celestialdetected

[celestialdetected]

Arawn pauses for a moment, then nods back at the bird. It feels strange, to direct something so formal at an animal, but it had bowed first so-

He shakes his head, clearing it of the odd train of thought and focuses his attention back on Age. "The world is certainly changing," he agrees. "And not for the better, that's for fucking sure."

He runs a hand through his hair, wincing at the tangles and the sheer amount of grime there. "Now, I don't know about you but I could use a drink. I know of a Harper stronghold not far from here, if you'd care to join me on the road?"

With the raven on his shoulder, Age was able to see the other extend a hand, reaching out to take it. His grip wasn't particularly strong, but it was good enough.

"Age'ian Nymros, but just Age is fine. And my familiar here is Era." The bird gives a polite bow of her head. "I've been in more scraps recently than ever in my long life. Don't know if I should be proud to have lasted this long, or frightened by how dangerous the world has suddenly become--"

[celestialdetected]

Arawn heard his mother's voice in his head, chiding him about accepting strange potions from strange men, but, well, she had never been chased halfway across the city by enraged cultists, so she didn't get a vote.

He took the potion, uncorked it, and sniffed warily. It had that sharp, medicinal scent that all healing potions carried. Still, he raised a wary eyebrow at the stranger and said;

"If this is poison I will haunt you, and I will be annoying as shit about it." Then he knocked the potion back, downing its contents.

Immediately he felt his wounds knitting back together, that uncomfortable itching feeling that came with accelerated healing. He prodded his side experimentally, and only felt the sting of newly healed skin.

"Well, look at that. Thank you, stranger," he held out a hand. "Arawn Howell, private eye."

The human raised an eyebrow curiously at the mention of the cult, memories of the Angel of Irons fiasco flashing through his mind, but that was a couple of years ago by now. He considered the man before him, taking in his haggard appearance and clear exhaustion. Though wary, Caleb's natural inquisitiveness won out.

"The Tangles, you say? I don’t know much of the cults there, though such things often fester in the shadows here," he replied carefully.

The wizard cautiously approached the stranger, pulling a small bottle from his coat. "Here. Drink this, it will help hold you over." He offered the healing potion as a gesture of good faith. It would not do much to cure the poison, but it would heal him enough to hang on in the meantime.

Thought he watched the man's reaction closely. If he accepted the potion, perhaps they could have a civil conversation about this mysterious cult. There were few problems in this world that could not be solved with the right application of knowledge and magic. And Caleb had plenty of both at his disposal, should this encounter take a more… dangerous turn.

[celestialdetected]

"I give up. I see no point in living if I can’t be beautiful."

Arawn rolls his eyes so hard they hurt. A thud from behind him tells him that the prince has swooned dramatically to emphasize his point. Fucking drama queen. Arawn considers, not for the first time, pushing him into a river. 'I'm so sorry your Royal Majesties, your son did not survive the journey, a terrible accident truly.'

Remember the paycheck Howell, it could set you up for life

"It's just a bit of dirt, Your Majesty," he sighs, squatting next to him. "You'll live."

@countercharmd

[celestialdetected]

Arawn fights dirty. He has no formal combat training, he taught himself how to use the weapons he fights with, and being short and not very strong his method is "anything that'll get me the upper hand". He'll bite, scratch, throw dirt in his opponent's eyes, anything to make sure he wins. He WILL kick you while you're down, he will go just a little too far to make sure someone he put down doesn't get back up. He fights like a feral street cat.

[celestialdetected]

Arawn laughs, delighted that his trick worked and scrambles out of the tangle of limbs, trying to put as much distance between himself and Flo, dashing past their firepit and towards the treeline.

He glances over his shoulder, grin bright as the flames themselves. "What's the point of that? If I play fair, you'll win."

It's true. Flo is stronger than him, and though he's good in a scrap he won't be able to hold his own against a trained warrior for very long. So he has his tricks, and he plays them well.

lucky. the word sticks with florence. they are lucky, aren’t they? it’s rare to find someone that feels like home. rarer, they think, to find someone that will accept the bad and good in the same hand. 

“ am i ? ” another round of laughter, and they think they’ve won. “ i guess i am, especially since – ”

arawn stumbles. florence has a moment’s concern before their wrist is caught, and the world tilts. oh, you bastard! too comfortable in their assumed victory cost their footing. unfortunately, it might have cost them the prize, too.

somewhere between stunned and panicked, florence tries to scramble out of the pile. “ that was a dirty trick, arawn ! ” not that they have room to talk; tricks up their sleeve are just as annoying. “ shouldn’t you have learned to play fair by now ? ”

[celestialdetected]

Update on the Neil Gaiman situation, before this broke my partners and my housemates went in on a gorgeous Easton Press copy of Stardust for my birthday. It came in today. And i adore it because they gave it to me but *sigh* yknow?

[celestialdetected]

He's here. Than's here. But he wasn't always here. He'd been ripped away, and if it happened once it could happen again. Than's here, but that's no guarantee that he will be in the future. But Than's a god, he's not supposed to be fallible. He's not supposed to be temporary.

And that's why Arawn's shaking, he's just so angry.

"You're here," Arawn agrees, taking a deep breath and trying to release some the tension that was locking his muscles. "I'm glad that king is dead, if he weren't I'd kill him myself," Arawn promises, his voice low and vicious.

"I cannot believe he took you from me."

HE WOULD LOVE TO MAKE MEANING OUT OF THE SITUATION, because that would mean it wasn’t thanatos’ fault, but that simply isn’t true. he was foolish and arrogant. a single moment of weakness, an iota of compassion, and the fabric of the universe unravels and launches the world into absolute chaos. the truth is, thanatos is entirely to blame. for all of this. for their own suffering and for the suffering of the thousands who were forcibly bound to the mortal plane.

maybe the pain is his punishment, for being so careless.

but arawn is sweet to try and convince them otherwise. it's sweet of him to hold thanatos in his arms, press gentle kisses to his clammy skin, mutter reassurances into his ear. he appreciates it, but he doesn't believe it. it could be the aches in his body or it could be the shame eating at his heart with every syrupy word from arawn's mouth but something makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“you’re shaking," they instead say, moving to press a palm against arawn's cheek again. "it's okay. i'm here."

[celestialdetected]

This had to be the prince's form of torture. He couldn't stop Arawn from dragging him home, so he decided to torment him psychologically. Devious little bastard. Arawn eyed the trees, wondering if he ran at them with enough speed if he could knock himself out. It might be the only way he got a few minutes peace.

Still, he answered, because...why not. He pulled his duster aside, showing the chain sickle looped at his side, it's crystal blade gleaming with radiant light. "Probably slit your throat, quick and quiet, and hey, bonus, you would stop talking."

A beat of silence. Then. "So how would you kill me, if you were to attempt it?"

Oh, but didn’t Arawn know how much he hated the silence? Surely he had to. Surely this was some sort of punishment — as if being dragged back home wasn’t enough. Serendipity was at least stunned into a brief silence at the threat, which got a simple scoff from him at first.

Said silence lasted for a good while — but hardly five minutes. It was technically four, when he finally spoke up again. “ If you were to kill me…how would you do it? Out of curiosity. “

[celestialdetected]

Well, the stranger didn't attack outright, so that was a point in his favor. And Arawn was wounded, he could feel the poison creeping through his veins but he didn't have the time, or the energy left, to cast a Restoration. He hated this, he felt like a cornered animal with the trap ready to snap tight around him.

"Fine," he ground out, lowering his blade but still holding it out, ready to strike if this turned out to be a particularly sneaky cultist. Then, in case this was a random civilian he'd just accosted, Arawn added; "Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you."

He pressed his hand to his side, trying to staunch the blood flow. He could drain the last reserves of his healing magic, but he was loathe to do so, just in case he needed it later.

Or someone else needed it more.

He sighed, leaning heavily on the red brick of the alleyway, and closing his eyes, letting himself have a moment of rest. "Say, friend, you don't happen to know anything about a particularly nasty cult based out of the Tangles?"

@celestialdetected | cont.

Caleb Widogast had been through his fair share of battles, but as the years passed, he found himself growing accustomed to the calm life of a professor. Though there were days when he longed for the thrill of adventure and missed his friends, he had grown to truly appreciate teaching.

His classroom, with its walls lined with books and the scent of parchment in the air, had become a second home to him. He reveled in the curiosity and eagerness of his students, relishing in their thirst for knowledge. It was a stark contrast to the chaotic and dangerous life he once led with the Nein, but he could not deny that this new path brought him a sense of fulfillment.

As the long day finally drew to a close, he trudged through the streets, his mind still filled with various arcane studies… when rather unexpectedly, a sharp object pressed against his throat, snapping him from his thoughts. The wizard recoiled at the blade held to his throat, raising his hands defensively. “Ach, easy there, friend.”

Blue eyes darted down to the bloody tear in the man’s tunic where he had clearly been stabbed. “I do not want to start a fight, and you are obviously wounded… so, why don’t we have a conversation instead?”

As so long as he does not attack, then Caleb would possibly offer a healing potion.

[celestialdetected]

BIRTH

IT TWAS MY BIRTH THANK YOU!!!!

[celestialdetected]

As someone who daydreamed about getting Neil Gaiman to read/review a book I wrote one day I am a little gutted about all thats going on.

[celestialdetected]

𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐋'𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 (a collection of prompts from the 2004 movie Howl's Moving Castle. Feel free to adjust phrasing and gendered terms as necessary.)

"You're beautiful!"

"It's hideous!"

"Give it to me."

"What a dump."

"Now I'm repulsive."

"I can't live like this."

"You saved me, (name)."

"I missed you too, (name)."

"A heart's a heavy burden."

"You really want it that badly?"

"I don't care if you're a monster."

"What difference does it make?"

"It's a present for you. Come see."

"I've never felt so peaceful before."

"I was looking everywhere for you."

"You didn't have to come back, (name)."

"There you are, sweetheart, sorry I'm late."

"Don't be alarmed, but I'm being followed."

"You are by far the tackiest thing here."

"Please, (name). I know I can be of help to you"

"I feel terrible, like there's a weight on my chest."

"Seems everyone in this family's got problems."

"Now I’ve got something I want to protect. It’s you."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't torment my friend."

"Here’s another curse for you — may all your bacon burn."

"You sound ghastly, like some 90-year-old woman."

"I give up. I see not point in living if I can’t be beautiful."

"I'm so sorry but that would be confidential information."

"He's calling the spirits of darkness… I saw him do this once before when a girl dumped him!"

[celestialdetected]

bitches i'm 24 now.

[celestialdetected]

Arawn, who can think of nothing he'd like more than his daughter in his arms and to never have to take up arms again, shakes his head. "Fucking strangest thing I've heard all day."

But he understood, somewhat, because there was that adrenaline rush, that post-battle high that had him grinning and giddy, with the insane urge to go and find another scrap.

"You fought damn well," he says, holding out a hand. "Arawn, Arawn Howell."

The tiefling's eyes had a soft glow to them as he held concentration on the moonbeam, causing it to move and pick off the last of the shadows before things were momentarily quiet again. With no visible threats, Era cawed and flew back down to her caster who dropped the spell with a sigh.

"I doubt it." he chuckled, "Unless you happen to be from the Underdark." An odd thing for a tiefling to say, but he let the comment pass as he rolled his shoulders. "Been a while since I've had to fight. Is it odd to say it's a bit fun?"

[celestialdetected]

The prince would not. stop. talking. About everything. About anything. By the end of day three Arawn longed for silence in a bone deep, aching way, he thought that the long stretches in the isolation cells had beat out of him.

But no, apparently not.

"Look, if you're trying to get me to kill you before I drag you back home to mommy and daddy, this is..." a sigh. "Honestly, a great way to go about it. Please, five minutes of quiet, your highness."

@countercharmd for our royalty au!

[celestialdetected]

Arawn's actually very self-conscious about his eyes. They're sort of hawk-gold and look very out of place on a human face. So, what I'm saying is, someone should hold his face in their hands and tell him they're beautiful

[celestialdetected]

Again Arawn blinks. Then, he gives into his first urge and laughs. Poor, sorry bastard, truth serum's pack a hell of a punch, especially the one Jaheira favors. It's meant to find to every truth, however buried. And hell, Arawn might be a terrible person, but it is funny to witness.

"Yeah, that wouldn't have been my choice, but I can't argue with the results." He shrugs, one-shouldered, then does something monumentally stupid at puts a hand on Puck's shoulder. "Don't worry, lots of people here chose their name, hell, I did. Doesn't make it any less mine."

He thinks briefly about the little girl he never was, the little girl who answered to a name that wasn't his. Poor little thing.

And of course, thinking about anything from his past makes him want a drink, desperately. So he hooks a thumb at the bar. "Do you want a drink that isn't spiked? You look like you need one."

relief washes over him as arawn spins his embarrassing slip of the tongue into a joke, smoothing over any potential awkwardness from being too honest—even if his laugh sounds bitter. puck is starting to understand why the others would disapprove of willingly drinking truth serum. 

he doesn’t have anything equally as witty to quip in reply, so he goes straight for the introduction instead. ‘ puck. ( i think. ) i don’t know, actually. it’s possible i just made that up. ’ oh, gods. he’s still talking. ‘ you know, i’ve been wandering around this whole time, saying my name is puck, & i don’t even know if that’s TRUE. i mean— ’  finally, he manages to shut his mouth. all right, so not his best introduction in the world, but still not his worst. that should count for something. he clears his throat, scratches behind his ear. ‘ sorry, i just drank a truth serum because i’m a fucking idiot. ’  an idiot who thinks he doesn’t have secrets. oh, good job, puck. you kept that one to yourself.