Season of the Witch

[marlowe_tops]

Season of the Witch

The concept of the Witch represents many things. Witches may be women, outcast, or other, and their power has been feared because it threatens the tidiness of the status quo. From Medea to Elphaba, the witch has been hated, feared, and tormented, but sometimes she has ruled triumphant.


Scenarios:
1. The modern coven ~ Witches in the modern world. There’s a school in Louisiana, where the witches walk two by two in broad-brimmed black hats, under the watchful eye of their Supreme. There’s a house in New England, where two sisters do magic with pies and gardening. There’s a prophecy in Sunnyvale. There’s a charmed trio of three sisters who fight demons. There are magic shops, Wiccans and druids.
2. The ancient forests of Europe ~ Arthurian England. The realm of the Leannán Sídhe. La Belle Dame Sans Merci. The Lady of the Lake. Avalon. The Huldra. Baba Yaga. The woods this way are dark and deep, and if you stray from the path, you may meet a witch. She may be beautiful, or she may be hideous, but whatever you do, mind your manners.
3. Realms far and lands forgotten ~ Medea came from Colchis, on the far side of the black sea. There have been witches real and fictional from a hundred realms and ancient times. Nitocris of Egypt, witches of Hyperborea, perhaps even Enheduanna of Sumeria. Witches, queens, and priestesses, filled with an ancient and wondrous power.
4. The Realms of the Blood - The Black Jewels ~  The Blood are the caretakers of the land, blessed by the Darkness with wells of power in the form of their Jewels. Every woman's a witch, every man a warlord, and with a reservoir of raw psychic power ready to tap for their Craft, the Blood are forces of nature. And nature dictates that men among the Blood are born to serve and women to be served. Bound by Protocol and arrayed into matriarchal Courts large and small, Blood society is highly stratified by the thirteen ranks of Jewel and a handful of castes. Add social rank into the mix and their society becomes a constantly evolving dance of power, caste, and privilege that spans three realms: Terrielle, Realm of Light, Kaeleer, the Shadow Realm, and Hell, the Dark Realm and home of the demon dead. Implacable Queens rule their Courts and tend the land beneath their feet, sharp-edge Black Widows experiment in poisons and spin tangled webs to predict the future, Healers mend the injured and cure the sick, and Priestesses preside over altars, offerings, and Sanctuaries. Beneath Caste and Jewel, however, there are as many types of witch as there are witches, and all are dark and dangerous.
5. Something wicked this way comes ~ For wicked witches, whether you desire to devour children or turn a kingdom to ruins. Eternal life is within your grasp, and they claim that your crimes are as black as your heart. But that’s all slander, of course, and for anyone who doubts, you have a basket full of lovely apples.
6. Somewhere over the rainbow ~ Are you a good witch or a bad witch? Oz is full of witches, some lovely and some wicked. There are yellow brick roads to follow, and plenty more witches in the neighbouring lands of Ix and Ev and Boboland. Just as long as no one drops a house on you. Be careful to stay away from water.


How to play:
If you’d like your character to be a witch, describe what kind of witch they are and what kind of magic they have. Note any preferences you have for setting/scenario, and include a prompt or two!
Witches don’t have to be women, though they should be Other in some way. Shamanic figures in many cultures have often transgressed gender roles.
If you prefer your character to be a mundane in a witchy world, pick a scenario or two and describe what role your character would have in that world.

Meme written in collaboration with axael.

Comments

Madelyne Pryor | X-Men Comics | OTA

[redqueenmaddy]

[Definitely the witch. Something wicked this way comes. Modern available, but for this meme I'd especially love to do witch-goddess Madelyne with a cult of her own in ancient/Hyperborea, or Black Jewels Madelyne (Sapphire to Ebon-Gray).]

Mary Campbell | Supernatural | OTA

[mary_campbell]

[She normally hunts witches, but I'd really love to play her as a witch. Probably the pie-baking sort, but I'm very open to all of the AU options!]

Savannah Levine | Women of the Otherworld

[koyut]

[Daughter of a witch/sorcerer match, unaffiliated with a coven, works as a PI.]

ingrid beauchamp | witches of east end

[neatness]

( well, i mean. )

Abel | Starfighter (Comic) | M/M

[reliantnav]

[a. (Near-canon option) Abel's a navigator, that's a kind of witch. Would love to play around with a more "witch" slant on his canon as navigator, maybe in a scifi AU where he's not a soldier in a war.

b. Vikings AU - The Scandanavian "vǫlva" were almost always women, and when they were men, they were termed "ergi", which seems to imply some degree of genderqueer/genderfluid. What I'm saying here is Vikings AU. Shaman. Possibly hot springs and sex magic.

c. Black Jewels - Abel's Purple-Dusk to Sapphire. And gay, which is always kind of a fascinating anomaly in Black Jewels canon.]

Ashley Raventon | Lost Souls | M/M

[raventonbeauty]

[a. A beautiful and half-mad witch in rural Louisiana, living in the ruins of his family's mansion, studying magic from the books in his family's library and living on peaches and mice.

b. In the deep forests of Europe, living in a tower as both Rapunzel and the witch in one, a sort of hearth-witch with blood red hair that falls past his waist. He may be in possession of some sort of powerful relic or three, if you'd like your character to be questing for something.]

a

[princessdude]

You are going to die from malnutrition.

[Snow White looked very disapproving on his master with his red eyes. Urgh, the word master still tasted vile in his mouth even after a month. A month where the other had not walked outside of the ruins he called his home once! Why could he not have been summoned by someone with more class? This was just sad. Sad and pathetic.]

And what about me? You called me and that is giving you a level of responsibility to keep. I need to feed as well.

[A demon he might be and a fairy tale one as well, but he still had needs. Feeding just one thing on the list. One of several things that Ashley ignored and just kept his nose buried in those old books.]

sophie hatter | howl's moving castle

[eldesthatter]

[ canon witch - still getting used to the idea of it and figuring out her power. ]

[hagofthechalk]

[How would Sophie feel about another no nonsense witch?]

lila zacharov | curse workers

[gitanes]

( wicked witch all the way, specialty in dream/psychological magic, otherwise ota )

[practicaster]

[There's a saying that goes, when you want something done right, do it yourself. And for the most part, it's one that the Witch Formerly Known As [Name Redacted] subscribes to; one of the key ways of staying alive, in her experience, is to adhere to the idea that one should always be the smartest person in the room, which is all well and good but has the rather unfortunate side effect of meaning that one is almost always entirely surrounded by idiots.

That's not always so bad. Idiots are usually idiots because they're people who are malleable in some way. Malleable people are ones who can be persuaded, maneuvered, controlled. Controlled people are ones who can be used.

That's why she resents her current captivity, here on Sorceror's Isle as the alleged ward and protege of the most powerful wizard this world has ever known: because she is neither a ward nor a protege, but a prisoner, and only an idiot would believe otherwise.

He'll never let her learn a spell that might allow her to free herself, of course. The only reason he lets her keep the spell that allows her to open gateways between worlds is because he knows she won't use it to escape. Her power derives from this world, which means she is at her strongest here; escaping to another isn't just an unknown, but a disadvantage in capability besides, and even if she were to flee there's nothing that would stop him from simply finding out where she went and following her. She can't challenge him at her strongest; she's not stupid enough to risk a confrontation where she's weaker than that.

So, she's going to have to kill him.

To do that, she's going to need an accomplice.

Finding Lila Zacharov isn't easy, but she's the closest thing to a hope that the Witch has had in a very long time. She's canny, and that's good; she's ruthless, and that's even better. She's got every reason to resent someone who treats a girl like a ceremonial sword rather than the switchblade she is.

Also, her shoes are fantastic. That's definitely a perk.

So, when the timing is right — when the old bastard is gone and she's warded her activities from his watchdog spells and her own powers are refreshed and humming beneath her skin — she unearths one of the mirrors that the old man likes to trap her inside and makes it into a portal instead, and in her head whispers eat your heart out, AT&T, how's that for reaching out and touching someone.

There's no telling how her message will appear on Lila Zacharov's end. Maybe it'll be in a mirror, maybe in some other reflective surface. Maybe it'll show up in a fog bank or a still fountain pool or a razor blade. But one way or another, it'll show up, and when it does her message is this: ]

Local witch seeks witch for friendly murder exchange. Will perform negotiable favor in exchange for one (1) particular act of gratuitous homicide. Interested parties please signal willingness to discuss terms by speaking the name "Senna Hellbringer" aloud (don't ask, long story, just Senna, please, for average conversation, thanks).

lydia martin | teen wolf

[homemademolotov]

( reluctantly good or contentedly neutral. please pm about potential shipping, otherwise ota )

[figureitout]

( ok but do we do canon or au or canon au?? i am 1000% open for everything, so whichever tickles your fancy the most c:

... also this is celen in case you haven't seen my stiles account dlgjdkgj; )

abigail hobbs | hannibal

[versusnurture]

( witch in training, unaligned & open to influence, ota )

giorno giovanna (63 au) | jjba ( vento aureo )

[scentrare]

( definitely some kind of leader if a group of witches is involved, could also easily be living covertly among non-witches )

idk if this is modern or what but w/e

[josukeban]

[Weren't witches supposed to come in threes? That's how they always look in those old prints, three women of varying degrees of bewitching and hideous huddled over cauldrons and poring over their spellwork. But, then again, Josuke's not sure she buys into the whole triple goddess thing; she doesn't foresee spontaneously turning into a "crone" in her near future and the "mother" part is too distressing to even contemplate, leaving her fighting with Gioia for the "maiden" part. No thanks.

What she can't deny is that, in spite of being a year her junior, the Italian has at least three times that over her in experience. It's entirely expected, of course; though Josuke has never wanted to push her for details, adversity seems to have brought out a burning something in Gioia that she can't quite grasp. It's enough to make her feel guilty about using her own powers for such frivolous things as fixing ladders in her stockings and doing chores. Even so, the difference in ability- and upbringings- hasn't damaged their friendship any.

This little foraging trip might, though. It had taken some persuasion to get Josuke out into the forest with her to search for ingredients and now she's here, she's starting to regret giving in a little. What can be seen of the sky overhead is marbled with dark clouds and the promise of another downpour and the ground below them is stirred up and damp from the last one.

Josuke trails behind her, picking her way across fallen logs and cringing whenever her efforts fail her and she feels her boots sinking into the mud.]

That's the tannis root down... [She hitches her basket back up into the crook of her arm, careful not to let its contents spill. The sides are already overflowing with plants and mushrooms, some of them familiar, some of them poisonous and others that she doesn't even recognise and picked for purposes that she has yet to ascertain. Potions were never her forte beyond the occasional salve.] Why did you plant the mandrake so far out anyway?

[Before Gioia can answer, there's a rumble of thunder. Perfect.]

Minoru - OC - OTA

[itmeanstruth]

[i'd love to have him meet a witch, maybe study under one to further his healing techniques. Minoru is a Snake Sage, can take a semi-reptilian form, works with poisons and can harness many snakelike abilities.]

[chocorune]

[There were a loud creaking sound coming from outside, followed by a loud crash and bang as someone fell through her roof. Chocola looked with wide surprised eyes at her sudden guest and then looked up to the hole she now had in her roof with a sigh.]

You know that you could just have called out and I could have lowered a ladder for you, right?

[When she had built her treehouse this was not something she had expected would have happened. That some branch might crash through her roof sure, but not accompanied by a person.]

Did you sustain any injuries?

wanda maximoff | aou&cw

[catastrophics]

[ not necessarily a witch in the traditional sense, but if the name fits, wear it. her specialties are telekinesis and a degree of telepathy ( seeing inside people's heads if not being able to read their thoughts, sensing their presence, and making them see visions ), along with energy blasts in the form of red vapors. open to cross-canon and aus, prefs for shipping are
here. ]

robin sena | witch hunter robin

[robinsena]

[ witch, modern or historical European. ]

faye chamberlain | the secret circle

[chamberlain]

[ third generation witch whose powers center around telekinesis and nature ( starting fires out of nowhere, making it rain, casting spells with various ingredients, and also their powers are enhanced by crystals ). to cast members she's canonpoint flexible; to everyone else, bring on the cross-canon and aus. ]

little wicked ones

[hext]

[ The thing about witches is this: they are, each and every one of them, sieves.

Take a close look at even the most powerful of voodoo priestesses, the most intimidating of inheritors, and you will recognize a theme. Their bodies and souls do not truly belong unto them and only them, much as they might have you believe otherwise. They are magnets and portals for a Higher Energy, whether one considers it the demon hoard come barreling through, blood passed down and spattered on quartz and moonstones, or science turned strange. The energy seeks them out, swirls through them, disturbs ghosts, and floods out again to be unleashed upon the land before them—the scourge, the deluge, the plagues (and their cures).

They are filled over the brim and then drained.
This is why they are always hungry.

Wanda’s footsteps are somehow silent over concrete, like she might not be truly touching the ground, and she sweeps a glance to Faye at her right. Her fingers twitch through the air at her sides, but it isn’t idle movement, it isn’t nervous.

She is tasting the hour of midnight around them.

The hollowness in her stomach expands, bleeds into her ribcage. ]

Not much further, [ her tone is hushed, measured, and something red reflects in her eyes, like a cat before a fire ] two are lingering at the bus stop.

[ Witch hunters. Wanda runs her tongue across her lower lip, savoring the mounting adrenaline. The predators become the prey tonight. ]

Eliot Waugh | The Magicians

[drunkmancer]

_{[The all-American modern witch attending magic school in New York like a true Harry Potter knock-off. A frequent flyer at clubs and bars.]}

Missandei | GOT/ASOIAF

[scribed]

[a witch, please! Clever andwith the best of intentions to look out for those who cannot. 2 with this journal, 1 with modern.]

Jemma Simmons | Agents of SHIELD

[biochemistry]

[modern witch with a serious science-techy slant! A dogooder with few qualms about causing deserved harm.]

[not_yet_screaming]

"Hail Hydra."

The word had spread like wildfire, and both SHIELD and Hydra had moved to lock down assets and then take them back from each other; Jemma and Fitz had taken Hydra grabbing the research labs personally and were now taking them back. The place was eerily quiet, and there had obviously been a battle over the main occult library leading to piles and piles of ash rather than letting it fall into Hydra's hands.

But the biomancer had spotted one life sign; a life sign behind solid enough wards that even Fitz hadn't noticed it and couldn't get a lock on it when Jemma had pointed it out but one that was both young and female hiding behind mathemagician's wards so she'd gone to investigate.

The first ward she crossed was subtle enough that she didn't notice it until she was on the other side, down the corridor to the room the girl was hiding in - and now able to see mathematical symbols on the wall and hear the sound of crying.

Martha Jones | Doctor Who | OTA

[iamgood]

[ Martha as a witch with her powers focusing on healing and she also has a knack for making magic potions. ]

mary sibley | salem

[countermagic]

( a canon witch in the english tradition*, she keeps her selectman husband a mute invalid with the familiar residing in his stomach and positions herself as his voice in the town, manipulating towards the trial and and execution innocent people so the essex coven can complete their Grand Rite and bring satan to rule on earth, you know, like you do. she's prone to manipulation, flaunting her power, and those game of thrones scenes where everyone threatens and insults each other in public, but in an oblique, wordy way. she also has a soft spot for unfortunates, however, and will sometimes offer them more help and humanity than she herself is willing to admit -- especially if they remind her of her own less than ideal past.



*HOWEVER salem is one of the worst shows on air in these united states so there's sensational continental european stuff mixed in, plus a bunch of anachronistic bullshit! i just feel like i need to stress so you know what you're getting into that this is the kind of show where the historical john hathorne worships lucy lawless' feet. )

Fritz | oc | ota

[foreverfritz]

((Have an unwilling teenage djinn work for you. Or...they can try at least.))

Karen Minazuki ♥ Yes! Pretty Cure 5

[oceanicbutterfly]

[As a magical girl she'd likely be of interest to a modern witch. Alternatively she could be a witch herself.]

John Constantine | Constantine/DCU/Vertigo | OTA

[hellboundheart]

[John is a street wizard that all those strictly schooled or practising types hate. Magic comes to his call like a puppy versus those who have had to work a lifetime for mastery. He is reckless though, willing to risk others to get to his final goal. Most other witches/wizards distrust or outright hate him because he doesn't play by the standard rules of magic. Good and evil alike aren't too fond of him.]

Tifa Lockheart | FFVII

[more_than_words]

[I love the AU idea of 2 and I can run the starter if asked. Tifa can be a hearth witch running a hidden inn or a memory-stealer in a traveling carnival or the only guide through the nightmare mountains to the other side. Did you say steampunk it? We can steampunk this. A modern-day Nightside version running a bar with questionable patrons? Turn a fairy tale on its head? Let's do it. I am happy to try just about any time or verse. Willing to be the not-witch too. Let's mess up some folk tales and Brothers Grimmer.]

SURPRISE i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me

[whysocirrus]

[ Impermanence is something new, travel still a somewhat-foreign word. But he has made strides to adapt, where he can. At first, of course, he did not understand her subtleties; he would follow her into town as the great, grey mossy-backed wolf, battering his way through the legs of passersby, growling at anything that looked liable to move in some less than friendly way. And the rumors that always seemed to catch up with her eventually had simply changed to include her vicious new familiar (among an army of others, surely, just waiting wherever out in the woods she kept her witch's den).

He stopped with the wolf, after that (in town, at least). But even as a man, blending in was troublesome. At first, he'd simply opted to cover what inhuman traits stood out most; his hair, and his hands, and much of his face all bound up in (often soggy, more often muddy) rags was not a great deal more inconspicuous, however. Then he was a golem, one most likely cobbled together from the bodies of her unsuspecting victims, and they were moving on again before some drunken gang could get it together in their heads to prove it.

The third time, he almost got it right, striking a balance between human and plant matter with only a touch of magic. (There was really nothing to be done for the mass of flowering yellow moss and feathers atop his head - but at least if it looked like hair, fewer people asked.) He even took a few odd jobs around the village, attempted to ingratiate himself to the drab, suspicious strangers. But he must've stared too hard at the nosy neighbor who asked one too many times after his "wife." (And she declined to explain why they had to leave, that time.)

Still. He tries. ...In a way.

And it can't be said that he requires nearly as much maintenance as an actual familiar might. Or the accommodations of a proper traveling companion. The broken down old farmstead they're picking through for a decent spot to set up shop is not much to look at, anywhere, but Cloud doesn't balk at the thought of sleeping on dirt and under a ceiling full of holes. (He'd prefer it, actually, but he's tried to curb that part of himself some, too. For her sake.) ]

This one's not bad.

[ The right wall is leaning in at a distressing curve, and the other's being held up by a tree that's all but grown into it, but the little shack (a guest house? an elaborate pantry?) in front of him appears to be the last of the farm that hasn't been picked over for wood and nails years since. At least it doesn't look in danger of falling over tonight. ] ...What do you think?

Tiffany Aching | Discworld | ota

[hagofthechalk]

[Tiffany is the sort of witch who doesn't actually use magic very much. She does for others, and pays attention to everything. Basically, she's her canon self transplanted wherever for the meme. Easy that :P]