#FUTURE SEER VIRGIL

[thegoldenduckie]

SANDERS SIDES FANS HEAR ME OUT!!

Future seer virgil 💥BOOM YOUR MIND HAS JUST BEEN BLOWN!

Just imagine, a Virgil who has so much anxiety about the future and the visions he gets. He stresses about all the possible timelines and what terrible things could happen. He urges the others to not to do certain actions because theres a timeline where that leads to everybody dying, but it has like a 0.0002% chance of actually happening. The visions can be so scary and vivid and they haunt him, he can barely sleep at night when his dreams show him horrible prophecies. The visions give him terrible headaches and the others help him afterwards.

DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND MY VISION!! Also itd be so fun to give him a third eye

[mask131]

Deadly fall: Necromancy

NECROMANCY

Category: World culture / Magic practices

Everybody knows the word “necromancy” today, thanks to its heavy use in fantasy, but due to severe mix-ups between various concepts people will tell you “Oh, yeah, that’s the magic of a lich summoning zombies, that’s right?”. And… it is not actually exact.

The very word “necromancy” comes from the Latin word “necromantia”, itself made out of a Greek word “nekromanteia”, made out of “nekros” (dead, dead body) and “manteia” (the art of divination). So originally, “necromancy” literally means “divination through a dead body”, and comes from the Greco-Roman world. Originally, “necromancy” wasn’t about raising an army of the dead to attack your enemy as fantasy can make you believe today: necromancy is indeed the act of summoning the dead, but merely in spirit and/or as a temporary resurrection, because the primary goal of necromancy was to actually talk with the dead and obtain things from it – usually knowledge. Necromancers were basically like mediums today, except they invoked the dead not to comfort loved ones or appease their souls, but rather to learn all sorts of secrets, knowledge hidden from the living, and even predictions about the future (as it was known that the dead, being “outside of time”, could see the future). By extension, as time went by, “necromancy” became also considered as the art of resurrecting the dead, full stop, AND of using the spirits of the dead as weapons (basically sending ghosts to torment your enemies).

Now “necromancy” in the ancient Greek world proper did not really exist as the word was not coined – it only appeared later when Rome rose up, in the late Hellenistic period. Notably Strabo, when writing about the religious and magical practices of Persia, talked about their “diviners by the dead” and wrote about the “nekromantia” ; but “necromancy” still existed quite firmly in the Greek world before, just not by its proper name. The most famous example of necromancy in Ancient Greece, which influenced even the Roman necromancy centuries and centuries later, was the scene of necromancy in the Odyssey: Odysseus, the Greek hero lost across the seas, seeks a way home. On the advice and instructions of the powerful sorceress Circe (see the post I made about her in my “Magical summer” series), he travels to the Underworld and seeks there the shade (Greek’s equivalent of souls/ghosts, as they believed after death it was a human’s shadow that went in the afterlife) of the famous seer Tiresias. To invoke him, he needs to dig a pit and make some fire in it before making several rites and prayers, all culminating with the sacrifice of an animal who blood is offered as a libation to the god of the underworld and the shades of the afterlife – this ritual is enough to attract all the dead spirits of the underworld, who all come for the “feast of blood” offered, but Odysseus needs his men to keep the shades back, for the blood only has to be given to the shade he wishes to speak to – Tiresias. Once the ghost has absorbed the blood of the sacrifice, he can speak properly with Odysseus and answer his questions. (And during this scene, as Odysseus meets several shades of people he once knew, or did not know died yet, he literally gets “more than he asked for” as the dead turn out to spill some pretty big revelations that you want them to or not).

The art of necromancy was considered to be pretty standard for wizards and witches back in the Greek and Roman world: Empedocles, a famous “real-life sorcerer”, was said to be able, among other things, to invoke the dead. In Roman tradition, when you wanted to curse someone, you used special tablets with magical engravings on them that “delivered to the powers of the underworld” those whose name was written upon it: basically you gave the spirits of the dead power over your victim, so they may haunt, torment and horrify them. The Roman poet Virgil even played a bit around with the reputation of “knowledge-broker” of the dead – as he wrote in his “Metamorphosis” that the Underworld had a special marketplace where the dead could trade and exchange information, news, knowledge and other rumors, which basically worked as a new currency among the shades (since the more knowledge you are the most likely you will be invoked or resurrected by necromancers).

And we know for a fact that “necromancy” wasn’t just limited to the Greco-Roman world, as it existed waaaayyy before: as early as the Babylonians, whose dead-raising sorcerers were known as “manzazuu”, and the spirits invoked through magic known as “etemmu”.

The next step in our history of necromancy would be the Biblical times and context: the Bible, after Greco-Roman Antiquity, is our next big source of information concerning this practice (as the Biblical texts were partially written in Greek, and the Biblical events took place in or near the Greco-Roman world and their dead-raising traditions). The Bible is FILLED with warnings and prohibitions against necromancers of all kinds: in the “Book of Deuteronomy”, they denounce the practice of necromancy (bone-conjurers as they were called) common among the Canaanites, necromancy being considered an “abomination to the Lord” at the same level as “invoking familiar spirits”, witchcraft, wizardry, enchantments, divination, and other magical rituals. And the Leviticus did explains that, according to the law of Moses, a Jew found out to be a necromancer should be put to death. After all, not only did those necromancers were associated with “false gods” and “foreign idols” not fitting the Hebrew view of the “One True God”, but due to their practices also often invoking sacrifices and blood, there were strong rumors and belief that human sacrifices were used to invoke the dead. One of the reasons Jesus was so divisibly received among the Hebrew population was notably due to his actions of raising the dead, which made him appear to outsiders as a necromancer.

However, fascinatingly, the Bible also offers us a traditional description of necromancy in the guise of a creepy warning story: the story of the Witch of Endor. As told in the book of Samuel, the first monarch of Israel, Saul, was involved in a battle with the Philistines, and was despaired to find a way to defeat them. He tried to ask God for advice, but received nothing from his dreams, nothing from his prayers, nothing from his prophets. So, against the teachings of his religion, he went to see a woman in the town of Endor famous for her necromancy rituals – anonymously of course, because Saul himself had banished all wizards, witches and necromancer from Israel when he was crowned king. He asked her for help, and she first refused due to the ban of necromancy, then due to discovering Saul’s real identity, but still he convinces her to proceed forward, promising no harm would be done to her. He ask her to help him invoke Samuel, the recently dead judge and prophet of Israel, and she agrees… but the spirit she invokes rather complains of being disturbed in his rightful peace. He declares that Saul has disobeyed God, and curses him by delivering a terrifying prophecy: Saul will lose his crown, Israel will be defeat, and Saul alongside with his sons will join the spirit in death by the following day. Saul collapses in terror due to this ghastly encounter: the following day the army of Israel is indeed defeated, and Saul in shame and dread ends up killing himself.

Now, as we move to the Middle-Ages, people did not discuss or refute the idea that the dead could be raised, as Christianity was all about the Resurrection of Christ: BUT the twist is that they believed true resurrection could only be done by God or through Him and His power. So only miracles, saints and prophets could perform such rare feats. Yet necromancy was still practiced: people still claimed that by magic they could invoke the spirit of a decease one for you to look at them one last time; or that they could obtain knowledge from the dead with the right spells. But for Christian people and the Christian church, it wasn’t an actual resurrection: rather it was a witch or warlock invoking demons that then took the shape of a dead person or passed themselves as the “spirits of deceased” humans. And so it was officially taught that all those “necromancers” everybody talked about were either just illusionists with no real power to invoke the dead and just causing fake images of the deceased, either were in truth just demon-wielders who used the dark powers of hell to trick people with unholy resurrections.

This is why medieval texts tend to confuse heavily between the invocation of demons and necromancy, putting those two different things into the same “black magic” category – the confusion was not just practical (as the two sorcerers, demonologist and necromancer, were said to use magic circles, conjurations and sacrifices to the entities they invoked) but also linguistic as “necromancy” became fused with “nigromancy” (nigro for “black”, aka a Latinization of the expression “black magic”).

- - - - - -

What is fascinating is that modern times still practiced the old fashioned necromancy, even though its name was never ushered. But the whole spiritualism doctrines with the rise of mediums, the séances to talk to the dead, all of that is actually just necromancy – or rather a more modern and polished form of necromancy free from the religious judgements that surrounded it before.

The word “necromancy” had to wait for literature to pick it up and popularize it again, from Lovecraft’s various occult eldritch rites to Tolkien’s very own “Necromancer” in the Hobbit.

Another fun fact: Leonardo da Vinci did speak of necromancy in his writings, as it was still a very popular concept and practice back during the Renaissance. Of it, he wrote that he considered those who believed in necromancy to be the most foolish people he ever knew, and he also described “Necromancy” as the “sister of Alchemy” – where Alchemy gives birth to “true and simple things”, it was suggested that Necromancy would only give birth to complex lies.

[greenninjagal-blog]

I really like your fic recs and I don’t really keep very up to date with the latest sanders sides stuff on ao3 so, favorite fics from the past week?

Oh uh... lets see today is 8/5/2020... and I’ll do my fav fics that have just been posted or updated this week: 

Swept Away - Part Three of my favorite Sirens au, where Logan gets swept up in a storm and wonders if anyone will miss him (they will).

The Variables -  Logan bought a house in the middle of nowhere so he could avoid having to ever talk to anyone else ever again. The ghosts have other plans.

You Can Picani Family You Want - Emile fosters two kids and quickly learns he’ll do anything to see them smile.

Atypical Destiny - LAMP soulmates are determined to make their polyamory work, even if no one else thinks it will.

‘Cause Every Time We Touch, I Get This Feeling - Touch starved Janus falls for touchy-feely Patton.

Rays on My Skin - Virgil is six when he discovers that he has multiple soulmates and absolutely none of them speak his language. Oh and also three of them don’t know he exists.

If You Give a Side a Lion - Remus and Roman have some things to work out, but first it looks like theyre gonna have to save the universe, along with three other guys, an alien prince, and his assistant. A Voltron AU that I didn’t know I needed.

The Story of Emile the Seer - Emile is unfortunately born with the ability to see the future. Theres a lot of awful things people would do about that.

Alleyway - Logan finds a baby in a dumpster in an alley and decides to keep it.

Slower Than Words - Virgil can’t see. Patton can’t hear. But theyre stuck in a cell together while people conduct unethical experimentation on them, so maybe they can learn to communicate?

Old Scars, Future Hearts - Virgil has a problem asking for help when he’s overwhelmed, but this time? This time the others are already angry at him. And they wont want to help him if they’re angry at him, right?

the shapes in the silence - Virgil turns into a cat-sized Dragon when he gets overwhelmed which only becomes a problem when Patton finds him hiding in the pantry and thinks he’s a figment from imagination and not another side. And if the Light sides like him so much as a dragon....well maybe he should stay that way.

breathing and other rhythms that used to be easy - A Nightmare brings Virgil back to the dark side of the mindscape, just to check, just to make sure, just to see that Deceit and Remus are still breathing and thats it. In and out. They won’t even know he was there.

Road Trips and Missing Persons - Patton goes out for groceries and doesn’t come back home because he gets kidnapped by a child with a knife. Virgil is on the run from his crazy mother after she killed his father. Janus will do anything to get to his brother before his mother does. Remy isn’t actually dead. And Logan will strangle his entire family for not answering their phones.

Bounty - A sequel to Abduction in the Space Family series: Space, aliens and Virgil is a human in the middle of it all. Excellent series, 20/10 and I will cry about it. thanks.

The Curse of Hanahaki - In which Remus plays himself by cursing Imagination so that anyone who falls in love will cough up flowers. Aka Hanahaki but with a tangible plot.

fall out of in love with me - Deceit asks Remus to make him a potion to dilute his intense feelings for Virgil before they crush him at the absolute worst possible time for Virgil.

A Wager. - Virgil meets professional gambler and they mage a wager they both come out winning in.

i’ll sink for you - Deceit can hypnotize anyone, but Virgil is all to willing to be his plaything. 

Save the Moment - Patton takes pictures of everything. Janus notices more than he should.

Lavender - Patton can’t handle the sound of Logan and Roman’s argument, but thankfully Janus steps up to the plate. 

Mind Over Matter - Being a human in Space is just asking for trouble. Being forced to fight in fighting ring just makes Virgil another sad statistic. However, choosing not to fight his clearly harmless opponent....that makes him different.

The Apartment - Virgil moves into his first apartment and becomes best friends with the elderly man who lives next door and tells fond stories of his numerous grandkids that can never seem to make time for him. Virgil is unaware this is how to get himself adopted into a new family.

sweet tea in the summer - Roman and Patton are the sweetest of lovers through the years.

How two exasperated doctors adopted three robots - Rival Scientists Janus and Logan both have the great idea to see what their company is hiding on the same night. They were not prepared for the answer, but they can definitely get used to it. (Bickering Loceit? uh hell yeah.)

Breathe Out - Virgil will become minion for one chance to get out of the closet, thanks. aka: The other darksides are terrible, and Janus thinks that he and Virgil might be able to work well together, and somehow that puts Virgil on track becoming a Light side whether he wants to or not. (And I gush because everything this author writes is amazing)

The Debate - Part of The Other Side of the Mirror au, where Janus, Remus, and Virgil are Thomas’s core sides and big bad scary Logan shows up to ruin everything. Except that he’s actually helping and Janus might have to reconsider if the other sides are actually as bad as he’s made them out to be. 

And It Fell Away - Patton and Virgil are part of the Earth Kingdom army. Janus is part of the Fire Kingdom infantry. It seems that the only thing they all have in common are their need to escape the current battle and then the war itself, if just to save their own lives.

Come Alive - Patton tries to end it all but not-so-friendly vampire Janus stops him. Now there’s just an agreement: Patton spends one year as a vampire in the underworld city for the supernatural, and if they decide living still isn’t worth it they can take a stake to themselves, but...Janus is willing to bet they can find at least one person whos worth it. Ft: everyone falls in love with Patton at first sight, as it should be.

by the book - Librarian Virgil runs the adult section of the library, but his most interesting visitor is the tiny child who talks too fast and has really super attractive dads.

Pen Pal - Logan’s roommates all get together and Logan doesn’t think he has a place there with them, so he withdraws and turns to his pen pal for company.

Wedding Crashers -  While standing at the alter for his arranged marriage to a princess he will never love, Logan doesn’t think his really lovers are coming for him. He’s pleasantly surprised.

You Haunt Me And I Like It - Ghost Virgil has had a lot of roommates before without ever needing to show himself, but this one is just too skeptical for him to leave alone.

Wow that is a lot more than I thought I had! 

Looking for more fics? I’m got more lists here on my Fic Rec Masterlist!

[when-will-they-interact]

Day 6: Past/Future

Seer tests were the bane of Virgil's existence. He loved his job as castle seer, don't get him wrong, but the annual gathering of every snot nosed kid who thought they might have the gift was a pain to organize and attend. There was always some real magic there, but the large majority of the attendees were simply vivid dreamers or spoiled nobles whose families were so desperate to produce a seer that they'd convinced themselves they had the gift. It was boring, tedious, and crowded. In short, it was the worst day of the year.

Virgil sighed. He had to get ready for the day. He shrugged on his purple seer robes, grabbed his notebook, and decided his hair was fine as is. He cracked his neck, then headed out. He swept through the halls, pausing occasionally to let higher ranking residents of the country pass. The throne room was full of people when he arrived. He quickly sought out his friend and colleague Logan, one of the other castle seers. The last castle seer was late, but that was really just a hallmark of Patton's personality.

"What's the turnout look like this year?" Virgil figured Logan would know. Logan always knew everything in the palace. Except, apparently, Virgil's own feelings, but that wasn't relevant.

"Massive. Unfortunately, the castle is only going to get one that we can keep, and they're going to be under Patton's tutelage." Logan said.

"Really? A nowbie?"

"'Nowbie' is an unprofessional term, Virgil. You're supposed to use 'currier'." Logan corrected.

"'Currier' sounds stupid. Also, you call them nowbies too." Virgil retorted.

"Not when every noble worth knowing is in the throne room." As though proving his point, Duke Emile walked by, chatting with the head scientist in the kingdom.

"...I see your point," Virgil conceded. "Do you know if there's gonna be anything interesting at all?"

"Not by your standards."

"Dang. Oh hey, Pat!" the last part was directed to the third court seer, who had just entered the throne room. He headed over to the duo.

"How's our court now- currier doing?" Virgil corrected himself last second.

"Just fine! How are you two crazy kiddos doing?"

"Patton, I'm two years older than you. Also, I'm doing as well as can be expected with this many people around." Logan replied.

"'Kiddos' is just a term of endearment, Lo. And our favorite historian?"

"Historian? Really, Patton? No one says historian."

"Well I can't really call you a pastry in front of the court kiddo! Besides, I have to get in the mode to say 'historian' instead of 'pastry' for the testing."

Before the conversation could really delve into how to properly address the various kinds of seers, the king cleared his throat. After a 10 minute run through of the procedure of the day, the court headed out to the courtyard, where every kid of age 16 who thought they had the gift had gathered for the day. The three court seers took their places behind the king in order of time. Virgil, who saw the past, stood at the far right. Patton, being the one who saw the present, took the middle. Logan, who saw the future, got the far left.

It took an hour for the people to sort themselves into groups by which of the gifts they thought they had, and then the testing itself began. The palace staff unlocked the massive chests of crystal that had been mined from the Caves of Clarity. The potential seers then simply had to place their hands on the crystal. If the crystal turned blue, then they had the gift. If it turned green, they did not. The seers confirmed by the crystals were then funneled to a smaller courtyard, where the court seers determined which gift they possessed. Seers, when touched by other seers of the same gift, sparked. This made it so that testing was essentially just the confirmed seers lined up to shake the three court seer's hands until one of them sparked. Virgil, Logan, and Patton stood next to each other, enduring handshake after handshake. An hour into the handshakes, even Patton was starting to lose his tolerance for the proceedings. Virgil was about to give in and call the backup when something interesting happened. The kid shaking hands shook Virgil's hand, then Logan's hand, and then stopped.

"Oh. So the rumors are true."

"Uh, what?" asked Virgil, completely bewildered.

"You two are an item." the kid said this like it wasn't some world-shaking statement.

"Huh?" said Logan eloquently.

"Your journals, you keep going on and on about the other, your thought process is 90% about each other, you have each sketched the other on the notebooks you brought to the event, need I go on? I mean, I heard the rumors, but I didn't think that they actually had any foundation."

Virgil and Logan glanced at each other, each wondering if this was true. Patton, the traitor, seemed to just be hiding a grin. The kid didn't bother with more words, simply moving on to shake the court currier's hand. The sparks were red. So that's Pat's new apprentice, thought Virgil, wildly.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. When the seers were finally dismissed to their chambers, Virgil stared panicking. What was he gonna say to Logan? How did he make sure the friendship didn't implode? He had no idea how to even begin to approach this. As it happened, Logan ended up doing the approaching.

"So, er, about earlier-"

"It's okay, you don't need to let me down easy. I get it, you just like me as a friend." Virgil figured he'd spare himself the heartbeak.

"Wha- no- that's not what I'm trying to say. I was actually... well, I was going to ask you to dinner, if it isn't too forward of me."

Virgil stopped in his tracks. What??

"What?"

"Er, I understand if you say no, but I would be very interested in courting you."

Virgil blinked a few more times, processing. "I- yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Seers can't see events directly pertaining to themselves. If they did, Logan would have answered the "anything interesting today" question very differently, but then again, if they could see things regarding themselves, they wouldn't have had the journey getting them here in the first place.

[inkribbon796]

Six [Ate] Ain’t Seven Ch. 2: Repairing the Seam

Summary: The Host and Patton go into the tear to save their future, and fight their past along the way.

Chapters: 1, 2

The two heroes were standing back outside the warehouses, but this time right in the parking lot to the east side of the warehouses. Logan and Virgil nowhere nearby. Patton was still in the suit, but the Host had changed.

He was in a pinstripe black shirt, a notebook in hand, but the thing that caught Patton were his eyes.

Namely that they weren’t just black sockets covered by bandages. They were there, his pupils the same color of brilliant gold that was normally streaked into the front of his hair.

“Ughhh!” The seer shielded his recently restored eyes from the sun. It had been a long time since light had hit his nerves like that. His visions and narrations had been his eyes but now having his old ones back were agony.

“Host!” Patton gasped, rushing to the Host’s side. “What can I do? Should I call Iplier?”

“He would not recognize the Host, and if the Host and Patton leave the warehouse parking lot without this reality’s anomaly they will have to re-enter and try again.”

“Yeah, but,” Patton began before the Host’s aura wrapped around his eyes to lessen the pain and disorientation. After a couple minutes he shakily got up, helped by Patton.

“I could go in alone,” Patton offered.

“Morality would not be able to find his way to the anomaly to retrieve it,” the Host denied. “Being alone would only increase the likelihood of failure.”

With that the Host began to lead Patton towards Dark’s main warehouse, with each step he gained strength, but also felt the Author trying to smother him out. People parted for them at even the sight of the Author. Dark was out dealing with a problem, the Host had made sure of it before even setting foot into this reality. So entering the office was easy.

The Host walked over to the huge family portrait and used his aura to tip it out of the way far enough to crack the safe open and extract a single black day planner. He then closed the safe and restored the portrait to its natural position.

“Is that what you were looking for?” Patton asked in confusion.

“Yes,” the Host answered. “Morality should not be fooled by the anomaly’s current appearance. This is a magical artifact that has the ability to destroy realities if used improperly.”

“Okay, so, we have it, then we can leave?” Patton looked around uneasily.

“Yes, and the Host and Morality should be quick,” the Host checked over the office to make sure everything was in order before starting to lead the Side out. But as they started leaving the warehouse the pull to return was only getting stronger.

Patton was mentally fading in and out of himself, like he was drowning at sea and barely able to keep his head about the frothy depths of his own mind. It felt like some part of him, some gaping, empty hole in his soul wanted to pull him back in. It was some cautious, hungry creature and Patton didn’t like him.

All it would take was the lightest shove to his attention, and he would be gone. He could see the parking lot in the distance. They were almost safe.

The Host was doing so well, the Author was trying to steal back control. But he was distracted when Illinois came stomping out of a portal with King following him. An errant squirrel scurrying off of him, and out into a random warehouse. King’s usual cape was gone, as was his child that typically clung to King. He was in his suit instead.

Illinois looked pissed, as if he’d kill the next person who spoke to him. As Illinois and the Host passed, the seer’s newly restored eyes tracked of their own volition and as he glanced at Illinois a sadistic sense of victory came over him. King was glancing between them in uncertainty.

“How’s it going lover boy,” the Author baited, the distraction giving him the push he needed. His feet stopped.

“Not now, shitbag,” Illinois grumbled, glaring at him as he kept walking.

“Not my fault you dug your grave with Mr. Right,” Author dared. “I mean, he gave you everything and you burned his base down. I’m a certified sadist, but at least I clean up after myself and don’t fucking get involved with my food.”

“Shut up,” Illinois seethed.

“I mean, did you see his face?” Author continued to goad, “I mean the one fucker you don’t kill and instead you fuck up so badly that he dumps your ass.”

“Shut up!” Illinois shouted, King and Patton looking between each other in unease. The two young men were attracting a crowd.

“I mean, you should have just fucked him and run, would have saved you both the trouble,” Arthur dared and Illinois screamed in a heartbroken fury before throwing himself at his brother and the two starting a fistfight.

Patton and King both called for Dark with their stars, not wanting the two to kill each other.

Dark immediately ripped open and portal and froze when he saw the fight. He saw the screaming and knew he’d been wrong to leave Illinois alone with his brothers while he was still so emotionally raw.

“Philly!” Dark shouted and yanked his adopted son through a portal. “A word!”

“He started it!” Illinois shouted in a rage before the portal closed.

Author had the good sense to wait until he was sure Dark was gone, reprimanding Illinois, to start cackling like a madman. The weight in his pocket was almost nonexistent.

“Did you see his fucking face?” Author laughed. “I think he was crying.”

“You’re a fucking dick, Art,” King glared at him. “You know that right?”

“Come on,” Author stood up and brushed himself off. “He deserved it. Besides it’s not like one slip up is going to kick Daddy’s favorite off his pedestal. I need to try much harder for that.”

“If you weren’t such a complete asshole, I might agree with you,” King glared at him. “Come on, that hero he was dating was the best partner yet.”

“And Phills chose his side,” Arthur reminded. “We all did. I don’t get why he’s so upset that his boyfriend didn’t like his choice.”

“Just once I’d like you to get a taste of your own medicine,” King sighed, before he turned to see a couple squirrels rush over and he let them climb up his leg and onto his shoulder while they chittered at him. “Gotta[1] go, one of the heroes is causing trouble over by warehouse six.”

“I’ll come with, it’s been a while since I had some fun,” Arthur grinned.

“Hey, maybe we should,” Patton began to suggest as the two other Lost Ones looked towards him, “go back inside, Author. I think you’ve had enough fun for now. We can fight them next time.”

Author was about to protest before Patton sent a calming wave towards him, and immediately there was this glazed look to Author’s eyes. He huffed out, already stomping away, “Yeah, whatever fun police. I hate that the Old Man stuck me with you.”

Patton rushed to catch up with his adopted brother, “I just don’t want you to get in trouble, or get hurt.”

“Too late for that Pat-attack,” Arthur reminded.

Patton smiled warmly, a smile that despite Author’s best efforts he couldn’t hate. The guy was sunshine personified. “Come on, I’m gonna[2] lose my touch if you keep smiling like that. I’m gonna[2] have to punch you in the gut or something.”

Still smiling, the two were about to head into Dark’s main warehouse, when someone walked over to them.

“Umm, Author?”

Author and Patton turned to see a young man standing not too far from them. He had an oversized purple hoodie with a green swirl on the front and back. He had a thick book held to his chest.

“You talking to me?” Author asked, pointing to himself.

“Yeah,” the young man nodded with a smile before pulling out a folded up note from his hoodie pocket. “Philly wanted me to pass this on. You know, to keep it off the record.”

“Oh,” Author smiled, suddenly overly smug and sure of himself. He plucked the note out of the young man’s hand and opened it.

Written in Illinois’s handwriting was:

“I want you outside 5th and Center St. We can settle this where Dark won’t see. I’m sick of your shit. Be there, or I WILL find you.”

Author chuckled, writing his bat back into his hands, “Well, well, if Daddy’s favorite wants his teeth kicked in, I’m more than happy to oblige. Hey buddy, you wanna watch a narcissistic asshole get his hopes and dreams crushed?”

The young man’s left eyebrow hitched up as he gave the Author a knowing look, “That’s certainly one way of putting it. Sure, I like watching a train wreck in motion.”

“Alright,” Author smiled. “I like you, I promise not to kill you immediately.”

“Thanks, I guess,” his tone clearly insulted. “You gonna[2] go, or should I go and jump off the roof of the closest warehouse? I got stuff to do.”

“Hmmm,” Author hummed. “You got a name?”

“Karl Jacobs,” Karl smiled again as he watched Author write down his name. “With a “K” and it’s not short for “Carlton” either.”

“Boy, aren’t you just dumb as shit?” Author chuckled to himself as he crossed out the first spelling and wrote the correct one.

At that Karl just glared at him, but didn’t say anything.

“Not my fault this is your first day on the job,” Author smiled.

“Hey, uh, maybe we shouldn’t,” Patton began but stopped when he saw the look in Author’s eyes.

“Not my fault Ills wants his teeth bashed in,” Author waggled his finger before he turned and started heading towards the parking lot again, moving quickly to get to where he thought Illinois was. “Come on, I’ve been dying for a rematch.”

“Yeah, but,” Patton tried to interject.

“So give me some motivation,” Author told Karl as they kept walking, ignoring Patton completely. “What makes you tick?”

“Well, one of your dads killed my dad,” Karl admitted.

“Well, Wil kills a lot of people so you’re going to have to be specific,” Arthur shrugged, slugging his bat over his head, causing Patton to quickly duck as he was racing to keep up.

“No, I meant Dark,” Karl corrected. “My dad was doing some dumb things, hoping to blackmail him. But he died and now I have to deal with the bridge.”

“Ohhh, that was your dad,” Author realized. “Man, he was an idiot.”

“So do have, like, a grudge against us then?” Patton asked as they were weaving around cars.

“Kinda,”[3] Karl admitted, “but only to Dark, and don’t worry it’s not enough to screw you guys over. You guys weren’t even adopted yet and Dark was just looking out for his kid.”

The suspicious part of Arthur’s brain lit up like a series of waved semaphores, how did this asshole know I’m adopted and not their actual kid‽

“How—” Arthur asked as his feet finally crossed the invisible barrier of the parking lot, and the Host woke back up. He had just enough time to pull Patton along with him as their exit ejected them out of the little pocket reality.

The three of them stepped into the white of the In-between. Patton suffered the most disorientation.

“You back to normal?” Karl asked.

“Yes,” the Host started coming back to himself more and more, fighting the vestiges of the Author still left inside of him. His eyes were gone again and covered with bandages, but blood was coming from the sockets. “The Host is in control.”

“Good,” Karl told him, before slapping him in the arm with his huge book. “That’s for being a jerk.”

“The Host deserves that,” the Host flinched away from the blow.

“Yeah, yah[4] did,” Karl agreed.

“Is everyone still okay?” Patton asked fearfully.

“Yes,” the Host answered, talking out the day planner. “There is still time for the Host to fix their mistakes. Thanks to Karl, the Host and Morality can still remember everything.”

The Host turned his attention towards where his aura was telling him Karl was, “The Host cannot thank Karl enough for intervening.”

Karl shrugged, “You’re the one who gave me the note, I’m just here to help.”

“So we’re going back home, right?” Patton asked. “I want to go home.”

“The Host has what they need,” Host promised. He turned to Karl. “Does Karl need assistance in returning back to the city?”

“I’m stuck here until I die again,” Karl sighed, looking at the castle in the distance, his breath stuttering a bit. He was not looking forward to the pain, nor the disorientation, that always followed moments like this. Usually dehydration or starvation got him.

“The Host can help with that,” the Host’s aura gripped the back of Karl’s head. “After all, Karl did save the Host, it’s only fair for the Host to return the favor.”

Karl felt the sensation of failing before his mind fell out of this reality, right into the white void of the In-between, and then he was yanked back upwards and into a hospital room where he was weak but alive. Hospital machines beeping and giving him life, and the dull chatter of a nurse talking with another doctor.

He stirred and the hospital room flew into action, the nurse immediately paging Quackity who would rush from a meeting to sit by his fiancé’s side as he started his recovery treatment.

Back in the In-Between, the Host used the anomalies to keep the hole he’d ripped open for Karl pried open so that they could easily step through.

“Morality should go first,” the Host ordered the Side. “The Host is hesitant to take the anomaly through before Morality. In case it strands him alone in the In-between.”

“Oh, thanks,” Patton said and stepped through, his suit changing back to his superhero outfit and his freckles fading behind his mask. He felt a hum of his magic surge back, and a connection with Thomas was restored as if he was waking back up from a terrible dream. Patton hadn’t even realized he’d been disconnected from it in the first place.

The Host stepped through after, two black day planners in his hand. The tear was still there but fragmenting by the second. Curling his aura around the day planners they began to turn into dust and swirl together until a single planner was held in the Host’s aura.

With that the tear that had been long since been a nuisance and a threat to the Host was fully disconnected. It became one of the hundreds of thousands of alternate worlds loosely ringed around theirs. No more a danger to him than the dark mirror world that the Host and his allies had found themselves in not so long ago.

“Morality!” Logan yelled as he and Virgil were running over.

With a couple narrations, the Host sent the Sides back to their home to rest, Virgil would be salty and upset at the Host. But the Sides would be together, and that was what was important.

The Host ripped a portal into Dark’s office and saw Illinois sitting and talking with Dark. The Entity was discussing some Network business and some details about Illinois’s upcoming wedding.

The seer stalled a bit, not expecting to see Illinois at this moment. He felt apprehension, his actions under the Author’s insidious influence came back to his mind.

“You okay?” Illinois asked, noticing the hesitant way the Host was holding himself.

“No,” the Host answered. “The Host does not deserve the adventurer’s kindness, nor his consideration. The Host is a terrible brother, he always continues to be so.”

“Hey, hey,” Illinois kicked his feet up and walked over to the Host. He signaled over to Dark, who summoned a portal and seamlessly sent them to the Manor. It was not ideal for the Host but the action had already been done. “What’s this about?”

The Host began explaining to Illinois, to the best of his physical abilities, what he had done. The situation of their missing brother. That Patton had been the price to keeping them safe, but also he told Illinois of his barbed words to Illinois. How at his core he was not any different than the Author.

“Host, Host,” Illinois cut in, curling his aura around the Host, instead of suddenly grabbing onto him, so he didn’t startle him. “Yeah it does concern me that you can just make one of us permanently disappear. I don’t know who this “Patton” was but I’m certain that if he helped you then he was one of the best brothers we ever had. But you’re not a terrible person, you’re doing your best. You were just trying to look out for us.”

“That does not excuse what the Author has done,” the Host cut him off. “Or what the Host has done.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Illinois agreed seriously. “Artie was a lot of things: a pain in my ass, desperate to reenact “Lord of the Flies” and kill me. But he was my brother, and besides Kay, he knew what it was kinda[3] like to be unwanted for a long time. I think both of us forgot that. But now you’re here, and you’re my brother too.”

A smile came back to Illinois’s face, “Besides, you being so worried about me proves that you don’t mean to hurt me. That we’re brothers.”

“The Host supposed that Illinois may have a point,” the seer reluctantly agreed.

“Of course I do,” the adventurer gave him a smug smile. “Trust me more, we’re both in this together. Although, I should admit, I do appreciate not being attacked or threatened with a bat on a regular basis. That, plus you helping me protect 아빠[5] makes you a much better brother than he ever was. If that makes you feel better?”

“The Host is somewhat eased by the adventurer’s words, yes,” the Host agreed.

“Alright, you want to spend the rest of the day with me, or should I take you to the heroes, your eyes are bleeding pretty badly.” Illinois was looking in concern at the seer’s face.

“The Host originally had important matters with the Entity, ones that he cannot put off,” the Host corrected. “The Host was not expecting to see Illinois in his office.”

Illinois lightly whistles, a huge smile splitting his face. “I threw you off your game? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“The Host was pressed for time, he couldn’t check before he opened the portal,” the Host snapped back.

“Sure, I got yah[4],” Illinois chuckled, taking off his hat and tapping on the bronze star hidden inside. “you’re still seeing your boyfriend after this though, your eyes need cleaning before they get infected.”

Dark came to them in an instant, a flurry of overprotective worry.

“Is everything alright?” Dark asked as he portaled in, he was looking Host over for any wounds or signs of a fight. The Host let him fret as he looked at him.

“Yes, the Host was merely discussing something with Illinois,” the Host reached into one of his pockets with his aura and pulled out a plain black day planner. “The Host merely wished to return this to the Entity.”

“Oh,” Dark patted himself down to find his planner was missing and quickly took it back. “Thank you, I didn’t realize it was gone.”

“Yes, the Host had to borrow it for a little while,” the Host told him. “He thanks the Entity for his assistance.”

Dark paused to think about that, confused and suspicious, but he chose not to comment on his thoughts. He turned and headed back to his office.

Host watched him go, aware of the presence watching them. Watching Dark’s every move. Carefully the Host spoke wards into being and they quietly curled around the Entity, protecting him from harm. The Host would have eliminated the threat completely, but such was not in his power. He wasn’t strong enough to disrupt the anomaly entirely, but he would protect what was his. He would protect his family from the Actor, or any other threat.

No matter the cost.

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

Post A/N: Information on Lost One Patton: his superpower was empathy manipulation. He was the emotional heart of his family and helped keep Author from getting too violent with his siblings. As such Patton and Author were close. His codename in the Network was: Pathos.  Also since he has a January birthday, and Author had a February one, that makes him the eldest Lost One, by barely a month.

Accessibility Translations:

1. Have to

2. going to

3. kind of

4. you

5. Dad; used informally. Phonetically reads as: Appa.

[ts-unsolved]

Final Wrap-up for Chapter One

((since chapter one will be coming to a close shortly and there is still an assortment of questions left over, here is a masterpost of responses to queries that couldn’t be addressed during the story! 

[reminder: the ask box will be left open, however the characters are not available. please keep in mind that non-plot related questions will not be answered by the characters after this post.]

Anonymous said: ((Just wanted to tell you your drawings are so pretty and I love ur blog. That is all I have no braincells to ask questions))

Anonymous said: OKAY MOD I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I LOVE THIS AU SO MUCH AND ITS SO COOL AND GOOD AND YOUR ART IS TOO!! sorry for caps I’m just excited

Thank you! Sorry I didn’t always get around to answering asks like this, but for every one that was sent in, I appreciated it with all my heart. You guys are angels 💖

Anonymous said: What is one haunted location you guys would really like to visit someday?

Poveglia is definitely the highest on the list for the notoriety alone, although they would likely never get the permission to go (the history in general is almost excessively horrible and tragic, so nothing good would come out of doing an episode there. Maybe it’d be good as a final-chapter type location? 🤔).

@anxious-fander-bean​ said: Hey Logan, have you ever tried swing dancing? It's really fun and good excersize! There's also a lot of bouncing and upbeat music, so Patton might enjoy it as well! ((I'm doing it. I need the qpp boys to be happy and have fun, bc they deserve it.))

(LOGAN: I’ll...consider it.)

You did it, you got them to go on some good ol’ platonic dates! B)

Anonymous said: I feel bad that I don't have any deep question or something along those lines, but what's your favorite thing to bake, Pat? - 💐

That’s alright! Questions don’t have to be deep to be fun/interesting. 

(PATTON: Cupcakes! You can make so many different flavors, and there are tons of fun ways to decorate them!)

@why-should-i-tell-youu2 said: Why cant anyone else see the seal?

You need to have The Sight to be able to see demon sigils. Patton has this ability naturally, and Dee has it because Elliott taught it to him. Otherwise, Virgil and Roman would be the closest in terms of gaining this ability, but a scared/skeptical part of them is holding them back. 

Anonymous said: My good dorks, is there a way to, I don’t know, get a better/more effective charm for your office? One that costs more than $10? -🍁

Anonymous said: Hey, Logan, potential naturalistic explanation for ya: depending on what the charm was made of, shifts in ambient room temperature could have caused minuscule expansions and contractions in the material that would eventually crack the charm. Do I believe my own explanation? Absolutely not. Am I grasping at straws for a non-supernatural explanation? Absolutely. And ambient room temperature doesn’t even begin to explain the red symbol around the charm

(LOGAN: Our budgeting is already a mess as it is, the last thing we need is to waste more funds on decorations. And that theory seems much more reasonable than the contrary explanation.)

Anonymous said: Is the demon that Pavreen summoned the same demon that possessed Elliott?

Anonymous said: Welp Virge SUMMONED A DEMON- (Why do I have a feeling Remy was the demon that possessed Elliot-)

Nope, they’re all different demons! The demon that Parveen summoned is notoriously difficult to contact, so a bunch of teenagers wouldn’t have been able to do it. Likewise for Remy; you can only summon him once you have his True Name, and he’s already destroyed most references to that (sorry Patton).

Anonymous said: omg omg omg what part of mythology is remy part of???

He’s not from any particular mythology, but he is partly based off of Alps from German folklore and the general mythology around sleep paralysis!

Anonymous said: Can Patton see supernatural beings like ghosts and demons and stuff? I just think it would be interesting if his scars make him able to see them :3c

Anonymous said: If both Dee and Patton can see the sigil, and Dee can see ghosts, does that mean Pat can see ghosts too? With the whole red glowing thing (forgot what its called) it seems to be connected.

Yes he can see ghosts/demons, and you’re right that the scars (or rather the deal with the demon which gave him his powers and scars) are what lead to him being able to do it. The red is just a general indicator of something supernatural/not of our Realm.

Anonymous said: Wait so if Patton and his family all have that mark could that mean Patton is not completely human 👀 -🌈

I supposed you could say that Patton’s not entirely human because he’s a witch who was born without a soul, but he’d find that pretty offensive tbh.

Anonymous said: Are Elliott and Patton maybe related, even distantly? Also, roman needs to suck it up and have Feelings for the Snake Man

There’s no relation between Elliott and Patton. Elliott is the child of a seer and a psychic, Patton is the son of witches. They’re similar, but different. (Also you’re assuming that Roman hasn’t liked the Snake Man since high school, but considered him off-limits because he’s his brother’s best friend).

Anonymous said: Does Patton know that Dee can see spirits and does Dee know that Patton is protecting them all?

Anonymous said: Dee, pat, do you know that each other can see the sigil? 

Anonymous said: is ... is patton a witch and dee a dee-mon and that's why they don't like each other.....?

Anonymous said: Pat what do you think about making deals with demons?

They’re both aware of each other’s secrets! Technically they’re both doing their best to protect everyone, but that doesn’t mean they agree with each other’s methods or bond over the shared responsibility. 

Patton is indeed a witch, and Dee is a regular human who happened to summon a demon one time. Patton thinks Dee is the occult equivalent of a satanist, which he disagrees with because dark magic is unnatural/dangerous in his eyes (making deals with demons only leads to trouble!), and would prefer Dee not endanger his friends. Dee doesn’t like Patton because of his perceived moral superiority, and finds the way he can be so secretive and two-faced creepy 

Regardless, they’re both sitting in glass houses and have more in common than they think.

Anonymous said: Patton Should Hug Dee *

Maybe. But he won’t. 8′D

Anonymous said: Since Dee has been able to see ghosts for a long time, was he an open believer in ghosts before Elliot died? Since it was mentioned that the reason he lies about his belief is because he knows that they're dangerous, he wouldn't have had a reason to hide it in the past. And if he did are any of the others aware of the belief change? Well, besides Remus. I'm guessing that one is pretty obvious.

He may have been more involved as a believer in the past, though that doesn’t mean he was ever super open about it. He was aware of how it would look like to outsiders (being genuinely skeptical at one point himself), so he wasn’t going to paint a target on his back by talking about ghosts and demons and things most people can’t see.

Of course, that didn’t stop people from stereotyping and making those sorts of assumptions about their friend group anyway, but no one besides them really knew about their secret-- not even Virgil.

Anonymous asked: What would happen if one time, the gang ended up getting something supernatural on camera?

The result of that would depend on the being. Ghosts can kinda appear on camera, although it’s very rare for them to appear as a full bodied apparition, which is why they usually only manifest in spirit orbs or light/shadows. Poltergeists are better since they’re able to interact with objects, but likewise since they can’t manifest into a physical form they can easily be brushed off. Demons and other miscellaneous creatures will straight up not appear if captured directly on film; you’ll simply get video glitches and distortions.  

So essentially, they may technically have found something already, but capturing evidence that’s also compelling is a lot more difficult than you’d think. I imagine there’s a good chance that anything legitimate wouldn’t get taken too seriously because of how easy it is to fake evidence nowadays.

Anonymous said: Okay so a little bit of a rant but not really ig but imagine the ladylike and unsolved crossover for this AU like I can see it as like Thomas' friends dressing up Roman and Dee in style and seeing a blushing mess and maybe flirting going on because of how good the clothing complements each other but this is kinda a weak idea lol

It’s not a weak idea at it, it’s really cute! (though I may just have a soft spot for the Ladylike cast and crossovers). 

The only thing to note is that I’ve chosen not to include Thomas’ friends in this AU because I personally weird about writing fiction about real people? (I was on the fence about including character!Thomas for a while too, tbh). So, apologies to anyone who’s sent similar asks or wanted to see any of Thomas’ friends; they wont be around!

Anonymous said: Did Dee and Remus ever have that talk Dee said he would try to have a while back????

They might have gotten the opportunity to chat back when Remus came back to help shoot the Room 1046 video. It wouldn’t have been a complete reconciliation by any means (dealing with years of baggage in one sitting is Hard), but now Remus is aware that Dee is open to discuss things again at some point in the future, so progress!

Anonymous said: wait wHAT?! When did he (Emile Picani) die?? Give us the deets oh wise one

Anonymous said: emile is... dead? what happened?

I see y’all, but unfortunately you’re not getting any answers from me just yet! You’ll have to wait until the next chapter~.

Anonymous said: Shit is about to go down and I am worried about the next ghost "adventure"

:) Don’t Worry About It.))

[whereisstevethestove]

so I heard we were telling ya’ll about our WIPs?

So I have quite a few running, both published and not, so I’ll just go into the list.

1.Healing = Chaos series 

So it’s my pride and joy series, I’m actually on book three and it should be completely done and out by the one year anniversary of said series, which is great!  It’s a college au where you can meet your ‘other selves’  but it usually throws the universe out of alignment.   It’s got analogical, Rosleep and Mociet, with a few OCs running around and occasionally Thomas.  Disaster condo and wacky adventures with angst as the characters manage past and future lives.

2. Four Horseman AU

For the TSS Big Bang.  Currently about halfway written and unbeta’d but the plot centers around the four sides being the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.  But there’s a catch- Logan’s Jewish and doesn’t believe the new testament, where the four horsemen are mentioned; Virgil’s died before he can ever really age into his power and now, in his current life, he’s atheist and a cynic; Patton’s so full of Catholic guilt it’s a miracle he’s even agreeing with the others; and poor Roman’s been around since the Roman empire trying to figure out how to keep his other horsemen from triggering the end of the world.  Princxiety planned, with a spicy hint of Logicality.

3. The Hero?  Au (Marvel inspired)

Virgil hates superpowers, and they’re common enough that he’s been saddled with them.  Unfortunately, his high school bullies want to use him for it, seeing he’s pretty powerful.  Also unfortunately for him, his high school bullies are superheroes, so him saying he’s being held against his will doesn’t exactly work.  Oh, and comic nerd/Hulkling equivalent Remus is there too, and he’s really fucking lonely.

4. Sylphs and Streets Au

Urban Fantasy, set in Chicago with Storm Sylph Virgil, Illusionist Remus, normal human Roman, Seer Emile and Remy, who happens to illegally sell his potions on the side.  It’s an unbeta’d project exploring the idea of injustice and discrimination.  It’s AO3 exclusive and on it’s second installment of three.

5. The Mishaps of Ladybug and Kuro Neko. 

Self indulgent miraculous ladybug au, where Logan and Virgil are half Japanese, Roman’s a massive fucking idiot in a himbo way, Janus is related to the previous ladybug, Marinette, and Patton’s nearly getting himself killed in hero fights every other weekend.  Ladybug!Roman and Black Cat!Virgil, with other’s coming later.  I post about it on my main blog.

6. Band Au (AO3 exclusive)

Virgil’s a singer/songwriter that got BES (Billie Eilish Syndrome)  and once he turned eighteen, he snuck off to college with the help of Remy his manager and a bodyguard with as much social skills as him.  Love triangles and crushes all around as he runs into small town friends Logan and Roman, all while trying to figure out where he’s seen Patton from before... oh! and Janus is there with the firm belief that everyone is just stuck in a story controlled by an unforgiving Author.

7. ‘Dating’ a Demon

Remus is getting married and Roman’s still single, much to his mortification, as how the hell did his twin get married before him?!?!  He summons a demon out of desperation so he can have a plus one for the wedding and spare the humiliation that is his love life.  Unfortunately for him, Virgil is really fucking hot and now he kinda doesn’t want to get rid of him. Chaos ensues as Virgil learns about humans and Roman tries to not die from simping over a demon that’s ten times older than him, and did he mention that they were hot?   About one fifth written.

8. Accidental Adoption Au

Logan died in a horrific car accident, which also landed his son Virgil into the hospital with a collapsed lung, and the ER nurse that ended up taking care of his son adopts him.  Roman, along with his husbands Remy and Emile, grow to care for Virgil as the teen goes through high school.  Thomas is also there, as Virgil’s crush and he’s very confused that you can in fact, be gay.  Angst and fluff, Ao3 exclusive and about halfway published.

9. The Fae Au I made to cope with the end of Mahogany and Teakwood.

Logan didn’t want a human, and now he’s stuck with one who keeps passing out.  On second thought, maybe he shouldn’t have stabbed them with a massive icicle, that’s probably why.  Oh, and his neighboring Unseelie friend also has partial ownership of said human. You lose some, you lose some.  Patton’s also slightly unsympathetic, but he’s fae, that’s how they are.  Virgil just wants to be awake for more than a half hour.  

And that’s the bulk of my multi chapter Wips!  Of course, I’ve got over 74 one shots that haven’t been published or worked on, but that’s a problem for another time.  *sweeps abandoned one shot folder under the rug in my google drive*

[pavys-originals]

Fandoms I will be writing for + the original characters within

Including a brief summary of each. 

Birds of Prey Valerie Steward - Crime boss, rival of Roman Sionis, has Renfield Syndrome, usually likes the most expensive and lush possessions. Has very large circles beneath her (In a social/hierarchical sense).  Can be incredibly eccentric, and very passionate.

One/Omni- The first of the Blackcoats, a large group of highly trained marshal-like operatives. Omni himself usually does not get involved in combat, and pays close attention to details. 

Two/Hyinth- The second in the first thirteen/High Council of the Blackcoats. Isn’t quick to rush to violence, though they will do what they must to get things done. 

Three/Cettie- The financial backer of the council. Doesn’t usually get involved with the violent sectors of the organisation, she finds it a waste of time. 

Four/Aven- Pure bodyguard material. That’s it, that’s Aven. Not himbo- he’s to smart and sharp for that- just muscly man who will protect at all costs.

Five/Aretha- Now when I tell you that this woman knows how to kill someone and get away with it, I mean it. She trained to be Valerie’s understudy in a sense, and has perfected her own technique in disposing of people when asked.

Six/Giga- The techie. Honestly, they know so much about random stuff they will RAM it down your throat. They’re also kind of jokey, hence the pun. 

Seven- Seven gave up his name when he was fairly young, and is now one of the most powerful and down-to-earth of the Blackcoat high council, as he is the one who oversees the training regimens.

Eight/Axel- A total wild card of the group. Rarely follows orders, and lashes out with violence fairly frequently. He’s honestly a big softie though. 

Nine/Jerra- Usually the one that gets sent in when they need an undercover job done, or a mole of some description. He’s a phenomenal actor. 

Ten/Rocsas- One of the youngest. He’s very ‘in’ with the word on the streets of Gotham,and often informs the council of riots/coups that are being planned by the gangs of the city of crime.  

Eleven/Ixi- Iris/Thirteen’s twin. They are very detached, and don’t often show emotion in the work place. It is suspected that they show lots of affection in a domestic setting though. 

Twelve/Brutus- As his name suggests, he is the strongest of the group, naturally born this way and has honed his skills in since starting training. He is very protective, and follows orders. Not always the brightest spark though, but occasionally he will get a good idea. 

Thirteen/Iris- Sometimes referred to as the ‘softest’ of the High Council, as she is much more compassionate than the majority of her peers. She doesn’t mind it all that much, and often interjects in debates with the more emotional side of the story. 

Twenty-Six/Kalmiya- Almost an entirely blank slate, she is seen as the perfect soldier. Little room for emotions, much room for logic. However, she does seem to learn social cues and expressions very quickly off of other people. 

CATS  A note- about the cats ocs; Just because they are stated to have mated with another Tom/Queen does not mean I won’t write for them. If I write for the children, the bond between parents is not usually mentioned.  

Ariadne-A witch’s cat. She is quite mysterious, but once she warms up to you she’ll adore you like there’s no tomorrow. She is able to teleport over a short distance, has slight telepathy, and sometimes has visions of the future. 

Graciette- The pub cat. Daughter of Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots, younger sister to the mischievous twins Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and older sister to the young kitten Electra. She is always on  time, and is very enthusiastic about overseeing the games in the pub. 

Leviticus- The oldest triplet, son of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger. He is very close with his grandfather, Old Deuteronomy, and very wise. 

Squiggletigs-The middle triplet, second son of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger. He is usually found with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, he is much more playful than his older brother. He’s like the middle ground between Leviticus and Pixietrick.

Pixietrick- The youngest child of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger, and their only daughter. She’s very much like her father, both in appearance and in personality. 

Fantasma- The inventor’s cat, and daughter of Graciette and Alonzo. A lot of her time in the junkyard is spent finding random little trinkets and other doo-dads to use for her inventions, or just random collections she has. She’s very shy, and very sweet. 

Zilke- The blind cat, mother of Quaxo/Mistoffelees and Victoria. She tried to stick by Macavity when he was kicked from the tribe, her love blinding her to the near regicide that was committed. Eventually, she became actually blind. 

Seattine- One of the two pirate cats, rumoured to be descendants of Growltiger himself. They rarely come ashore, but when they do, they play many a shanty for old Gus. Seattine favours the concertina as her instrument, and is usually very upbeat.

Hurdeon- One of the two pirate cats, rumoured to be descendants of Growltiger himself. They rarely come ashore, but when they do, they play many a shanty for old Gus. Hurdeon favours the hurdy gurdy, and is a lot calmer than his twin sister. 

Doctor Sleep  Elva Warren- The owner of a sweet little antique shop in New Hampshire. She is always welcoming to new faces, and she knows just what cheers them up when she meets them, what to say to make them smile, all because of her Shine. 

IANOWT  Marilyn Higgins - An uncool kid like Stan and Sid, though a lot of people consider her to be less cool then them. Mostly because of all the morbid facts she spouts, especially during Science class. Probably also doesn’t help that she knows a fair few ways that the world could end that make some people uneasy.

IT  Melissa Farley- A British exchange student from a small village in Norfolk. She is very kind to those around her, even willing to take them in and introduce them to her family’s traditions and interests. She has even offered to tutor some of the Losers, should they ever need it.  Tiffany Crandall- A farming gal from Ludlow, Maine. She moved to Derry with her grandmother and grandfather after her parents were hit by a speeding Orinco truck. She is neughbour’s with Mike Hanlon, and has very little fear when it comes to brawls. It’s traffic and roads she doesn’t like. 

Moulin Rouge  Celine Bisset- A dancer in the Moulin Rouge. She is usually quite gentle, unless her client asks for her to be rougher and more assertive. She ended up becoming a dancer there because her fiance left her stranded when he ran off with another woman. 

Overwatch Asteria Murphy- After surviving an omnic siege where Blackwatch was sent to free the inhabitants of an apartment block, Asteria joined Overwatch to try and make sure nothing like that happened again. 

Mars Virgil- Son of Asteria Murphy, and Jesse McCree. Grew up in Deadlock Grange with his mother, and Robert Virgil- the man he assumed was his father. He joined Overwatch after  an attack on his mother’s diner, and found out his true family soon after.

Resident Evil Village Ihrin Moreau- Sister of Salvatore Moreau. Unlike her brother, her experience with the Cadou did not mutate her into a fish at first glance. It is when she comes into contact with water that her first stage mutation reveals itself, and her true mutated form shows when she is critically injured. She is vain and practically unfeeling unless something catches her eye.

Aeolus Aetos- Self proclaimed “Lord of the Wing”. Aeolus is a man who’s mutation made him think so highly of himself that he only concerns himself with his own problems. He is vain, and keeps himself the most pristine he can. Being mutated to appear part eagle gives him both his pride and his expert hunting skills

Mori Russell- One of the village hunters, who survived the lycan attacks by fleeing into the forests, and hiding out of sight. 

Lena Vaughn- Daughter of the local brewer. Also survived the lycan attacks, but because of her skill with a shotgun rather than running away. 

Shallow Grave Deirdre Sullivan- A failing artist who moved from her family home in Ireland to chase her dreams. She’s partway there, she’s just lacking in the money.Money that she has a hand in keeping away from David. 

Star Wars  Alaana Rohiikshuul- A Jedi consular/seer. She is very down to earth, and tries her best to have the mysteries of the Force reveal themselves to her so that she may write of them. It is this constant search for knowledge that has her meditating for days on end, lost in her own thoughts. Alessandro  Rohiikshuul - Alaana’s twin brother, and the slightly more impulsive of the two. This is not to say he is outwardly violent. Like Alaana, he makes sure to exhaust all other options beforehand. He is much more openly passionate.  Othkiir Rohiikshuul- A young, feline force sensitive from Alaana and Alessandro’s home planet, Tmryn. He can be a little all over the place sometimes, but he tries to do everything he  can for the greater good. 

Daesha’Tiatkin- A Twi’lek force sensitive who deserted the Jedi Order in her late teens- opting to live a scoundrel’s life. She does what betters her, and usually her alone, though you should not mistake this for having no moral compass. She is impulsive, and almost always optimistic. 

Kyden Kenobi- Son of Sith!Obi-Wan and Sith!Alaana. Captain/Commander of the Night Witches squadron in the Empire’s fleet. Usually incredibly goofy and sweet. 

Trainspotting Ava Byrne- (First film)- A philosophy student who got stuck in Edinburgh when she left her home. She got stuck in the same apartment building as Renton and the other boys, but refuses to divulge in their illegal activities.  (Second film)- Ava didn’t end up leaving Edinburgh, the best thing she managed to do was write “The Ethics of Drug Use”, which was of course inspired by the boys’ old lives. She hasn't properly seen the boys since Mark left, though she will occasionally pass Simon or Daniel in the street, and give them a semi-respectful nod.

Misc  (Special Ingredients- my original story in the works) Tex Hudson-  The eldest brother of the trio of brothers, and he was the one to change his name when he got married the first time, as if it would help him in his family’s “business”. He has quite a temper, and is usually rather gruff. There are occasions where he can be sweet, they’re just growing exceedingly rare. Sloane Sawyer- The middle brother, and arguably the most elegant of the three. Always in a suit, he acts like the perfect gentleman in front of others, however when there’s no one else around, he tends to gloat about how many kills he has under his belt.  James ‘JJ’ Sawyer- The youngest brother, but also the tallest. Standing at a whopping six foot nine, Jamie may seem like a beast of a man, but he actually quite gentle. He’s a little slower than the others when it comes to figuring some things out, but he doesn’t let that slow him down anywhere else. He is incredibly sweet, quite passionate, and not afraid to show his vulnerable side when his brother’s aren’t around. 

Victoria/Victor Farley- A pirate captain who sails within the Devil’s Ring (more on that in their first piece), and acts however they so please within the pirate code. Born as Victoria Farley on mainland England, they followed their father through to the centre of the Devil’s Ring- becoming one of his crew in the process. From there they fought on and on, till they became a ship’s captain themselves. 

Scenarios/genres I will write -Fluff -Angst -Smut* -Horror -A combination of those stated above *This will only be written when I am in the mood. Bear in mind these may take longer than usual because I have to be in the correct mindset. I will edit this when necessary

Character Q&A is currently open! 

I will include trigger warnings and such at the beginning of each Oneshot/imagine/headcanon list.

[deceptive-jo]

“Oh? Really? You thought we had a future? What gave you that idea.” with your favorite ship? :O (I'm not familiar with any of the ones listed on your pinned post so I didn't know what to pick lol)

Thank you! I took the freedom to write an alternate version for my EgoSides Timeline :)

Ship: Janus Sanders x The Author

Words: 940

---

It must have been around 2012 when Janus discovered the door to the Ego world. Of course, he wasn't Janus back then and the door was plain brown, nearly disappearing into the wall and barely reaching his chest. But that didn't stop him from going through. There were only few Egos living in the small city yet, most notably: the Ipliers.

Deceit was used to Remus but these murderers, maniacs and demons needed some getting used to, especiallythey turned up in concerning large numbers. Why that was Deceit wasn't sure, but Remus said it was more fun. Well he must know.

Deceit made a habit of coming into the city every other week. That didn't change when he became Janus or when he revealed himself to Thomas but Remus and Virgil could have told you that there was a time in the beginning where Deceit would disappear every week for several hours each time. Some would chalk it up to his endless curiosity, others connected the sightings of two black-clad men in the woods. Those people were correct.

Janus had had about a year of getting to know the inhabitans of Egotropolis, determing who to stay clear of (in favour of staying alive) and who to connect with. So it didn't make sense for him to choose Author as an ally. But that didn't stop him from being drawn in by the writer who never showed any ill intend towards him. They spent the most time together and slowly...allies turned into friends. Sometimes the two could spend hours in a heated discussion or several rounds of chess. When Janus got in rare trouble Author was there to serve a few punches before escaping with him. When Author got stuck writing Janus made sure that he took care of himself and when he couldn't find the right words Deceit provided inspiration. Sometimes he would just sit in the window, reading a book with the scratching of the pen a comforting background noise.

And when he turned and caught Author's gaze- golden eyes reflecting the sun, jawline traced by shadows- a heat filled his chest (and no doubt his face), an affection stronger than one he could ever feel for Remus or Virgil. Out of all the people, he had to fall for the Author!

The next nights were spend sleepless as he poundered over his possibilites. He couldn't assume Author liked him the same...but had his actions not spoken for him? All the evening spend laughing, warm on the couch or in a crowded club with his hand resting on his knee. Afternoons spent reading and discussing his latest draft, something noone else got ever to see. Discussions of names, with long lists and books scattered around the living room. The trust in one another as they were fighting back-to-back in some alleyway... That had to mean something, right?

But when Janus returned the next day the cabin seemed empty and the door wouldn't open. It was the third day of checking and Janus turned away with a sigh. He was nearly out of the woods when he spotted the hooded figure. The Side's face lit up at the sight of his friend, not daring to shout his name he took some careful steps towards him. The Author's head swirled around and he made a quick kicking motion towards a lump by a tree. "Not the best time, darling", his shark-like grin was the same as ever but a certain nervousness grazed his face. "Oh really? I couldn't tell", Janus shot a pointed looked at the unconscious body, "But I'd hate to disrupt you right now." "You wanted to see me so badly?" Author teased but Janus couldn't quite bring himself to return the grin. "You weren't at the cabin yesterday." Author relaxed, baseball bat slung over his shoulders, slowly leaning forward, "Well I'm here now. What did you want to talk about?" "The future", Janus' voice trailed off as he felt Author's gaze burn into him, but the writer didn't say anything, "Our future specifically. Because I came to a realisation that...I wouldn't oppose to spending more of it to you."

Janus didn't want his gaze to wander, didn't want to admit the fear and uncertainty he was giving into right now. And then he heard the laugh. Not the deep chuckle that would sometimes escape him, but a light, piercing cackle that cut through the forest and sliced into his heart. Once it faded away and Author's eyes settled onto Janus again his eyes seemed to shine with glee. "Oh, really? You thought we had a future? What gave you that idea?!" Janus wanted to bite back but as he felt the pressure building up in his throat he didn't dare open his mouth. "Really this is adorable. Almost hysterical, really. Sorry to disappointed you, darling. But there is no future to talk about here." Janus turned on his heels and stalked away. He wouldn't give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing him in pain as tears began running down his face. How could he have been so stupid? There were only murderers and inconsiderate assholes in the Iplier family after all!

The Author followed his friend with a proud look before he dragged the body off.

The writer would be found the next day, shot dead. Suspected was a crime of passion, a possible victim trying to defend themself (Though it was unclear where they would have gotten the gun). Any other present person would have presumably suffered the same fate. Not that Janus knew that, who would only come across a certain seer nearly four years later.

[perspective-series]

Vampire Perspective (11/17)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: death threats, depressed thoughts, etc. also talk of starvation

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

————————————————————————————

Earlier that evening...

Virgil got up early for a second evening in a row, for what felt like the first time in decades. But, he couldn’t sleep. His anxious thoughts kept going back to the cage hanging only a few feet away. Virgil had gathered another handful of berries yesterday for Logan, but this was getting ridiculous. With his hunger even slightly sedated, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to eat Logan anytime soon. Virgil was just too pathetic to commit to such a basic act.

But then, that meant Logan would be staying a while, and if Virgil didn’t want Logan just dying on him he needed to start working out more consistent living arrangements. As the sun faded the vampire rose, heading into his horde to look for something suitable to what he had in mind.

 Logan awoke to the sound of Virgil waking up. Once again, his sleep had been restless but at least he had slept a little. He looked over at Virgil, confused at what the vampire was doing, rummaging through his things. He thought about calling out the Virgil but decided against it, wanting the vampire’s eyes off of him for as long as possible.

Virgil gave a small noise of triumph, pulling out two old ornate small bowls he had stored away. The vampire turned, startled to see the borrower up and awake. Perhaps he had been a bit too invested in his task if he hadn’t heard Logan shift. “Oh...hey.”

 “Good evening.” Logan nodded to him. He looked at the two bowls he held with confusion. “What are those for?” He asked.

“Berries, water.” Virgil lifted each bowl in turn to reference which was intended for which. “I figure this will be easier than going gathering each night, or limiting you to just eating once. Now you can graze and not bug me about it. And not die.”

 Logan stared at Virgil, trying to read his features and figure out what Virgil’s motives were. Why would Virgil care about that, if he was going to die soon? 

 Answer? Logan wasn’t.

 Which meant...Logan swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He had thought about it but he had been hoping it wouldn’t be the case. Even if the alternative was being eaten. But it seemed that Virgil had made his decision. 

 “You aren’t going to eat me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. A fact.

If Virgil’s face showed his surprise, it quickly morphed back into his usual cruel snarl. “Awfully confident for someone with such sweet smelling blood, aren’t we? No, not tonight, because yesterday I was a fool and now I’ve got to keep this dumb charade up a few more days to truly savor the experience.”

 “No, you aren’t going to eat me at all.” Logan’s voice held a confidence that surprised himself. “I was wondering why you had ‘forgotten’ to eat me yesterday but the truth is, you didn’t. I’m not sure what happened while I was still asleep but I think maybe you tried but couldn’t. And now you are still lying to me and maybe even yourself that eventually you will eat me, even though it won’t happen.” Logan said.

Virgil froze, certain that if any blood were flowing through his veins it would have turned into rivets of ice. Had he truly been so transparent? Could borrowers read minds?

“I’m not lying.” Virgil snapped as he stormed closer, growing a bit enraged as the negative emotions of yesterday began to resurface. “I can eat you. I will eat you. Believe whatever makes you sleep at night, but it was a lapse of memory, not a moment of weakness. And with the way you keep prattling on it will be my greatest pleasure when I do.”

 Logan sighed. He no longer found fear in the empty threats. “Alright. If lying to yourself is what you wish to do, I can not stop you.” Although Logan had to wonder why Virgil was lying to himself in the first place.

Virgil felt a growl deep in his throat, and one of his hands banged on the cage so hard the bowl in his hand threatened to shatter. “Why aren’t you frightened?”

 Logan felt his heart race as he fell down. He caught his breath before sitting back up slowly, looking at Virgil warily. “I am...still afraid. But not of you eating me. Not anymore.” Because he knew it wasn’t going to happen.

“Why?” Virgil insisted, purposefully putting his full set of fangs on display. Even if he couldn’t do it in a proper state of mind, Virgil knew if he starved himself enough the beast inside would make quick work of Logan. It didn’t matter that Virgil was weak; if he was just patient, he could still be successful.

 “Because for some reason...you can’t do it.” Logan said, biting his lip. He should probably just stop talking but he found he couldn’t. “I’m not sure why. I would say it’s some of your old humanity shining through but you were never human to begin with...however, it may be possible that you still have some humanity in you despite that.”

“What the hell did I say about comparing me to them?” Virgil snarled, his brow knitting together.

 Logan flinched back. “M-My apologies. But...I can’t ignore the facts of the matter.” Logan glanced away. “Humans are...worthless, I agree with you on that. But their humanity...would it be so bad to share that with them?” 

“Humanity is a flawed race by nature.” Virgil crossed his arms. “Those that are vicious are nothing but a thorn in my side. Those that are soft are destroyed by this world. Mercy is weakness. I’m a creature that exists solely by leeching off the lifeblood of others, and such a creature has no place to care for others.”

 Logan frowned. “Alright...but several things I have seen contradicts that. For one, you very clearly care about Patton, if no one else. And two...you seem to care a lot about whether or not I die. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be feeding me and you probably would not have ‘forgotten’ to eat me yesterday.” Logan crossed his arms. 

“...Patton is different.” Virgil turned his head to the side, not meeting the borrower’s eye. “And I don’t care about you, I just care about your blood.”

 Logan sighed. “You keep telling yourself that, if it helps you sleep at night.” He repeated Virgil’s own words.

“I sleep during the day.” Virgil deadpanned. “And quit acting like you’re something special.”

 “Day then.” Logan corrected. “And I know I am not special, which is why I am confused about this whole thing.”

“Wrong place, wrong time.” Virgil muttered, for once stumbling upon the truth. “And now you get to suffer for it.”

 Logan’s lips went into a thin line. “You know, I thought being on the menu was the worst thing that could happen...but the way things are going…” Logan sighed, trailing off and looked away.

“What?” Virgil chanced a glance at the borrower, feeling that familiar sinking rock of guilt. “You’re actually upset by the thought that I'm not going to gobble you up like a leftover chicken nugget?”

 “No, not particularly but in comparison to...becoming a pet, I…” Logan trailed off again, not knowing how to finish. He didn’t want to die, as he kept saying but being a pet...it was almost worse. He may be better off dead at this point.

“...you need to sort out your priorities.” Virgil ordered, but he knew better. He understood that it was better to die quickly than to live in suffering, and of course this was all his own fault. Too weak to eat Logan, but also too weak to resist the primal urge to keep such a morsel close.

 Logan hummed. “I see you didn’t try to deny that that is what I am becoming.” Logan noted.

Virgil gave a half-hearted shrug. “Gotta call you something until feeding time arrives.”

 “I see…” Logan looked down, having no idea how to feel. “And when...I’m sorry, if that never happens? What then?”

“I don’t know!” Virgil snapped, and it was the most honest thing he had said all night. “I’m not a seer, I don’t know the future. I don’t even know what’s happening now. You- you’ve screwed everything up.”

 Logan blinked. “I’ve screwed everything up? I wouldn’t even be here if not for you.” Logan pointed out, glaring at the vampire.

“Well, I wouldn’t have been there to catch you if it wasn’t for your little friend being caught.” Virgil argued, a bit of venom in his voice. “Blame him for your fate.”

 “I will blame him for nothing.” Logan said, still glaring and standing his ground. “You and the other vampires are the ones who hold the power. The two of us have nothing. We are at your mercy, for any and all decisions. Whatever has happened here is nowhere close to my fault. Or Roman’s.”

“Then blame the balance of nature.” Virgil changed tactics. “Circle of life, will of the world, whatever you want to call it. You said it, we hold the power. You’re nothing in comparison.”

 Logan met Virgil’s eyes for a moment before looking down and closing his. “...I am aware of my place.” Logan sighed. “No matter how much I wish that wasn’t the case...despite the fact that I am far more intelligent than the average human...I am insignificant.” He had come to terms with that quite a long time ago.

“...right.” Virgil said, but even as he said it Virgil felt himself wince. “No, I- you’re not.”

 Logan blinked, head snapping up to meet Virgil’s eyes. “I’m...sorry?”

Virgil sighed, placing the bowls on a little table before heading over to his bookshelf. He pulled the dusty volume from the shelf, turning to the correct page of the dictionary. “Insignificant: too small and unimportant to be worth consideration. Meaningless.”

 Logan winced. “I know the definition.” Logan spoke, peeved that Virgil seemed just be rubbing it in. “I know how well it fits.”

Virgil snapped the book shut with a slight glare. “It’s pretty insulting you think I’d waste all this time on something unimportant and meaningless.”

 Now Logan was confused again. “I don’t understand. You just called me nothing. You were the one to bring it up.” Why did he have to get stuck with such a confusing vampire.

“You’re nothing in comparison to me.” Virgil corrected. “You’re weak and you’re tiny and you’re clearly meant to be overpowered and used as a snack. But...that’s still a purpose.” Virgil supposed it wasn’t exactly an encouraging one, but it was at least something.

 “...I wouldn’t exactly call that a worthy purpose.” Logan sighed. “And if that’s all I’m good for, I’d rather it be nothing.”

“Look, I’m not good at this stuff.” Virgil cringed, putting the book back on the shelf. “Maybe you’ve got a greater purpose. I don’t know. I’m not all-knowing. Again, not a Seer.”

 “Even if I did,” Logan started, looking away. “It doesn’t mean much now, does it? Not with me trapped here. Serving as your pet for amusement.”

Virgil cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “Stop… don’t say it like that.”

 Now Logan was just getting annoyed. He crossed his arms, looking back up at Virgil. “And how do you want me to say it? Hm? Because that is what this is. Unless you are lying to yourself about that as well.”

“Shut it.” Virgil growled. He didn’t like how mouthy Logan was getting. It made him uncomfortable.

 Logan flinched back but otherwise held his ground. “I am just speaking the truth.”

Virgil swallowed, tugging his own hair a bit tighter. “I think I liked it better when you were trembling.”

 Logan hummed. “I’m sure.” It was in that moment that his stomach growled. He looked down at it briefly before looking back up at Virgil. “May I have some food?”

“You sure?” Virgil raised an eyebrow, a bit mocking. A bit sad. “You’re talking as though you’d prefer to starve.”

 “Honestly? I am unsure at this point.” Would it be better to simply die then to be a pet to a vampire? Logan used to think it wasn’t worth dying for anything but that was before he knew things like vampires even existed. “But at this moment, I would prefer to eat. And drink, if you are willing to give me water as well.”

“Maybe I’m not.” Virgil slowly crossed his arms. “With how you’re acting, perhaps I shouldn’t respect your wants. Might be a bit more amenable tomorrow.”

 “Well, it’s more of a need than a want but...you are the one in charge. Though I feel the need to remind you I can only last three days without water.” Logan said, ignoring his stomach and his dry mouth. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to it.

Virgil paused, giving Logan a considering look. In the blink of an eye he was gone, returning a minute later with one of the bowls filled with water from the sink downstairs. “How long without food?”

 Logan really didn’t wish to tell Virgil but he knew the vampire would get it out of him eventually. “Technically three weeks, though there will be health problems if I go even a week without food.”

Virgil shifted, opening the cage and putting the water dish inside. “What sort of health problems?” And why do you know that? Virgil thought to himself, feeling a pang of worry for Logan’s past.

 Logan went to the dish and took some generous gulps of water before answering. “Nausea, dizziness, a slow heartbeat, and the possibility that I would faint.” Logan listed off. Memories came back to him but he pushed them away.

“Has that… happened?” Virgil asked.

 “...Yes.” He answered simply. “I know all this from experience. I never said being a borrower was...easy.” Far from it, in fact. 

“...better here, then.” Virgil reasoned aloud. “If I can keep you from starving.” Poorly, based on his record so far, but it was something.

 “I am not so sure about that.” Logan muttered. Even if being a borrower was hard, it was still his life. He still had his freedom and he was doing better for himself now that he had Roman.  Though...he supposed neither of them had a choice anymore.

“What a stupid sentiment.” Virgil scoffed. “And here I was beginning to think you were logical.”

 Something in Logan snapped. “I am logical. You want me to walk you through my thought process? Fine. Being a borrower is tough, yes, even tougher when by yourself. When I almost starved in the past I was alone and already injured. But then I found Roman and we helped each other out. I haven’t been without food in a very long time.” Logan took a breath before continuing.

 “Being here, on the other hand, is completely unpredictable. First, my death was absolute. You were going to eat me. Then you decided that you couldn’t and now want to keep around as some pet. Fine, irrelevant. But you have already been known to forget about my basic needs. You also have a temper on you and if I happen to trigger that temper or you just happen to be in a bad mood, you may decide I don’t deserve to eat or drink. Or, even worse, you may find yourself done with me in general and kill me or kill me in a fit of rage. Either is likely.” Logan explained himself, glaring up at Virgil and adjusting his glasses. 

 “So, in conclusion, though you offer up a better arrangement. It is, indeed, not.” Logan raised an eyebrow. “How’s that logic for you?”

[i-the-winter-plum]

death basically

(main-ish) people who died in agents of shield:

grant ward, tripp, eric Koenig, victoria hand, john garrett, deathlok (although hes okay now), tobias (dude that sabotaged a machine cause he had a crush on his manager, but it killed loads of people and people blamed her and he came back as a ghost) ian quinn, raina, Talbot, the inhuman in Bahrain, isabelle Hartley, Idaho (in their first episode), Donnie gill, Lincoln, Whitehall, bakshi, Gordon, jiaying, cal (daisy’s dad), kara (agent 33), robert gonzales, Rosalind, will, wills team, Gideon malick, gm’s daughter, the many people hydra sacrificed to the monolith, the innumerable hydra agents, Christian ward, dr garner, Charles hinton (seer), Radcliffe, agnes, Jeffery mace, his assistant that got sucked out of the plane (edit - burrows!!), Nathanson, davis, giyera, that inhuman that could paralyse people - lucio!, hive (is ghostrider dead?), that gang member ghostrider killed in prison, eli morrow, eli morrow’s lab team (lucy?), senator nadeer, the anti-inhuman inhuman dude who blew things up, virgil :(, the alien servant simmons tried to save but he got killed anyway, ben, those two hydra agents who accidently let fitz escape, rusty, tess (she came back tho), kasius, kasius’ brother, sinara, the other blue assassin, ruby, alex von braun ? (so many names), hale, creel, Ivanov (like 5 times), future robin, sarge, izel, enoch, enoch again (he took someones skin), alien who got stuck in the wall, jocco, the dude in the casino whos blood was sulphur (his arm helped to blow the door open tho), the agent that sacrificed herself for skye (a-something on the wall of valour), so many shield agents :(((, GOD SO MANY PEOPLE

(plus the hundreds of extras that died, and the mystery inhumans in the framework)

[death-himself]

Light the Way—Chapter 1

Summary: When Aya, the demon of light's soul is split in four, a new Light Seer is made and has to go on a mission to bring her back with the help of six traumatized teens

Word Count: 1,287

Warnings: Sickness, Talk of Killing People

Next (AO3 Link)

It all started with a fall. Thomas had driven his mom to the hospital, only to learn that she was sick in a way that the doctors didn’t even understand. Her breathing was shallow, her limbs trembling, her mind shut off in a comatose state, but her heart still beating as strong as ever.

She was put in a hospital bed to be tended to, and Thomas was sent home. He’d be staying with his dad until she got better.

With each day though, he felt something changing around him, as if the air he was breathing was transforming with every exhale. He had begun seeing shadowy creatures in the mirrors, visions of future events every time he closed his eyes, and if he focused, he could swear he felt the life coming from within his father’s soul. It was unsettling to say the least.

Nonetheless, he continued on with his normal routine. Go to college, visit his mom, head home, try to ignore the increasingly unusual things he was seeing. It was just the stress messing with him. That’s all it was.

Roman waited patiently outside of Lazaluf’s office. It wasn’t like her leader to make her wait, she couldn’t help but wonder why. She heard footsteps climbing the stairs, turning to see a familiar, annoyed face. She groaned.

“What are you doing here, Shadowmaster?”

“You know, that’s actually a kinda cool nickname. Thanks.” Virgil spoke with a sneer.

“That’s not answering my question, you know.” Virgil took a seat as far from Roman as possible, crossing his arms and sinking into the chair with a huff.

“Sir Lazaluf called for me, duh.” Roman scoffed.

“He called for me though!”

“He can ask for multiple people, dumbass!”

“But he never calls for you, why would he?” The door swung open, and suddenly their leader was towering over them.

“I did in fact call for both of you, I’ll have you know. Now come in, we have matters to discuss.” Virgil and Roman exchanged a final glare.

“Boujee little bitch.”

“Edgelord supreme.”

They took their seats in front of Lazaluf’s desk, Virgil’s eyes immediately being drawn to the Newton’s cradle, the back and forth of the metal balls calming him somewhat. “So what did you call us here for, sir?”

Lazaluf sighed, leaning against his desk as he looked through one of his many files. “I was asked to send two of my Proxies to retrieve the new Light Seer.”

“There’s a new Light Seer?” Virgil interrupted. “I thought her son wouldn’t inherit her powers for another couple of years!”

“What is a Light Seer?” Roman asked.

“Of course you don’t know what a Seer is.”

“Be polite, Virgil, he’s still somewhat new to our world.” Lazaluf answered. “Seers are some of the most important beings in all the realities. They’re in charge of keeping balance and protecting mortals from seeing our world. Something has happened to my sister Aya. Her palace was ambushed by Verci just last week without any of us outside of her reality knowing. That could be the cause of the Seer passing on her power early.”

“So...you’d like us to find this new Seer and bring them here?” Roman asked.

“Bring him to Akale. He knows much more about this situation than I. I was simply asked to provide the Seer protection on his journey.” Lazaluf handed Roman the file, containing all the information they needed about this new Seer. “Be quick and work as a team, you two. You are dismissed.” The two stood up and gave their leader a polite bow before walking out the door.

“Do we have to work together?”

“Yes, we do. A Seer’s life is on the line.” They walked out of the castle, Virgil grabbing the bow and quiver of arrows he had left at the door and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Why did he request for you to protect him though? Aren’t your powers a bit, ah...unstable?” Virgil’s eye twitched. He took a deep breath.

“Gee Roman, this coming from someone who can summon like a million swords to murder people with?”

“I haven’t killed anyone with it yet!”

“Keyword: yet. You will eventually.”

“See, this is why I don’t like you.”

“Cute that you think I give a shit. Where are we going?” Roman spluttered, searching through the file quickly.

“Uh...Florida.”

“Florida: land of insanity. Sounds about right. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

They didn’t even need an address to spot the Seer’s house; the monsters surrounding it was enough. Virgil sighed, pulling an arrow from his quiver and searching for the tallest perch to shoot from. Roman grinned cheekily, running right into the crowd, swords of blinding white light forming around her.

“Show off.” Virgil mumbled, climbing up the nearest tree and firing his volley of arrows. He tried to keep his attack far from Roman’s, in order to keep from hitting his partner as well as to let her get killed by her own stupidity if she got overwhelmed.

While the crowd of monsters had been rather large, the two had managed to slim it down enough to get through to the new Seer. Virgil picked the front door’s lock while Roman fought off the remaining monsters. He shoved the door open, pulling Roman in and slamming the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Seer?” Roman asked the house. A face poked out from the stairwell, eyes wide with confusion.

“Uh...get out of my house?” The man spoke with a panicked, questioning tone, a baseball bat held in trembling hands. Virgil barricaded the door with a bookshelf, before walking slowly over to the Seer.

“We’re not gonna hurt you, sir. We’re just here to take you somewhere.”

“You two look like teenagers, why do I feel like you’re gonna kidnap me?”

“I mean, it’s not kidnapping if you agree to come with us.” Roman groaned, pushing past Virgil.

“You are awful at explaining things!” She turned to the Seer with a smile. “Sir, we’re here because you’re a Seer, which is apparently a really important thing. We’re supposed to be like your bodyguards, or—” she gasped excitedly, “—or your knights! As your knights, we were asked to protect you!” The Seer blinked, looking back and forth between Roman and Virgil.

“Again, you’re teenagers.”

“And you’re, like, nineteen. You’re not an adult.” Virgil spoke, watching the barricaded door cautiously. “You’re our new Seer. You got that from your mom, who passed her power onto you when she passed out. I’m guessing you’ve been seeing weird stuff like shadows and visions since that happened?” The Seer nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s Seer powers for you.”

“Is that why all those weird monsters are outside?”

“Yep. They wanna either kill you or suck your soul. So let’s maybe go before they can break in and do that?” The Seer looked at the ground, seeming to be questioning his entire existence as he knew it, before standing up and hesitantly joining them.

“What about my dad? He’s not home right now, but—”

“He’s mortal, he’ll be fine.” Roman then bowed dramatically to Thomas, a wide smile on her lips. “It’ll be an honor to protect you, sir.”

“Just Thomas is fine.”

“Then it’ll be an honor to protect you, Thomas.” Virgil cleared his throat loudly.

“Alright, cut the formalities. He’s not a demon or a god, you don’t have to bow to him. Let’s just get the hell out of here before the door gets broken down.”

Thomas let out a small, almost hysterical laugh. “Yeah, that sounds good.” Roman created a few swords of light, Virgil knocked an arrow in his bow, and they charged out.

[sebthesnipe]

Wounded

First // Previously // Next

My Dearest Procyon

Masterpost

MDP Discord Server

Chapter 34

Original story based on this wonderful post by @underdog-arts

“It isn’t working,” Logan huffed, feeling ridiculous.

“It will, just give it time!” Patton sighed. 

“Time is something we’re wasting!” Virgil grumbled from where he sat under a nearby tree. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself as he watched the other two. 

“We’ll be wasting more of it if you don’t stop whining,” Patton shot back with a glare before turning back to his partner. 

Logan sat, legs crossed, on the ashy ground, hands resting on his knees, eyes closed as he focused on his breathing. He could hear Patton shift closer, could feel their bond transfer the dragon’s confidence, so different from his own. 

“All you have to do is reach out, visualize,” Patton urged. 

“Patton,” Logan sighed softly, cracking an eye open to look at him, “Maybe we should try quiet?” Logan offered, causing the dragon to pause before giving an embarrassed chuckle.

“Right, sorry.” Patton nodded, falling silent as Logan tried to return to his meditative state. 

It had been a long while since he had had a vision, since he and Patton met in fact. That of course, was not a vision he wished to dwell on in their current situation. Still, he had to acknowledge the fact that the vision still hadn’t come to fruition, which did not bode well for any of them. 

“Ugh! This is hopeless!” Virgil spat, lifting the corner of the blanket to cover his mouth as he coughed.

“Virgil!” Patton grumbled in response. 

Logan could hear the other witch move to stand, causing Patton to do the same.

“Relax,” Virgil huffed, “I’m just going to scout around a bit while you do…. Whatever.” 

“I’ll go with you,” Patton urgered, stepping around his partner. 

Logan could feel the dragon’s worry without seeing it on his face. He was fairly certain that if allowed, Patton wouldn’t let the smaller witch out of his sight for more than an instant. Virgil was far too fragile in his current state. 

“Fine,” Virgil growled after a moment. “Whatever!”

A moment later, Logan felt the intensity of Patton’s emotions begin to fade as the dragon got further and further away. Finally, silence fell around him. 

Even with the others gone, Logan was still apprehensive. Before Patton, Logan had only been able to see up until he met the dragon and everything beyond that was static. Patton was just too powerful! He blocked out everything else. 

The dragon did have a point though. If he and Logan now shared the same power, then there was no reason Logan shouldn’t be able to have a vision. There was no power gap and therefore nothing to block him. Hypothetically, it could be accurate, but Logan wasn’t quite so convinced. 

The seer tensed as realization struck him. Then again, if his lack of visions were due to the involvement of the dragon, then perhaps he could look towards something the dragon is not a part of. 

Logan took another deep breath, pulling Patton’s magical energy through him. He took another inhale, centering himself before starting. 

Dark blues and blacks swirled around him, reminding him far too much of the night sky as Logan stepped forward. His gentle foot falls made no sound as he collided with the translucent floor beneath him. 

He knew this place…

Lights shifted around him. They appeared to be some sort of star system. Logan knew the patterns.The stars swirled around him, a small loving smile playing on his lips as he reached out for one, causing it to glow brightly.

“Hello, Procyon,” Logan whispered softly, unable to keep the smile from his lips. He lifted his other hand, caressing the star fondly before glancing about his sanctum. “Last time I was here, I had the privilege of sharing you with Patton,” he mumbled, glancing back at the star in his hands. “I believe he has grown quite fond of you. Though, he does seem quite generous in his affections to just about everything,” Logan laughed before pulling away. 

“Um… Logan?” Patton’s voice came, making the man give a small start as he turned on his heel.

“Patton?” Logan mumbled, brows furrowed in confusion as he eyed the man before him. 

Patton appeared saddened by something as he clung to the blanket in his arms. 

“What’s wrong?” Logan rushed, heart sinking. “Has something happened to Virgil?!”

The dragon hesitated. “Roman looks cold,” he commented. 

Logan’s confusion spiked for a moment before realization hit and he couldn’t help but get a small chuckle as Patton glanced away. 

“I just… don’t think it’d be a good idea if I did it,” the dragon replied to some unheard comment. 

Logan took a step closer, examining the smaller man’s form. He should have spotted the lack of pink in the man’s curls immediately, though he supposed he was far too surprised by his presence to really pay attention. 

“C-could you… Could you maybe…” the dragon continued making Logan soften a bit more.

The witch reached out to brush a loose curl behind the dragon’s ear before caressing his cheek. It was a memory. A fond one. Patton had been so worried that Roman hated him and Logan had somehow managed to comfort him.  

Patton moved as if to hold out the blanket he carried before he suddenly disappeared. 

Disappointment washed through the witch at the loss, but he didn’t bother dwelling on it. He needed to continue on. 

He moved further into the swirling blacks and blues,  searching for something that would signal his visions. Anything to give them a clue as to-

His boot landed on the soft blades of grass suddenly beneath his feet.

“Of course,” Patton chuckled. Logan’s gaze shot to the small silhouette of the man stretched out beneath the stars.  “I’ve never met anyone with so much knowledge about what’s out there. I’ve always wondered about it. How could I not?” He turned to the small specks that littered the sky. “They’re the only things that stay the same no matter how old I get.”

Logan paused. Surely he could spare a moment, just a brief minute, to appreciate the scene before him. 

“I don’t remember,” Patton answered the unspoken question from, what felt like ages ago, never pulling his gaze from the stars. “I lost count a long time ago. Why try and figure it out now?”

Logan didn’t need to see Patton’s face to remember the pain he saw there. He still didn’t understand how someone so wonderful could have experienced so much pain without turning cynical. 

The image faded, Logan’s disappointment returning. 

They had been through quite a lot since they had met in that large cave. Logan had gone from not even realizing the dragon existed to being unable to picture his life without him. Patton was everything to him. He was his guiding light. His very own Procyon.

“So far, we’ve only found you and Patton,” Virgil’s voice came, pulling the seer from his thoughts. “Which means we need to keep going. If we can’t find this ‘source’, we’ll never be able to remain human or return home to face that bastard!” The words echoed around him, causing the witch to turn in a circle searching for the other witch. 

“You mean this Noname, guy?” Roman asked, appearing on the floor a few meters off. “He sounds pretty awful.”

“You have no idea,” Virgil replied, appearing next to him. 

This wasn’t Logan’s memory. That was good! It meant that he was getting closer to where he needed to be. He didn’t hesitate to move on, not wanting to invade Virgil’s privacy. 

 “Logan’s different,” Virgil’s voice came, “As a seer, Logan can see the truth; the future truth and the present truth…”

Logan picked up the pace.

“A half-dragon-half-witch that is also a queen?!” Roman suddenly appeared before the seer. Logan paid no mind, jogging through the image without hesitation. 

He kept moving. He needed to get to the end. 

“Virgil!” Roman’s voice cried out as the smaller witch appeared, eyes wide in shock as he stared down at the knife in his torso. 

Logan paused, heart sinking. 

The smaller witch collapsed, the prince suddenly at his side trying to save him. Roman’s first few words fell of deaf ears as Logan watched in horror, regret cementing his feet. 

He should have been there for his friend. He should have stayed with him instead of spending so much time with Patton. 

He watched Roman remove the knife, despite the fact that it would only worsen Virgil’s condition. 

Why hadn’t Logan gone with him! He could have protected him!

“Hey…” Virgil’s weak voice came, finally pulling Logan from his panic. “It’s okay… It’s all good. Ah!... Princey…. Gonna take more… more than…”

Logan wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn’t have time for this!

He forced himself onwards, refusing to look back. 

It was an old injury. He needed to focus on the injuries that were to come, not the ones from his past. If Logan didn’t find answers soon, then Virgil wouldn’t need to worry about any wounds at all. He’d be far beyond them.

The clash of metal on metal pulled Logan from his thoughts, causing him to glance up, gaze searching. 

“Damn it!” Roman’s rough voice came as he appeared before the witch. The usually well kept prince was a horrific mess. His sandy locks were plastered to his forehead with sweat and… was that blood?

Roman yanked his sword back from the soldier on the end of it, suddenly materializing and dropping to the floor. 

“Homuncli,” Logan breathed in relief. Roman was covered in Red clay. 

He watched the prince stumble back, leaning against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. His usually white shirt was caked in the same red dust as everything else. He looked beaten and worn with large bags under his swollen eyes, lip spit, body bruised. 

Roman ripped one of his torn sleeves further, managing to collect a large bit of cloth and pressing it against his opposite shoulder. The fabric quickly darkened with the actual blood Logan had missed, the color blending with the clay. 

Roman was in bad shape. He wouldn’t be able to keep fighting much longer. Still, Logan watched the man push from the wall and stumble onwards.

Concealment no longer mattered. They needed to get to Roman as quickly as possible. If they were lucky they’d be able to get in and get out fast enough that Noname wouldn’t have enough time to actually react. 

It appeared Logan had no choice but to agree to Virgil’s plan.

…………………………………….

Everything hurt. 

Despite it all, it was a welcomed feeling. If he was in pain, then it would be difficult for Roman to fall unconscious, which meant he could keep moving. If he was in pain then he was alive. If he was alive then he could still save Virgil… he hoped. 

The prince pushed onwards, stumbling down another hallway. No guards this time. Good. 

Remy had been right, the place was an absolute maze. He was lucky they were on his side for more reason than-

“Roman?” 

The prince tensed, forcing his sword up, ready to attack as he wheeled around.

“Holy dickcheese, Roman,” Remus breathed in surprise, stepping over another disposed soldier, mace resting on his shoulder. “You look like the dog’s fucktoy.”

“Don’t come any closer,” Roman warned, trying to look as threatening as possible despite his wounded state.

“Roman,” Remus sighed, taking another step.

“I’m serious!” Roman snapped, taking a step back. 

Remus didn’t seem to pay any mind as he continued forward, starting to close the distance between them. 

“What are you going to do, Ro? Kill me?” Remus mocked as he finally reached the other man. 

Roman swung, the motion forcing air from his lungs at the pain it caused. 

Remus didn’t hesitate to lift his own weapon, bringing the mace up to strike against the sword. The force of the blow reverberated down the blade, shaking Roman to the core and causing him to cry out, dropping it and throwing him off balance. 

His twin moved quickly, dropping low and twisting to wrap an arm around his brother’s waist, steading him with one hand, the mace still in the other. 

“What are you doing?!” Roman spat, trying to shove against the other man’s hold.

“What does it look like?” Remus growled in return, “I’m keeping your dumbass from collapsing.”

“I will die before I go back to the dungeons!” Roman yelled, still trying to wiggle out of his hold. “You’ll have to kill me!”

“Ugh!” Remus groaned, letting go and allowing the prince to collapse onto the floor in a very undignified manner. “You’re such a moron! I’m not taking you to the dungeon you dingus!”

Roman groaned, curling in on himself as everything screamed in protest at the impact of his body hitting the floor. 

“Y-you’re not?” he breathed after a moment, glancing up at the other man. 

“No, you idiot,” Remus scoffed. “I came to help, but if we’re going to get out of here, then you need to get that fatass up and keep that trap shut!”

“W-why?” Roman breathed, moving to use the wall to help him stand. 

“Because you talk way too fucking much and its really annoy-”

“No!” Roman snapped. “Why are you helping me?”

“Oh,” Remus blinked before giving a sly grin. “I told you. You’re my bro…. And you’re an idiot. Somebody has gotta look after you. You obviously can’t do it yourself. Besides, what’s an older brother for?” he asked, offering out a hand.

“There is no way you’re older!” Roman argued, hesitating a moment before accepting the offered support. “We’re supposed to be twins.”

Remus considered the words for a moment, moving to pull Roman’s arm over his shoulder and making the prince groan from the action. 

“You’re probably right,” Remus shrugged. “But I’m still older.”

“Whatever,” Roman grumbled, breath hitching as he tried to keep his breathing level. “Let’s just go before I change my mind.”

“So bossy,” Remus grumbled, but complied. He supported the weight of his larger twin as they headed down another corridor. 

To be continued….

Taglist: 

@hiddendreamer67 @nightashes @aequinoctiale @sumersnowlilly

[theforsakenprince]

Frostbitten Chapter 5: The Scorpion Den

Previous Masterlist Next 

Word count: 1777

Warnings: Unsympathetic Remus, Unsympathetic Deceit, murder mention, blood mention (lemme know if I should add anything!)

A/N: hhhh I’m not really proud of this one, but we’re finally getting to actual plot! Hope you enjoy!

“So, you can read minds,”

It was more of a statement than a question. Virgil visibly flinched. “Yes, I can read minds, but for some reason, I can’t read yours.”

Deceit drummed his claws on the wooden table thoughtfully. “I may have a theory about that, actually.”

Virgil waited for him to elaborate. He never did. He decided not to push it. “I can also see the futures that are most likely to happen.”

Deceit leaned across the table towards Virgil. “Oh? Have you had any interesting visions lately?”

Virgil tore his gaze away from Deceit’s. “Not recently. I… haven’t gotten any visions for a while, actually.”

“If you end up getting a vision, do tell me. I’ve always found NightWing powers to be… fascinating.” 

Virgil nodded uneasily. Ever since Deceit had taken him under his (metaphorical) wing, he had been treated with not kindness exactly. It was more a grudging tolerance than kindness. The only thing standing between him and getting driven out was Deceit. It wasn’t the most comforting thing, but he would make the most of it.

“Hey Dee, are you done yet?” someone poked their head around the corner.

“Remus, I thought I told you to get out,” Deceit hissed.

“I know!” Remus said cheerfully. “But you were taking a long time, so I decided to come in anyway!”

Also, I don’t care. Chirped Remus’s mind.

Remus was an assassin for hire and didn’t belong to any one gang, but hung around Deceit’s gang the most.

Virgil groaned inwardly. He didn’t particularly like Remus at first, and liked him even less when he realized his mind was even darker than his words.

Remus turned towards Virgil. “Hey Virgie!”

Virgil scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

Remus didn’t seem phased. “Whatever you say, Virge!” he turned to Deceit. “Has he told you anything interesting yet?”

Deceit sighed. “No interesting visions yet, I’m afraid.”

Virgil’s frown deepened. They were talking about him as if he wasn’t right in front of them! He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, a burst of pain shot through his head and he gasped, stumbling backward.

Deceit was in front of him in an instant, but he barely registered his presence as images crowded his brain:

Hundreds of dragons standing in the courtyard of the SandWing Stronghold and a SandWing standing in the middle, holding up an onyx.

An IceWing on the outskirts of the Ice Kingdom, growling at Virgil and a SkyWing he didn’t recognize.

The same IceWing, this time driving a spear through Deceit’s heart.

“-irgil. Virgil, look at me.” Deceit had his talons on his shoulders, propping him up on his feet. “Were you having a vision?” Virgil slapped Deceit’s talons away and nodded, still shaken by his visions.

“Describe them to me.”

“Deceit,” Virgil looked up, meeting his eyes. “I think- I think you’re going to die.”

Deceit gave no indication that he was shocked. “How? Who kills me?”

Virgil pressed a talon to the side of his head as a name popped into his head. “A-an IceWing named… Frost, I think.”

Deceit drew back and nodded to Remus, who had a dangerous glint in his eyes. He tried to guess what Deceit was thinking. Was he surprised? Scared? It was impossible to tell. The SandWing’s expression was blank as ever.

“Remus, I need to speak with you. Privately,” Deceit said, giving Virgil a meaningful stare.

The message was clear. Virgil headed out the door, pulling his hood over his head.

That dragon looks shifty.

Stupid dragonet.

This water is overpriced, but I don’t want to cause any trouble…

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”

Virgil looked up at the SandWing he bumped into and scowled. “Watch where you’re going.” he moved out of the SandWing’s way and continued down the road toward the market.

After Deceit had told him to leave, he’d headed toward the market, still not entirely certain what he was going to do. He was still shaken by the visions. Was Deceit going to die? And who was that IceWing?

Virgil had to repeatedly remind himself that the visions he was seeing were only the most likely outcomes; if he wanted to, he could change those futures.

“Woah, you okay, kid?”

Virgil stepped back and looked up at the second SandWing he’d run into. He mentally cursed when he realized who it was.

Thorn, leader of the Outclaws, squinted at him and said, “Wait, aren’t you the seer Deceit took in?”

Virgil shrunk back. “How do you know that? How do you know who I am?”

Thorn shrugged. “Word travels fast around here. You’re all I’ve been hearing about from my Outclaws. Most of them don’t like the fact that you’re with Deceit, of all dragons.”

“He saved me from getting robbed. I don’t think he’s that bad.”

“Maybe not. Just don’t get on his bad side.”

Virgil snorted. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

Thorn gave him a curious look. “You know, I could use a seer and a mind reader like you in the Outclaws.”

Virgil widened his eyes.”I-oh, I-I’m sorry I can’t, it’s just-”

She patted him on the shoulder. “It’s fine, completely fine, it’s just… I don’t trust that gang. Just be careful out there, alright?”

Virgil nodded, but Thorn was already walking away, and within moments, she was swallowed up by the crowd, leaving him to ponder her words.

A few days and much pondering later, Virgil found himself back in the building Deceit owned. Deceit hadn’t spoken to him since the day he got the visions, and he was starting to feel anxious.

“Remus, back so soon?” Deceit’s voice came from behind the curtain that separated the rooms. A few moments later, Virgil could see Deceit’s shadow along with a bigger, spikier shadow that was presumably Remus.

“Turns out, I didn’t even need to go all the way up to the Ice Kingdom.” That was definitely Remus’s voice. “I just got that pathetic SandWing to do it.”

“Who? General Scorpion?”

Remus snorted. “She’s hardly what I’d call a general. It took forever to convince her to commit a tiny murder. That IceWing is hardly special! It shouldn’t be hard!”

Virgil’s eyes widened and he suppressed a gasp. They were going to kill Frost for something she might not even do!

Deceit hummed thoughtfully. “It makes sense for the SandWing to do it. After all, what’s one IceWing death in the middle of a war?”

Remus spoke again, and he could hear the glee in his voice. “Nobody’s going to notice!”

Virgil took a deep breath and parted the curtain, stepping into the room. “So you’re going to kill a dragon? Just like that?”

Remus grinned at him. “Sounds like someone’s afraid of a little blood.”

Virgil’s mind flashed back to the moment he had found his mother’s body and remembered the feeling of blood covering his talons. He growled. “I’m just afraid of the fact that you’re willing to kill someone, just like that.”

“Perhaps you forget, Virgil,” Deceit said in a low voice. “but this IceWing is going to kill me if I don’t do anything about it.”

“But she hasn’t done anything wrong yet! She might not even attempt to kill you!”

“I’m not risking my life on a ‘might’.” Deceit replied, a hint of anger entering his voice. “You’ve stated that this future can be prevented. Well, I’m preventing it.”

Virgil shook his head. “You don’t know that! What if- what if Frost escapes and finds out you wanted her dead and that’s why she kills you?” he didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m leaving. To undo your mistake.”

As he walked towards the door, Deceit made no attempt to stop him. Not for the first time, Virgil wished he could hear what Deceit was thinking. His mind, as usual, was blocked by what felt like thorns.

He walked out of the house, ears pricked for any signs of pursuit. He was three yards down the busy street when he heard it.

“Don’t let him get away. I’ll make it worth your while.”

That was his cue. He bolted down the path, shoving other dragons out of his way. He almost headed into a back alley, but decided against it, instead heading for the main street. More dragons meant that it was easier for him to blend in with the crowd.

He pulled his hood up and kept his head down, hoping to blend in with the desert dwelling dragons. Unfortunately, his black and purple scales meant that he stood out like a sore thumb, and within moments, Remus stood in front of him, blocking his escape route.

“Did you think you could just walk out?” Remus flashed him a devious grin. “Not on my watch.”

Before Remus could move, Virgil shoved him against a wall and barreled through a crowd of SandWings. He glanced behind him to see if he was followed, but crashed into something.

Virgil reeled back, rubbing his head. He looked up to see what he crashed into and suppressed a gasp.

The dragon in front of him was bright blue like a SeaWing, but that was where the similarities ended. He had four wings, like a butterfly, and has strange markings under his eyes. A piece of cloth was tied around his neck, and he was readjusting his glasses so they sat comfortably on his snout.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there!” What a strange looking dragon…

That shook Virgil out of his thoughts. “I-I’m sorry, I need to-”

“Woah, slow down!” the strange dragon stopped him as he tried to run. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m being chased.” Virgil gasped for breath, only just realizing how exhausted he was. “I’m sorry, but I really need to go.”

“Hey wait, let’s think this through.” the strange dragon said. “I know a place you can be safe. What’s your name?”

“Virgil,” he supplied as he was gently led to an oasis surrounded by tents. He glanced over his shoulder, but Remus was nowhere to be seen.

“Alright, Virgil, I’m sure you know Thorn by now, right?”

“Yeah. Leader of the Outclaws and all that.”

“Exactly. The Outclaws will protect you, don’t worry.”

As they headed toward the oasis, something occurred to him. “What’s your name?” he glanced at his companion’s strange wings. “And what tribe are you from? You don’t look like you’re from any tribe I know, and you don’t look like a hybrid either…”

“Oh, I’m Patton!” Patton gave him a wide smile, a stark contrast to Remus’s unsettling grin and Deceit’s cruel smirk. “As for what tribe I’m from… well, I hope you like long stories.”

Taglist: @42ndbrokencompass

[icecoldflames]

Fate (Sanders Sides)

Prinxiety

Human AU

Warnings: Mention of death, murder, car accident

---

Roman was courageous. Roman was chivalrous. Roman was brave. Roman was scared of nothing. Roman was a knight in shining armour. Roman was fierce.

Then why was he huddling in his bed, under the covers, the curtains drawn and all of his lights off? 

Roman quietly changed his position, cringing at the creaky sounds the bed made, before going back and watching Frozen on his phone for the fifth time that day.

He was starving but he had eaten all of his snacks he had brought up—bananas, granola bars, chips, apples, old spaghetti. Anything he could find in his fridge and pantry. 

When the movie finished and the credits began rolling, Roman paused the movie and turned off his phone, staring into the dark abyss of his quilt. 

Logan the Seer’s voice rang out in the pure silence that followed. It ran through his body, making goosebumps appear on his skin. His ears rang and his feet began twitching.

“On September 13, 11:59 PM, you will die.”

Roman was not superstitious. At least not for fortune tellers and seers. But Logan was different. He was a true seer, able to see one’s past, present and future.

He had been hesitant when he first began scheduling appointments with Logan. But after time, everything Logan predicted came true.

Roman was going to have a massive positive change in his life? He got a call back for a stage show he had auditioned for.

Roman was going to meet someone new and fall in love? He met Virgil at a vinyl store and they were coming up on their third anniversary since they started dating.

Roman was going to loose someone he loved? His uncle died.

Roman was going to travel in the upcoming year? He went to Greece and Rome with Virgil and Patton, his friend since elementary school.

Everything Logan said came true. So, on this Friday the 13th, Roman was trying to do the impossible. Trying to escape fate. He wasn’t prepared to die. He was too young. He had so many things ahead of him. He wanted to act more! Travel more! He couldn’t do any of that if he was dead.

So, leading up to the Friday, he stockpiled snacks, bought movies on his phone. And, on the day of, he texted his friends and family that he was feeling incredibly sick and that he would be staying in his house for the entirety of the day.

According to Roman’s phone, it was 9:30 pm. He was so close. Two and a half more hours to go until he could crawl out and triumphantly tell Logan that he had beat fate.

He ignored his hammering heart, his dry throat, and his clammy hands.

That was when his phone beeped from a text.

It was from Logan. Weird. Logan only ever texted him to confirm his weekly appointments.

Virgil is on Second Ave. and a drunk driver is coming his way. He is going to die at 9:36 PM tonight.

Then a second text:

Just thought you ought to know.

Roman didn’t even think. Didn’t even give the signal to his body to start running. All he knew was that his legs were running and his brain was set on Second Avenue.

He banged open his front door, causing a nearby dog to start going ballistic.

Roman ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He tried to stay as aware as he possible could so he wouldn’t get run over by a vehicle while trying to save Virgil from certain doom.

He patted for his phone in his pocket and quickly turned it on to check the time. 9:33. Three more minutes and he still had to run down two and a half streets that were all quite long.

No, he wouldn’t make it. Roman slowed down so his mind could speed up. Diagonal. That was his answer. The home-owners on these streets wouldn’t mind that he was trespassing; he was saving a valuable human life!

Roman took off in the direction of Second Avenue, jumping over fences and swerving to miss pools. A dog leashed in someone’s backyard almost made him scream but soon he was on the half street and he could make out Virgil’s familiar gait in the distance.

“Virgil!” Roman yelled out into the night and the figure stopped abruptly. 

“Roman?” Virgil said. “I was just on my way to your place. What are—”

“Where are your reflective bands? What have we talked about about safety at night?” Usually Virgil was the safety rabbit of the two of them but as soon as he started dating Virgil he wanted Virgil to be extra cautious when walking in the dark with those noise-cancelling headphones of his.

“I—” Virgil started but Roman saw the head lights coming at them at an excessively extreme speed. With the lights swerving down the street, Roman only thought. 

The lights approached them rapidly and he lifted Virgil up and ran to one side of the road, laying him down on grass. He blocked Virgil with his own body and violently shut his eyes. “I love you,” he murmured under his breath.

And then everything went black.

---

He was being moved and voices were yelling at each other. They all sounded muffled and Roman’s vision was black. But one sentence broke out of the muffle: “did anyone see the driver?”

---

There was beeping and Roman smelled hospital. Someone was holding his hand. “I’m sorry sir, but the doctors and nurses need to—” The voice was so familiar but Roman couldn’t place it.

The hand left go and Roman’s hand dropped like stone. “—I understand,” Virgil’s voice said and Roman could hear his footsteps leave the room. 

Roman heard the doctor’s footsteps near his bed and soon he could feel his breath on his neck. It was then that he recognized the doctor’s voice: Logan the Seer. 

His blood went cold and he managed to open his left eye. Roman could only see blurry colours—a big blob in the centre of his vision.

“I’m sorry, Roman. But it had to be done.”

And Roman’s vision went black once again. And this time he didn’t wake back up.

[inkribbon796]

Like a House of Cards Ch. 4: Meanwhile in Forced Vacation Land

Summary: While the battle rages outside, Dark is forced to take a vacation he never wanted to take.

A/N: . . . And now for something, completely different . . .

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Down in the south Atlantic — or at least a very accurate copy of it — was a large luxury cruise ship. Dozens of people milled about on the deck, families played in the large top deck water slide and pool.

And up in the dining area there was amongst the sparse crowd, a family setting in the shade and enjoying the comforting breeze shielding them from the scalding sun and heat.

“Lunky, come on,” King tried to convince his child to eat some more human food. So far the spawnling could be convinced to eat something on a good day but anything else they turned their nose at.

Today Lunky didn’t want to even try food he normally enjoyed.

“Keep trying, they’ll eat some eventually,” Dark smiled, swirling a glass of red wine as he sat back in his crisp white suit. He was looking as calm and composed as ever — despite not feeling it for a second.

“Hopefully,” King smiled, watching Lunky turn around in their chair and look over at Mini who was talking with Iplier and the Host in the next table over. Lunky let out a little screech and Mini turned to look at them. “Yeah, you two can go off, just don’t play near the water or edge of the ship.”

Lunky made an excited, happy steak and raced off with Mini, the spawnling running right over Illinois who was laying on a bench next to Eric. Illinois coughed when his nephew used his stomach as a springboard. He glared after Lunky, taking off his sunglasses. Then he rolled his eyes and stood up to walk over to Dark, the Host stood up to follow him.

“Your kid’s a pill, bro, you know that?” Illinois told King in a good natured tone. “To quote Anti, “a real fookin’[1] ankle bitter” and all.”

“Yeah?” King began to retort back, “when you’re up for 24 hours with a kid we can talk about it. Or, you know, you get fifty newborn kittens.”

“Right, whatever, baby bro,” Illinois rolled his eyes, reaching over to rough up King’s hair but King began batting and pushing him away.

Then Illinois looked around, “Where are the others?”

Dark took a sip of his wine, “Well ever since that Brazilian dance troupe came on Bim wanted to hunt one, Yan wanted to stalk one, and your father wanted to take one out for drinks; so when they might be down three members by the next show.”

“My dad, yeah right,” Illinois grumbled, his tone firm.

The Host smiled, “If the Host’s family will excuse him, he has business to attend to for a second or two.”

“Host,” Dark called out, before his eldest could walk away. “Thanks again, this vacation was unexpected.”

The Seer smiled warmly, “It was the least the Host could do.”

And then the Host walked off, knowing he had duties to still perform, a gamble to emerge victorious in.

The Host knew that the Entity was confused and shaken because unlike any other “bootleg anomaly field trip” as the King of the Squirrels liked to call them, this luxurious cruise was not the Entity’s doing.

It was the Host’s. A tentative bubble of protection that was designed to placate and entertain the main inhabitants like rats in an observation tank. The Host was one of those rats, but that was beside the point.

With a slow and casual stride, as if his whole world was not poised to collapse around his ankles, the Host strode to the other side of the ship from the Entity, opened a cabin door and walked inside.

His aura melded with the anomaly’s, taking on a dark color rather than his swirl of words. His eye sockets began bleeding. Then he opened the door he’d walked into, the outside just a mass of black aura and the Seer reached in to the swirling mass with two hands and pulled two things out: a blue solid state drive with three charms attached to it — one of the charms was hanging broken with the other two sleeping charms — and the second thing he pulled through was Roman.

The instant the creative Side was through the door it shut and the black aura dissipated and Roman’s sword and shield clattered to the ground.

“The Host greets Roman, and wishes for him to know that he is now safe,” the Host greeted.

“Ughh, where am I?” Roman groaned in disorientation.

“South Street, Egoton,” the Host answered. “But however it currently has the appearance of a south Atlantic cruise. Would the creative Side like some mimosas, maybe a cocktail with a little umbrella styled like a pride flag?”

Roman looked downright panicked, “Very kind, I will take you up on such a glorious idea in the future. But I must find Virgil, I must find Logan, and . . .”

The Side trailed off, realizing something, “Oh great Caesar’s ghost! Patton! What happened to Patton? He was supposed to pick us up.”

“The emotional Side is unharmed and resting,” the Host reassured and Roman looked instantly relieved. He reached down to pick up his sword and shield.

“Very well,” Roman sheathed his sword. “I shall journey far and wide to find him, and wake such a dashing gent from his slumber with a beautiful and stunning ballad of our love.”

“As much as the Host would enjoy watching such an act, he would like to inform him that the remaining Core Sides are all here,” the Host held up the drive for emphasis.

“Where?” Roman froze and looked at the drive, “Wait, this was on Logan’s desk when I walked in to find that fiend in there.”

The Host smiled and held up the drive. He pressed his palm to the center of the drive. The drive emitted a harsh blue glow before the energy seemed to be pushed out of it and the drive turned grey and Logan fell out of the blue energy. The logical Side shaking and wide-eyed.

Roman was on him in an instant, wrapping his arms around him, “Logan, my sweet darling, are you harmed?”

“No!” Logan screamed and flinched away in panic the instant Roman’s hand touched him.

Flinching back, Roman held onto his hand as if Logan had slapped him.

“It’s too much right now, please don’t touch me,” Logan didn’t look him in the eye, his voice was weak and shaky.

“Of course, of course,” Roman immediately wrapped them around his arms. “Whatever you need.”

Logan just stared at the floor for a bit before rubbing his hands on the cheap carpet. Then he rubbed his face in the carpet and let out a shuddering breath.

“This is real, right?” Logan asked.

“Pretty sure,” Roman sat next to him.

The Host took the remaining two charms off the drive, the golden heart locket and the thundercloud, and held them out for Roman. “Patton and Virgil are sleeping, and will not remember their captivity. They cannot feel anything.”

“Good,” Logan blurted out, almost like he was forcing the words out of his throat, he was still lying on the ground. “Good. That’s good. That’s a relief.”

Roman took the charms.

Then the Host walked toward the cabin door, “the Host will give the Sides a moment to themselves. They will need it, and should they need help with anything they can call out to the Host.”

After a quick nod from Roman, the Seer left the cabin and headed back to the main dining area where Dark still was, making sure to pick up Yan, Bim, and Wil on his way.

For a bit the two Sides sat in silence, the only motion was the occasional dipping and bobbing of the ship.

“Lo?” Roman tried to prod again.

“10 hours, 47 minutes, and 16 seconds,” Logan’s voice was almost choked with tears. “He kept me in that thing for all that time. He never let me out, and made me feel every second of it. Putting things inside my head. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t sense, and was only aware of the passage of time.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Roman felt his eyes growing wet.

At that point Logan weakly pulled himself over to lay his head on Roman’s lap, entwining one of Roman’s hands with his own.

Logan clutched onto Roman’s hand like it was an anchor, and started to cry, “You’re so warm.”

“I’m here, Lo,” Roman offered, taking his other hand and carding it through Logan’s hair.

The logical Side let out a shaky breath. “He told me people were going to die, he threatened me and told me that if I didn’t listen to him, you and Virgil were going to die.”

“I’m not dead, my sweet,” Roman bent down to gently kiss Logan’s head holding him as he cried. “I’m here now, my dear nerdy. I’m not leaving you.”

Logan nodded, as Roman looked at the charms again.

“We should get them out,” Roman decided.

No!

They’re sleeping.

Keep them safe.

None of these thoughts came from Logan, but they were inextricably his all the same.

“Let’s wait until he’s gone,” Logan forced out, in an almost desperate panic. “I don’t want him to harm them. I just want . . . I . . . Those thoughts aren’t mine. They’re his. What did he do to me?”

Logan sat up and Roman gently kissed his forehead.

“Maybe we get Patton out here and all four of us talk about things,” Roman offered. “And then we can figure out what to do?”

Hesitantly, Logan nodded and the two Sides broke open the locket and the thundercloud charm. With two soft clouds of light, Virgil and Patton came back and the two Core Sides were once four again, as the dome silently covered them from the chaos raging in the rest of the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations

1. fucking