Shadow Puppets 👐
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Shadow Puppets 👐
Cover art for Wildlife in North Carolina, March 1957. Watercolor by Bob Dance.
Internet Archive
Small Mauritian flying fox
Engraving from 1763
november barn owl
here: have some dancing big suit byrne
nola-darling:
ALL OF THIS FOREVER AND EVER AMEN.
(via yeezus-christ2-deactivated20160)
butterfly
Illustration by Lily Seika Jones
thinking about anastasia trusova paintings again
CAN ANYONE HEAR ME
At this moment, Mandrake unleashed every defensive spell she had ever learned. Her unique domain, 【Pureland Beyond Impurity】, could perfectly integrate all defensive magic, whether it was Ice Armor, Rock Wall, or Sand Shield, or Water Curtain, Light Scroll, and even Vine Wall... Everything merged into the densely packed domain of several dozen meters around her. The holy angel spread its wings behind her, embracing her tightly. And Mandrake, with all the power of these shields, charged without hesitation toward the light of Dawn’s Death Star falling from the sky! Black Tulip, hiding in the clouds, stared blankly at the scene. A girl cloaked in countless dazzling spells, rushing toward a laser named death, her tiny figure under the extreme violet beam like a completely inconspicuous pebble. The pebble crashed into the light of death, just to snatch that sliver of life. In that instant, Black Tulip felt her heart jolt in a way it never had before. This feeling had seemingly vanished since she became a Witch—a tremor called humanity. Only humanity would still choose to fly into the flame even when death was certain. The light barrier collided with the laser—spear met shield.
With that, all ten layers of shield were gone. Only the outermost Angel’s Embrace and her flickering domain remained. Mandrake was now using her body to take the hit. The golden wings baked under heat so intense it bent light. The pure white feathers yellowed and curled. The sacred angelic form now looked like it was about to be melted down by the light of destruction. The breath of death brushed her cheek. Already running on empty, her consciousness was slapped back into a faraway past...
“Well~ but you just haven’t grasped the trick yet. Mandrake, listen closely...” Her teacher’s voice turned serious. “If one day I’m not with you, and you face a terrifying enemy, and you must block their attack no matter what—then remember, when you’re almost out of strength, hold your last breath. Never give up!” “Think of yourself as a wall facing a flood. Giving up is like cracking that wall. One crack, and the enemy’s attack will seep in and destroy you from inside.” “Unless the attack ends or is blocked, even if you die holding it in—you must not falter. If you fear or retreat, your heart leaks. So charge forward no matter what.” “Every time you’re about to break, remember what you told me. To protect your dreams. Behind you are countless dreams waiting to come true. You are the last shield for those fragile dreams!” “Ahhhhhhhh!” The girl’s hoarse roar burned. Her blood boiled, her heart became a blazing furnace, every drop of power wrung out, and massive strength surged from her divine heart. Under the stunned eyes of the four Witches, wrapped in golden angel wings, the girl crushed the Death Star light, shattering the Magic Mirror. The violet light dissipated… But drained by the power of destruction, she could no longer hold on. The angelic shadow behind her vanished too. Her broken body fell, and her Wine-Red Eyes slowly closed, looking to the sky. Her bloodless lips moved with great effort—just enough for one final sentence. “I’m counting on you… Xiao Man...”
😭😭😭😭
it's always these "block this unblockable attack even if it costs everything" scenes, man....
Maybe she shouldn't have called him a dumbass, but a fool. Who gives and endures so much without asking for anything in return? She didn’t want to believe such people existed, but the person before her... did. Pure white flames ignited the fragile soul. In her eyes, the dumbass’ figure grew more and more transparent. Witch Mandrake, somehow breaking free from the other half’s seal, lunged toward her soul-burning self in a panic, eyes full of desperation. “Dumbass, what’s wrong? Dumbass! Don’t scare me!” The person before her stayed calm. In her amber eyes, there was no fear of death. Looking at the Xiao Man in her arms, she pulled out a weak smile. “I did it, Xiao Man...” Her voice was as faint as a dandelion, as if it would disappear at any moment. “Stop... don’t talk! I told you not to talk! Put the fire out, now!” Witch Mandrake desperately slapped at the pure white flames on Mandrake’s body, but those flames were like illusions, burning only on her. No matter how she tried to extinguish them, it was useless. The fire burned fiercer, and her form grew more and more transparent. Mandrake reached out to stop her, and under her confused gaze, slowly shook her head. “No need... You have my memories. You should know, this kind of soul-igniting spell can’t be stopped. Once lit, the flame devours the caster’s soul.” “You don’t need to panic. This was my own decision. When I came here, I already knew what it would cost. The Witch’s Night in Jinling City was planned behind the scenes. Their scheme wasn’t set in a day. Long-term plans need sacrifices to be unraveled...” As she spoke, the pure white girl looked at her increasingly transparent hands and gave a helpless smile. “These are necessary sacrifices. Just like our teacher. The conflict between the real world and the Void Realm has always been this way.” “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” “Who told you to act all strong?! Trying to shoulder everything alone—you think you’re an eternal flame or something?!” Witch Mandrake gripped Mandrake’s shoulders tightly. She wanted to shake her awake but was afraid her strength would only hasten her disappearance. “This is my duty, Xiao Man...” She smiled faintly. Her amber eyes showed no regret. “I protected Jinling City, upheld my pride as Chief. I... didn’t betray our teacher’s teachings.” As she spoke her final words, the flickering spirit began to fade. A tear slid down the girl’s cheek—not guilt, not regret, but peace. “Xiao Man, I believe in you. Always have. So when you return, please—take good care of our little sister.” “From now on, this body is yours...” Mandrake’s once-clear voice became ethereal and dreamlike. She slowly closed her eyes as her soul continued to crumble. Witch Mandrake stared blankly ahead—at the first person in this world who had ever accepted her. Her expression froze. The usual mischief in her crimson eyes vanished. So did the childish smile on her face. She stared at the other girl in a daze. Her mind blank. Her face numb. An indescribable pain twisted from deep within. Why? Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Just as she was finally accepted... she was leaving? “This body is yours”? What did that mean? Was it being handed over like charity? Was this body all she ever wanted?!
😭😭😭😭
girl, no...
She picked up the fading girl in a princess-carry, clutching her tightly. Behind her, the Styx boiled. Nine reddish-brown tendrils erupted with apocalyptic might. If the soul-burning flame couldn’t be extinguished, then forget trying to put it out. The previous sealing experience taught her something else: sealing could lock a person’s state at that exact moment. She couldn’t save the dumbass now, but that didn’t mean she never would. If she could just keep her alive—then maybe, someday... [Sealing Magic • Nine Pillars of Suppression] Nine reddish-brown tendrils shot up like sky-piercing columns, encircling Mandrake. They spiraled inward, cocooning her flickering form in a seal. Witch Mandrake closed her eyes. Inside the seal, the flames stopped spreading, though they didn’t go out. Mandrake’s soul was too weak—there was still a chance she could dissipate even while sealed. She raised her hands, and the black waters of the Styx boiled over. This mysterious domain of the mental space was now fully under her control. She poured all her magical energy into the seal. The seal served as an excellent filter, allowing the energy to be absorbed more easily. But even then—it wasn’t enough! That much energy still wasn’t enough. She needed more. To nourish her, to sustain Mandrake’s state. If she didn’t have enough of her own... then she’d just take it from outside! And wouldn’t you know, a few sources were right there.
it's time for Witch Mandrake to go Sicko Mode
uh oh, for all the other witches in the field
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@bunnyloverqueen
i worry we are losing touch with the True Meaning Of Halloween (avoiding the fairies)
celebrate a good old-fashioned Halloween with the very important traditions of:
lighting candles in jack o'lanterns (to keep away the fairies)
roasting s'mores on bonfires (to keep away the fairies)
bobbing for apples, fortunetelling, ouija boards, and other assorted divination rituals (to forewarn those doomed to be kidnapped by fairies)
haunted houses (to preach against the dangers that lurk across the veil in the otherworld, home of the fairies)
community effort to stuff kids full of candy (that if whisked away (by the fairies) they might resist the temptation (of strange fae foods) long enough to escape)
disguising your face and identity in elaborate costumes (to keep away the FUCKING FAIRIES)
ways NOT to celebrate Halloween: sneaking into graveyards aka the modern day successor of burial mounds aka portals to the otherworld aka home of the FUCKING FAIRIES
you think i jest (and i do jest) but Keeping Away The Motherfucking Fae was the original motivation for a lot of Samhain practices that later got incorporated into Halloween. (with the "fae" in this case being the aos sí, a supernatural race that dwell in ancient burial/fairy mounds, and the spirits of the Otherworld in general)
during Samhain (pronounced sow-win), a liminal festival, the boundary between here and the Otherworld gets fucked with, so you best watch yourself by celebrating with:
fire. lots of fire. cleansing and protective fire. communal bonfires, fires inside jack-o-lanterns, torch fire, need-fires summoned ritualistically, lots of fire. it's getting cold and dark out, fire makes a lot of sense right now. oh and hey you know what goes well with fire aka loves to be warm and roasted?
food. lots of food. gotta appease the spirits with food and drink. gotta ward away bad luck (hunger, starvation) in the coming winter by keeping everyone fed. feed everyone! feed the spirits. feed the kids. feed the people going door-to-door. feed the people going door-to-door in case they're spirits. which brings us to:
disguises. every decent festival needs disguises. costumes. whatever. put on a mask or disguise and go door-to-door to receive food and coins (guising). dress up in costumes and perform folk plays (mumming), perhaps taking the opportunity to warn about otherworldly dangers. and hey! if impersonating the spirits of the dead means spooks can't recognize you and whisk you away? so much the better
divination. lots of divination. involving fire, and apples, and nuts (and sometimes stones and bones). yes, this is where apple bobbing comes in! (with origins dating back to roman times.) interestingly divination at Samhain wasn't just to foretell death and misfortune (let's guess which of us won't survive the winter!) but also focused on luck and marriage (who will i marry! how many children will i have! will i be rich! will i be happy!)
also i'm so serious, keep away from the mounds, the (burial) mounds are portals to the Otherworld, those portals are especially open at Samhain, keep away from the motherfucking (fairy) mounds.
in conclusion, winter has arrived and the world is about to get cold, dark, hungry, and scary. so stay warm, put on some lights, eat a bunch of food, dream about the future, and tell spooky stories to entertain each other and keep the ghosts in the flickering shadows where they belong!
To which I might, innovations borne of fear of the Infernal, the Abyss, perversions of character, and forces aligned deliberately or without specific intention Evil in its most base forms-
As reactions to, and efforts stemming from, credibly demonstrate an awareness of a sensitive situation
Meowth (2024) - TCG Pocket Backdrop Illustrator: Shibuzoh.