there was a long beat of silence before emilia spoke ... long enough for the hush of the room to grow thick, broken only by the soft drag of linen over skin as she gently wiped the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ from emory’s hands with a damp cloth. her touch was careful, practiced, almost reverent. as if tending to something fragile, not just flesh, but what still lived beneath it. ❝ i’ve asked myself the same thing before, ❞ she murmured, not quite looking up. her voice was low, warm in a way that didn’t try to comfort — but offered a kind of quiet understanding. ❝ what makes a stranger stop for someone like me. offer kindness when i expected none. ❞ the cloth, stained pink now, moved in slow circles along emory’s knuckles. her hands weren’t trembling, but there was tension in the way she held them — tension emilia didn’t force away, only worked around. ❝ maybe i see something in you. ❞ her eyes lifted then — dark and steady, but not searching. just seeing. ❝ maybe i don’t need a reason. ❞ she folded the cloth once more, exposing a clean side, her movements unhurried. ❝ or maybe i just know what it’s like to be afraid and have ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ reach back. ❞ her accent curled through the words like smoke — rich and unshaken. she tilted her head slightly, a subtle furrow in her brow that made her expression seem almost tender, though her gaze was sharp beneath it. ❝ i won’t ask for trust. i won’t even expect it. but questioning kindness doesn’t mean you don’t need it. ❞ and then, quieter — like a truth wrapped in silk, just for her : ❝ sometimes the right people show up when we’re most afraid to be seen. ❞
continued from here (@ncantari).
her brows furrowed as she observed the stranger, confused and curious at once. the woman's demeanour appeared to change with every passing minute ﹕ while she seemed guarded at first, she now looked soft and welcoming – almost motherly. it had a soothing effect on emory, disarming her and most of her defenses right with it. her shoulders relaxed, folding her hands to keep them from trembling and taking a calming breath. for the first time in the past hour she felt somewhat safe, but still she wouldn't let her guard down completely. she couldn't. ❛ why would you want to help me? ❜, she asked, wary of the stranger's motives.
Collection 02 Campaign
shot by Katherine Goguen
Holy places are dark places […] Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.
C. S. Lewis, from ‘Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold’
DESTINED: The sender recognizes the receiver from a dream, a past life, or a vision.
there was something unsettling in the woman’s gaze … too sharp, too knowing, like she was seeing through skin and sinew to something older. emilia didn’t flinch under it, but she felt it all the same. that quiet pull in her chest. like something long buried had just opened its eyes.
❝ you’re looking at me like you’ve seen a ɢʜᴏsᴛ, ❞
she said softly, the corner of her mouth lifting, not quite a smile. her voice was calm, but edged in a subtle tension, like a wire pulled tight. she stepped a little closer, the candlelight catching in her eyes—brown and warm, but watchful. searching. ❝ or maybe just someone you thought you’d already lost. ❞ a pause, and then, gently —curiously : ❝ do i feel familiar to you? ❞ she didn’t ask with disbelief. she wasn’t mocking. if anything … she almost wanted to hear the answer. because deep in her bones, where memories had no names and time had no shape, emilia felt it too — the echo of something once lived. or dreamed. or promised.
“—a gentle girl with beautiful, soft eyes and a romantic little soul.”
— Colette, from Claudine at School
⠀ take⠀me⠀to⠀𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋,⠀ˡᵉᵗ⠀ᵗʰᵉ⠀ᵈᵉᵛᶦˡˢ⠀ʰᵉᵃʳ⠀ᵐʸ⠀ⁿᵃᵐᵉ ﹔ ⠀ for⠀I⠀have⠀ᴺᴼ⠀𝐆𝐎𝐃⠀left⠀to⠀ʎɐɹd⠀to⠀ .⠀
⅋̳ 𝐍𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐈 … a private and selective portrayal of 𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨 𝑫𝑰 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑶 ⸻ 𝖑𝖆 𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖆 .
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀…⠀⠀ ⠀⠀a 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐇𝐄 born to an ancient bloodline, Emilia is the daughter of a legacy whispered in candlelit rituals and bound by the secrets of witches who have lived among mortals for centuries. Raised in the sun-drenched heart of 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐘, she and her twin sister, Vittoria, spent their days steeped in tradition — tending to their family’s bustling trattoria, grinding fragrant herbs, and weaving magic hidden beneath ordinary touch. Emilia was the careful one, the dreamer with a cautious heart, raised under the watchful eye of her grandmother, who taught her the sacred ways of 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐀 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈 and the peril of stepping too close to the darkness. [ ... ] And then 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 came. Emilia's world shattered with her twin sister's brutal murder. 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅 burned away the girl she once was. 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 forged the woman she would become. The careful witch turned reckless. The believer in 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒 became the one who broke them. In her desperate search for truth, Emilia ventured into the realm of 𝐋'𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈 𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈, walking paths from which no witch had returned unscathed. What was once forbidden became her 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, her weapon. With every step deeper into the unknown, she felt herself unraveling — becoming something new, something feared. A force willing to tear apart the heavens and the underworld alike to reclaim what was taken from her. 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 war within her, but one thing is certain — she will not stop until the wicked have 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃.
𝖓𝖚 𝖘𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖎𝖚 𝖘𝖚𝖕𝖗𝖆⠀ ﹕ ⠀cursed lineage ⠀ ❝⠀𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 ˢʰᵃᶜᵏˡᵉ⠀❞⠀﹒⠀sicilian gothic⠀﹒⠀ancient prophecies⠀﹒⠀forbidden scripture⠀﹒⠀flour dusted hands⠀﹒⠀the seven deadly sins⠀❝⠀𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐈𝐍 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡⠀❞⠀﹒⠀veiled grief⠀﹒⠀
₀₀₁.𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃 ₀₀₂.𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 ₀₀₃.𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ₀₀₄.𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 ⅋ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 [ are always welcome ! ] ₀₀₅.𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒
⸻ indie & single muse crafted for — but not exclusive to — fakevz. mutuals only, mdni, crossover friendly, always down to plot, activity varies. triggers will not be tagged! cursed by ﹕ luna, she / her, 25+ — side blog.
[ … tied to the kingdom of the wicked series by kerri maniscalco ± taking visual and plot inspiration from a variety of other sources such as ﹕ monica bellucci, yennefer von vengenberg, wanda maximoff, alicent hightower, mary stuart ❪⠀reign⠀❫, my lady jane, various book series, mirror palais, catherine zeta jones ᵉᵗ ᵃˡ ]
♱ ⠀⠀… ⠀⠀𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐓 ⠀⠀𝐈𝐓 ⠀⠀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 ⠀⠀.
⠀⠀… ⠀⠀non⠀è⠀un⠀𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔬,⠀sei⠀solo⠀IN⠀FISSA⠀.
𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃⠀𝐁𝐘⠀﹕⠀@ashbalfour & @gunfear i could only ever dream of being able to keep up with you beauties but thank u for letting me try
𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆⠀⠀ ⠀﹕⠀@herfacade , @gorekissed , @heiliqe & @pistolmadeofroscs
Deva Cassel as ANGELICA SEDARA IL GATTOPARDO (THE LEOPARD) — 2025