#cinem

Plot Twist in the Alley

Part of my Memphis Noir Photography Series. Memphis, TN.

2024

NO SHUT UP MASTER IT'S NOT A PHASE THIS IS WHO SHE IS NOW! YOU'RE JUST UPSET THAT I'M GROWING UP AND THAT MY GIRLFRIEND EMERALD HAS A PHAT ASS!

she lost her cool there, where was she? ah damn she forgot. anyways it's time for her to hang out in a graveyard with her girlfriend and be cool! (cinder is a teenager going through her rebellious phase and is doing necromancy to impress her new girlfriend emerald. salem just wants to do what's best for her little girl)

Necromancy was often classified in other kingdoms as Black, or Evil magic, due to the often dubious intent behind using it. Among other such magics was blood manipulation, soul captures, mind control, and sleeping curses. Also on the list, for whatever reason, was illusions.

And Emerald hated that.

Growing up, her mother often called her gifted. In their hovel, she would attempt to cheer up her mother by creating beautiful flowers, or grackles on the window. Her mother loved grackles.

The only illusions her mother forbade were "pleasants," things that they didn't have, such as food or water or clean floors. She said it was wishful thinking that served only to disappoint.

Illusions also served to distract herself from her mother's work, as she was forced to... "entertain" guests while Emerald was sent out playing. It was one night when a man wasn't satisfied with her mother and came for her as well.

It was both the worst and greatest night of her life, as it was the night she met-

"DAMN IT ALL!" A reanimated corpse was smashed to pieces as Cinder Fall, Emerald's savior and girlfriend, brought her foot down on it's bowing skull. "Even the simple ones aren't enough to satisfy."

"You're almost there, Cinder." Emerald smiled. "I, uh, think that one said lemon."

"It said nothing." Cinder growled, turning away after twisting her heel. "Necromancy shouldn't be this hard. I was already practicing when I met you, and that was almost a year ago."

"You'll get there." Emerald replied. "If there's one person I know who can make the dead look alive, it's Cinder Fall."

"And my mother." Cinder turned her gaze away.

"Right, uh..." Emerald scratched her cheek, then perked up at an idea. Focusing her mind, sunlight bent and curved as shapes formed in mid-air before being pigmented by many shades of colors until a bright blue skull with yellow cavities appeared at Cinder's feet.

Cinder looked down at the colorful corpse, whose green tongue lolled out it's side, making her cover her mouth to withhold a laugh. The skull rolled around until landed on it's back. The skull's eyes, black-outlined blue spheres with red irises, popped out in surprise, causing Cinder to let out her withheld laughter, holding her stomach from how hard it was. Emerald blinked and the colorful cadaver cranium collapsed into nothingness. She smiled at her girlfriend, who approached her and held her cheek.

"Oh, Emerald," she cooed, leaning closer, "what would I do without you?"

"You would actually be an accomplished necromancer, for one." Cinder flinched as her mother's words cut her out of her joy. "And for two, you would have caught these trespassers."

"Last I checked," Cinder turned, looking at the overbearing witch of a mother as she held the blond, foolish intruder, "I was your daughter, not your hound."

"I am aware, Cinder," Salem tossed the knight to the ground, bound by magic manacles of bone and rotted sinew, "because a dog would have actually caught them."

"And yet I was never allowed a puppy." Emerald giggled at Cinder's quip.

Salem sighed. "In any case, I have captured him because I thought you would benefit to learn this boy is the same age as you," Salem leaned closer, "and has accomplished far more than you ever have."

Cinder flinched.

"Tell me, Cinder; what do you know of Shadow Lions?" Salem asked.

"Magical beasts from the Black planes. Ten times the size of a normal lion."

"A normal lion?"

Cinder sighed. "A mortal lion."

"Yes, and this boy, trained by Ozpin himself, has slain two. A lioness and a lion."

Cinder became stiff at that. A lioness was one thing, but a lion was twice that size and much more vicious, to say nothing of their magical abilities. Could this boy be that much stronger.

"Liar!" Cinder screeched. "There is no way this fool could have slain those beasts alone!"

"I didn't." The prisoner weakly groaned. Cinder beamed until her opened his mouth again. "I had help from the divines, and from Neo, and from Dame Nikos of Atlas."

"The divines, a pixie, and knight." Salem counted. "Such strange company you keep, dog of Ozpin."

"Can you just let us go?" He asked. "We're only here because Ozpin wanted his stupid mug back!"

"Ugh, of course he did."

"Wait, 'we'?" Emerald asked.

"Yes," Salem answered, reaching into her robe, "him, and his companion." A small, red light shook at her fingertips.

"Let me go!" The light shouted. "And your pocket smells like mint!"

"It's called 'carrying ingredients'." Salem growled. Her focus returned to Cinder. "Do you understand why I brought them here, Cinder?"

"A hero... and a fairy..." Cinder nodded. "Yes, mother." She drew the knife from her boot. "Emerald, look away, please." She did as she was asked.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The blond protested. "All of this for a stupid mug?! Argh! Damn you, Ozpin! You and your stupid, sexy, demon familiar!"

"Wait!" Salem ordered. Skeletal hands and arms pushed Jaune to his feet, forcing him face to face with Salem. Her eyes seemed alight with rage. "What? Familiar?"

"Uh, G-Glynda?" Jaune answered. "She's been at his side for... as long as I've known him."

"So, you're telling me..." Salem grew taller, her fingers longer, allowing Ruby to escape to his side, and her eyes brighter with burning hatred. "Ozma... RE.... MARRIED?!"

"Uh, I, uh, wouldn't say remarried," Jaune nervously chuckled, "more like he entered a binding contract with another being based on trust and bonding and by the divines, I married Neo."

"OZMA!" Salem screeched, her powers wildly fluctuating. The binds around his wrists shattered, prompting him to flee. Skeletons and corpses clambered from the soft earth. They scampered about in their new life, attacking stones and trees, even taking their headstones to smash against the ground. "I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR!"

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen!" Salem looked down to see a tiny Cinder scowling at her, rolling her eyes as Salem snarled. "Even I didn't react like this when Winter broke up with me."

"Oh?" Salem returned to normal. "So I must have imagined you moping about, writing sad poetry about, 'How I'll never love again'?"

"No, you didn't, but I never caused the dead to rise up and smash everything!"

"Because you couldn't!"

"You know what?!"

"HEY!" The two snapped their attention to Emerald, who had her hands on her hips, jerking her head back behind her. "They're getting away."

"Oh, just let them go." Salem waved them off, then snapped her fingers, causing the bodies to fall to inanimate states once more. "And Cinder, as you were so kind to... assist me in my emotional outburst, I will oversee your training myself today."

"Oh... Uh, thank you, Sa-" Cinder cleared her throat. "Thanks, Mom."

A Ghost Story (2017)

Dir. David Lowery

"I've dreamt of that for years." "Dying?" "Running."

— Relationship development [2/2]