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thejournallo · 6 months

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Explain the basic: Everything to know before you start!

Surprise! surprise! Before I actualy start my new 'Explain The', I will like to make sure you know how to protect yourself and that you are doing the right thing that makes you comfortable in this new world and in your future way of practicing.

Desclaimer: Everything I will talk about is information that I got from books and sites online and even videos on YouTube. In my years of practice, I learned as much as I could out of curiosity and what works best for me. I suggest you do the same by learning as much as you can on your own (I will be here making posts teaching this kind of stuff) from multiple sources.

What is witchcraft based on?

Witchcraft is a broad and complex practice with a rich history that spans many cultures and traditions. It's important to note that witchcraft can mean different things to different people, and its beliefs and practices can vary widely. However, I can provide an overview of some of the key elements that witchcraft is based on:

Nature and the Elements: Many forms of witchcraft are deeply rooted in nature and the natural world. Practitioners often believe in the interconnectedness of all living things and the power of the elements, such as earth, air, fire, and water.

Magic and Ritual: Witchcraft often involves the use of magic and rituals. These rituals can vary widely, but they are typically used to harness and direct energy for a specific purpose, such as healing, divination, or protection.

Ancestral and Folk Traditions: Witchcraft frequently draws on ancestral and folk traditions, incorporating practices and beliefs passed down through generations. These traditions can vary by culture and region.

Belief in the Supernatural: Witchcraft often involves a belief in the supernatural, including spirits, deities, and otherworldly forces. These may be part of a practitioner's personal belief system or tied to specific traditions, like Wicca, where various gods and goddesses are honored.

Herbalism and Folk Medicine: Many witches incorporate herbalism and folk medicine into their practice. They believe that certain plants and natural substances have healing or magical properties.

Divination: Divination is the practice of seeking to gain insight or knowledge about the future or the unknown. Tarot cards, runes, pendulums, and other tools are often used for divinatory purposes within witchcraft.

Personal Empowerment: Witchcraft is often seen as a means of personal empowerment and self-discovery. Practitioners may use it to develop their intuition, self-awareness, and a sense of inner strength.

Ethics: Many witches follow ethical guidelines, such as the Wiccan Rede, which encourages actions that harm none. However, ethical codes can vary among different traditions and individuals.

Covens and Solitary Practice: Some witches practice as part of a coven, a group of individuals who gather for rituals and support. Others prefer solitary practice, working alone and following their own path.

It's important to remember that witchcraft is not a single, standardized religion or practice. It encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and traditions, and individuals may interpret and practice it in their own unique ways. As a result, there is no single set of beliefs that universally define witchcraft.

What will I talk about in my new "Explain the"?

In the new "Explain the," I will be guiding you in your journey by teaching the important basics when you start this particular journey, such as how to banish, heal, and protect, how to use the various tools, and what their meanings are. I'm going to talk about the astros and how we can use that energy, and the many types of magic that are out there. For the first few mouths, this particular "Explain the" will be "Explain the basics," because that's what I'm going to talk about. I'm not going to throw a spell tutorial without making sure you are safe while doing it.

Sometimes ago, I already talked about color magik. If you are interested, it is a good and fun way to start. We use colors every day after all.

As always, I will be more than happy to answer every question you have in mind. I'm proud of you! Have a wonderful day or night!

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the-90s-music-colosseum · 7 months

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September 24th - a very important day for '90s music

Released on September 24th, 1990 (dates vary by region):

AC/DC - The Razor's Edge

Fields of the Nephilim - Elizium

Released on September 24th, 1991 (dates vary by region):

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Nirvana - Nevermind

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Pixies - Trompe le Monde

Kyuss - Wretch

Primal Scream - Screamadelica

...and many more including Van Morrison, The Cult, Kid 'N Play, Prong, Thompson Twins.

Originally scheduled for this day but delayed until October: Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

Released on September 24th, 1996 (dates vary by region):

Weezer - Pinkerton

The Roots - Illadelph Halflife

Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow

John Parish and PJ Harvey - Dance Hall at Louse Point

Making this post has made me aware that I missed a lot of very important album birthdays in the past three weeks and I am very sorry to: *deep breath*

Muse - Showbiz, Bjork - Homogenic, Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile, Tori Amos - To Venus and Back, Type O Negative - World Coming Down, Hole - Celebrity Skin, Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, Blonde Redhead - In an Expression of the Inexpressable, Mariah Carey - Butterfly, Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity, Tool - Ænima, Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving, Suede - Coming Up, R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Blur - The Great Escape, Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute, The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die, Nirvana - In Utero, Melvins - Houdini, De la Soul - Buhloone Mindstate, Sepultura - Chaos A.D., Nine Inch Nails - Broken, Blind Melon - Blind Melon, Madonna - Erotica, Suzanne Vega - 99.9F°, Talk Talk - Laughing Stock, Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion, Hole - Pretty on the Inside, Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears, Rush - Roll the Bones, Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas, Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Judas Priest - Painkiller, INXS - X, and anyone else who I forgot.

September is such a brilliant month for 90s albums! I'll try not to miss any more important birthdays.

#90s music #album birthday #september 24 #ac/dc #fields of the nephilim #red hot chili peppers #nirvana #a tribe called quest #pixies #primal scream #kyuss #soundgarden #weezer #the roots #sheryl crow #john parish #pj harvey

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amageish · 1 month

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So, I have more Illyana thoughts... I apologize for rambling again, but this is apparently how my brain works now...

The next episode of X-Men '97 is Motendo / Lifedeath Part 1, an episode I have been eagerly anticipating since the reveal of this key art related to it.

There she is! There's Magik! It's my girl!

Now, it is possible she's just in the art because Morph transformed into her in Episode 3. The fact Storm is in her original '92 design and not her punk attire makes me think this art is not literally reflective of the episode's contents... but if Magik is in it, I am curious what role she may take in it... Let's baselessly speculate! Spoilers for the two comic book storylines we know this episode is drawing from after the cut.

So this episode will be adapting parts of Lifedeath, the iconic Forge/Storm romance arc, and the Abscissa arc with Jubilee. This makes me think this episode is likely to be a three-pronged exploration of what mutants do to gain social status in a world that hates and fears them.

Storm and Forge's arc is about Forge reconsidering his job working with the American government and realizing how has literally created the tools used to oppress his fellow mutants. Storm, meanwhile, has chosen to embrace counter-culturalism openly through her new punk identity, not really caring what the white male flatscan majority thinks about her anymore; Forge's perspective is challenged by her as they begin their romance.

Jubilee's arc is about her encountering a future version of herself who is a slave to Mojo in the Mojoverse and taking actions to ensure that future never comes to pass.

Sunspot's arc in '97 has been about him hiding his mutant gifts, afraid that his parents will not accept him as a mutant. He also self-identified as "one of the good ones" in the first episode. Lot of model minority stuff going on here, as well as some allegorical queer closeted stuff going on here. I am guessing this is the episode where he decides to join the X-Men and come out properly.

With all that in mind... What is Illyana going to be up to, if she is indeed in this episode?

My guess is she would be a foil to Sunspot, as someone who has made it through the emotional journey he is in the middle of. She not only has a mutant gift she is scared about, but she has a literal demonic side. If she has learned to accept herself for who she is and to embrace her demonic powers as a way of protecting herself and those she loves, then maybe Sunspot can do the same with his powers.

This would be casually implying all of Magik's character growth happened off-screen, but this show has a lot of protagonists already and I don't know if they'd have time to delve into the lore of Limbo - and it also may be difficult to do that in a show that is still, nominally at least, for kids...

If they wanted to be really bold, Illyana could also be in a queer relationship that is a foil to the Jubilee/Sunspot relationship - making the "We're hiding this from my parents as I don't want them to know I am a mutant" queer allegory a little more obvious by showing Illyana in a loving queer relationship of which her brother approves. With the episode inspired by the Pryde of the X-Men arcade game, I think it'd be a good place for Pryde to appear if they wanted to make Katyana canon... but Illyana/Dani or Illyana/Xuan also feel possible to me... or, hell, they've said non-mutant characters will cameo like they did in the original cartoon, so maybe they could do Illyana/Nico Minoru or Illyana/Leah. I'd like Illyana/Pryde the most, but honestly I will take anything that makes Sapphik Magik canon.

ANYWAY. That's my unsolicited Magik thoughts for the day. I am trying to keep my expectations low - I think it's very possible that Morph appearance is all we get - but I do think there's ways to get some really good Magik content in only a few minutes of screentime given what appears to be the theme of the next episode...

#illyana rasputin #katyana #x men 97 spoilers #x men '97 spoilers

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viktoriathewitch · 1 month

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͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙ witchy things I did that worked •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

(se você fala portugues BR, sinta-se livre para enviar DM ou pedir tradução de um post. boa parte vai estar em inglês, para facilitar minha vida e atingir mais pessoas.)

-`🕯 INTRO 🕯´-

Although I'm part of the spiritual community, I'm still quite skeptical whenever I see a spell or ritual, be it online or in books, asking myself if it'd work or not. Wondering if the source of such spells and witchy things were actually being honest. So! Today, I'll be sharing some witchy things (as not all of them were spells IMO) that actually worked! Still, I want to clarify that these things worked for >me< and I'll just be sharing my experience with the things I did that worked best. Feel free to also share yours in the comments!

-`🕯 WITCHY THINGS THAT WORKED 🕯´-

❅ herbal baths and magik baths in general, is some of my favorite things to do. Well, I actually love showers and they are such a scared moment to me, and whenever I need some deep energetical cleansing and boost, they always work for me. However, I want to point out that I wash my hair after finishing the herbal bath. So, I recommend doing this on wash hair days. My favorite combo is thick salt and rosemary. How I did it: ⁍ 1-step, prep: cleansed and energized the materials. ⁍ 2-step, make rosemary water: I didn't use a specific amount, but I'd say 4-5 cups of water and half a hand of rosemary is enough. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then let it sit for 15 minutes with a cloth on top. ⁍ 3-step, thick salt scrubbing: the scrubbing should be done from your neck to your feet. Don't scrub too hard, you don't want to hurt yourself. Visualize negative energy or the power something/someone has over you leaving your body. DO NOT SCRUB YOUR GENITALIA WITH IT OKAY? ⁍ 4-step, rosemary shower: after the rosemary water has cooled down a bit, start to pour the water over you from your head. Now, the actual rosemary won't go with the water, so you can pick it up with your hands and scrub your body gently with it. DO NOT SCRUB OR WASH YOUR GENITALIA WITH THIS WATER. ⁍ 5-step, clean your bathroom: chances are you've made a mess! ❅ banishing candles is something that I did when I was on low energy but needed banishing ASAP. I also didn't have all the ingredients I wished for, but it worked with the ones I had! I made a total of 2 candles, and I placed one in the living room and the other in my bedroom. How I did it: ⁍ ingredients and tools: black candle, red candle, dried pieces of garlic, corn hair, thick salt, essential oil (I used lavender cause it was the only one I had lol), mortar and pestle, paper (to protect my table from the wax), candle holder (further explanation about candle holder later), and fire. ⁍ 1-step, prep: cleansed and energized the material. ⁍ 2-step, candle dressing: I applied the essential oil to the black candle, then started to dress it with the garlic pieces. I recommend doing this slowly and dressing each "side" of the candle instead of the whole candle. With the help of the red candle, I lit it up and used its drop of wax to hold the garlic in place. ⁍ 3-step, protection ring: with corn hair and thick salt, I created a protection ring so that the candle would be free to do its job without interference from what I was banishing. I placed it within the candle holder, which was a chamberstick type. Now, I want to say that the protection ring needs to be around the candle, with a chamberstick, it was quite efficient since I could carry the candle and the protection ring mutually without getting the house dirty. ⁍ 4-step, banishing: lit it up and allowed it to burn fully. ❅ warding is one of the best ways to protect your house or personal space. It always works for me, even when done in the astral (I've done this once but it was not intentional, don't ask me how I did it because I have minimal power over my astral/mental projections still). Basically, gather up energy and release it with the most amount of anger possible, like a dog showing its teeth to an enemy, while setting out the intention of only your guides, desired spirits, and positive energy entering. Do this in each room of the house if you wish to ward the whole house, or just in your bedroom if that's better. ❅ repelling unwanted energetic interactions through anger. Well, this one is a bit similar to warding, but it's done when the so said energy or spirit is already there. I've done this in the astral too, it worked thankfully lol. Anyway, it's similar to warding, but now you have a target to which you'll direct the aggressive energy you're gathering. Together with this energy, you'll say words like "get out of here" like, screaming, either out loud or in your head. You'll hunt down the "problem" if needed. My biggest tip is to go full red mode.

-`🕯 CONCLUSION 🕯´-

So, this was it! I hope you guys enjoyed it and that I've brought to y'all something new haha. As you can see, I haven't done much lol, I don't like to venture myself too much, and spells aren't my "it" activity either. Still, even though I've done more things, these were the ones I had the best results. Either way, see you soon <3

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rmd-writes · 10 months

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The Grindr Toolbox: A Guide to Getting Nailed

A series of three fics based on this tweet.

When I first saw the tweet, I knew immediately that I had to write a fic based on it, but then I was struck with a dilemma: which fandom? Unusually, this particular prompt worked perfectly in my mind for each of my fandoms, and so an unhinged plan unfolded.

The aim: one prompt, three fics, three fandoms, each following the same loose structure while being distinctly unique to each ship.

Did I hit the brief? Read on and find out

A Helping Hand (Tarlos)

When TK’s bathroom sink is flooding and he needs help, pronto, he turns to Grindr to find someone close by. But what happens when the best one night stand of his life walks in the door?

This Is Not a Drill (David x Patrick)

Building flat pack furniture has never been David’s forte, and when he loses the metal tool thingy that was in the box, things begin to look dire. Some quick thinking brings a neighbour to his aid – a gorgeous, curly-haired neighbour with forearms that are, quite frankly, rude. And perhaps most inexplicably of all, he’s nice. David isn’t used to nice.

Are You Screwing with Me? (firstprince)

Alex is only downloading Grindr because he’s curious. It doesn’t fucking mean anything, right? And when he answers a call for help from a very hot neighbour – who has no business having a shoulder-to-waist ratio like that – he’s just being friendly. It definitely doesn’t mean that he’s going to discover things about himself that he’d assumed were just passing curiosity.

Or, the Grindr meet-cute AUs

As always, it takes a village and I owe a million thank yous to @welcometololaland @celeritas2997 @indomitable-love @athousandrooms @everwitch-magiks @howtosingit for everything from listening to me talk about these fics endlessly, helping me make some crucial decisions, beta reading and supplying me with titles. I couldn’t have done it without you 💖

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basic-bog-witch · 8 months

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I do think magik should always be evolving with us. Which is why I was excited to learn about using coffee in magik. I have actually pre-ordered an entire book on coffee magik, "Coffee Magic for the Modern Witch", by Elsie Wild.

Coffee represents, energy, cleansing, grounding, & healing.

Element: fire

Use coffee in spells or rituals to clear/cleanse mental & spiritual blockages. Include coffee in your rituals to liberate your personal energy & increase “flow” in your life. Also good for meditating for similar reasons. Making sure you can smell fresh coffee grounds.

Placing coffee beans inside the box or bag where you keep your tarot cards, runes or other tools as an alternative to sage for keeping them clear of negative energy.

It is considered excellent to break curses, & clear blockages. As well as dispelling nightmares.

Can be used as an offering to deities, spirits and ancestors.

Adding energy or speed to your ritual.

#witchblr #pagan #paganism #norse paganism #witchy #green witch #Coffee #Coffee magik #Magic #Magick #Rituals #Cleansing #pagan books

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inexplicablymine · 8 months

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WIP Wednesday

Tagged by the ever lovely and amazing @sherryvalli this Wednesday and this post serves as public call out to finish your Notting Hill AU because we all deserve it ;)))) and as a preview for this Friday’s chapter!

Mr. BodyPillow snippet No. 4 Op. 2 Electric Boogaloo

"What on earth is that?" Alex asked, wide eyed at the array of contraptions now set on the counter. “Well, simply making coffee the old fashioned way wouldn’t possibly be enough to impress you, given how you reacted to my beans.” Alex scoffs and gestures at the beans, which do look a little worse for wear. Henry just hums in response to the indignation and starts methodically working through the process of boiling water in his tea kettle. Alex just stares on. He opens his mouth a few times as if to say something before closing it again. He makes for quite the attractive fish. “Alex, do you have something you wish to share?” Henry asks as he measures out his loose leaf tea. Of all things, Alex looks nervous, and he twists his hands around themselves before blurting out, “Just don’t blame me okay?” “Blame you?” Henry laughs incredulously at the idea of blaming anything on Alex except his peace of mind that has already come with only a few hours in his presence. Alex waves his hand at all of the coffee making tools with a stutter, “I have no idea what to do with any of this and I don’t want to mess up your chemistry set trying to make my coffee.” Henry can feel his stomach flip over at how cute Alex is when he is nervous, the way he gnaws at his bottom lip, hands wringing themselves out between rapid taps on his own legs. “Oh darling, I just want you to sit on the bar stool and look pretty,” Henry smiles at the flush of colour that erupts high on Alex’s cheek bones and the way his smile emerges from beneath his lips.

You can read Ch 1 Here.

Tagging for WIP Wednesday (zero pressure I just want to horde the words yall write in my little dragon cave) @orchidscript @cricketnationrise @adreamareads @jackwolfes @lem0nademouth @welcometololaland @rmd-writes @leaves-of-laurelin @historicallysam @gay-flyboys @xthelastknownsurvivorx @heartitinthesilence @myheartalivewrites @everwitch-magiks and quite literally ANYBODY else who wants to share please please tag me.

#inexplicablymine wip wed #inexplicablymine writes #Mr. BodyPillow #wip wednesday #firstprince fics #red white and royal blue #ao3 #fanfiction #rwrb #firstprince #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #inexplicablymine

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tinyreviews · 4 months

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Tiny Curiosity: Machine vs Magic

Super interesting etymology fact today. Did you know machine and magic have the same etymological root?

Machine:

Origin: PIE(*Proto-Indo-European) root *magh- indicating the ability or power to do something.

Greek: "makhana" or "mēkhanē," signifying a device, tool, machine, contrivance, and cunning.

Latin: "machina," which encompasses the notions of a machine, engine, military machine, device, and trick.

Middle French (1540s): "machine," which means a device or contrivance.

Modern use(1600s): "apparatus, appliance" and "military siege-tower."

Modern use(1670s): "device made of moving parts for applying mechanical power"

Modern use(17th-19th century): also means "a vehicle; a stage- or mail-coach; a ship," and later in 1901, “a motor-car”.

Magic:

Origin: Possibly PIE(*Proto-Indo-European) root *magh- indicating the ability or power to do something.

Greek: "magikos," derived from "magos," referring to a member of the learned and priestly class.

Late Latin: "magice," signifying sorcery or magic.

Old French: "magique," meaning magic or magical.

14th century English: magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces" also "supernatural art".

Displaced Terms: Replaced Old English terms like "wiccecræft" and "drycræft," derived from "dry" meaning magician, with a connection to Irish "drui" denoting a priest or magician.

Related words (of root *magh-):

dismay, might, main, machine, mechanic, mage, magi, magic

This is part of my Tiny Curiosity series. I publish worldbuilding tidbits, trivia, etymology to this blog.

#etymology #magic #machine

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felixlunallena · 11 months

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#altar tool #altar #box #magic #magik #witchy #witch #magic object #trift

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kalevalakryze · 7 months

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All Or Nothing

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Ahsoka Series Pairings: Shin Hati/ Sabine Wren, Shin Hati & Ahsoka Tano Characters: Shin Hati, Sabine Wren, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, The Nightmothers, Zombie Troopers, Great Mother Klothow, Great Mother Aktropaw, Great Mother Lakesis Warnings: This one is straight up Torture, Blood and Violence, Major Character Injury, Hopelessness, Blood-loss, Delirium, There Will Be War Crimes, Mind-Alteration, Undead, Body Horror, sensory deprivation . Does it count as OOC if it’s a reaction to literal torture lmao? Notes: For Whumptober Day 11 Prompt: “Captivity | “No one will find you.” Word Count: 2,970 AO3 Link: Here!

Baylan’s last order had been to return to Thrawn and to take some place he had prepared for her, and even though she’d lost him and did not understand his reasoning any longer, they still knew that he would never lead her wrong…

Until she returned to the Chimera, and the… witches accused her of knowing more than she was willing to tell in her report, accusing her of leaving out some important, omnipotent detail that could alter their success in… whatever the krif they were doing.

The last thing Shin remembered was the feeling of ice in her veins and emerald flames licking at her skin.

When she woke… or… her mind slipped into consciousness? She couldn’t see, the darkness was unending, and the force was silent. Her armor was gone, with the feeling of claw marks tearing into her skin where the metal plating had once sat, as if each piece had been torn from her body by some otherworldly being.

There was a spark, a glimmer of something earthen in her peripherals. Her boots scraped against cold stone as she turned to face it; Heat arced where fire wrapped around her forearm, scorching into her skin as a cold metallic base secured itself into her flesh with thin barbs.

Shin did not cry out, and after her first knee-jerk reaction to yank her arm back, away from the nerve-igniting pain of the simmering inferno, the blonde forced herself to still. The green of the witch’s fire gave her light she could use to see, Baylan had taught her long ago to not allow her fear to cloud her judgment in a situation just like this, that stopping her emotions would be the key to survival in their journeys.

“Sometimes, to stay alive, you have to kill your mind.”

In the dim lighting and through the haze of pain, Shin was able to find details about the room she’d found herself in; They could stretch out fingertip to fingertip across each side of the room twice, with crumblings walls and a foul odor coming from a corner of the room. A corpse sat decaying in stormtrooper armor, bones broken and bent in odd angles, old scorch marks against plastoid in a similar pattern across his arm…

When the next metal cable ignited in magik ejected from the wall, Shin waited until the sound of the arcing metal got close enough, stepping closer to the restraint on her side and allowing the tool to crash into the stone, crumbling rock dropped to the floor as spools pulled the side back in.

“Clever,” Thrawn’s syrupy voice called from somewhere she could not identify, as if it were originating from the base of their skull, as the man’s presence filled every aspect of her life that the Force had once occupied; It was a trick, something those filthy witches must have set up; Thrawn was no god, he was a liar, an oathbreaker, a warlord, and a cheat.

“What have you done?” She called into the void, as the flames were doused over her arm, scorched blood rising to the surface around the cable as it was no longer burned away,

“Your Master, Lord Skoll, warned us of this. Your disloyalty,” Shin tugged on the cord, nose twitching as the pain was brought to the forefront of her mind. “That if anything were to happen to him, it would be your fault,”

Stone ground together painfully, they had to force their hands over their ears at the sound, feet scrambling to push back into the corner, body awkwardly positioned over the trooper’s corpse until their shoulder blades pressed into the cold of the wall.

Artificial light flooded the cell, which soon became overcrowded as the three extra witches flooded the room, staring into her soul with voidless black eyes. They had to force themselves to meet the gaze of the woman in the center, even though the sick, echoing whispers around her had every system in her body begging her to cower, that hiding in the decimated corpse of Thrawn’s trooper would be a better experience than this;

Baylan had known she didn’t like witches, had promised she would never have to deal with them again, and yet, all he’d done since Morgan had reached out to them was to find ways to explain their involvement, how sorry he was about the necessary evil they would have to endure together to reach an end goal he kept only to himself.

The hand on her shoulder was gentle, at first, until yellowed nails started pressing into the sinew of her shoulder, sinking past her flesh like she was made of nothing; “You are nothing,” The echoes around the great mother’s promised, as she was yanked away from her corner by a woman whose body should not have had that kind of strength.

“Your Master had too much faith in your abilities, Padawan,” The cool tendril of metal was wrapped around their arm manually, no flames to set her skin ablaze and to scorch failure on the surface. “You will learn the price of failure. Your actions have consequences.” The sickly woman reminded in her ear, Shin could see the flicker of a smile pulling at her lips, as she pulled genuine enjoyment from the fear pouring off of the Apprentice in waves.

“You failed in your mission, Mercenary,” Thrawn’s voice returned; Shin wanted to see him, wanted to both spit on his boots in her dislike of the man, and to beg for redemption, knowing that this was the life Baylan had worked so hard to create for her, while he went off on his own. “There is a price to be paid for letting Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren live, for allowing Ahsoka Tano to land, and for losing my soldiers…” As she was forced back to the center of the room, they could picture the ugly twist of his lips, the way blue skin would crinkle around his eyes as his lips parted to speak once more. “No one will find you.”

Two witches pulled from the room, her arms were forced outwards to create a line parallel to the floor as the wires pulled taut. Their heart hammered in their chest as they desperately reached for Baylan in the force, reached for the promise of safety offered in the eyes of a predator, reaching for anything in the force that could help.

All she found were the raspy whispers and the swirling mist of majik as the Great Mother whispered into the growing void around her. Her shoulders were pulled to the brink as the whispers prickled at her skin like knives intent on peeling away her flesh layer by layer.

“Stop,” She pleaded to empty ears, her own voice fading from her reality as the ancient tongues forced translations past her eardrums in ear-splitting screams. “I will do better,” She begged to no avail. The promises of failure, of loneliness and abandonment, combined with the fears they’d hidden down so far since losing her parents to a shadow of green flame, gray skin, and black tattoos.

“You were predestined to fail your Master, you lived long past your use as a sentient being…. Perhaps, you may find some use in the afterlife,” There was a feeling of mocking pity from the woman before she turned, red satin cloak flashing over dusty stone as she swept from the room. The last thing Shin saw before darkness encroached once more was the steady drip of crimson from the cable in her right arm, splattering onto the old stains of rust embedded into the dirt below.

There was no way for Shin to know how much time had passed inside of the spire, metal cable long since pulling her shoulders from her sockets, screams had bled her throat dry ages ago, hunger pangs in her stomach at infrequent intervals and the metallic smell of infection festering in her arms were the only thing that forced her to realize consciousness was upon her.

There was no respite between the hours she found herself awake or asleep, words drilled into her skull like knives all hours of the day. Her eyes never did adjust to the lack of light, but she always felt like there was something moving around her. The force offered no strength, memories offered no fondness, and her training offered no knowledge. She was not meant to survive this, would be better suited as a corpse like the ‘friend’ behind her.

“What did you do to piss of Thrawn?” She asked her deceased companion dryly one night, long after the spire had shaken with rumbles of activity outside, after the world beyond the stone had fallen more silent than even before; without the haunting presence of the witches just on the other side.

“Grraaasgh,” A haunting voice replied with the sound of crinkling plastoid and the oozing sound of flesh separating from it’s confines. “Hrrnnguuuuuu!”

They tried to turn, to face the corpse that had behind her this whole time, but they could not force their weight to raise on locked knees, fear ignited in her bloodstream at the nauseating sound of a reanimated corpse dragging itself with squelching thuds.

Thick, warm fingers wrapped around her ankle, she could feel mottled flesh through the layer of grime, dirt, and general yuckiness that had clung to her own skin. The Trooper’s lurid rasps for air it’s lungs were too decomposed to need filled her ears, the first reprieve she’d had from the ache of the Great Mother’s voice, but a very unwelcome one.

White light pierced the wall across from her, a stream of plasma cutting away at the wall, a beam of a vivid pink joined feet away from the first, igniting the room in light that hurt, but she could not look away as the corpse crawled up her body; it’s legs were prone in the corner, still twitching as they tried to catch up to the rest of him. Dried up organs spilled from where his body had split, with wisps of majik keeping pieces of himself together. His jaw hung from the bottom of the helmet, part of Shin wanted to despise the way in which his breath smelled better than her own.

“Master, please,” She croaked in vain, one last time. Baylan had saved her once, twenty years ago when he’d saved a small child he owed nothing to, surely, she’d repaid her debts enough to ask one last time.

Nothing came, the pillars of light on the other side taunted her as nails tore at her own flesh, weak from dehydration and brittle from the cords that had applied a consistent pressure to her dislocated shoulders.

The trooper's hands clawed at her face, she forced her eyes to shut even as he pulled at her eyelids; Shin had always thought they would face the end with dignity, but this had been anything but, had been waning and pushing everything they had ever known… She could not face it, not like this; Because she was not Shin Hati, Apprentice of Baylan Skoll, she was nothing, a failed mercenary, and she was a coward, a coward who could not face the consequences of their actions.

There was a familiar smell of burning ozone and flesh, the hand at her face dropped to the floor with a wet thunk. “Get away from her!” Someone shouted, she could hear the sabers wooshing, but could not coax her eyes open. What a way to die, dream up some nameless savior to cope with the end. Would it be more painful, putting a name to the memory of purple hair and painted armor, knowing that she’d thought up a Mandalorian as her savior, over her own Master.

“Sabine,” A calmer, collected voice called, though Shin could not place it as her weight sagged uselessly into the metal that had kept her in place for so long.

“Shin,” Sabine’s voice was close, the hand that rested on her bicep had the blonde crying out in pain, a raspy whisper that brought blood to her lips as her body convulsed away from it. “Karabast, Ahsoka… what do we do?”

“Let me die,” Shin rasped, begging, at their mercy, eyes still shut, numb fingers clenching against the painful pull of muscle and cable. “Let me die,”

“I’m not doing that, di’kut,” The Mandalorian was close, too close, in space that had only been personal for so long. She could feel the displacement of air around her bared skin, like the Magik fire that had scorched itself in her soul.

“Her shoulders are out of place,” Sabine continued to her Master, following the wind of the cords to the points they’d dug into scrawny biceps, blood all but wielding metal to flesh.

“This isn’t going to be fun for any of us,” Ahsoka promised somberly, “Put gloves on, we can’t risk infection spreading,” The woman ordered, the smell of late cutting through the odor of corpse and rotting sentient. The material was cool when Ahsoka’s hand touched feverish skin, though it ignited a pain that had her trying to jerk back.

“Hold her still, no matter what she says, how she reacts; keep her as still as you can until she’s free,”

There was silence and a quiet rustling, before she felt the press of armor against her back, the feeling of Sabine’s knees working under her just enough to guide them back against her chest. “I’ve got you,” The Mandalorian grumbled in their ear, the first comforting promise they’d had in so long.

Any reprieve from the darkness offered by strong arms around her brittle frame died with the pain of barbs being worked from her skin. She reacted as if struck by lighting, Air was forced into reluctant lungs with gasps as she struggled with an inhuman amount of strength against the Mandalorian forcing her still as each barb was removed, hot blood welling to the surface as ehr only support for days was taken away.

Through the pain, she was aware of her begging, pathetic sounds not unlike the same promises she’d made to the witches, to Thrawn, the memory of her Master, and to the void that had swallowed her. “Please, please stop; I’ll be better I’ll do it right, I’m sorry, please stop. I’m sorry,” She rasped, begging the Togruta, the Mandalorian, and all who had ever held her life and wellbeing in their hands as the two Jedi did now. “Let me die, please; please. I have no more to give,” They wailed to sympathetic beings.

One of Sabine’s arms crossed her chest, while the other stayed pressed across her waist like a safety belt. The rebels had known war, had seen the effects it had on the survivors, the Inquisitors who’d been handled like Shin had. But the blonde still clung onto a purpose like a desperate child caught stealing; Even if they didn’t recognize it, it was their fingers wrapped around their life, around the vestiges of light that had been pushed through whatever the witches had done.

Shin’s body sagged forward, held up by the Mandalorian as their struggling core muscles refused to cooperate, exhausted from the constant strain of keeping herself up. “I’m going to put your shoulder back in place, Shin.” Ahsoka called from another planet away, placing steady hands against their trembling limbs.

There was a wet pop and another cry of pain as her shoulder was guided back into the socket. The force eased the transition, as if the Jedi had managed to use the power offered to help guide it into place just to spare the fallen apprentice some pain.

The process was agonizingly repeated to her other side, until both of her shoulders were back in place, and she was dropping entirely into Sabine’s arms, the aches fading under the gentle mintrations of the tap of Sabine’s finger against her breastbone, a beat too quick to be their own heart beat, but one she could feel through her back, even with the cool beskar separating them.

The Mandalorian’s chest rose and fell in an exaggerated motion as well, coercing Shin’s frayed body to follow her example in calm intakes of air and deep breaths out; Shin could not feel the force around her, but she could feel the pain ebbing away into something indescribable, like something that ran parallel to the cosmic power she’d once called home.

“Shin,” Ahsoka’s voice was soft but demanding. “It’s time to open your eyes,”

The command was gentle, though Shin could feel the urgency to her tone, a flicker of fear that had her Padawan stiffening under the prisoner.

It was hard to crack their eyes open, the light hurt so bad, it was too much, too overwhelming; a soft whine passed broken lips. Light pooled in from the cut away sections of wall, the spire had been destroyed, and Shin had been unlucky enough to remain in one of the final standing pillars of the structure.

The Togruta’s shoulders drooped in relief; Shin’s eyes, despite being windows to an unimaginable pain were not tainted by the dark side. There was still hope; and that was always enough. “You can rest now, Padawan,” Ahsoka soothed, the suggestion in the force light, though the woman had no barriers left to raise, their eyes blinking closed slowly, head lolling back against Sabine as they succumbed readily to the offer for rest.

“Thank you, master.” They whispered as consciousness finally released its hold on her.

“Thank the gotal’ad her Howler found us when he did,” Sabine grumbled, nose twitching at last, the smell of the isolated cell hitting her enough to have her shifting uncomfortably under Shin. “We’ll be able to get her back okay?”

“I promise,”

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