#Cole’s hair changes every time i draw it I’m afraid

[seleai]

Ninja headshots (main four) ft. My favorite stupid hc’s

[rosiehunterwolf]

For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 2

My submission for Day 2 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

Link to read on ffn.net (Recommended if you are on mobile or haven't read the first part yet)

Preview:

The hair on the back of her neck raised, sensing the hit a moment before it came, but by then it was too late to dodge, even with her quick reflexes.

Kai’s hand shoved into her chest, and she hit the ground hard. She gasped, more from shock than pain, and then her brother was darting past her, out the door.

She gazed after him, dazed. She had experienced her fair share of fights with her brother, but he had never hit her before. It hadn’t hurt bad- she knew the raw strength he could pack, and that he had been holding back immensely, but it still- it still made her heart race.

“Nya!” Jay yelped, running over to her. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” she breathed, her voice shaking hard. She swallowed, trying to force out the tremor.

This hadn’t changed anything. She wasn’t afraid of her brother. Just a bit shocked, that was all. He hadn’t meant to do it, he had just lashed out out of frustration.

He would never hurt her on purpose.

He would never.

(Full chapter under the cut)

Prompts Used: Injury

Word Count: 6,730 (wooo this one hopefully won't crash my browser)

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Dehumanization

“Lloyd, come away from the door. It’s too cold outside.”

Lloyd looked back reluctantly at Nya’s call. Kai peered at him from over the large grocery bag he was carrying.

“She’s right, bud. The last thing we need is for someone to get sick. Medicine is pricey,” he added, frowning at the lightness of his wallet.

Zane carried in another bag beside him and pulled the door shut. Nya walked over to him, ruffling Lloyd’s hair as she passed. “How are we doing on cash?”

“We still got enough for a little while. But not a ton. I guess I underestimated all the stuff we would need.” He frowned, glancing around at their makeshift home, shivering as a chill tickled through the air. “We should’ve gotten more blankets. With winter coming, it’s going to be tough having no heat.”

“We should take turns sleeping with Lloyd. He’s like a little living furnace.”

Kai smirked. “Well, at least that’s one person we shouldn’t have to worry about. I thought he might be more vulnerable because of how small he is, but those dragon and oni genes really seem to be doing something for him.”

“Speaking of which,” Nya sighed, “he nearly set Cole on fire today.”

Kai winced. “Did we lose anything?”

“Just a blanket and part of a shirt.”

Kai shook his head, turning towards the boy. “Lloyd, what did I say about using fire breath indoors?”

Lloyd hardly seemed to hear, gekkering softly as he climbed up a support beam, flapping his wings a few times to propel him up to the rafters. Red eyes glowed eerily down at them, and Kai sighed.

“He’s only getting more restless the longer we’re in here,” Nya growled. “You don’t know what a pain he is when you’re gone.”

Kai crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s been two weeks. We can’t keep him in here forever.”

“We can’t stay here forever,” Cole grunted, looking up from the book he was reading. “We’re already running low on funds. We’re going to have to get jobs, somehow. And we can’t live in an abandoned warehouse for the rest of our lives- already, we’re struggling with the winter coming. Jay’s already got a cold. Sooner or later, one of us is going to freeze to death.”

Kai drummed his fingers along his thigh, turning his gaze to where the lab hybrid was snuggled on the floor in a pile of blankets, near the center of the building, where it was warmest. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s gonna be fine, it’s just a common cold. We’re just letting him sleep it off. But winter’s only just beginning. It’s only going to get worse from here on out.”

“Cole’s right,” Zane said. “We have to try something else.”

“We’re just a bunch of kids,” Nya snapped, her voice tight. “We have no idea what we’re doing.”

“Perhaps it’s time… we start looking for help.”

Three wary gazes shifted to Zane.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that? Everybody hates our skins. Who would help us?”

“We don’t know that for sure. Borg told us that the world had it out for us… but he also pretended to care about us when he was really just using us.”

“Are you suggesting we go to the police?!” Nya growled. “Do you want to die?”

“Borg lied about a lot of things. What if he was lying about this, too?”

“And what if he wasn’t?” Kai retorted. “That’s a huge risk, Zane. One we can’t afford to take.”

“It was only a suggestion.”

“I get where you’re coming from, Zane,” Cole sighed, “but they’re right. That’s a big risk, and if we’re chased out, we have nowhere to go this time.”

“So what do we-”

They were interrupted by a shrill shriek, and whipped around to see Jay jerking up into a sitting position, Lloyd half-slumped over his chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Lloyd, leave Jay alone, he’s resting,” Kai chastised, rushing over to scoop him off of Jay. Lloyd squirmed in his grip, and Kai sighed. “What is wrong with you today?”

“He’s got too much energy for this cramped little place,” Nya told him. “He’s gonna end up hurting someone if we don’t do something about it.”

“Take him outside,” Jay sniffed, “before he burns the whole place down. And besides, he’s the only one of us you guys haven’t let wander since we got here. How is this different from what Borg did to him his whole life?”

“We’re protecting him from Borg,” Kai growled sharply. “If it was up to Borg, he’d be dead right now. I think we’re doing a much better job.”

“I’m not saying we aren’t,” Jay corrected quickly, waving his hands. “But I thought we wanted to give him the freedom he never had.”

“It’s not that simple, Jay,” Nya sighed. “Lloyd’s wanted- we all are, but he’s got the most at risk. If he’s spotted by anyone from Borg- it’s dangerous, is what I’m trying to say.”

“Of course it is. But so is hiding in an abandoned building for the rest of our lives. So is having nothing but a quickly-dwindling stash of money to our name. So is sleeping in a cold building with no heat through the winter. So is keeping a frustrated, fire-breathing brat inside a flammable area for two weeks.”

Lloyd shot a plume of fire at his face, and Jay shrieked, ducking. “See? I told you!” “Nah, he’s just mad at you for calling him a brat,” Nya snickered.

Kai gritted his teeth, pushing Lloyd’s face to the side until he stopped. “Jay does have a point, though. Maybe it’s worth trying to take him out.”

“But Borg-”

“We’ll be really careful,” Kai told her. “I’ll make sure he’s ready, and on his best behavior. You plan out where we’re going to go.”

Cole frowned. “How many of us are going to be going?”

“Two, plus Lloyd, would be ideal. Any more would draw too much attention.”

“Three of us could still be risky,” Cole warned. “Everyone at Borg looking for us will know what we look like. Disguises can only go so far.”

“I don’t want to just send one person out with Lloyd, though. If things go south, we’re going to need to stall for a little bit until we can get away.”

Cole crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure how much I like the odds of two of you against a whole legion of Borg associates.”

“We don’t know for sure there’ll be that many,” Zane reminded. “And it will take a while to call backup.”

“And besides,” Kai added, “I’m not planning on getting noticed. It’s just a precaution if we do.”

Everyone stared expectantly at Cole, who remained silent. Lloyd struggled in his arms, and Kai let him go. The boy bounded over to the badger hybrid, and gripped his leg, looking up pleadingly. Cole looked down at him, his forehead creasing. Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh.

“Alright, Kai, but I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

---

Kai, in fact, did not know what he was doing.

The plan was so simple in his head- teach Lloyd to blend in by having him get used to disguises and showing him the proper behaviors. They had done a very similar thing every time they had taken Lloyd out on one of their outings, back when they had still been living at Borg Tower. How hard could it be, really?

As it turned out, very hard.

Nya had not been lying about his exuberance. He seemed determined to make every little thing difficult.

“Lloyd, just put on this hat! You’ve done it before, quit being stubborn now!”

Lloyd jerked away from the hat like it was some sort of disease, hissing and batting at it. When Kai tried to pull it over his head, the boy grabbed it in his teeth and started pulling.

“No, no, don’t rip it! Augh, why can’t you just do as you’re told!”

“How’s the training going?” Nya laughed.

Kai turned to glare at her, releasing the hat. “Fine, thank you.”

“Really? Because it looks like your pupil just got away…”

Kai jerked his head back. Lloyd had dragged the hat, by his teeth, across the room, and was now slipping himself under the slab of wood that they had used as a foundation for a bed, which was much too low to the floor for Kai to even dream of fitting under.

He scowled, walking over to where Lloyd had wedged himself into, and stuck his arm underneath it, praying that he didn’t lose any fingers.

Luckily, Lloyd didn’t seem to be in a biting mood, but Kai could feel him cringing back from his touch.

“Come on, Lloyd, just come out of there already-”

He stopped as he realized Nya was giggling. Shooting her a glare, he growled, “What’s so funny?”

“You think you’re gonna have him ready to go by the end of the week?”

“You see if I don’t. You’re gonna be sorry you ever doubted me.”

“Uh-huh. If that’s what you need to tell yourself, I suppose.”

---

“Brr,” Jay huffed, as he and Nya pushed the door shut. “The wind’s really picking up out there.”

“Hopefully it’s just a cold streak,” she agreed. “I don’t want it to be too cold if we’re bringing Lloyd out in a couple days.”

“You guys still on for that?”

“I think so. Kai says he’s making progress with him. I guess we’ll have to see.”

“Hey Nya, Jay,” Cole nodded at them. “You feeling better, bro?”

“Oh, a lot better. Good as new! I think it was just a little cold. I can go back to helping out, now.”

Zane sighed. “We were fortunate, this time. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

“Lloyd,” Nya called, pulling a package of gummy bears out of one of the shopping bags. “We got a surprise for you!”

She cast her gaze to the rafters, expecting him to come leaping down, but was surprised when she saw him wriggle out from where he was dozing beside Kai, instead.

She handed him the bag. “Don’t eat them all at once, okay? We’re a little tight on money right now, so you won’t be getting any more for a while.”

The smile he shot her was small, with no teeth, as he took the bag. “Thanks, Nya.”

She frowned at him. The last time she had brought him candy, he had basically been jumping off the walls with excitement, his tail swishing and ears twitching. Now, he was barely even smiling, and stood abruptly still.

Tugging at the seal, his brow furrowed as it didn’t open. When he didn’t immediately tear it open with his fangs, and instead handed it to her so she could open it for him, she knew something was definitely off.

“What’s wrong, Lloyd? Are you feeling alright? Aren’t you happy with it?”

“No, I want it!” he yelped, grabbing for the bag.

She frowned at him, snatching it away. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Lloyd’s ears drooped, his hands dropping to his side. “Kai told me to act like the humans so I could go outside. Did I do bad?”

Nya felt her heart squeeze. “Oh, no, honey, you didn’t do anything wrong. I… I’m just not used to seeing you like this.”

He looked up at her, red eyes hopeful. “I did it right? I acted good?”

Nya took a slow breath. “Yeah, I mean… Lloyd, what exactly did Kai tell you to do?”

Lloyd shrugged. “He said if I smile too much, people can see my fangs.” Peeling back his lips, he pointed to the sharp teeth, as if Nya needed a demonstration. “Seeh?”

“Yes, Lloyd, I see. But why do you need to hide your fangs in here?”

“Kai said I’m prat-practicing,” Lloyd told her matter-of-factly, looking immensely pleased with himself for pronouncing the long word. “So I can be good when we go outside!”

Nya’s stomach felt hard. “What other kinds of things did he tell you to do, Lloyd?”

“He teached me how to not wiggle my ears so much.” He pointed to his ears, making a point of holding them still. “And we talked a lot. He’s showing me to walk on my feet better too, which is kinda wobbly though, and not as fast as using my hands, too. But Kai said I’m doing better than I was! Hey, Nya,” he added, pointing at her face, “you’re doing that thing Kai told me not to do. I can see your fangs!”

Nya unclenched her teeth, working her jaw. “Thanks, bubs. I’m gonna go talk to Kai now, okay? You have some of your gummies.”

Turning to where her brother was slouched against the wall, paging through a magazine, she stormed over to him. He glanced up at her nonchalantly, and Nya felt a surge of frustration in her chest at how calm he was.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why have you been teaching that stuff to Lloyd, Kai? Why is he acting so… weird?”

“You mean normal? It’s great, isn’t it? I gotta admit, it felt like an impossible task at the beginning of the week, but he’s reformed pretty quickly. I think he’s almost ready to go out!”

“It’s not great,” she growled. “You’ve completely changed who he is! There’s a difference between teaching him to stay low and to completely reforming him into human society!”

Kai eyed her testily. “I don’t see what the big deal is. What else were you expecting me to do?”

“I wanted you to hide him, not change his behavior! This isn’t him, Kai!”

“Relax, Nya, it’s just some minor modifications. He’s still our mischievous little brother!” “Really? Because he seemed much less feral to me.”

“Well, yeah! We can’t have him acting out in the middle of the city! I, for one, think this is an improvement. He hasn’t set anything on fire in days.”

“We’re not humans, Kai! We’re different than them, and that’s okay! He has to know that. He has to know what we are! We can’t just try to change him just because it’s what the world wants.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with being like the humans. They’ve gotten off alright, haven’t they? Meanwhile, we’ve spent our whole lives being cheated and used.”

“Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean we should just give up! I can’t believe you, don’t you care about your identity at all?” “I care about surviving. I’m trying to keep us safe! What’s a few little changes if it benefits us in the long run?”

“It might start as just some small changes, Kai, but eventually it’s going to snowball into something bigger.” She felt her voice catch in her throat. “I don’t want to teach him to hide who he is. I want him to be proud. He hasn’t done anything wrong! We left Borg to get away from that, didn’t we? So that we could start our own paths and be who we wanted to be?”

“You wanted to be homeless and poor?”

“Kai!”

“What? You’re upset with me for telling the truth? We ran away from Borg so we could live. It was out of necessity, not even a choice, really.”

“Borg was our captor. He lied to us our whole lives, made us believe he was the only one who cared when he couldn’t be bothered with us at all. If you’re seriously defending him right now-”

“I’m not defending him, of course I’m not!” Kai jumped to his feet, growling. “What kind of psychopath do you think I am? He tried to kill my baby brother! If you think I would be on his side after that-”

“But don’t you see, it’s more than just that! He was hurting all of us, for years. He was a bad person even before he decided to get rid of Lloyd. Now’s our chance to finally be free of all that. Now’s our chance to be ourselves, to-”

“To get captured again, according to you.”

“How could you say that? I want to protect everyone as much as you do, but I also think you are posing a threat to us by imposing on us the same rules Borg did-”

“How dare you compare me to him!” Kai roared. Nya flinched, and she felt the others turn their gazes on them. “I am nothing like that wretch, nothing, I want nothing more than to protect my family from him! I am doing what I must to keep us safe from him, to keep us as far away as possible. I am trying to avoid suspicion, and I don’t care about your sentimental values. I care about surviving!”

If it was anyone else, they would’ve backed down. Kai didn’t break out his roar at just any time, especially not on those he cared about. When he did, you knew he was seriously pissed. No one in their right minds would mess with him when he was mad.

But Nya was his sister, and her temper was just as hot. Although she might not have the strength of a lion behind her, or the fierceness of his roar, she wasn’t going to let her brother scare her.

“You are not protecting us, you are only restricting us, and the sooner you find out that you are just treating us like he did-”

The hair on the back of her neck raised, sensing the hit a moment before it came, but by then it was too late to dodge, even with her quick reflexes.

Kai’s hand shoved into her chest, and she hit the ground hard. She gasped, more from shock than pain, and then her brother was darting past her, out the door.

She gazed after him, dazed. She had experienced her fair share of fights with her brother, but he had never hit her before. It hadn’t hurt bad- she knew the raw strength he could pack, and that he had been holding back immensely, but it still- it still made her heart race.

“Nya!” Jay yelped, running over to her. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” she breathed, her voice shaking hard. She swallowed, trying to force out the tremor.

This hadn’t changed anything. She wasn’t afraid of her brother. Just a bit shocked, that was all. He hadn’t meant to do it, he had just lashed out out of frustration. And, although she still believed she was in the right, she had provoked him a bit, if she was being honest.

He would never hurt her on purpose.

He… he would never do that.

He would never.

He…

“Nya?”

She blinked, realizing Jay was extending a hand to her. She took it, and let Jay pull her to her feet.

“Are you sure you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No!” she hissed fiercely, and Jay flinched. Gentler, she added, “I’m fine. Kai would never do that.”

Jay didn’t meet her gaze, only gripped her hand tighter.

“Where did he go?” she asked the others, after her breathing had returned to a somewhat normal state.

“Straight out the door,” Zane replied. “No one saw which way he went.”

Nya glanced around the room, stopping when she realized Kai wasn’t the only one missing. “Where’s Lloyd?”

Zane pointed quietly under one of their makeshift beds. A pair of red eyes glowed from underneath.

Nya crouched down, reaching her hand in. “We didn’t mean to scare you, Lloyd. Come on out, it’s alright now.”

Lloyd burrowed deeper under the bed. Nya sighed, giving up. She knew he would only come out when he was ready.

“Should I go after Kai?” Cole asked, frowning.

Zane shook his head. “I think it’s best to give him some space to blow off some steam.”

“I just hope he’s careful. If he’s too full of anger to pay attention to what he’s doing…”Jay’s tail drooped. “The last thing we need is for anyone to get spotted now.”

“We’re pretty far out here,” Cole assured him. “If we were closer to the city, I’d be worried, but Kai’d have to get pretty far to get anywhere within the distance I think the Borg employees would be searching.”

“I hope you’re right,” Nya sighed. “One day, his temper is going to get him- or one of us- into a situation he can’t get out of.”

---

The next couple days were incredibly tense. Kai came back a few hours later, not speaking to anyone and going straight to bed. He and Nya hardly spoke to each other, and when they did, their interactions were short and argumentative. The others were careful to stay out of it, not picking any sides. Kai had a feeling that they were pretty uncomfortable around him, though.

He hadn’t meant to hit Nya. She was his sister. Even though she was being stupid and sentimental, he still loved her and never would want to hurt her. But it wasn’t like he had seriously wounded her, either. It had just been a little scuffle. He knew that Nya knew that, and that she was only mad about the argument. The others, however… they were overreacting. He didn’t understand, after all their years together, how they could seriously think he would harm one of them.

That’s what the point of all of this was, wasn’t it? To protect them? Why couldn’t anyone else see that?

He was sick of all this. Sick of all the fighting, sick of struggling and hiding all the time. He just wished they could be normal.

Although Nya wanted anything but that, it seemed.

He understood what she was saying, in a sense- they were different. But was it really so bad to want to change who you were if it meant a life of peace and safety?

Kai just didn’t know anymore. He was tired of being the one who had to decide. He missed when they were younger, and Borg had made all the decisions for them.

Not that he wanted Borg to be in charge of them anymore- but the sentiment still stood.

But life had a way of being against them.

Wishes weren’t going to fix anything.

---

When the scheduled day for Lloyd’s venture into the town rolled around, the circumstances hadn’t improved much. They had originally planned for him and Nya to accompany Lloyd- a decision he was regretting now, with the tension still between them. He almost considered asking one of the others to take his place, but decided against it. He wanted to be there with Lloyd- he had been the one who had spent all the time training him, after all. And he didn’t dare ask Nya to change her mind about going- she would probably argue just for the sake of it, and it wasn’t worth the confrontation right now. Things were already bad enough as it was.

As they wrapped Lloyd up in his winter gear, he complied much more easily than usual, and three of them set out quietly.

“Where are we gonna go?” Kai asked Nya as they approached the bus stop.

“I was thinking we could go downtown, more towards where the little shops are. The people there are pretty nice, and it’s usually bustling, so it’ll be easy to blend in with the crowds.”

“How many stops down is that,” he frowned, fingering through the bills in his wallet.

Nya watched him anxiously. “Not too far. We can walk, if that’s better.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you-” “I told you, it’s fine!” Nya jerked her gaze away sharply. “Excuse me for trying to be considerate, then.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s too cold to walk.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to be caring or not.”

Kai growled. “Me neither.”

Lloyd squirmed by their feet, and Nya sighed. “Can we not do this, now?” She pointed down the street, to where the bus was rolling up. “The bus is here, anyway.”

Kai told the bus driver where they wanted to go, slipping him the proper payment, and the three of them piled on, taking a spot near the back, even though the bus was mostly empty. Kai knew, from his previous trips, that it would get more crowded the closer they got to town, and sitting in the back meant not many people would be looking at them.

Lloyd stared out the window for most of the ride, his wide eyes taking in the landscape rolling past. Kai watched too, and as the bus drove them deeper into the city, he saw the shining buildings, with trees and patches of greenery dispersed in between them. With winter arriving, most of the trees were skeletal, but some still had a spattering of leaves, coming in bright golds, soft reds, and blazing oranges. It wasn’t something Kai got to see often in his lifetime, in person, at least. The changing of the fall leaves was a very finicky and brief time of the year in Ninjago City, and he had been lucky if one of his outside visits fell during this time.

Deeper into the city, the buildings thickened, rows of homes filing in orderly lines. Blues, olives, tans, grays, whites- each one had its own unique charm, but they all felt like they belonged.

One house in particular caught his eye, though- one that stood out from all the rest. Its walls were a bright red, and the lawn was wildly overgrown. Too many chairs were crammed onto the small porch, paint chipping on the door. It was an eyesore compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

Being too unique was problematic, he supposed.

By now, they were getting into the thick of the city. Beautiful buildings soared above them, colorful graffiti decorated walls and bridges. Most noticeable of all, however, were the people. A father with his daughter sitting on his shoulders, an elderly couple each holding a hand of their grandson as they swung him between them. A young couple walking down the street, chatting, with their hands casually intertwined, a group of teenage boys, laughing and racing each other down the street on their skateboards.

Everyone had one thing in common- they looked happy, content, at peace.

Kai hoped they appreciated what they had.

For the first time since they had boarded the bus, he glanced over at Nya. She was staring out the window too, but her gaze wasn’t directed at the scenery beyond, like his, but instead at Lloyd’s reflection in the glass.

The bus screeched to a halt, arriving at their stop, and the three of them hopped out, thanking the driver.

Walking down the street, they found themselves in a charming little section of town, the shops modest but plentiful. Nya was right, there was plenty of activity to help hide them. All the footsteps and voices around him swamped Kai’s ears, and he shook his head, trying to press them flatter against his head. This was only a milder section of the city, he was going to have to get used to all the sounds of the urban environment if they were going to adapt to this place.

Kai wondered how Lloyd would be affected by the environment- the young boy had proven himself to have a strong sense of hearing as well, and had never been a fan of being swarmed.

But either Lloyd’s hat was muffling his senses, or he was simply too enamored by the shops to care. With every shop they went in- from t-shirts, to souvenirs, antiques, jewelry, fabrics, and a bakery, Lloyd always seemed to find some little shiny trinket or another. They couldn’t buy him much, but Lloyd seemed perfectly content with just looking, already moving onto the next object of interest within a minute or two, anyway.

They did actually make a purchase at the confectionary, though, letting Lloyd pick out a piece of candy. He had gone with a rainbow lollipop, a purchase Kai was pleased with, because it would actually last him a while, giving him and Nya time to pick up a few more essentials before heading back to the warehouse.

Emphasis on few.

“We don’t really need the new jacket, I know we have a needle and thread I can use to patch it up on my own.”

“Yeah, well what about all those protein bars, do you really need all those?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“They’re a good source of nutrients!” “Yeah, and they’re expensive. There’s gotta be a generic brand one you can get for cheaper.”

“These are the only ones I can get Lloyd to eat.”

“Well, he’s going to have to learn to adapt to our budget-”

“Buy them with this!” Lloyd purred, slipping a stack of bills into his hand.

Kai and Nya froze, slowly turning to look at him.

“Lloyd,” he asked slowly, “where did you get this?”

“I found it.”

No duh, Kai bit back. “Found it where?”

“Someone left it. At the store.”

“Lloyd!” Nya cried, sounding close to hysterics. “You can’t just take people’s money! You can’t take any of people’s things without permission. That’s stealing!” “They left it there,” Lloyd grumbled, kicking his foot. “I thought they were done with it. They should be more careful with their things. I’m careful with my things.”

Kai snorted a laugh, and Nya stared at him incredulously. “You can’t seriously think this is funny? He stole!”

“Oh, come on, Nya, he didn’t do it on purpose.”

“It’s still a crime.”

“He’s four!” “Doesn’t mean you should encourage him.”

“I wasn’t. In case you’re forgetting, he was the one who took it, not me.”

“But you don’t care.”

“I never said that!” “I’m your sister, I can tell.”

“Alright, alright, so maybe I wouldn’t mind a little extra cash. So what? We need it. Probably more than whoever was foolish enough to lose this.” “Kai! I can’t believe you!” “What? It’s not like we even know where to take it! Lloyd,” he turned to the boy, his voice sharp. “Where did you find the money? Which store?”

Lloyd was looking significantly less cheerful now, his eyes wary as he took a step back from them. “I dunno. Can’t remember.”

“See?” Kai snapped at Nya. “We couldn’t return it if we wanted to!” “So you’re just going to pocket it?”

“Where else would you have me take it? Like I told you, we need it more than the rich, privileged people around here.” Blood was roaring in Kai’s ears now, his breath coming in heavy pants. Why was there so much noise buzzing in his ears? There were people, so many people, and all that noise, mixing with his frustration, was making his heart slam against his chest in a dizzying rage.

“Just because they have more than us doesn’t make it right.”

“It makes it understandable.”

“I can’t believe we’re back to this again!”

“Back to what?”

“You’re trying to change Lloyd’s behavior again! I told you it would escalate- in only a few days, you’ve gone from having him hide his goofball side, to make him think stealing is okay, just because we’re in a rough patch!”

“You think I want to do this? I know it’s wrong! But sometimes an opportunity presents itself, and you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“We can’t just throw our values and everything about ourselves out the window just because things are difficult right now, Kai.”

“We haven’t really been given much choice, have we? In another week or two, we’ll have gone completely bankrupt, then what are we gonna do, huh?”

Nya paused for a moment, her breath hitching. “We’ll… we’ll figure something out. But this isn’t the answer.”

“Oh yeah? Let me know when you find one.” Turning away from her, he slipped the cash into his pocket. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He was starting to feel lightheaded, now. He needed to end this.

“Kai, please, the last thing we need is another charge on our backs.”

“Going back to the shop to return this- even if we knew which shop to go to- would only put more suspicion on our backs. If we keep it, no one will probably ever even notice it’s missing.”

“But they could have security footage-” Nya stopped dead, the color draining from her cheeks.

“What?”

“Where’s Lloyd?”

---

Lloyd was running.

Ducking and weaving between the people roaming the streets, he tried his best to avoid running into them, but once or twice, his hand brushed against them, and he flinched away, hating the way the unfamiliar touch felt on his skin.

There were too many people here. He hated this feeling, being crowded around on all sides, like he couldn’t breathe. He just wanted to get out of here.

That was pretty impossible, though, when he had no idea where he was.

He shouldn’t have run off. Kai and Nya were going to be furious.

But… he just hadn’t been able to take it anymore.

He had been so happy when he had first brought them the money. He had thought he was helping, and that now they would be able to get more stuff and stop looking so worried all the time. But it had only made them start fighting again. Their raised voices had rung loud in his ears, too loud, and their smoldering gazes had scared him. That hadn’t been Kai and Nya- the big siblings he knew and loved. That had been something different, something Lloyd didn’t like one bit.

He hated it, every time they fought- every time the ugly side of them came out. But this time had been so much worse, because this time it was his fault, it had been him who messed things up by taking something he wasn’t supposed to.

He had just wanted to make them proud.

But maybe they would be better off without him.

He just wanted things to be the way they used to be, back when no one had fought or yelled at each other, when everyone had been happy, hanging out in their fun little room, giving him badger rides and letting him pick whatever movie he wanted.

But that had also been the time when he had spent his nights locked up alone, when strange people in long coats and scary masks would poke and prod him, and he wanted nothing more but to see his family again, but Dr. Borg wouldn’t let him.

But that was the way things had always been, hadn’t they? There was no perfect world.

At least not for monsters, like Lloyd.

Lloyd stumbled, his head reeling. All these thoughts were a little too much to take in.

Glancing around, he spotted an alleyway leading off of the streets. The perfect opportunity to get away from all the noises and people and clear his head.

Nearly crying in relief, he slipped into the comfort of the darkness.

---

“He was just here!” “Oh no, he must’ve run off again! You know how upset he gets when we fight!”

“Shit,” Kai muttered, his bubbling anger quickly giving way to panic. “He must’ve gone to look for somewhere to hide.”

“Dammit, he could be anywhere by now,” Nya whimpered, pressing her fingers to her temples. “This is all our fault!”

His frustration with her dying, Kai put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. He can’t have gotten far, I should be able to pick up his scent.”

Nya glanced around, surveying their surroundings. “Just try to be subtle about it. There are a lot of people here.”

It was harder to track Lloyd’s scent without getting down to the ground, and the many other crisscrossing scents in the area added to the complexity, but, luckily for them, Lloyd’s oni and dragon blood made for a distinctive tang that Kai was able to pick up on after only a minute, despite all the distractions.

They followed the trail for a few minutes, Nya hovering behind him anxiously as he went. After a while, Kai was starting to get worried he had somehow made a mistake, when they reached a busy market street.

Shaking his head, he pushed his way into the throng.

Immediately, he was overwhelmed with at least a dozen more scents, and he lost Lloyd’s for a moment. Desperately trying to pick it up again, Kai felt like he was floundering, all the scents and sounds making him stumble.

Nya grabbed his shoulder, steadying him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… fine, it’s just… there’s a lot of people here.” He put a hand on his head. “It’s a lot.”

“Can you still smell Lloyd?”

“I don’t know.”

Nya turned to a shopping bag she was holding, rummaging through it until she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. Popping the cap, she handed him the bottle of water. “Here. This might help.”

Downing a few sips of the cold, fresh, liquid, Kai felt his heart rate slow slightly, the fog in his brain dissipating a bit. “Thanks, Nya.”

Turning back to his surroundings, he searched for Lloyd’s scent again. This time, he caught it rather quickly, and the two of them hurried down the street a little ways, until it led to a dark alleyway.

Kai slowed his pace, his steps wary. “Lloyd? Are you here?”

There was silence, for a moment, then a soft whimper replied him. Kai froze. “Lloyd?”

Nya pushed in front of him, and Kai caught sight of his sister’s pupils dilating to her night vision.

“See anything?”

Nya didn’t respond, and Kai blinked rapidly, urging his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. When he could finally see better, he looked over at her. Nya was standing frozen, her face white, as she stared down the alley.

Kai followed her gaze, and promptly felt his stomach lurch.

Although he couldn’t see nearly as well as Nya in the dark setting, it was well enough to identify the figure curled up in the back of the alley as Lloyd, pale and quivering as he grimaced at his leg, stretched out at an ugly looking angle, all twisted and bloody.

“Lloyd!” Nya screamed, running towards him as Kai gagged, trying hard not to puke at the scene. He tried to shake action back into his limbs, beginning to follow Nya where she was crouched over at Lloyd’s side, crying softly-

Kai froze, scenting the air. The overwhelming reek of blood and pain filled his nose, and he was still left muddled from the chaos of the busy market a moment ago, but…

Over all of that, he swore he could smell something else, something that seemed important.

“Nya, do you… do you smell that?”

“What?” Nya choked, wiping at her eyes. “Kai, he’s… it’s bad, come help me!” Kai was about to abandon the mysterious scent, when all of a sudden, it clicked.

Cold dread trickled down his spine. “Nya, look out, it’s-”

His words were cut off as something slammed against him, sending him to the ground, winded. Nets were thrown over him, and he felt strong yanks on his arms and legs as sharp rope dug into his wrists and ankles.

Blinding panic crashed through him as the full implication of what was happening hit him. No, no no, he couldn’t get captured, he couldn’t be brought back there, Lloyd couldn’t be brought back there, they would-

Kai threw back his head and roared as loudly as he could, hoping that someone, anyone would hear and come save him-

Sharp metal clashed against his jaw, sending spikes of agony through him as something was wrestled around his head. He tried to cry out again, but realized that he couldn’t move his mouth anymore, the metal device jamming it shut.

He could hear Nya’s screams from somewhere behind him, which abruptly cut off as she met his same fate. Muzzles, he realized with horror, the image of Lloyd, chained in that little room on that day they had first escaped flashing through his head.

Borg had found them. And now they were going to pay.

[theharellan]

Solas Fan Banter

Here’s a compilation of the fan banter I’ve written over the years between Solas and other canon Dragon Age characters, posted for Dragon Age Day 2020. There are references to a canon divergent Solas/nb!Lavellan companion romance. I’ve regretfully not written any Iron Bull banter that I’m proud enough of to feature here, but if anyone has any suggestions for topics I’d be glad to hear them.

Featured characters: Solas, Cassandra, Varric, Sera, Blackwall, Vivienne, Dorian, Cole, Morrigan, Cullen, Leliana, Valta, Renn, and Arcane Advisor Merrill!

Solas & Cassandra

(after receiving the quest Agrarian Apostate)

Cassandra: And he was not even a mage. Shameful. Solas: Would have it been justified if he was? Cassandra: The Templars have sanction to punish apostates. It would not have been beyond their authority. Solas: I would not call that justified, merely legal. Cassandra: The Templars should be better. Solas: The Chantry armed them and gave them an enemy. That might fuel an army, but will only serve to poison their minds against innocent people, apostates or no.

Solas & Varric

(after killing the Templars during the quest Agrarian Apostate)

Varric: I thought at least away from Kirkwall I could get away from crazy Templars. Solas: You believe they were mad? The men I saw were no different from those who confronted us in Val Royeaux.

(after delivering the ring)

Solas: She seems to be holding up well, considering. Varric: Yeah, but I know a front when I see one. Solas: You believe she was suffering more than she let on? Varric: Oh, I know it, Chuckles. That ring might comfort her when the country gets too quiet, but it won’t dry her tears or– shit, do much else, really. Solas: Some wounds only time heal. Varric: And they always seem to leave ugly scars.

(after beginning Here Lies the Abyss)

Solas: You found Hawke after all. Varric: Oh, you know. All those heroics jogged my memory. Solas: Naturally. Varric: What, you going to lay into me, too? Solas: No, no. I understand why you hesitated. (if Hawke is a mage) Solas: To involve her in a Chantry organisation would not have been wise, at least before it had a chance to prove itself. (otherwise) Solas: Given her involvement in this war, I can only imagine there are those on both sides who would blame her for their present predicament. Varric: You mind telling all that to Cassandra? Solas: I would prefer not to.

(after Here Lies the Abyss, if Hawke is left behind)

Solas: I have read your book, you know. The Tale of the Champion. Varric: I don’t know if now’s the best time. Solas: I understand. I only wanted to say that in reading it, I felt your affection for Hawke in every word. I am... sorry, for what happened. Varric: Thanks, Chuckles. Solas: Of course.

(after Here Lies the Abyss, if Hawke survives)

Solas: You said your farewells to Hawke? Varric: Sure did. Sent letters home, debated sending letters to Weisshaupt. The Wardens will need to know the storm coming their way. Solas: You believe Hawke will pose a problem? Varric: Well, maybe not on purpose.

(in the Hissing Wastes, while exploring dwarven ruins)

Varric: I’m surprised you’re not hounding me about how all this makes me feel, Chuckles. Solas: I had thought we established your disinterest. Varric: Yeah, well. I’m thinking about it, anyway. Solas: If you insist. How does this make you feel, Varric? Varric: There’s a tiny part of me that’s really satisfied, you know? Seeing a Paragon of all people living on the Surface, then the rest of me just doesn’t give a shit. Solas: Tradition is a difficult thing to shake, to be conflicted is expected. Do you think our discovery here ought to be shared with Orzammar? Varric: I don’t know about Orzammar, but I can think of a few Surface dwarves who’d be interested in this.

Solas & Sera

Solas: I could not help but notice what you were drawing at breakfast. Sera: What? I wasn’t drawing anything.

(if Sera is romanced)

Solas: You captured our Inquisitor’s likeness well. Sera: Better than you could.

(otherwise)

Solas: There was no mistaking Dagna’s likeness. What were you carrying? Sera: A bowblade. It’s not a thing yet, but if anyone can make one, Widdle can.

Solas: Have you ever given thought to collaborating together on a piece? Sera: Collaber-what? Piece of what? Solas: A painting, or a drawing if you prefer, what medium you decide upon makes little difference to me. Sera: You really think the two of us could work together on anything? Solas: I was under the impression we had been. Sera: That’s different. The Inquisition’s not an ‘us’ thing, or it is, but not us us.

Sera: Say if I wanted to make something with you, what’d we even make? Solas: You ask the question as if there are limitations. Sera: A dragon, then! No, wait, a butt! (beat) Sera: Nothing? Not even a nose wrinkle? Solas: I am not unopposed to the idea. Sera: Ugh, how can you even make butts boring?

Sera: (handing him a drawing) Here, made you something. Solas: What is this? Are those—shoes? Sera: That’s right. One for each toe. You’re welcome.

(After Solas initiates a relationship with Ian)

Sera: So, you and Freckles, huh? Interesting. Solas: Your interest is not my concern. Sera: I always figured you’d wind with someone who’d make the bumping bits matter. Y’know, drop ‘em and rebuild the empire. Solas: It is not the physical product of our love that matters so much as how he makes me feel when I’m with him. Sera: Eugh.

(If Ian is in the party)

Ian: (laughingly) Vhenan, I would choose your words more carefully next time. Solas: Oh. (slightly embarrassed) I did not mean it like that. Sera: Ha! I’ve made him blush. Solas: This is why I didn’t wish to discuss it.

Solas & Blackwall

(While near Ferb’s old fishing pier in the Exalted Plains)

Blackwall: Wonder if the fishing’s good. If we had an hour or two… Solas: Do you consider yourself an angler, Blackwall? Blackwall: I wouldn’t go that far, but I do enjoy the sport of it. Solas: I’ve never considered it a sport. Blackwall: Probably because you’ve never gone fishing just for the fun of it. Next time we make camp, I’ll show you.

Inquisitor: So, how’d your fishing expedition go? Blackwall: You should’ve seen the size of the gar I wrangled. Solas: It was not half as impressive as he believes. Blackwall: He only says that because all’s he caught were minnows. Solas: (scoffs) Inquisitor: So... where is it? Blackwall: We threw it back, of course. Wasn’t like we were going to eat it. Solas: A convenient excuse.

(Along the Storm Coast)

Blackwall: Ever heard of the pale ship that appears on the mists? The Windy Marcher – I think that’s what they called it. Solas: I cannot say I have. Blackwall: An old story, no idea where it started. Must’ve heard it a dozen times in the Free Marches, always a different ending. Solas: As is often the case with legends, the content and moral changes with the teller. Blackwall: One man claimed he’d seen it himself, said the ship was captained by beautiful spirits who’d called him to the sea. Solas: A case of wishful thinking, I assume. Blackwall: He was a bit of a lonely bastard.

(After Revelations)

Solas: You and Cole seem more friendly, of late. Thom: He took some getting used to, but his heart’s in the right place. There’s enough darkness in the world without pushing away the good. Solas: I imagine it was chilling, knowing he could break your cover on a whim. Thom: That did keep me up some nights, yes. Sometimes I wonder why he didn’t say anything. Solas: Perhaps he saw in you what the Inquisitor sees. Thom: Well, I’m grateful. On both counts.

Solas & Vivienne

(After the events of Bring Me the Heart of Snow White)

Solas: I heard the news of Duke De Ghislain’s death. As I understand it, the two of you were close. My condolences for your loss. (if the Inquisitor gave Vivienne a regular wyvern’s heart) Vivienne: (coldly) There was a chance at saving him, but he is beyond saving, now. At least, by mortal hands. Solas: Then I am all the sorrier. (otherwise) Vivienne: He was at peace, and we had the chance to meet at least one last chance before he passed. Solas: Be thankful for that closure, it will bring you comfort in the days to come. Vivienne: It already has.

Solas: How do you feel about the moniker ‘Madame de Fer?’ Vivienne: Oh, I think it’s darling. Why do you ask? Solas: Iron is cold, unyielding without the proper tools, some may use it as an insult rather than a mark of respect. Vivienne: Of that I’ve no doubt, but let them. I embraced it wholeheartedly, and from then on no one could ever truly use it against me. Solas: True enough, such a tactic has worked for others before.

Vivienne: You will be wearing shoes to the ball, won’t you? Solas: My comfort is not worth jeopardizing the Inquisition’s image, so yes. Vivienne: Many elven servants in Orlais go barefoot, it would hardly be a scandal. Still, it would be beneficial. We must all present as a unit when the time comes, not a single hair out of place. Solas: That will hardly pose a problem for the two of us. Vivienne: (makes a sound almost like a laugh) Right you are.

Solas: There are rumours that your name be put forward as the next Divine. Vivienne: I wonder who might have started those. Solas: After all that has happened these past few months, you believe it possible they will accept a mage into their fold? (if the Inquisitor completed In Hushed Whispers / is a mage) Vivienne: Whyever not? Magic is what solved the problem, after all. Solas: Magic has solved countless problems over the centuries, and yet it is still reviled. Vivienne: I am not any ordinary mage. If any mage can achieve status of Divine, I am she. Solas: On that, we agree. (if the Inquisitor completed Champions of the Just and is a non-mage) Vivienne: With the Inquisitor’s support there is nothing I cannot accomplish, my dear.

Vivienne: The Inquisitor gave you that hood not half a day ago and it already has a hole in it. Solas: Two, in fact. Vivienne: Are you afraid we’ll forget you’re an elf if we go five minutes without seeing your ears? Solas: My estimation of your abilities is not that low, Enchanter, and I would be careful were I you. Two holes cut in a hood is not nearly as desperate as donning a pair of horns every morning.

(After Ian is made Tranquil during his personal quest)

Vivienne: I hope you know what you are doing, my dear. The Rite of Tranquility is not something easily undone. Solas: As I understand it, the Seekers did it quite regularly. Vivienne: And through a far gentler process. What they did to Ian was barbaric, but undoing it is not necessarily a kindness. One might even call it selfish. Solas: I never made any claim to selflessness. Vivienne: Go through with it, and he will relive what happened to him every morning and night for the rest of his life. Solas: (with restrained anger) Do not pretend as though you suddenly care for his well-being now, you showed little regard for him before. Vivienne: It is a warning, nothing more. Solas: Your warning is heeded, but it changes nothing. I am under no illusion this will be simple, but to give up on him now— I would be no better than the Circle that once wanted this same fate for him.

Solas & Dorian

Dorian: That book you have on your desk, Solas… Solas: There are many. Which are you referring to? Dorian: There’s one that looked to be in Ancient Tevene. Do you speak it, or are you just keeping it around to look clever? Solas: I would not go so far as to say I speak it, but I understand it well enough. Dorian: How did you go about learning it? Solas: Memories of Tevinter’s empire litter the land, there is hardly a place in Thedas where the world does not remember it, and with memories come language. Dorian: So you learned through the Fade? Solas: I did, though my pronunciation leaves something to be desired. An unfortunate consequence of learning any language alone. Dorian: I might be able to help, but only if you give me the satisfaction of hearing you muddle through it out loud beforehand. Also, I’ll be next in line when you’ve finished reading that book of yours. Solas: (snorts) Very well.

Solas & Cole

Cole: So they’re nobody, but somebody. Empty shells, filled with someone else’s memory. Solas: For the most part, it seems. Cole: If they’re heartless, why are they so angry? Solas: Perhaps it was not so much the absence of feeling, but the lack of recognition of said feelings. Cole: Belief makes them real, even if they’ll always be different.

Cole: It remembered. Delight in discovery, always pushing further into the unknown— someone like that does not simply disappear, and yet... it cannot remember his name. Solas: Names are not so as important as the spirit of the person they belong to. Cole: It remembered the person. Sadder, but stronger. If I ever return to the Fade, I would like to meet it. Solas: Nothing would delight it more. Cole: Oh, I know. I think we’d be friends.

(After the banter where Solas helps prevent a panic attack)

Cole: You breathe in— one, two, three, four— then out— one, two, three, four— feel the grass beneath your feet, magic between your fingers, remember what is and what was. How long did it take you to learn? Solas: More time than is ideal. Cole: I’m sorry. Solas: There is some comfort in knowing I’ve learned enough to help others with such struggles. Cole: I’ll count with you, if you need. Solas: Thank you, Cole.

Solas: I’m curious how your efforts are coming along since we last spoke. Cole: Josephine misses how saffron tastes, but she hasn’t asked the chef to purchase any. I wrote it on a list when no one was watching. Cullen doesn’t like my letters. He says they don’t make sense. Solas: I cannot imagine he devoted much time to understanding them. Cole: No. Listening is... difficult, when you’ve been taught not to.

Cole: Eyes fall shut, but they do not drift away. Their feet are tethered, tied to the ground. Solas: Even dwarves who lived and died on the Surface never dreamed. Cole: But they are still remembered. The song drowns out their thoughts, but it does not smother them. If I listen, I can hear. Solas: I have seen fewer glimpses of dwarven history than I would like, but there are always memories preserved by particular attentive spirits. 

(When passing through the kitchen, or lingering nearby. Solas stands over the stove and Cole sits on a nearby counter, hitting his leg against the wood.)

Solas: Would you like to try it, Cole? Cole: Would it not be a waste? I don’t need to eat. Solas: To overindulge, perhaps. A taste will do you nor the world any harm, a good meal is about more than survival. Cole: Then I’d like to try it, please.

Cole: You don’t have to eat, Solas. Solas: Strictly speaking, no. Cole: Sometimes you do anyway. Solas: When the urge takes me, or if refusing would be seen as ill-mannered.

Solas: If I could ask for your opinion, Cole. Cole: It remembers the garden. The sun bakes it red, colour working through it like a blush upon a maiden’s cheeks. Solas: Excellent. And this? Cole: It was lost in weeds for weeks, neglected and forgotten. It tastes like oversteeped tea. Solas: I see. Then we will find another.

Cole: And it remembers the ocean? Solas: It knows the mountain streams and rocky coasts as well as any well-seasoned traveller, though the paths it takes are laid with smoother stones. Cole: Rough edges wicked away by river waters. Soft enough to stand on without any shoes. Solas: Though one must still take care not to fall. (optional) Inquisitor: Speaking from personal experience, Solas? Solas: I suppose one might say that. Cole: Feet forget the ground, flying out from beneath him, but the rest of him doesn’t follow. Solas: (tinged with embarrassment) As I said. Inquisitor: (chuckles) (otherwise) Cole: But you always get up again.

Solas & Cullen

Cullen: I’m curious how you’ve avoided Templars all these years. Solas: I would prefer not to say. Cullen: I’m no longer a Templar, you know. Solas: Then why do you still wear their heraldry? Or am I mistaken? Cullen: I… Solas: Templar or no, your support for its cause endures. I would not endanger fellow apostates by revealing our methods.

Solas: Master Tethras tells me you served in Kirkwall. Cullen: Varric has no shortage of stories, that one just so happens to be true. Why do you bring it up? Solas: My travels have taken me there, on occasion. Cullen: I admit, I’m curious what your impression was. Solas: All the world is steeped in tragedy, but in Kirkwall the Fade overflows with it. Spells flow from the fingertips with such ease you may forget the Veil altogether. Cullen: That doesn’t surprise me, the amount of abominations I saw during my years there… Solas: They were but a symptom. Kirkwall’s sickness ran deeper than what any one spirit could cure.

Solas & Leliana

Solas: I have heard the Inquisition call you many titles. Sister, Nightingale, Spymaster. Leliana: I have worn many masks, some I’ve liked more than others. Why do you mention it? Solas: Which do I refer to you by? Leliana: (laughs) Whichever you prefer. You may use Leliana, if you wish. Solas: Then I shall see which suits you best.

Solas & Josephine

Josephine: It took several tries, but we managed to remove the wine stain from your sweater. I apologise again for Lady Vérène’s indiscretion. Solas: The fault is hardly yours. It is a pity she is not more open to an apostate’s perspective, but the loss is hers. Extend my sincere gratitude to whoever expunged the mark. I have only a few shirts to my name. Josephine: You know, Solas, now that the Inquisition finds itself in more favourable circumstances, we can afford to purchase you a new wardrobe. Solas: With respect, Ambassador, I value comfort over style. I’m uncertain the Summer Bazaar will be able to accommodate me. Josephine: It would be a most... unusual request, but I believe I know the tailor for the job.

Josephine: Have you found the library to your liking? Solas: I have. I cannot imagine any other circumstance where someone like me could have such unmitigated access to the written word. Most human libraries are not so liberal with their guests. Josephine: I confess, I have never been without books. Ever since I was a child they were always within reach. Solas: Then you must have recommendations. Josephine: One or two come to mind. If I can secure faithful translations, you will have them.

Solas & Morrigan

Solas: You seem well-versed in courtly manners for a woman raised in the wilderness. Morrigan: What are you implying? Solas: That you have a talent for winding nobles around your finger, or that the infamous ‘game’ is not so deadly as they like to believe. Vivienne: Or that more talented souls paved the wave for her. Solas: Another possibility. Morrigan: ‘Tis true that Orlesians overestimate the challenge of this ‘Game’ of theirs. Empress Celene had her desires, and ‘twas a simple matter to keep her satisfied. Vivienne: Which is why you’re with us. Morrigan: With you at my side, I could not help but notice. Vivienne: Believe me, dear. Court enchanter is a trifle compared to where my sights have set.

Solas: I found your son atop the rotunda’s scaffolding today. Morrigan: He has long been fond of climbing, and Skyhold’s trees are too new to bear his weight. Solas: It was no harm. My only regret is I did not have an answer to every question he asked. He is a curious boy. Morrigan: (laughs) That he is.

(During What Pride Had Wrought, upon finding the mosaic of June)

Morrigan: Ah, clever June. The most elusive of the elven gods, insofar as legends are concerned. Solas: Their silence is deafening. Morrigan: I take it you have insight? Solas: Merely that he does not deserve what little credit he is given. Time has forgotten the name of whosoever built the first aravel.

Solas: Rumour spread that Kieran went missing. I trust your presence here means you have found him? Morrigan: I… yes. Solas: He is unharmed? Morrigan: Yes. Solas: Then I am glad. And… you? Morrigan: I have much to think upon, but my son is safe. Everything else can come after.

Solas & Renn

Solas: Tell me, Lieutenant, why did you remain with the Legion? Renn: Having trouble seeing why it’s your business. Why d’you ask? Solas: Escaping would be a simple matter of finding the right battle to slip away from. Freedom would only be a few day’s journey from where we stand. Renn: I couldn’t abandon my men... or my city. Solas: You show great loyalty to Orzammar, considering you will never see it again. Renn: Yeah, well. You never forget your home. Solas: No. I suppose you don’t.

Solas & Valta

Solas: “But the truth is the truth— no matter how political it may be.” Valta: Do you disagree? Solas: Just the opposite. The truth does not change with our ability to stomach it. I am glad a historian such as yourself agrees. Valta: A shame the rest of the Shaperate doesn’t agree with us. Solas: True, but if they had you would not be here, on the brink of uncovering secrets buried centuries ago. In their attempt to keep you out of the way, they unknowingly set you upon the path to even greater knowledge. Valta: Orzammar will know the truth. If I don’t make it, then the Inquisitor— Solas: You are not yet dead, Shaper Valta. Do not count yourself apart from the living so soon.

Solas & Merrill

Merrill: You snort when you laugh. Solas: I’m well-aware. If you are about to ask me to stop, I’m afraid I’ve tried before. Merrill: Oh, it’s not a bad thing. It might be the most charming thing about you. Solas: Damned by faint praise. Merrill: It is a very charming laugh.

Solas: Why did you leave your clan? I read Varric’s Tale of the Champion, but I suspect most of it was a lie. (if present) Varric: Hey! I’m right here. Solas: You did well to lie. To name her as a Dalish mage would be to paint a target upon her back. (otherwise) Merill: I left… I— it wasn’t exactly my choice. There was a mirror, tainted by the Blight. I thought we should fix it, even if it meant turning to blood magic. My Keeper disagreed. Solas: You cleansed the Blight from an eluvian? That is remarkable. Merrill: I used to wonder if it was worth it. I sacrificed so much to get it working, years of my life, my— I’m just glad we’re getting use out of it, now.

Merrill: You’re wrong about my people, Solas. The Dalish aren’t as lost as you think. Solas: They cast you to the streets of Kirkwall, exiled you for the crime of pursuing the duty they tasked you with. Merrill: Some of them said such awful things, they looked at me like I was already a demon, but… that doesn’t mean there isn’t good, too. Sometimes I wonder, had my Keeper not been so against me, if things might have been different. Merrill: I don’t know what they said to you, but I know what their scorn feels like. It hurts, but… there’s so much to admire. Solas: You still feel for them. Merrill: They’re my people, they always will be. No matter how much they might hate me, I’ll always love them. Solas: Put like that, I suppose I understand the sentiment. Merrill: It’s a lonely feeling, isn’t it? Solas: It never ebbs, no. Merrill: Then just— remember them, when you think unkind thoughts about the Dalish. The people you miss, the people you don’t, and what you’d sacrifice for them both.

(in the Exalted Plains, outside the boundaries of Hawen’s camp)

Merrill: (giggles) Datishan was asking about you before we left. Solas: Datishan… Hawen’s little hunter? Merrill: Who else? She wanted to know when you’d be back. Solas: What did you tell her? Merrill: I told her you needed time, that good stories don’t grow on trees. You will go back, won’t you? Solas: It seems I shall have to, or else suffer the wrath of her arrows. Merrill: You joke, but she almost poked out my eye last night. Solas: (chuckles)

[cherrygorilla]

6 Year Anniversary and Coral’s Character Profile

Hi there! Sorry for not being very active on here, life’s just been very hectic at the moment adjusting to university life, but I promise that I’m still working on content, I just don’t have a great deal of free time, so it’s a slow process. But now that I’m more settled I should be able to get into a proper writing routine. Fingers crossed!

But anyway, the reason I’m making this post is because around six years ago I made my fanfic account and posted my first chapter of my first story and ever since then I’ve just fallen in love with writing more and more. I’ve loved being able to hone my craft and improve and evolve my characters as I’ve grown up. It’s so crazy to think that I’ve been doing this for so long and that I’m still hanging around! I didn’t have much time to prepare anything for this milestone and I wouldn’t have known what to do anyway, so I thought that now would be as good a time as any to post the character profile I’ve been working on for Coral since she was created, along with my account, all those years ago. 

I got the questions for this OC character profile thing from my wonderful friend @foreveralwaysanauthor , who wrote similar profiles for her characters Makana and Xander, so be sure to check those out along with her stories! But here’s my profile for Caroline “Coral” Samantha Cole! I hope you like it! 

Appearance: obviously, including any quirks, how do they carry themself, average clothing

Tanned complexion, freckles across nose and cheeks, blue eyes, cute dimples, curly golden hair, great curvy body, kind of on the short side, bright smile, most often carries herself with confidence, wears a lot of bright colours, shorts, playsuits and summer dresses but likes to take fashion risks and isn't afraid to draw some attention by wearing something out there

Preferences:

Sexuality: because of the time she lives in I don't think that she'd ever act on any feelings she didn't think would be accepted by others, because at the core of everything that's all she really ever wants, but if it really came down to it and she was able to explore her feelings freely I think she'd come to realise that she's bisexual

Favourite food: the banana bread pudding her mom makes

Favourite colour: aqua blue, or gold, if she was really going to indulge herself 

Favourite animal: dogs, especially puppies

Favourite weather: sunny

Favourite season: summer

Favourite time of day: she's rarely up to see it, but she loves sunrise, when the stars start to disappear and the sun streaks the sky with all the pretty colours 

Favourite music: she's open to anything as long as she can sing along, but she does love a show tune

Foods that they will/will not eat: she's really not picky so she'll try anything, unless it involves tuna  

Religion: she wasn't brought up in a particularly religious family, they celebrate christmas, but in more of a commercial way, so she doesn't really have much of an opinion on religion

Political Beliefs: again, not super political, she just thinks everyone should be able to be treated equally

Hogwarts House: Slytherin, hands down. 

Personality: calm, rude, oblivious, introspective, stubborn, etc

She was practically born a drama queen and her enthusiasm can be a little overbearing at times but she's got a big heart and is a total softie if you get to know her enough for her to trust you. She's fiercely loyal, almost to a fault, and pretty stubborn if she gets something set in her mind. Speaking of getting something set in her mind, she's super determined; if she has a goal and won't let anything stand in her way. She's no stranger to jealousy, although she'd never admit it, and has a wild temper if the wrong thing sets her off, but she feels every emotion so intensely that sometimes they just get the better of her, which can be both a great and terrible thing. 

Family:

Who are their parents? Jacqueline and Brett Cole

What is their relationship with their parents? She's really close to her parents. Yes, she can get a little feisty sometimes and isn't a stranger to getting argumentative if she thinks something is unfair or if they're getting on her ass about something, but they raised her in a supportive, loving home and their guidance earned them her total respect. They're firm but fair when they need to be and she certainly keeps them on their toes, but they're always there if she needs them to be, whether it's to offer a shoulder to cry on, provide some much-needed advice or just to have a good laugh and cheer her up.

Do they have siblings? She has a twin brother, Thomas "Tanner" Cole

What is that relationship like? Being a twin is the only thing she's known, especially because she's the younger of the two twenty three minutes (something that Tanner likes to remind her of constantly), so she's had someone to goof around with from the second she left the womb. They may share a birthday down to the hour, but Tanner still like to exercise his big brother status from time to time, even though he knows deep down that Coral has enough fire in her belly to handle any threat far better than he could. They don't have a secret twin language and they don't have a telepathic twin connection, but they are incredibly close. They don't always see eye to eye on things, but they feel everything in a very similar way and they can read each other really well, so it's pretty difficult to keep secrets from one another. They were inseparable from birth, pulling faces to make each other laugh and taking their toys on grand expeditions along the beach from the minute they could walk and talk and as they grew older their bond, despite their differences, only grew stronger. As with all siblings, there were days when they annoyed the crap out of each other and couldn't stand to be in the same room unless they were pulling hair and yelling threats, but the anger never hung around for long. All it would take would be one joke or one dumb look and they'd be back to the being the best of friends. They're there for each other no matter what having someone around who understands you and what you're going through completely all the time is incredibly convenient. 

Family Life: 

What was it like for them growing up? She had a great childhood. A lot of her time was spent outside, either playing with her brother or her friends (often both together), and the rest was spent at dance and acting classes. She loved being a part of school plays and dance recitals and would practise in the living room every night after dinner. She loved the bedtime stories that her dad would read her and her brother every night and some of her fondest memories are of when she would play dress-up with her mom on Saturday mornings. Her parents always made time for her and Tanner and they certainly didn't go short of love, laughter or attention when they were kids. It was as idyllic as an all-American family could have hoped to have been really.

Are there things that affect them in their present state from their childhood? One memory that stands out, in particular, was when her mom and aunt took her to see a play at the local theatre. From the second that she saw the lady in the glittery dress parading around the stage, singing and dancing as the crowd whooped and hollered, she was hooked. She knew she wanted to be like her one day, up on that stage in front of an adoring crowd. And then they got their first television set, where she could see these actresses from the comfort of her own home and her life was changed yet again. She'd sit gazing at the people flickering on the screen for hours, even after her parents told her that it would rot her brain. She simply didn't care, she was too fascinated to look away. All she knew was that she wanted to be in that black and white box like them one day. 

What was their discipline like as a child? Coral's always had a feisty side, even from a young age, so she's no stranger to trouble. But she's never been inherently bad and would never be malicious unless provoked, so a good telling off and a grounding was usually all it took to keep her in line.

Were they rich, poor or somewhere in between? Somewhere in between, if not slightly on the richer side. They didn't have heaps and heaps of money, but they lived pretty comfortably and their house was one of the nicest amongst her friends, which meant that it was usually the go-to house for hangouts (something Tanner and Coral loved). 

Cultural History: does this affect the character, do they have cultural traditions that they follow

Not necessarily. Their grandmother is Hawaiian and they take yearly trips there to visit family and immerse themselves in the culture but not a great deal of that is incorporated into their everyday life. That doesn't mean that they don't love the traditions they do take part in when they're there though; the luaus are one of the best things they do all year. 

Flaws: every character should have a flaw (maybe they are really caring, but it leads to them being too trusting and getting manipulated; maybe they are super smart, but they have a hard time connecting to people as a result; etc) 

Coral has an almost obscene list of flaws, as most human beings do. She's stubborn and argumentative. She's feisty and brash and overbearing. She's a total drama queen, she's naive, she's vain, she's driven to a fault, she's overly emotional, she's flaky if uninterested, she falls in love too easily, she takes everything very personally (not ideal if she wants to be an actress) and she has a terrible temper. But I'm sure that there is more that I just can't think of at the moment. She's a bit of a hot mess, but she owns it.

Blank Spots: everyone has a bit of ‘basic knowledge’ that they somehow missed or misunderstood (it happens for everyone), what is the character’s ‘blank spot’

She thought that limes were just lemons that weren't ripe yet for longer than she'd care to admit.

Wants: what does the character want most, what do those around the character want for them

This is an easy answer that everyone around her knows the answer to. She wants to be a star. Well, she wants to be an actress, but ultimately all she really wants is stardom and she won't let anyone get in the way of that. 

Needs: what does the character actually need (this can be different from the wants, and often should be for character growth; however, the character growth can happen even if the wants and needs are the same by having the course of events be contrary to the characters expectations)

She needs to get a strong head on her shoulders. She needs some guidance and maturity before being let loose in the world and she needs the right support behind her. But most of all, she needs love. She needs to feel loved and she needs to have a connection with someone where she can open her heart and embrace her vulnerability instead of hiding it away.

Fears: what is the character afraid of? both literally and existentially

Failure to achieve her dreams, disappointing her family, being alone, being ridiculed, spiders and clumps of hair in drains

How do they handle:

Disappointment - If she's disappointed in herself then she'll really beat herself up about it, but if someone else is disappointed in her then it'll absolutely crush her and she'll get super upset

Anger - Not very well at all; she's got a pretty bad temper and it rears its head more than it should. She's not afraid to fight for something she believes in and isn't one to back down from an argument easily. It also takes her a while to calm back down too. 

Embarrassment - If she's acting she doesn't get embarrassed at all. But if it's just Coral and something embarrassing happens to her then it's crippling. She's so image-conscious and self-absorbed that if there's a possibility that something could taint that then she won't be able to let it go until she's fixed it.

Attraction - She's a total flirt and will happily play into any interest that is directed her way, but playing coy is as far as it goes with her; she's never been one to make the first move and feels much more comfortable using her alluring nature to attract attention rather than seeking out suitors herself.

Betrayal - Loyalty is a huge deal for Coral and she's very protective of those close to her. She places massive amounts of trust in her friends and they often reciprocate that, so betrayal is a massive issue for her and it's really difficult for her to cope with. She is quick to turn on someone and it's very hard for them to regain that trust if they've lost it. 

Fight or flight - In most situations she's not afraid to fight, but if she feels really overwhelmed and out of her comfort zone then she switches to flight mode and bolts. 

Money - Luckily, money was never an issue for her when she was growing up. But all the time she's spent flipping through magazines full of celebrities and the lavish lives they lead has left her with quite an expensive taste.  

Lack of sleep - She just gets a little cranky and snappy. She's not much of a coffee drinker, but if it helps her get through the day or makes her seem a little more sophisticated then she'll stomach it to give herself a boost.

Alcohol - It makes her really giggly at first but then she loses all her inhibitions and moves into the frame of mind where she thinks everything is a good idea. Soon she hits a wall though and either crashes back to the reality of sobriety or spirals into a black-out, drunken mess. No matter what though, she's a tipsy disaster when she drinks.

Injustice - She's not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right and will fight for justice if she truly believes that something is unfair, no matter what anyone else says. She'll always trust her gut instinct.

Mental illness - It's not something that she's had to deal with at this point in her life, but as she struggles with issues later on in her life I think it will be difficult for her to cope with due to how much she allows her emotions to impact her. 

Grief - Again, she's a super emotional person and allows her feelings to deeply affect her, so grief is really overwhelming. She doesn't shut herself away, but sometimes the pain becomes so great that she can't comprehend or articulate what she's feeling anymore, to herself or to others.

Exercise - She's never been super sporty in the traditional sense, but she's been dancing since she was three and has taken up cheerleading in high school, not to mention all the surfing she does in her free time.

Defining moment:  is the character’s defining moment going to happen to them during the story or has it already happened (characters can have more than one defining moment)

Coral hasn't had a defining moment yet in the story, but there is one pretty major one coming up within the next few chapters, which impacts the lives of many of the characters, so keep your eyes peeled for that. She'll have quite a few distinct, defining moments in the story though that all shift her life onto different paths. So things are about to take a turn for her!

How do/would they feel about:

Glitter - Loves it! Duh!

Ferris Wheels - They're pretty fun, especially at the top when you can look out and see for miles around.

Camping - She does like being outdoors, but sleeping on the ground with bugs and no satin pillowcase is not really her jam.

Coffee - Thinks it tastes gross but makes you look sophisticated, so she'll make the sacrifice if she's feeling particularly tired.

Crispy or floppy bacon - crispy; floppy bacon weirds her out

Mushrooms - pretty indifferent, she doesn't hate them but she doesn't love them either

Twilight books/movies - A teen movie about vampires? Not really her sort of thing...unless she could be in it. 

Guns - She's pretty against them all; she just doesn't understand why anyone would feel the need to possess such a dangerous weapon. But we'll see how that opinion holds up as the story progresses...

Extras: 

Do they have a signature smile? - Of course, she's been practising her smile for the paparazzi for years!

Do they have a tell when they lie? - Nope, she's an actress and is a master when it comes to lying convincingly; if she has to convince a whole audience that she's a totally different person then she should surely be able to keep up a little lie.

Do they have any nervous tics? - She gnaws on the inside skin of her lip.

Do they speak loudly, softly or average volume? - A little on the loud side; she wants to be heard, she loves the attention.

What is their quality of voice? - She's got a bright, clear voice when speaking but if she opens it to sing then the real power is unleashed.

Do they gesture when they talk? - All the time, she's super expressive when she talks and is always using her hands to exaggerate things.

Do they have a good understanding of personal space? - Most of the time, but if you're one of her best friends then she's much more likely to invade it.

How do they greet other people? - Usually with a 'hey' or a 'hi' and one of her megawatt smiles 

How do they say goodbye? - Probably just by saying 'bye' or 'see ya' or maybe just waving, unless she's pissed at you, in which case you'd be lucky if she even looked at you, same goes for greeting people

Is there anything that they always have with them/on them? - She always has a hair tie and tons of perfume on. You can always count on her to have mints too.

Do they remember faces or names better? - Faces, she's hopeless with names unless they're important to her.

What does the character admire most in others? - Loyalty, ambition and kindness

Pet peeves - Loud chewers, people standing too close in lines and people who don't cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze

What grosses them out? - Not washing your hands after using the bathroom and when her boy friends scratch their balls and shove their hands in each others faces. 

[writingonesdreams]

Novel Prep Tag Game

Original tag game by @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz. The questions are great, so I wanted to participate - it made me look at my WIP from a new angle, so thanks! 

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

A wolf that can take on a human form befriends a human boxer Rhys and accompanies him on his journey across the desolated wastelands between the big cities to find his little brother Oliver. On the way they meet the thoughtful scribe Anise and are followed by the dedicated hunter Cole. 

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

A novel for now. 

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Desolated wastelands, big cities scattered across the continent, dried up earth, sand and dust, wind, cloudy and misty weather, dust and smoke covering the atmosphere, wolfs, ruins of smaller cities and villages

4. What other stories inspire your novel?  

Mostly anime series like Wolf’s rain, Megalo Box, Banana Fish, books like Darker shade of Magic, Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, White Fang by Jack London 

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

6. Who is your protagonist?  

Vincent, the wolf, that was seperated from his pack and aimlessly traveled human cities. He takes on the human form to fit in with humans and to hide from hunters. 

7. Who is their closest ally?

Vincent meets and befriends Rhys, the reckless and driven boxing prodigy that needed help to cross the desert to reach his hometown to reunite with his younger brother Oliver, he didn’t see in 6 years. Vincent grows quite attached to him, starts to feel responsible and incredibly protective of him. Rhys has bit of intimacy issues, but learns to trust Vincent and regards him as sort of a brother. 

8. Who is their enemy?

Cole, the disciplined and dedicated hunter. He trained boxing and martial arts with Rhys and joined the hunter association to hunt and sell wolf’s skin. His father is the ruler of Holland, charged with Amsterdam - the most populated city of the West (since all people live in the few big cities left) Cole’s parents have made him see wolves as enemies for infiltrating human cities. Cole made it his goal to hunt them to meet his father’s vision of protecting people from the wolves. He is perfectionalist obsessed with improvement - he wants to create order in the chaos the world was left in after the catastrophe and is willing to do anything for it. His goal to hunt wolves is based on this desire to improve the world. 

9. What do they want more than anything?

Vincent wants to be loved and needed, a part of a family or pack so he could have somewhere to belong to.

Rhys wants to find his younger brother, but what he actually needs is to find peace of mind. He wants to prove himself and have someone to believe in him.

Anise wants to find meaning and purpose in the starving world around her where everything has to have a purpose and people try so hard to survive, yet forget to actually live. She wants to collect and organises books, since she values knowldge and firstly joins the duo to search for new books in the abondened cities. 

Cole wants to improve the world and create order and security.

10. Why can’t they have it?

Vincent can’t be with his original pack, because wolves are hunted by humans and it’s easier and safer to travel alone then in groups. 

Rhys feels worthless for only knowing how to fight and wants to reunite with his brother, because that was the last time he felt full and at peace. But since they parents divorced and he didn’t get along much with his father, he didn’t see either his mother or brother in last 6 years and spent them in fights a lot. Now he doesn’t know if he has any worth outside of fighting and that’s what makes him restless and self-destructive. 

Anise works as a scribe and teacher, because that’s the role people consider useful in this decayed world. She doesn’t believe all that much in her work, because she thinks people should be learning from books from Before the apocalypse and not just recording what happened After. 

Cole considers wolves to be the natural enemies to safety of  humans since the discovery of their ability to take on human forms. He doesn’t understand how they survived after majority of animals and natural life perished and fears they want to take over humans.  

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Rhys believes he has to fight everything to prove his worth and that emotions and needing help are a sign of weakness.

Vincent believes he can’t have a family or bonds anymore because he is a wolf in a human world.

Anise believes her life doesn’t have meaning outside of collecting knowledge.

Cole believes he can improve the world by hunting down something he doesn’t understand. 

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Vincent looks like a slim young boy with messy dark brown hair, pale skin and  icy blue eyes in his human form. In his original wolf from he is a white wolf with amber-yellow eyes.

Rhys is muscular and tall with dark olive skin, black curly hair and dark eyes. He is covered in scars, most notably on his arms and on his right cheek. 

Anise has long blond wavy hair, grey eyes and ivory skin. 

Cole is tall, but less muscular then Rhys. He has black hair falling in his green eyes and fair skin.

Plot Points

13. What is the internal conflict?

Rhys is so set on fighting and reaching his external goal - reuniting with his brother and protecting him - that he doesn’t realize he actually needs to accept himself and his faults and find internal peace in caring about people and living with them. He needs to realize he doesn’t have to prove anything, doesn’t have to be strong every minute to be useful and worthy of love and recognition. 

Vincent mostly only has a bit conflicted emotions regarding his storng protective feeling towards a human, when humans are the ones that drew his pack apart and hunted him for so long. Otherwise he just wants to belong somewhere and enjoys his new pack.

Anise wants to find meaning - she was afraid to want anything, always concerned only with activities that were neccessary for survival or for being useful in the dying society that has few resources. She values knowledge and wants to find and collect the books left abondened through out the country, so the cognition of the pre-apocaliptic world would be saved. Through knowing Rhys and Vincent she sees how someone can still have desires and enjoy simple pleasures like watching stars or dancing and finds her meaning in living, fullfilling her dreams in hunting for the lost books. 

Cole struggles to improve the world but isn’t going about it in the right way. 

14. What is the external conflict?

The journey to cross the wastelands is difficult and is very rare for someone to attempt to go on one. People are gathered only in their big cities, valuing their resouces while other cities and the country have been abondened. Smaller cities that still have inhabitants are rules by violent gangs, the routes are long and one needs a lot of supplies since there is nothing on the way to eat or drink, with unpredictible weather and frequent sand storms. 

Additionally Vincent is hunted by Cole and since Rhys defends him, he is in danger too. 

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?  

Rhys failing to find and care for his younger brother, which he would see as a sign he is worthless and deserves all the bad that happened to him. 

Vincent never having a pack again and no one he could be himself with. 

Anise staying static, living a planned out life in the city full of anxious people and doing something she doesn’t believe in. 

Cole feeling like he failed to contribute to helping the world get better. 

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?  

It's not that much of a secret as a bit of a plot twist that Oliver, the younger brother that the main characters looked for the whole time, actually didn't want to be found and wasn't very keen on seeing his older brother again, since he was very angry with him. But the issue gets solved, when the brothers reconcile at the end.

17. Do you know how it ends?  

Not exactly sure, just that Vincent, Rhys, Anise, Oliver and maybe Cole stay together, either make a living by continuing to travel and collecting lost objects or finding place to stay and build together.

18. What is the theme?  

What self-worth is based on for people - family, higher purpose, dreams, success, abilities.  Finding a meaning, fullfilling a purpose or recovering when one’s purpose or dream was lost. Having dreams and meaning when the world is falling apart starved and if every activity has to have a point and what does it mean.

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?  

Wolf, moon, wind, clouds, dust, whirlwind, books 

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)  

The story is set in post-apocalyptic future Europe, where earth has dried up and smoke and dust have cover the sun to the point that it’s hard for people to survive. So people migrated from all over the country into big cities, where they live very closely together. The land inbetween pretty much turned to uninhabitable wasteland, with many cities and villages left empty. 

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?  

Yes I have several scenes in my head, that I’m working on connecting into a logical plot. 

22. What excited you about this story?

The growing trust and protectiveness between Vincent and Rhys, the bonds Vincent forms with Anise and Oliver, how the enstraged brothers Rhys and Oliver reconcile again and Cole’s transition from an enemy to friend. I’m also exicited about Anise’s romance with Rhys, who at first challanges her views and believes. Also Cole serves as the main bad guy, but is actually an antagonist, who will redeem himself and befriend the other characters in the process. 

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!  

I always start with characters that I stick in different scenarios or in my favourite movies and series or books and let them interact. From those I mostly get inspiring scenes that I try to connect through a plot. Afterwards I work on characterisation, world-building, research details and outline stuff a bit. I also write little snippets that sometimes turn long and can be used as chapters. 

[rhetoricalrogue]

One of this week’s WiPs: DONE! For @alittlestarling, in the AU we’ve been yelling about where Vincent is a Warden Amell, Roz was raised in the Wilds alongside Morrigan, and their firstborn Bryony holds the soul of an Old God. 

Fast forward ten years post-Blight and two years after Vincent leaves his family to go look for a cure for the Wardens. Morrigan, Roz and Bryony have been rubbing elbows with Orlesian elite and are on loan to the Inquisition.  Instead of sending a letter with “hey, I’m cured” news, Vincent decides to break the good news to his family in person.

The Inquisitor was the first one to spot him. The man was tall, yet he walked with a slight hunch to his shoulders that spoke of years of habitually trying to make himself smaller to better blend in with crowds. It wasn’t unusual to see people dressed in cloaks as they moved from place to place in the fortress, but it was odd that this man still had the hood of his cloak over his head, obscured his features save for the tip of his nose from view.

“Who’s that?” she asked, her focus now completely on this stranger. He had a beaten up looking staff in his hand that he was using as a prop to lean against as he spoke with someone who pointed in the direction of the gardens and judging by the arm exposed from under his cloak as he held onto the gnarled wood, it seemed as if he were wearing Warden armor.

“Him?” Leliana had made time to come down from her rookery sanctuary more and more, spending time in the gardens with Roz and her daughter Bryony now that they had joined up with the Inquisition. It was something else to see the newcomers interact with the usually stoic Spymaster, the edges of her personality that grief and duty had honed to a razor sharpness softening into something gentler. There were even reports of hearing her sing once or twice, usually at the request of Rosalind’s daughter.

Standing on the dais, she wore that same soft smile the Inquisitor had heard of, but not yet seen for herself. She seemed years younger, her eyes shining in the light of the hall’s candelabras. “He is no threat. I am sure that we’ll speak with him in due time, but not at this moment.”

Leliana smiled again and wiped at her cheek. “He has far more important people to speak with first.”

Vincent was exhausted. Traveling non-stop when not gifted with the stamina reserves he had gotten so used to was taking its toll, but he’d made good time as a crow, traversing the bulk of the distance between where he’d been at to Skyhold by air instead of on foot. Even though he was ready to drop on his feet at any moment, there was a barely contained excitement that bubbled in his chest. Roz and Bryony were somewhere in that fortress. After two achingly long years of not seeing them, they were so close.

A lot had changed in those years apart. He’d picked up new scars and more silver had threaded its way through his hair than had been there the last time his little family had seen him. The biggest change, however, was the fact that now he was a Warden in name only. The ritual to cleanse himself of the darkspawn taint had been a huge risk, just as the Joining itself had been, but he felt lighter than he had in over a decade. His dreams were no longer plagued by nightmares and although he had come across small pockets of darkspawn on the surface, he hadn’t sensed them at all.

Vincent tightened his grip on his staff and leaned against it as he walked down the hallway a courtier had pointed him towards.  Roz had always loved the outdoors, so he had taken a gamble on asking if Skyhold happened to have a garden.  It made the most sense to him to begin his search for her there.  He took a breath: so much time had passed since they had been together, would his family still have need of him?  With all his changes, would they even still want him? It was a preposterous doubt, yet it was one he couldn’t shake.  He knew his heart: Vincent loved his daughter fiercely, and he loved Roz with every ounce of his being.  He just prayed that they felt the same towards him.

He felt a little lost as he walked the halls, the most recent injury he was still healing from making his left leg drag a bit as fatigue set in, lending him a slight limp. He had to stop several times to ask a random person if they’d seen a redheaded woman and a young child, but thankfully, everyone had pointed him in the same direction.  Normally, if he wanted to quickly find Bryony, all he had to do was listen to the song that resonated within his little girl: a song that was similar, but not quite the same as the harsh tune he remembered hearing in Denerim all those years ago as he struck down the Archdemon. The song that echoed within Bryony was lighter, sweeter, something a little girl would sing as she skipped and played. It never pulled at him the way that the darkspawn had, with claws sharp in his chest and a twisting in his gut. Rather, Bryony’s tune had felt like small hands gently pulling at his own, laughing pleas of Papa, come play! and bright sunshine warming him from the inside out.

Vincent bit at his chapped lips. If there was one thing he would miss from shaking loose of the shackles of his Warden vows, it would be the ability to sense his daughter wherever he went.

His thumb rubbed against the ring he wore on his right hand. The rosewood band was a comfort, the surface worn smooth from years of running his fingers across it, much like the worry stone Alistair used to carry with him at all times. While he may not be able to sense their daughter any longer, Vincent was certain that Roz was close. She wore the match to his ring and although she had explained that it would enable them to always find the other, his grasp on the magic infused into the bands had never been the strongest. The closest he ever came to locating her was a slight warming sensation whenever they were near but out of visual contact, almost as if she were holding onto his hand.

His already ragged nerves frayed some more. Maker, but he had missed her. All he wanted to do was draw her into his arms and never let her go, but what if…

Vincent stood up straighter and squared his shoulders. What-ifs did nothing productive. Heart in his throat, he rounded the last corner and entered what seemed to be an open inner courtyard, the smell of green growing things heavy in the air.

He saw Bryony first. She was in the center of the gardens, playing with a tall, thin looking boy wearing an oversized hat. Vincent’s chest grew tight and it took everything he had not to run to her. Oh, but how tall she had gotten! Her face still held the childish roundness that he had all but memorized before leaving, but her hair was longer, curled and styled in a manner he had never seen before. It made sense, seeing that Roz had written to him about seeking refuge in the Orlesian courts, but to see his little girl who often ran dirt-smudged and barefoot in their home with leaves in her hair and skinned knees now wearing a dainty looking dress and shiny black shoes pulled at him. She looked as if she were the daughter of some nobleman, not a weary ex-Warden apostate with far too many miles on a body that felt older than his actual years.

“Don’t turn away.” Vincent jerked back in surprise when the boy who had been just playing with Bryony showed up at his side. “Please.”

“Spirit,” he said simply, recognizing the boy for what he was now that he was closer. “Might I ask what you are?”

“Compassion,” the spirit replied. “Though everyone here calls me Cole. I like it. Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt your family, they like me and I like them.  You haven’t seen them in some time.”

“No, I haven’t.” He relaxed a little, but Vincent’s eyes remained glued on Bryony, who had quickly transitioned from playing with Cole to quietly singing to a potted bunch of elfroot, making him wonder if she were used to the spirit’s sudden disappearances. The sight made him smile.

“She sings to the plants because she thinks that it helps them grow quicker,” Cole explained. “Leaves stretching to the noise more than to the sunlight, flowers blooming for her enjoyment.  She doesn’t know it, but the plants like hearing her song. It’s an old tune, far older than she will ever be, but it’s changed, becoming a song of creation instead of destruction.  She has changed. Her body is home to her alone.”

“What do you mean by that?” Vincent carefully asked, hand tightening on his staff out of habit. Had something happened?

“A soul willingly separated from its host. Her grandmother is very fond of her; she says Bryony has your eyes.” Cole held out a hand to stave off the questions that burned in Vincent’s throat. Grandmother?  But Flemeth had met her end at his own hands, he’d done it to ensure Roz’ safety.  “Don’t be scared.  She cannot take what isn’t willingly offered. She has never meant your family harm, and none will ever befall them, should she have any say in the matter. She’s been lost for so very long, a mother who forgot what motherhood was about, but she’s finally remembering.”

“Have you been with them long?” Vincent asked, eyes finally leaving Bryony as she skipped from flower pot to flower pot in order to scan the gardens, breath held as he searched for a familiar splash of red hair. Roz had always been a little overprotective of their daughter, never letting her out of her sight for long. There were too many people milling about to see her, but his heart beat quicker at the thought of being with her again.

“The three of them came from Orlais a few months ago.” Cole’s eyes went from Vincent to Bryony and then away, his attention centered on the far end of the garden. “She speaks of you often, you know. Fear, sharp and bright catching her throat, is he safe, is he well? Questions eager to spill forth getting caught against clenched teeth. She doesn’t dare speak them out loud, afraid of what the answers would be. Will he love us as much as we love him? Will he love me like he did before?”

Vincent turned to face Cole. “Where is she? Please, I must know.”

Cole pointed towards the gazebo at the opposite end of the garden. From his vantage point, he couldn’t quite make out who was sitting under the shade, but he could see two distinct figures at a bench, heads down and a book between them.  He must have made some noise, because Bryony’s attention turned from the Prophet’s Laurel she had been picking dead leaves off of to him and she shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting to try to make out his face.

“Papa?”

Vincent couldn’t stop his feet from moving even if he had wanted to. Staff and satchel clattering to the ground, he bent down just as Bryony launched herself at him, a happy shout of “Papa!” ringing in his ears. The impact sent him sprawling backwards, his hood flying back and baring his face.

His latest scars were less than a year old: long, jagged scratches from a shriek who’d gotten a lucky hit in that ran up his right cheek and over his eyebrow. He’d been fortunate that he hadn’t lost the eye in the fight. The wounds had been deep, and he was well aware of how people in villages he had traveled to reacted to them. It had become a habit to wear his cloak’s hood or make certain his longer hair shielded that side of his face.

Yet at that moment, he didn’t give a damn how frightening they may look. All that mattered was the fact that his daughter had her arms around his neck in a tight hug and that she was real, not some daydream brought about from missing her so much his chest ached. He peppered her cheeks with kisses, one hand curling through her hair and the other gently holding onto her. Exhaustion and lingering soreness in his leg forgotten, Vincent got to his feet and easily lifted Bryony up to spin her in a circle, belatedly realizing they had something of an audience. Still keeping her close, Vincent overheard whispers of Warden and is that him? The hero of Ferelden? Panic started to build as he set Bryony on her feet, her hand fitting easily into his as she tugged at his arm, insistent that they greet her mother and aunt.

The commotion they’d caused had not gone unnoticed. The two figures sitting at the gazebo had stood up, and Vincent’s heart all but stopped at the sight of Roz, her hands covering her mouth, hair shining in the sun like a fiery beacon. The ring on his hand seemed to pulse to life as his long legs ate up the distance between them. They silently stared at the other for what felt like a lifetime before Vincent reached out to cup her cheek in his hand, bending until he could press his forehead against hers.

He wasn’t certain who moved first, but the next thing he knew, his arms were around Roz and her lips were on his.  He sank into the kiss, all his cares cast to the ground at his feet. Dimly, he felt Bryony press at his hip, her arms stretching around both his and Roz’s waists. He let go of Roz with one arm to encircle their daughter, and he felt Roz do the same, their hands linking together at Bryony’s back.

Vincent pulled back first, his thumb wiping at the tear that had spilled out of the corner of Roz’s eye.

“Hi.”

Roz laughed and rubbed her nose affectionately against his. “Hello,”she replied, her hand sliding through his hair to pull him in for another kiss.

Vincent smiled against her mouth as he held her closer. It didn’t matter if they had an audience or that they were in an unfamiliar place.

He was finally home.

[sleepy-sunlight]

Can you do anything angsty? I'm in one of those moods :p

Ayeee I got you!! I’ve actually had a lot of angsty ideas brewing lately so it’s awesome to be able to get them out!!

Anyhow, thank you and have a fantastic day!! Enjoy!! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

———————————————————————————————————–

Cullen woke with a yawn, weary eyes opening to see you cradled in his arms, your breathing light and steady, hands clasped loosely around his shirt as if they were hardly there at all.

“Good morning,” He hummed, his voice groggy and low despite the smile clear upon him.

You crinkled your nose as you woke, grinning softly. “Good morning. How did you sleep?” 

“Well enough, I wouldn’t mind sneaking in a bit longer though.” 

You fought back a snicker, glancing up at him with a sort of softness in your expression he couldn’t help but adore. 

“You would like that wouldn’t you?” 

“I would, quite a bit actually,” He purred, leaning down to press a tender kiss to your lips, barely passing a second before you let out a few, sleepy giggles as his stubble scratched you. 

“Come on, we ought to get up,” You mumbled, prying yourself away from his hold to begin getting ready, your fingertips weaving through the curls and tangles in your hair. 

He stared curiously at the empty weight in the bed while you rose to your feet, not even so much as a creak from the elderly floorboards.

It was odd, to say the least.

“Rutherford!” You snatched him from his thoughts, rounding about the pull him up, the old floor beneath him letting out a moan against his weight. “We’ve got plenty of work to do today.” 

“… What have you planned in your schedule?” He questioned, beginning to change while you idled by. 

“I have several requisitions set up and ready to go and I’m also going to stop by and check on Cole. Then, I think I’ll head out. I think it’s about time.” 

“Don’t strain yourself,” He remarked, listening to the clanking as his armor shifted into place. “I’d hate to see you hurt yourself again out there. How you healed so quickly is beyond me.” 

You paused, parting your lips to speak, but unable to come up with anything to tell in return.

You had returned from Emprise Du Lion the day before, battered and bloodied like he’d never seen, your bare skin peeled and torn as if no more fragile than a parchment. 

You were barely even awake, unable to speak more than a few words to him while he held you close to him, healers scrambling desperately to save what was left of your mangled wounds. 

He couldn’t even describe the horror that had pulsed through him when your lids fluttered shut, the hand that had wrapped around his to comfort your fretting commander suddenly limp. 

And if there had ever been a day Cullen cried, it was then.

It was quiet and guarded, his head ducked into the crook of your neck, tears smothering against your clothes while he murmured prayers to whoever bothered to listen – Maker or otherwise. 

He had never left your side.

But he couldn’t remember when you woke up.

“Darling?” 

He threw up himself from those horrid memories, the ivied tangles of fear that began to consume him once again withering away at the sight of you. 

“Yes?” 

“I love you.” You cooed, weaving your fingertips through his hair once you came back to him. “I love you so much.” 

He felt himself melt at the very touch, reaching out to hold your face in his palm, his thumbs drawing gently along your cheeks. “I love you too. So please, take care of yourself.” 

You answered this time, albeit hesitantly. 

“… Only if you do too.” 

You stepped back, giving him a final goodbye before you slid down the ladder, already gone to your activities by the time he followed.

And the day seemed to pass as it should. 

Until a visitor arrived. 

Cullen watched the boy slip inside, wisps of blonde curling about him.

“Hello Cole,” He greeted lightly, glancing up from his papers while he sat edged closer, peering over the inked letters. 

“Hello,” He replied, arms folded behind his back. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been… fine.” 

“You’re… happy, warm like sundrops. You’re so different from before. Why?” He whispered, whether to himself or Cullen he couldn’t tell. “You’re blocking something out… you’re… forcing yourself to forget.” 

“I beg your pardon?” 

“The Inquisitor-” 

“They told me they were going to speak with you this morning. If you’re looking for them just wait where you usually are-” 

“They spoke to you?” 

“O-Of course.” Cullen scoffed, shifting away from his work to stare at the boy. “Why wouldn’t they?” 

“They’re… not here anymore.” 

“Did they leave already?” He frowned, folding his lips. “I thought they would’ve at least called for a meeting at the war table.” 

“That’s why… you’re not letting yourself remember. Or… they’re not – they didn’t want you to.” Cole’s gaze widened. “You hurt so much when you did. A broken and shattered heart… like glass, left with nothing. Void.” 

“What in Andraste’s name are you-” 

“They wanted one more night. Before you had to wake up… and remember.” 

“Remember what?” Cullen fought to hide the frustration in his tone, clenching his grasp into fists. 

“That… that they’re dead. The Inquisitor died yesterday.” 

Cullen froze.

It was as though a disgusting, frigid cold came over him, electrifying his entire body in a horrid, nightmarish shock. 

And it clicked.

But he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. 

“But… but they were just with me. Surely they’re still writing letters or something of the sort! I was with them no more than a few hours ago!” 

“Sometimes spirits may-” 

“No! Don’t start with that kind of babble of yours!” He snapped, the rage seeping through him like poison. “I won’t have any of it! Not when you’re spreading lies that they’re… they’re-” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

Cullen gawked at Cole, wanting to rebuke every single thing he said, but he couldn’t. 

All he could do was remember. 

You had never awoken. 

You passed from the loss of blood, in his arms, Cullen never having once let go of you in that time, too afraid that you might fade away to nothing. 

“Please…” He had whispered, barely raising his head to look back at you, even if all that remained in those eyes of yours was a milky white. “Please come back. Everyone needs you – I need you. I need you to come back, dear… please.” 

You gave nothing. 

Not that you could. 

Yet Cullen had continued to plead to you, squeezing your palm and keeping you ever so close. 

But his prayers had fallen upon deaf ears. 

It had all fallen apart. 

From his heart to his world, it all shattered into meager pieces to merely crumble and rot at his feet. 

And just like then, Cullen fell to his knees, unable to even hold himself up as the shock rippled through him just as agonizing as it was before. 

“Sometimes spirits will remain. To… to give their goodbyes,” Cole conceded. “I think that’s what they wanted. To say goodbye to you.” 

He didn’t feel comforted – if anything all it did was pierce him further.

Because no matter how selfish it sounded, he wasn’t ready.

He never would be.

Because he never wanted to say goodbye in the first place. 

[wish4youff]

04 ~ Gloomy

King 

How could you prepare yourself to celebrate the birth and life of your savior, Jesus Christ, and worship the ground he walks on, for an entire day, when all you could think about was the hell you’ve been through? All the hell you’ve caused on innocent families. There hasn’t been much of a prideful moment in this life. Sure, there’s the achievement plaques, diplomas, awards, and physical growth that your family boosts and praises you about, but what about the deep down ugly truth that no one can handle to know. And if you knew that person, they’re gone now.

To know I have part in that, it breaks my heart. Then, there’s a segment of my mind that knows me well enough to know………I wouldn’t want anything else in the world. My mother always told me as a child that whatever you love to do, it’ll find its way into your life. As either your pride or your biggest regret. I decided to take the easiest way out, making it easy for myself. Easier for others. Caroline Vitale knew what she wanted out of life, and even though that was short-lived, I knew she didn’t regret one attribute of it. And she won’t want that for her son.

Kneeling, I gripped the natural blue colored roses tighter in my hand, staring down at the gray-marbled tile of the tombstone. The words; “Never forget those who fought for your life…” drawing my attention each time, no matter how much I’m here. At the age of thirteen, I didn’t understand those choice of words.

My father hated them, but my grandfather served as the last say so. Neither of them cared to explain to me.

Softly placing them down, my hand lingered for a moment, my eyes and nose burning with emotion as I thought of the years we once shared with another. This woman should’ve been there through thick and thin, cherish me, gave me the light in my darkness, and most importantly loved me; prepping me to love my own wife and protect my own family. Instead, the hate of family killed her soul before she could even leave this earth.

“It seems like every time I come here the weather is horrible, it’s always drizzling, and the clouds are dark and heavy,” Shaking my head, my attention transferred to the sky above me; for a second I wondered if this was my destiny – regardless of my wants and what I believe are my needs. God knows I pray for a change. “It’s been almost a year since I was here and sadly enough nothing has changed. I’m still working under Pop’s demand. Killing and serving. I remember you telling me to be something unique. Take on a new road and be a man of my own light….and yet, here I am. I just hope I didn’t disappoint you too much. You probably tired of me saying that, but….”

25, December 2003.

"I’m heading to Miami after this for a job and I have this heavy gut feeling. Sometimes going to go wrong, I don’t know what, but something. I’m hoping it’s just my mind, but you know how that goes. Stephen says it’s important I go through with it, yet I can’t forget. I hate Miami you know? I hate New York too, I’ve spoken about that before. But Miami? Miami took you away from me. I don’t even speak with our family down there anymore. I rather isolate myself forever than be the topic of pathetic conversations. I still remember your sister’s words the day of your funeral. Maybe she spoke out from a place of hurt, but I would never. Ever do something like that. That amount of pain has caused something damaging inside of me. Me and Ibrahim, my homeboy from Harvard, we were talking about me going to see a therapist. I thought about, but you know how that goes.”

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I closed my eyes for a brief second, stopping the tears from dropping.

“Sometimes I believe it’s your fault, you know? The reason I can’t allow myself to open up to others like normal people. It’s because you left and now I’m here, stuck to raise myself. Having a military brat, government manic as a fucking father. I remember questioning God, wondering why he left me with Stephen and allowed you to leave me. Half of me knows it was bound to happen. I hid behind my mother to protect me from everything. You knew me like the back of your hand. Even as a teenager I wasn’t allowing myself to know the man who made me. All I knew was he was a heartless person. Now I’m alone, speaking to the spirit of you and praying on an empty wish that you’re listening to your only child.”

Something moved out the corner of my eyes, naturally I kept my attention on the tombstone. I wouldn’t look to see what it was. I’ve always been afraid of the dead. Funny huh? Afraid of the dark even more. I couldn’t sleep without the slightest amount of light. My father would call me a wimp while my mother justified it with normal child behavior. Just to prove to Steepen I was a “man”, I forced myself to sleep without any light, and before long I was numb to; no longer caring.

“Recently I ran into someone from past. Well, a connection of hers. You don’t know her, I don’t talk about her aloud. But Stephen does. Olivia Smith, Chrissie younger sister. The last I seen of her was a young fifteen, maybe sixteen, year old girl who was struggling between letting her sister be happy yet not knowing who she would lean on if her only sibling and love one was gone. Knowing Chris as well as I do, I know the effect she has on people. Knowing if you were around, you’ll have encouraging words for me.”

Standing up, I looked back at the sky. That figure moved again forcing me to see the last person I anticipated here. Stephen, standing a clear distance, but close enough for me to make out who it was. He’s braver than me. I’ll be running from this place if I was him.  

"I love you, ma.” Saying my last words, I stared back at her grave for a few seconds, mentally praying for courage to continue my life, a life she would want me to keep pushing through.

Chrissie 

“I think this color would be perfect for you, Chrissie. Red seems to be in too.”

The sounds of Keyshia Cole’s Love Letter featuring rapper Future played through my Beats Pill XL speaker off the random Pandora station of Olivia’s choice. My humming stopped as my sister held up the hot red polish. Looking down at my nails, I simply shook my head with a slight smirk.

The sound of the oven timer caught my attention pulling me away from the conversation. My sister knows me better than anybody. Nude and baby pinks are my go to colors, always have been. Once inside the kitchen, I grabbed my oven mitts to take out the leftover pizza from the night before. It didn’t take her long to follow behind, grabbing two oversized pans we would use whenever eating pizza. With six slices warmed and hot, Liv separated the food, while I got myself a bottle of Dasani water.

“I mean I need to get a fill, but I’m not trying to be all bold and new. Something simple is fine.” I finally said, adding fuel to the fire she was already burning underneath my behind.

I loved my sister, we had our moments, but we were all we had also, so those tempting moments could never overshadow. Our parents passed away when we were young, Liv was only ten at the time and I was fifteen. I had more understanding and maturity to the situation; helping to open my eyes for her and I, knowing they wouldn’t want us to deter.

Every weekend she’s here. Or either I’m at her house. Never sleepovers because she literally lives five minutes away and unlike myself Olivia has been in a committed relationship for over four years so I try not to take too much of her time away from her fiancé; Travis.  

“Maybe bold and new is what you need though Chris. Switch it up. I already told you to dye your hair.” Relaxing in the couch, I shook my head, picking up a piece of the cheesy goodness.

“Nails is one thing, but hair……no.”

“I did it.” Olivia replied quick, and I should’ve known that would be her response to this.

During her senior year of high school Olivia came to me with the idea of red or either blonde hair; as the supporting sister I am, and only sister I agreed. Mostly because I didn’t believe she would go through with the idea. Our mother was a natural redhead woman, while our father was full on African-American. Liv took more of the red shade, while I was jet black, so there was no reason for a darker shade, in my opinion. Plus, it took over a week for her to actually dye it. When she finally came home with the red hair, I was stunned, relieved, and even happy for her. It looks good. On her.

“I’ll try the nail polish, but that’s it.”

I could already hear her next question.

“When?”

“Next week, Wednesday. Christmas visitors and those last-minute shoppers will have the roads filled so I’ll do it early in the week.”  

“Good because I want to come. Plus, I need to get a few things myself. Travis’ mother and father is coming in for Christmas this year and I wanna make a good impression.”

“Olivia, really? Y’all been together for four years. And you’re a good girl, I’m sure they’ve seen this quality about you. Don’t go out buying unnecessary things and being extra just because his parents are coming into town. They’ll know.”

“Shut up,” Laughing I shrugged my shoulders at her words. “I’ve never stayed in the house with them and they have never been over to our house for no more than a couple hours. They’re staying the night! I have to make a good impression.”

“Again, no you don’t, not now. By now? His mother has read you and knows exactly what kind of woman she’s dealing with, maybe even his father, but surly his mother. From the moment, he started to bring you around, she knew. And more importantly, don’t wait unless last minute to do your shopping. She’ll know that too.”

“You know this how? You’ve never had a long-term mother-in-law. Matter-a-fact, you never had a mother-in-law.”

“This is why.”

After a few seconds, there was no response and I drifted my attention to the television. Over the years, I’ve let myself out there and experimented with relationships. Small dates her, buddies there, but nothing ever too serious. My sister considered therapy and when I asked why, she changed the subject. Part of the reason is my career; other half is time-management.

“You know we never discussed me seeing Kingston that day.”

Yeah, that.

“What’s to talk about? You ran into King. Next topic.”

“Cut the bullshit. I know there has to be some kind of emotion there. And if not, you need to seek some mental help for real,” Snapping my head in Olivia’s direction, she held up her hand, stopping me from protesting. “Because you’re forcing yourself to block out past experiences instead of dealing with them.  I get you two left off on bad blood, what I don’t understand is why you can’t talk about it. Even as your sister, you keep me in the dark. That half of me that wants to keep you happy, knows you know what you’re doing as a woman, but damn. I can tell from how every time his name has come up your entire body language changes.”

“Kingston is……..Kingston. There’s no way to explain it. We were friends,” I started off with.

“And nothing else?”

“No. We were friends. Strictly friends, he wouldn’t even cross that line with me.”

“Why not?” Looking at Olivia, I could only wonder myself.

“Kingston had his way of doing things. He spoke when he wanted to. Interacted when he wanted to. Partied when he wanted to. If the situation didn’t fit his vibe, he didn’t go through. And mind you this was in college. I could only imagine what the man is like now.”

“Well, you know I only know the man you randomly speak about, but he seemed nice that day in the deli. I didn’t notice him at first, but he knew me.  When he said your name, it was like something clicked, making me remember him.”

“Trusts me when I say the man is bad news for me. And vice versa.”

“You’re bad for someone?”

“For him, hell yeah.”

And with that, luckily, she dropped the topic. That was enough for a day.

[kitjoy]

This could be fun or extremely sad

1: Name: Jess 2: Age: 17 3: 3 Fears: Wasps, Small spaces and idk 4: 3 things I love: My dogs, My cats and movies 5: 4 turns on: Hair pulling, Dry humping, Kissed against a wall, Moaning lol 6: 4 turns off: Dirty Talk (not a big fan), Feet, Cockiness, Guys who STOP TALKING TO YOU STRAIGHT AFTER YOU GOT OFF WITH THEM  7: My best friend: Meg and Emily  8: Sexual orientation: Um probs like Bi or something but 90% attracted to boys 9: My best first date: Aint had one tbh 10: How tall am I: 5′5 11: What do I miss: Not having responsibilities  12: What time were I born:  3pm 13: Favorite color: Yellow 14: Do I have a crush: Nah 15: Favorite quote:  A lot of movie quotes 16: Favorite place: Home 17: Favorite food: Italian food 18: Do I use sarcasm: No(!) 19: What am I listening to right now: Hold on- SE22 Mix 20: First thing I notice in new person: Usually mouth or eyes 21: Shoe size: 7 22: Eye color: Hazel 23: Hair color: Naturally Blonde/Brown but Grey atm 24: Favorite style of clothing: Oversized jackets are my shit 25: Ever done a prank call?: Yeah when I was like 12 27: Meaning behind my URL: Just liked the sound of it 28: Favorite movie:  Die Hard 29: Favorite song:  Changes all the time 30: Favorite band: ^ 31: How I feel right now:  Eh 32: Someone I love: My Momther 33: My current relationship status:  Singleeee (and have been for abt 4 yrs??) 34: My relationship with my parents:  Ok I guess 35: Favorite holiday:  Either Halloween or Christmas 36: Tattoos and piercing i have: Arrow of my hip, Something to do with my zodiac of my ankle, Ears pierced 37: Tattoos and piercing i want: A drawing my mum did when she was my age (The dragon on a The Clash CD cover) 38: The reason I joined Tumblr: Don’t remember 39: Do I and my last ex hate each other?:  Barely remember him tbh 40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?: Nope 41: Have you ever kissed the last person you texted? Nah 42: When did I last hold hands?  Agesss ago 43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?  Depends if im late or not 44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days?  No but I need to goddamn 45: Where am I right now? My bedroom (as always) 46: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me? Myself I’m pretty responsible when drunk imo 47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level? Fuckin loud hell yeah 48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? Yep 49: Am I excited for anything? V festival and a J Cole concert I’m going to :DD 50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to? FUCK no 51: How often do I wear a fake smile? Not so much nowadays 52: When was the last time I hugged someone? Last weekend 53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me? Wouldn’t care lmao 54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not? Yup 55: What is something I disliked about today? Nothing yet but it’s still early 56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Ri Ri or Chance the Rapper I lov them 57: What do I think about most?: Probs my future 58: What’s my strangest talent?:  Can crack almost every joint in my body 59: Do I have any strange phobias?: Nah I think they’re all valid 60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?: Behind 61: What was the last lie I told?: That I didn’t have weed on me lol 62: Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?: Who even talks on the phone anymore 63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?: Yes to ghosts, idk to aliens 64: Do I believe in magic?: Nah 65: Do I believe in luck?: Not really 66: What’s the weather like right now?: Sunny but windy 67: What was the last book I’ve read?: 1984 (and still haven’t finished it) 68: Do I like the smell of gasoline?: Only when I have a full tank in my car  69: Do I have any nicknames?:  Used to be called Jep 70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?:  Ripped my toenail half off once (: 71: Do I spend money or save it?: Try to save it 72: Can I touch my nose with a tongue?: Yeah 73: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me?: Yeah my candle jar 74: Favorite animal?: Hmm dogs and cats are cool but I love leopards 75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM?: Playing Sims 4 76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is?:  Probably Trump or something 77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?: Freedom By George Michael 78: How can you win my heart?: Be attentive to me and don’t be fake  79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?: Baddest bitch there ever was 80: What is my favorite word?: Goiym 81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr:  Don’t really have a top 5 82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?: Waddup wanna hang? 83: Do I have any relatives in jail?:  Apparently I do I found out recently 84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?: Either invisibility bc I’m a nosy bitch or levitation 85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?: How are you feeling? 86: What is my current desktop picture? Deadpool 87: Had sex?: Nah 88: Bought condoms?: Nope 89: Gotten pregnant?: No 90: Failed a class?: not yet luckily 91: Kissed a boy?: Yah 92: Kissed a girl?: Yah 93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?: Nope 94: Had job?: Yep 95: Left the house without my wallet?: I do it all the time 96: Bullied someone on the internet?: No way 97: Had sex in public?: Nope 98: Played on a sports team?: Does a school team count 99: Smoked weed?: Hell yeah 100: Did drugs?: Only weed 101: Smoked cigarettes?: Yeah 102: Drank alcohol?: Ofc 103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan?: No way couldn’t like without bacon 104: Been overweight?: Nope 105: Been underweight?: Yeah but that’s just my body type 106: Been to a wedding?: Yep 107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?: Literally everyday :/ 108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight?: Probs when I was younger 109: Been outside my home country?: Yah 110: Gotten my heart broken?: No 111: Been to a professional sports game? Don’t think so 112: Broken a bone?: Luckily no 113: Cut myself?: Yup 114: Been to prom?: Yeah 115: Been in airplane?: Yeah 116: Fly by helicopter?: No I wish 117: What concerts have I been to?: Olly Murs and JLS concert (I’m cool), and V festival 118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex?: Nope not yet 119: Learned another language?:  I’m ok at German I guess 120: Wore make up?: Yep 121: Lost my virginity before I was 18?: Not yet but I’m working on it lmao 122: Had oral sex?: Nah 123: Dyed my hair?:  Multiple times 124: Voted in a presidential election?: No 125: Rode in an ambulance?: No 126: Had a surgery?: Yep 127: Met someone famous?: Nah 128: Stalked someone on a social network?:  Who hasn’t 129: Peed outside?: Yah :/ 130: Been fishing?: Yeah 131: Helped with charity?: Yes 132: Been rejected by a crush?: Not directly 133: Broken a mirror?: Nope 134: What do I want for birthday?: Erm probably like money or a sick 18th party when I can then drink (legally)

[hellomissmabel]

Lumen (part 13/ ): Mad intentions

MASTERLIST

Previously: part 12 & epilogue to part 12

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Summary of part 13: You and Bucky take care of each other in the aftermath of an unexpected explosion and something bad happens, something really bad happens.

Warnings: language, angst, cliffhanger!

Word count: 2.276 (without background information).

A/N: I JUST REACED 1K FOLLOWERS LIKE 20 MINUTES AGO!!! THANK YOU FOR 1K FOLLOWERS OMG!

Background: Iona Cole is a perky, gifted and ambitious assistant to a critically acclaimed professor at a renowned university. That is, until she snaps in the middle of class, the auditorium packed with students on introduction day. Having a long family history of psychiatric diseases, her mother sends her to a private clinic to receive the best treatment. In reality, this institute for people with “special needs” is a smokescreen for the underground operation Hydra is running there.

Soft lilac tendrils reach out to his dull blue presence, the power behind our connection drawing me to him almost instantly. But there’s something different about it, I can feel it in every bone in my body, a darker light shining, no - weighing down on us. Something has shifted and it’s pulsating with strong volts of electricity, strengthening my will to fight the pain and crawl my way over to Bucky, still lying unconscious on the concrete sidewalk.

There’s a huge gash in my side so I ripped off a piece of my shirt and balled it up to stop the bleeding. I bite my tongue to keep the focus on my objective, on Bucky, as I slowly but surely approach his figure. Inch by inch I move closer, all the while a tender butterfly tugs at the wisps of fire growing strong inside of me. I can feel a certain power surging, one I have not encountered before, begging me to release it. To make matters worse, sizzling flames surround me, lure me in with their loving song of ashes and unmistakable promise of invulnerability. I cannot lose consciousness, I won’t allow it. His Lumen is strong, pulling me forward, pulling my Lumen forward. This kind of attraction cannot be overpowered.

There’s a quiet buzzing in my left ear from the aftermath of the explosion, my head feels as if it’s seconds away from exploding as well and a stray piece of corroded metal is stuck in my ankle. I can’t move properly but I have to, I have to make sure Bucky is okay. I cradle his face between my hands, carefully lifting his head up to check for any injuries. It appears the only wound he suffered from that ghastly blast is a small scratch right above his left eye socket. Lucky bastard and his super soldier stamina. Fortunately my cuts will heal fast as well, if only I could get rid of this metal thing stuck in my leg and have it cleaned up as soon as possible before it starts to infect. Infections take much longer to heal and I hate being put to bed my momma Steve, I just loathe his mom-voice.

“Doll…,” I hear Bucky mumble, his voice rough from the effort it takes to regain control of his senses, “Doll, is that you?”

Little by little he pries his eyes open, stormy blue pupils squinting as they adjust to the light. “Yeah, it’s me Bucky. I’m alright, just a little sore. What about you?,” I ask quietly, my voice more than a little hoarse as well, sounding more like nails being dragged across chalkboard than a choir of angels singing a hallelujah.

“We should get out of here. Can you get up?”

“Nope,” I say with obvious disappointment, popping the ‘p’ and gesturing towards my ankle.

Bucky sits up straight and assesses me from head to toe, inspecting my injuries and I let out a strained yelp as he suddenly and without warning pulls out the metal appendage from my ankle. That prick didn’t even think to give me a warning first. But immediately after he pulls me as close as humanly possible until the pain subsides and I am able to regain my senses, consumed by the positive force that is his Lumen. I can see it reach out to me, encase me with its tenderness and replenish my heart with soft yet urgent energy.

It’s then that I realise he must feel it too, the change in atmosphere and as I press my lips on his with burning need, the shades of our Lumen changing again. They turn less dim every second my body melts more and more into his and I don’t let go until the fireworks behind my closed eyelids subside and some of his Lumen’s original colour has been restored. It’s less dark, less foreboding, yet not quite reaching its full potential. Maybe it’s the present scenery, the aftershock of a mission gone south that wraps its poisonous tentacles around us. Or maybe it’s the unfamiliar opaque nature of my deep burgundy Lumen that’s got me on edge.

“Let’s get out of here,” Bucky suggests, a little out of breath by our intense (yet short, much to my dismay, I just can’t get enough of him) make-out session in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by debris and whatnot. “We can’t stay here for much longer before back-up arrives. Other operatives might spot us and try to take us out.”

I nod vigorously and Bucky lifts me up in his arms, carrying me bridal-style to our getaway vehicle. I lay my head to rest on his shoulder, closing my eyes and replaying previous events to find the answer to my most pressing question, what the fuck went wrong? (I know, language! Sorry about that, Steve!) But what the fudge went wrong? It was supposed to be a piece of cake and yet here we both are, covered in scratches and dust, our clothes torn to shreds as we were obviously blind-sided by an unexpected explosion.

As if he could read my thoughts, Bucky’s voice wakes me up from my silent ponderations. “Their security system is set up in a way that, if there’s ever a security breach, the system will short-circuit automatically causing the whole facility go up in flames within minutes.”

My eye lids flutter open, focusing on my surroundings before realising I’m already on board of the jet and Bucky is preparing everything for take-off. “But there were still people inside,” I whisper sullenly.

Of course Hydra doesn’t care for a bit more blood on their hands and even though they weren’t innocent, the loss of each life always weighs heavy on my heart nonetheless. I know it’s not my burden to carry and it’s certainly of much use now, I just can’t help but wave around the energy that has escaped the facility, looking for a sign, any sign that someone out there might have survived the explosion. Nothing, not a shred of human energy to be detected amidst the flames except for our own.

“I’m sorry, Io. I’m truly sorry,” Bucky’s hand cups my cheek, his calloused thumb drawing soft circles on my skin stained by smoke and dirt and freshly shed tears. For a short second his Lumen mixes with mine again as his thumb brushes over my lips. I gently peck his fingertip before he retreats his hand again and I try my very best not to whine at the loss of contact. Nevertheless, Bucky picks up on it and shoots me a sincere smile, his eyes softening when he realises my disappointment is merely a disguise for something that runs much, so much deeper.

“What’s wrong, baby?,” he inquires, his husky voice deeper than usual, a tinge of tiredness shining through. His movements are quick and determined as he closes the short distance between us, settling on his knees in front of me and taking my hands in his, pressing a butterfly kiss on the superficial scrapes littering my palm and knuckles. “What’s going on, doll? Talk to me, please,” he begs with those insufferably gorgeous blue puddles.

You try to defy gravity and suppress the tears but small drops have already made contact with Bucky’s fingertips as he gently catches them and wipes them away affectionately. You don’t want to cry but can’t help it, you feel so embarrassed, so embarrassed to show these kind of emotions towards your boyfriend.

“It’s all my fault,” you choke out, a strangled sob leaving the back of your throat. “I messed up and now Fury will put me away and I won’t be able to see you anymore. Please don’t let him put me away, I can’t live without you. I can’t breathe without you, you’re like air to me and people need air to breathe, right? Shit, I’m rambling but I don’t care and fuck, I can’t breathe. Bucky, please, Bucky, I can’t breathe.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Bucky shushes, taking you into his arms, rocking back and forth, his fingers rubbing soothing circles on your back. “None of this is your fault. We didn’t know the place was going to self-destruct itself once they discovered the intel had been stolen. We didn’t fail, Io, you didn’t fail. You acted like a true S.H.I.E.L.D agent out there, so if this is anyone’s fault, it’s Fury’s. He didn’t fill us in properly, we lacked correct information and there was nothing we could have done to prevent this,” he whispers into your ear, pecking a chaste kiss to the shell of your ear before burying his nose in your hair.

You’re clutching him like you’ve never done before, like he is your lifeline and perhaps he is. The further removed he is, the more weak you feel and the more your Lumen seems to swirl in sync with Bucky’s, dark patches of cerulean blue doing a poor job at holding yours together like band-aids on an open wound. Something is not right and you’re holding on to Bucky for dear life because you’re afraid that they’ll take him away from you at any given moment.

To be honest, you’ve never been more afraid in your entire life. You can deal with the chaos of being a field agent if need be, but you can’t face a reality without Bucky by your side. You can conquer death as many times as your body and soul will allow it, but you can’t die knowing you never confessed your true feelings to Bucky. You love him and damn, you love him more than your own life.

After the initial shock subsides and you regain some of your calm, you slightly crane your neck so your noses almost touch and your lips are but inches away. “I love you Bucky, I love you so much and you have no idea. I don’t deserve you, Bucky,” you murmur against his plump lips, leaning your forehead against his.

“Don’t,” he releases a sharp sigh, “Don’t ever say you don’t deserve me.”

You know exactly what he means by that but decide to let it slide. You’re in no condition to argue with him and frankly, you just want to be held, his embrace providing your with enough comfort to soothe your spiralling nerves and give you some sense of relief.

“Iona Cole, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to be and I don’t know what on earth I did to deserve someone as kind-hearted and beautiful as you. You light up my entire existence with those eyes, you make me forget my name with those lips. You and I, we are one and I love you.”

His words do not wash you clean of all frightening thoughts, your mind working overtime and coming up with countless worst-case scenarios until you can safely make it back to the compound. But he did just confess his love for you and you can’t help but shoot him a shit-eating grin. “I love you,” you repeat, pouring every single feeling you have ever experienced into these three words.

Although these three words are the most meaningful words that have ever left your mouth, they also awaken a strong power inside of you, an electric chord being pulled like a rubber band and resisting the urge to snap. You ache for him but it’s an unfamiliar ache, not the kind you feel when you want his hands on your body or his lips on yours. This is a dangerous kind of electricity hanging in the air.

“We should get going,” you whisper silently and slowly retract yourself from his arms. “Steve will be worried sick if we don’t make it back on time.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Bucky lets out a light chuckle and makes his way back towards the pilot seat.

You’re just about ready for take-off when you spot it from the corner of your eye, held hostage by an enormous waft of black energy, a small piece of bright red Lumen swivelling mid-air and protruding a peculiar kind of energy. Right as you are about to tap into it, get a better feel of its essence, a bullet flies by and hits the window up front. If it wasn’t for Bucky pushing you aside, it would not have missed its mark. Swiftly pulling out your gun, you aim it in the general direction you believe the bullet came from and the intruder might have entered the jet. Bucky immediately comes up at your side, a feral and almost murderous look darkening his face and hardening the grey specs in his oceanic eyes.

“Who are you?,” you call out and if circumstances would’ve been different, you would’ve been pleased to hear the strength your voice radiates and marvel at the impressive echo.

Just as you hear something rustling on your right, a hard object hits you from behind and a second bullet pierces your right shoulder. Someone pushes you into an impossible angle causing your head to snap back and you tumble to the floor with a loud smack. It feels as if your body explodes into tiny smithereens on impact and you scream at the top of your lungs at the intensity of this startling sensation.

You sense the panic clouding Bucky’s Lumen as he rushes to your aid, the unknown presence taking advantage of the opening in Bucky’s guard and soon he crashes down next to you, blood pooling all around him. His chagrined growls turn into pained whimpers, the last thing to reach your ears before the lights go out and everything turns dark again.

Part 14: Wicked intentions

Tagging: @beccaanne814-blog @hymnofthevalkyries @italwaysendsinafightt @feelmyroarrrr @shamvictoria11 @gloriavox @iwillbeinmynest @38leticia @buckyhawk @marvel-lucy @sgt-jbb-107 @mehrmonga @sammedrano @mrshopkirk @a-little-hell-to-raise @skeletoresinthebasement @marvelingatthewonder @winterwolf57 @winterboobaer @amrita31199 @shadowpriestess6 @nenyakj @themcuhasruinedme @youandb @hardcorehippos @4theluvofall @writing-soldiers @justareader

[nitacus]

1. Your First OC ever? Oh gosh, I'm fairly sure it was a robot/cyborg girl (I think because I really liked the Androids from Dragonball Z) I annot remember her name I do remember, she had some love interest who was blond, and didn't discover what she really was for a while. Her maker was evil, I think I wrote it when I was like 8-ish ugh how embarrassing.         2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OC's? Oh gee probably Riea just because she is the oldest long term one who I've written for, and recreated and built upon many times, but it's hard to pick favourites out of them all. 3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from somebody? I genuinely don't remember ever taking on another persons character, I have made suggestions on how a person could characterise their OC better so I used the, temporarily to demonstrate but never took one on long term to keep. I would though if I thought they were salvageable, or if I felt they possessed a story inside of them waiting to be told. 4. A character you rarely talk about? Does Cyborg girl count ^^' if not, I don't really discuss the Knight Commander with people, even though he's an antagonist. Other than him, there is a blonde female who my succubus character (also female) seduced who I haven't discuss much, mainly because I haven't determined how she's going to be reintroduced yet. I might make her a witch and thus aware of her soul having been stolen. 5. If you could only make only one of your OC's popular/known, who would it be? Viseran ( my deaf/mute character) a scouting party member, from a post apocalyptic future story. 6. Two OC's of yours that look alike despite not being related? That I made similar intentionally? Or I only realised were similar later on? None spring to mind who weren't related. 7. Are your OC's part of any story, or stories? Yes, that's what my entire list of OC's consist of. 8. Do you RP as any of your OC's? No I have never RP'd before. I sort of just work through everything in my head. 9.  Would you ever be willing to give any of your OC's to someone else? I have no idea, perhaps some old, or abandoned ones. It feels weird saying I'd give one to someone else though. 10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design? Complicated how? Like their character and personality, their story and purpose, or their actual design and appearance? A) Little Empress, B) Riea, C) God knows but probably Aymia Crewe. Little empress is a succubus, on the side of evil, she is a literal empress despite others having turned it into a sort of pet name, much to her distaste, and the story follows her and she sort of ends up working for the other side. 11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a 'sunshine'? Zeriste/Rabbit is the only one who springs immediately to mind. 12. Name an OC who isn't yours but you like a lot? Some of the Dragon Age OC's that people have made are super interesting. I saw a thunder god one on deviant art that was pretty cool too. 13. Do you have any troublemaker OC's? Oh yeah I've created a few. Else witch, Blade, Peydion, immediately come to mind 14. Introduce an OC with a tragic background? Aymia Crewe applies due to having become permanently stuck in a child's body of ten, even though she is like nineteen years old. A number of her childhood years were spent as a child soldier, of which she was only one, another character of mine is also a child of warfare, however refocusing on Aymia due to her being highly skilled, and being one of the longest surviving children, as well as children being more compatible than adults, with the experiments to enhance soldiers on the battlefield. Due to being one of the subjects experimented on, a side effect of that was her body ceasing to age, she also has successfully enhanced battle skills, but she kind of feels trapped in a never ending nightmare. 15. Do you like to talk about your OC's with others? I rarely talk about my writing projects unless they are finished and I am content to discuss them. 16. Which one of your OC's would be the best at Biology (school subject)? Uissade, he is driven to seek achievement and learning above all else.  17. Any OC OTP's? Of my own characters - Riea and Blade though they probably will not end up together given the significant trauma in her past, Novice Witch and the Main Character, Aleksis and Vio, Riel and Lief though sometimes it changes, in other words I have several 18. Any OC crackships? Mine or from other media because I have a lot that belong to others. Sometimes I enjoy one-shots of various interactions between my characters, even cross overs from different stories 19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why) - Riea purely because she was my first OC that I designed as an adult, with a complete story and background and she has morphed and gone through many changes over the time since I created her, so I feel that I know her best and where she is coming from during the story. 20. Do any of your OC's sing? None actually, I have yet to make a musical OC. 21. Your most artistic OC? Out the ones I've created thus far Acera fits this best of all, she's artistic, creative, addicted to bright colours, popular, and collects shiny knick-knacks. 22. Is there any OC of yours who people tend to mischaracterise? No, I don't really mind how people view or characterise my OC’s, as the only one who knows what I had in mind when I created them is myself. I am always intrigued to see how another person might view different characters.  23. Introduce OC who has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like? Riea, she's changed several times as mentioned above. 24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be, and why? My former slave turned free traveller and fighter for justice, he's kind, sees the best in people and has never become bitter or angry over the hand life dealt him, I admire that. 25. The OC who resembles you the most? Auli, she has some differences from me namely her ethnicity, but she has dark hair and eyes like me, is kind but passionate and fiery whenever defending those she cares about. Also loves her family, culture, good food, and isn't afraid of expressing herself.  Therefore yeah definitely Auli. 26. Have you ever had to change your OC's design, or something else about them against your will? No, I am stubborn when it comes to who I perceive a character to be, or how they firm as a complete person in my head. I take constructive criticism, and allow others to suggest things whether a flaw or a positive trait, but I know who they are overall, and I know the story they are telling, so if they need to be rebuilt, I sift through trying to identify what I need to change for it to feel right. 27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song? None that I remember ever creating. 28. Your most dangerous OC? Gees, many are quite dangerous in truth, however the most dangerous character I have who isn't a straight up villain/antagonist is probably Aymia, she looks like a small child physically, but is an experienced, capable, killer, seeking a cure to her current condition, or punish those responsible, so definitely Aymia. 29. Which of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they're going? Serafien out of sheer stubbornness, Aymia, possibly Riea too seeing she can be very impulsive and isn't used to involving others in her plans or business. 30. Which of your OC's would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection? Sayah because she's always acting tougher and more aloof than she really is. Possibly also Jarei. 31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their Tumblr blog would be like? Peydion would reblog the latest fashion trends, she would always be posting hair and makeup tips for others as naturally she has immaculate taste. She would post skincare products, the only other types of things she would reblog would be fundraisers, and anything for a good cause as Peydion despite being vain will always champion the causes of the underdog, she will defend the picked on, indifferent to status. Acera's Tumblr would be a crafty, artsy collage of style and colour, I feel like she would make her own fashion accessories, upload her paintings and drawings, and make eclectic music playlists and suggestions for people, I also feel like she would have sections of her page dedicated to black and white photographs to break up all of the colour every now and then, I feel she would be a sweets and caffine addict to. 32. Which of your OC's would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?  I feel like Jarei, would be a matter of fact and rational protagonist, however she might be far too sensible to end up there in the first place. Therefore...I'm going to say, Iris would be unique in that type of situation. She's extremely different, spends the majority of her time amongst nature, and her powers as an empath would make the entire journey extremely interesting. 33. Your shyest OC? I can't really think of a shy character that I've written, I have expressed pain and distant characters, cautious and uncertain, bold and fiery, I've written introverts and extroverts, good and bad, jealous and vindictive, cruel even but I haven't written shy oddly. I will make that my next OC goal. Out of my characters who exist right now, I guess I would have to pick Iris or Briayla, because they are more introverted, Riea is also. 34. Do you have any twin characters? Yes three sets. Paige and Kat, another set of girl twins who are thus far unnamed still, and then there's Alex and Cole 35. Do yo have any sibling characters? Apart from the sets of twins ^^, not that I can recall. 36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends, etc)? Belongs to someone else? Like another writer with their OC? Or who the character belongs to in the story? I wouldn't say any characters belong to, or with anyone in any of my stories, they are each, their own person. But if you mean as in another writer's OC, no. 37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human? Riel and Lief both count in this case, essentially both are members of a group of beings who possess roles and responsibilities on the earth, they manage a particular job in everyday like that makes society function. A civil war breaks out, Riel is attacked and almost killed, she manages to escape, but at the same time falls into the mortal realm with a tear in her spiritual essence. Each being has an emergency, corporeal body which they inhabit within the human realm, Riel ends up being trapped within hers, and they are only supposed to be used minutely therefore the reliance upon it weakens her, so she's stuck, and during the initial aftermath she doesn't remember until Lief shows up and restores her memories of this, as they were sealed along with her powers within her. They are a part of her spiritual essence, it's intended to both protect the mortal realm as well as ensure mortals never discover their existence. Other stuff happens, war is being waged by both sides, that's all I'll say. 38. Which of your OC's would be the best dancer? Serafien, Else Witch I assume given the time period both women are from. 39. Introduce any character you want. Nine has white-blonde hair in a styled ponytail, with a messy braid running through it, and red eyes due to being albino. She is scrawny, and badly scarred along her right side and hip. Nine has the ability to kill, but she needs to picture how your organs work, in order to cause your lungs to seize up, she has to know how the respiratory system works, and picture it's inner workings in her mind, only then can she disrupt or shit down how it functions. She also has the ability to increase or decrease the potency of medicinal plants, herbs poisons, and all alchemical draughts she makes, making her both a brilliant healer, or killer depending on the necessity. 40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Other than writing for them, being complimented on one or two. One time I made my sisters laugh with one of my OC's. A ghost and secretary working for a organisation of guardians, and although she is incredibly good at her job, she's of course incorporeal. Which means she cannot answer the phone, get the door, sign for packages that sort of thing, so at times she gets frustrated over it and her ghostly abilities act up, so office supplies randomly end up scattered about the lobby and that sort of thing. Also her partner as a receptionist who does answer the phones etc is a male mummy, who roller blades to work because he really enjoys human inventions, of course concerns that he might unravel means that he often puts tape on his bandages to keep them together. That sort of thing tends to make people laugh. 41. Has anyone drawn fan art of your OC's? No. 42. Which one of your OC's would be the most interested in the Greek Gods? Gaia considering her name comes directly from them, I also think she would be interested in her namesake and others among them. 43. Do you have any certain type when you create OC's? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It's time to confess. I lean mostly toward fantasy settings, I confess to liking troubled OC's, and the only physical features that I can say I lean towards is dark hair colours and bronze or tan skin colours. I try to represent as many ethnicities in my writing as possible, therefore I've made, French, English, Greek and Italian, Middle eastern mixed, Asian mixed OC's, a Hawaiian and Samoan OC, Native American, African American, Jamaican, as many as I can because I think everybody deserves representation, in stories and adventures, so it really depends on the setting I'm building, if it's a future society then I use our world ethnicities and say countries and nations have mixed and shifted etc, if it's a fantasy setting then I create and build my OC's and their ethnicities or cultures from scratch, likewise if I make a sci fi story which deals with alien races. 44. Something you like about your OC's in general? I like that they are all uniquely different, I try to explore new personalities and mindsets. 45. A character you no longer use? Well I haven't thought about cyborg girl in well over a decade but I might recreate and build her anew in a future story because I'm feeling some real nostalgia right now. 46. Has anybody ever told you that you treat your OC's badly? I would readily confess to doing so, you have to push characters to their limits, to determine what they are made of, that's how you work out who they are deep down. So yes I do think I act quite sadistically, and I'll kick them when they are down at times. 47. Has anybody ever (friendly) claimed any of your OC's as their child? No, no one has. 48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure. Mayyyybe Zeriste, she's the only character I can think of who falls into the sees the best in everybody, innocent type. Every other character I've made, ever, has been more complicated and more flawed than that. Zeriste isn't an old creation though she's a relatively new OC. 49. Which one of your OC's would most likely enjoy memes? I feel like roller blading mummy would be down ^^ he likes human creations. 50. Give me the good ol' OC talk here, talk about anything you want. If you want tag your answers as #yetanotherOCmeme so I can check them out too. I don't really know what OC talk is being referred to here. All I shall say is make them as varied, flawed, and three dimensional as possible. Be brave when challenging them with a difficult situation, and never hand OC's an easy way out. They can only build character in the face of adversity.