#ARO's Secret Drawing Box

[cursedthing]

.oh yeah forgot to post these here

[written-in-flowers]

Be the Light: Pt. 1 (SeongjoongxReader)

Pairing: Hongjoong x Seonghwa x Fem!reader | Side pairing(s): Ateez x Fem!reader.

Word Count: 7k

Genre: angst, fluff, smut

AU: historical!au, arranged marriage!au, royalty!au

Summary: YN has spent her entire life in service of Han Sookmyung, Queen of Hanseong. She never dreamed above her station, or that she'd ever be in reach of Sookmyung's concubines, 'The Golden Ones'. But, when secrets are brought to life, her world is turned upside-down.

Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence, heavily referenced torture (briefly), heavily referenced abuse (briefly), heavily referenced sexual abuse (briefly), enslavement, slight gaslighting, lost sibling, political drama, historical drama, joseon!au, concubine!ateez, nsfw content, virgin!reader, polyamory, polygamous, throuple, threesome m/m/f, oral sex (m. and f. receiving/giving), cunnlingus, vaginal fingering, vaginal sex, virgin sex, virginity discussed

And thank you so much @daesukiii for beta reading this fic!! It's well appreciated!💕💕

NOTE: THIS STORY IS CURRENTLY ON HIATUS

Part 2 >

***

"YN!"

You heard her howl your name from down the hall. The sound of her voice made you quicken your pace, a streak of panic striking through you. 

"YN! YN, where are you?!”

Her voice sent ice cold water through your veins. You’d left her alone with the others for only a moment. What could possibly have happened in the span of five minutes? A slew of scenarios ranging in severity ran through your mind. Somebody brushed her hair too hard. Somebody smeared her lip paint. Somebody said the wrong thing or the right thing but in the wrong way. You preferred not thinking of what she’d done to that person. 

“YN!”

You walked through the wooden hallway, keeping your head down to not draw much attention to yourself. A habit, you supposed, that you’d learned since being her handmaiden. Finally reaching her room, you gave the guard outside a single glance and he slid the door open for you. 

“She’s in a mood today,” he told you gruffly. “You’d think after the night she had, she’d be more docile.”

“She’s never docile,” you replied. “I’ll handle her.”

“As always.” 

You didn’t find her in the front room of her apartments, where servants put out her morning tea and breakfast spread. Walking past the red and cream colored couches, with their low wooden tables, you moved past more servants cleaning the window frames and floors spotless. You opened the doors leading into her bedroom. Two maids in plain hanboks changed her bed sheets and fluffed her pillows. They gave you both a concerned look, which you replied to with a nod.

“YN!”

“Your Majesty, I am here. What is your command?”

Sookmyung stood on a platform in the middle of her dressing room. Four girls dressed in white hanboks kept their heads down and hands clasped together, a sign of their subservience to the woman. Queen Han Sookmyung only wore the emerald skirt of her hanbok, her long black hair unbraided and falling down her back, and you saw the issue immediately. The top layer of her gown laid on the floor at her feet, a bundle of more emerald cloth bordered with golden vines.

“My command is that I want these imbeciles out of my sight!” she screeched, stamping her foot on the platform. “I told this one to bring the blue and gold one. She brought the green and gold!”

“A simple mistake, Your Majesty, I am sure,” you said calmly, walking further into the room. “Aro,” you turned to one of the handmaidens nearest you, “Please bring Her Majesty the dark blue and gold dress. It’s in the fourth box on the second shelf.” She bowed to you, then briskly left for the closet in the other room.

“YN, send them away. I cannot stand looking at them any longer.”

“You are all dismissed for now.”

The remaining handmaidens bowed, then left the room without a word. You moved over to her and began untying the skirt from her torso. Discontent still read on Sookmyung’s thin, oval face. Once the young queen flew into one of her rages, it was difficult to bring her back down. It was why you instructed the handmaidens to do as she said down to the last word. It saved everyone lots of trouble. 

When you gingerly removed the skirt, leaving her in the underskirt and undergarments, you saw yourself in the long mirror. Your white dress nearly blended in with the brightly colored room around you.  Like all female monarchs, she surrounded herself with handmaidens. The distinction was Sookmyung demanded her female servants be virgins, who all wore white to make Sookmyung stand out against them. Being the eldest of her handmaidens, a companion since childhood, your uniform differed in the red ribbon keeping your top half closed. Yet, even then you mustn’t draw too much attention to yourself. How can The Queen shine if her servants looked more beautiful than her? 

“They’re such simpletons,” she grunted. “I do not know what is so difficult. How can one possibly confuse blue with green?”

“I am certain she misheard you, Your Majesty.” Deflect her displeasure. You glanced over to the vanity where someone laid out her jewelry. They’d chosen the dangling gold earrings and matching hair ornaments. “Look at this set, Your Majesty,” you gave a soft gasp, walking over to the jewelry, “These earrings are absolutely divine! Are they not?”

“They are fine enough,” she replied haughtily. “At least the fool chose something that matches.”

“Indeed,” you agreed. “I am surprised she had any fashion sense at all, to be honest.”

“My thoughts exactly,” she sneered, flipping a loose strand of hair from her shoulder. “Send the idiot away when she returns. You will dress me today.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

When the girl returned, you took the long, flat box and dismissed her quietly. Not a sound. Not a whisper or a mumble. That was how servants communicated: discreetly and hurriedly. With everyone gone, only you two remained. You began unwrapping the separate pieces of Sookmyung’s dress from the box. The blue skirt remained plain, while golden dragons interweaved around her shoulders and along the middle of the top. The gold paint shined whenever she moved her torso, and the voluminous skirt gave an illusion of gliding instead of walking.

“I am taking visitors today,” she mused as you began brushing her hair. You took care not to let the brush snag in her waist-length strands. The ring on her finger looked like it’d cut your cheek. “Merchants and common people.”

“Your people wish to speak with you, Your Majesty,” you replied, pulling back her hair to start braiding. “They seek your wisdom and guidance.”

“As they should,” she said, admiring the golden ring on her finger. “I am their queen. They need to heed my words and obey them.”

You would’ve told her that giving advice and giving commands are different things, but you knew better.

After many failed pregnancies, King Siwon and Queen Jisoo finally produced a child in their fourth year. Sookmyung became her father’s sole heir to the throne. Being the only heir, the king groomed his daughter for rule. You wanted to say that Sookmyung ignored her lessons and took no interest in them, but that is far from the truth. Sookmyung devoured her father’s wise council and listened attentively at his elbow. She followed the master at arms around the training yard, learning how to use a sword and bow. She spent time in the stables learning how to tame and ride horses. Everyone hoped her eagerness meant she’d be a good and capable queen, but you knew better. Unlike the king’s council, you knew why Sookmyung took to the idea of ruling the kingdom so quickly.

There’d be nobody to stop her. 

“I heard Kim Haneul wishes to propose to you,” you said, hoping the gossip keeps her occupied. You styled her hair up from her face to accentuate her facial features and long neck, sliding bejeweled pins to keep it in place. “He has had his eye on you for a long time.”

“Which one is he again?” she asked, stumped. “He isn’t the fat one, is he?”

“No, Your Majesty,” you faked an amused giggle. You grabbed her eoyeo meori, the circular wig with its golden adornments. Placing it as a halo around her head before pinning it in place, you continued. “That is Advisor Heechul’s son. Haneul is the son of the new Duke of Daegu. He’s that handsome one who won your archery contest at last year’s harvest festival. I heard from some of the maids that he favors you highly.”

“Of course he does,” she scoffed, double checking the work you’d done. “I’m a queen. He’s a common nobleman.”

“Yes, he is,” you nodded, “But he will approach you nevertheless, Your Majesty.”

“Who told you this nonsense?”

“One of the kitchen hands,” you told her, picking up a powder box from the vanity. “She said she overheard it from Haneul and one of his companions. I thought I’d tell you to prepare you for it should he ask today.” You then added, “I know how much you dislike surprises. I’d hate for him to spring it on you, and you be flustered in making a decision.”

“Yes, I do despise it.” She kept herself still as you began lightly applying powder to her face. “Haneul…Haneul…You say he’s the handsome archer from last year?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hm, must not be remarkable if I did not collect him already,” she mused. A small smile crossed her face, “Have you seen my flowers today, YN?”

“I haven’t,” you answered honestly. “You know as well as I that no one is permitted in your garden.”

“Oh, my beautiful flowers,” she sighed softly. “They bring me such comfort.” 

You saw her eyes glaze over as they did when she spoke of Them. Those at court called them ‘The Golden Ones’, but Sookmyung called them her ‘flowers’. You pondered on the men while you finished painting her lips. Upon his death, king Siwon had twenty-five concubines living in the “private gardens” near the king’s quarters. Sookmyung dismissed them all the morning after his death, determined to fill it with concubines of her own. You and her advisors told her queens did not usually take male concubines, since she is meant to marry and produce children. Sookmyung ignored all of you. During her war campaign across the country, she searched for handsome men to bring into her harem. Yet, with all things, she was picky. Her concubines needed to be ethereal beauties; they needed to be trophies that would make her the envy of the court. She eventually found them, imprisoned them, and then put them in the gardens to do what she pleased. 

Sookmyung currently has eight concubines. No doubt should another war arise, she will steal more sons.

“Tell the guard to bring my flowers to the throne room today,” she said, admiring herself in the mirror when you finished. “I wish for them to be there. They do bring me relief on days like today.”

“At once, Your Majesty.” You picked up a purple perfume box, but Sookmyung shook her head. 

“No, not jasmine. Hongjoong detests jasmine scents.”

‘He does not. It’s you he detests.’ 

“Then will you prefer the lavender or the rose perfume?”

“Lavender. It has such a calming effect on him,” she said when you started dabbing the scent on her neck and wrists. “My fiery blossom. I know he will be furious if that fool Haneul comes forward. His jealousy is only outmatched by my own, I’m afraid.”

“Well, seeing other men fawn over you must make him believe your love for him will wane and disappear,” a male voice said from somewhere behind you. “We cannot fault him for his emotions.”

You turned your head to see an old man walk into the room. His salt-and-pepper hair cut short, he’d left his thin mustache and beard growing past throat to his chest. Wrinkled by age, Senior Advisor Choi Wonshik served the royal family since Sookmyung’s grandfather’s time. In the red robes of a first rank advisor, he walked further into the room. He smiled at Sookmyung, giving her a slight bow as their eyes met. 

“Senior Advisor,” Sookmyung said, looking back at herself, “What brings you here?”

“I came to see if you’d be joining us in the throne hall for petitions this morning,” he asked. “The other advisors and I believe it will show the people an image of concern if you are seen on your father’s throne-”

“-You mean my throne,” she cut him off. “I am the queen.”

“Apologies, Your Majesty,” he smiled, giving a nod of the head, “Old habits die hard.”

“Or easily,” you heard her mutter. “But, yes I will be there today. Tell the other officials to worry.”

“That is a relief to hear,” he grinned. “We look forward to seeing you there.”

“Mhm-hm.”

His attention turned to you, “Good day, YN.”

“Good day, Senior Advisor,” you gave a slight bow and a smile. 

It was the briefest of glances but you noticed it right away. Eyes lined with crows feet looked between you and Sookmyung, with a certain disappointment lingering in them. The expression did not sit right with you, but it was not your place to question. Advisor Choi left, and you and Sookmyung were alone again. He seemed to be filled with words he could not say out loud. Then again, many people did the same. It was Sookmyung’s chuckle that caught your attention.

“The old man likes you,” she cackled. “Out of all the men in the world, it’s the ancient one.”

“He was being polite,” you said to her, cheeks burning from her laughter. 

“He doesn’t have to be ‘polite’ to you,” she said. “He outranks you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted you as his concubine. It is disgusting to think about,” she shuddered, “Those knobbly hands on you and those lips. Don’t worry, YN. I won’t let him touch you.”

“That is kind of you, Your Majesty.”

“You must be envious of me, YN. I have my beautiful flowers and you have nobody,” she said thoughtfully, “I spend ages worshiping Seonghwa’s gorgeous body or listening to Jongho sing and you're here all alone. It must be sad."

“It can be, but I hope one day that will change,” you told her. You grabbed the blue overcoat from the box, letting her stand to put it on her. “I may find someone who is patient and clever. The kind of man who treats his lady well and is gracious and kind.” A man such as Seonghwa. But, that was a thought you immediately pushed out. 

“Men like that are needles in a haystack. Only I have been fortunate to find such lovely beauties like my flowers,” she said. “Like Hongjoong…”

You followed her out of the bedroom. Hongjoong’s face came to the forefront of your mind. The last of Sookmyung’s flowers, he’d quickly become her favorite. You saw how he fawned over her, and constantly whispered things in her ear that made her giggle. Secretly, you wished it was you he whispered to, but you knew that wouldn’t be. Hongjoong is placed far out of your reach, just like the rest of them. As you followed her out of her room, you bit your lip thinking about the last time she made you stay in their “garden”. Sookmyung took delight in seeing you flustered and squirming when she took one of them. Like all her handmaidens, you’d kept your virginity intact, which she enjoyed teasing you about. But, if you had your pick, you'd have him or Seonghwa. Possibly even both. 

Four men dressed in black and red leather armor met you outside her chambers. You whispered the summons to one of them, and he passed it along to one of the guards at the main doors. A wooden palanquin sat at the bottom steps of the residency building, a red awning keeping the sun from hitting Sookmyung as she climbed inside. You, however, stayed on the outside. You eyed the spot beside her, a seat wide enough for you both to fit, but you knew she’d never offer it to you. The queen rides in the palanquin. Her handmaiden walks. 

“But you wouldn’t understand anything about that,” Sookmyung giggled as the footmen lifted the litter and the group moved. You walked steadily at her side, making sure to keep yourself in step. Move too slow, and she’ll complain that you’re lagging behind. Move too quickly, and she’ll accuse you of trying to upstage her. “You are unmarried and are still a virgin.”

“That does not mean I cannot love, Your Majesty, or understand how it works,” you replied calmly. You sensed the taunt skirting around her words, and you braced yourself for more. “I see how Hongjoong and the others are when you’re in their presence. It is like seeing heaven on earth. They worship you. They adore you. I think we all can only hope for such love to come into our lives.”

“How sweet,” she pouted, “It must be nice to have such naive and fanciful dreams about love. I’m afraid it is not always so heavenly.” You noticed her face turn sour, “I see how those little harlots in court gawk at them whenever they pass. They see my flowers and sigh over them.” You saw her fold her hands over one another on her lap, “I remember that one idiot who tried seducing my Mingi. She had that pathetic, simpering smile and that obnoxious laugh. Ugh, it was a humiliating display," a wicked smirk came across her face, "But, I put a stop to that all together. You remember that, do you not, YN?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I do.” 

Lady Seulgi, a noblewoman draped in expensive adornments, had come to the palace during a birthday celebration. You recall how Sookmyung spotted her eyeing Mingi, one of the concubines, and the jealousy flaring in her eyes. You’d done all you could to convince Sookmyung that she saw nothing; Lady Seulgi happened to look in his direction, that was all. This lie worked for a time, before someone else spotted Lady Seulgi trying to corner Mingi in the palace garden. Sookmyung immediately had Lady Seulgi thrown into the dark, secluded jails in the back of the palace. Walking up the steps of a gate to reach the throne hall, you recall seeing Lady Seulgi removed of her finery and forced into a roughspun tunic. The beautiful, bold lady you’d seen that night became a filthy, frightened creature within days. You tried not remembering the stubs of her missing fingers, or the screams she made when Sookmyung pulled out her toenails one at a time. 

‘Make her ugly. Make her so ugly nobody will look at her.’ 

Nobody heard from Seulgi ever again. 

You spotted masses of people filling the wide throne courtyard. Nobles and commoners alike came to petition their problems to the queen, and it created a multi-colored sea of people in the square. Right when the palanquin passed through the gate, a group of soldiers dressed in red and white began playing on either side of the large doors. Two held horns, two banged on drums, one with cymbals, and another held a gong as they walked down the aisle. 

“The Queen is entering!” the leader called out in a booming voice, which caught everyone's attention. 

The daechwita played as they led the procession towards the throne hall. You kept your eyes to the ground now, making yourself as invisible as possible, and followed the palanquin the entire way. You chanced a glance at Sookmyung, whose eyes danced with pride. This is what she loved. This is why she scorched villages and killed kings. The power that emanated from the people bowing to her seemed to swell in her chest. You pitied anyone who upset her today.  They may end up the same way as Lady Seulgi if they’re not careful. 

The palanquin reached the throne hall’s platform, and footmen helped Sookmyung out of it. You briskly straightened out the back of her gown, and then stepped out of her way. The throne hall was wide with open windows, lattice walls, and a high decorative ceiling. Before his death, the king sat on the throne of his ancestors before him. A red throne painted with gold dragons, with a folded screen stood behind depicting the sun, moon, and mountains. It took someone three steps to reach the top of the platform, which only gave enough space for the king and two bodyguards to occupy. 

When Sookmyung came into power, she expanded on this inch by inch. She rebuilt the throne itself to have a taller back to rest on, and raised the platform a several more steps to open it up. This way, her concubines may sit on the steps in comfort, lounging peacefully on display for the whole court. Nobody said it out loud, but you knew why she wanted them with her. How can she flaunt her victories if the trophies are hidden behind garden walls? It made you sick. She not only desecrated the ancient throne, which for centuries stood as a symbol of dignity, but put her own proudful twist on it as well. You followed her up the steps, and walked right to your place in the shadows of the high dais. 

“All hail the Queen!” the singer called out. 

“All hail the Queen!” most of the crowd repeated back. 

Back in her father’s day, the king would speak to his subjects directly. He’d thank them for traveling to visit him, and begin accepting petitions and propositions. Sookmyung stayed silent, eyeing the crowd, while Senior Advisor Choi stepped in front of the throne. 

“Good people, good people,” he called, “It is our queen’s great delight and honor to host you here in her grand throne hall today. She is very interested to hear your thoughts and find solutions for your concerns. May the first of the petitioners step forward, please.”

The first to approach were two men. You took in their haggard appearance: clothes hanging from their skinny frames, worn out shoes on their feet, and their skin tanned from years in the sun. You could tell they must work outdoors, most likely in one of Sookmyung’s rice or spice fields. The taller man spoke up first, fire in his voice already.

“Your Majesty, I have been severely wronged in your great country,” he began. “This man,” he pointed to the person beside him, “Has been extending his land onto mine little by little for several months now!”

“Your Majesty, I have done no such thing! I was merely rebuilding my fences, and happened to accidentally-”

“-Accidentally? Ha, please! Do not try to fool us into believing you do not know where your land ends and mine begins,” his opponent retorted. “You have been rebuilding that fence of yours for quite some time. The stakes from the last rebuild are still in the ground, and they are several feet from where they’d been before.”

“My son has been helping me, Your Majesty,” the man said to Sookmyung. “He is not the brightest of boys, but he is strong and helpful to me in my old age. He must have marked the line wrong-”

“-How despicable! To blame your deception on your own flesh and blood-”

“-I am only providing a possible explanation! Besides, why do you care? It is not as if you tend to your fields regularly or properly. I have seen the grain you grow. It is subpar at best, and inedible at worst. I am the superior farmer, therefore I should have more land…”

“This is so boring,” Sookmyung mumbled loud enough for you to hear. “Who cares about a stupid farm?”

“Their farms are important to them, Your Majesty,” you replied. “It is the only way they can feed themselves and their families.”

“Psh, as if they are now. Look how skinny they are. It’s appalling.”

“Yes, it is.”

Your heart sank hearing the two men describe their feud to one another. You thought of your own solution: You would’ve told them to have an official come and inspect the property lines for them to have an unbiased opinion. You’d pay builders from the city to repair the fence damage and realign it to avoid any more confusion. They would have done that already if they could afford to pay for the help. Sookmyung’s high taxes and the wealthy’s low wages make it difficult for the common folk of the kingdom to live properly. The few times you’d gone into the city for her, you’d seen the way most of them live day-to-day. They’re starving, unable to properly care for themselves or their children, and barely afford to pay their land owners. In their desperation, many of them venture into the Queen’s forest to hunt for food, with hopes of not being caught by guards roaming the perimeters. Others resort to criminal activities, since the slum lords pay much better than their law abiding counterparts. Sookymung’s kingdom fell into poverty because of the grand lifestyle she wished to live and the wars she'd waged. While her people starved, the queen and her elite nobles dined and dressed well. It sickened you to your stomach. 

“...Which of them brings in more grain?” Sookmyung asked the senior advisor. 

Senior Choi looked to Advisor Park, the master of coin who took care of the kingdom’s finances. It took the middle-aged man a moment, but he eventually found their names and most recent tax payments. The accused paid more in his taxes and supplied more grain than his accuser.

“Then it is clear that he deserves more land than this one,” Sookmyung told Choi. “Why give land to a man who cannot contribute to the prosperity of his kingdom and his queen?”

Choi stared up at her, but he did not look as dumbfounded as his fellow advisors. For the briefest moment, you caught disdain in his dark eyes. Nevertheless, he turned away and addressed the men. 

“Then it is clear that…that he deserves more land than this one,” you heard him repeat stoically. “Why give land to a man who cannot contribute to the prosperity of his kingdom and his queen?”

“B-B-But, Your Majesty, my family has owned that farm for many years,” he said imploringly. “It is not right!”

“Perhaps his family should find a new venture and stop wasting my time", Sookmyung huffed. “The man will keep his fence where it is, and you will accept my decision.”

Choi repeated her words verbatim, and the man’s jaw dropped. “Your Majesty-”

“-Next,” she dismissed him through Choi.

Both men were forced to the side by guards. Right as the next person came up, drums and horns suddenly rang throughout the large hall. Sookmyung’s eyes lit up and she beamed at the people entering the room.

“Her Majesty’s concubines approach!” the leader said. “Make way for The Golden Ones! Make way!”

Surrounded by four guards dressed in all black armor walked a group of eight men.

As always, Sookmyung’s concubines wore their black and gold hanboks: Their overcoats of black silk covered most of their body, the wide sleeves ending far past their fingers. Glimmering stones weaved into the intricate floral patterns of their golden sashes, matching the hair pins and jewelry they wore. What separated them the most were their veils. Thin veils hanging from their ears hung to their chests, the sheer fabric dotted with gold pieces to hide their features. Only you and Sookmyung ever saw their faces unmasked. She said the less they revealed of themselves, the less likely anybody would desire them.

A complete and utter lie, in your opinion.

“My beautiful flowers,” she smiled, eyes full of fondness. “So wonderful to see you early in the morning,” she watched them walk up the steps to their assigned seats on the steps.

The farthest was Jongho, who sat on the third step from the bottom, lounging back with one elbow on the step above him. The youngest of her flowers, he kept his black hair in a braid that was woven with gold bands. Formerly an innkeeper’s son, Sookmyung stole him from his family during the end of her campaign. You never forgot how Sookmyung viciously beat the old woman who begged her not to take him; how Jongho did not stop crying the entire way back to the capital.

“Your braid looks lovely today, Jongho,” Sookmyung admired, looking over his round, soft features from afar.

“I am glad you think so, Mistress,” he said, “I added the jewels especially for you.”

“I’m wearing the hair band you gifted me, Mistress,” said a slender boy sitting just above him.

Wooyoung. The son of the Duke of Pyongyang, the siege of his city took Sookmyung only a few days. She often boasted about how their forces retreated from her men like mice. As with the other kingdoms, she gifted the seat of House Jung to one of her allies, and took the duke’s son for herself. Wooyoung fled into the woods, being hunted by Sookmyung and her pack of dogs for several days before being found and dragged to camp. You preferred not thinking about what Sookmyung did to break him.

You noticed the young man winced when he moved to face her. From what you’d gathered, Sookmyung visited his chambers the previous night. Whatever she’d done left him sore and holding back whimpers of pain. The tenderness inside you wished to reach out for him. You wished to comfort and assure him that his pain will subside soon. His wounds will heal and he will be fine. But, how ‘fine’ is he when Sookmyung owns him?

“It looks lovely on you, darling,” Sookmyung said. Another peasant was brought before her, but she ignored him. “You were magnificent last night. You and San both.”

San, muscular and broad, sat across from Wooyoung. Thin eyes flickered with hate before changing to pure seduction. “As were you, Mistress.”

Choi San used to be a soldier in Sookymung’s army. His father, General Choi, was a general who commanded a large portion of her forces. One day, when his battalion was overpowered and forced to retreat, Sookmyung took this failure as a sign of weakness. It inflamed her burning rage, and Sookmyung sentenced the man to a brutal death: being beaten with clubs by his own lieutenants. San was forced to watch the entire thing. From what you’d heard, he still woke up screaming for his father to run.

“Mistress, I’m sleepy,” said the man sitting above San and Wooyoung. Long-limbed with sleek brown hair, he gave an audible yawn and stretched. “I sleep so lightly without you beside me.”

Another sweet lie to fill her head with dreams. Sookmyung’s war took her all over the country, and this meant bypassing several inns and small villages. When attacking Haeju, Sookmyung camped outside a small fishing village right on the west coast. There, she found plenty of provisions and ship builders to repair the damaged fleet. With them came a tall, lean young man with brown hair and a precious smile. Song Mingi. You’d originally thought Sookmyung took Mingi for a fleeting fancy, but when she told him that he’d be joining the other men she’d dragged with her, he naturally refused. It wasn’t until Sookmyung threatened to kill his entire family that he went with her.

Sookmyung burnt down his whole village, ultimately murdering his family anyways.

“Perhaps I may remedy that tonight, lovely,” she replied, smirking at the suggestion. “I wouldn’t want my Mingi to collapse from lack of proper rest.”

“Then what of me, Mistress?” a wide-eyed young man said on the other side. “You said you’d be with me.”

Dainty and petite, Kang Yeosang was also nobility. While not high in rank, his family did supply the opposition with food and resources throughout the war. Sookmyung created the strategy to hit them at their source, which included raiding baggage supply trains moving through the country. Yeosang led one such train, and while his men fought valiantly, they were defeated. Yeosang, having an angelic look to him with doe-like eyes, became another addition to her growing harem. She promised he’d go home if his family surrendered their land and resources to her, so Yeosang agreed. But, Yeosang never went home. It took him a short time to realize that Sookmyung never planned on ransoming him. When he heard her forces invaded his home, slaughtered his family, and claimed it in her name, he knew he’d never see home again.

“You can join us then, Yeosangie,” she cooed.

A peasant woman holding a baby in a blanket came forward, tearful and pleading for her child’s life. Sookmyung hardly listened to her as she addressed the man next to Yeosang: Yunho. Equally as tall as Mingi, he kept his black in a top knot with a black band around his forehead. A servant placed a bowl of grapes in front of him, but he did not eat them. He could never eat with Sookmyung around. She disgusted him to the point of losing his appetite. 

“Yunho, are you not hungry?”

“I had a large breakfast, Mistress.”

He turned his head to answer her, then back to the woman standing before him. She sobbed about how a group of men ransacked her home, taking everything she owned and leaving her with nothing but her life. You saw the pity in his puppy-dog eyes. He dug into the pocket of his overcoat and withdrew a velvet coin purse. You knew that Yunho sometimes secretly slipped silver or gold coins to the servants when possible. 

“Here,” Yunho walked down the steps to her, “For your and your child.”

“S-Sir…” she wept, looking at the large sum in her hand, “I…I cannot…” she glanced at Sookmyung, who glared. “I cannot accept this-”

“-I insist,” Yunho said, not reaching or touching her. It’d put a mark on her back for certain. “You need it more than me.”

“Thank you,” she cried, “Thank you, sir.” 

“Isn’t my Yunho generous?” Sookmyung said, though her grin did not reach her ears. “He is always thinking of others.”

“It is why you noticed me, Mistress, is it not?”

He came back to his seat and your eyes briefly met his. Yunho, not of noble birth, lived in a farming village before outlaws came and raided them. By the time Sookmyung arrived, several villagers either died or were grievously injured. Being the son of the town physician, Yunho tended to several of the children, frightened and wounded from the bandits. Sookmyung not only found it endearing, but saw Yunho’s apparent handsomeness. She promised he’d be her personal physician’s apprentice, learning at the elbow of the finest in the kingdom. He only needed to travel with her for a few days. But, when she placed him in the harem tent with the others, he realized what his role would truly be. It is only fortunate that Yunho is able to tend to whatever wounds the concubines suffer at Sookmyung’s hands.

“It is,” she nodded. “You’re just as sweet as my Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa sat on a cushion a step right beneath Sookmyung. The eldest of the Golden Ones, his sharp jawline and full lips enchanted Sookmyung right away. Son of an advisor to another king, he’d attempted to trade his life for his younger brother, whom she’d gifted to a group of loyalists during her victory celebration. Unfortunately, this did not work. His younger brother was carried off by the men while Seonghwa was dragged to her new chambers. From what you know, Seonghwa hasn’t seen his brother since then. 

His father having been a notable advisor, Senior Advisor Choi has often sought him out for counsel and opinion. You supposed this intelligence is why he’d managed to last so long. He gave her a dashing smile, and spoke in his deep voice.

“But nobody is as sweet as you, Mistress,” he licked his lips, “Nobody certainly tastes as sweet either.”

“Seonghwa,” she flipped open her fan and gave it to you to fan her, “You always know what to say.”

Her eyes then landed on the concubine sitting on her left, elbow on the arm of the throne and appearing bored. Black hair tied back in a ponytail, Sookmyung gifted him with a red headband to wear around his head. Embroidered flowers in the center, this symbol of Sookmyung’s favoritism set him apart from the others. You’re sure that the reason she favored him so highly is not only his handsomeness, but the fact that he’d been a true prince. Hongjoong, Crowned Prince of Wonju. 

Wonju was a peaceful, plentiful kingdom that remained its own nation after the Han clan took over the country. Somewhere far off in the east, you remember the mountain ranges that surrounded the area, high and steep so that very few enemies could pass. It’d been ruled over by the Kim clan, with King Hyungshik at the head. A king in his own right, it was peace terms with the Hans that prevented open warfare. You’d always understood both nations to live side-by-side in harmony. Then Sookmyung became queen, and she could not have another monarch in her country. 

But, Wonju did not fall to Sookmyung as easily. Several bloody and fierce battles were found on land and sea, ripping the two nations apart in the process. Several kingdoms sided with Wonju, but they’d been overpowered by the queen’s men. Sookmyung’s triumph over Wonju became a lasting highlight of her conquest. She’d taken Hongjoong as a further stab to those who’d rebel and oppose her. To her, he is her biggest trophy. 

“Mistress, please let us be done with this riff-raff,” Hongjoong drawled, “And entertain ourselves elsewhere. This business bores me to tears.”

Yet, even after the death of their royal family, the people of Wonju oppose Sookmyung and the man she put in charge of them. Many resistance fighters her armies capture are from Wonju. You wondered at what point did they stop trying to rescue Hongjoong and focus their efforts on usurping Sookmyung. You knew he hated Sookmyung, regardless of what he said to the contrary. You’d hate her too if you were him. But, Hongjoong had secrets of his own.

You’d never tell anyone about the woman you’d seen him meeting at night.

“It is part of my duty as queen, blossom,” she told him, lifting his chin to make him look at her. “Advisor Choi insists I perform my responsibilities as ruler, but the only thing I ever wish to do is be in your arms and in your bed.”

“Then leave these filthy peasants, love,” he took the hand on his chin and held it gently, “And let me admire my queen as a loyal subject should.”

“Hongjoongie…” she breathed,

“Please, Mistress,” he put a yearning into his seductive tone, “It has been so long since you have visited my chambers. You’re always with the others and never with me,” he put a hand on her knee and knelt. You heard him whisper something obscene in her ear, which made her giggle. “…It grows harder in every thought. Do not leave me wanting, Mistress, please. It aches for you…”

This is what Sookmyung wanted: a concubine who professes nothing but undying desire for her. Sookmyung could never truly love anyone, regardless of what she said. Hongjoong knew this, and you admired his tact. It is better to make her believe he needed her than to show his true feelings. You wondered if he thought of the other woman when he said these words. You knew he'd never think of you. 

You saw them after a celebration for Sookmyung’s five-year-reign as queen. You finished helping her into bed and took the shortcut back to the servant’s quarters to rest your tired feet. Cutting through the concubine gardens, you’d heard hushed voices through a hedge. You thought nothing of it at the time, since you thought it must’ve been the wind or an animal nearby. Yet, you then heard the high voice of Kim Hongjoong, followed by another voice. A woman’s voice. Curiosity and shock got the better of you, and you peeked through the high hedge to see their figures in the shadows of the trees. You couldn’t tell what they’d done, since they hid themselves behind dense thickets of shrubbery, but it did not take much to wonder. You never saw the woman, so you guessed she’d gone over the garden wall, but you did see Hongjoong. It did not take a genius to figure out what he’d done. You swore yourself to secrecy; you told yourself that revealing this secret of his to anyone meant death.

“Alright,” she pouted, “I can never say no to this beautiful face of yours…”

“Or my tongue,” he added softly, putting his face inches from hers but never kissing. The veil acted as a barrier that drove her nuts. “Seonghwa will join us, if you wish. He enjoys you just as much as I do. Isn’t that so, Brother?”

“It is,” Seonghwa nodded, but did not approach her.

Your eyes met Hongjoong’s. You wished you could thank him. With Sookmyung occupied with him and his “brothers”, you could see your mother, whom you haven’t seen for two nights. You may even see Queen Jisoo, Sookmyung’s mother. 

“We’re done for today,” Sookmyung told Choi, who nodded stiffly. “Come, flowers.”

One by one they followed her down the steps, and you trailed behind them. Everyone bowed their heads as she walked by, but you couldn’t help seeing their glaring faces. They must’ve waited hours to see her, and she only listened to two or three people. She conquered every kingdom in the country, turning them into wards under her rule, and did nothing to help them. Like the men who trailed behind her, they are spoils of war. Sookmyung squandered their collective wealth, expecting her subjects to accept it without complaint. You wished you knew a way to help, but you’re as powerless as them. You watched Hongjoong climb into Sookmyung’s litter, the pair instantly turning to one another, and expected to walk alongside them.

“No, no, YN,” Sookmyung stopped you as you approached. “You’re dismissed for the day. Come to the garden around supper. If anyone comes calling for me, tell them I am indisposed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” you bowed, standing aside as the footmen lifted up the five litters.

She turned away from you to kiss Hongjoong, who tilted his head to deepen it. Once more, you locked eyes with one another. You gave him an appreciative smile, which he replied with a blink. You waited until Sookmyung was far away before walking towards the opposite gate back to the residency area. Passing by Sookmyung’s personal apartments, you walked further down the hall to a set of double doors guarded by a leggy man in leather armor. 

“Good morning, Junhan,” you grinned at them, the older man grinning back. “Is Her Majesty accepting visitors?”

“She will if it’s you,” he replied, “How was the witch this morning?”

“Junhan,” you hissed, holding back your laugh and looking down the hall, “You know better.”

“Ah, as if anyone is going to hear me here,” he rolled his eyes. He slid open the door for you, and said, “She’ll be glad to see you. Your mother says Her Majesty has been anxious these past few days.”

“Then I should see her quickly,” you said, giving him a nod before walking into the main room. 

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” you smiled as you entered a nearby sitting room. 

The Queen Mother Jisoo was once held in the admiration of everyone in the kingdom. She’d helped the kingdom in many ways during her reign alongside her husband: giving smaller villages access to clean water, funding orphanages and reconstructing damaged parts of the city. She helped pass laws that protected women in arranged marriages or dangerous situations, and gave protection to children. It was because of her that many people, especially the women and children, felt safe in the kingdom. But, when her daughter became queen, the Queen Mother stepped back and focused on her passions instead. However, age came for Jisoo, and her mobility became limited and her health declined slightly.

“Ah, YN, good morning,” Jisoo smiled. She sat in her wheeled chair today, a blanket over her lap and a cup of tea in her hand. “How is my daughter?”

“She is well. She is in the throne hall,” you fibbed. “She asked me to come check on you for her.”

“YN,�� she smiled softly, shaking her head, “You’d lie to an old woman to spare her feelings. Please, come and sit. I’m sure Sookmyung did not make the morning easy for you. A servant told me she sent away her handmaidens this morning.”

“She did.” You took the seat across from her and prepared yourself a cup of tea. You offered to refill her cup, but she refused. “Your Majesty, you must eat,” you noticed the amount of food left over, “If you don’t, it will get cold.”

“I don’t have much of an appetite today,” she admitted. “But, I’m sure you’re famished, so please, eat.”

“She hardly had time to eat her breakfast this morning, Your Majesty.”

A woman in a gray and blue hanbok walked into the room, carrying a stack of folded sheets. Her hair tied up in a bun, she wore the blue and gray hanbok of Queen Jisoo’s maids. Like your red ribbon, she wore a white one. You grinned at the sight of your mother. She’d been Queen Jisoo’s handmaiden in her youth, being at her side for every event of her life. When you grew up, you became Sookmyung’s maid. Except, you’re certain your mother had a much better time serving Jisoo than you did Sookmyung.

“And why was that?” Jisoo asked curiously. “Breakfast is important, and you’re still a growing woman.”

“The queen needed me to assist her in her garden,” you admitted over a cup of tea before sipping. You saw the disapproval on your mother’s face, but it was Jisoo who spoke up.

“And what horrid thing did she make you witness?”

“Nothing. She’d sent the concubines away before I arrived.”

“Hmph, in my day, queens did not have ‘concubines’,” your mother huffed, shaking her head. “The physician tells me he brews her tansy tea to avoid scandalous mishaps, but that is not healthy for a young woman. She’ll do severe damage to her womb, and not be able to produce children at all at this rate.”

“Chaewon,” the queen shushed her sharply. 

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” she apologized. She noticed you not eating, and spread a bit of honey on bread for you. You knew better than to refuse her, so you ate it in small bites.

“My Sookmyung has always had a certain fiery passion,” Jisoo said. “Her father was similar. It was why he had so many concubines. He had an appetite I could not handle on my own,” she giggled.

“But, Your Majesty, the things I’ve heard The Queen does are-”

“-I know they are,” she cut in. “My daughter is a young woman, a new monarch. I will not rob her of enjoying her youth before settling down and marrying someone.”

Did that enjoyment of youth involve locking people in dungeons to torment and torture for pleasure? Did it include kidnapping young men from their families and forcing them to fulfill her every whim? Jisoo might make excuses for Sookmyung, but you would not. You finished the bit of bread given to you, and took up a bowl of kimchi instead. Not fully tasting the vegetable side, you pitied the concubines. Only the gods know what act she is forcing Hongjoong and Seonghwa to perform for her. 

You wished you could help them. You wished you could help a lot of people.

***

A/N: I freaking love historical aus, don't you?? I know this probably isn't a 100% accurate, but I tried to get as close as possible while still mixing in a fictional realm. I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter <3 feel free to like and reblog, it keeps posts alive!!

[alleiradayne]

In Baldur’s Gate, Dragons Dungeon You! | Art Master Post

An SPN/D&D mashup that can be read on its own or part of the greater series The Way Things Ought to Be.

On a quiet afternoon a week shy of Christmas, Dean is interrupted while poking through the news for a case. Someone is pounding on the Bunker door. After a brief huddle with Sam and Castiel, they investigate to find Charlie on the other side, a box of books at her feet. She needs to use their archive for research and a place to stay while she does it. Of course, she's always welcome at the Bunker. And when Dean discovers her trove of Dungeons & Dragons books, she offers to run a quick campaign.

But the mysteries aren’t just in Candleekeep. Charlie seems to have one of her own. Except no one can put their finger on it. The campaign unravels--along with Charlie’s secrets--as she tells the story of The Scrivener’s Tale.

Chapter 3 - Video Killed the Radio Star

Summary: The campaign begins... Warnings/Tags: Intrigue, D&D stuff, roleplaying, cursing, consumption of alcohol Characters/Pairings: Castiel playing Castiel, Dean Winchester playing Rawridan, Sam Winchester playing Mephisto, Eileen Leahy playing Fechin, Jack Kline playing Comet Shadowpool, Charlie Bradbury Pop Culture Reference Count: 10 Word Count: 3818 Song: Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles

For what felt like the first time in ages, Sam held in his hand something he had actually created. Filling out a character sheet, he'd discovered, had tapped into a neglected craft, a forgotten artistry. Not that he lacked inspiration. Between time with Eileen and studying Rowena’s library, months had slipped through his fingers like water. And there had been no shortage of jobs, although they all had been much more particular about which cases they took and how often. With more and more hunters joining the ranks, Sam had leaped at the chance to take a break, if not for himself, but for his family. Years ago, he might not have seized such an opportunity. Everything had changed, and for the better, since undoing Chuck's finale chapter. The thought crooked his lips into a small smile as he scanned his character sheet again, then set it on the table, satisfied.

Across the table, Dean and Castiel babbled like caffeinated children as they gestured to their own character sheets. And beside Castiel, Jack signed to Eileen across the table so quickly Sam struggled to keep up. Something about music—no, a song…

“Alright, I’m ready.”

Charlie handed Eileen’s character sheet to Sam. “Do we need anything else?” he asked as he passed her character along.

For a beat, Charlie appeared confused, as though Sam had sprouted a second head. Her eyes slid to the table where she stared that long, far-off look, blinked, then shook her head. “Jeez, I almost forgot the map and the figs.”

“Figs?”

Charlie hefted a small plastic set of drawers from the floor and set it on the table. “Figurines,” she stated, tapping the top. “Pick out a fig to represent your character on the battlefield.”

Dean glanced at the table, then turned back to her. “What battlefield?”

Again, Charlie retrieved yet another item from beneath the table. With a flick of her wrists, a three-foot long vinyl sheet rolled out and revealed a grid of one-inch squares. Then she tossed a set of wet-erase pens at the edge, along with a marker-stained rag and a spray bottle.

“Battlefield,” she stated as she picked up a marker and began to draw. “Pick out your figs and…” When she finished her structure, she replaced the pen cap and set it aside. “You’ll place them inside as you’re introduced.”

Sam pulled the figurine drawers towards him and opened the top drawer. Neat rows of highly detailed pewter figures sat nestled in dense foam. “Did you paint these?” he asked as he hefted a tall, mulberry-skinned tiefling in dark purple robes and black leather.

“I did, but it was a short-lived hobby,” she said as she motioned to Eileen, and Sam slid the drawers to her.

After the figures completed a trip around the table, everyone had selected their miniature representative—Jack’s tiny fairy complete with lute and sword, Eileen’s many-bladed half-elf, Castiel’s plated-covered human bearing a pike and shield, and Dean’s minotaur hefting a massive sword in both hand. When Dean handed the drawers back to her, Charlie retrieved a figure out of the bottom drawer as well.

“Who is that?” Dean asked.

“Mind your own business,” Charlie chimed with a coy smirk as she handed Jack’s character sheet to Dean who passed it to Castiel. “Listen, just kick back and relax while I get the story started. Y’all ready?”

Ever prepared, Sam intended on doing much the opposite of relaxing, pencil poised over a blank notebook.

“The Restricted Section Tavern teams with life, bursting at the seams with the sound of merriment and commerce. Sam, your character is seated at a table and about to receive dinner…”

A heavy mug thumped on the table before him, dragging Mephisto up from the depths of his surging thoughts. He smiled at the barmaid, a young human no more than twenty and five. He placed a stack of coins on her tray as she set a heaping bowl of hearty stew before him, then thanked her too late. She had whirled away to the next table, and it wasn’t as if she could hear him anyway. Only a few chairs remained empty in The Restricted Section, and within minutes, he knew they would fill. Best tavern in all of Candlekeep, as far as he was concerned. Brightly lit, a massive iron chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, bathing everyone and everything in a golden glow. Sturdy oak beams crisscrossed the tall roof, and in the furthest corner of the dining room, a roaring fire warmed weary traveler and aged scholar alike. Ale, mead, and wine filled his nose, mingling with the scent of savory meat, carrots, and potatoes.

A second steaming bowl of the very same stew he ate appeared on the table before him, snatching his attention once more. “We’re short on space, sweetheart.” The barmaid had returned again, her tray laden with bowls and mugs. “Do you mind?”

She side-stepped to reveal a tall half-elf, her leathers and linens bedecked by all manner of daggers strapped across her person. The deep green hide and clean, ivory linen clued Mephisto in on everything he needed to know. He stood and inclined his head. “I would be honored.”

The woman bowed in kind, a small smile crooking her lips, then seated herself. Though she seemed comfortable—it wasn’t every day that one was required to keep company with a Tiefling—Mephisto left well enough alone.

“Wait a minute, are you serious? You named your character Mephisto?”

Sam twisted to look at Dean and found a disgruntled glower.  He shifted in his seat, then said, “Yeah, so?”

“A demon-thing. With horns and hooves. Named Mephisto?” Dean repeated. “Don’t you think that hits a little too close to home?”

“Would you rather see me go dark-side in real life or live vicariously through a D&D character?”

Dean opened his mouth to retort, then snapped it shut. After a surly moment of teeth grinding and side-eyeing, he said, “Stick to the tabletop games.”

Sure. He wanted to poke the bear. Just once. But he decided against it. He turned to Charlie with an eye roll and asked, “An elf just appeared in front of me?”

He found her staring at an indistinguishable spot three feet in front of her, eyes wide and glassy. Unseeing. He knew that long, far-off look. And that settled it for him. Something was up. But what, Sam could only imagine. It was hardly the right time or place to ask. Prying was out of the question. So instead, he nudged Dean, then gestured to her with a bob of his chin.

Dean reached out for Charlie’s hand, but the moment he connected, she startled back and snatched her cuff. Then she shoved both hands in her lap beneath the table and continued the story. “Sorry. A half-elf. Not an elf. She appears to be in good spirits, but reserved.”

Not one to intrude, Mephisto focused on his dinner, but kept a discreet watch. Motion near the hearth, caught just out of the corner of his eye, snagged his attention and he craned his neck to get a better look. There, he watched a child—no, a fey—step up onto the shallow stage on the far wall. In one hand he carried a lute by the neck, a harp in the other, and a drum tucked under one arm. With all the grace of a dancer, he set the drum in front of a short stool as he straddled the seat, then placed his lute in a stand. Practiced fingers plucked at the harp strings as he held his ear close, adjusting where needed with delicate turns. Then the fey straightened and looked across the room, a satisfied smile on his face.

The dull roar of the dining hall stilled so sharply, Mephisto thought he had missed something. But then the fey on the dais rose to his feet and spoke.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I hope I find you all well, and by the night’s end, even better.”

A pindrop would have sounded loud as a blacksmith’s hammer ringing on the anvil. As the fey returned to his seat, Mephisto found himself on the edge of his. There was something familiar about the bard that required no introduction. Who was the storyteller that appeared too young for his pipes, but sounded wise as an aged wizard? He had little time to ponder such questions, for the fey raised his long, nimble fingers to the strings and began.

“I have a song!” Jack chimed.

Charlie shook her head as though to hear him better. “Uh… sure. Go for it.”

“It’s more of a story, but I think I can put a song to it,” Jack said. “Only if… you’re okay with that.”

If Sam had not seen the look she gave him, Jack’s trepidation might have confused him. Charlie stared at him, the faintest hint of fear escaping her tightly contained demeanor. But then she said, “Alright, give me a performance roll.”

Jack plucked his largest die, a D20, from his tiny pile and gave it a roll. After a check of his character sheet, he said, “Twenty-two.”

“Have at it, Van Halen.”

The fey established an impressive theme, intense and foreboding despite the harp’s dulcet tones. Several measures passed, then the accompaniment softened to a whisper, and he sang.

Lords of lore, I implore Gather ‘round for a story One long lost to time’s cruel march And the scribe’s unforgiving quill

He sang a robust tenor, and his fingers flourished a swirling melody on his harp’s strings. Each verse spun a web, a tapestry of a tale long since forgotten. Enamored, Mephisto had hardly moved an inch. The fey’s song and story painted such a vibrant picture, he had only but to close his eyes.

I knew the heart of the tarnished exile Spurned by her kin, her queen For fire and treason and plot But I knew her, the onyx sovereign Before the Night of Obsidian Knives I had always known her heart 

Three lies for three crowns One black, one silver, one gold Thrice they trusted And thrice she betrayed I had once known her heart

The midnight towers fell first Toppled by her war Next the silver spires Corrupted by her greed Last the golden peaks Murdered by her delusions And I wished I had known her heart

For she had wrought ruin upon The ancient realm of those three crowns On that Night of Obsidian Knives The rivers ran with black, silver, and gold Black and silver and gold Black and silver and gold Black and silver and gold

What a memory, Mephisto awed. With every verse, the story twisted in a new direction, guided by spine-tingling chords and soaring refrains. Nearing the end, a crescendo vaulted, measure after measure, into a wild clashing dissonance as the fey lamented the legend lost to time.

I thought I had known her heart But I had only feared my own For there the truth had always hid And had I but looked I would not be here today Transcribing my final intention Burn Witch Burn

I should have known my heart

His final words quieted, sang so reverently, and not a dry eye remained in the entire tavern. With a rolling final chord so forlorn, the fey lowered his head in benediction. Then the chord faded, and the song ended. A sorrowful quiet filled the tavern, interrupted only by sniffling noses and clearing throats. The fey raised his head, a brilliant smile on his youthful face, and the tavern erupted. Cries demanded more, and coin funneled hand over fist into an ornately carved box at the edge of the dais. He thanked each of his patrons individually, shook their hands, welcomed their embraces and tears, basked in their praise. But why? Yes, the bard had performed the ballad quite marvelously. Even Mephisto had welled up a bit. But something else had resonated with Candlekeep's residents, a deeper meaning unbeknownst to him.

"Roll a history check for me, Sam."

Sam shot a sidelong look at Charlie, hidden behind her Dungeon Master's screen. He could only make out the knot between her brow, her stare focused on her book. She said nothing else, remaining motionless. So he picked up and tossed his D20 along his character sheet. "Oof." He considered his sheet. "An eight."

Was that relief he heard in her sigh? "You don't know the ballad's story or origin." Her glare rose just above the screen to peer at Jack.

Sam followed it only to find Jack's easy smile and bright eyes. He considered them both for a beat. "What?"

Resin clattered on the wood behind Charlie's screen and she laughed—or scoffed, the screen muting her as well—and then she rose above the board, smiling. "Nothing. Would you like to play another song?"

"Sure," Jack chimed.

The fay set his harp aside and hefted his drum. “How about a dance?”

Travelers and locals alike cleared out a space in a minute, their movement rote. Though he had spent two nights prior at The Restricted Section tavern, he had yet to see their ritual. No wonder the bard had not introduced himself. It was then that Mephisto spotted a shiny gold pin in the shape of a lute, scroll, and quill on his lapel. College of Lore, then. Not just an entertainer. A certified storyteller, historian, and artist.

 In the midst of the commotion—and Mephisto’s distraction—the tavern doors opened wide, unnoticed at first.

“I enter with Dean.”

“Cas, I’m not ready for either of you yet,” Charlie began, but then she spotted the crestfallen look on his face. She glanced at her book behind her screen, then looked back up to him. “Alright, I’ll make it work.”

“I go in first,” Dean said.

“I do not believe that is a good idea, Dean. You’re playing Minos’ beast.”

Dean grimaced, but then rolled his eyes and agreed. “Alright, fine. But I’m right behind you.”

Castiel nodded, and Charlie continued. “Castiel, you enter the tavern…”

A dark haired, blue-eyed human in shining mithral plate crossed the threshold, drawing several looks. What followed, Mephisto imagined no bard could have anticipated.

Stranger than fiction, indeed.

A minotaur ducked under the frame to enter on the heels of the human, then rose to his full seven feet. Clad in similar plate, he cut a terrifying figure, and every single soul in the tavern froze. When had they last seen, if ever, a minotaur in Candlekeep? Or anywhere for that matter?

As the odd pair scanned the tavern, the minotaur’s golden glare stopped at the fey on the dais, then snapped to the patrons holding tables and chairs. He grinned. If a minotaur could grin. 

“Good man, allow me.”

He shuffled between the throng, then plucked the rather large table from the struggling man’s hands as though it were a feather, and gently set it aside. He turned back to the fey and asked, “A dance, Master Bard?”

“If you would have it, yes,” the bard said with a nod, nonplussed.

“Then I’ll make way,” the minotaur replied as he gingerly navigated the crowded tables. “Hooves make poor dancing partners. But I do enjoy watching a lively jig.”

Mephisto released his spear to cover his mouth in hopes to hide his laughter. Across the table, the half-elf had dropped her chin to obscure her own grin. Between them, they were the only patrons that had seemed to hear him. Still petrified, the rest of the tavern appeared to have missed the minotaur’s humor. He had taken up an empty space in a nearby corner and seated himself on the floor. When he looked up, he saw everyone staring back at him. Then he tossed a heavy bag of coins on a nearby table and said, “A round for the tavern on me! Have a drink and a dance!”

An uneasy cheer—but a cheer nonetheless—from the patrons broke the tension. They took to the cleared space as the bard began a jaunty beat on his drum, and dancers danced in trading pairs.  Servers weaved through the tavern in a wild rushing step of their own, and the fey sang a fascinating tune about a lycan and his human wife.

“Rawridan!”

Mephisto diverted his attention to the nearby corner where the unlikely couple had taken up a position. The human hardly had to lean over to speak to the minotaur—Rawridan—chastising him for what appeared to be careless spending.

“That was supposed to last the rest of the week.”

Rawridan shrugged. “I’ll win it back. Or the archivist will finally pay us.” He paused then and looked the other regal warrior in the eye. “Both. Probably both.”

When the blue-eyed paragon glanced in his direction, Mephisto suddenly found the bottom of his mug more interesting. A server refreshed his drink with great haste, and he used the distraction to continue eavesdropping, but the conversation never resumed. Rawridan had grown preoccupied with the dancers, his massive hands clapping along as he bobbed his head in time. And the gilded soldier—a paladin, Mephisto surmised—appeared mildly annoyed rather than truly affronted as he had at first. At least, he too, found some enjoyment watching the dancers as they bounced from one end of the space to the other, the beat quickly gathering speed.

Infact, the bard had long since finished his song and had merely continued to provide a beat for the dancers. Faster and faster, they spun and twirled and changed hands and kicked and stomped and cheered until they could no longer stay on their feet. Several patrons collided—intentionally, it appeared—and another raucous applause ended the song.

“A drink well earned,” the fey began as he set aside his drum. “And a final song as well. What will it be?”

Several songs shouted from the thinning group, and the fey nodded, gesturing for more. He picked up his lute and plucked at the strings, twisted the knobs at the headstock, listened with one ear. Patrons peppered him with more and more songs, an endless list, and even the half-elf added her opinion. Though it had snagged the bard’s attention, he still waved her off.

So thoroughly present, Mephisto found himself suspended between moments, those liminal spaces between thoughts. A chill coursed along his spine, and he shivered. Old bones rattled between his ears, but he saw no dice on the bar. Louder and louder, the rattling tumbled in his head, drowning out the people around him. No one else seemed to hear the clattering as it rose like rolling thunder.

But as quick as it had started, the rattling stopped. Then the tavern door opened again, and Mephisto knew without a shadow of a doubt who was about to enter The Restricted Section. When he stood, so too did the half-elf beside him. As did the paladin and his companion, Rawridan. And across the room, the fey stood as well, lute dangling from one hand. Patrons fell silent once more, following their bard’s wide stare to the door.

From behind her screen, Charlie withdrew the miniature she had selected and kept hidden. She set it on the map just inside the tavern’s doors, then cleared her throat and said, “You see…”

A harried young man in researcher’s robes crossed the threshold, unassuming and particularly nonchalant. The tavern-goers resumed their chatter and song requests, largely ignoring the Avowed Acolyte with whom Mephisto had grown familiar the last three nights. Ramilir, one of Candlekeep Library’s hardest working Avowed, spotted him immediately. He also spotted the others that stared him down, first the half-elf beside him, then Rawridan and the holy champion. Last he spotted the fey on the dais, and it was then that Mephisto understood.

Fate had gathered five threads for Ramilir to weave. And he had come to the tavern to collect those he was promised. With one more cursory glance across them, Ramilir nodded, then turned back for the darkness beyond the tavern door and disappeared into the night.

Without hesitation, Mephisto followed, but not before Rawridan and the paladin darted rather quickly out ahead of him. The half-elf crowded in behind him, and much to the dismay of the tavern’s patrons, the fey vaulted the dais. Quick as a quail, he threaded through the crowd and darted out the door a step ahead of Mephisto.

A crackling streetlamp barely managed to illuminate the otherwise dark road, both ends disappearing to nothing beyond its aura. Chill wintery air washed over him, refreshing his lungs as Mephisto breathed deep. He recalled Ramilir’s letter then, wondering if any of it had been true. Several referrals had recommended Mephisto, according to the missive, and not only for his prowess in pact magic and curses; no, it seemed several old acquaintances had recalled his time in the Waterdeep Library where he had studied with Farideh, the infamous adventuring Warlock, and had developed a keen eye for errors in translations, historical inaccuracies, and outright lies. So it was unsurprising that Ramilir had requested his assistance with a boatload of research.

But what of the others? The half-elf with her copious blades, and the bard with a voice like molten gold? Several guesses stacked up quickly, but none satisfied his curiosity. And then there stood Rawridan and the paladin, both formidable in their own ways. What use might Ramilir have of them? Did he expect trouble?

“I owe you all an apology.”

Charlie yawned as she said, “And that’s it for tonight. I’m beat. Long day.”

“Wait, what?” Dean squawked. “What happens next?!”

One after the other, Charlie stacked her things, books, screen, pencils, and dice in one arm, then stood. “You’ll find out tomorrow. G’nite, y’all.” 

Before Dean could protest any further, Charlie slipped away, shuffling through the war room. Indeed, she appeared beyond exhausted, listing to one side before she descended the steps to the hallway. Sam hoped that the Bunker provided her some measure of comfort. Or peace of mind. Anything to help her forget whatever kept her up at night.

He glanced around the table, but nobody said much of anything. Dean appeared quite confused. But then Castiel asked him if he wanted a snack, and that shook him loose, so whatever bothered must have been trivial enough.

Eileen and Jack wandered off at some point, deep in conversation. Sam, however, remained in the library, wondering. Charlie wasn’t a rookie anymore. She had driven all night, but for a… ritual? A curse? Regardless of what it was, it had to be serious for her to do something so drastic.

There was no use sitting alone and ruminating about it. If he was going to help Charlie, he had to speak with her. Tomorrow, though. Clearly, she needed the rest.

Sam stood and traipsed to the kitchen, resigned to solving yet another mystery. After one of Castiel’s snacks.

This series is complete! Reblogs are loved and feedback is welcome!

[localgrem1in]

First Introduction!

Hi! I am quite brand new to tumblr as of this post, haven't really been around here long, so I'm just a tad bit clueless when it comes to how things work. Don't worry, I'll get there eventually [hopefully] Very first introduction!! Whooo :D

Quick facts:

-Name: Y'all can just call me Local or Loca. If you see someone close to me call me by anything else, no you didn't <3

-Currently still a minor! Please be respectful.

-Aro/ace [and lonely </3 /lh]

-American [boring, I know, I know]

-I used krita for art [cheap for a poor lad]

-I'm fine with shipping and fine with nonshipping. I'm here to consume and spread all

-Very much a desertduo and divorceduo fanatic, romantic or not

-Nonexistant sleep schedule

-Friendly and would love to talk / get to know y'all!

Other facts: -Pronouns: I'm cool with anything. I primarily use he/him, although she/they/it/neos are all acceptable! The neos I use on myself are ala/alum/alumself, but I'm not opposed to others.

-The profile and banner is temporary- I don't have the focus or brainpower to draft up anything better than that, but I would like to edit it to something more personal and something I like more soon! -My ask box is... there. I don't know what y'all would be asking about yet, but if you wanna say anything, ask anything, have a convo, etc, it's there and it's open!

-This is my MCYT tumblr! It sound silly, but these guys who control lil block men have been a huge inspiration, encouragment, motivation, and help to my life. I love all the wondeful characters we've been given and the incredible content creators behind them. [Note: I have been moving away from DSMP and related content creators and down the pipeline to hermitcraft and empires!]

-I adore worldbuilding and character design! I am a self-taught artist who is still VERY much learning and a writer. I do all kinds of things, not limited to writing, drawing, fanfiction, fanart, roleplay, art trades, secret santas, requests, and hopefully sometime in the future commissions! Tips on anatomy and colour would be super appreciated!

[the-whumpening]

Meet the Characters Monday #2

James Snyder - Son of Bat

[Image ID: Two sketches on one canvas. On the left is James Snyder, a muscular man with long dark hair, with his arms folded and a smug expression. He has a lip stud and an eyebrow ring, and his facial hair is stubbly. He wears a plain dark t-shirt. On the right is James again, but during his hospital stay. His hair is cut in a short, messy style and his expression is apprehensive and sad. He wears a hospital gown, his piercings are gone, and he has bandages across his shoulder. The whole sketch is in shades of purple. /End ID]

Basic Info:

Name: James Snyder

Age: 25

Birthday: Aug 30 (Virgo)

Height: 6' 6" (198 cm)

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Favorite Color: Purple

Gender ID and Orientation: Aro/Ace, Cis Male. Although he and Molly occasionally engage in some sexual activities, he leans more sex-repulsed in general.

Pronouns: He/him

Other: Extreme perfectionist and musical prodigy; has a traumatic brain injury

What's James’ role in the band? Co-founded the band with Eddie. James is the primary guitarist and writer, responsible for the more advanced and technically complex solos. He also manages the sets and equipment, including overseeing/helping with set-up and tear-down at most shows.

Fun Facts about James:

James is not-so-secretly a huge nerd and otaku. He loves anime and k-pop/j-pop, and he’s so obsessed with his guitar that his friends got him a waifu body pillow of it.

He’s kind of a prodigy in most ways—he’s always been super intelligent, picks up instruments with ease, and excels at weight lifting and boxing.

Buuuut despite his musical talent, he is surprisingly bad at dancing and can only handle basic drumming.

Intentionally hired Cassandra as the band manager because 1) he knew she had the skill for it, and 2) he thought she and Vince would hit it off. He was correct on both accounts.

While it might not be OCD/OCPD exactly, James does struggle with obsessive thoughts and anxiety, which has led him to self harm in the past. Many of his ear piercings were done in self harm.

Biggest Secret: I’ll give two since one is kind of silly and the other is serious but a bit obvious. 1) He has a Prince Albert piercing and a massive dick. Molly is the only one who knows and is sworn to secrecy. And 2) He wishes Vince had been more present and “protected” him from their parents, rather than dissociating and putting up with it. He grows to understand and forgive him for it, but he was really hurt by it for a long time.

(Edit: I just came back to this a couple hours later and I haaaaate this drawing so I'll probably swap this out for a different one at some point)

[therealvinelle]

What if the entire human cast were turned into vampires? (those who stay human throughout the saga)

Well, the first question we must ask ourselves, is who’s turning them? Who would do such a thing?

It’s a very stupid thing to do, after all, and a surefire way to earn yourself a visit from the Volturi.

Now, who in the post-Breaking Dawn world would want to turn all the humans near the Cullens into vampires, ensuring another confrontation between the Cullens and the Volturi?

Answer is, drumroll-

The Romanians.

As of Breaking Dawn, the Volturi are extremely vulnerable. Jane, Alec, even Chelsea have all been neutered. Renata is Schrödinger’s shield. She might work, might not. The more time they’re given to regroup after this, however, the worse news for their would-be usurpers.

Now is the time for a rebellion, but there’s no rebellion without Bella. Bella, unfortunately, is in a coven led by ultimate pacifist Carlisle, and Carlisle isn’t going to greenlight storming Volterra with an army. It’s time to get creative.

This could go many places, but the path of a biting spree in Forks and La Push is certainly one of them.

So, Vladimir and Stefan bite the entire human cast, and open Pandora’s box.

One of the first things to happen, I think, is that Billy, Quil senior, Emily, Kim, and Rachel are killed, maybe even before their transformations can complete. They would not want to live as vampires, to them vampirism is a fate worse than death. A mercy killing before they can hurt anybody would be the only way out.

As for the rest...

This would break the secret.

In this globalized age of internet, viral videos, and live TV, several hundred people all falling mysteriously ill with the same inexplicable symptoms, screaming and begging for death for days, slowly turning into something else as baffled doctors watch, before becoming massacring demons that tear the hospitals they’re in to pieces within minutes and proceed into the streets, killing everything in sight-

Aro hasn’t had a headache like this since ever.

This doesn’t even have to do with the Cullens anymore, though they’ll have to testify that they had nothing to do with this. Caius will be out for blood, though, any blood, and his ire will fall upon them.

This, of course, is the part the Romanians did it all for, because everyone knows that the Volturi are corrupt and would execute them regardless of guilt, so the Cullens will have to bring a new set of witnesses to this confrontation. And this time, of course, the Volturi are showing up to get massacred. Stefan and Vladimir high five each other.

And this time the odds are entirely in their favor.

In Breaking Dawn, standing by the Cullens was a suicide mission. No one knew Bella would be able to pull off what she did, none of the arrivals even knew she even had a gift when they agreed to come. Carlisle gathered only his bravest and most devoted friends.

In this scenario, now that everyone knows Bella’s gift neuters the Volturi, every single vampire who’s ever wanted the Volturi gone are going to want to be there. From random nomads to Maria with her newborns, everyone who’s anybody is going to want to be there, and they’re likely already squabbling over who gets to be top dog as soon as Aro’s a pile ashes.

And Aro can’t avoid this.

He can’t barricade himself in Volterra because there are hundreds of newborns loose in Washington. If he does nothing this will mean that the Volturi rule is officially void. They can’t enforce their law anymore, they may be alive down there in Italy but the era of the Volturi is over in all the ways that count.

If he goes to Washington, he can’t avoid the Cullens for the same reason as above. If he doesn’t collect their testimony to ascertain their innocence it’ll mean they’re now above the law, which in turn means that the Volturi don’t have the strength to punish them.

He has to go to Washington, and he has to deal with the Cullens.

Now, Carlisle may think the best of everyone, but even he would know the plot of the movie 300 when he sees it. The Romanians showed up at his doorstep, they totally didn’t create all those vampires wink, oh and here are eighty thug vampires who are already drawing straws on who gets to kill which Volturi.

More, what happened in Forks and La Push is only a taste of what’s to come.

Not only are the Volturi needed to help stop this madness, but if they should fall then what happened in Forks and La Push will only be a blip on the radar against the chaos that will be unleashed. It’ll be a genocide of the human species.

And Carlisle will have a culpability in that. The reason why this mass vampire creation tragedy is happened in the first place is precisely to see the Cullens go to war against the Volturi.

Last problem, it would be a massacre of the Volturi. Carlisle is a pacifist who cherishes life, even if it there would be no repercussions to the Volturi falling, forty-something vampires would still be killed.

I think at this point it would be unconscionable for Carlisle to allow this confrontation to happen. Question is, how to prevent it?

I have no doubt that the Romanians would be filling Bella’s head with conspiracy theories and what have you, for starters, explaining how her family will never be safe while Aro lives. It would be effective, even if Bella is told by Carlisle what this means for humans she’s not necessarily going to internalize just how bad that would be. Bella also has the problem that she romanticizes her love for Edward, to the point where she i Eclipse would let his family die if it meant she could keep him. Letting civilization fall to protect her lover would be acceptable to Bella.

More, the Cullens like humans well enough, but they’re not altruistic.

Likely, they would be convinced by the Romanians and the other vampires there that this was a fight for liberty, the human population would be fine, this is really no worse than Heidi fishing 40 people a week, we’re just more honest about it! The Cullens would want to be convinced, because the Volturi are scary and have proven evil in the past. If they’re not overthrowing them, they’re not just agreeing to live in danger, they’re agreeing to be slaughtered. It’s been established, to them, that Aro’s just itching for an excuse to kill them.

Carlisle can make his plea that they fuck off to Isle Esme while he alone stays behind to testify to Aro, so there’s no Bella at the confrontation. They’d refuse both because there’d be nothing stopping Aro from killing their allies and then coming after them when they’re alone, and because there’d be a real chance they were leaving Carlisle to his death.

Besides, with Bella’s gift they can hold the Volturi hostage, act nice or she’ll let these 80 vampires kill them. Nevermind that the vampires would just attack the Volturi anyway, and Bella couldn’t not shield them.

Bella and the rest of the Cullens aren’t going to go along with Carlisle.

Now, if Carlisle were Aro, the hard but effective solution here would be the Didyme route. Kill Bella, one life to spare the many.

Carlisle is not Aro.

What options does he have, then?

He could sneak away to intercept the Volturi, speak with Aro, hope to in some way initiate talks. It’d be a desperate, futile gamble, one where even if he gets Aro to listen it still won’t make their army-shaped problem go away, because Bella will never believe it if Aro says “we’re friends now! No quarrel! I’m definitely not going to kill you at first leisure if you let your army go.”

It’s an empty lead.

I think, given everything, Carlisle would swallow down the bitter taste of irony, call up his old friends whom he can still rely on, such as the Irish and the Amazonians, and ask very nicely if they would - sigh - like to witness that the newest Cullen-Volturi encounter goes over peacefully. The shapeshifters should be on board as well, after what happened to their loved ones and the countless other innocent humans killed or turned, they’ll never forgive the Romanians and not Bella for standing with them either.

So Aro shows up, and there’s Bella and the Romanians with an army of thugs, and there to the side is Carlisle with his tiny squad of witnesses. Who, should a fight break out, will try to defend the Volturi and get themselves killed in the crosshairs.

There’s a long silence.

Everyone is giving Carlisle their most exasperated eyerolls, his own squad included. Carlisle wishes he was rolling his eyes too, but the situation is a bit too serious for that. He just stands there feeling very uncomfortable.

Quite damningly for Bella, if she now allows the fight to happen that means the shapeshifters will be killed. None of the Cullens are particularly keen on the fight now that Carlisle’s likely to die.

Frankly, I think this would be an unbearably awkward encounter where absolutely nobody acknowledges aloud the reason why they’re there, or what was supposed to happen, and act as if it’s a normal trial, for the several first few minutes.

The Romanians know this is it, this is their chance, so right about the time where Aro is saying “How excellent that we’ve established the Cullens didn’t do it! Who, then, could the culprits possibly be?” they launch their attack.

All, at this point, depends on Bella’s reaction. If she keeps up her shield, then a glorious battle occurs, and most if not all Volturi die, the Carlisle squad are also goners, and most if not all of the Romanians’ army die as well.

The thing is, to win the Romanians don’t have to win - they just have to make the Volturi lose. So, even if they’re wiped out, if they can take out the key members of the Volturi then the Volturi will still have lost.

And this is where Aro’s planning enters into the equation.

Would he bring his key players to what was certain to be a slaughter? Would he even come himself?

Is it not perhaps wiser to send the twins, who in a fight without their gifts would be the first and easiest to be killed, to a secret location? Hope that, should the Volturi fall, then they can at least hope to take Bella down with them so that Jane and Alec will be able to keep the world from succumbing to a fiery hellpit?

And Jane and Alec couldn’t do this alone. They’re kids, for one thing. More, there are no men like Aro. His gift and personality both have been how he kept the vampire world under control for over a thousand years. It is a romantic notion to go down with your ship, burn with your empire, but it’s an impractical one. And Aro is nothing if not practical.

If he doesn’t show up to the trial it’ll just be sending his Volturi to be slaughtered, and as I explained above, not going at all isn’t an option either.

I think the twins would be safely whisked away to some faraway place, while Aro arrives with plans for an effective escape for himself and the core members, and as many vampires Chelsea was able to get to redshirt themselves.

This, in turn, means that even if Bella doesn’t use her gift, it’ll still be a slaughter. Alec and Jane aren’t there.

In the scenario where Bella doesn’t use her gift, this forces the Cullens to fight alongside the Carlisle squad and the Volturi. The odds are not so uneven as they originally were. Could be Aro still escapes, or given the tipped balances he could try and luck it out, to increase the odds of his side winning.

There are many outcomes this battle could have, but the Volturi would not escape unscathed from this. No coven would, the fighting would only end when there was only the victor remaining.

I, personally, like the outcome where Carlisle and Aro both survive, and find themselves living with a new world order. The secret is out, the Volturi are a shadow of what they once were, and the Cullens can never live as humans again. The two form a tentative alliance (because at no point has anything been cleared up between them) to keep this new world from descending into interspecies war.

Edward, now a Volturi, wonders where it all went wrong.

(There’s also the outcome where Renesmée joins her grandpa’s squad as a teen rebellion thing, and since no one wants to harm her the fight is cancelled. 

Aro repeats his ramble about nukes and missiles, the vampire community needs him to smooth things over and have Chelsea make all world leaders adore vampires or it’s over for all of them. Carlisle supplies in that poorly scripted random member of the audience says exactly what the magician needs him to way, “Yes absolutely the humans have weapons that can take us out!”

It’s awkward for everybody.)

[prinxlyart]

just any individual toh character hc would SLAP. mebbe ur thoughts on the twins idk this is vague

Nah it’s cool, I can dig it let’s do this

I only put this under a line break cuz it got so long oops lol

Emira:

Defo has a stutter that she went through a lot of intensive and grueling speech therapy sessions for (when she was about 7 years old) that she hated. Amity and Edric both know this and know it’s a sensitive topic for her. They’ll tease her lightly about it, but never in front of anyone else and they know where to draw the line. In my last Vinera post, I mentioned how much Viney adores her stutter. She absolutely loves getting Emira flustered enough to start stuttering. She’s incredibly patient and understanding when it comes to Emira’s stutter and Em’s feelings about her stutter, and she helps Emira learn to be okay with it again. It’s nothing to be ashamed of (and it’s cute).

My girl likes carrots. Like, really likes carrots. As in she’ll eat them straight out of the ground if she’s given a chance to wash it first. She really loves carrots. This is only an issue later on after she and Viney start taking care of beasts together and Emira’s been caught eating their entire stock of carrots that’s meant for the beasts. Viney has to keep the carrots in a secret box away from Emira after that point.

Emira actually really loves beasts/animals but has never been good at handling them. Any time she’d try to approach an animal to pet it, it would try to bite her. She’d get extremely pouty whenever this happens because beasts/animals love Edric. It’s not until after she and Viney start dating that Viney actually starts teaching her how to approach different creatures and her love for creatures reignites.

Emira’s a giant pushover for Amity. Only Edric knows this because he’s also a pushover for her. If Amity ever found out what power she actually holds over them, they’d be in so much trouble. They mask their love for their sister with constant teasing. Yes of course they get annoyed by her, that’s how siblings are, especially when Amity tattles on them, but at the end of the day, they’d help Amity hide the body if she asked. (The few times they witnessed her crying by someone other than their parents, they had gone on a warpath. Nobody hurts Mittens.)

Defo had a brief infatuation with Luz for like 5 minutes before she realized how head-over-heels Amity was. As long as they’re both happy, that’s what matters. She’ll take that secret to her grave though.

L O V E S having her hair played with, but like, only with people she’s super comfortable with. She has so much hair (mostly due to her mother’s wishes) and any time they all have attend some fancy gathering, Emira has to be seen by a stylist in order to get all her hair into whatever wild fancy shape her mom wants for the event. That she hates more than life itself, but whenever she’s upset, Edric or Amity grabs her hair brush and just gently brushes her hair out until she’s chill again. (She absolutely melts when Viney starts playing with her hair). In an act of defiance and because she needed this Change, the moment she and her siblings leave the Blight Manor permanently, she cuts off all of her hair. It’s very reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Viney loves it. Everyone loves it actually, but the biggest reactions come from Viney and Luz (they both love running their fingers through the newly cut hair because it’s so soft).

She likes to sing to herself when she’s alone. It’s rare that it ever happens because if she knows there’s other people in the same building as her, she won’t chance it. But when she knows she’s alone and no one will notice if she casts a silence bubble around herself so she can sing at the top of her lungs? You better believe she closes any doors or curtains in the area, locks everything, casts that spell and goes nuts. Her voice isn’t all that great, but it’s lovely when she’s singing quietly to herself while she does homework or something. On especially bad nights, Amity will ask her to sing to her. Emira sang to her once when they were like, 3 and 5 respectively, and it’s been their secret thing ever since for especially rough nights/nightmares.

Edric:

Yknow how James from Pokémon is just super good with Pokémon ?? Like, he knows how to treat them, he knows what they like, he asks them gently if they’d like to join them, etc. That’s exactly how Edric approaches creatures. He’s a natural with them, but he and his sister’s natural affinity for illusion magic kept him from pursuing that track of magic.

He’s always wanted a pet, but every time he brings it up to his parents, he’s met with the same firm No as always. He’s definitely gotten in trouble for trying to sneak wild creatures into the house to keep in his room. Thank Titan for Em’s cool new girlfriend who’s not only a multi-track student, but studying the exact subject he wants to study and is super eager to teach him everything she knows. He learns vicariously through her and helps her study for her tests. At first, Emira is suspicious of them, but she knows her brother wouldn’t be so cruel as to try to steal her girlfriend away from her. He’s just a dork.

My boy’s got a sweet tooth. He loves desserts and sweets and fluffy baked goods and often tries to sneak candies when he thinks no one is looking. Chocolate is a big weakness for him. When Luz introduces him to Human Sweets, he’s practically bouncing off the walls. Cotton candy??????? Flan?????? Dulce de Leche en Tabla??? He nearly passes out when Luz busts out what she calls a “chocolate fountain” and turns it on. Y’all remember that one image of a bird bathing in a chocolate fountain from a million years ago? That’s Edric.

Edric Blight LIVES to see his sisters laugh. He would pull all sorts of silly faces and dumb tricks to make Amity laugh when they were little. He still tries to make her laugh, but usually those have grown from giggles to disgruntled mumbling. He’ll never admit how much it breaks his heart and it’s not until he sees her laughing at something Luz has done that he has hope he may still be able to get her to laugh again (it’s also the first time he’s heard her laugh in years and it makes his heart soar in relief. He was almost certain their parents had stamped any concept of laughter out of her).

My boy Edric is so full of love and passion; actually quite similarly to Luz. What makes them different though is that Edric is Aromantic. He’s never had a crush in his life. He’s happy with his sisters and all of their friends and their family as it grows in the future. He has some best friends that he lives with for a while (after his sisters move in with their respective partners), but for the most part he’s chill. He loves his family, he loves spoiling his sisters’ kids, and he’s content with himself. It takes him a super long time to be content with himself, but he gets there. I will literally never get over the fact that his biggest fear is “being alone forever”. He’s never alone. He will always have his friends and family. And, thanks in large part to Luz, he has his parents back. His parents that actually were excited when he cast his first spell and tucked him in at night when he was a toddler, giving him kisses goodnight and pleasant dreams. Not the parents he’d run away from; those were the cold, uncaring, obsessed with fake concepts of popularity and status people he ran away from with his sisters. It took years, but Luz helped bring his real parents back. He loves getting to know them for who they are now that he’s an adult too.

He and Gus become best friends. Like, dumb buddy cop movie levels of best friends. They get into so much trouble when it’s just the two of them and they have the time of their lives. At first, he and Em just sort of took Gus under their wing because he was a little bit of an outcast in their homeroom for being so much younger than everyone else. But he’s a friend of Luz’s and a friend of Amity’s after a while, which automatically makes him cool in their book. They soon find themselves actually enjoying his company, rather than just protecting him from stray bullies, and they find his ability with illusion magic exciting. They themselves are considered prodigies so having another prodigy to show off practice with is super stimulating for all of them. As the years go on (and Emira spends more time with Viney) Edric starts calling more and more often for “Bro Time” where they go do stupid teenage stuff or test the limits of their magic or even just hang out and talk for hours. It’s actually all this time hanging out with just Gus that Edric discovers he’s aro; somehow it comes out that Gus has developed a crush on Edric and (major age differences aside) Edric realizes he’s never had a crush on anyone before. It’s a conversation that sucks a lot, but they’re besties and they manage to get through it. Gus maybe needs to take a day with his original gal pals to just cry about it, but he gets over it just fine. He also helps Edric understand what it means to be aromantic. Well, with the help of Luz and Willow as well; Luz is a walking dictionary for lgbt terminology and Willow’s super good at helping dissect feelings (when they’re not her own cough’outofsightoutofmind’cough).

I genuinely don’t know what he might pursue for a career. Part of me wants him to be independent and do his own thing, but a much stronger part of me wants him to just be part of Viney as Emira’s business. He loves creatures so much and he loves taking care of them, but I don’t want him to feel like a third wheel around his twin sister either. Maybe he becomes a dual track teacher at Hexside specifically for healing and beast keeping so more students can learn about Service Creatures. He can substitute for the Illusion track homeroom when needed, but he’s super passionate about the Service Creature sub-track he and Viney pitch to Principal Bump.

[magiefish]

hhhhhhhhhh guess who drew all the batim characters in prep for the comic they’re making!

yeah so it took like 4 days to draw all these guys, and it was actually pretty fun figuring out colours and designs and stuff!

(also, update on the Reveries Twisted comic, I have a plan for the first chapter but i have like, 7 tests next week and I haven’t started drawing it yet so it’s definitely not going to be coming out anytime soon sdfgsdfsj but i am still working on it!)

anyway, i felt like writing little descriptions for every character, so feel free to read these below the ‘keep reading’ line if you feel like it! My ask box is also always open, so if u have any questions feel free to ask

Bertrum Piedmont-he/him, gay/ace

-Started working as a mechanic at about 15 and worked his way up from there -Everyone in the studio @ him: why are u british -His big ego often gets in the way of things, but at his core he's a good person (doing bad shit but ultimately having good intentions is common among these guys shdgfs) -Wlw & mlm solidarity w/ Lacie, who is his most trusted confidant and friend -Actually treats his employees well, even when they do basically nothing all day, so he does a lot of work himself most of the time Linda Stein-she/her, straight as a ruler -Parents immigrated from Spain -She's very catholic and very into 'traditional family values' and that sort of stuff -She is sweet, but her strict morals and black and white ethics often make her do unintentional harm -She is also pretty oblivious to most things Jack Fain-he/him & they/them, pan/ace, OCD -Mother immigrated from China to France, and then he moved to America, it's confusing -Can play the violin really well, but is terrible at composing his own pieces -Peak friend material -Short and round and soft with a love of a good espresso -Kind and quiet but ultimately ineffective and happy to watch from the sidelines Daniel 'Buddy' Lewek-he/him, aro/ace, autistic, jewish -He is curious and observant, but very very naive -He finds it hard to pick up on social cues, and tends to daydream a lot -Never really had a father figure, and unfortunately kind of half sees Joey as one (baaaad choice), but his mother is great -Loves drawing and tends to chew on pens (and most objects really) -Too young Susie Campbell-she/her, demi -Her parents were Russian and she picked up their accent, but taught herself how to cover it up. She is now excellent at voice acting. -Has a birthmark most theatres turned her away for. But luckily voice acting gave her another chance at performance, and the music department really does not care about it. -Her dad was a butcher, so she now knows a concerning amount about how to cut up and dissect meat. -She gets easily attached to things emotionally, and has a whole pile of random bits and bops she keeps on her person because she can't throw them away. -Naive, but smart enough to know how to read and deceive people if needed. Ms Abigail Lambert-she/her, lesbian -A very gifted artist, who is quite frustrated with the business aspect of animation. -Picked up quite a few things about engineering from Lacie. -Stern, but kind. Motherly, if she likes you and you squint hard enough. -Used to fighting for things. -Giving her food is a pretty good way to get her to like you. Being an artist, she forgets to eat at the correct times a lot, so a meals always appreciated. Norman Polk-he/him, gay, albino -Knows how to fix things, knows how to fight, knows how to hide -General cool uncle vibes -He watches people a lot, and gives off some creepy vibes, but he does genuinely care about people -Knows something is up and is determined to find out what (even if he dies trying) -Fought in WW1, then worked at a cinema for a bit. Emma Lamont-she/her, heteroflexible -Keep dancing even when everything goes wrong -Bit of a 'i'm better than these fools' mentality going on -But she's pretty chill, and willing to act when needed -Basically every woman in the studio knows her on the basis that she chills in the girls bathroom. -Hates Joey, but knows those who stir up a bit too much trouble usually 'resign' Sammy Lawrence-he/him, (vocal-romantic) bi/ace, ADD -His dad sucked, so he ran away. He's also the reason he's largely abandoned his faith, but he still holds hope that there is some kind of god out there. -He and Jack are basically brothers, they've known each other for a long time. -He can compose music in his head, but can play basically every instrument. -Tall and thin and sharp with a love of black coffee. -He's actually pretty chill and nice, but the conditions of the studio (workload, noises, dreams) have left him quick to snap and a stressed out mess. -He's pretty oblivious to his own feelings and spends basically all his time thinking about music, so he usually only realises that he has a crush on someone if he hears them singing (hence the vocal-romantic joke) Johnny Hart-he/him (she/her), gay (trans), heart condition -A nervous wreck who avoids everything and everyone -Trans but doesn't realise it, he thinks this level of discomfort has something to do with his heart condition or something like that. -Speaking of which, if he gets genuinely terrified or panicked he could have a heart attack. -Hence why he's a recluse who remains in the organ room and interacts w/ literally no one. -Except Dot and Buddy (who forgets he exists and who he also has a crush on). Wally Franks-he/him, pan -Friends with literally everyone who isn't one of the older folks (and thomas) -Honorary member of the music department because he can play a harmonica and vibes with everyone there. -Tries to put a positive spin on everything, often beyond the point of reason -A mischevous, mildly selfish prankster with a heart of gold -Gossip pals with Susie and Norman The Violinist-she/her, nobody knows -Has literally never expressed an emotion ever -Seems to know things are going to happen before they happen -Just generally pretty weird -She isn't friends with Dot, they're both just vaguely interested in what the others doing -She looks a lot like Allison, but the two have never spoken and nobody knows if they're sisters Thomas Connor-they/them, gynephilia -He is just. So tired. -An actual mechanical genius who gets his work used for the wrong purposes. -Is very of the 'when you're on a path stick to it' mentality -Cold and hard exterior that vertually no one except Allison has ever managed to get through. -He can and will beat you up. Henry Stein-he/him, gay, vitiligo -Nice and hardworking. -Doesn't have many emotions other than to draw. -He's in fucking narnia he's so deep in the closest. -Feels emotions, but buries them deep down and doesn't express them too clearly. -Has difficulty setting healthy boundaries with people and represses himself far too much. Joey Drew-he/him, homoromantic/pansexual, bipolar disorder, alcohol and cigarette addictions -Chaotic, feral, short little man who lies to everyone -Charismatic as hell, but also a terrible friend and person in general -He doesn't blink enough, does not know the meaning of personal space, and hasn't aged for about 4 years, which are all very bad signs. -Doesn't understand how to run a business but does so anyway. Doesn't understand how to interact with people but does so anyway. Doesn't understand how to create life but does so anyway- -He isn't pure evil, he just gets into very bad mindsets and makes poor decisions that lead him down the wrongest way to go. -Does some self evaluation and goes 'maybe this wasn't the right way chief :/' just a bit too late Audrey Dempsey-she/her, lesbian, Borderline Personality Disorder -Feral conspiracy theorist -May or may not be related to multiple studio members -Everyone's called her crazy for years and made her feel like a burden, and she is hellbent on proving everyone wrong -Quite socially awkward, and rather sarcastic with a dark sense of humour -Works for Archgate Allison Pendle-she/her & they/them, androphilic/ace -Is forever lost in a vintage clothing store -Most people say she seems nice, but everyone just kind of subconciously registers that there is something up with her -Knows a lot about the supernatural -The person closest to Joey, which doesn't necessarily mean they're friends -Nobody has ever seen the right side of her face Dot Acciaci-she/her, pan -Her parents are Italian, and she speaks a little herself, usually using it to encrypt her private notes -Mischevious & curious, but ultimately kind -She will find out your secrets, and is very good at reading people -Great storyteller -Struggles with loneliness a lot Dr Eleanor Hackenbush-she/her, aro/ace -Science knows no bounds -Doesn't care what your motivation is, as long as you give her some cash and some experiments -Filled with nothing but utter spite Ms Reina Rodriguez-they/them, demi -Tired of everything -Although she puts up a calm exterior, Rodriguez is very attached to the studio and views it as her 'new family', having a terrible relationship with her old one -Her family drama connects to the fact they're very catholic, but she nobody knows what this drama is other than Joey Tessa Arch-she/her, straight -An absolute bitch -Trusts her husband far too much -Not very smart, but compensates for this for being good looking and rich Shawn Flynn-he/him (intersex), pan -Jovial, but gets angry quickly -Willing to do 'wrong' things if it helps someone else out, kind of like Robin Hood or something -His mother taught him how to sew and he helped her make clothes when he was younger -Found it hard to get a job because he's Irish, so despite being tired of all the bullshit of JDS, he is reluctant to look elsewhere -Friends with Lacie and Grant because they appreciate his humour Lacie Benton-She/her, lesbian, trans -Tougher than the toughies -wlw & mlm solidarity w/ Bertrum, who she views as one of the only genuinely smart people in JDS and who she has worked for for basically all of her life -Feels like something is up, but doesn't notice much if it doesn't connect to her work -Has automatophobia -Friend with Shawn and Grant because she respects their dedication to their work Grant Cohen-He/him, bi, depression, jewish -Absolute madlad at maths -Acts like he doesn't care what you think, cares far too much about what you think -Everyone wants him to just get therapy already -Doesn't have many friends, but has a weird 'we're both horribly overworked' kinship with Sammy, so they usually just chill and smoke together -Friends with Shawn and Lacie because they're actually mentally stable and he needs some rocks Nathan Arch-He/him, straight -You should hate him -You should hate him a lot -Super rich and doesn't pay his workers enough -Silver tongued -Basically a spider. Creates webs of manipulation and lies, sees a lot, and knows plenty about waiting for his prey to come to him.

[aro-pokeverse]

Alright, I'll join this.

I don't think I'll draw for others tho, but I'll see if I can draw for anyone too.

[ask-the-shiny-pokemons]

The W guy.

Open for more drawing suggestions.

[hoesidon]

Alrighty so since I’m bored let’s talk about a single dads au lmao:

The PJO/HoO boys have one of those dad groups where dads just get together while their kids play together and they just hang out and talk shit and drink juice boxes

Meet the ‘Hot Single Dads’ group:

Percy Jackson: the laidback and relaxed dad who the other dads sort of look to for advice because he seems to know what the fuck he’s doing. Juniper calls him a living miracle because he can get any screaming child to calm down in minutes. Has an eight year old son named Theo with an ex college girlfriend. Pining hard after Jason. Coaches his son’s swim team. Moms (and dads) love him. Teachers have a love hate relationship with him

Grover Underwood: the Epitome of the Stay At Home Dad. He’s got all the healthy snacks and a first aid kit on him at all times. Panics when his kid eats sand. Father to Willow (9), Nova (6), and Ash (2). Husband to Juniper. Allowed in the Hot Single Dads group because he’s Percy’s best friend since middle school and he’s got a lot of common sense and he’s great with kids. He’s also the one who tries to plan out meeting days around everyone’s busy schedules. Grover is the king of diy and crafts, and all the kids love him. All the neighborhood kids make Grover flower crowns during the summer and he'll wear them as long as he can before adding it to the collection of crafts kids have made him in his room

Frank Zhang: a nervous new dad fresh out of college who asks a lot of questions and has a lot of concerns. Has a four month old daughter named Anya with his best friend and ex-girlfriend Hazel. They met in high school and were best friends but didn’t date until college. But soon after realized they were better off as friends. Doesn’t go anywhere without Anya strapped to his chest. Works as a firefighter with Percy.

Nico di Angelo: not a dad yet because he’s in the process of adopting but hangs out with the group for advice and tips. The kids love him because he’s like their fun uncle. Accidentally got roped into babysitting Theo for a night once and realized he’s actually really great with kids and decided he wanted to adopt.

Leo Valdez: the dad who just does not give a fuck and also the fun dad. His kids eating a Cheeto they found in the sand? Shit happens. His twin boys, Mieczysław and Salvador (7), are menaces. Doesn’t like to show it but is constantly stressed out and worries that he’s not enough for his boys and wonders if he’s doing the right thing. He’s that one crazy wild friend from college you’re shocked to find out years later that they have a child. Leo is the one who introduces Jason to the group.

Jason Grace: new to the group as a newly single dad who’s worried he’s not enough. Has an eight year old son and a five year old daughter. Pining hard after Percy. Coaches his son’s baseball team. Moms (and dads) also love him. PTA Dad. The Mom™ friend turned Dad. Always has snacks, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer on hand. If you need anything, anything at all, there’s a 98% chance that Jason has it on hand. Shares joint-custody with his ex-wife and best friend Piper.

After his divorce from his ex-wife, Leo tells Jason about this Dad Support Group he’s in and that he should accompany him to their next meeting with the kids

Jason is skeptical at first but decides what’s the harm in going to one meeting

He wasn’t expecting to fall hopelessly in love at first sight with one of the other dads

“It’s Percy isn’t it? Can’t say I blame you. He’s got the looks of a Greek God.”

Leo teases him immensely for it and gives Jason a knowing look every time he catches him looking at Percy

Percy is a Terrible flirt

“So you coach your son’s baseball team? That’s great! Theo loves baseball.” “Dad I hate baseball.”

Grover likes to tease Percy for it but Percy reminds him that it took him two years just to gain the courage to hold Juniper’s hand

Aside from pining, Jason enjoys hanging out with the boys

He and Nico hit it off quite nicely. He also enjoys teasing Leo about his not-so-secret crush on Nico

He and Frank become workout buddies

Percy tried to join them on their workout days after Annabeth said he had the beginnings of a Dad Bod forming but between work, coaching Theo’s swim team and keeping up with his other long list of extracurricular activities, he just doesn’t have the time

He’s learning to embrace his Dad Bod

Grover has fully embraced the Dad Bod

Grover and Frank get along a lot because they’re both sorta nervous dads who worry about their kids a lot

And so Frank usually goes to Grover for all of his questions like “is this normal?” “She bumped her head is she okay?” “What can I do for this??”

And Grover gives him all sorts of advice and healthy snacks

Jason and Percy’s boys are competitive little buttwipes and are always getting into fights

“I bet I can run faster than you.” “I bet I can kick this ball farther than you.” “I bet I can swing higher than you.” “I bet I can study faster than you.”

Percy settles their arguments by getting in-between them, hauls his son over his shoulder, and brings him to the side and calmly talks to him in a low voice

Jason just watches like “Damn that shouldn’t have been that hot” before he realizes he probably should have a word with his son as well

Unfortunately for Jason he’s hopelessly in love and he’s like 99.9% sure Percy is dating Annabeth

Everyone thinks that Percy's in a relationship with Annabeth because they’re so close and she loves his kid

It also doesn’t help that Theo refers to Annabeth as ‘Mom’

So Jason just has to pine away and being the child he is, pulls at Percy's pigtails cause he can't deal with his crush

Frank decides to throw a fourth of July BBQ and Annabeth comes and Jason is trying to make conversation

Jason thinks he’s subtle but he’s not. 

“Your son Theo is a very charming boy, very polite. You must be very proud.” “Theo isn’t my son.” “Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you his step mom?” “No. Godmother.”

Annabeth laughs at Jason’s confused face and goes “If I was looking for a romantic partner maybe but nah. Percy and I are just best friends. I babysit Theo a lot.” (She’s hella ace and aro)

It’s obvious that he likes Percy

And Percy being Percy, he can't see it

One night like a month before the BBQ, he’s over at Annabeth's drinking and lamenting about this beautiful blond dad(dy) who Leo introduced to their Hot Single Dads group who's "literally captain America Annabeth, I swear I would go to war for that ass"

Annabeth recruits Reyna and Rachel to help her get these two idiots together

Side plot, Nico's surprisingly good with kids, especially Leo's twin terrors, and they get together cause the twins Conspire™ and Plot™ to do so

Cue many Hallmark movie shenanigans

Nico is one of the only one who’s can actually get the little devils to listen and behave. Leo is in awe and in love.

Leo gets asked about his sons’ names a lot

Leo: “Those two little demons playing on the monkey bars are mine. Mischief and Managed.” Frank: “...you named your sons Mischief and Managed?” Leo: “No, of course not. That’s just what they like to be called.”

Calypso is half Greek and half Polish and wanted to name Mieczysław after her grandfather. Unfortunately Mieczysław could never quite pronounce his name correctly so he goes by Mischief instead

Calypso also wanted to name Salvador after a character from Game of Thrones but Leo had to draw the line at Drogon. He already agreed to Mieczysław, he wasn’t naming his son Daenerys or Drogon

And since the twins are really into Harry Potter and Mieczysław goes by Mischief, Sal likes to go by Managed

Percy originally created Struggling Dads (Leo later changed the name to ‘Hot Single Dads Who Are Also Fortunately Not Heterosexual’) so his son could learn how to socialize and hopefully make some friends. He immediately regretted everything once he met Leo’s twin terrors

The children basically make up the Marauders irl

[1000roughdrafts]

Family Secrets: Chapter Five

Pretty Thoughts

Summary: After interrogating a demon for weeks on end, she gives you the information you‘ve been hunting for. Enlisting help from Garth brings trouble in the form of Dean Winchester. 

A/N: again, sorry about formatting, I’m on mobile. Also, happy halloweeeeeen🎃:)

Warnings: SPN style demon torture (lol), obscenities, slight angst (argument between reader x dean), Dean in slight pain

W/C: 2.7k

Masterlist/schedule

Previous Chapter

"Just give me their names you disgusting rat," you shout through clenched teeth at the thin, black hair and black eyed demon you have strapped to a rusted chair. Dumping holy water onto the demons face you smile as it screams out in agony. With clammy hands you lean in, your face just inches away from it's blood drenched cheek. "You're going to die no mater what, so give me what I need and I'll put you out of your misery."

The demon stays silent, looking at you with it's now chestnut eyes with russet rims. It's long lashes bat once at you. "Mandy," you say gingerly while pushing yourself up to stretch out your back.

Taking a glimpse at the devils trap you've carved into the floorboards of a room you and Rufus had added onto the cabin, it wretchedly begs, "it's been weeks."

"Pretty neat, huh?" You mendaciously chuckle while toying with the dagger. "I've expanded on the normal version. Thought I'd had a trick of my own. You're dying, slowly and never to return again that's to some spells I've learned along the way."

"How cute. A hunter dabbling in magic. Does daddy know that you're no better than those you're in search of?" She puts on a false pout before breaking into laughter, "oh, wait."

Your eyebrows erect to reveal your arrogant eyes and temperate smirk. "Names. Now."

The demon stays silent, continuing to look around for a way out. Fed up with its evasiveness you grab a syringe filled with holy water and finished off with a spell to elongate the effects, to quickly inject the demon before it can scream out. After giving a second dose, you throw the empty syringe back onto the tray.

"Guess I'll see you in a few days, then." You laugh, "if you're still alive that is. See, I do need this information, but if you die before I can get it, well, that just means I have to kill more of your kind. And that's a win win for me."

You stealthily turn to walk towards the wooden block of a door that leads to the cabin. As you approach the first step, the demon lets out a thundering, frustration driven growl. Twisting around to face the demon, you smile, "yes?"

"Allanah Sandburn, Rose Coach, Taylor something and Violet Yasmin."

"Who else?" you demand while striding over and paralleling you're torso to the demons, pulling your dagger to her cheek.

"Guess you're gonna have to get another 'rat' to tell you that one," it shrieks, spitting at you. "That's all I know."

"Good one," you say, wiping the saliva from your cheek with the back of your hand and letting out a small chuckle. "I guess you're right."

Thrusting the blade into the left center of the demons chest it lets out one last ear piercing shrill, throwing its head back in torment. The body twitches and convulses and the last bit of essence vanished from the vessel in a luminous flash of vivid energy.

After showering the dagger in holy water you use your handkerchief to wipe it dry before dialing a number into your cell. "Hi, Garth." You pause and smile, "yeah, grab a piece of paper, would ya?"

You rotate around and stride over to the demon. "Can you do me a solid and have a look-see at a few names?"

—

A nauseating stench vents into the smokey air as you glare into the pit and gawk at the burning carcass. You reach into your pocket and put the singing phone to your ear, "what's the word?"

"Why are you asking Garth to track down a coven?"

"Grumpy? What are you doing with Garths cell?"

"What? I'm no- didn't you see the number before you answered?"

"Luckily for you, I didn't. Slick move leaving your card behind, I thought I had your number blocked."

"Yeah, well," Dean clears his throat. "Sam says I may have been a little too tough on you."

"Tough?" You called me a fucking monster, asshole, your thoughts scream.

"Now, I know I called you a monster and hey," he chuckles, "I've been there. Like you said, a lot of hunters have a bounty on my head."

"And?" Do you expect me to fucking care? You think as you sit on the cement steps in front of the porch.

"And I'm not expecting you to care or anything, but, uh, I thought 'what the hell, let's give her a shot'. What do you say?"

"Give me a shot?" Better make sure that's an iron bullet, you cynically joke.

"No, look, I'm not fixin' to shoot you," he says quickly and then more smoothly, "I'm saying I want a second chance."

"Yeah well you can take that and-"

"Shove it where the sun don't shine? Tried that. It can right on back."

You can hear a playful grin that he's attempting to suppress, and roll your eyes at the image. "I have gone a very long time with just myself, I think I can handle-"

"You're not doing it on your own. Covens typically meet in groups of-"

"Thirteen. I'm aware. I wasn't born yesterday."

"Says the girl who doesn't even know when she was born," he scowls.

You laugh, "aw, would you look at that, it didn't even take more than five minutes for your true colors to shine back through."

"Okay, smarty pants, I'm looking at this from a logical point of view. Thirteen against one are not great odds. You want to get yourself killed? Be my first. But if you want help, do nothing until we get back. What do you say?"

"That's assuming that I'm not already being logical about this." You pause, "tell me what Garth found out and I light agree to that."

He sighs, "the main one you're looking for Allanah. I guess she was last seen somewhere near Kansas City, but seriously... don't go poking around until me and Sam get back to the cabin. Just stay where you are. Do you hear me?"

You switch the phone to your alternate ear, standing up from the steps. "You are not in charge of me, Dean! We met purely coincidentally, you threatened me and I went off on my own remember? I didn't even want to hear from you again!" What does he care anyway?

"Whatever. I don't care. Just don't drag Garth into it."

"Oh," you scoff. "So that's a perfectly acceptable thing for Dean Winchester, but I can't?" Asshole.

"What did you just say?"

Louder this time, you repeat yourself, "I'm saying you don't own him. You can't just keep bossing people aro-"

"No, something about an ass."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I could have sworn you called me an asshole."

Immediately you end the call and hold the phone against your chest. "How in the hell could he have heard that?" You say aloud, too scared to say anything mentally.

Walking inside to grab yourself a much needed beer you try to drown out the idea of Dean Winchester heading your every thought. You're trying to keep them concealed and nothing too personal, but after a lifetime of privacy as far as thoughts go, it's not as easy as you hope. Opening the beer, your phone rings again.

"Leave me alone," you growl.

"Oh," Tim says, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were upset with me."

You put your palm to your forehead, "I'm not, Tim. I'm sorry. I was just on the phone with someone else, and... what's up?"

"Well, there's this guy missing from my town. The police don't seem to be doing much, but I really gotta know if he's okay, you know?" He sniffles, "I figured since you're part of the FBI or CSI or secret service or something you could look into it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Tim," you sigh. "It doesn't really... work that way."

"Please? It would really mean a lot to me."

"Just... just text me the location."

By the time you arrive, the neighborhood is dark. No street or porch lights are on. Most of the houses are guarded up with rusted chains on the windows and skirted with tall metal fences. You grab your pistol from the glove box and double check the clip. With the dagger still in your boot, you sneak out while checking for wandering eyes. The sidewalk that interrupts a dandelion garden leads to a golden brown door. Checking over your shoulder once more, you pick the lock and creep inside.

What you presume used to be a coffee table is wearing the couch and underneath the two is a torn up rug. Shards of splintered wood litter the floor where the dining table had collapsed. A thick coating of muddy red blood is splattered over the previously cotton white walls and wooden floor. You aren't sure whether it came from one person or more, but it is enough to leave a man dead. The only room unscathed is the office, which seems to remain orderly if it weren't for the papers scattered around.

Whoever is doing this was looking for something.

After bowing to your knees, you rummage through the cluster trying to find a clue. You check the mahogany dressers of his desk, and find nothing to suggest he had a life outside of work. You open the screen of his laptop and smile when it pulls everything up with no need to enter a password. Finding nothing but excel worksheets and business projects, you focus your attention to the matching bookshelf to see much of the sale.

Nothing seems to be helpful until you notice that one is remarkably shallow compared to the other. Quickly and quietly, you pull everything out and using the heel of your gun you give the makeshift bottom a rough tap. After a few attempts it opens just enough to reach inside. The tips of your fingers are instantly cold to the touch of a large skeleton key. 

"I believe that belongs to me, sweetheart."

Drawing your weapon you whip around and lime the barrel between the mans eyes.

"Ah, the ol' gun to the head trick," he laughs with his arks in the air. "Go ahead, love, wouldn't work on me anyway." He drops his arms as you bend to reach the dagger, keeping him in sight. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I know what you're going for, darling, and I'd strongly advice against it."

"Who are you?" Dean help! You scream in your mind, putting as much strength and emphasis onto the name as you can, hoping that he can hear you.

"Trying to cut out the foreplay I see," he snarls while walking to your side. "Very well, then. The names Crowley," he says proudly, chin held high.

Bursting through the door of the cabin, the Winchester's lug in their bags and plop them into the floor. Sam shuffled through one of the books shelves while Dean is staring out of a, foolishly open, window. He steps back and forth along the floor before throwing his arms out and halts his pacing, “we have four missing people, and never seen or heard of before weather patterns."

Sam lets out an exasperated sigh, "are we sure they're even connected?" He pulls a book from the case and settles in at the table to flip through it. He scans the room, twisting his body in both directions, "said a minute. Wasn't Blue supposed to be here?"

"I couldn't give a -" in completion of a sentence, Dean screams obscenities as he drops to the floor boards, holding his head in his hands.

"Woah, what's going on?" Sam scrambles to his side, dropping to the floor with him.

"I don't-" Dean belts out another cry of pain, "I don't know. I can hear her though."

"Who?" Sam pulls his brother up by the shirt and sits him upright. "Who do you hear?"

Dean clasps at his chest, looking up at Sam with wide eyes, "Blue. She's in trouble."

"I'm only here for one thing." He puts his lips next to your ear, and a hand in your hair. "And I'd hate to break those lovely little fingers of yours to get it, but you see, I'd do anything to get what I want." After rolling his fingers down your sleeve he removed his hand to point at the key, "and what I want is that."

"Did you kill him? What's so special about this key anyway?"

He chuckles, taking a short breath and turning his back to you. "You're such a naive, little, what? Hunger, are you? You really think I would waste my precious time on this fool?" He side eyes you while walking over to the bookshelf. "The key," he says, pouring some bourbon into a glass, "is really for me to know and for you," he paused with a grin and takes it down in one gulp, "to never find out."

"Wow," you scoff. Dean! Dean! Dean! Grumpy! Dean!

His eyes squint before trailing up and down your figure. When they meet back up with yours they are curious, and intrigued, "what's your name, love?"

"I'm not about to play share and tell with a demon," you scowl.

"King of Hell," he says through his teeth. "I could snap your neck with a snap of my fingers," he smiles and holds his hand up, "humor me."

"But I've piqued you're interest, haven't I? You could have done that from the start, but you didn't." You mirror the expression on his face as he pours himself another glass without removing his eyes from yours. "Which means you need me alive, don't you? Why?"

"Because we made a deal," a woman's voice fills the room before she can be seen. Grumpy, please! She slowly walks to Crowleys side, glancing at him once before resting an arm on his shoulder. She smiles at you, "hi, Y/N. It's been so long since I've seen you. So for the sake of meeting in, oh I don't know, twenty or so years, I'm Allanah."

She makes her way over to you, wrapping her arms sound your back and grabbing the key. She hands it to Crowley, who disappears instantly.

Allanah laughs, "the part he doesn't know is that without you, that key is nothing more than a paper weight."

Dean drops his hands to his knees and struggled to get his words out through chunky breaths, "have you seen a woman?"

"I run a bar, kid. You're gonna have to be a lot more specific than that," the man scoffs.

"I got this," Sam whispers and turns to face the bald and bearded man behind the counter. Clearing his throat, he asserts, "I'm agent Scott and uh, my partner here is Agent Paxton." Dean sits at the bar, using it as a pillow and only raises a hand in acknowledgment.

Sliding a picture onto the counter, Sam continues, "her name is Blue. Have you seen her come by in the last month or so?"

The man only shakes his head, Sam puts a palm down on the counter. "She may have had a, uh, fling with one of your employees."

The man laughs, "if you think that narrows it down, you'd be mistaken."

"I believe his name was Tim."

"That sounds about right. That Tim sure did have a way with the ladies," she shakes his head with another chuckle.

"Did?"

"Yeah, he quit comin' round about two weeks ago. No calls, nothing. Was a shame, too. It's difficult to find people who work in this damn town."

Dean... please, I'm begging you. Please.

"Shut up!" Dean yells, pounding the counter with his fist and capturing the attention of the people in the bar. When he noticed all eyes are on him, he adjusts his tie and gives a tired chuckle, "bad dream," he jokes with a half nod and light wave before dropping his upper portion back onto the counter.

Sam pulls a card from his suit and places it onto the bar, "if you hear anything." He lifts his eyebrows while tilting his head slightly and adds force to his words, "from either of them, give me a call."

Next Chapter

PermaTags<3 @waywardblueshun @81mysteriouslyme @drakelover78​  @soab1967 ( @hillface89​ won’t let me tag your main :/ ) 

FS<3: @lilulo-12​ (I hope I’m tagging the right one for you, if not lemme know :) @vicmc624​

[smallnico]

do you have any trivia info about the actors or crew that you can put in a post like you did with the carpenters?

i definitely do, i was just waiting for someone to ask :p

crew:

- the crew have the weirdest fucking conversations in the box and over the headsets. they need to be paying attention to cues, and for the most part they are, but between cues, jay n kash are in the box having an intense debate about their old sonicsonas and what they think aspects of said sonas really reflect about their old wounds. meanwhile qi’s just standing over them pinching the bridge of his nose and occasionally reminding them to do their jobs, and mandy’s somewhere backstage being very quiet and responsible until the intermission, when she softly drops the bombshell that she once wrote sonic/shadow fanfiction when she was 13 and that it’s still out there somewhere. kash loses her goddamn mind.- jay has a huge crush on mandy, and as a result is very afraid of talking to her. kash tries to be a good wingman, but she’s not a good wingman, and most of her pep talks boil down to “the more you go out of your way not to talk to her the more you’ll freak her out”. like she’s absolutely not wrong but the various intricacies of social interaction and social anxiety go careening past her and crash into the nearest wall. kash is about as sensitive as a rock but she’s doing her best.- speaking of which, jay and kash are in the same computer engineering program on top of working on adjacent switchboards. they’re the closest bond in the crew group, with qi and saadah as a close second. qi spends more time with lani and olivia than with anyone else in the theatre, but he also gets along pretty well with saadah, the only person who can touch (and cut and style) his hair without sending him into a downward spiral. mandy and qi are also sort of friends, but they’re not the sort of friends that meet up much outside of work. saadah’s closest friends aside from qi are beau and theo.- kash also has a (far less debilitating) crush on mandy. she doesn’t know about it and isn’t planning on becoming aware of it any time soon.- mandy has a crush on hugh jackman.- saadah’s one of those people who radiates trustworthiness and chill. she knows a lot of secrets about people, and won’t share them unless she has to. she won’t judge anyone for the bad choices they’ve made in the past, as long as they’re putting in the work to make better choices in the present. she draws the line in reasonable places most of the time. she will absolutely not abide by tacky fashion trends. silly bandz are her sworn enemy. olivia once came in with about a hundred on each of her arms and saadah refused to speak to her for two days.- jay’s bedroom is covered in plants. one of his attempts to trounce his anxiety led to him bringing in the spiderettes off one of his spider plants into the theatre and offering to advise anyone who wanted one how to plant and take care of it. many of them still have their baby plants today.

cast:

- sofiya is miko (director, theatre dad #2)’s actual blood daughter! she’s the reason he stopped doing his old job and started doing this cool new one. she’s repressed every memory of his old job and has a potful of psychological issues, but she’s alright. really. she’s fine. it’s fine- this means her family unit consists entirely of theatre people, including miko, theo, grace, and beau. she’s at the heart of the whole huge round river found family, cus most of the structure of the relationships in round river is built around this one core grouping.- dom gets along well with literally everybody, with the singular exception of candace, who reminds him entirely too much of his very catholic mom for him to relax around her. candace is just trying her best to make sure her friends are all leading happy, healthy lives, but her methods of encouragement come off as. judgemental. dom doesn’t respond very well to judgement or shame, which is why he hasn’t tried to reach out to his estranged family in close to eight years. - lani tries to get along well with literally everybody, but she’s only beloved among the cast (and qi), who think she injects a pure sort of fun into their lives. the techies (including qi) all think she’s the absolute worst because of how many props and costumes she’s managed to remove from the premises, and because of how much inopportune improv she’s prone to do during rehearsals while they’re just trying to set cues and blocking. also, if you don’t get along well with lani, she will know and won’t care, as long as you’re not ignoring her.- chris and maven dated once for about a month. no one’s quite sure when this one month took place, and erol has a conspiracy theory going that the two of them are still hooking up in secret. maven will adamantly deny this. chris will not. (x files music)- chris has gotten both maven and grace out of jail, either by pulling favours or shelling out bail money, respectively. she’s the big reason why they’re both at round river. - candace doesn’t have any close friends in round river. she likes a lot of the others, and Wants to be friends, but she has trouble connecting with them, with the exceptions of sofiya and mandy, who make sure she gets included in things. candace is nice, she was just born with the soul of a white suburban pta mom. she’s the second newest to the theatre after grace.- erol holds the current record for “most hookups through workplace connections” at round river. they haven’t had a stable relationship since high school, but they’re having fun. i won’t tell you who of the other theatre kids they’ve slept with, but i’ll save you some trouble and say that it’s only three of them. the rest of erol’s record is filled out with temporary hirees and choir folks.- erol’s (very intentional on their part) insufferable hipster image is somewhat hampered by their very real caffeine addiction.- leandro gets along incredibly well with grace of all people. he too would kill for you, except he can’t stand the sight of blood, so actually, you’re on your own there. they have some shared life experiences. he keeps trying to convince her to try acting at least once.- leandro wishes more than anything that fewer people hit on him. everyone thinks he’s a twink, because he is, but he wants nothing to do with dating and even less to do with sex. he’s just a gnc aro/ace whose favoured response to being hit on is “how dare you presume to speak to me”.- on a scale of the most to least needlessly dramatic: leandro, chris, lani, candace, erol, sofiya, dom. mind you that on a scale of 1-10 they’re all still like, in the 7-10 range, with the exception of dom, who i’d put at around a 3, but only because he doesn’t have the energy to be very dramatic unless he’s performing.- lani and chris are those two girls you knew in high school who set their relationship status to “married” on facebook with one another even though they’re not even dating. they compete against each other for roles.- dom is the party guy. he’s the only one who lives alone, so the group usually ends up using his house for cast parties, but he’s also the go-to guy to call if you need someplace to crash for whatever reason. his couch is your couch, and the presence of a guest gives him a much-needed excuse to buy something other than cereal to eat.- sofiya is responsible for the only one of beau’s four rats to have a non-french name. there’s bebe, emil, eloi, and lasagna. lags for short.

[yammering-salad]

Character Masterpost!

I’ll have to edit this as I go along but in any case here are my characters! They all have specific tags as well that will be listed in well, the tags! I’ll get better screenshots at some point too dw (either that or I’m just gonna straight-up draw them). Putting these guys under the cut cuz i have a TON of characters and nobody wants to scroll through all that lmao

The Commanders

Commander Lysander Ciaran

He/they | Unlabeled Gender/Sexuality | 12 | 5′3″ | Willbender/Dragonhunter

Despite his small stature, Lysander packs one hell of a punch, both in personality and combat skills. He’s been fighting his whole life, even before he was truly “born” and he doesn’t really know anything else. Unlike the other Commanders they’re always off doing something. The mere idea of sitting around and doing nothing makes them antsy. Despite this, they have a love for luxury and will use their charm and flirtatious ways to get out of anything. Their former allegiance to the Order of Whispers helped with that.

Originally, he dated Trahearne, and the two were inseparable until well, you know. Trahearne asked Lysander to be the one to kill him, but they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Their fellow Commander Xeta took up the mantle instead. Since then it’s taken a while for him to readjust to well, everything. He wielded Broken Caladbolg around like a glorified club before Sol reforged the sword for him. 

Overall, his story follows the canon Sylvari story (green knight, malyck) the closest. He’s also fiercely protective of Taimi.

Toyhouse

Commander Xeta Lionheart

They/she | Nonbinary | Lesbian | 25-35 | 6′3″ | Virtuoso/Chronomancer

Xeta has grown up actively defying expectations. They became a mesmer after witnessing a human traveling performer as a cub. Later on, they left their warband to join the Priory, finding field research and planning from afar to be far more up their alley. 

Later on she befriended Lysander and Aralynn, the three of them becoming Commanders of the Pact and Trahearne’s closest confidants. Xeta didn’t exactly want to be in a position of power again, but her tactician skills she learned in Ash Legion and unorthodox combat abilities made her an integral part of the team. 

They have a not-so-secret love of Quaggans, and she was gifted a backpack as a gag gift from Trahearne. After his death she never takes it off.

Toyhouse

Commander Aralynn Song

She/her | Trans woman | Aro/ace | 20-30 | 3′ | Soulbeast/Untamed

Aralynn never got along with her peers. From the get-go she was ostracized for being “less intelligent” than other Asura her age. In truth, her intellect was better suited for more practical purposes such as survival skills and outdoorsmanship. At the first chance she got, she dropped out of the College of Dynamics and migrated east to Caledon Forest. 

She had heard things about the Sylvari, and where her peers saw creatures to study, she saw a culture to learn everything about. In Caledon she befriended many people and finally felt at home. The Sylvari’s carefree and genuine nature opened her mind to a lot of things, including her own identity. She changed her name to something more befitting of a Caledon local and never looked back. Later on she joined the Order of Whispers after getting caught up in some Asuran affairs with Zojja, using the Order has her escape route after being immediately reminded of why she hated Metrica and Rata Sum. There, she met Lysander and the two became fast friends. The rest is history.

Out of the three, she has the strongest connection with Aurene. She has some self-worth issues, but is incredibly considerate of other people. While Xeta is a fantastic tactician, Aralynn is always the first to think outside the box.

Toyhouse

The Helping Hands

(Basically extra Dragon’s Watch homies)

Sol Shungite

He/him | Male | Unlabeled | 10-20 | 6′3″ | Holosmith/Mechanist

Sol is the antithesis of a lot of things. Sylvari ideology being one of them, a typical Priory Magister being the other. He joined the Nightmare Court relatively young, initially agreeing with the view that the Pale Tree’s influence was suffocating. While in the Court, he mostly used it as an excuse to do what he wanted, conducting small-scale experiments. He befriended a timid revenant named Naoise, being the only one who was nice to him. Later on, the two broke out, Sol freed the White Stag he was credited with capturing, and killed Gavin, his recruiter. Naoise and Sol went their separate ways, but always had a feeling they’d run into each other again.

The Grove rejected his return, Caithe especially. Bitter, Sol left and joined the Priory, connecting with Sieran. She seemed to be the only Sylvari who never looked at him like he was some evil time-bomb, and she brought out the best in him. This was short-lived, however, as her death caused him to sink back into his ways of pessimism and apathy. He continued to be an asset to the Priory, albeit a very very volatile one. The forming of the Pact led him to the rest of Dragon’s Watch, and he slowly became a strange addition to the group.

He much prefers machinery to nature, and is often seen creating some new crazy addition to his armor. He runs on spite, especially when Caithe is involved, and often does petty things to “get back” at her. He’s quick to anger, frustrating to be around, but nevertheless a devout member of Dragon’s Watch.

Toyhouse

Rashaad Abara

He/him | Male | Pansexual | 18-28 | 6′ | Bladesworn

A noble hailing from Divinity’s Reach with a mix of Elonian and Canthan heritage. His ancestors fled Palawa Joko’s oppressive nature, finally settling in Kryta. The Abara family has a great reputation among the city, and Rashaad always felt like he had some predetermined role to fulfil. When his older sister Ikram joined the Seraph, however, his view of the world began to shake. Her subsequent “death” sent a shockwave of grief through the family, but Rashaad was determined to find out what happened to her. 

He ventured out into Kryta with nothing but a greatsword and his noble clothes. He wasn’t amazing with his sword but it came naturally enough. Eventually he did find his sister, alive, and decided to continue on in his escapades of adventure. He joined the Order of Whispers, befriended a rather intimidating charr woman, fell in love, and Oh Gods he’s married to a charr and he didn’t even tell his parents--

He’s a very sweet and sensitive guy, but his ability to manipulate and his battle prowess make him a force to be reckoned with. He has a strong sense of justice and a desire to fight for the greater good, but he can also get overwhelmed very quickly. 

(Rashaad primarily exists in my bf’s whole commander au dealio but he’s also here so meh)

Diviner Axel

Any Pronouns | Genderqueer | Bisexual | 14-24 | 4′ | Mirage

Axel joined Dragon’s Watch much later than the rest, having gone on his own personal journey for a while. After becoming fascinated with divination, they centered their whole thesis on a theory that there was an actual science behind it. The College of Synergetics was less than forthcoming, but Axel was not deterred. 

They stowed away on a ship to Elona, learning the ways of the Mirage and becoming even more fascinated with sand and divination. Unfortunately her personality makes her a bit hard to get along with. She’s full of herself (calling herself a diviner for instance), loud, has no sense of boundaries, and loves pulling pranks. Nevertheless, xyr tenacity caught the eye of Lysander, who was more than happy to let xem onto the team. The rest of Dragon’s Watch isn’t so sure, though. Deep down Axel is truly grateful for Lysander believing in it, but so far he’s the only one it’s opened up to. Her strange personality is mostly a deflection for the scrutiny she faces.

After tampering with strange magics, Axel’s eyes are an oppressive shade of orange, with swirly shapes embedded into the iris. Their hands glow like fire and are hot to the touch.

Toyhouse

The Cinder Warband

Aidoneus Cinderglow

He/him | Male | Straight, Ace | 48-58 | 6′ | Reaper/Scourge

A former member of the Flame Legion, it took Aidoneus a long time to defect. Mostly because it was all he had known. However, he was unsatisfied with his role, and defected to Blood Legion with mixed success. He wasn’t killed, thank the Khan-Ur, but he was reduced to the lowest of the low in charr society. He spent years trying to prove himself in The Bane with no success. Eventually, he left the Legions altogether. 

He formed the Cinder warband, an unofficial group that takes in people from all walks of life who’ve fallen on hard times. Mostly those who deal in death such as necromancers and revenants, but anyone is welcome to the group. The band occasionally crosses paths with the Pact, and is always willing to lend a helping hand if need be.

He’s scarily humble and down to earth, even though he’s super gruff about it. While he’s nice enough, he’s far from a pushover and is an absolute terror in a fight.

Khumbo Cinderglory

She/her | Female | Straight | 29-39 | 8′6″ | Harbinger

Tbh I don’t have much information about her yet. She’s a Norn and a member of the Cinder warband, though! Kind of Bayonetta inspired

Dogwood Cinderstorm

He/they | Trans man | Gay | 15 | 5′10″| Renegade

Dogwood is a super no-nonsense and to-the-point sylvari. Even down to his name. He spends most of his time traveling Tyria alone, taking on bigger and bigger bounties. They usually fight monsters but aren’t opposed to taking out enemy factions either. He’s a sword for hire, and he’s damn good at it.

He channels the spirits of monsters he’s slain, taking on a wild, more animalistic style of fighting. Despite his strange methods he’s incredibly efficient, and pretty well-off as well. He joined the ‘band as a way to get more leads and information for new hunts, and also having some backup is nice. He’s not super used to the company yet, though.

Others of Note

Suibhne Amaryllis

He/they | Genderfluid | Pansexual | 18 | 5′11″ | Catalyst/Tempest

Suibhne owned a popular Sylvari-owned and operated club and inn in Lion’s Arch. The whole business was super chill and well-known for its gossip. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed during Scarlet’s Invasion, causing Suibhne to go on a pilgrimage to rebuild his business. Now that Lion’s Arch has been rebuilt, he’s merely traveling for fun with Canach.

They’re incredibly theatrical and dramatic, rarely taking anything seriously. He’s loud, opulent, and loose-lipped as hell (made even worse considering he has Whispers connections). Although, he’s very protective of anyone he cares about, and won’t hesitate to pull out his giant hammer to prove that theory. He’ll gladly beat your ass, all with a smile, of course. 

Coriander Wolfsbane

She/it | Demigirl | Pansexual | 15 | 5′6″ | Berserker

I haven’t made her yet woops. It’s a chill goth Warden living in Caledon, she’s a good friend of Dogwood and often keeps him in check, making sure he comes and visits once in a while. Mostly to make sure he’s not dead. 

Ikram Abara

She/her | Female | Straight | 24-34 | 5′7″ | Weaver

Ikram somewhat abandoned her noble way of life, finding fighting centaurs far more fulfilling. Her parents were hesitant at first, but eventually she convinced them to let her join the Seraph. Shorty after moving up in the ranks she was kidnapped, thought to be dead, and held prisoner in a bandit camp for the better part of two years. That was until her younger brother Rashaad found her.

She left the Seraph, joining the Vigil instead. She hoped her brother would follow suit so she could keep a better eye on him but he had other plans. While stationed in Elona during the events of Path of Fire she learned the ways of the Weaver, and combined her swordsmanship and newfound elementalist abilities.

She’s very serious, way more than she used to be. Being locked up in a camp...changed her and left her jaded and bitter. Rashaad’s tried to slowly coax her back into the person she used to be, but eventually he’ll have to realize that he’ll never truly have the old Ikram back. 

That’s mostly everyone! I have a couple other characters but I’m gonna flesh ‘em out a bit more before I put them on here hehe

[ask-the-shiny-pokemons]

Noelle if she was cooler /hj

Open for more drawing suggestions.

[ask-the-shiny-pokemons]

NOELLE YEAAAA!