#⠀⠀・⠀⠀✦⠀⠀ b. ‎ rowan ⠀⠀ ↷ ⠀⠀ interactions .

[thvndrstorm]

`         ✦         CLOSED  STARTER       [  . . .  ]       written   for   @thclastlight     /     the park  ,  four  and  thirty  in  the  afternoon   .    ft.  uriah  marshall .

               the moment she had decided to take a break and go for a stroll in the park,   rowan never imagined the sight that would receive her.   yet it was there,   clear as day,   even through the smoke of the alight cigarette between her lips that was quickly forgotten because of it.   her heartbeat spiked wildly until it thrummed between her ribs like a rampant hoard of horses,   and rowan approached slowly,   eyes slightly watery,   an uncertain smile grazing her countenance.     "  u-uriah ?  "     the inquiry was nothing but a whisper,   weak and as watery as her doe-like orbs.     "  man…   what the fuck,   what—   god…   it’s really you  "     they finally exhaled,   tremulous and elated   —   it had been so long since the last time they saw each other,   despite the efforts,  that if it weren’t for the shock that had glued them to the ground,   they have thrown themself into his arms.   however,   as they processed what their eyes were seeing,   the joyful expression shifted to confusion and reproach,   wrinkling their eyebrows in the process.     "  wait,   wait.   why are you here ?   what are you doing here ?  "

[thvndrstorm]

CLOSED  STARTER        ›        written  for  @thedcrkroom     /     somewhere  at  the  solstice  event  with  maya  prescott .

               "  okay,   if you’re so good at this shit,   tell me,  "     rowan starts after a sip of her beer,   big eyes,   bright in the light of the fire,   scan their surroundings.   she tries to see what maya sees in people,   what brings her to the conclusions she’d so freely shared these past few days,   but the only thing rowan had managed,   every time,   is a level of bewilderment and amusement that leaves her scratching the back of her head with an awkward,   half-smile plastered on her face.     "  according to you,   who among that group—  "     their finger points discreetly to a gathering of more or less nine people around their age.   she knows how it feels to be signaled so openly   —and it is a sensation she once promised would never inflict on someone else—,   so despite her aloof behavior,   she’s also tactful and swift in her gesture.     "  —is most likely to be a murderer.   and why.   you have five minutes to pitch your case.  "

[hairypotterhogwartsmystery]

Merula Is Not Actually That Evil

I recently finished Year 1 of HPHM and found many of Merula's actions to be rather unbelievable.

Kids can be awful, but I still don't think eleven-year-olds are capable of cold-blooded murder (such as the Devil's Snare Incident). The strangest thing about Merula's character, though, is that despite her track record, Jam City keeps trying to force Merula on us as a friend in the sidequests.

I didn't want to chalk it up to JC's dubious writing, and I was also inspired by the deep dives from @missnight0wl, so instead, I've spawned the theory that Merula Is Not Actually That Evil.

By the end of the first year, Merula has two "ambitions:"

1) To bully MC relentlessly.

2) To find the Cursed Vaults before MC.

Let's start with 1).

Merula is a bully---an awful, rude, reckless bully---but she's not pure evil. Most of her actions are not so much to instill fear and establish dominance (or, as I call it, MPWAH Syndrome) as they are an act of pushing people away. Merula does not find herself deserving of friendship, likely because she had a traumatic childhood that fractured her trust in people. This does not excuse for her behavior. However, I believe Merula's intentions for bullying MC + The Gang are different than what MC believes.

In their first Potions class, Merula coats MC's cauldron with Bulbadox Powder, which causes it to explode and makes Snape mad, yada yada. There are two strange things about this interaction:

1) Merula only learned of MC's identity five minutes before class, when MC stood up to her for tormenting Rowan. She kind of jumped on the "you're a disgrace" bandwagon, but didn't really say anything of note. See, Merula's original target was never MC---it was Ben Copper. This means that Merula's hatred for MC didn't appear out of nowhere---it was provoked by MC themself.

2) Bulbadox Powder isn't a potion ingredient. It's a joke product.

So Merula, who met MC five minutes ago and has only a generic hatred/jealousy of them, is also coincidentally carrying around a joke product in her pocket and manages to coat MC's cauldron in it without them noticing? Yeah, right. Merula didn't do it. Merula did not actually sabotage MC's potion. Chances are the cauldron was tampered with by some other mischievous student.

However, MC, assuming the worst about their newfound enemy, pins the blame on Merula, who, of course, denies it.

Then we have the Devil's Snare Incident, which most people cling to as a justifiable reason for hating Merula. Honestly, I did too, until I thought about it a bit harder.

I do believe that Merula sent the fake letter and locked MC in the closet full of Devil's Snare, because, well, Merula admits to it herself. However, I think she did this because MC framed her for blowing up their cauldron. Merula only says that she blew up MC's potion when MC is in the closet in order to seem more powerful and make MC afraid and distrustful of her. (See: MPWAH Syndrome.)

She also never intended for MC to die. Why?

a) She knows that MC is very good at Lumos.

b) I believe it was Merula who, in a fit of regret, alerted Hagrid that MC was trapped, and told Hagrid to go save MC. This is why Hagrid acted so shocked when MC told him it was Merula who locked them in the cupboard.

Now you might be wondering, "why didn't Hagrid just tell MC that Merula actually wanted to help them escape?"

Firstly, Hagrid is an adult, and in a position of power on campus compared to students. He understands that true disciplinary action can't happen without concrete proof (which MC doesn't have) and likely doesn't want to be the source of any gossip or rumors. Thus, he tried to de-escalate the issue instead of confusing MC with conflicting information, or encouraging MC to tattle/seek retribution.

Okay. That was a lot. In summary:

Merula's original target for bullying was never MC.

Merula bullies MC because she thinks MC wronged her.

Merula bullies MC + The Gang as a subconscious act of alienation, though she believes it to be a method of asserting her dominance.

This segues us into 2).

Why does Merula want to find the Cursed Vaults?

According to Merula, it's because of her MPWAH Syndrome.

I think this is partially the reason she seeks the Vaults. Though Merula herself may believe this is the true reason, her subconscious behavior says otherwise.

Merula's Cursed Vaults mission is very hush-hush---she doesn't want other teachers or students (such as Rowan) to find out. Obviously, this is for self-preservation---she doesn't want to get punished and expelled like Jacob---but I think Merula's secrecy ultimately proves that she isn't simply seeking the Vaults for attention and prestige. She's seeking them in order to validate her own loneliness.

Merula wants the glory of the Vaults for herself. She needs to reach the Vaults before MC, even though MC's not even in the race---MC's sole motivation for seeking the Vaults is to track down Jacob. By finding the Vaults all by herself, Merula validates the instinct within her that pushes people away. By finding the Vaults all by herself, Merula can prove that she doesn't need other people to succeed.

So why the Vaults? Why not prove herself by doing something innocuous like doing well in school? Well,

a) doing well in school is impressive, but not atypical or risky

b) doing well in school is a solitary act anyway; Merula needs to do something that would typically be collaborative on her own in order to prove herself.

c) I think Merula has a bit of a self-destructive streak. I don't have super solid evidence for this, though, aside from her pursuit of the Vaults themselves and her love of dueling.

So in summary:

Merula says she's searching for the Vaults because of MPWAH Syndrome.

In actuality, Merula is searching for the Vaults in order to justify her lone wolf/aloof personality.

Whew. I never thought I would psychoanalyze a fictional eleven-year-old from a mobile game this hard, but honestly, it's a fun exercise. Perhaps this skill will come in handy for future English essays.

Keep in mind this analysis was made only with information from Year 1. In a previous lifetime, I played up to Year 4, but I recently started anew. Feel free to spoil things in your responses---I know pretty much all the main plot points up until MC graduates.

Thank you for reading this far.

[thvndrstorm]

               a chuckle falls from alcohol-tainted lips at audrey’s brazenness,   it comes accompanied by a whispered,   humored what a bitch  —   she’s used to people being blunt to her,   and she would be blunt in return,   even rude if the booze running through her bloodstream weren’t making her pliant,   unworried.     "  in my defense,  i’m a little bit drunk.   you should see me with darts,   though.  "     they brag,   just a little,   gaze moving to the group participating in the activity.   they frown a bit,   considering audrey’s inquiry.     "  i don’t know,   i think not,   i guess ?    but they did put alcohol and a throwing axes stand in the same place,   what can we expect ?  "     they question in return,   taking a new mouthful from the bottle in her hands.     "  anyway,   are you gonna try?   you know,   display a better show than mine and all.  "

Audrey couldn't help herself from watching yet another axe leaving their hand to hit the dirt by the target. She couldn't judge since she wasn't trying it herself, but she was going to anyway. It was her burden to judge anyone and everyone through the lens of hypocrisy whenever she had the chance. "Haven't tried it but, no offense or anything, but I don't think it would be that hard to put on a better show than what you've been doing." Considering the number of axes that had hit the target over the last ten minutes, Audrey thought her odds were pretty good. "You ever think they shouldn't let people do this who have been drinking?" Felt like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[lorata]

I’m loving the “outsider/insider perspective” fic that’s going on re: the Games. Your Rowan and Blake, @cloversworldsblog’s bit about the outlier Victors and Alec, it’s so good and it helps add so many layers to the worldbuilding! The idea of the people who “know” (or think they do) the Games, and yet, they really don’t know everything.

For Rowan, the thing that caught me was the whole attitude about the 74th being a love story-how clearly the Centre sees that it’s just that, a story, how the rules change wasn’t ever going to last, even how Katniss was fully prepared to shoot Peeta in the end (a kind of ruthlessness Two would begrudgingly approve of). But even though they *know* it’s just an angle, the word comes down from the Capitol, and Two falls in line, parrots the storyline even though they don’t believe it.

Also, I’d love to see a story with Two’s Mentors (it would have to be Two, One is too resentful and Four is in that odd space) dealing with the outlier Districts, and just flat out telling them, “You would have done the exact same thing if you had the chance. To save your children, you would make the same choice we did, and if you deny it you’re lying.”

"You would have done the exact same thing if you had the chance" is exactly the undercurrent and the tension that plays in a lot of the mentor interactions, and I swore I wrote that precise line in a Ronan scene somewhere but I can't find it so maybe I imagined it? or maybe it's just like ............ so steeped in all the unsaid even though he's never actually said it aloud, haha

I'm really loving the discussions and interplay that's coming out of things lately as well! Chaff's "I'm nothing like him" (Alec) is incredibly damning but it IS the mystique that the Capitol -- and the Centre machine itself -- work so very hard to maintain on many different levels. D2 kids die, yes, but choose to be there. D2 victor prostitution is "different" because they choose their targets; they aren't sold, they're selling themselves. D2 victors might be disfigured or traumatized but they wanted this so they can't complain.

as someone who was around in the early 2010s and saw how the prevailing fandom attitudes were basically ... well, the above, it's really gratifying to see such rich, nuanced conversations happening around all the districts and the propaganda that goes into keeping the people divided. partly due to people growing up but even new & young fans are having these discussions, partly, i think, due to like ... world events that have happened since. a 14yo in 2012 has had a very, very different life experience than a 14yo in 2022

also just as an aside since you mentioned it, Katniss and Peeta have very different skillsets as far as the Centre is concerned and it makes for fascinating watching. Peeta has the crowd work while Katniss does not -- they point this out, that he's the one who's been giving her audience appeal, he's the one who (if he weren't bleeding to death) could have walked out with sympathy by throwing the knife away at the same time Katniss pointed the arrow, but he lacks survival skills. Katniss has a singleminded ruthlessness (in the Marco Animorphs sense, where she can see the bright, clear line from A to B) that makes survival possible, but the audience doesn't like her and she makes very little effort to do so until forced. they need each other and it was a fascinating game to analyze, from a strategy standpoint.

the trainers always assumed the rule change would be revoked at an appropriately dramatic point, but they also thought that whoever won would be a disappointment without the other as complement. a weird game to play and no clear resolution, until the kids blew the whole thing up

not one that would work for any of you, indeed

[legacyshenanigans]

Evening B!! I've come once again to shower you in love and a tiny bit of chaos, because it's Friday night and..... honestly I have nothing better to do then to cause mischief ❤️🐲

I've said it a million times by now but I will say it again you've made my days so much better and enchanted my heart with your precious boys so much I can't even explain it❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂 enchanting a dragon is hard by the way, so what you've done is pretty much a miracle 💫🐉💫

Now if you don't mind my chaos here is what I've got for you that could be fun:

I'm really curious, we know what a terrific hunter Rowan is and I bet he hunts all kinds of creatures in the woods. Does he hunt rabbits? If he does what's Volo's opinion on that we know he's THE king of bunnies so would he care that Rowan hunts them or would he forbid him from hunting them? 🐺🐰I think that interaction could be super fun but that's up to you of course.

Now that's done I wish you a pleasant rest of your evening and nice dreams once you fall asleep (hopefully earlier than at 4am 😵‍💫🫂❤️)

With love your little Dragon friend ❤️🐉

And here, have silly woof 🐺❤️

Hello Lil Dragon!

Aww then I'm honoured to have enchanted you! And I love having you in my lil VoRo Cult 🥹💜

Sure I can do a lil something for that! 😊 and yeeeah I hope I can get to sleep before 4am too 😅 but knowing me, probably not ahahaha

Bunny Hunter 🐺🐍

Marvolo: *wandering through the woods on his way home from somewhere and spots a rabbit*

Rabbit: *munching on some grass nearby*

Marvolo: *small nostalgic smile as he watches it*

Rowan: *jumps of the bushes in werewolf form and grabs it, biting its head off, crunching its skull in his mouth as he chows down on it*

Marvolo: *stood there..Eyes wide in shock for a moment*

Rowan: *looks up and notices Marvolo* Oh hey! *licks his fingers after finishing off the rabbit* Fancy seeing you here *crinkles his nose and bares his bloody teeth in a smile*

Marvolo: *gives Rowan a dissaproving look*

Rowan: ...What?

Marvolo: Rabbits are nice..

Rowan: So are nifflers and Unicorns..But I eat them too, heh..

Marvolo: *narrows his eyes in more potent dissaproval*

Rowan: Don't you judge me because I killed a bunny *small frown* I saw you slice someone's stomach open yesterday and pull out their intestines..

Marvolo: ...Alright, Fair...But try not to kill Rabbits Rowan. Will you?

Rowan: I was peckish! They're the perfect little snack..

~

[thvndrstorm]

               she could see the reluctance on his face,   she knew him too well not to,   yet she waited for him to relent nonetheless because she knew he would  (  he always gave in to her wishes and pleadings,   in the end  ) .   at his answer,   after a small,   unnoticeable sigh of relief,   a joyous laugh stumbled from their lips,   unabashed and loud,   followed closely by a shake of their head.     "  he is,   in fact,   but i’m not that close behind,   so i’m glad your willing to catch up  "     she winked at him,   taking a long sip of her bottle,   feeling droplets fall from the corner of her mouth.   she cleaned herself with the back of her hand before speaking once more,     "  did you see there’s a station to make flower crowns ?   i think you’d look devastatingly ravishing with one of them,   wanna try it ?  "     her tone was taunting,   a dare hanging clear as day from it,   as if she knew she will see the reluctance plastered on his face again.

If it wasn't for the beer in her hand, Austin would have continued on with whatever lame excuse he was going to pull out next that he would use to try and get himself back into the comfort of his home. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her or anyone elses company, he just always seemed to have a hard time socializing for longer than an a couple of hours. It was like the lock on his front door provided enough friendship for him. "Let's be real here, Ro." He took the beer to his lips, taking a quick drink from it. "Josh is probably already shitfaced." The smile finally starting to appear on his face slowly, "But if you are going to force me to stick around... this, I guess I better start catching up." Another swig from the bottle hit his mouth as he finished his sentence.

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝐎𝐂 𝐱 𝐎𝐂 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: A Masterlist — 1960s-2010s

An open offer for oc x oc interactions for all of my HP OCs and the types of relationships that they’re open for! This also functions as a masterlist for my Hogwarts dorms. In addition, everyone featured will only get one tag to avoid breaking the post.

Interactions for ocs born between the 1870s & 1950s can be found here.

The preference is for mutuals and the ability to slip it the (few) storylines. If any of them strike your interest, please comment, reblog, send an ask, or DM and specify with the OCs’ names.

Extra Info:

Total Number of OCs: 18

Number of OCs Open for Dormmates: 12

Number or OCs Open for Friendships: 16

Number of OCs Open for Love Interests: 1

Eras: HPHM, Golden, HPMA, Next Gen

𝙷𝙾𝙶𝚆𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚂 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚈

Huck Fitzgerald

b. november 28, 1972 | saggitarius

hufflepuff | muggleborn | irish | entp | enneagram type 6w7

in a different universe than the ruth & the o’donnells

a little more removed from the drama of ‘R’ and the cursed vaults

an orphan and raised by his aunt and uncle from the age of 5

traveled quite extensively with his aunt and uncle who are both in fields related to archeology and therefore knows how to hold a very basic conversation in a few different languages

more of a cat person than a dog person

makes friends easily, although most aren’t close friends

healer to stay-at-home dad to ancient studies professor at hogwarts

Love Interest:

Dorm: Huck | Rohan Khanna | Diego Caplan | Reid Van de Lune (kc-and-co) | Marty Raymond (@hogwartsmysteryho)

Open for: Friendships

Ruth Lyman

b. july 17, 1973 | cancer

ravenclaw | muggleborn | irish | jewish | infj | enneagram type 8w9

not involved very much in the cursed vaults, she works more as a background character like levi kidd

raised by her father and her grandmother in a bakery in dublin, ireland

a quieter soul who spends time alone but enjoys being with other people

a literature nerd

works as a tutor for the younger students while at hogwarts and for a few years between the end of hogwarts and the start of the wizarding world

a children’s book author and later, the charms professor at hogwarts

Love Interest: Conor O’Donnell

Dorm: Ruth | Badeea Ali | Tulip Karasu | Isabelle Dubois (@endlessly-cursed) | Lyse Spindle (@magicallymalted)

Open for: Friendships

Ryan O’Donnell

b. august 18, 1973 | leo

gryffindor | half-blood | irish | esfp | enneagram type 8w7

the firstborn quadruplet, although the second born child

chaotic disaster quad

most involved in the cursed vaults mystery

“i hate mysteries, they need to be solved” vibes

the rolling stones over the beatles any day

impulsive and kind and someone that you can count on

puts on a front that he’s always brave and has everything together

has a bit of a reputation for causing trouble

plays chaser on the gryffindor team and has a friendly rivalry with his sister, cara

cursebreaker

Love Interest: Penny Haywood

Dorm: Ryan | Ash Khanna | Ben Copper | Jae Kim | Charlie Weasley

Open for: Friendships

Cara O’Donnell

b. august 18, 1973 | leo

slytherin | half-blood | irish | enfp | enneagram type 8

the second born quadruplet and the third of five siblings

disaster bi quad

chaotic and messy, but she’s still put together

enjoys quidditch and skateboarding, but no other sports

plays chaser on the slytherin quidditch team and has a friendly rivalry with her brother, ryan

artist who eventually becomes an illustrator

Love Interest: Rowan Khanna

Dorm: Cara | Ismelda Murk | Merula Synde | Liz Tuttle | Semele Thorne (endlessly-cursed)

Open for: Friendships

Sara O’Donnell

b. august 18, 1973 | leo

hufflepuff | half-blood | irish | esfj | enneagram type 2

third born quadruplet and the fourth of five siblings

soft sweetheart quad

has a tendency to put others’ problems and needs ahead of her own

always willing to lend a hand, especially to her friends

would say that tonks is her best friend

worked in the hospital wing in her sixth and seventh years

was named prefect in her fifth year

not the most invested in the vaults, but she’s going to help out her siblings

healer

Love Interest: Barnaby Lee

Dorm: Sara | Nymphadora Tonks | Penny Haywood | Rowan Khanna | Chiara Lobosca

Open for: Friendships

Conor O’Donnell

b. august 18, 1973 | leo

ravenclaw | half-blood | irish | istp | enneagram type 5

youngest quadruplet and child

least involved in the cursed vaults mystery and is fully done by his sixth year

honestly, he’s usually just here because of his siblings

keeps to himself and hard to get to know

stutters and because of this, he doesn’t speak much and deals with feelings of fear, shame, and aniexty

also swears like a sailor and has no shame about it

plays seeker for the ravenclaw quidditch team

really good at nonverbal magic

architect

Love Interest: Ruth Lyman

Dorm: Conor | Talbott Winger | Andre Egwu | Victor Ketsueki | OPEN

Open for: 1 dormmate

𝙰𝙲𝚁𝙾𝚂𝚂 𝙴𝚁𝙰𝚂

Camila Valdez

b. september 19, 1979 | virgo

slytherin | half-blood | spanish | irish | american | cuban | intj | enneagram type 5w6

second of five children

attended hogwarts in the same years as harry & co.

silently beefs with draco malfoy because she thinks he’s an insufferable jerk

named prefect in her fifth year and headgirl in her seventh (much to her immense surprise)

becomes the astronomy professor in 2004, at the age of 24

is helping to raise her two youngest siblings, amada and joaquin who were both born in 2000

she’s a fair professor, willing to give out second chances to those who earn it

Love Interest:

Dorm: Camila | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, colleagues, 4 dormmates

Nicholas Wraxall

b. february 2, 1989 | aquarius

hufflepuff | muggleborn | american | australian | mbti | enneagram type 1

hogwarts professor (still not sure what exactly he teaches, what subjects don’t have ocs?) and head of hufflepuff

orphaned at the age of 12 and then adopted by an eccentric and wealthy pureblood wizard

gained a reputation for being the weird american kid during his time at hogwarts

played seeker while at hogwarts

worked as an auror for a few years before becoming a professor

became a professor by accident

his reputation as a professor is the hot professor that half the hogwarts student body has a crush on

totally oblivious to student crushes

either teaches muggle studies or flying

Love Interest: Frances Fersen (@endlessly-cursed)

Dorm: Nicholas | Harker Hartford (potionboy3) | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: 3 dormmates, friendships

𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲 𝙰𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙳

Finn MacKade

b. december 30, 1996 | capricorn

ravenclaw | muggleborn | irish | english | istj | enneagram type 4w3

eldest of four boys with an identical twin brother

an avid photographer who is rarely seen without his camera

plays chaser while at hogwarts

someone who is good during a crisis, but terrible at handling the aftermath

kind and trustworthy but private and introverted

takes the big brother role pretty seriously, but not always the strongest with it

becomes a professional photographer and works for the daily prophet for about a decade before moving to free lance work

Love Interest: Scotty Rosier (@drinkyoursoupbitch)

Dorm: Finn | Efesto Vecellio (@nicos-oc-hell) | Duncan Ludwig (@usernoneexistent) | Jimmy Crouch (@potionboy3) | OPEN

Open for: Friendships

Nate MacKade

b. december 30, 1996 | capricorn

hufflepuff | muggleborn | irish | english | istj | enneagram type 2w1

second of four children with an identical twin brother

soft, sweet, kind, sunshiny, big heart

massive history nerd and one of the few students who have never fallen asleep while binns is teaching

nate’s a great friend, but he doesn’t open up very much

usually wears his heart on his sleeve

often puts others ahead of himself

a bit of a people pleaser

archivist then historian and finally, history of magic professor at hogwarts

Love Interest: Nova Hartley (@gaygryffindorgal)

Dorm: Nate | Quincey Alderly (gaygryffindorgal) | Conner Everett (@amerrymystery) | Zephyr Mercury (@slytherindisaster)

Open for: Friendships

Jack Whitten

b. february 28, 1997 | pisces

slytherin | muggleborn | irish | english | estp | enneagram type 7

reckless af and a bit of a trouble magnet

dyslexic

not a fan of quidditch, much to everyone’s surprise

he likes fishing, soccer/football, and hurling… and broom racing

has an identical twin brother

his recklessness is a result of abandonment issues as his parents disappeared when he was a baby and no one knew anything about it until about twenty years later

magiopalentologist

Love Interest: Sage Carridan (@kc-and-co)

Dorm: Jack | Maxim Raeburn (potionboy3) | Levi Vecellio (nicos-oc-hell) | Isander Yaxley (gaygryffindorgal) | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, 2 dormmates

Benedict Whitten

b. february 28, 1997 | pisces

ravenclaw | muggleborn | irish | english | intp | enneagram type 6

prefers to spend his free time in the outdoors

he has abandonment issues and thus, doesn’t let himself have too many close relationships

very hard to get know

goes by “ben” sometimes, but absolutely hates being called “benny”

tends to bottle up his emotions

he ends up joining the frog choir by accident

plays seeker on the ravenclaw quidditch team

he starts his working life as an archivist before being hired as the curator to the scamamder wizarding natural history museum in london

Love Interest: Lottie Turner

Dorm: Benedict | Marco Han (magicallymalted) | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Thea Whitten

b. may 29, 1997 | gemini

gryffindor | muggleborn | irish | english | vietnamese | esfp | enneagram type 4w3

the middle of three sisters, both of whom are muggles

thea’s an avid baker

she’s the cousin of jack and benedict, whom her parents are raising

her mother passed away when she was thirteen

shows her love via flowers

she has a big heart and is soft but chaotic

she plays beater on the gryffindor quidditch team

herbologist who later owns her own florist shop

Love Interest: Noa March (@thatravenpuffwitch)

Dorm: Thea | Mary Ann Von Dynne (endlessly-cursed) | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, 2 dormmates

𝙽𝙴𝚇𝚃 𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽

Sophie Pembroke

b. january 7, 2000 | capricorn

ravenclaw | half-blood | irish | welsh | english | isfp | enneagram type 4w5

eldest of three with a younger brother, rhys, in hufflepuff and a younger sister, emmy, in gryffindor

her mother died when she was nine and then her father had a stroke when she was sixteen

tends to keep to herself, although she doesn’t mind other people’s company

tea lover

plays keeper on the ravenclaw quidditch team

stubborn, sarcastic, and doing her best but feeling like she’s failing herself and everyone else

descendant of max pembroke through his son, harry, and william devlin through his daughter, lucy

inherited max’s cat allergy

wandmaker

Love Interest: Luke Battersea

Dorm: Sophie | Victoire Weasley | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, 3 dormmates

Luke Battersea

b. july 21, 2000 | cancer

gryffindor | half-blood | irish | scottish | english | intp | enneagram type 5

youngest of five by quite a bit

sole survivor of the attack that killed his parents and older siblings when he was six

grief-ridden and generally kinda of angry

acts like everything is no big deal and that he’s cool with it, but really, he’s got a lot going on

grumpy old man energy

dog lover and a star wars nerd

plays seeker on the gryffindor quidditch team

obsessed with finding the truth about why his parents were murdered

great-grandson of simon battersea, through his son, oliver, and edmund kennedy, through his daughter, cecilia

Love Interest: Sophie Pembroke

Dorm: Luke | Joaquin Valdez | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, 3 dormmates

Declan O’Donnell-Lee

b. september 1, 2001 | virgo

slytherin | half-blood | irish | english | istp | enneagram type 3w4?

eldest son and second of four children born to sara o’donnell and barnaby lee which also makes him the second oldest of the ten o’donnell cousins

dyslexic

the odd one out amongst his family

sports boy through and through

plays seeker for the slytherin quidditch team and is eventually named captain of the team

dog lover

plays quidditch professionally as a seeker for the ballycastle bats

Love Interest: Callie Black (@mjs-oc-corner)

Dorm: Declan | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: Friendships, 4 dormmates

Quinn Power

b. december 1, 2004/5 | sagittarius

slytherin | half-blood | irish | american | english | estp | enneagram type ??

middle of five children with two older brothers, kevin and jason, a younger brother named orion, and a younger sister named cassidy

a werewolf who was bitten at the age of five after his parents accidentally angered a werewolf

plays beater for the slytherin quidditch team

demisexual and biromantic

angry in general, mostly at himself

grumpy loner

descendant of minerva kennedy

career is tbd

Love Interest: Open

Dorm: Quinn | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: A love interest of any gender, friendships, and 4 dormmates

Jude Cozens

b. june 13, 2002-2005 | gemini

gryffindor | muggleborn | american or canadian | ixxx

hockey obsessed

doesn’t know who his father is

moves to the uk because his mother got married

angry about the move to the uk and very disappointed by the lack of hockey

has played ice hockey since he was little, he plays center

highly allergic to bees, so he carries an epi-pen

heterosexual

very new and undeveloped, plus his name might end up changing (previously nico, now jude)

Love Interest: Noor Verna-Dhendron (@legilimenace)

Dorm: Jude | Scott Morris (potionboy3) | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN

Open for: 3 dormmates, friendships

[magicalyaku]

Thanks for joining me on this ride through 2022! When I started my reading spree in autumn 2021 I did not expect to find so much joy (and sometimes frustation) to motivate me to write hundreds of words about books every month. I read and write what I want and because I want to, but it's nice to know that sometimes there’s actually someone interested in what I have to say. So thank you for even the small interactions. :)

I had to edit this overview like five times because whenever I thought I was done I found another book I missed. So if I counted correctly I have read a total of 93 books (written and audio, not including manga, comics and non-fiction). That is ... a damn lot! Like 6 years combined compared to before. I also reread two of those books and while editing my novel I read it two whole times. That counts, right? (That’s why there’s 94 covers up there. Because i snuck it inbetween. Because I can. uAu) Only 14 of all these books I would categorise as non-queer. Funnily enough, 6 of those I didn’t like very much. Of the remaining 75 queer books I only found 1 book really bad and I’m picky about 2 more. Huh.

On to the award ceremony! (But don’t expect laudations. I wouldn’t shut up.)

Least favourite phrase:

... it smelled like boy.

(from: The Song that moves the Sun, Darius the Great (probably the 2nd) and the third time I already blocked from my mind (Here the Whole Time???)) That sentence came up fucking three times! Seriously. WHY?! I hate it. 8D

Favourite phrase:

But we have more important things to do than hook up.

(from: The Darkness Outside Us) I laughed so hard at this sentence. Finally someone who gets it! All stupid YA heroines should listen to this.

Favourite protagonists:

Jack Shannon (Aces Wild) and Neil Josten (All for the Game)!

Favourite covers:

Least favourite books:

A Far Wilder Magic (Allison Saft) and If You Change Your Mind (Robbie Weber)

Favourite books (no order):

The Darkness Outside Us (Eliot Schrefer)

Aces Wild: A Heist (Amanda DeWitt)

The City Beautiful (Aden Polydoros)

Every Bird a Prince (Jenn Reese)

All for the Game series: (Nora Sacavic)

I Wish You All the Best (Mason Deaver)

I Hope You Get this Message (Farah Naz Rishi)

More books I greatly enjoyed:

Both can be true (Jules Machias)

A Taste of Gold and Iron (Alexandra Rowland)

The Language of Seabirds (Will Taylor)

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space (Shaun David Hutchinson)

At the Edge of the Universe (Shaun David Hutchinson)

Milo and Marcos at the End of the World (Kevin Christopher Snipes)

Little Black Bird (Anna Kirchner)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Axie Oh)

In Deeper Waters (F.T. Lukens)

So this is Ever After (F.T. Lukens)

All that’s Left in the World (Erik J. Brown)

.... aaaand many many more! uAu

Bonus!

At the half year point I actually counted how often the protagonists names were being used throughout those different books. I felt to lazy do to it in detail for the second half, but I can still present you my preliminery count of most used names for the protagonist, love interest and possibly best friend. These came up at least 3 times!

Will/William

Matt

Nate/Nathan

Andrew/Drew

Daniel

Lame, right? 8D My favourite name choice award goes to Rosemary and Rowan from Mirrored in Evergreen by B. Pigeon!

That’s it! Phew! Thanks the universe for books! :D

[thvndrstorm]

               the only thing in her mind was getting out of there,   anything else was pushed to the furthest corners of her blank brain.   the grip on her arm kept her grounded,   knowing sunset was still with her spurred her further,   made her feel strong and somehow unbeatable  (  we need to get out,   just get out,   the voice in her head whispered,   soothing,   encouraging  ),   until it didn’t,   until it disappeared along with the warmth that had wrapped it.     " sunset ! "     desperation laced their call,   eyes frantically searching for the blonde.   they found her among the sea of terrified folks for an instant and tried to reach for her,   yet they kept pushing them away,   kept twirling them around,   making them feel dizzy and lost,   and for a split second,   the fraction of one,   they lost their wits.     " sunset ! "     she turned around in every direction,   hopelessly looking for the girl,   stopping at every blonde head she spotted,   but her efforts were in vain.     " fuck,   fuck,   fuck, "     the curse vibrated angry and frustrated and slightly panicked from her throat   —   she had lost her,   she couldn’t see her,   and people kept moving her to the exit,   to a safety she didn’t wanna reach without her.

FINISHED .

sunset felt no use with how rowan kept making sure she stayed close as they took them to safety that she just loses grip. she couldn't help but look back many times, searching for ekin-su and belkis, wondering if they were seeking for safety as they are, too. but knowing them, how this all hits to home, she knew in her gut they'd be doing the opposite, and that worried her even more. she stared at the bonfire again, which was becoming smaller and smaller in her vision the more distance they make, making sure not one of the twins get a little too close to the fire and get hurt. once more, sunset was getting lost in her own thought again, losing the strength to hold on to rowan. though they manage to pull her out of her thoughts again, staring into their eyes, blinking a couple of times to make sure she has all her attention to their words. she then nods in response, taking a deep breath as she now takes steps forward, all eyes on rowan, until another scream of one of the masked people breaks her attention, another one running into the fire. whilst more people swarmed to the exit now, the blonde's feet were now glued to the ground as she swiftly and ultimately lost grip of rowan, now joining along the tide of the people to the direction of safety, away from the hell of this all.

[thvndrstorm]

`         ❀         CLOSED  STARTER       [  . . .  ]       written   for   @austinparker  ,  @hearttsck  &  @joshxmorgan     /     in  the  middle  of  the  woods  ,  right  after  the  main  sacrifice   .   ft.  austin  parker  ,  poppy  sterling  &  josh  morgan .

               the picture surrounding them was both unsurprising and a fever dream for rowan,   the screams and the terror were distant,   even when they were happening right by her side,   right in front of her.   it was the crackling of the bonfire what stood out,   what invaded her ears and washed her with the calm she needed to deal with this.     "  where is austin ?  "    so serenely it was unnerving,   she directed the question to a poppy who seemed out of herself.   the last time she had checked they were together,   why wasn’t she saying anything ?   she looked at josh for a second then,   eyebrows raised,   and just by the time she was ready to run into the mess right in the middle of the event to look for their missing boy,   she saw his silhouette approaching,   a sigh of relief tremulously falling from her lips.     "  what the fuck,   dude,   where the fuck where you ?   we need to get out of here.  "

[professor-abeloved]

It Loves Within (a review of goodbyes, gratitude, and gay screaming)

i read somewhere that an aspect of the horror genre is pain. and if you're a fan of the it lives anthology, pain is inevitable.

the pain of choosing who has to take jane's place, a game that (doesn't) end(s) in sacrifice, betrayal, and anguish. the pain of losing one's parents, finding family anew (in both blood and found) - only to potentially lose it all.

the pain of an impossible choice: do you end this, once and for all, to save everyone - only to never see them again when you finally return home? do you remain in this world, with gaping wounds patched by temporary bandages, for the life you've never thought you had the chance to live? or do you try try try to bridge it all together, pushing for a world full of potential, a reality still out of reach, but still worth fighting for all the same?

every ending of It Lives Within is tragic in its own way, a bittersweet balm to the trauma-filled fuckaganza of a journey of these characters we know and love.

i'm never going to stop saying thank you to everyone at the @itlivesproject team for making the choice to create and collaborate on this masterpiece. the pain of pixelberry cancelling sequels (er, trilogies) broke my heart, but this fan game is more than a dream come true.

(the rest of this is kind of a rambling review under the cut)

looking back, i'm actually glad that they cancelled it - because i wouldn't trade every second i played ILW for anything. (and my girlfriend knows i've spent numerous all-nighters just playing and/or talking about ILW <3. i tell my therapist it started with abel's first diamond scene--and okay getting side-tracked).

first off, i want to mention all the variants. the It Lives series were unique and notorious for having different branches and endings that carried through to the next book, something which isn't very common in mobile visual novels. since ILW had not one, but two books to reference... hoo boy. coding, writing, making art + sprites for, testing, editing, and hell even just thinking of the different variables and how they impact a third book is such a herculean feat and i applaud everyone on the team for all the blood, sweat, and tears poured into this endeavor.

the gameplay itself was super fun!! i think it hit the right balance of action with timed choices and puzzles (i now want my own crown paperweight), implementing that Nerve Score system that the It Lives series is known for. not only did one have to keep in mind their Nerve, but also their choices between Blood and Shadow that would seal the fate of everyone in this Pixelberry Cinematic Universe (hello, horror Julian HSSgame). it was fun as fuck, i really liked and appreciate the decision of 3 different main endings <3

because the plot was a downright banger. every twist and turn had me on the edge of my seat and frantically screenshotting everything (somehow i've gotten to 20k screenshots, but at least 98% is ILW. the other 2% are random crap and also Choices, lol). it was cool to theorize and guess correctly on some things and still be utterly shocked at the brilliant execution. i can't list every single thing that made me gasp, but the crumbs of foreshadowing are incredible. not just saying this as a tester, but the replay value is nuts. (also the different personalites of sarcastic, genuine, and aggressive are so good).

having character relationships as a core stat was also an organic, lovely choice. i adore how everyone started off at various points (joss at 0 and amalia at 75 iirc?) and could develop differently and sometimes independently of nerve (abel being easy to befriend but having tough nerve to raise because he's going through Some Shit, while jocelyn was more closed off yet had easier nerve to raise). it really colors the ways the main 4 interact with rowan, and i love how even the romance variants played a part in it. from jealousy-laden glances to the famed Union Walk Out, this game was a breath of fresh air to the usual 'i accidentally have 1 flirt point with this LI and somehow they're in love with me' vibe of current mobile VNs. (mattyass is an outlier and doesn't count <3)

speaking of characters!! holy shit they slayed and served, giving closure to our favs from the first book and then some (being pro connor green wasn't in my 2023 bingo card, but it happened! i like that funky lil dude), giving the cast of the second book vital yet natural roles, while letting the new cast shine in their own right.

the It Lives cast is vastly beloved for a reason, and the ILP Team not only nailed every single one of the canon characters, but they breathed new life into them (literally in the case of RF!noah/devon). i'm beyond words to express how amazing it was to not only have my blorbos back, but to be able to see a beautiful devonoah romance and flirt with dan pierce after years of pining and get married to andy kang?!?! the gift just keeps on giving. (i'm just biased in mentioning them because devon, noah, andy, and dan are my ILITW biasline but i'm so happy to have seen stacy, lucas, ava, lily again <3333)

i also adore the ILB crew to bits!! i had the impression they were barely gonna be featured (and valid), but the way the showed up!! the way harper was important and could kick ass while injured??? slay.

and the way everyone interacted in ch19 was some avengers assemble beautiful dream. i don't think i'll ever be that happy again in my life, fr <33

and onto the stars of the show...

it's been an honor to spend time with each and every one of the main crew. jocelyn was someone i was hyped to see, ever since her cameo in the ILB end credits scene. redemption arcs are tricky and while i admittedly felt the initial trepidation... the execution of her development blew me away. it is fantastic and realistic (getting to encourage her to be better or to leave her alone was also a cool mechanic. i love how it's in firm yet empathic encouragement that she works to better herself.). she grew into such a fierce, gruff protector with a heart of gold and fists of fury. i love her so much. her nightmare sequence facing her shadow past self is one of my favorite's. arcs of self-forgiveness vs self-flagellation hit hard, and it moves me to tears to see how far joss has come <33 her route having either a slow burn vibe or a fwb tinge was also an excellent choice !! i enjoyed fwb route (she's so sweet and considerate, putting a blanket over us with a frown lmao) and i can't want to replay for sb + to write fics with her <3

now onto lincoln, my fav mlm cowboy son. i was initially jealous because i thought my girlfriend would be into him + i thought abel and he were exes, but i came around in ch13, iirc. i connect with his arc of wanting to prove your worth to your parents very painfully, and it means a lot to see him know that others' approval will never define him. i'm also happy to see him process his pain and give others a chance - give himself a chance to apologize and let abel in again. he's also fun to torture write for in fics, and somehow he's soulmates with my most complex ILW MC, wan, despite me son-zoning him real bad, so that's just amazing characterization. excited to write more <3

amalia my beloved <33 the brains, brawn, beauty of rowan's rogue monster hunting operations. i love her and her route so much. childhood best friends to lovers always slaps (i mean, cmon thats most of the ILITW ships), and the way it was executed for amalia is chef's kiss. the angst of your best friend not being the person you thought they were was an excellent spin on the trope. but the love she has for you and the love you have for her is something all on your own?? perfection <33 also her dreams of wanting to make a difference, especially what happened with her family is a very relevant experience today, are so inspiring <3 i'm so excited to replay her route with a different mc and also to write her as well <3

AIJDBFHDFJDOK abel aifhsohifOSDHDSIGH okay that's it.

JK abel, my love, my light, my stars. professor dorklord. the reason i've changed my url after these long years. i love him and his sexy sweater vest of sin so much. my favorite scene of all time is when pretending to have a lover's spat with abel in amalia's university AISHFIOG. he's funny, sweet, and charming. i'd listen to his nerdy rambles all night long - and yes, partially an innuendo, and partially that i like nerds who ramble about things. i love how he can be too rational (yet always with a heart <3) yet also so selfless, and i love how he can choose himself and his happiness at the end instead of living with ghosts <3 i love you abel, baby, i'm coming back for youuu in every route, in every wip <3

to ro, my trans-coded, queer-coded power entity <3 i was so happy that MC had powers (not from a suit we had to spend diamonds on), and wow they executed this trope so well. rowan is so well written with 3 different personality types, it's wonderful. y'know, i used to make MCs for every choices book (until i got lazy lol) and i can't believe i have at least 4 MCs again <3 the creativity this game sparks in me i swear to the power. i'll see you soon: ronaldo, genuinely sweet and genuinely terrifying baby boy. wan, my sweet snarky selfless drag queen. amor, you tough dorky tcg-playing sweetheart. reg my flirty failgirl (gender neutral), beanie baby charmer.

shoutout to daddy mattyass for being the GOAT choices antagonist/secret LI. you know i have so much to say about him, but it's almost 2 am and also 90% of my ilw meta is about him anyways <3 love to hate him, hate to love him!! he lives rent free in my mind <33 (but fr, such a compelling character and no one else would've been as satisfying to deal with in the finale. i miss the king of delusion pathetic meow meow <3)

also loving luis, sunny, elena, jessica, milf mayor green, babygirl adrian kim, girlboss marianthe. every npc, every pixel and line of code and text and just everything, every thread that makes up the tapestry of this beautiful, priceless experience.

it lives on, it loves on.

pain is inevitable. it hurts because it's over, it hurts because i love this game with every fibre of my being... but love doesn't really die, does it? it lives on in a different form. the game will always be there. if anything, the fandom is alive with the love that's put into the project, the love that reaches us no matter where we are - even from the fictional town of Westchester to the Power dimension and beyond.

[tomtenadia]

Thicker than blood - 26

Your truly is back from her B-day trip in Dublin and here I am again with a new chapter of TTB. We are getting into the dark part of the story, bird boy is on the verge of desperation and turn a little rebel with Fen’s help (don’t we just love them?) This is a heavy chapter. CW: language, Hamel and a mention of Perrington, crime scene with dead bodies, mention of torture, panic attacks and trauma.

Rhoe Galathynius was a man on a mission. He reached the government building and stormed in, ignoring the guards who tried to stop him He just kept walking, climbed the stairs heading for a specific office.

In front of the door that was his target, he just stormed in with no ceremony.

“This is a private office,” shouted a voice from a corner.

“I do not care.” Rhoe placed his hands on the desk leaning over in a very threatening way. He was big and tall and easily towered on most people “I know what you are doing, your secret experiments in the deviation centres and that disgusting club of yours.”

Hamel leaned back his chair totally unfazed by the man in front of him.

“I will bring you down.”

“You have no proof.”

The smirk that appeared on Rhoe Galathynius’ face verged on evil “I have all the proof I need to make sure you end up in a maximum security prison for life.”

“I’d be very careful if I were you…”

“I will not allow you to destroy what I fought really hard to build…” he straightened up and left the room slamming the door very hard.

*

Rowan was finally back at home. He had spent the night in the mountains, and then in the morning he had decided to drive back. Walking back in the house pained him. Traces of Aelin were everywhere. Like a ghost he had collected all the clothes she had abandoned on a chair and very neatly folded them away. The motions somehow soothed his troubled soul. In a matter of a short time her presence had taken root in the house. Wherever he turned he could sense her and as he stared at the quiet house an abysm threatened to rip his chest open. He missed her but his treacherous mind kept replaying the last interaction they had. Her harsh words.

Everyone kept telling him that she loved him, but they had not seen the hate in her eyes. 

Sitting on the foot of the bed he picked up her hockey jersey, the one she wore as pyjama. Like a desperate man he pressed it to his nose and inhaled her scent. Eventually he placed it back under her pillow and went back feeling useless.

He was out of a job. Lorcan had no intention of allowing him back in the office, so he had let Gavriel be in charge. Lorcan had passed the information to his superiors but the operation had been blocked because the proof was not obtained through the proper channels. He wanted to scream.

His phone pinged with a text from Fenrys Three women found in a different location. Same MO. It’s escalating. Elide is here. I will keep you posted.

A savage scream left his lungs.

He grabbed his phone and texted Ansel Three more victims from the Vaults. I want in in the rebellion.

Fuck everything. Fuck Lorcan and being a good guy. 

Her text came back pretty quickly Welcome to the dark side. We have a meeting tonight. She had texted him all the details of the location and the time and Rowan decided that it was time to fix thing in his own way. If he could not be a cop… he could be a rebel.

*

Elide arrived at the crime scene as quickly as she could. The area had been cordoned off and police cars were all around the scene. It was the parking behind a factory. One of the guards had found the bodies during his morning patrol before opening the factory. Three women, naked, dumped behind one of the giant silos as if they were trash. He had called the paranormal unit straight away.

While forensic took photos of the crime scene she studied it and even from distance she already knew what she was going to find.

Lifting the gaze for a brief moment she spotted the hulking figure of the police chief. With a heavy heart she gave him a nod, yes it all matched. Lorcan walked away to talk to his unit and she was finally allowed to get to work.

In all three women, Rigor mortis was well advanced. They had been discarded for a while now. She felt sick and mad at the same time. Rowan had told her what he and Fen had discovered and that Lorcan had still kicked him out.

It was a good hour later when she finally finished all of her examinations and the coroner had carried the three bodies to the morgue. PD had now to identify the victims. 

She marched to Lorcan while removing her latex gloves.

“So?”

“Same MO.”

Lorcan swore loudly.

“You have to do something. You know what is happening in that club and these three are on you,” she lashed out with anger “Rowan and Fenrys have given you proof of what is happening and you chose to ignore it.”

“You know I can’t do anything without concrete proof.” 

Elide marched to him “Eight women dead. All the same deaths, all from the Vaults, what further proof do you need Salvaterre?” The woman growled at him, not scared by his imposing figure “You better get that head of your out of your fucking arse.”

She glared at him one last time and walked away. Lorcan stared at her go and sighed. 

Gavriel stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder “she is right.”

Another sigh. Maybe it was time that he actually stopped following orders blindly.

“Gav, do you still have your contacts in the special forces?”

The man at his side looked at his boss with curiosity “Yes, why?”

“Do you think they can help with a bust in a club?”

Gavriel smiled “I will contact them right away.”

Lorcan grabbed his phone and composed a text You were right.

*

Rowan was heading to his meeting with the rebels when his phone pinged with a text. It was from Lorcan You were right. He ignored it and kept walking to the warehouse. Ansel had sent him all the details later on in the afternoon and the more the hours passed the more he knew he was doing the right thing. Aelin might even be proud of him. He tucked the thought of her away in the recess of his mind and entered the building. It was all dark but followed the instructions the woman had given him. At a specific door he knocked and the red-haired woman appeared on the doorstep “agent, I am very glad you could make it.”

He followed her and once inside he spotted Fenrys. His friend waved at him and he walked towards him “I could not believe it when Ansel told me you were joining us.”

Rowan stared in the distance “it was time.”

“We found three more women today,” he added quietly “Same MO. Same everything.”

Rowan could hear the rage in Fenrys’s voice. 

Hamel had to be stopped and he could not care less if Lorcan needed a permit in triplicate copy to do something. He was going to join the action and do all in his power to stop the slaughter that had been going on for too long. His career was the last of his worries right now. 

“Is Lorcan going to do something about it?”

Fenrys’ silence told him that Lorcan was once again too busy following protocol, instead of doing the right thing.

In the background the meeting had started and Ansel was telling the group that three more women had been found dead.

Rowan scanned the crowd and was impressed at seeing vampires and humans together. It gave him a hint of hope.

“Three more women had been used for our mayor’s sick game. Innocent women lured in and exploited. It has to stop,” Ansel had gone on stage and started speaking to the attendees “this has gone too far. We have proof,” and she waved a document in the air “The Vaults is owned by our mayor. He is letting this happen while he fuels discord between out two species,” the crowd erupted in screams of approval. Rowan was impressed, the woman had charisma “Vampires are executed in deviation centres, humans are used like blood bags. This has to stop. We do not need a repeat of the Great fire. We can help stop this before it’s too late. All of us, together.”

The crowd cheered and started chanting her name, Fenrys included. Rowan just stood in silence and  watched that varied group of people trying to fight for a better world.

He turned and looked at Fenrys “I am so in.”

*

The following morning, the citizens of Orynth woke up under a barrage of breaking news. The death of three more women was everywhere in the news. With it the revelation that some secret documents had leaked connecting the mayor with the club. An investigation had been opened in record time and Hamel had not left his office while his PR and legal teams had been hard at work to cover up the news. He was not letting a bunch of rebels ruin his tenure as mayor. 

He picked up the phone and called his man in the main deviation centre.

“Perrington…”

Hamel smiled wickedly “Go ahead. Kill them all.”

“What about our experiment?”

“Don’t worry, we will have more lab rats very soon.”

Perrington acknowledged the oder and hung up.

“You pissed off the wrong man.”

*

Men in tactical armour climbed on top of a roof hidden by the night while the rest surrounded the club and blocked every exit. 

Gavriel joined the team that was meant to be going in from the front. Before joining the paranormal unit, that had been his job. He had been in charge of the special unit. A team of men highly trained in raids and high risk missions. After a long time he had decided to step down and had joined Lorcan’s team. But that night he had donned his special suit once more. The team leader did a roll call on all of the positions and after he got an okay from all of his men they got into position. 

Lorcan was on the sidelines with Vaughan, the police and a few ambulances. They had no idea what to expect but they were prepared for the worst. 

The man in charge gave the order and all units jumped into action. They tore the door down and burst in the club shouting at people to step aside. A few men started to ferry the patrons out to avoid  any collaterals. Gavriel was at the leader’s side. He was the one with the intel from Fen and Rowan. He guided the men to a lower level and once they reached the door he nodded. 

Three men produced a battering ram and started to take the door down. It finally gave up and they all swarmed inside shouting to all the people to lie on the floor. The leader called the all clear and more people started to flood in. Gavriel stood and almost felt sick. On the tables there were naked humans, hooked up to machines. Fen and Rowan had been right. 

Anger surged in him “We need medics inside stat.” One of the man ran outside to help brining the medics in safely. The vampires who were feeding on the humans were slowly being dragged out. 

All Gavriel could do was to stare silent at the horrible scene in front of him. He was old and in his long life he had seen a lot but he was positive that the image in that room would be forever etched in his mind.

Behind him he felt a familiar presence. Lorcan was at his side and was silent. His features marked with anger. A few medics entered the room and started tending to the humans, safely detaching them from all of the machines. 

“I should have listened.” His gaze followed a woman being taken out on a stretcher.

The special unit helped the medics clear the room and Lorcan walked out in the fresh air and breathed deeply, trying to stop the nausea.

There had been twenty five humans in that room. The ambulances slowly carried them all away, sirens blaring. From what he heard, some of them were in bad shape and he hoped as many as possible would survive.

He tried to call both Rowan and Fenrys but neither man answered. He was aware that Fenrys had been mad at him and was taking Rowan’s side. He should have done the same. Should have listened to his friend, instead of suspending him. He had been an idiot.

A deep sigh. Lorcan walked to the man in charge of the raid and thanked him.

“After Gavriel told me the reason I joined in without a moment of hesitation and same for my men.”

Not all was lost, thought Lorcan. There were vampires out there happy to help humans and protect them. Maybe there was a chance of better world.

But in that cold winter night he stared at the clear sky and felt nothing but helplessness.

*

The cell was dark and smelled like mould.

That was the first thing that Aelin noticed when she opened her eyes.

Her sight focused and noticed the pile of dead humans in a corner. She had done that. She had fed. 

Her body started to shake with fear. She was a monster. She had killed.

The memories came back, the smell and taste of the spiked blood. Her stomach lurched and she was sick. And once she was done she curled in a corner and cried in desperation.

“Rowan…” she called in a prayer until her body collapsed into oblivion from exhaustion.

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[thvndrstorm]

               the answer she receives is a punch to the pitch of her stomach,   it hurts like that,   and it leaves her breathless like that.   she couldn’t even phantom the pain a person could feel—   a mother could feel at such a loss,   so she doesn’t even try,   only silence,   reverent and understanding,   permeates the ambiance for a long moment.     "  i’m truly sorry,  "     is the only thing they mutter after it,   wanting to say more yet being interrupted by their destination unfolding in front of them.   they feel reluctant to go in,   however,   scarlett’s company gives a sense of strange security that encourages them to go on.     "  uh,   huh.   here we are,  "     a small smile,   still tainted by the sadness left by their previous conversation breaks its way into rowan’s features.     "  are you ready to face this madness ?  "     because she’s sure nothing short of it they will find in there.

                                                        𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚂𝙷𝙴𝙳.

She nodded, the sad smile that rested on her lips unchanged as they walked towards their destination together. The question was one she hardly knew how to answer, and it stung; he had never gotten old enough to tell her, or really show her what he liked, beyond fruits and silly songs. He would've been a beautiful person... but the keyword was would've. "How I wish he'd had the chance to figure that out," she stated, eyes trained ahead of them. And with that, Scarlett seemed to shut it down, the sadness in her eyes replaced with a sort of glossiness as she gestured towards the sounds of people nearby, amongst the trees. "I believe we're here."

[owlbearwrites]

Did Rowan choose his own name, because he's called Woods and he's named after a freaking tree, I-

Whose fault is this? :p

Well.

Rowan's trans. He came out in his early teens. His parents were very supportive, including of the fact that their son wanted a new name. Now, his birth name, Riley, was rather gender-neutral, so Mr. Woods Sr. and Mrs. Woods figured their son would be going for something more overtly masculine.

After a few days of deliberation...

"Okay, I've picked a new name. You guys ready?"

"Of course, son. What is it?"

"From now on, I'll be going by Rowan."

"... Rowan Woods?"

"Yes! I like it."

Real footage of Mr. Woods Sr's and Mrs. Woods' reaction:

Somehow, Rowan Woods managed to get through the rest of high school without anyone telling him that: a) he switched from one gender-neutral name to another; and b) more importantly, while working with the surname Woods he has, indeed, named himself after a freaking tree.

The rude awakening came on the first day of college, when his parents got a very angry phone call in which Rowan demanded to know; a) if they knew All This Time; b) why they Didn't Tell Him. It was on that day that he decided there IS such a thing as too supportive parents.

He did briefly contemplate changing it again, but in the end, nothing sat right, so he stuck with it.

Some years down the line, the name almost did cost him his job as Jack's PA, because the man took one look at the resume and threw it into the bin, figuring that only a hippie would have a name like that, and therefore, wouldn't be a fit for the company culture.

(Thank goodness for the meet-cute in the lobby coffee shop that convinced Jack to take the interview with the unfortunately named candidate, after a brief interaction in which Rowan struck him as smart, funny and great at thinking on his feet. Not to mention extremely easy on the eyes, but shh, let's not say anything to get in trouble with HR.)

P.S. An Easter egg for the Borderlands part of the crowd: since Rowan was inspired by Rhys Strongfork, whose name was a play on Reese Witherspoon, the surname 'Woods' is a callback to Elle Woods, because I'm just cruel like that.

[sanjisblackasswife]

hey! it's @rowan-rites i know we've only interacted a few times and I follow you on my main blog. anyway I just wanted to let you know the whole drama thing involving that one blog you received and ask for "X is a pedophile" is part of a thing where anti's are beefing because she a) makes dark content and b) writes for minor characters and doesn't specify they're aged up (but like if you read it, they're clearly over 18? its weird)

I thought I'd give you a heads up on the situation. I've gotten an ask similar to that too and decided not to answer it but do some investigating. I'm pretty sure nonny is trying to use your platform to find more people to bully her is what's happening.

should’ve known🚶🏾‍♀️

i wish yall would just block people that post stuff u dont like, cuz u cant stop em from doing it. i had to learn it💀

anyways idk wtf people think me responding to anon would make my followers do that. a lot of em mind their business like i do

it’s pathetic.