#Desrosiers family

[nikoldragonne12]

Warning: OLD POST (will be replaced by a new one) Vampires (Midnight’s Pack)

Warning: This article may include heavier topics (blood, death, animosity between magical species, mentions of slavery etc.) - consider it before you continue.

Overview:

Overlords of the night and one of the most prominent beings in the world of “Midnight’s Pack”. Alongside magic-sensitive people, vampires are the oldest of all magical species in the world, resulting in vampires being mostly cold or even repulsive towards anyone they don't see as worthy of their good will.

Biology:

Vampires are almost human-looking beings, usually considered attractive and beautiful/handsome by the community.

Due to their lower body temperature, their skin has an “unhealthily” pale shade (which applies to dark-skinned ones, as well - their skin is dark yet yet with seemingly unhealthy shade) and their touch can be viewed as uncomfortably cold. They are more resistant to warm temperatures but they can easily get too cold, which is also the reason why you can spot vampires wearing significantly warmer clothes during cold days.

The most significant differences between them and normal humans are definitely big, sharp fangs (fun fact: most of vampires have only one pair of fangs but in rare occasions, the vampire can be born with two pairs of fangs - one pair in upper jaw, the other in the lower jaw) and eyes.

Speaking of the eyes, vampires are naturally born with blue irises (this also applies to dark-skinned ones) but they can change color depending on nutrition (we'll talk about the reason later).

A vampiric stomach is also very different from a human's: their organ is separated into two parts and one of them works almost the same as a human's stomach, the other accepts only the nutrition they receive from blood. Also, this side is significantly bigger, meaning that vampires technically don't need to eat normal food, although they do it to both avoid being too thin and to smell the taste of dishes.

Aging:

In the world of “Midnight’s Pack”, vampires aren't immortal like in most media, though they can live over the age of 1,000. Actually, they're aging for 30 years like humans and then the process gets significantly slower, which puts them into the "long-living magical species" category.

Abilities:

Despite being two oldest magical species, vampires and magic-sensitive people hold different magical abilities, although some of their powers might have almost or 100% the same result.

The most significant abilities include shapeshift into a bat, mist form, object/being levitation, mind control and mind reading (can be used only on non-vampires), super strength and speed, better healing, etc.

Compared to magic-sensitive people, vampires use their powers only non-verbally, as they’re mostly tight up to their will. Magic-sensitive people have to learn how to cast spells non-verbally and because it's difficult, there's only a few of them who can do so.

Unlike in most media, vampires in Midnight’s Pack can't turn humans into new vampires with their bite - and even if they were able to, vampires wouldn't do so, as most of them see humans as something even worse than other magical species.

Weaknesses:

Sunlight isn't fatal for vampires in Midnight’s Pack, however they can feel very dizzy without wearing a hat and without a suncream or an umbrella, some of them can even get an allergic reaction on their skin - it looks like a red rash that's itchy and hot, sometimes even painful at touch.

Their eyes are also pretty sensitive to sunlight, so most of the vampires wear sunglasses outside during the day. Without them, their eyes would become watery in reaction to irritation.

Garlic is something vampires are very afraid of, mainly because it causes even worse allergic reactions to their bodies than sunlight, so they avoid it as much as they can. This vegetable not only makes their throats swollen, but they can also irritate their stomach, resulting in a long time of vomiting.

In the worst case, they can get poisoned and… die.

And lastly, silver is the only metal that can hurt or kill all magical species and magical animals from Midnight’s Pack universe, for sure.

Nutrition & “Moonlight fangsberry”:

It was already mentioned that vampires have a very specific stomach with two parts: one that accepts normal food and one that only gets nutrition from blood. Also, the second-mentioned side is bigger, which results in vampires eating normal food only to avoid being too thin and to smell the taste of dishes.

Like in most media, vampires from the universe of Midnight’s Pack can drink blood to get the needed nutritions, however the law of the world has strict rules:

For example vampires can't just go and directly drink blood from somebody’s neck. Instead, they have to go and buy it from the hospitals.

Also, there are the rules about how many packs of blood vampires can buy, as blood might be needed elsewhere.

And of course, vampires can't buy too rare blood types.

Earlier in this chapter, it was stated that in Midnight’s Pack, the eyes of the vampires are naturally blue but can change to purplish blue, purple or even red through time. This is affected by hemoglobin, more specifically by iron that's in it (iron can become red in reaction with oxygen), as this protein can get in a vampire's body and change the colors of their irises.

However, there are still vampires, even adult ones, with clearly light blue eyes. These individuals decided not to drink blood, either because they feel guilty for drinking blood, because they hematophobic/hemophobic or because they just don't want to.

In these cases, there's a plant that's an alternative food for vampires in the world of Midnight's pack.

Moonlight fangsberry, what’s the plant called, is a unique fauna from the universe. A bush with a black wood, dark green leafs, white petals and big berries (about 15 centimeters long but can grow bigger). It's not only pretty unpretentious with the ability to adjust to almost every climate (although the plant was first found in the mountains), it's also 100% edible.

As M. fangsberry has the same nutritions as blood and the only thing that's missing is hemoglobin with its iron, it can't change vampire’s irises.

The plant itself has no specific smell or taste, so it’s usable in both salty and sweet dishes, or even in drinks.

Products made from M. fangsberry, for example crackers, bonbons, teas, lemonades, champagnes, etc. can be found both in the supermarkets or in small shops with stuff only for vampires.

Lifestyle:

Most vampires are wealthy, aristocratic descendants who own great mansions (each family even often owns more than 1 mansion) and a great number of known companies and factories.

As it was mentioned at the start of this article, a lot of vampires act cold, sometimes even repulsive towards anyone they don't see as worthy of their good will, which is almost every other species. Unfortunately, these opinions aren't just a thing older vampires believe in - actually, young vampires often share the negative view of different species and they might even be worse, as they usually struggle with keeping a permanent poker face and a neutral demeanor.

This is mostly affected by the fact that vampires from wealthy families are educated at home until the age of 15, then they're sent to private high schools - Diaemus Academy is known to be the most prestigious, as well as the most expensive vampire school in the world. Although their education is overall on a high level, there are still stereotypical thoughts of other species the teachers unintentionally or purposely spread, resulting in feeding these lies even more.

And it doesn't help that a lot of the vampires introduce these thoughts to their children when they're still little.

Most vampires meet other species at universities (which are only public in this world) for the first time but because they're mostly “brainwashed” from home and earlier education, about 95% of them is unable to form at least a neutral relationship with other species - the only exception are, of course, magic-sensitive people, because vampires consider them as equal to each other. This is affected by the fact a lot of scientists who developed important products for vampires, for example sun-protecting creams, were magic-sensitive people.

The biggest animosity mostly stays between vampires and werewolves - in the past, especially during medieval times, werewolves often worked as slaves or poorly-paid servants of the most wealthiest vampire families and even if the laws about same rights for everyone came, vampires still look down at the lycanthropes, mainly because of how unpredictable, wild and destructive they can become.

Werewolves also keep negative opinions of vampires, so it’s almost impossible to see friends or even multi-species couples.

If there are any positive, vampire-werewolf relationships, they are mostly between werewolves and middle-class vampire families (these families aren't common but they're not the rarest, either).

Trivia:

Vampires have a light liquid instead of blood - this means periods/menstrual cycles are a thing in vampires’ life, as well.

Vampires mostly wear dark clothes (black, dark purple, magenta, dark green, etc.), especially those from wealthy families - it's something they were wearing even in the ancient and medieval times. In the past, it was mostly because vampires were originally a nocturnal species and they didn't want to be spotted in the dark. Nowadays, it's mostly just a style and/or a “rule”.

Vampires celebrate national holidays, although in a very tamed way, and then specific events of their offsprings they consider “important and worthy of a great celebration”. Among these are for example birth, enrolling in a private high school, graduation, legal adulthood and marriage.

There are often multi-generational households among vampires - the most significant example of this are the Desrosiers.

Vampires’ eyes glow in the dark - they can also turn light pink (when they're shy/nervous in a romantic way) or black with white irises (when they're starving). These colors aren’t connected to their nutrition.

Wealthy vampires still sometimes have servants, including werewolf ones - even if they still don't like them as a species, vampires pay them well and don't actively treat them as sh*t (there are exceptions but not many - in these cases, werewolves usually just voluntarily quit the job).

One of the most significant werewolf servants in my story is a chef of the Desrosiers family, Roxanne Cantellow - she is a elder lady who has been working for Dorian for a long time. She took care of Ronan and Sorren (Dorian's sons) when they were little and she also wanted to help raise Valerian (Sorren's older son) - Val himself didn't want to, however. Roxy currently still takes care of Liam (she serves as a grandmother role to him, even) and even if Dorian constantly pisses her off (he's pretty bossy and arrogant), she's used to him and doesn't want to leave just because “His highness doesn't know what a proper behavior is but always commands people around him to be proper themselves”... And she's also grateful to Dorian's deceased wife Adriana for the job she gave her (the two of them surprisingly had a friendly relationship, despite Adriana being a very wealthy vampire and Roxy being “only” a werewolf chef).

By the way, Dorian is very aware he needs Roxanne - she can cook (Rosine can, too but she's mostly busy), does laundry, because she's most likely the most patient with him out of all members of the household, etc. ... he's secretly grateful for her being around, and not only due to her positive bond with Adriana.

Known vampire characters in “Midnight’s Pack”:

Desrosiers family (means “from the rose bushes” or “among rose bushes”)

Dorian Desrosiers

Adriana Desrosiers (née Darkmoore - means “dark marsh”)

Ronan Desrosiers

Sorren Desrosiers

Rosine Desrosiers (née Belladonna)

Valerian Desrosiers

Wren Desrosiers (née Baudelaire)

William Desrosiers

Lilith Darkmoore

Stella Gatti (means "Cat")

Belladonna family (means “beautiful lady” - also the name of a poisonous plant known as nightshade)

Mauricius Belladonna

Sienna Belladonna (née Poe - means “peacock”)

Baudelaire family (means “short sword”)

Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire

Vesper family (from a word “vesper” that means “evening star”)

Mr. and Mrs. Vesper

David Vesper

Alaister family (means “the one who repels”)

Quirina Alaister

Andre Alaister

Eris Alaister (unknown birth surname)

Vendetta Alaister

Lucius Lunerini (surname derived from the name “Luna” that means “Moon”)

[ask-the-desrosiers]

I am giving a gift to every OC here (or any OC that you want). What would be a good gift for them? How would they react? Would they accept it as is, or be suspicious of an ulterior motive? Love your work, btw! You have such a way with words and you can feel the love and passion for your OCs come through every time.

(OOC: You're going to make me blush. I'm happy you're enjoying this dysfunctional little family of ocs I've got going here! :D

Okay, this is going to be a long list, so this'll be a bit more 'clipped' than most) 

Ambrose: A set of very thick, in-depth books on very new medical advancements for him to consume over the course of maybe a week or two. He’d be pleasantly surprised to receive a gift; no likely suspicion. Well, not from him. Catherine is a whole other story… 

Catherine: A beautiful, custom-bound set of Fyodor Dostoevsky's works; there would be a bit of suspicion of an ulterior motive, especially depending on who you might be, but so long as nothing seems rigged to harm or embarrass her, she'd put her suspicions aside and accept the present as is. 

Beatrice: …to be honest? A parakeet- live and well, preferably a juvenile, not dead. She’s always wanted a pet, and is particularly charmed by songbirds, but she’s never been really felt ‘allowed’ to back with her parents, and then she moved in with her husband and had kids, which occupied her time, and now she just…doesn’t consciously realize she can get herself a pet anymore. Not on her own. A little parakeet would prove to be a very precious pet to her. Especially if the parakeet is especially affectionate. 

She would be surprised, and a bit suspicious at first, but it wouldn’t take longer than a day for her to fall in love with her new tiny friend. She’s a lonelier woman than she’d ever like to admit. 

Sinclair: If you're family, something homemade he likes to eat is always a safe bet, though otherwise he'd appreciate VIP tickets to a very nice, big, ethically sound aquarium for him, his wife and the kids. Some suspicion is inevitable, especially if he's your boss, but he's unlikely to expect anything malicious in terms of ulterior motives; just self-serving. 

Jules: A discrete all-expenses-paid appointment to someone who can get her on estrogen and get her top and bottom surgery :3 That’s probably not what you mean, though, so a dress tailored to her body and a corset that makes her waist look smaller and makes her look like she has more feminine curves than she does would be greatly appreciated. She’d be worried over how you knew she’s a girl when she's still in the closet more than anything else, but…she'd appreciate the gift.

Landon: An old Polaroid camera. He'd be taking so many pictures with one of those things. Of everything. Not that he'd admit it to anyone aloud, but you'd be able to see it in how he never puts it down. Ever. A bit of suspicion, but nothing serious or concrete.

Arianna: Right now? Something to do with the stars. A telescope, maybe, or a planetarium, or one of those wooden puzzle sets that let you build your own little model of the solar system. Astronomy is kind of her current hyperfixation. No suspicion whatsoever. 

Carter: Plushies. Preferably, a big, soft plushie far bigger than he is, all four years old and three and a half feet of him. He'd be too busy dragging it around to show his uncle, parents and siblings while yelling at the top of his lungs to ever suspect whoever might have given it to him. 

Ian: A really nice selection of various alcohols and spirits, as well as a pack of really nice cigarettes, maybe a nice antique lighter to boot. He'd be immediately suspicious even if he doesn't show it. You won't even notice all the background checks and scrutinizing he'll do on you and your potential motives. Probably waits until those checks are done and he believes he has you all figured out before either tossing the gift out or sampling it.

Luna: A really nice day, all expenses paid, at a really, really nice trustworthy spa run by women and staffed by women- and only women. Massages, manicure, pedicure, facial, full body treatment, hair and scalp treatment, the works. It would be a very, very nice gift to let her sit back, relax and unwind.

Ian likes to take her to spa days like these when the stress gets bad for her, whether from work, family or something else. It's one of the unexpected pleasures she's found in being his wife.

Yes, she'd be extremely suspicious at your motives behind giving her such a nice gift. Full suspicion. All the suspicion.

Otto: Getting his father and uncle, hell, his entire family including him to go to therapy- Yeah, that's not going to happen. One of those 3D printers might be cool; something to print out and put together those intricate models with. Maybe one of those portable laser tag sets for Florence to kick his ass with. Or a wood burning kit. His father telling him he loves him and meaning it.

He's going to be somewhat suspicious, if he doesn't know you or considers you giving him such a gift out of character, but he's not really going to do much about it, you know?

Florence: Give her Nerf guns. All the Nerf guns. All the foam pellets. Her parents and older brother will hate you. The penthouse apartment will be chaos for the next week straight. She will be having too much fun to question anything beyond how to keep this from getting confiscated yet again.

Alouette: If you give her a Tamagotchi, she will love it forever, and spend the whole day sobbing her heart out whenever her little friend dies. Much reward, much consequences. Consequences you won't have to deal with though. Well, beyond her father hunting you down if the loss of her digital pet impacts her mental health too much…

No suspicion; none whatsoever! She's very pleased by her gift! :D.

Terry: A gift he'd really, really like, even though he'd never admit it, would be very nice recordings of various musicals and operas and theatre productions for him to watch. It'd take a while for him to touch it, but once he ends up actually grabbing his blanket and curling up on the sofa to use his television for once, he'll enjoy it a lot. 

If you want to give him a gift that would improve his life, give him a kitten. He’d bond with the little thing long before he'd be able to convince himself to give it up and then be forced to actually fix his life for the kitten's own good, from dropping one of his jobs to actually going to a therapist to help figure out how to be a good cat dad, and promptly begin to unravel his tangled mess of mental issues from his horrible life so far, not to mention his neurodivergency. 

Or you could give him the recordings. He won't think to suspect anything either anyway.

[enchantments-galore]

An adaptation of Laura Pohl’s Grimrose Girls series could be that show. It’s everything I listed in the original post. I’ve read the books and they reminded me a lot of PLL because it’s about four girls trying to uncover the mystery surrounding their friend’s death and they are being targeted by something (or someone) except that it’s set in a boarding school and it has supernatural elements and magic.

Doppelgängers are also a recurring in that series and it’s very well done! It’s also much more diverse than PLL in terms of ethnic representation (two of the main characters are people of the global majority and one of them dark-skinned Black/Hawaiian girl), LGBT representation (none of the main characters and their love interests are cishet and two of them are Lesbians) and body representation (one of the main girls is fat and the word ‘fat’ is never used as an insult and always as the simple descriptor that it is and the character is never reduced to her fatness nor is she insecure about it, which was very refreshing). There’s also a trans female character and no, she’s not the villain or villainous in any way! She’s the pretty popular girl instead and is a breath of fresh air!

EDIT : If you know of other book series that could become that show, please feel free to reblog and talk about them!

I need a new show like Pretty Little Liars. Mystery, female friendship, romance, shocking twists and nice fashion with a pristine or girly vibe except this time there’s no romanticization of grooming, no transphobia, no glamorization of eating disorders, (much) less plot holes and it doesn’t end with a random twin popping out of nowhere after being unnecessarily stretched for seven years. Also, the gayer, the better.

[s4tvrnsays]

Introducing, the other members of the Desrosiers family!

Some extra info about the entire family:

They all have a perpetual furrowed brow, all four of them

They take their passions very seriously

Are upper-middle class

Alexandre was very disappointed when Edmond didn’t pursue law school, which caused a rift between them after he left for Italy

When it comes to the siblings, Élodie takes after Alexandre in personality and Cécile in looks, while Edmond looks like Alex but has his paternal grandfather’s personality

If i had to assign a color to each of them Cécile’s would be plum, Alexandre’s would be dark blue, Edmond’s is yellow, and Élodie’s is red

Love these guys, they all are kinda selfish in their own ways, but still care for eachother SO much <333

[hazyange1s]

MC: Ronan Sharp

Basics

Full name: Ronan Finley Sharp

Nickname(s): Ron (pronounced with a hard o), Sharpie, Prince Charming (by Sebastian)

Gender: male

Species: wizard/Selkie

Date of birth: September 21, 1874

Nationality: English and Irish

Blood status: pureblood

Wand: laurel, unicorn hair, 13 in, reasonably pliant

Appearance

Hair color: dark auburn

Hair style: loose, short waves with some curtain fringe

Eye color: hazel

Skin tone: fair; often with a light tan

Height: 6’1”

Body type: lean and toned

Clothing style: wears all colors (but especially loves light neutrals, warm tones, and black), prefers comfortable and unique fabrics (flannel, cashmere, fur)

Accessories:

Wears the Sharp family signet ring

Enjoys the occasional hat

Keeps his mother’s picture in his pocket watch

Other distinguishing features:

Freckles (of course)

Scar over his right eye (tried to Apparate at thirteen and splinched himself — still has poor vision in that eye)

Personality

Traits: friendly, enthusiastic, fun-loving, clever, sarcastic, perfectionistic, bossy

Likes: shakespeare, comfort food, medicine/biology, fall, making people laugh, generosity, genuineness

Dislikes: superiority complexes, dishonesty (from himself and others), large birds, flakes

Hobbies: chess, healing, charm creation, archery

Fears: the BIRDS man, abandonment, not being good enough

MBTI: ENFJ-A

Enneagram: 2w3 (268) so/sp

Zodiac: virgo sun, cancer moon, sagittarius rising

Temperament: sanguine

Archetype: the Caregiver

Similar characters: Apollo, Cedric Diggory, Richard Gansey, Lily Potter, Padme Amidala, Derek Shepherd

Family/Friends

Father: Aesop Sharp

Potions master and Slytherin alumnus

Stern with high expectations but well-meaning

Married his step mother when Ronan was five

Mother: Kassady DesRosiers (Fallon)

Pureblood

Dragonologist, Gryffindor alumnus

Killed when Ronan was 15 — he never got to meet her

Sibling: Raegan DesRosiers

Half-blood (same mother, different father)

Technically twins — Ronan was conceived and born first, but they shared a womb for 7 months

Gryffindor

Don’t meet properly until their sixth year

Pet: Apollo (tawny owl)

Received after his Hogwarts letter

Sort of the “communal owl” that all of his friends “borrow”

Gets into fights with the other owls oops

Friends: Poppy Sweeting, Diana Blackwine, Arthur Plumley, Adelaide Oaks, Ominis Gaunt, Garreth Weasley, Leander Prewett, Natsai Onai

Magic

Boggart: ostrich (lame)

Patronus: seal

Polyjuice: turns light green and tastes like fennel

Amortentia: lemon, butter, sage, frankincense

Special abilities:

Selkie blood — passed down from his father’s side and dilute enough to present rarely in a bloodline. Allows him to hold his breath underwater for extended periods of time; great swimmer, affinity for sea-dwelling creatures

Does not possess ancient magic

Exceptional and instinctual Healer

Backstory

Ronan was born in Cambridge, England in secret. His mother Kassady had hidden him from her abusive husband — as well as the fact that he was the product of a love affair with her former suitor; Aesop. Ronan grew up not knowing his birth mother (or the fact that he had a half/twin sister); raised by his father until Sharp married when his son was five.

He had a relatively happy childhood, though Ronan always felt slightly out of place. He was not the overly studious, serious type, which caused misunderstandings between him and his strict father… especially when Ronan is sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin (the Sharp family’s ancestral House).

But as he grows and learns more about his past and his family, he begins to come into his own as he becomes a Charms prodigy and a guiding light for the next generation of Keepers 😉.

Academics 

Best Subject: Charms, Magical Theory

Worst subject: Ancient Runes

Favorite teacher: Ronen and Kogawa

Least favorite teacher: Sharp (he’s harder on him than the rest oop)

As a student:

Very popular and personable; gets along with pretty much everyone (but isn’t a pushover)

His dyslexia causes him some trouble. Overall his intelligence and hard work helps him find ways around it

Mischievous — sort of a “thief in the night” that nobody suspects

Future

Career: Mediwizard

Ronan desires to make something of himself; to make a difference and be somebody useful in society. After seeing the impact that the goblin rebellion had on people and watching his sister/friends struggle with all manner of ailments (both mental and physical), he changes his career path from an Auror to Mediwizard.

He’d always had an interest in biology and medicine. The job allows him to dive deeper into those fascinations while giving him the adventure and variety Ronan secretly craves — he winds up traveling around Europe after Hogwarts under the employment of St. Mungo’s. Specializes in curses and mental illness.

Future spouse: undecided for now (side note: I’m always open to MCxMC ships! Ronan is pansexual so we’re not picky 😂)

[spookberry]

The art for vampire debutant is looking so good. Can you tell me more abt it?

Sure!!

Vampire Debutante is something of a multimedia series that I'm working on that follows the daily lives and adventures of three vampires sisters living in a late 18th century world. The only named characters are that of the Desrosiers family, Tiara, Eranthe, Phaedra, Lucien, and the nanny Mina. Also though Tiara's fellow teen vampire and rival Niamh.

Currently I have a 4 minute animated short film that I will finish animating this month, the film take's place the night of Tiara's debut ball into Vampire High Society. It follows both her struggles as a teen girl as well as her younger sister's hijinks as they attempt to sneak into the party.

I'm also working on a picture book! When I'll finish that I'm not too sure, but it's about the sisters going out to find them self a new horse :)

The dream would be to pitch the series and wind up with a whole animated show one day, with my film as a proof of concept, but in the meanwhile I think it'd be fun to make a comic with the occasional shorter animation just to push my skills and get my ideas down.

[harbinger-of-lesbianism]

My fave OC as of rn: Vale DesRosiers

Overview

Name: Vale DesRosiers

Age: I would say probably in her 20s. Let's just say 26

Gender: Woman

Sexuality: Lesbian

Ethnicity: I would say the real world equivalent would be her being Desi (specifically Punjabi)

Occupation: Currently a monarch, but doesn't want the job at all and will probably eventually just get rid of the kingdom and create a democracy.

DnD Species: High Elf (her family lineage is known for having darker skin than more high elves)

DnD class: Wizard (Order of the Scribes) (her book's name is Zharr)

Spouse: Zuriel Solace

Spouse's Occupation: Queen Consort and the Head of the Queen's Guard. She is basically tasked to be around Vale 24/7 because Vale got kidnapped once. Can't have that happening again.

Child(ren)'s name: Eira Solare-DesRosiers

If y'all want me to tell y'all her backstory, I can. It's kind of sad, but it's okay because she's happy now and she will stay that way. I promise T^T

[catdotjpeg]

[Image ID: A large group of people are gathered in protest on a sidewalk. A purple banner reading “Stop Cop City” is centered in the front of the photo. End ID.] 

A broad coalition of groups in Atlanta has launched a referendum to give voters a chance to say whether they want the controversial police and fire department training center known as “Cop City” built in a forest south-east of the city.

The effort requires organizers to collect about 70,000 signatures from Atlanta registered voters in 60 days. Then the question of the city canceling its agreement with the Atlanta Police Foundation to build the $90m center can be added to municipal election ballots in November.

The push comes after an estimated thousand people who showed up at City Hall on 5 June proved insufficient to stop Atlanta’s city council from approving about $67m for Cop City. Meanwhile, machines have already begun clear-cutting trees on the project’s 171-acre footprint in South River Forest.

The referendum faces what one organizer called “an atmosphere of repression” – including two activists being charged with felonies last week while putting up fliers, bringing total arrests since December to 50.

The largest group of arrests, on 5 March in a public park in the forest near where the project is planned, was followed by local government closing the park, in effect shutting off tree-sitting protests by “forest defenders” that had gone on for more than a year.

“We’re at the stage where they’ve pushed people out of the forest, they’ve arrested people … they’ve fenced off the forest, they’ve even begun clear-cutting,” said Kamau Franklin, founder of local group Community Movement Builders. “We’re at the stage where the most direct, legal mechanism to stop this project is by referendum.” [...]

...the movement opposing the project has drawn a wide range of people locally, nationally and internationally who oppose police militarization, urban forest destruction amid climate change and environmental racism. Most residents in neighborhoods surrounding the forest are Black.

Most of the organizations driving the referendum are also Black-led, including the regional chapter of Working Families Power, Black Voters Matter and the NAACP. Officials from the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, down to the mayor have consistently referred to opposition against the center as the work of white “outsiders”.

“That narrative is false,” said Britney Whaley, regional director of Working Families Power. “This has been national, but it’s also been community-grown for a few years now.”

Ashley Dixon, an Atlanta-area organizer, has led canvassing efforts to inform neighborhoods around South River Forest about the center for nearly a year. Her team has spoken to more than a thousand people. About 80% opposed the project once they knew about it, she said.

The only academic poll on the issue to date, from Atlanta’s Emory University, showed slightly more Black respondents opposed the project than supported it, with the opposite being true for whites. Atlanta’s population is 48% Black.

The idea for the referendum came from one that succeeded in stopping a spaceport from being built in coastal Georgia, said Will Harlan, founder of Forest Keeper, a national forest conservation organization. “To me, Cop City is the most important issue in conservation in the south-east,” Harlan said. “A referendum is the smartest, most democratic solution … [and] a way to find resolution and closure.”

Although the 2022 spaceport referendum affected a county of only 55,000 people, similarities between the two controversies point to the role voters can play when other efforts fall short.

In that case, local officials “dug their heels in” and stopped responding to press requests or providing transparent information to the public, said Megan Desrosiers, who led the referendum. In the case of Cop City, the Atlanta Police Foundation has stopped answering press requests for at least a year, and the city of Atlanta was recently discovered to be understating the project’s cost to taxpayers by about $36m.

The project is planned on land the city owns that is located in neighboring DeKalb county. Because of Atlanta’s ownership, only Atlanta voters can participate in the referendum. [...]

Organizers of the Cop City referendum pointed to the state’s heavy-handed approach to protesters as a primary concern. There have been 42 domestic terrorism charges to date. A bail and legal defense fund’s members were also arrested and the state added fundraising to its criminal description of the training center’s opposition.

In that context, it took about a dozen attempts at finding a legally required fiscal sponsor for the referendum, which may need as much as $3.5m to reach success, said spokesperson Paul Glaze.

Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter – one of two organizations that agreed to take the sponsorship role – said the recent Atlanta Solidarity Fund arrests were done “to send a message, in hopes it would have a chilling effect. We’re not naive about what the threats are – but we believe our community cares about this issue.”

-- From “Activists push for referendum to put ‘Cop City’ on ballot in Atlanta” by Timothy Pratt for The Guardian, 16 Jun 2023 

[ask-the-desrosiers]

Ian, I have a few questions. Do you think you would still be attracted to your brother if you didn't have such a fucked up childhood? If you could go to therapy without ANY risk of being legally incriminated, would you? And, if not, would you go if your children asked you to?

You find Ian on the couch of his living room, a bottle of expensive rum sitting on the table, droplets of the hard liquor clinging to the bottom of his emptied out shot glass. Even with the flush to his cheeks, a red handprint stands out over his cheek.

The only reason why he's letting himself do this at home is because the kids are out for the day with Terry while Luna is, once again, at work.

Meeting his mother always puts Ian in a bad mood. That's what the alcohol is for.

He blinks up at you with cornflower blue eyes, then grins. Whoever slapped him split the corner of his lips in the process.

"I...I have no clue," he admits, then laughs. "Probably! 've got something rotting in me, 'fter all! All ffffucked up. Bad egg. Bad seed. Was never gonna turn out right. M'not that slutty lil substitute with those big starry eyes who wraps you 'round your finger f'you talk t'him for fiiiive proper minutes. Doesn' help how pretty the lil slut is. Practically asking for it."

Your second question has him snorting in derision. "I'm a Desrosiers. We don' need no therapy. M'not a pussy." He snorted, tipping the glass back past his half-swollen lips to let gleaming droplets dribble onto his tongue.

"Not even the lil slut'd go, pretty lil good boy that he is. An' why would I go just because the kids tell me to? They're kids, I'm the adult. I make allll my own decisions." He scowled. "The bitch couldn't stop me. Why would they?"

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

For the wip folder game!! Sooo curious about the Oliver Redwood one!

oh my dearest most beloved oliver redwood... i've been working on this one for like upwards of five years at this point? which is crazy to think about!!

essentially it's a surreal murder mystery surrounding the mysterious death of a museum curator named carolina o'donnell and the heist of her most beloved painting. most of it deals with themes of growing up, grief, and (most often found) family.

the three "main" characters are oliver redwood (the eccentric PI who has been tasked with this mystery), ace blackerry (the failed author & bar pianist telling the story, and oliver's partner), and riccardo "ricky" rossi (a low-brow conman with a nack for getting in the middle of way more serious crimes, and oliver's best friend)

despite being a mystery novel it's really kind of character driven!!! which is generally my favorite type of writing/stories!! so other characters include maia desrosiers (a scientist who can't get any paper published), charlie lau (an ex hitwoman with a lacking ability to cook), daniel park (a key witness, an artist, and ricky's lover), seraphina olsen (another key witness, another artist, and maia's eventual lover) aaand gold (the one that all this happens for)!!

i've posted two little oneshots about ricky here and here, but i also wanna share a little excerpt from the actual story's prologue :)

[...] I spent most of my twenties feeling like a wet dog, and most of my life since then trying to fix that awful feeling.

However, old habits die hard, and that is how I ended up meeting Oliver Redwood. If you are reading this, then I assume you’ve read the title. Although it may seem an exaggeration, Oliver’s life really has been remarkable-- and perhaps extraordinary, depending on who you ask. For his best friend, all of this was normalcy, but for someone like me? I was caught in a whirlwind of passion, love, adventure, and discovery. Oliver was my guiding light.

Now that we are together, I think back to the first turbulent years of our friends-turned-lovers-with-red-wine relationship, that back and forth from each other’s small Paris apartments, those tentative kisses that meant nothing and everything all at once. Oliver will tell you love and a good mystery are quite similar, in that the clues of passion and clues of a crime are easy to identify by the practiced eye. I was not practiced at knowing love, nor a clue, when presented with it, and therefore oblivious to Oliver wanting me back just as much as I wanted him.

But this is all background to the story I am going to tell you here.

The day Carolina O��Donnell died, my coffee had burnt on the stove as Oliver kissed the breath out of me in bed.

[icarus-suraki]

Obsessed. Ob-fucking-sessed with this house in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Yes, it's actually a house and not an office building. I know, me too.

It sold in 2023 for $2.2 million and it has an old Zillow listing but, bummer, no interior pictures. Update: no interior pictures on the real estate agent's website either, unfortunately.

5 bd, 7 ba, 15,739 sqft; built in 1993(!)

Modern Luxury Estate on 1.94 Acre Lot in Close Proximity to Cranbrook. This Custom DesRosiers Designed Masterpiece Offers 11,339 Sq Ft of Stunning Open Floor Plan Living Space Built With Superb Quality & Craftsmanship. Home Features: 3 MASTER SUITES Located On Different Levels for Added Privacy. Luxurious Main Master Suite Offers Fireplace, Marble Master Bath with Jetted Tub & Steam Shower, Massive Walk Through Closet, Numerous Skylights & Large Connected Home Office. Additional Master Suites Offer Walk In Closets & Full Marble Baths. 2 Additional Bedrooms Offer Full Baths. Sumptuous Gourmet Kitchen Offers Walk In Pantry, 2 Large Islands & A Circular Dining Area. LL Features Gigantic Gym/Rec Room, Hot Tub Room, 2nd Full Kitchen & Large Family Room with Home Theater Equipment. Home Also Features Floor To Ceiling Windows & Black Marble Floors in Many Areas, 2 Laundry Rooms, An Additional Office/Den/Loft Area, 4 Car Heated Garage & Regulation Tennis Court with Lights for Nighttime Play.

Aerial view via Google Maps:

[whumpspicelatte]

Who’s Terrance Desrosiers? I saw him in another blog and he seemed like a cool character

Terrance Desrosiers, or Terry, is a whump character of mine I made for rp :3 he's a workaholic with severe self-worth issues and undiagnosed depression and an abusive family who was initially meant to fit into the 'willing whumpee' trope, but then took on a life of his own from there!

I've also been fixating on him for...about the past month or so? So I've been inserting him into All The Whump :3 plenty of aus, some more developed than others.

His family has also gotten more development than I had planned for, given how they were initially meant simply as background characters.

@ask-the-desrosiers is my ask blog for the family, if you'd like to send asks and check that out :3 just beware of triggers and nsfwhump and stuff, the Desrosiers are a pretty messed up family when it comes to the 'main family'.

I'm thinking of writing a series for him based in the BBU, maybe >:3 but that's still undecided for me.

Might post some drabbles with him up here :3 we'll see :3

[s4tvrnsays]

Desrosiers family introductions coming sooooooooon

You guys already saw what edmond looked like but get ready to meet ma and pop

[hazyange1s]

MC: Diana Blackwine

Basics

Full name: Diana Seren Blackwine

Nicknames: Di, D

Gender: female

Species: witch (and technically a starseed but that’s on the DL)

Date of birth: February 2, 1875

Nationality: Scottish and Welsh

Blood status: pureblood

Wand: vine, phoenix feather, 10 1/2 in, supple

Appearance

Hair color: jet black

Hair style: worn down in loose curls or in half-up styles

Eye color: teal

Skin tone: pale/peachy

Height: 5’2”

Body type: petite

Clothing style: rich jewel tones and cool shades (blue, purple, silver), smooth and light fabrics (satin, silk, cotton)

Accessories:

Blackwine family ring

moonstone necklace (gifted to her by Ominis)

scarf lover…like, a whole collection

Other distinguishing features:

scar over the bridge of her nose (from an inferi in the catacombs the night of Solomon’s death)

light freckles over her nose and cheeks

star shaped birthmark on her wrist

Personality

Traits: artistic, compassionate, spiritual, wise, diplomatic, indecisive, absentminded, self-righteous, people pleaser

Likes: sweets, winter, classical composers, art, theory, random acts of kindness

Dislikes: yellow, frogs, closed-mindedness, being forced to act on a whim

Fears: loss (of loved ones, of herself), change, small spaces, FROGS

Hobbies: painting, violin, stargazing, cartography

MBTI: INFJ-T

Enneagram: 5w6 (592) so/sx

Zodiac: aquarius sun, pisces moon, libra rising

Temperament: phlegmatic

Archetype: The Sage

Similar characters: Feyre Archeron, Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Katara, Luna Lovegood, Sam Winchester

Relationships

Father: Bennett Blackwine

Retired Unspeakable —> astronomer

Pureblood wizard

Killed during a home break in when Diana was 14

Ravenclaw alumnus

Mother: Guinevere Blackwine (Faughn)

Pureblood witch

Portrait painter and poet

Killed alongside Diana’s father

Slytherin alumnus

Aunt/Guardian: Celeste Blackwine

Pureblood witch

Owns a clothing shop

Ravenclaw alumnus

Pet: Saoirse

Scottish fold

Gifted on her thirteenth birthday

Loves Ominis’s cat Phoebe, lounging in the common room, and annoying Raegan’s Phoenix

Best Friends:

Raegan DesRosiers, Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian Sallow, Poppy Sweeting, Amit Thakkar, Samantha Dale, Natsai Onai, Ronan Sharp

Love Interest(s): Ominis Gaunt

Magic

Boggart: two cloaked figures

Patronus: black mare

Polyjuice: turns shimmering indigo and tastes like blueberry syrup

Amortentia: Jasmine, chamomile, dark chocolate, and paint

Special abilities:

Ancient magic - especially gifted in weather spells (don’t mind the sudden thunderstorm over the castle… she’s just having a bad day.)

Seer (receives most of her prophecies through dreams, but is also skilled at tarotmancy and osteomancy as well as astrology)

Backstory

Born on the Isle of Skye in Glen Sligachan, Scotland, Diana was raised as the only daughter and heiress to the Blackwine fortune; a family of the sacred 28. She often traveled with her parents, as their lines of work took them all over Great Britain and Northern Europe.

When Diana was around age seven, her governess began to report frequent distractions, being late to lessons, and speaking out of turn - which caused her parents concern. She was believed to have a behavioral disorder and was promptly given a slew of experimental drugs to remedy it… with no luck.

Her father was patient and understanding, while her mother was a different story; especially when Diana grew older and still showed no signs of possessing magic.

When Diana was fifteen, her manor was broken into in the middle of the night. By the time she awoke to the sound of screams and made it to the study, her parents were both dead - and the murderers gone. This is the trigger for her magic to be awakened, which shatters every piece of glass in the room the moment she finds them. The case remains unsolved for many years.

But she gets her Hogwarts letter (as Raegan did) just after the funeral, and finds hope in what’s to come despite the horrors that follow her.

Academics

Best subject: Divination

Favorite subject(s): Astronomy, Divination, and Charms

Favorite teacher: Onai

Worst subject: Potions

Least favorite teacher: Shah “asTroNoMy is nOT dIVInaTIOn”

Quidditch: Seeker in seventh year (voluntold to play by Raegan)

As a student:

Teacher’s pet without even trying to be

Late to almost every class and has too much missed Potions homework to count

Miraculously avoids most trouble (it’s not miraculous, her friends just take the detentions for her)

Future

Career: Astronomy Professor and Seer

Diana goes back and forth for a long time on her career choice - wanting to stay true to herself and help others at the same time. So, she winds up following in her father’s footsteps, and becomes the new Astronomy professor once Shah retires. She also takes over for Professor Hecat as the Head of Ravenclaw house (quite fitting). On the side (and when she eventually leaves Hogwarts for good), Diana is known to help local residents by offering Divination services such as tarot readings and osteomancy - and her predictions, when they come.

[thewritersplace]

WTW Planet Prompts | Mercury | Locations

•Paris, France

The birthplace of Rose and Judas Rowan, and the city where both the immediate Rowan family, and the Desrosiers family, reside. Rose left this city in 1883, when she married her husband, Vlad Draculea, and moved to Romania, but returned often to see her family. Judas continued to reside in this city until his parents passed away, then he split his time between it and London. Both twins are very fond of their birthplace, and have maintained various residences there over the centuries, including that of their family home.

•London, England

The city where Rose met her husband, and where some of her paternal family resides. While she does not hold as much affection for it as for Paris, Rose enjoys the city, and will visit it whenever the mood strikes. Judas holds a similar sentiment about the city as his sister, though given that he has a residence there and she does not, his affection for the place and the enjoyment of it is obviously higher than hers.

•Wallachia, Romania

The home of Rose's husband, Vlad Draculea, and her primary residence since 1883. Rose thinks of the place as her second home (which it is), and feels entirely comfortable residing there, much to the delight of her husband. Judas, meanwhile, finds the place enjoyable to visit, but he would not choose to live there unless absolutely necessary.

[dragonagekeeper]

War Table Operations / Dragon Age Inquisition Polls

See quest and choice descriptions from Dragon Age Wiki/Keep below

Alliances: From the Heart is a war table operation in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The conflict among the nobles of the Orlesian capital has come to a head. Lady Richelieu has been busy promoting an arranged marriage to solidify the positions of the current players, with considerable status reserved for her as matchmaker. The object is the pairing of Lord desRosier with Lady Thibault's daughter Celeste. All who have status enough to speak seem to be in agreement, but we have received a number of letters regarding the matter.

From Lady Velise Thibault:

My daughter will dutifully comply, but I know her feeling. She will speak to no one. I would have you remind her that we are servants of our chosen world, but it serves us as well. It is her name that is stabilizing this alliance. It conveys power that should not be misdirected to matchmakers.

From Lord Pierren desRosier:

Frankly, I'll be glad when the matter is settled. I've no desire to inconvenience the young Celeste beyond what name-sharing "Lady" Richelieu recommends. This has been a cock-up from head to tail.

From Jecin Leandre:

I pledge to the Inquisition. If my dearest Celeste is willing to sacrifice to ensure this alliance, then I can only do so much. My name may not be enough for some, but she will have my protection indirectly, through service to you.

Josephine

Lord desRosier was all too glad to receive various concessions to abandon the current squabble in favor of more honorable pursuits. I believe they involve acquiring various trophy animals in bloody fashion. That allows a less politically desirable - but more personally desired - pairing to occur. The wedding of Jecin Leandre and Celeste Thibault will bond their families in alliance. To the chagrin of Lady Richelieu, I suspect. Matchmakers only truly benefit when the names are sufficiently grand. The ceremony will take place in the capital. I'm sure it will be lovely. Josephine

Leliana

Jecin Leandre is no longer in the capital. The wedding of Lord Pierren desRosier and Celeste Thibault can take place without fear of incident, so long as the bride can stomach it. Although... it is worth nothing that it is merely the names that need be partnered to satisfy Orlesians. They are hardly strangers to the idea of courtly duty tempered by the existence of a paramour. I might also note that the only one suggesting Lord desRosier be the controlling influence in this matter is Lady Richelieu, who has her own interests. The wedding is set to take place in Val Royeaux, if you take an interest. Leliana

Cullen

Strange events, Inquisitor. The troops I sent to train in the Free Marches report two extra soldiers not on the standard roll. It is of no concern, however, as they are familiar, they barely take up more than one space in our caravan. A shame they will miss the wedding in Val Royeaux. I wonder if anyone has told the Lady Richelieu that at least one very important guest will be absent? Cullen

Jecin and Celeste never met

Jecin and Celeste never met. (I couldn't really find anything about this choice. I assume this is the default state if none of the War Table quests are completed.)

If the Inquisitor refuses to get involved:

2. Jecin and Celeste died

The lovers died, ending any hope of alliance between houses.

Celeste Thibault and Jecin Leandre are killed when fighting breaks out between the desRosiers and Leandre families over the match. Lady Richelieu and Lord desRosiers can be found on the Upper Level of the Summer Bazaar in Val Royeaux, oblivious to Celeste's fate.

If completed with Cullen:

3. Jecin and Celeste eloped

Jecin and Celeste eloped fleeing the Lady Richelieu's matchmaking.

Lady Richelieu and Lord desRosiers can be found on the Upper Level of the Summer Bazaar in Val Royeaux, oblivious about Celeste's fate.

If completed with Leliana:

4. Pierren and Celeste had an arranged marriage

Setting aside love, the couple that married were politically expedient.

If Celeste agrees to marry Lord desRosiers, Jecin pledges himself to the Inquisition, saying that she is sacrificing herself for this alliance and that he can do no less. If the Inquisitor tells Celeste that she should marry for duty but love in secret, she plans to reunite with Jecin as her lover, with the blessing of her new husband Pierren. Lady Richelieu is not particularly pleased by this course of action.

If completed with Josephine:

5. Jecin and Celeste married for love

Married properly and for love, Celeste and Jecin were delighted.

The Inquisitor can attend the wedding ceremony, which is held on the Upper Level of the Summer Bazaar in Val Royeaux. Lady Richelieu will also be in attendance, threatening to nullify the proceedings if she can to stop the marriage between them. She is shocked to find the Inquisitor in attendance, and displeased if they decide to give the union their blessing. When Lady Richelieu criticizes Celeste and Jecin for ruining their houses, they retort that they'll make a life and a name just to spite her, and that there's no point in matching power to power just to gain more power. Lady Richelieu blames their youth for their stance. She thanks the Inquisitor for coming to the wedding, saying that they've certainly made an impression. Jecin also pledges his life to the Inquisition.