the entity will hear this call if performed correctly, they, if strong enough, may choose to ignore the call. This opens up the possibility of other demons assuming a suitable appearance and answering the call for power.

The Offering The second item all invocations share is the Offering. It is the primary object on the altar created for the invocation. For the natural call, the offering is a symbolic collection of objects representing a cycle of life (for example, an eggshell, pin feathers, a fully formed feather, and bones from a deceased bird). The ancestral witch’s altar features the cup of the blood. Despite unsavoury rumours, the cup is never drunk. All of the familial witches present pricks a finger upon arrival, milking a drop of blood into the cup with the invoking witch adding their own drop last. Witches invoking by calling demonic forces can have a variety of offerings as the offering is tied to whichever force the call is aimed towards. Different things, after all, will appease different demons. These can range from symbols of devotion, material objects to please, or spilled blood of an actual sacrifice, although the latter would denote a Deal also being struck, not something that is typically done during an invocation.

The Acceptance The last aspect of invocation is the proof of acceptance. This can be a simple spell cast at the end of the ceremony to prove that the power of casting separate from the borrowed power of family is now possible. There are some traditional spells commonly used depending on style. Nature witches will often summon a natural occurrence, i.e. isolated rain, wind, or plant growth. Ancestral ceremonies may have a chosen spell each generation has passed down through their family. Left path witches' proof of answer comes in the form of the summoned entity accepting the offer, taking it with them as they vanish from the circle. It is the witch’s duty then to magically break and clear any evidence of the circle.

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To give everyone a better grasp of what kind of magic we are working with here, we have decided to build a site grimoire. While there are some specifics in other entries of the Grimoire, they will, more often than not, serve as examples. So please don’t consider the entries here to be completely black and white. We encourage you to make submissions to the Grimoire as well (we will provide credits to your entry and work with you if any items in the submission may go against previously stated site lore or soon-to-be-revealed plot points). Keep in mind that a character’s culture will also have an influence on their magic, so feel free to include that in any submitted items as well. However, we do ask that any cultural points or traditions that are closed to those communities not be used for this purpose.

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Skin Preview Part 2

Okay, now you’ve see the guest skin.  Now it’s time to get into the member group colors for things as well!  Go ahead and click through to see all of the colors that come with our four roles (and also feel free to still jump in with some dev or an intro and get in on the reserves as well!)

Demonic:

Our Ghosts:

Here we have our Human look:

And lastly we have our Witches; we hope you all like what you see!

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Skin Preview

Hello again, everyone!  As we are getting closer to opening it’s time for another preview for everyone to have a look at.  Now up, our skin!  Under the cut you will find examples of our skin as you will see it when you are just joining.  There are other colors for our member groups which are coming up as well so keep posted to see the pretty sharp work that Hubcaps has turned out!