#i'm screaming but i'm having fun

[lunastarhawk]

Dancing with Ice and Shadow

Part 26 of Julian post-route series Tides of Memories

I struggled a bit but found my va-va-voom eventually. It's finally coming together. I think.

Summary

Julian and Altheia finally find everything they need to complete the ritual to break the spell holding back Julian's memories of their past. But as Asra's last secret is revealed, with potentially devastating consequences, they find that the stakes are far higher than any of them could have imagined.

Excerpt

The tug on her magic was becoming uncomfortable, and she realised it was leading her to the desk.  She sifted through some of the papers and pages of Julian’s book that he’d left there, and then ran her hand over the leather of his belt, its pouches, the spyglass, the compass… but no, that wasn’t what was pulling her.  Frowning, she opened the drawers beneath the desk, though she was certain that she and Julian had thoroughly checked them when they’d explored the ship; and indeed, they were empty. But just as she started to close the largest drawer in the centre of the desk, a sound like the wind chimes in her bedroom window touched the back of her mind.  She pulled the drawer out as far as it would go, reached inside and felt around; and found an indentation at the back.  She pressed it, and a secret compartment popped out.  The tug on her magic stopped as she reached inside. Her fingers brushed over a smooth leather surface - a book, she realised, and carefully pulled it out, pushing some of Julian’s papers aside so she could lay it on the desk and shoving the drawer closed with her hip.  The pre-dawn light was still dim, and so she cast an orb of light above her, illuminating the dark red leather cover with lettering that might once have been gold-leaf but was faded from use, the cover itself worn at the edges.  But she could still make out the title; Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris Altheia bit her lip, a tremor running to her hands, her heart pounding and thundering in her ears.  She opened the book to somewhere in the middle, and let the pages slowly slip past her thumb towards the front cover.  There were charts and tables of numbers she supposed were coordinates, symbols she didn’t recognise, the names of stars, planets and constellations she did recognise but couldn’t fathom the context.  Here and there, notations were scribbled in pencil in handwriting she couldn’t read and didn’t linger on.  Despite not recognising it, it was all… familiar, somehow.   A cold, numb sensation troubled the base of her skull as the realisation crept over her.  It was hers.  Like the pennywhistle and hat they’d found in the chest below decks, with Julian’s vielle, relics from their distant, forgotten past.   She reached the inside cover, and held the first page down with one finger.  There, the title was printed again, bold against the well-thumbed and crinkled paper.  But beneath it, a simple scrawl scratched with quill and ink in a hand she recognised.  Her breath left her in a rush and came back in a gasp, and she pressed her hand over her mouth as she read; May the stars guide you Yours always ~ J.

The rest is on AO3! :)

[meerphanim]

Cogito Ergo Sum.

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[eyes-of-nine]

draws P instead of actually playing the game bc I suck at combat so badly

commission info

[ruby-static]

Anyways. Arcade's dork-ass 'heh'.

[yesokayiknow]

human au. some of these guys spend too much time on here and it shows

[galactichoneybee92]

Not to sound like a boomer on main, because I love my phone- I do. But I really miss the day when I could hang out in public without having to hear everyone else's phones. I don't care if there are babies crying (because babies cry sometimes) or if other people are having conversations (because that's what people come to cafes and such to do) but hearing tinny little phone sounds blasting out loud out of their speakers drives me insane. I'm only in my 30's, why are you making me complain about how things were "back in my day" like I'm 80? Public phone noise is prematurely aging me. Send help.

[peachblossomdrama]

Brokenhearted Tae x the Art Department Bonus:

[hellolulu]

[Damian in the Minecraft server excitedly showing Jon his extensive (and ethical) farms that he made while Jon was banned from Minecraft to focus on studying for tests at school]

Jon: ... yeah, you're so shit at Minecraft. Looks nice though!

Damian: ?! what do you mean? I worked hard on these????

Jon: *sigh* I'll show you what a real Minecraft farm looks like!

[Jon brings him to his "farm" and proudly shows off the fact you cannot tell the pixels apart as there are so many animals in one spot]

Damian: I....... have no words for this. Our friendship is about to end over this. Think of their feelings.

Jon: but this is how you play Minecraft 😭😭 next you're going to tell me you don't even eat the animals at your farm and they're just decorative 😭

Damian: I'M A VEGETARIAN. 😡😡😡😡 I MAKE BREAD. 😡😡😡😡😡😡 LOG BACK OUT. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[tswwwit]

Oh, this fic will be easy, I said. Maybe 10k words, I said.

I just need some quick setup, the fool japed.

[hooked-on-elvis]

[sudden-memory-loss]

I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who convinced me to watch doc. I understand why hermits think it's so fun to mess with him now

[lunastarhawk]

When the Stars Align

Tides of Memories part 27

I had a lot of fun with this part, I feel like I reconnected with Julian and Altheia again, and moved the story on to a good place. It's the first of three climaxes to the past two years of work, with shenanigans and smut along the way. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out :)

Summary

After an early birthday party in the newly-renovated rooftop garden, Julian and Altheia set sail for Nevivon aboard their new ship. But before the end of their voyage, the stars align, and Julian is able to put everything he has learnt about the sea, the stars, magic and himself, towards a spell that could change their lives forever.

This is effectively a loooonnnggg rewrite of the 'one month later' scene in Julian's route's epilogue, if you squint.

Excerpt

“I should be wearing something more… wizard-y,” he said as he worked.  “Don’t you think?” Altheia raised an amused eyebrow.  “‘Wizard-y’?” “Yes!  Like a robe.  Bright and gaudy colours.  Maybe a hat.” He smiled as he heard Altheia’s laugh.  “Brightly coloured robes and hats aren’t a requirement for magic use, my love.” “All the fortune tellers and magicians doing tricks in Goldgrave seem to think they are.” As Julian talked, he crossed the deck back to the desk and took the bottles of ink and four clean quills from the drawer. “That’s just for show,” Altheia said, humouring him.  “They’re just trying to attract customers, make a show of it.” “I suppose I don’t need to make a show when it’s just you and I, hmm?” “And I!” That voice, lilting and velvety, startled Julian so hard he nearly dropped the ink bottles.  He hurried back to where he’d laid out the papers, set the bottles down, and then leaned forward onto the stern rail.  There, narrow head raised a little out of the water, was the serpentine form of the Knight of Cups.  

“Oh!”  Julian exclaimed.  “It’s you!” “It is!” Something like a grin pulled the Knight’s lipless, jade-green mouth.  “I couldn’t keep my curiosity at bay, I’m afraid.” Julian suspected that wasn’t really the reason for the minor Arcana’s appearance.  “How are you here?  Shouldn’t you be in the Cups realm?  I thought the Arcana couldn’t travel between realms?” “Questions, questions!”  The Knight twirled in a circle as he chuckled.  “Did you forget?  Only the Major Arcana are so restricted.  The rest of us can travel as we please.  My realm is wherever there is water.  That’s why you’re here!  In the sea!  Well… not in the sea.  Floating on it.  But close enough.” Beside the Knight, two purple-blue betta fish the size of Julian’s torso suddenly jumped out of the water in an arc; Julian recognised them. “The Two of Cups, is it?” “Yes!  They’re here, too.” Julian thought back to a few weeks ago, when he’d pulled the Two of Cups from Asra’s tarot deck while travelling in a carriage with him.  Asra told him it represented the bond between Julian and Altheia, and realised that the strength of the bond was, in effect, the result of what had amounted to a deal between each other when they’d confessed their love for each other while chained by the Devil.  He realised then that neither the Knight nor the Two were there out of simple curiosity.   “The magic you seek relies on emotion,” the Knight said breezily.  “Yours and Altheia’s.  That’s why you’re here, on a ship, close to the realm of Cups, the realm of emotion.  Do you see?” Julian stared for a moment into the golden eyes of the Arcana.  “I… do.  I think.” The eel-like form of the Knight rose up out of the water, enough to be almost at eye level with Julian.  His gaze flicked down Julian’s body from head to foot and back again, and in an almost melancholic tone he said, “A shirt and trousers?  I would have gone for something with a little more… panache.” “Something wizard-y?  Brightly coloured robes?” “Yes!  And maybe a hat.” Julian turned and looked back at Altheia with a ‘told you so’ grin. 

The rest is on AO3 :)

[sysig]

Two big softies(?) (Patreon)

[cassandrva]

on an emotional payoff level, the game of kings is more powerful than heroin

[akai-anna]

Round 1

Round: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

[kikiteaa]

I'm sorry for drawing Billy Loomis in a maid dress ironically, it will not happen again. Didn't think I'd bother some people ☹️