Chapter 1
Gus: “What’s poppin witches and demons and welcome back to the Boling Podcast! My name is Augustus Porter and every week I sit down with an interesting guest to talk about all kinds of stuff!
Last week I had a lovely conversation with Steve and we talked about his life before and after the Emperor’s Coven. If you didn’t listen to it yet, make sure you do it ASAP! This week’s guest is sitting right in front of me now and in case you didn’t read the title of the Podcast…. It is the one and only Amity Noceda! Good afternoon, Amity.”
Amity: “Good afternoon, Gus.” *chuckles*
Gus: We’re sitting in your house right now and I have to say… it’s comfy!”
Amity:*Laughs* “It is, right? But compared to your place, every place is comfy. When are you going to move out of that tiny apartment?”
Gus: I really want to say as soon as possible, but I’ve been telling you guys that for the last six months, so… I don’t know.” *Chuckles*
For those of you listeners that never heard of Amity Noceda, she’s actually one of my closest friends and the wife of… you guessed it… Luz Noceda, who was my first ever guest on the Podcast!”
Amity: “Your first guest? And I’m like… your twentieth?”
Gus: “Thirteenth to be exactly right. This tells me you don’t listen frequently.”
Amity: “I’ve listened to… a couple to be honest. I’ve only listened to the ones where I like, personally knew the guests. Like Luz’s, Eda’s, Willow’s an-“
Gus: “But you already know those people’s stories! Isn’t it more interesting to listen to people that you don’t know? Like, my guest from two weeks ago was someone who started his life as a criminal, but is now one of the most successful witches of the Isles!”
Amity: “I guess. *chuckles*I’m not disrespecting the Podcast now, am I? The ones I’ve listened to were really good ones, so I might have to give the other ones a try.”
Gus: *Laughs* “You’re not disrespecting the Podcast. I get it. So, let’s start the Podcast with a small summary of your life, like I do at the start of every Podcast.”
Amity: “Let’s hear it. I’m curious. We’ve known each other for more then ten years now, so you should know everything.”
Gus: “Don’t make me doubt myself about this, I’ve been a master of making summaries so far.”
Amity: “How do you make those for the people you haven’t met before?”
Gus: “Research.”
Amity: “But… Ho-“
Gus: “You’d known if you had listened to them, alright? We could discuss the behind the scenes later, maybe during the Podcast.”
Amity: “Okay.”
Gus: “So, today’s guest is Amity Noceda, 25 years of age, daughter of Alador Blight and wife of the famous human witch, Luz Noceda. Together you have two children with the third one on it’s way. By the way, do you know if it’s a girl or another boy already?”
Amity: “No, we don’t wanna know. We didn’t wanna know with our first two kids either. We love the surprise!”
Gus: “I kind of hope it’s a girl… Anyway, as of now you are an abomination engineer, working alongside your dad, but you used to have a desire to join the Emperor’s Coven! After meeting Luz the human, your current wife, you started to become a different person.
You started to realise that you needed to become the person you deep down always wanted to be. You and I became greatest friends and we eventually became part of what we call: the Hexsquad!
You are one of the strongest witches out there and definitely the strongest when it comes to duels, because you are a five-time winner of the Bonesborough Brawl, known as the Mighty Mittens!
Abomination magic is you specialty, but you’re also familiar with Glyph magic, learned from the one and only of course. You are a real family person that would do anything to protect them. Amity, I’m honoured to be your friend and I’m pleased that you wanted to be part of the Podcast.”
Amity: “Wow, I love that summary! And thanks for finally inviting me!”
Gus: *Laughs* “I wanted to invite you earlier to be fair, but Luz suggested me that I should vary with the guests that I bring on. Like, for example, not only inviting the people that I’m personally friends with at the beginning at the Podcast, but spread them out over seasons.”
Amity: “I get that.”
Gus: “Yeah, it makes more sense this way. But hey, I might have to invite you guys back again over the next seasons. Season one is almost over you know.”
Amity: “Ohh, so, you are like, taking a break after your… fifteenth guest?”
Gus: “Yup. But we’re not going to talk about my holiday plans this Podcast.” *Chuckles*
Amity: “I thought we were going on holiday together?” *Confused*
Gus: “Shhh, the listeners can’t know where we’re going. They might stalk us.” *quiet, sarcastic voice.*
Amity: “Ohhh, right, I’m sorry about that. You can… cut that part out, can’t you? Or are we live on air right now? In that case, Gus and I are not going on holiday together. I am going t-“
Gus: “I was kidding! I don’t mind if the listeners know that. Besides, I don’t have so many followers anyways. It’s not like they’re going to follow us to the location and ask for autographs.”
Amity: “Oh… well, do you get recognised often? I mean, surely you do, right? Luz and I get recognised sometimes, and I’ve heard that Willow and Hunter do.”
Gus: “Yeah, occasionally. But I don’t mind it at all. The people on the Isles are always super nice towards me.”
Amity: “Yeah, same! But sometimes I don’t mind getting a little privacy, you know? Especially when I’m out with Luz and the kids.”
Gus: “Have you ever had a bad experience then?”
Amity: “Well, one time, I think it was just after we had Jeremy, Luz and I-“
Gus: “For the listeners, Jeremy is Amity’s first born child.”
Amity: “Right, I think it was the first time Luz and I took him out for a walk or something. We were walking somewhere near… the Book Nook I think, and out of nowhere, some random guy pops out of a manhole and starts going crazy!”
Gus: “A manhole? What?” *Chuckles*
Amity: “I’m serious! The guy just came up and we got scared to death! Especially since we just became parents, so we were super protective of Jeremy. I remember myself getting incredibly angry at the guy and I almost made an abomination fist to punch him out of Bonesborough!”
Gus: “What did the guy do exactly? Did he recognise you guys from the sewers?”
Amity: “I think so? But he was nuts, like, the dangerous version of nuts, like, the Collector was while we were in the human realm. I genuinely think he could have grabbed Jeremy and run away with him.”
Gus: “Wow! What happened? Did Luz cast an invisibility glyph on you three so you could escape?”
Amity: “No, we were lucky. The Police was near and as it turned out, that guy was suffering from mental health issues and was put on probation. It’s kind of sad to think about, and I definitely wasn’t handling the situation the right way.”
Gus: “How was Luz?”
Amity: “Calmer. But that’s all she was. She was angry too, but mainly protective of Jeremy. I was mainly threatening the guy with things I would do if he wouldn’t leave as quickly as possible.”
Gus: “If the Police hadn’t shown up, do you think you would have…”
Amity: “Oh, definitely. Deep down I knew the guy was harmless, but if this guy was anything like… you know, the Collector was at some point, and he hurt Jeremy, I wouldn’t have lived with myself, so I was just… so angry and also a bit nuts.” *Laughs*
Gus: “I get that, you know. Not speaking from experience, but becoming a mother must have giving you another perspective on life, hasn’t you? I mean, you were always a protective person, sometimes overprotective, but a child is a different story.”
Amity: “Oh, definitely. Ever since Luz and I became moms, out kids have been the most important thing in life. I love them so, so much and I can’t wait to meet this little one.”
Gus: “Amity is referring to the child growing inside her belly, listeners.”
Amity: “Oh, right. *Laughs* I keep forgetting this is a Podcast instead of a television show.”
Gus: “You are not the first one. *Laughs* So, Amity, we will talk about your life as a mom later, but I want to start at the beginning. I’ve known you since I started at Hexside, probably around when I was… ten years old? But we became friends after Luz arrived and literally changed everything.
I would say all of our friends lives changed for the better after Luz’s arrival. But in your case, Luz really changed a lot in your life, for the better of course. I want to start talking about your life before Luz’s arrival, when your life was still dedicated to the Emperor’s Coven.
Amity: “You know, Gus, sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if she hadn’t shown up, and I think I would have ended up with a huge depression.
Luz was the perfect person to show up at the perfect time for me. I was miserable, but I didn’t realise it yet at the time.”
Gus: “She brightened up all of our life’s, and I think that, if Luz hadn’t shown up, the Draining Spell probably would have worked, you know? I mean, sure, Eda and Raine were suspicious, but without Luz, things would have never worked out.”
Amity: “Yup. I mean, I would have never gotten suspicious. I was getting ready to serve that monster. It used to be my dream to be his second hand, like Kikimora and Hunter used to be.”
Gus: “It’s crazy to think about, right? That one person can change so much.”
Amity: “So crazy. And to think that person is my wife. *Chuckles* It’s absolutely insane how much of an impact Luz has had on the everyone. And she’s so down to earth about it, you know?”
Gus: “Luz doesn’t consider herself higher or better then someone else and she doesn’t want people to treat her any differently just because she was such a big part of stopping Belos. But if you ask me, she’s a hero.”
Amity: “If you think Luz is a hero, then you should see yourself as a hero too, Gus.”
Gus: “Just because I helped Luz doesn’t mean I’m a hero, Amity.”
Amity: “Do you think I’m a hero? And what about Eda? Hunter? King and Willow an-"
Gus: “Well, yeah, it’s weird, but you guys are all heroes.”
Amity: *Laughs* “I have the same, Gus. I don’t see myself as a hero at all, but I think you guys all are, so that should make me a hero too.
*Laughs* It doesn’t really matter anyway.”
Gus: “Not really, but Luz feels like this too. It’s weird to really believe that you’re better then someone else, even when other people keep telling you are just because you helped stop someone bad.”
Amity: “I feel the exact same. If it weren’t us, it would have been some others.”
Gus: “It’s a rather interesting topic to think about, but right now I want to talk to you about your past.”
Amity: “Let’s do it!”
Gus: “So, Amity Noceda, you were born 25 years ago as the third child of the Blight family, which used to be one of the wealthiest families of the Isles. You grew up with a pair of older twins, Edric and Emira in a big mansion, which was named Blight Manor. You lived there the first fifteen years of your life, but after your parents got divorced, you started living with your dad, before you eventually settled with Luz.
Mittens, I would like to know: how was your childhood?”
Amity: “I would say that my childhood has two phases. The phase before and after my first friendship with Willow.”
Gus: “You used to be best friends with Willow. The captain of the Boiling Isles flyer derby team.”
Amity: “Yes, we were very best friends. Willow and I were inseparable, but after I was forced to break our friendship, things changed. And not for the better.”
Gus: “Who made you to end your friendship with Willow?”
Amity: “My parents, mostly my mom. I grew up with a very controlling and manipulative mother and a very distant father who basically did everything my mother told him to do. It’s sad to think about the life I had, but back then, I didn’t know any better.”
Gus: “But you knew your parents were wrong for forcing you all those things, or did you only realise that when you grew older?”
Amity: “You know, when Willow was forced out of my life, I was so, so sad. I cried in my room for days, maybe weeks, but I couldn’t do that in front of my parents for… many reasons.”
Gus: “You couldn’t stand up for yourself.”
Amity: “That was a no-go. If I did, I got punished badly and much worse, Willow would never get enrolled into Hexside.”
Gus: “Your parents had the ability to choose which children could attend Hexside.”
Amity: “They were part of the Parents Creature Association. That name was basically a cover. They could do all these things because they were so rich.”
Gus: “It was mostly your mom who was controlling your life, wasn’t she?”
Amity: “Yes. I don’t want to go into detail about the things she did when I was younger. The things she has done to me… and Edric and Emira… it’s better if I don’t speak about it. Let’s just say it was… bad.
Money and status meant everything to my mother. If you wanted to be successful, you had to be strict and follow the rules. her rules. Since I was pretty good at abomination magic at a very young age, my mother started to push the Emperor’s Coven into my head very early.
She used to tell me that being in the Emperor’s Coven would be the greatest achievement ever. That I would make the family proud. That I would become the greatest witch ever and become the Emperor’s right hand man.
And each year growing up, I started believing in that future. I started to genuinely want that future! I started to become my mother. I became cold, harsh… I basically became a bully. I hate the person I was, and even though I was being controlled by my mother, I blame myself for being that way.
Gus: “You know, being honest, I never really knew you, but after I met Willow and she told me about you, I really disliked you. But after experiencing your mother personally, I don’t blame you for the person you were. I’ve never met someone so… manipulative. She’s a psychopath and I feel so bad for you that you had a mother like that.”
Amity: “I… I get it. But my siblings Edric and Emira never became the slightest part of my mother. But I did. I don’t really know if they got controlled like the way I did, but they never became bullies. So that makes me wonder. Just wonder.”
Gus: “Did Edric and Emira used to wear the same necklace you wore? The necklace your mother gave you to communicate to you using her mind?”
Amity: “No.”
Gus: “Well, that alone proves me that they didn’t get controlled as much. I think it’s because they had each other and you were alone. Not ‘alone alone’, but like, Edric and Emira were inseparable. They had each other’s back and they could cover for each other. You didn’t have that, didn’t you?”
Amity: “I was never really close with Edric and Emira up until Luz showed up. They used to be a pain in my throat. But they saw that I was becoming a better person and because of that, I think they started to be there for me more.”
Gus: “Did they often stand up for you then?”
Amity: “No one did. I didn’t stood up for them either. Edric and Emira were scared of our mother as well.”
Gus: “Did you ever feel bad for them? When they got punished?”
Amity: “No, because I always felt like I got punished harder. It felt really unfair, but when I told my mom about it once, she… she hit me. Those moments felt so cruel and heartbreaking, and even though I knew that my mom was not right by doing so, I also felt like I deserved it, because I felt worthless.
I felt like I wasn’t good at anything, whereas the twins really stood out with their illusion magic. And they were good at it and they still could get away with their shenanigans! Deep down I felt al this pain, but from the outside I just… became a copy of her…”
Gus: “Has your mom… ever given you a compliment?”
Amity: “You know I always had to get the best grades, right?”
Gus: “Uhum.”
Amity: “If I didn’t get an A or A+, I got grounded often. So when I got home with those A’s, I was super happy so I thought I could show them to my mom and receive compliments, but I never got them.”
Gus: “What did she say then?”
Amity: “She would say something like, keep it up, you might become ‘Top Student’ one day.”
Gus: “Top Student. I know you used to value that badge very much.”
Amity: “I thought that once I got Top Student, I would be satisfied. I would be happy and receive my parents’ love and acceptance. I just never got it. But on the other hand, I was Top Student very briefly.”
Gus: “Really? I remember you always had that badge on.”
Amity: “I did when I had it, but it only lasted like a month or two. I did brag about it a lot. Just one of those things I’m not proud of. Like, who the heck does that? Brag about having a little star on your uniform?”
Gus: “Someone who’s trying too hard. Someone who’s trying to be someone she’s not.”
Amity: “Or someone who’s a psychopath… But you’re right. I was definitely trying too hard. Studying and training was my whole life until my fourteenth.”
Gus: “You studied to get good grades, and you trained to become a master abomination witch. You used to have Lilith Clawthorne as your mentor, right?”
Amity: “Yes, Lilith. She’s basically my aunt now, but she used to be my mentor. She would come over to the Manor to train me to become the greatest, most powerful witch ever! I used to look up to Lilith. What she did for the Emperor’s Coven was amazing and stuff.
I liked Lilith. She wasn’t as hard on my like my mother was. I felt at ease whenever she was with me. She used to tell me that I was great at abomination magic and that I had great potential. And she was nice to me. Whenever I made a mistake she’d explain what I did wrong, instead of casting an oracle spell on me to hurt me.
I felt like I could be myself more around Lilith. No judgement, but I still acted like the bossy version. Like the version I was around Boscha and the gang.
Gus: “Did Lilith ever told your parents about how great of witch you were?”
Amity: “Yes, and I was always so happy whenever she did. I was always like, come one Lilith, tell them, tell them! Tell them I was great!”
Gus: “Did you ever practice different kinds of magic with Lilith? You chose the abomination track at Hexside, but if you joined the Emperor’s Coven, you would have been able to perform every kind of magic.”
Amity: “My parents were very strict about the ‘one type of magic’ thing. They wanted me to become a master abomination witch first, before I could try out other types of magic.”
Gus: “So you were very strict yourself too? I remember myself that I was very afraid to perform other spells then illusions, because you would receive the nickname ‘Wild Witch’ really fast.”
Amity: “Yes, very strict. When I was little, when I didn’t quite understand the concept of one witch one type of magic yet, I used to try out oracle magic often. You know, since it’s my mom’s type of magic. I thought it be fun and harmless to try out some stuff, but when my mom saw me doing it, she punished me and said that if I’d ever do it again, I’d get petrified.
So I was frightened. I never performed different kinds of magic up until… glyph magic? Yeah, it really was glyph magic. *Laughs* To think that my first ever type of other magic were the glyphs I used to disgust.”
Gus: “I was also very scared of the whole petrifying thing. My dad was strict about it, too. I sometimes doubted whether illusions was the right path for me, but I never considered performing multiple types of magic. It were Luz and Eda that really opened my eyes about that.”
Amity: “I never really understood why the whole one witch one type of magic existed, but I just went with it. I believed Belos’ story and that’s why I was kind of afraid of Eda before I met her. Not just because she was a wanted criminal, but because she was known for being a wild witch.
It was part of our society. Now, it’s unthinkable that you’re limited to one type of magic. But ten years ago, we didn’t know any better. The sigils were the way to go. I dreamed of getting that Emperor’s Coven mark on my wrist. I thought that would be the start of my career. The start of feeling worthy.”
Gus: “So you’re childhood was all about the Emperor’s Coven. But since your mom pushed hat thought into your head ever since you were a kid, did you ever think about another future? Because deep down you didn’t want to join the Coven, right?”
Amity: “There were many times I had my doubts. Is this what my life is all about? My parents had planned my whole life for me since I was born, so sometimes I thought about my own desires, you know?
I loved my job at the library. That place was the one place I felt like I belonged. The people there were nice and reading to the kids was the highlight of my week. I felt satisfied there, so sometimes I thought to just stop training and become a full time employee there. *Chuckles*
All these feelings and thoughts got the best of me sometimes, so I often went to a secret hideout I had there. There I could just relax and clear my mind. I could be myself there.”
Gus: “You could hide there from the pressure.”
Amity: “Exactly. That damn pressure I carried with me everyday. I felt like people saw me as top student, so I felt like I had to act like that person. I had to pretend I was someone I deep down was not?
But every day, that pretending got easier and easier, because how more often you do it, the easier it gets. And plus, there was no one to tell me to stop being such a ****. Oops, am I allowed to say that? I’m not, am I.”
Gus: “It’s okay, I can bleep that word out. I like to keep the Podcast child friendly, which is ironic, since we’re discussing adult themes.” *Laughs*
Amity: “I wonder what the average ago of the listeners is. Not so low I think.”
Gus: “You’d be surprised.”
Amity: “Do you know that?”
Gus: “Yes! I have a system that can show me all kinds of statistics. I can show you after the Podcast.”
Amity: “I’m interested!”
Gus: “So, was there ever a time you felt bad? Like, you felt bad the way you acted?”
Amity: “Sometimes… I don’t think I was as big of a bully as Boscha, but I was definitely mean to people. I think I never bullied one single person, but I was just a bleep person to everyone? So I felt like if I wasn’t as bad as Boscha, I could justify it.
And it’s terrible to think that! I felt like I could justify the things that I did! Even to Willow. I would give her a sarcastic pep talk or something, you know, say things like: keep going champ and still feel good about myself.
And I know it has to do with my controlling upbringing, but still. I should have never become that kind of person. If I could be nice around the library, why couldn’t I be like that at school?”
Gus: “I think because you didn’t have to carry your status role with you to the library. You said that you felt that the library was the only place you could be yourself, right?”
Amity: *Sighs* “Yeah.”
Gus: “You didn’t have to prove yourself there. But at school, you had all these people that had expectations of you.”
Amity: “You’re probably right. There was no way I could have mentioned Azura or something at school. If I did, Boscha and co would pick on me and tell my parents and my parents would punish me and take away my library duty.”
Gus: “See? Amity, after you were forced to end things with Willow, you were surrounded by bad people. I’m not saying that those people are still bad, they’re the best right now, but you get what I’m saying?
I mean, if you hang out with bullies everyday all day, you will become one, wheter you like it or not. Did you ever had the guts to stand up to them?”
Amity: “When I was forced to be their friend, only the first couple weeks. I didn’t like them, but I had no choice but to make the best of it. If I got angry with them, they would just tell on me. So that was a no-go anymore.
If I look back on it now, they were never in the slightest friends of me. Compared to Willow, they were awful. But again, I let myself believe they were. I let myself believe that I could only hang out with powerful witches with status. That if I hung out with Half-a-Witch Willow, I would only get worse at magic.”
Gus: “Really? Did you think that if you were surrounded by worser witches, skilled wise, you would become a worser witch yourself.”
Amity: “I really did. How terrible is that? That’s why I was so disgusted of Luz at the beginning. A human with zero abilities? If I hung out with her, I would get sick or something.”
Gus: “Well, you did get love sick…” *Smirk*
Amity: *Laughs* “I got the best version of sick!”
*Laughing noises*
Gus: We’ll talk about Luz in a bit, but I still want to know some more about your childhood, before that human changed everything.”
Amity: “alright.”
Gus: “So, Amity, how was your relationship with your siblings? I know it couldn’t get any better present day, but you said you used to get very annoyed by them.”
Amity: “Ugh, so annoyed…”
Gus: “Your siblings, Edric and Emira, they used to be known for their pranks and shenanigans. How did… uhm… they get away with that kind of stuff? Like we know now, your parents were very strict, so how were they be able to do this?”
Amity: “Up until I was fourteen or fifteen or something, it was my biggest question. I didn’t get it.”
Gus: “I still remember that prank they pulled on the beach. Listeners, don’t do this, but Edric and Emira, Amity’s siblings, they used to trick people on the beach.”
Amity: “That was one of their best ones, Edric exclaims.”
Gus: “Listeners, they used to dig holes in the sand, big holes. So, every time they spotted their victim, they would use their illusion magic to cover up the hole and put snails on it. So whenever the victim would stand on the area where the fake snails were to grab them, the sand would disappear underneath them and fall.”
Amity: “I don’t get how you can tell this so joyful. This is bad! Don’t do this listeners!”
Gus: “You really hate pranks, don’t you?”
Amity: “Yup. But that’s because I always used to be the victim at home. And if I got mad, they would use their innocent voice to say: We didn’t do anything wrong, Mittens is just being a jealous little sister again!”
Gus: “Jealous as like…?”
Amity: “As like they were better witches then me. It might come as a surprise, but Edric and Emira excelled at magic ever since they were young. So jealous as like, they looked down on me for being a weakling and I looked up to them.
Gus: “Ohhh, I see. But I wonder, why did Edric and Emira never get trained the way you did? If they were talented witches, why didn’t they train for the Coven as well?”
Amity: “At the time I didn’t understand either, but they were in fact training to become Coven Heads of the Illusion Coven.”
Gus: “They… both were?”
Amity: “Yes. So if one failed, the other one could have crowned as Coven leader. My mom REALLY thought about that one. So if like, Edric was the better witch, he would have become Coven Head and Emira would probably work for Blight Industries.”
Gus: “This kind of reminds me of Eda and Liltith.”
Amity: “Ah, yes it does!”
Gus: “If you haven’t listened to Eda’s episode yet, Eda and Lilith Clawthorne both wanted to join the Emperor’s Coven in the past, but there was only one spot.”
Amity: “Yes, and in their case, that led to… scars…”
Gus: “That’s right. Becoming part of the Emperor’s Coven was the greatest achievement you could possibly get.”
Amity: “I certainly thought that. But I don’t really think Edric and Emira had that clear of a future in mind. That’s the reason they acted the way they did, I think.”
Gus: “You mean, pulling pranks on everyone.”
Amity: “Yes. A great lesson I learned throughout the years is… is that everyone’s different. Everyone acts the way they want and think what’s best. And feeling the same pressure they had as kids and as teenagers I had, they expressed themselves by messing with people.
Like I said before, I never understood… why they did all these crazy things and how they got away with it. But I realised it’s because that was their way of expressing themselves and being free. They also got punished a lot and grounded often, so pulling a prank on someone gave them a rush. It’s what they enjoyed to do in their free time.
And we didn’t have a lot of ‘free time’. After school we only had one or two hours free, before we needed to study or train. I usually went to my hideout to express my thoughts, but they usually went to town to mess around.”
Gus: “I really like how you described that. They must have felt the same kinds of pressures you did, and that was their way of acting out. Listeners, I’m definitely going to invite Ed and Em over for an episode soon, don’t worry.
So Edric and Emira’s way of expressing themselves was pulling pranks, but your way was being around the library. Could tell me somewhat more about what that place meant to you? And still means by the way, you still volunteer there sometimes. *Chuckles*
Amity: “The library used to be the only place I could be myself around. I loved every single thing about the library. The people, the job, the books, the atmosphere and of course my little hideout.
I started working at the library when I was thirteen years old. I got the job because of Mauphus, the Master Librarian. He offered me on time when I was studying there, and I studied there a lot.”
Gus: “You came there very often.”
Amity: “Yes, and I guess he saw that I really enjoyed hanging out there. He was also so nice towards me and I always to him and one day he just… offered me the job.”
Gus: “Did you accept it right away?”
Amity: “Without hesitation. My smile couldn’t have gotten bigger when he asked me.”
Gus: “And your parents were okay with it?”
Amity: “Yes. My mother thought it was a good opportunity for me to become more like an adult. And after I quit Grudby, I needed another thing to keep me busy.”
Gus: Oh yeah, I forgot about your Grudby past. *Chuckles* How often were you at the library on a weekly basis?”
Amity: “Almost every day, even when I didn’t have duty. That place really felt like a home to me, like… I belonged there.”
Gus: “Did you realise how happy the library made you back then?”
Amity: “Uhm… yes and no. Back then I also went there to be in my secret hideout to escape from the pressures. That place felt more like a… home, whereas my actual home felt like a prison. But back then I didn’t realise it, no.”
Gus: “Your own home felt like a prison. I can’t imagine how that must have felt.”
Amity: “With the experience I have now, it really was awful back at Blight Manor. But back then, I didn’t know any better. I thought that I would live like that my whole life and I’d be okay with it.
My future was planned for me, so I thought I would live like a royalty at the Emperor’s castle, with an arranged marriage. I didn’t dare to dream about a different one, because if I had those thoughts, I was scared my mother could read them and punish me very badly.”
Gus: “You were scared your mother could hear your thoughts? But your thoughts and feeling aren’t something to really destroy. You can try to push them away, but they always come back.”
Amity: “And I learned that. That’s why I had my diary. The one… ‘thing’ I could be honest towards. I could express myself in that little book. It felt so relieving writing about my day or week and about my feelings and thoughts.”
Gus: “You wrote in your diary in your secret hideout, right?”
Amity: “Always. I thought no one new about that place, so I it would be safe there. I feared that my parents would find it if I left it at home or something. Only Mauphus and I knew about the hideout, at least I thought…”
Gus: “Yes, Edric and Emira knew about it too. I remember that story. It was the night of the Wailing Star… We’ll talk about that night in a bit.
So what I’ve heard from you so far is that your life before Luz wasn’t great. You pretended to be someone you were not, and could only express yourself in your diary and through your work at the library.
You told me you didn’t dare to dream about a different future, but did you ever imagine what your ideal future could be if you were in charge?”
Amity: “Whenever I had different feelings and thoughts about my planned future, I’d get scared. You know, the scared like, if I have these thoughts, something bad will happen to me.
Sometimes I wondered what it would be like if I was still friends with Willow, what it would be like if I could share my enthusiasm about fanfiction and Azura… But I never considered them to come true. It were just … dreams. Unrealistic dreams.
I had to become this… specific person. And that was that. No exceptions. So daydreaming about me being Azura and falling in love with a beautiful girl? That was bad.”
Gus: “But did you have these feelings often? If it meant feeling scared, it must have been really confusing for you.”
Amity: “Yes, because I was told to be like this, be like that, this that, blab la bla. And because my mom always disgusted, absolutely disgusted people who like… were themselves and gave zero F’s about any one else, I began to disgust those people too! Even though I admired them as well! How conflicted?”
Gus: “I always saw you as… the perfect student. The one that always gets good grades, excels at magic and would become the Emperor’s right hand man. I think everyone saw you as that person. And it really stings me, too. Because behind that… mask, was someone who’s so lovely and caring…
I am so happy you got to be who you really are today, Amity. It shows that being around the right people is really important. I’m glad your mom is totally out of the picture now and… you haven’t spoken to her since… the Day of Unity, right?”
Amity: “I’ve seen her a couple times over the years, but I never talked to her again. She’s a horrible person and if she ever wants to reconnect with me… she… she… shouldn’t even try… What she did to me and my siblings… even to my dad. And to you guys and everyone else on the Isles… It’s unforgivable…
It shows it too. She didn’t care for me and the family. She only cared for Blight Industries and being a so called ‘royalty’. Not once has she told me she loved me or given me comfort. And I don’t really want to talk about her anymore, I think she doesn’t deserve to be mentioned more, even though I’m ranting right now. I don’t care if she listens, too. I’m sorry.”
Gus: “It’s okay, Amity. It’s sad, but I think it’s also good to sometimes talk about it, you know?”
Amity: *Sighs* “It makes me feel angry, it gives me bad memories. But it’s part of who I am today, whether I like it or not. I’m just glad I didn’t turn out anything like her in the end. Those years I was a copy of her, are in the past and that’s that.”
Gus: “I think you described that well. Now, I want to talk to you about your other parent, if that’s okay?”
Amity: “Yeah, nothing beats my mom. *Chuckles* I’m joking, my dad is the best right now.”
Gus: “Right now… but he wasn’t the greatest parent in the past either, was he?”
Amity: *Sighs* “No…. My dad was a very distant man. He wasn’t really part of my upbringing. He was just… there. I didn’t see him much, he was always making new products for the Emperor.”
Gus: “Your dad has his own company called Blight Industries, which makes abomination typed machinery. You work there as an abomination engineer at the moment, right?”
Amity: “Right. We make products like… blimps, security systems, motorcycles… and we make abominations that are designed to do jobs witches aren’t able to do, or are not willing to do.
The job I do varies to designing, constructing, testing, and selling al the types of products. It’s really fun to work alongside my dad."
Gus: “I’m sure it is! But back in the Emperor’s days, when you didn’t work there yet, the company used to be in your mother’s hand and sell products to the Emperor. Being the CEO of the company was very rewarding for your mother, wasn’t it?”
Amity: “Spot on. That company was my mom’s entire life. It gave her status and money. But my dad…I never really knew what he got out of it, besides the money of course.”
Gus: “You said he was working all the time, so you think he would be satisfied doing all the work, but was he? I mean, he likes his work, but he worked really, really hard…”
Amity: “”My dad used to work seven days a week. Bonkers, I you ask me. But again, back then it felt… normal. The life we all shared as a family. But you’re kind of right, yeah. Even though my dad liked inventing new stuff with abomination goo, the amount of work that he had to do and stress he was under, he never really felt satisfied.
My mother had high standards, so when the Emperor demanded new machinery, or ‘weapons’, she always assured them that we would be able to deliver very, very soon, like in two days or something. For example, when the Emperor demanded a new type of abomiton, my mom used to assure that my dad would build them a new one in one or two days, which is almost impossible. He worked his head off.”
Gus: “And because of that, you and your dad didn’t have a connection.”
Amity: “No, even though I used to kind of look up to him. A hard working man who didn’t complain and did stuff he liked. And he did like the work, just not in that circumstances. But anyway, because of all the work he did, me, Ed and Em never spend time with him.”
Gus: “And how did you feel about that? Your mom was the one in charge, but was he hard on you, too? As in, the same way your mom was?”
Amity: “No, never. But whenever I told him that it was unfair I got punished, he always used to say: Listen to your mother. So irritating. He was just going along with everything my mom told him to do. And it felt like he didn’t care. Didn’t care about us three.”
Gus: “Did he ever speak out?”
Amity: “Not that I can remember… no. I think he was scared, too. Listen everyone, my mom is probably the most manipulative and controlling person ever, and she was good at it. So whenever my dad doubted about if he could get the work done in time, my mom always assured him that if he didn’t, he’d be in big trouble…”
Gus: “But it wasn’t like she could punish him the same way she punished you.”
Amity: “No, but she sometimes… and I heard this afterwards from him… she sometimes threatened him with our freedom…”
Gus: “What? I never heard that? W-H-… In what way?”
Amity: “I don’t want to go into detail too much, but my parents marriage… was basically based on a business deal, crazy, but because of that, my mom had the upper hand. My mom was so good at thinking things through and reading people, it’s unbelievable.
Our parents’ marriage stated that me, Edric and Emira had to become part of Bligh Industries, if my dad no longer functioned. And by becoming part of the Industries, I mean literally working.
Gus: “Wow… so your dad was also protecting you guys by doing so much work?”
Amity: “Yes. He didn’t want us to become part of it… at least, not before we graduated Hexside. That man worked so much… He never got a weekend off and even worked when he was sick. Like, come one, who does that?”
Gus: “Someone who’s afraid.”
Amity: “Yeah… But also someone who’s naïve… He literally fell for everything my mom promised him. She promised him all kinds of stuff, but he never got it. He wasted his life to that monster.”
Gus: “I know he regrets it very much… He was young and stupid… Do you… blame him? For all of the years he wasn’t for you and Ed and Em?”
Amity: “I… know he regrets that more then anything. He’s been nothing but a wonderful dad and grandad ever since he got rid of my mom. But yeah, sometimes I wish he was there for me.
He didn’t know me. It felt like he didn’t care. And I looked up to him. Whenever I asked him something like… something about his life as a fighter at the brawl, he always said he had no time. He was busy.
So… *Sighs It’s also in the past, you know? It’s not like I can go back in time and tell him to pay more attention to his kids. And he knows that, too. I’m glad we worked the stuff out and became a family. A happy family, and that’s what’s important.”
Gus: “It sure is. I’m happy for you. I always have a hard time imagining a life like that. Your home should be the one place you feel safe and at peace. So it really saddens me that you went trough all of this.
I grew up with only my dad, after my mom passed away a couple days after I was born. So, I don’t know what it’s like to have another parent. But my dad… it felt like he also was the other parent I never had.
He was always there for me. When I was feeling down or had doubts about skipping a grade… he always knew what to say and still does. Shout out to my dad by the way. And to you Alador.”
Amity: “Yeah, shout out to you! *Chuckles* You know… my mom always used to talk trash about your dad. Whenever he was live on the Crystal Ball, she always complained about how pathetic he was.”
Gus: *Laughs* “Really? Awww, dad, do you hear that, Odalia thought you were pathetic!
Did she… did she like certain people? Besides the Emperor of course.”
Amity: “Up until I behaved, I guess me. And Edric and Emira. And my dad. I just don’t think she loved anyone.
When I started to rebel against her, she immediately showed she didn’t love me one single bit. Punishing was all she did. Ugh, I’m ranted so much about her, didn’t I? Is it time for the other topic already?”
Gus: “Yeah, I think you talked about your parents and about your life as a kid enough. *Chuckles* It’s time listeners…
It’s time to talk about Amity’s life when a certain human girl showed up as a fake abomination…
But we’ll do it after the break!”