#RPGaDAY2026: Day 16 Composure

Composure is not the same thing as calm.There is a difference between having composure and being calm. Calm is the absence of fear. Composure is when you are terrified, angry, heartbroken, or worn out, yet you are aware of all the eyes on you. So you take a breath, put your back straight, and level your voice. You get on with what has to be done.I would say that is very Jackson. In Jackson, IL, one needs composure to survive. It is what the cheerleader puts on her face for something truly awful. It is the witch in class after she has made eye contact with a ghost. The child who can tell the teacher is not being honest but has no way of putting it into words. Or the friend who insists "I’m fine" because a tear now could set off a flood.Witches find it to be a form of practical magic as well. You need focus for your rituals and attention for your wards; panic will break a circle. A witch may be in a right fury or grieving or frightened half to death. But once the candles are going and…