#“I'm in a glass case of emotion” as we ancient ones used to say

[xhollowfaerie]

celebrating my return to my roots (after like, a literal decade) with THESE CRAZY DAV SCREENSHOTS?! I CAN'T BELIEVE I CAUGHT THEM LOOKING AT EACH OTHER LIKE THIS AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M FOAMING AT THE MOUTHHHHH!!!!

[jolynreblogs]

Lost and Found

Ehhhh not much to say about this one, other than it was a small concept that became a really looooong fic. Enjoy! tags @mcdomii and runs away (Masterpost: https://mcdomii.tumblr.com/post/180578210717/insomniascrooge-au-master-post don't kill me)

"Movie Night!" Louie exclaimed, holding up a tape that he found in Scrooge's garage. After days of persuasion, he had finally convinced his Uncles for a day staying up together to watch a movie. Scrooge agreed readily, having nothing else to do at night besides staring at the ceiling, but Donald was a hard one, mostly because he was against the idea of the kids staying up late. Everyone gathered around the living room for their first movie night in months, except Dewey. Wondering where he went, Scrooge left halfway through the movie.

Dewey was in his room, gazing at the stars longingly, before unpacking the bag he and his brothers found at Castle McDuck. "I miss you so much, Mom…" He said, hugging Della's clothes. Closing his eyes as tears formed in his eyes, he tried to enjoy the time alone he had to grief. Everything had been so hectic lately, he didn't know what to feel about it anymore. A tear dropped, landing on a cracked camera lens in the bag. Opening his eyes again, he found it at a discrete corner of the bag. 'This is new?' Dewey thought, as he wiped away the tears on his eyes, carefully picking it up. Imprint on the lens was the camera's brand number, OP131000.

"Wait, I've seen that number before, but where?" Dewey questioned aloud, rubbing the stray tear that landed on it. After staring for a while, a sudden realisation came to him, causing him to run out of his bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Scrooge was turning the mansion upside down trying to look for Dewey. He had already checked the kitchen, where they would usually go for snacks, the dinning room even though he have no idea why Dewey would be in there, and even his own room! In case Dewey was snooping around trying to look for something, but to no avail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opening the creaking door, Dewey found himself back in the place where Scrooge first locked him up, the attic. It was as dusty and old as he remembered, with sheets covering any object that was there. Curiosity driving him, Dewey looked under the sheets, throwing them off if he could, though it often ended up with the sheet above him. The room had more to what it seemed, there was even a piano under one! Getting distracted, he wiped off the dust around it, playing a few notes, before jumping off to search under the other covers.

After a few minutes, he had uncovered everything, except the one beside him. Coughing the dust out he had accumulated, he angrily kicked his leg in defeat, frustrated that he couldn't find what he was looking for. What he didn't expect was a shearing pain as his leg hit something hard. Holding the urge to scream, Dewey looked down, finding a small part of a video camera exposed beneath the sheets. The imprint on the camera lens was the same as the one he was holding.

'Is this Mom's one?' He thought to himself, bringing the sheet up high enough just for himself. Behind it, he found the rest of the video camera, and a box containing old fashion tapes with one titled 'The Golden Chicken.' Intrigued, Dewey pulled out the camera and the box of tapes, carrying it down to the garage to watch them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The television flicked a couple of times, emitting white noise as the tape was put in, showing how old it is. Once it stopped, a temple that was seemingly in the middle of a forest was in the background. "Is this thing working?" A voice, seemigly female, echoed around the place. The camera was then panned to the foreground where three ducks, one carrying a heavy backpack was seen.

Della: Donald it's on!

Donald: Great, now help me with these please!

The female duck ran towards her brother, carrying some of the weight for him. An old duck with glasses moved closer, inspecting the camera.

Scrooge: I never knew I would see this running again, how did you do it, Lass?

"I have my ways." The female duck answered, as she carried the camera up. It was now facing front, focusing on the little features of the temple.

Della: Mind telling our viewers what this temple is, Uncle Scrooge?

Scrooge: Well, according to this book, they had a civilization with chocolate and rubber, as well as corns, avocados and tomatoes. It was the magnificent capital that the mighty monteplumage ruled. I've read everything about it but the book never told me how wonderful the temple structure is though!

Donald: They should've built escalators...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking around aimlessly through the hallways, Scrooge was still trying to find Dewey. With his insomnia kicking in once again, he no longer knew where he was, and thought he was hallucinating when he saw light emitting from the garage at the corner of his eye. Nevertheless, Scrooge went to check it out, hoping that Dewey would be in there.

"Lad, what are you doing in there, it's time for movie night-!" Scrooge asked, opening the door. He found Dewey blocking the tv, innocently looking at him. Annoyed, he snatched the tape Dewey was holding, reading it.

Della: These people were no strangers to gold, but… a chicken?

SQWAK

A wave of uncertainty and confusion hit Scrooge as soon as he knew that the tape on and the one he was holding was one of Della's tapes. Holding himself together, he nervously asked his nephew, "…It's movie night.., you coming, Lad?"

Dewey: I'm.. not really in the mood..

"That's alright, though if you change your mind…?" Scrooge offered, solemnly walking out of the room. He knew nothing will ever be the same after the rest of the family knew **that**, but sometimes, he wished everything was back to normal, he wished his family was the same.., he wished he was the same old, smart, adventuring uncle they knew.. He sighed, tired of feeling this way.

Dewey: Wait.. Uncle Scrooge, do you want to watch these with me?

Scrooge's face brightened up at the question. 'Did he?' He wondered, he had never watched any of his niece's tapes before and after all, he had nothing else to do at 12:35am other than chug more redbulls. He didn't know if he could stand seeing Della again, bearing the blame of what happened to her but then again, guilt and grief was a common and normal emotion to have around. Finally deciding to accept the offer, he walked back into the room, taking a seat beside Dewey.

Donald: Della you reckless akdbskbekdhdg will you two stop catching up on your reading and get this chicken offa me before it starts its own airline?! Put it back in a cage or something!

Della: Donald will you can it? It's not going back in any cage unless there's one that's a size of a hanger!

The screen moved up and down, shaken by the vibration the chicken made when chasing Donald. Occasionally, there were blurred images of the beast and Donald running around, due to how old the camera was.

Scrooge: That's not totally true.

Della: Huh, what do you mean, Uncle Scrooge?

The camera was seemingly suddenly picked up and now, it was facing the old duck.

Scrooge: According to these inscriptions, if we follow these instructions, we can get a bigger cage to contain it!

The screen moved, focusing on the inscriptions that were mentioned beforehand, moving as Della and Scrooge follow where they lead. Given how late it was, Dewey was starting to fall asleep, leaning on his Uncle. Noticing this, Scrooge shook him awake. "Lad, wake up, this is one of the best parts." The screen was now showing a wall with ancient shapes.

Della: Uncle Scrooge, can you take this for me? I know I can solve this.

Scrooge: Alright, good luck, Lass!

Dewey jolted awake, "Uhh…?" seeing his mom on tape, solving the puzzle in a few minutes. He couldn't believe his eyes, 'She was that fast?' he thought. He always knew his mom was great but this, this was a new level. "Is she always this good?" He asked, wondering if this was normal.

Scrooge: Yup, she had the ability to read the situation and see all the shortcuts and possibilities. Ya know… I think a brother of yours inherited that trait.

Dewey immediately knew who he was talking about, Louie. He was the first to realise something was up with his Uncle Scrooge and in the previous adventures they had, he had a nack of figuring out the pattern every adventure had. It was a trait he got from being lazy, but still, a really neat skill to have.

The camera was now panned to the floor, as Della was using the light from the camera to search for her brother. Dewey smiled at the sight, his mom was so amazingly smart and practical, it would've been amazing to meet her.

Della: Donald where are you? What did those cacao beans do to you?!

Donald: Down here- GIANT CHICKEN! BEHIND YOU DELLA!

"Huh?" Confused, Della turned around, causing the camera to pan to an image of a giant chicken 50 times her size. The chicken towered over her, ready to eat. Terrified, she ran, slipping on the cacao beans in front of her, dropping the camera, causing the screen to go static.

Dewey: MOM!

The white noise and the deafening silence that followed after it as the tape ended echoed around the room. Dewey walked towards the tv, grabbing the tape that was ejected out. "That was mom, huh." He said aloud, tears once again falling from his face. He didn't know what to feel, happy to see his mother, even if it's on tape, or be sad that she wasn't here. Scrooge walked over, kneeling beside him.

"I miss her.." Dewey stammered, crying and hugging the tape. He couldn't be bothered he was crying in front of his Uncle, he just wanted his mother back! Scrooge placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.

Scrooge: Lad, you know I miss her too..

Dewey: Yeah.. I do.

"You're actually lucky you found that box, most of the tapes, like the one you played, were damaged or missing, or both." Scrooge said off-handedly, bringing the box of tapes over.

'So that's why it was cut off halfway.' Dewey thought, head inside the box, digging through it. "That.. may not be true." He said, holding up a tape. It was in perfect condition, titled For The Kids.

Scrooge: I think you should watch this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Static filled the screen again as the tape started, then it showed a background of the mansion. It slowly panned towards the car Scrooge uses for his business trips. He was about to get in, when he realise his niece was filming again.

Scrooge: Hey Della, what you doing?

Della: Just making another video, nothing much. You?

Scrooge: I'm going overboard to find business opportunities. Don't burn the house down while I'm gone!

"We won't!" Della answered back as Scrooge got into the car. Beside him, Donald was talking to his old college buddies who had paid a visit to the mansion. Like Scrooge, Donald immediately realised he was being filmed.

Donald: Filming again, sister?

Della: Yep

Panchito: Oo oo! Do we have time for one song? Whoever's watching it needs to hear this.

Donald rolled his eyes as he saw his buddy grabbing his guitar, playing a random tune, before keeping it again. "Experiment with the effects, Della!" Donald called out, halfway through the song.

Della: Hmm… what does this one do?

A flurry of blue gradients suddenly flashed past the screen when a button was pressed.

Della: This one?

The screen transitions into a rocket shape closing on static. A second later, it was showing the background of the mansion again. 

"Isn't this amazing, kids? This world is full of so many possibilities, from the day to day basis in the mansion, to the advantures we have, to having you all! Each living thing has an entirely unique experience, the sights they see, the sounds they hear, the lives they live, are so complicated, and so simple! I can't wait for you all to join us." Della said in the background, moving to the horizon as Scrooge's car drove off, and then moving it back to The Three Caballeros while Donald was saying his goodbyes to Josè and Panchito.

Unexpectedly, Della moved the camera such that it was facing herself.

Della: Kids, I… I'm going to space. I know, its a bad idea, there's a lot of risks, and I'll probably never hear the end of it from Donald when I tell him. I won't be gone forever, but I just want you all to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you! Because you all are something extraordinary. Take care of them for me, kids.

Donald: Della, wanna play gengar? I found a old box of it earlier today!

"Coming! I bet 10 bucks I'll beat you again!" Della answered back, winking at the camera as she stopped the recording, ending the tape.

Instead of walking towards the television to grab the tape, Dewey sat there, motionless, with tears bluring his vision. He slowly turn to faced his uncle, who was also staring at the screen blankly, before hugging him, sobbing on his shirt. Scrooge embraced it, hugging his nephew back as they enjoyed the silence they had in the room.

Headcannons used (from Domii's 50 insomnia au thing part 2)

[xhollowfaerie]

Dread of the Wolf

(Note: a little exploration into Rook's mind after picking to save Treviso as a Shadow Dragon. As always, you can find my Rookanis (Spookanis?) fanfic on ao3! Warnings: endgame spoilers, slight body horror, angst)

- “Ir abelas” Solas spoke gravely as he approached Rook.

Kore had been quiet since Minrathous, once she had stopped sobbing. Too quiet.

Her face was tight with dry tears. Her makeup was a smeared mess, eyes swollen. Passed out in the infirmary, she found herself in the Fade, watching the same memories replay over and over, like a broken record.

Her face lit up, for the very first time.

“Is that a smile?” Viper teased, and her sunken eye widened for a moment. A faint wave of color crept over the drained features of her face. “... smile” she repeated, voice as monotone as ever.

“That's right. It suits you. I hope I’ll get to see it again.”

“Show Viper? Smile. I'll try” she croaked.

“No, no, it's not an order. Not something you do consciously. You smiled just now because I called that templar a bumbling idiot.” “I'm right here, you know” Tarquin called from outside the room.

Kore’s chapped lips curled again. She didn't understand. She didn't do it on purpose. Her face twisted in confusion before relaxing. It was strange. But… it wasn't bad. 

“I like this” she voiced. Viper's eyes softened.

“Good. I like it, too.”

“I don't like this, Ash!” Rook cried as she buried her face in her knees. She didn't know eyes could sting in the Fade. 

“He is alive” Solas tried to console her.

“Blighted!” She screamed at him, her eyes lighting up as the air around her sparked with electricity. 

“MY fault. My fault… they're right! It’s all… my…!”

As indifferent and calculating as the Dread Wolf strived to be towards his pawn, his gaze lowered as she wailed. It hurt to listen to.

It destroyed him to know the truth.

The Blight…

It wasn’t her fault. It was his. 

Her agony was his responsibility. Not only was she Elven, but she had been a slave. And now, she was his only hope.

He had long since given up on ever getting close to someone again. 

Not after her .

He couldn't consider Rook a friend. And although her delusion about her past was not directly his doing, it was still his burden.

He had broken her before they ever even met. By putting up the Veil. By letting mortal whims taint his resolve.

That was exactly why he had to use her. To create a better world, for her , for Rook, and for every other elf who had ever drawn breath. No matter what it takes.

She grasped the dirt, scraped it with her nails. Her voice was growing hoarse from strain, her tears pooling underneath her tangled hair, dripping off the tip of her nose. Some of the salt got inhaled back in through her nostrils, stinging. Her breaths hitched, worse and worse, before she clutched her chest. 

“I killed him.”

The dread built up, coursing through her veins like poison. She was freezing. Somewhere in the depths of her memory, she recalled. Elven corpses, laying still and cold.

“I killed him. I-I killed Ash” she choked, grasping her head in horror.

“Neve will never forgive me. NEVER! She hates me! She hates me so much . She’s right! It should’ve been me instead. I should’ve been blighted instead. I doomed Minrathous. I killed so many. Tarquin’s right! I blight everything. It should’ve been me. It should’ve been me! ”

Rook’s words were slurred, hectic. Her stomach was turning itself inside out, spilling searing acid into her throat. But nothing could compare to Ashur’s agony. 

“I’ll get them all killed. Every last one. Every single one. All of them. Dead! I killed them. I killed them, my friends, my everything! I killed them all .” Kore frantically whispered their names, as if to not forget them. As if they were already dead. When she mentioned Varric, Solas clenched his teeth, remaining still and silent.

“Kill me, please, kill me instead. I’ll give anything. Trade my… freedom? For them… Yes, take it. For them. Anything, anything for them. Please… NO! NO, I KILLED THEM! I PROMISED I’D KEEP THEM SAFE! LUCANIS! Lucanis, no, no, no, please, please, PLEASE! Please, not Lucanis, not Spite. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Anything, but not Lucanis, not Spite… ” Her panic began to melt into despondent lament. Her cries lowered and broke into a rhythmic ballad of sobs. She planted her head into the dirt, painfully kneading her fingers into her hair, desperately tugging it from her skull. Her body rocked in place, subconsciously aching for any shred of solace.

“ No, no, no, no, no, My Crow, not My Crow… I never told you… I should have told you… Spite, Lucanis… Ma vhenan… Ar lath ma, Vhenan… ”

Solas whipped his head away. He couldn’t watch. Those words burnt a hole right through his chest.

He couldn’t help her. What could he possibly say? What were his options? He thought to reason with her through Varric’s guise, but her state was so deplorable, he felt much too guilty to further intrude her mind.

A soft hand landed on the Wolf’s shoulder. He almost fell apart himself at the familiar touch.

‘You could talk to her.’

Elven words ghosted over his lips, too, but remained just that. A ghost.

Kore collapsed into a pit of serpents; they latched onto her, pumping her with venom, coiling tightly around her limbs. She wanted to scream, but she could no longer breathe. She couldn’t see. She just tasted her own bile, mucus and tears. Felt the fangs dig into her skin. Hearing hazy. Ears ringing. Scarred fingers tried reaching out to the sickly shaded sky, green eye trembling. It was too late. They completely enveloped her, choking her out, filling her lungs.

They were eating her alive.

Just like in Minrathous.

She had gathered a crowd of predators, swarming above them. 

Hungry. 

She was so open. So inviting. So vulnerable.

Her mind was held together by a thread - no, a black feather that was being ripped to pieces.

She started humming, out of tune, gurgling and nearly suffocating every few words. The demons grew in number and stalked closer.

Many, Solas recognized. Hurt. Shame. 

He thought it best to not intervene. He didn’t want to risk facing his own worst demon. The one that had been hunting him so eagerly, for so long.

Regret.

“Hahren, na melana sahlin,

Emma… ir abelas…

Souver'inan isala haaaamin,

Vhenan hiiim dor'felas…

In uthenera… na… revas…”

(Elder, your time has come,

Now… I am filled with sorrow…

Weary eyes need resting,

Heart has become grey and slow…

In waking sleep… is… freedom…)

The Elven eulogy.

He remembered the first time he had heard any Elven roll off of… her tongue. The warmth it had sent through him. 

The poem filled him with nothing but sorrow.

Rook was an important piece on his board. Her life was still useful to him.

He could hear her laugh at him. Lovingly.

‘You don’t always need to justify everything, you know.’

Ever since entering the prison, her voice had followed him.

One of the demons launched at Rook, drooling.

“ Varas! ” (Leave!)

The Dread Wolf knelt down next to her, shielding her body as his eyes began to glow. A brief flash followed before specks of dust floated around them peacefully.

“They are gone” he tried to tell her, but she was humming still.

“Ma ghilana mir din'an… ma ghilana… mir din'an…” (Guide me into death, guide me… into death...)

With a huff, Solas pulled her out of the pit, knocking away any lingering snakes off her body.

“Da’len. Listen to me. You are stronger than this pain. You have defied all odds. Risen above every expectation. You have inspired many, and saved even more, at the risk of that which you held dear. Had I been given the choice of who to aid me in sealing away the tyrants and freeing the Elven people, I couldn’t have been more sure that it had to be you.”

She laid limp in his arms, lolling her head to the side as she continued mumbling incoherently, and he clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Being a leader means accepting sacrifice! It means doing whatever you must , whatever the cost!”

‘Solas. Gentle.’

Yes. Of course.

Abelas .

“Being… a true leader means… having those who believe in you. Having something to protect… And…” His eyes dimmed.

“It means keeping them close. Relying on them. It is a privilege not many have the fortune of knowing.”

Solas’s hands trembled as he held the frail mage. His voice continued echoing through the emptiness of the Fade around them.

“You did well. Better than anyone could have, in your position. It was a difficult choice. Yet you persevere. Your companions are proud of you. As am I.”

Rook’s eyes slowly peered up at him.

“...Varric?”

His eyes widened in horror. He didn’t dare to speak.

But someone else did.

“You got this, kid. Now, go on, they’re worried sick about you. You can make things right, with Neve, with the Dragons. You’re not someone they can hate so easily.”

She had missed that hearty chuckle.

“I… I know… you’re right… I… I miss them terribly… I'm so sorry…”

“They miss you too, Rook. So show them. They all wanna help. And they know you do, too. Go kick some Ancient Elven ass for me, will ya?”

Solas helped Rook up wordlessly. When he glanced at her again, she had taken the form of a scrawny Elven child, beaming up at them.

“Okay! I’ll go do that! Thank you, Mister Varric!” 

The dwarf ruffled her hair and watched her run off. 

The Dread Wolf. What a fitting name. He would forever feel alone. Starving.

Varric nudged him, and little Rook turned around to wave towards both of them.

“Thank you, too, Mister Solas! You look scary, but you’re so nice!”

A swarm of fog floated over to Kore, taking the shape of the Viper. He placed his hat on her head and propped her up on his shoulder.

Little Rook giggled happily. 

Solas’s long, thin fingers clenched behind his back. 

He deserved this punishment. He should be able to take it.

“Lighten up, Chuckles. Look on the bright side! She doesn’t even know I’m dead yet.”