#I mean even Cassius was like “young love”

[something-random18]

UNRAVELED MINOR SPOILER

Keefe, honey. Your crush is NOT silly, NOT unrequited, and in fact, NOT even a crush. It's serious, requited love. You are IN LOVE with her you idiot, and have been for years. And though you don't know it yet, Foster's finally in her senses and she's chosen you.

[spaceyaceface]

Gaunt Family Headcanons

Hi I have thought way too much about Ominis and his immediate family, and have come up with entire personalities and lives for each of them and how they interact with Ominis, so please enjoy this info dump.

Warnings: Abuse, cruelty, murder, suicide...

Cassius Gaunt - The Father

The name in Latin means "hollow" or "vain". Born in 1836. He was an intimidating man. When both of his parents died, he was left with the family fortune---or what was left of it. He forbade his sister Noctua from touching a single knut of the squandered wealth, and it was only because she didn't argue she ever stayed in good graces. He took a young bride, one of his second cousins, the moment her parents deemed her old enough to marry. A blood purist to the core, he wanted to make sure his children all knew the importance of the blood in their veins---the blood of Salazar Slytherin.

He had a desperate need for control, one that overtook him completely. As he children grew, he was quick to anger and 'correct' them in their mistakes. Magic was often used as punishment, and he was an expert of bending his children to his will. He encouraged competition between them, challenging them who could learn dark spells the fastest, preform them the best---but always favored his eldest. It was his worst kept secret.

His youngest, on the other hand... He had no love for. Whatever short supply he'd been born with had been used on the others already, and when Ominis was born, born blind, he had no sympathy. Of course, he tried to control him, just like the others. But he hardly mattered, in the long run. As long as he stayed in line, bowed down to his unyielding hand, there wouldn't be a problem.

Aurora Gaunt - The Mother

The name Aurora is the Roman goddess of daybreak. Why this name? It's so in contrast with Noctua. Born in 1847, Aurora was a young wife. Merely 16 when Cassius laid claim on her. She was an unfit mother. Manipulative to the highest degree. She could do no wrong---she was sure to make that clear. Any wrong movement could lead to an outburst of yelling or tears.

Ominis had not been expected. She wasn't planning on another child. But she adored the attention of being pregnant again, so she played the part of an happily expecting mother. When he was born, all hell broke loose. She screamed and fretted, and she was sure they tried everything---everything to cure his blindness. It was to no avail. When she realized that would be how it was, no matter what, she once again played a part---this time of the overly worried mother of the small pitiful blind boy.

She would tell Ominis how lucky he was to have her as a mother, how any other woman would have thrown him out, left him for dead. He was so dreadfully difficult to raise, she'd tell him. She loved him, she said, even if no one else ever would.

Marvolo Gaunt - The Eldest

The name "Marvolo" implies something "marvelous." "Volo" can also be taken as "I want", and in combination, may be read "I want to be marvelous." Born in 1865, he was the oldest of the Gaunts, and therefore, the promised heir of all their wealth. This led to him taunting and belittling his siblings constantly. In his eagerness to please his father, he quickly mastered dark spells and wasn't shy about using them---even on his kin. He was biding his time, a spoiled and cruel child, just waiting for the wealth to be his.

If only there was any wealth to be had.

By the time he came of age, it had all been spent. They had to start selling things, letting go of servants, just to keep the manor. His whole life he had been trained and told to be the perfect heir of the Gaunts, that he would live a life in luxury from his name alone. The cruelty and anger that had always been within him grew stronger and stronger.

It was a relief for Ominis when Marvolo found a cousin to take to wife and left the house, as he had been experiencing the brunt of his anger. His wife died after the birth of his second child, Merope, a fact he held against his daughter for the rest of his life.

Calidus Gaunt - The Second

The word "Callidus" in Latin means clever---a trait that the second son had plenty of. Born in 1867, he grew and discovered he was second in everything. Nothing he did was ever enough to please their father, and he grew to resent everyone in his house.

His cruelty wasn't as outward and bold as Marvolo's. Instead, it was carefully plotted. He'd sow seeds to arguments, spreading lies and rumors and watching from afar as the others came crumbling down. He grew to love the chaos he started, and it became his specialty.

He especially loved making Ominis's life harder in any way he could. It was easy to take frustrations out on him---he was so helpless when he was young.

Soon, Calidus moved out, determined to start life on his own. Like his brother, he took another cousin to wife. He used his skills in cheating and lying to start a shady business, and found success. The money he earned fueled his drinking, a habit he had picked up after marriage. He was the first of the Gaunt siblings to die. No one had heard from him in a while, nor his wife. A few short years after their marriage they were found dead in their bed. It was chalked up to a shady deal gone wrong. No one was ever charged for their murders.

Vidia Gaunt - The Dearest

The name Vidia stemmed from the word "Invidia", meaning "envy" in latin. Born in 1868. As the only daughter, she was treated differently. She wasn't pushed as hard to become anything, to be anyone. But she took after her brothers nonetheless.

Like her mother, she quickly learned that her emotions were the key to getting what she wanted. She threw tantrums like no other, feeling a constant need for attention. She was the youngest for quite some time---and she reveled in it. It wasn't a surprise that she hated Ominis from the moment he was born.

He took her attention from their mother. While she wasn't cruel with her actions, she used her words, belittling him and blaming him for everything that went wrong.

When she was whisked away and married off to a pureblood family, she was desperate for children. But that never happened. She was never able to conceive. Her husband was killed in a duel about 10 years after their marriage, and she was suddenly utterly alone. The small house she called home burned down in a bright blaze late one night, and judging from the way her burnt corpse was sat comfortably in her armchair, it was ruled as a suicide.

Ominis Gaunt - The Unwanted

"Ominis" is Latin for "Omen." Born in 1875, seven years after the next youngest, it was made clear from a very young age that he was a mistake. This, in combination with his blindness, made it feel as if the whole world was against him. In most ways, it was.

There was only one small bit of hope in his life---his Aunt Noctua.

He allowed her to change him. To steer him off the dark path his siblings had walked down. He had decided from a young age that he didn't want to be anything like them---Noctua's help was all he needed to follow through with that. She taught him the difference between wrong and right, and he forever regretting the wrong he had inflicted on others when he felt powerless.

He refused to be cruel. Refused to lead with hate, or envy, or pride. He wanted to be good. So he was.

He disowned his family name, taking the name Sallow because that was the only family he had ever known.

Bonus - Aunt Noctua - The Savior

The word "Noctua" means "Night Owl" in Latin. Everything that Aurora, the day, was, she was the opposite. The days that Aurora declared she's had enough, she was done trying to raise such a difficult child, Noctua would take Ominis into her home and remind him that he was worth more than he could ever know.

She taught him to read braille. To use that spell with his wand. To live. To love.

She tried to help each of the Gaunt children---but none of them would listen. None besides Ominis. She poured her soul out to him, determined not to let this child slip away like the others had.

Noctua never married. She disappeared, and her brother couldn't be bothered to look for her. But she'd left her mark on Ominis, a mark that would live with him always.

ANYWAYS there's my info dump, thanks for reading. This is the version of the Gaunt family I have for my Ominis fic Safety, and while I'm only touching on bits and pieces of it in the fic itself, I wanted all the thoughts and plans I'd made to go somewhere so here you go lol.

[ask-artsy-oncie]

The children of Laios and Kabru! My first drawing of them was as very young children but I always find it much easier and more fulfilling to design more grown versions of characters because they have more developed personalities that can show through! In this case they're all fully grown here, with the eldest being 20 and the youngest being 16. (I'm also a dumbass and meant to put "first queen regent", not simply "first queen")

Some more about them under the cut

The name "Kilala" came up when I was looking for names related to "Ambrosia", because I think Laios would hear that Marcille's staff is named something that means "food of the gods" and fall in love with the concept and want that name for his kid, to the chagrin of everyone in his immediate vicinity. I imagine Kabru would attempt to compromise by looking into names with similar meanings.

They all inherited monster features from Laios, mostly subtle things like heightened senses and fangs and claws, but then Cassius was born with a tail (resembling one of the two Laios had in his monster form). He'll grab onto it as a nervous tick but for the most part I don't think he actually likes having a tail. It singles him out, since his sisters all have much subtler features than he does, and he's not the kind of person who likes being the center of attention. Sometimes he hides his tail in one of his pant legs so he doesn't have to think about it.

Laios and Kabru planned on having three kids because Laios is vehemently against the idea of adhering to the tradition of "first born son has to be the successor". He lived that, and he hated having that loom over him. So if he has to have kids, and one of them has to succeed him, he'd rather it be whichever kid ends up wanting it, rather than having it be decided for them. Ergo, multiple kids leaves more chances that one of the kids actually wants to be the next monarch. Three sounded reasonable so that's what they planned for, but then the third "child" turned out to be twins.

And yeah, as it states above, Cassius did not want to be king. Luckily for him, Kilala was more than willing to follow in her dad's footsteps.

They call Laios "dad" and Kabru "papa".

I don't actually know if Kabru would be able to pass down the gene for his blue eyes or the gene for his family's brown eyes, since his eye color is a genetic mutation. Gave the kids a mix of both for variety more than anything.

Kilala's hair is on the redder side due to Laios's mother's red hair. Meanwhile, Pamina looks more like Kabru's mom.

Melora is often in work clothes and wears her hair short because she's working with metal so often, but she does have moments when she wears fancier clothing, she's not opposed to it by any means. She just takes care of her nicer clothing, unlike Pamina, who will only really do as much as roll up her skirt and/or sleeves to protect her dresses.

Pamina is immensely comforted by the smell of gardenias (and as a kid even wistfully thought of having her name changed to Gardenia) and carries around a vial of perfume of it. She also, maybe paradoxically, loves the smell of dogs. I imagine the castle has plenty of dogs living in it by the time the kids are born, and she can often be found with her face pressed up against one.

Pamina and Cassius are the only ones of the four who end up having kids of their own.

Kilala is a horrible liar and would regularly get herself and her siblings in trouble by virtue of not being able to hide their troublemaking. Kabru insists that being an honest ruler is a strength she can utilize rather than focusing on her inability to convincingly lie.

When Kilala and Cassius were young children, like shortly after the twins were born, Kabru would try to get them to mask their autistic traits. Eye contact and "fidgeting" was a big problem for the both of them. The first major fight Laios and Kabru had as parents had to do with this, because Laios did not want to pressure his kids to be "normal" the way he and Falin were, while Kabru specifically wanted his kids to be prepared and protected against being ostracized like he was. They both wanted to protect their kids, but had completely opposing ways to go about this. Ultimately, I think, the kids ended up being taught how to mask but aren't outright pressured to do so.

[timetravellibrarian]

Zoro x reader

Summary: A man seeks to follow his dreams, following only the path his swords carve for him and wherever his crew goes. Little does he know that the missing piece in his life, his soulmate whom he doesn't admit that he tries to seek would end up in a love-hate relationship. Wherein a princess and pirate cross paths.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Five

____________________________________

Chapter Four

Dance lessons, decor planning, seating arrangements, guests, food, guards, flowers, attire fittings and so much more. That was what filled your schedule the past few weeks. The wedding had been delayed by another month due to extreme weather's that had balegan in the region but now preparations were at full swing.

You sat in the women's bathhouses releasing the stress and tension in your shoulders in the steaming hot water. Lyra had been dismissed for the day to attend to family matters leaving you to peruse the places a princess was allowed to be in the kingdom. Meaning no visits to the sea.

Secretly you were hoping to catch a break from it all. The questions like " How do you feel now that you're getting married?" and statements such as "Congratulations,my lady." You were getting tired of seeing prince Cassius attending to your every step and move like a love-struck puppy.

No offence to the man ofcourse , he was lovely. He brought flowers almost all the time he met you. He littered your hand with soft kisses when ever he'd greet. He'd humour you with tales of his upbringing as well as asked to know more about you. He was everything a maiden would dream of. But in your eyes it felt like a farce.

You didn't even know how to explain it. Like that feeling in your body that gives you warning signals about people. Sometimes they were wrong, most times they were right.

You hoped to whatever high power that was out there that you were wrong.

"Fancy seeing you here." Your older sister, Ophelia, broke you out of your thoughts. She was like the carbon copy of your mother. Dutiful, kind, obedient and gorgeous. She deserved the best. Why couldn't she marry Cassius? She is the eldest daughter and is far more graceful than the young woman who sits on precarious rocks just to stare longingly at the ocean.

"I got tired of people stripping me bare to fit me into wedding dresses."

Ophelia held in a laugh," You make it sound like it's torture." She settled into the water, making sure her hair didn't touch the wet surface.

"Picture getting naked infront of a bunch of strangers." You reached out for the small cup of sake you decided to treat yourself with.

She frowned," We are forbidden from drinking."

You downed the cup infront of you and poured yourself another,"Hasn't stopped me, has it?"

"I swear that tolerance of yours is just as high as father's, maybe even worse." She moved closer and stole the bottle, placing it far from your reach, much to your chagrin. "What's got you in such a stupor– you gave her a look–besides the whole wedding situation?"

Before the words of complaint could even leave your lips you refrained. If you told her what you truly felt it wouldnt change much, maybe she might report to mother. Then you'd be scolded for not being grateful at being married to such a kind prince.

"The weather. It's been looking rather awful." You sighed and looked away, the bottle looking quite comforting as it sat out of your reach.

"That doesn't make sense."

You looked her in the eyes, "Some day it will, I just don't know when." Standing up from the water you grabbed a towel and the your bottle and left the place, making sure to leave the place decent.

Damn, I miss Lyra.

_________________________________________

It was yours and Prince Cassius wedding.

Celebrations, well-wishers, and sexual innuendos thrown by that one uncle. Happy times.

"Lyra, get me another bottle please." You whispered to your trusted handmaiden and friend.

"It's not that bad ,my lady!" She chuckled.

Noble men, women,and honoured guests were feasting. The bards played songs of victory about past battles and later sang love songs to soothe everyone's hearts.

"A TOAST TO MY GORGEOUS DAUGHTER!" A half drunk king yelled," MY PRIDE AND JOY!" Everyone cheered with him and downed their drinks in one go. Mother shook her head with a smile before throwing a wink at you and mouthing "We love you."

Honestly seeing your father drunk was both concerning and heartwarming. Concerning because he never could get drunk with his alcohol tolerance. Heartwarming because he said what he truly felt about his family. About you. Then again there were times when he'd be violent, arguing with his advisors. Then other amusing times when he had refused to sit next to your mother because , to quote, "I LOVE MY WIFE ONLY WOMAN! DONT TEST MY PATIENCE!" which had occured years ago. He thought mother was trying to seduce him but he refused thinking she was another woman.

Now he was yelling blessings like a proud man. Mother took a small sip of her wine beside him, making sure that atleast one of them was a bit sober. That sound decisions could be made.

Your brothers; Amav and Kyro, twins , were dancing with a few ladies, sharing some funny jokes. Their eyes crinkling as they laughed. Ophelia sat beside mother like a dutiful daughter, not taking a sip of the drink in front of her. But she definitely was enjoying the cake. Rhen, the youngest of you all, only ten, was busy climbing on father's chair to try and take a sip of his drink only to be taken away by Lyra who scolded him on his actions.

Maybe getting married wasn't so bad. Maybe life would get better from now and for years to come. You felt an uneasy feeling, the mark at your wrist stinging. Maybe your soulmate was hurt? It's not disappearing so he's not dead.

Forgive me my love, I may have left you before I could even learn to love you

"Berry for your thoughts, my bride?" Cassius asked, his right hand linking with your left. His gaze falling to yours, eyes bright. Lips smiling. The same lips you had kissed when you said your vows. The man you'd be bound to for eternity, not by fate but by law.

You smiled," It's a wonderful day. The kingdom rejoices. No wars to be fought. It's perfect."

"And how are you? You speak of everything else but yourself, darling." He brought a spoon with cake to your lips. You ate it.

"To be fair, this arrangement felt so sudden. I have yet to learn who Cassius from Arkland is and he is yet to know me." The music faded as the two of you conversed. Dancing had begun and soon your mother and father were on the dance floor and Cassius' parents.

"You have yet to learn about me, my bride." He stood up, offering his hand,"For now you can learn about my exceptional dance skills."

You hesitate,"That's a start I guess." And he whisked you away, carrying you bridal style towards the middle of the ballroom and gently placing you on your feet.

His right hand went to your waist, his left holding onto your hand and soon he led you across the floors to the rhythm of the song.

The crowds of guests had stood aside, watching the two of you as if the both of you were a fairytale. Like you were meant for each other, like soulmates.

A wolf whistle could be heard coming from the crowd," THATS MY SISTER!!" Kyro yelled, a proud smile on his features. Amav hit him over the head before he could embarrass himself further. "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" He yelled, forgetting his earlier intentions and screaming his heart out.

You nearly laughed at the sight.

"We may have started off as strangers, my lady. Trust me when I say I was against the idea of suddenly marrying a woman and trying to get to know her for a few months." Cassius admitted , his breath fanning your neck sending goosebumos down your spine.

"You and I both then."

The music crescendos and he spun you around before lifting you into the air and placing you back down gently. "But now that I've seen you. Now that I know your gentle heart. I can't help but fall into the abyss of a foreign feeling. "

You kept up with his pace, moving in and out before spinning again. Your dress billowing around you. You took note of his wording. Smiling up at him as he smiled at you. Only letting the false smile go when your back was to him.

Lyra watched as the both of you danced like two swans in a lake. It was clear to her that Cassius was leading. She saw all those dance lessons making her lose hope in your sense of rhythm.

Her eyes went to see Cassius' mother and father. They hadn't drunk the wine at all throughout the wedding. Maybe they were abstainimg from it? No. It was something more. Lyra herself liked to indulge in a drink or two but since her lady was keeping those drinks occupied throughout the wedding she decided to be sober in the case of making sure no one took advantage. Not even her husband. She held little Rhen by the hand, leading her toward the exit to get her changed since some food had stained her dress. She passed a coughing attendant and handed her a glass of water. "Are you alright?" She knelt down and gave her a napkin seeing an alarmingly red substance get wiped off when the woman let go of the napkin. "Blood...?"

"Do you want to know what that feeling is my love?" Cassius whispered back to you. It was like he was sharing a secret nobody had to know but you. An intimate secret.

He pulled you in, grip gentle but firm. You furrowed an eyebrow, moving in a bit closer to try and hear him over the music. "What is it, if I may ask."

He went in, giving you a soft kiss on the lips. Once they parted, he kissed your temple. "Guilt my love. As much love as I may harbour for you, I doubt it would be enough for you to reconsider and forgive me."

Your eyes looked into his, the music blocking out almost everything going on around you. Almost.

Coughs had erupted from everyone. The results of their coughing dripping down slowing from their lips, eyes wide in fear and shock.

"GET A DOCTOR!" Ophelia had yelled, trying to get your collapsed father from the floor. You mother had tears in her eyes, tears of pain. On the other side of the crowd lay Amav and Kyro unmoving. Their hands held tightly together from trying to previously pick each other up once the other had collapsed. Their lips coated in blood.

It was something out of a nightmare. Blood splattered every where, on the floor, on the table. Your eyes widened in horror.

"What did you do?!" You tried to push against Cassius chest to try and assist your family. To try and save your guests.

"I don't like it at all. But mother says it's the most effective method." He said, no longer whispering in your ears . "Painless."

Lyra's eyes widened and quickly she ran and pulled Ophelia away from the dead bodies of her mother and father. Rhem was frozen in shock , being pulled away by Lyra.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Her eyes went to her friend, to you. She'd promised herself she would save you later. That she'd make sure to get you back alive. First she had to get the royals in her care out if harm's way.

Tears cascaded down your cheeks as you begged for Cassius to let you go. Your heart unable to take the loss of your family and friends. You pushed and kicked but it was as if he felt nothing. All your strength had left you, and not even the buzz of the alcohol in your system could numb the hurt.

"YOU MONSTER!!!!"

He hushed you, placing your head on his chest as you cried. Your voice faded into a whisper, "You monster!?"

True to what you had thought , promises are merely words used to appease fools. A wedding to unite families. A promise. Everyone was a fool.

_________________________________________

Zoro woke up in a cold sweat, his eyes searching the room. Everyone was asleep in their beds, fully knocked out from all the fighting they had done in Enemies Lobby. He stood up and headed for the bathroom.

His hands held the sink as if he was trying to steady himself. Zoro looked in the mirror. Locks of green strewn all over his forehead, dark circles under his eyes, heartbeat going to fast. What the hell was happening? It's like his heart was shattering into pieces but he didn't know why. From what he knew, he thought the mark on his wrist was just there to tell himwho his soulmate was. What's with all the random emotions?

"Are you alright Zoro?" Robin's voice broke him out of his thoughts. She had a cup of tea in her hands.

The swordsman nodded, though it wasn't believable to the woman."I'm guessing it's your soulmate?"He stayed silent before turning on the tap and washing his face to try and wake up.

"I may be able to help you. If you want me to..." She offered. Ever since she had joined the Strawhats she felt safe, happy. The thought of them getting hurt because of her past had scared her. Made her surrender to CP9. Now she had been rescued from the World Government's clutches thanks to her friends, her family.

Zoro deleted his pride for the moment, thinking about the pro's and cons of opening up the shell that is his soulmate. "Yeah,"

They found themselves outside, Zoro facing the waves as they lapped against the ship. Robin took a seat at one of the chairs that had been left outside. She took a sip of her tea.

"So..."

"So?"

"What do you wanna know, Swordsman.?"

Zoro stood silently, thinking about whether or not he would want to ask the question. The crew would tease him if they found out how much he really cared about whoever he was connected to. That he would be willing to die for them. He grew up with the mark as a reminder that he wasn't alone out here in this great big world. Now he was never alone with this crew. But what about the person he was meant to love?is she alone?Does she have a family?

"Do soulmate marks get you physically?" He didn't know how to word the question.

"Well, according to research made for centuries, your type of mark does infact connect you to your soulmate, anything like strong emotions and injuries, though those are faint when felt." She answered, adjusting her gown due to the cold wind.

"What does it mean if it actually felt really painful?"

Robin hesitated then looked at him, "Then it must be something extremely traumatic or extreme happiness."

Zoro frowned, there was no f-ing way that the feeling he felt was happiness. It was a feeling of broken hopes. Hurt. Mourning.

"And is there a way we can trace where my soulmate mark is bonded to?"

Robin shook her head, a small frown on hsr face.

Zoro sighed, maybe it truly was up to fate to bring both you and your love together and judgkng by how the mark is slightly faint anything could happen.

@chillerkiller

@mars-mizuko

@mythicallystupid

@bi-narystars

@urbisexualfriend

[gamerbearmira]

Hello resident evil Au person here! Thank you so much for responding and the art work it looks amazing! Sorry for not responding sooner but I was thinking about your idea of the family tree! And I agree with you that the family tree would be different but that instead of Mirabelle being at the top it has Miranda the five Lords below her and then mirabel's family connected through her the normal way that way there's a constant reminder of mirabel's connection to Miranda and the other Lords.

I also realized I didn't put the ages for the three boys and how they turned into what they did when Miranda gives the boys to Mirabel to experiment on they were three almost four years old they were given to Miranda by their parents ( they are biological siblings and are actually triplets) in Donna's section of the village as a sacrifice to her. The experiment that they go through basically sees Miranda taking a small bit of the cadou inside of Mirabel and putting it inside the three boys hearts and then having Mirabel wrap them into cacoons where they basically melt (because that's what happens when Mirabel cacoons people) but instead of dying they reform with little antennas and wings with no memory of their human life and when they emerge from their cocoons they latch on the Mirabel and believe that she is their mother. They were made four years before Ethan gets there so they are still very young when the events with Ethan happen.

Desmond is the oldest child, Cassius is the middle child and Sebastian is the youngest. I know that I said that I would let you pick how they looked but I realized how much that puts on you to decide all the details that go into how they look so I thought I might help by giving the eye and hair color. Desmond has reddish brown hair and hazel eyes Cassius has golden brown hair with dark brown eyes (so dark they're almost black) and Sebastian looks the most like Maribel with her hair color but his eyes are emerald green instead.

They all lived in the creepy casita's version other nursery until they were six when they each got their own rooms Desmond's room is a royal purple color Cassius has a dark maroon colored room and Sebastian has a navy blue colored room.

Miranda was amazed when the boys were made praising Mirabel even more for her "perfection" and even began thoughts of repeating the process with minor changes for a later date. She finds them fascinating especially the process that transformed them in the cocoons which is part of the reason why she agreed to put Rose in the weird mold like womb instead of putting her in Rose flasks because she thought that she would go through a similar process as the boys. Mirabel hates how fascinated and interested in the boys Miranda is because she is just as protective of them as she was Antonio if not worse because the same way that they view her as their mother she instinctively views them as her children so she wants Miranda nowhere near them in a very primal and instinctive way.

As always any and all art work or writing is appreciated and loved!

RESIDENT EVIL LETS GOOOOOOOOOO 🦅🦅🦅🦅 LET THE RESIDENTS BE EVIL❗❗❗

Glad you liked the idea, also makes sense!! Was wondering if the others + Miranda would be in it, I wasn't entirely sure. I know Miranda probably would've shoved herself somewhere in that tree though, let's be real 💀💀

ALSO ACTUAL TRIPLETS LETS GO 🗣🗣 crazy how Miranda immediately made her experiment on them. And they essentially melted and rebuilt themselves in part of the experiment. Do you know what kind of levels of insane you gotta be to do that 😭 but Mirabel was probably so happy that they ended up being ok.

Them clinging to her makes sense too tbh 🌚 like they remember NOTHING and Mirabel was like their lifeline, so it makes sense. I'm guessing it might've taken a while but the family warmed up to them. Especially given the circumstances. They do feel bad for the triplets to some capacity, I mean they had their whole lives reworked and their minds rewired in a way 😭 Miranda needs to get a life outside of all this, seriously. Like no wonder Mirabel is so freaked out by how facisnated she is with them. Let Mirabel and her family BREATHE DAMN

ALSO W COLOR SCHEMES...I will color them I swear. I just didn't get to it 💀💀 mb, but there's this!!!! Which I hope will do because it too me. Way too long 👩‍🦲and then it's not even fully done??? But I will finish it at some point.

Alma was the only one to get away with not smiling. Guess who's behind the camera 😛😛

also rooms 🤥 them staying in the nursery until they were just past 5, probably barely 6, I guess Ok habits die hard <//33 also no worries about the color! While I would have been more than happy to stick some stuff together, the colors do help <33

UHHHHH THE COCOON FOR ROSE MAKES SENSE TOO!!!! Pretty sure you mentioned it iirc (though correct me if I'm wrong), but Mirabel kept Rose right? Since she's still entirely intact.

Silly idea where the cocoon Rose is in is in the nursery (a very inconspicuous place considering Resident Evil). And the cocoon is just. Sitting in an old crib. Easily can be looked over (someone out a blanket it in it for some reason?? Not sure who). But I think since this version of Casita is something if a safehouse, Ethan can freely explore it (like in the other games), and he'll eventually stumble upon the nursery. Probably when he's getting frustrated about not finding Rose.

Maybe Mirabel can't directly tell him where she is becayse. You know Miranda and she probably got snitches creeping around idk 😭

LOVE THIS AU RAHHGGGGGG ❗❗🦅🦅🦅🦅

[aphelea]

reading rumble round 3: alden vacker time! i just want to say beforehand that this is not meant to come after anyone in particular, nor alden haters as a whole. it’s just a fun little essay about my thoughts. :)

@camelspit @arson-anarchy-death

For many years in the Keeper of the Lost Cities fandom, Alden Vacker has been a controversial name. Many have claimed that he is a manipulative and abusive parent to his children, and even more so toward Keefe and Sophie. One popular theory suggests that Alden is secretly part of the Neverseen, and has been lying to his friends and family all along. However, while these theories are interesting to explore, they have over time grown more and more exaggerated with less basis in canon characterization. While Alden is far from a perfect father in canon, the common interpretation that characterizes him as outwardly and intentionally manipulative and abusive—in a very Cassius-like manner— is not reflective of his canon characterization. 

The infamous Flashback short story has become the spawn for much of the common fanon Alden characterisation. The story is often used as proof that Alden has been manipulating Keefe all along in order to “let Fitz have Sophie.” (Wiki) As another user says, “Alden used the fact that Keefe saw him as a father figure…to make him stay away from the person who Alden knew Keefe was in love with because Alden wanted his actual son to date her.” While Alden's words to Keefe in this story are not the most considerate, there is little basis to show that Alden is using Keefe in order to have Sophie and Fitz end up together. In fact, it seems that Alden is instead attempting to be gentle in what he believes to be a hopeless case for Keefe. Alden firmly believes that Sophie has romantic feelings only for Fitz—and he is not the only one, as Biana and Marella also notably assume she has a crush. Thus, it cannot be said that Alden is unreasonably trying to assume Sophie’s feelings, as he is only doing the same as many other characters in the series have, so far. Further, as he explains in the story, he is “no stranger to [Keefe’s] situation,” as he has also felt unrequited feelings for a friend—a situation which he continues to refer back to often throughout the rest of the story. It seems as if he is letting his own experiences affect his advice to Keefe—but this does not mean that he is intentionally manipulating him. As is common throughout the latter half of the series—and among all the characters—Alden is letting his own emotions bleed into his logical thinking, resulting in conversations that may seem inconsiderate and awkward. 

Furthermore, Alden is often misinterpreted as being strict about the Vacker image and caring a lot about tradition and respect. As one person claims, “[Fitz’s] parents chose his family name and status…to the point of putting him in danger from as young as six, knowingly.” While this may be somewhat more accurate for Alden’s character after the events of Flashback, it is very clearly not true from the beginning. Sophie notes that Alden “is not afraid to stand up to the Council if he has to.” In Book 1, he is also stated to have directly defied the Council’s orders to end the search for Sophie. Therefore, it is clear that Alden is not “repeatedly choosing his family name and status” as he clearly defies the institution that his family name is intrinsically tied to. Furthermore, in Neverseen, Alden is completely supportive of his wife and children joining the Black Swan—a group specifically targeted towards changing the Lost Cities. He assists them in cutting off their registry pendants and sneaking away. It is only when he faces a direct blow to his family—Alvar’s betrayal—that Alden becomes isolated and less involved. Alden’s actions throughout the series clearly indicate that he prioritizes his family above status, a direct contradiction to the common fanon interpretation of his character. 

Throughout the series, Alden Vacker is not the manipulative, meddling, and status-driven character that many believe him to be. He is driven by a love for his family, and though he can make inconsiderate comments at times, he does not intentionally hurt the people he cares about. While he is far from a perfect father, Alden Vacker is not an intentionally evil man—he is only one who, like any, can be misguided by his own beliefs and fears. 

[childotkw]

i'd also like a top ten list but of your own characters :D I am still intrigued about your original stories and I'd like to know how you rank them and why

Oh god I don’t know if I can contain this to just ten, I’ve had a lot more OG stories crop up over the years that I haven’t spoken about on here 😂 why don’t I do top 3-5 for each?

Aasdfsdgfsdfklgjsd this is so long I'm so sorry 😂😂😂😂

Storm Son Series

Tristan - he is my boy! My son! So earnest, and he wants to be a good ruler to make his mother proud while protecting his friends. He can be reckless and headstrong, but is a natural leader and charismatic. Still young enough to believe in the good of others, a bit naïve and idealistic, but it's endearing. Comes up with crazy plans on the fly, and loves Alden and Sena so much he's ridiculous.

Alden - he’s just…so cool to me. Perpetually responsible, to the point of being obsessive when carrying out his duties. He seems reckless, but he knows his own capabilities so well that any risks he takes are actually calculated down to the finest detail. He is the one that enables Tristan’s crazy plans. He’s got ~hidden trauma~, but loves Tristan and Sena enough to let them in.

Sena - she's very Angry but she’s got Reasons for it. An outcast, she just wants to find her place in the world, and have a family with someone that genuinely loves and respects her. She’s not human, and is insanely strong, to the point where yeeting Alden at an enemy is a move they hone and use regularly. She loves Alden and Tristan and would die to protect them.

Lucas - the cool suave mentor figure. Massive DILF energy. Alden is his protege and thinks he is “all the best parts” of Lucas. Pseudo-father-son relationship on full blast. Lucas has done some bad shit in his past though, and it makes other, older characters very wary and distrusting of him.

Rosen - main villain. He’s clever and dangerous, and can come across as a madman but he’s actually fully in control at all times and that makes it way worse. Calculative and manipulative, he’s all-in in his plots and confident that he can win. Mildly obsessed with Alden because of his undisclosed past with Lucas.

Undertow

Cassius - if trauma had an associated image it would be his face. This man desperately needs a break. A child soldier, he struggles emotionally to connect with others whenever he tries, and has a lot of identity issues. He loves his twin brother, and though he does a lot of horrible stuff, he's equally messed up by it. He's my punching bag and is a water mage.

Darian - Cassius' twin and number one protector. Can, has and will throw hands to keep his brother safe. Darian is a lot more carefree and emotionally stable, but he also hides a very dark streak. He enjoys fighting, revels in violence and is borderline psychotic with only Cassius existing in his sphere of loved ones. He's a fire mage, and terrifyingly suited to his element.

Cenli - the head of the institute that trains the mages. She's cold and political, using others for her own gain without hesitation. She only wants to protect the institute. Does play a somewhat maternal role for Cassius and Darian but it's a very complex relationship.

Kalim (might be renamed) - high ranking bad dude that's obsessed with Cassius because he saw him do A Grisly Murder once and it tickled his fancy. He's playing 4D chess against everyone and is very hard to predict. Pretty much everyone hates when he's around because they all know he's up to something but they can never prove it.

Trials of Edos

Eli - probably the sweetest all-around character I’d ever write. He’s young, like fourteen, and very much a Classic Hero that wants to save everyone even at cost to himself. Selfless and kind to balance out the absolute magical power he’s packing. Kid could destroy the sun but he won’t because he’s a Good Boy. Needs supervision though because he attracts trouble.

Ariella - a thief with an honour code that means she can’t let Eli throw himself at the Big Bad alone. She gets caught up in the plot and just never leaves. Very confident, very switched-on, very competent. She finds Cayden adorable because he’s trying to be chivalrous and respectful. She enjoys pushing his buttons.

Cayden - a knight from an extinct order that swears loyalty to Eli after he saves him. He’s just a good guy, bit out of touch but genuine. Ariella both terrifies and fascinates him, and they work well together. He’s got a lot of guilt and trauma though, which springs up at the oddest times and makes his friends very protective of him.

Gods and monsters (not officially named)

Ira - disgruntled immortal wizard (think 5000+ years) that is forever in service of the royal family. He’s got Tired Dad energy when interacting with Elana but everyone else just gets a glare. He’s insanely powerful, has a long, long history and Knows A Lot Of Shit because he’s been around for it all. Very Angry at the Gods for Very Valid Reasons.

Elana - Princess-turned-Queen after her father’s death. She’s twelve/thirteen, very inexperienced and has been ‘given’ Ira as her key advisor, but she has no idea who or what he is. Very quickly bonds with him as a father-figure, and wants to uncover all of his secrets. She’s inquisitive and clever but painfully young, and still believes in goodness and fairness and daydreams.

Constance - Elana’s grandmother, former Queen. She’s old and not always aware of what’s happening around her, but she and Ira have a past because he was her key advisor when she was Queen. She’s very respected by her people, but had a vicious streak not many know about.

Ziris - the god of fortune / misfortune. Very young, only about 800 years old. He’s a troublemaker and fickle but if you catch his interest he’ll be ride-or-die for you. Very loyal to his goddess-mother, and is heavily involved in the politics of the Gods. He has a fondness for irritating Ira, and likes Elana.

Dystopian (not officially named)

Piers Erinson - my sad, wet, pathetic son. Someone needs to get this boy some therapy. Very self-destructive, way kinder than you would expect. A member of the DOVEs, which are the elite troops / spies of the Council. He was strong armed into service after a mishap with his old squad, and is the nephew of a hated former DOVE, and traitor. He’s forever trying to escape that shadow, and carries a lot of guilt over what happened to his squad. He would die for Etta, his DOVE partner - and tries to multiply times but she just won’t let him.

Etta Litman - my daughter! Badass lady, 10/10 want to be her friend. Etta was part of Piers’ squad when The Thing happened. She saw him spiralling and joined up with DOVE to keep an eye on him, essentially threw herself to the wolves to protect him from the system and all the corrupt people. She’s very patient, supportive and empathetic to Piers, seeing him as a surrogate younger brother. Anyone else can get fucked in her eyes. She’s super protective of him and will punch anyone who insults him at the drop of a hat.

Dacre Cygnet - rebel, wants to fight the Council and the system and probably God too. Very manipulative, often lies to even his friends if it’ll get him what he wants (and he might even feel bad about it). Blinded by his mission and fully willing to go through people if they stand in his way. Feels many things all at once towards Piers that he cannot compute because he’s a bit of an asshole, very much a “you are the only person I’d hesitate to shoot, please don’t use that against me” kinda deal. They’re on opposite sides technically but he pines.

Marie Fowlep - Piers and Etta’s mentor in DOVE. She had a history with Piers’ uncle, and you can’t tell if she wants to keep Piers safe or wants to use him until he breaks. Doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body but would go to bat for her kids operatives. She’s a “the ends justify the means” kind of lady. Can be very mean.

Rust and Ruin

Mikol - youngest child of Emperor Bendek and Royal Consort Anilise. He’s aware from a young age of the shitty position his mother (and he) have in Otrar’s court and feels a deeper connection to her as both of them were considered ‘outsiders’ due to their features. After his mother died, Mikol spent the next nine years in his mother’s country as a ward, and grew to be a cunning, quick-witted and strong leader. He travelled all over, joined the army, learning as much as he could about how badly his family ruled, and eventually returned to Otrar. He’s an ambitious little fucker and doesn’t get along with his older siblings, especially his oldest half-brother Leonil.

Orryn - born in Troam Siana, the isle of the Ashri (those capable of different types of magic), he was quickly singled out as a new type of Ashri (called Okaeti - capable of energy manipulation). He grew lonely though as the only Okaeti, and made his way to Otrar. Decades later he’s still there, acting as an advisor to the royal family but growing increasingly frustrated with how they govern. He was close friends with Anilise and grows to care for Mikol.

Anilise - the daughter of the King of Evaria, she was forced to marry Emperor Bendek after their country was conquered. Anilise was fifteen, completely isolated in a foreign, hostile court, and essentially forced to breed over and over because the Empress could not carry more children herself. She’s quiet and subdued, treated more as an ornament than a person. Anilise birthed four children, all made to look like the Emperor and Empress in utero by an Ashri magic. Anilise had little to no contact with her children, who grew up thinking the Empress was their mother. Mikol is her only child that looks like her, so she was allowed to raise him. Unfortunately, her constant pregnancies deteriorated her health to the point where she was bedridden, and she died when Mikol was six.

Leonil - the oldest of Bendek’s children, he’s a cruel and cunning young man that wants the throne. He has a particular dislike for Mikol, who he acknowledges is the most dangerous of his half-siblings, and the two of them are each other’s main rival / enemy. Leonil is married with his own young son, and loves his wife and child fiercely. He is ruthless when it comes to defending his claim to the throne, and wants Mikol out of the way.

Delia - Leonil’s wife and a very charming, conniving woman. She’s a softer touch when it comes to manipulating others, and shares what information she gleans with her husband. She also thinks Mikol is dangerous but thinks he'd be more beneficial on their side than against them. She is an excellent politician, and people often underestimate her.

[sunlessea]

his fingers follow the trails of candles, just long enough until there's enough light for him to see a little better. there's a light switch, somewhere, and he thinks it might even work, knowing the illustrious mr plagues ... but turning them on proper would cause too much of a stir, if someone out in the city night happened to see the place lit up outside of the dome. so he leaves it be, and picks up a lantern, when he finds it, lighting that with his match too, before flicking it away.

it trusts him a great deal, to follow him into this space. not that he has strength to kill a master of the bazaar — he's hardly cassius ashburnum, beloved figurehead of the rebellion true. he isn't stupid enough not to realize how this must look, though. if he were cassius, risen from the flames like a phoenix as london had rumored him to be ... it's a gamble that it takes, and he wishes he could say he didn't understand. but he does. he knows why it follows, and he knows more why he turns to face it and chokes up looking at it, pulled free from its cloaks. he'd watched it tear at them, but ... it's different, when it slinks up to him, wraps its arm around his waist. it'd followed him with such gusto, too, just like he knew it would. like reckless teenagers, the both of them. perhaps he's stealing back some of the rebellious youth he'd been deprived of as a young man, after all.

"oh, i hear singing sometimes. i think it's god asking me what the hell i'm doing sucking my boss's dick at nine in the morning." his bite is so shockingly deadpan, one would wonder how oft this man flustered. it seems to be plenty pleased with itself, though, so far be it from him to ruin its mood. he's gawking at it, for all his tongue is sharpened, though. his expression is in sharp contrast to his words, false heat creeping up his face ... and he is glad that there are no candles with his name carved 'pon it lit in this space, not yet, not for a while. he huffs 'gainst its elbow to his ribs, but is strikingly resolved, hardly even stumbling from it. "you better be careful calling a caitiff one of yours. you'll have the masters and the camarilla knocking at your door and i am not beguiling enough to convince a room full of bats to sponsor me. i've heard mr veils is truly a lovely boss, though. don't wear paisley."

he's always witty, but usually he is quite mean spirited : there's something notably lighthearted in the banter, where he almost seems to hold back his own smile in favor of forcing himself to remain as expressionless as he oft already was. never minding, he takes its claw with one hand, holding the lantern with his other, and pulls it forward through the planetarium hall. it had been so lovely once, lit up with a myriad of gaslit stars. now it's frozen in time, not even in shambles, just ... left, untouched. off limits to everyone, even the masters who had capsized it. he wonders what the doctor had even kept it for, in the end.

"when did i have the time for what? sprucing the place up a bit? climbing through the window was just because you're here. i couldn't take you through the front door and risk someone seeing you overstep your agreement. that said, i maintain this place for ms luminaries, if you really want to know. as well i should. i built the damn planetarium. the parts that mattered, anyways." he gestures to the halls, overrun with dust and overgrowth from london's strange cave plants that have started to sprout where they could, but it's in better shape than it should be. "i used to do things much grander than working in the yards. i suppose i must've had dreams once, when i first came to london. i'm a brilliant engineer. shocking. but ... i don't know. i was too tired, after a while. we met, you and i and your peers, before i ever worked under you, when i was among the londoners who appealed your good graces to allow the planetarium to open. i doubt you noticed i existed. once you lot shut this place down, i didn't see a reason to keep trying anymore. if this world was only ever going to treat me as something lesser, then why should i ever bother trying to aspire to be heard?" dismal, but true. he stops where the halls split, in two directions. one sign points to the high wilderness. the other, the milky way. two worlds, made one. "i wasn't that cross, despite how it sounds. the truth is that whether this place failed or thrived, i would've still ended up in the yards. working under you was my swansong, a slow suicide, and as it turned out, i liked this place more once it was empty."

he doesn't realize he's fallen into something of a reverie. it's not quite melancholy, as he often is. just thoughtful, where he turns to face it proper. he doesn't push it away or stiffen, humming with one eye closing as it wraps itself around him, its deep purr against his ear and lips shortly after pressed to his head. he stares at it again, in awe only of how he never could have imagined this for his life where he had only seen a watery grave : or how he never could have imagined it, the creature who had hailed night, so very full of life. "you are pretty," he acknowledges, his voice something of a sigh, not far off from defeat. what can he do now? he's lost. he should've died in the yards under its employment, but he didn't. and this place shouldn't be standing at all, but it is. the mysteries of life, he supposes. of life and heart.

"i learned a lot about the high wilderness when i made the star domes. luminaries was particular about it. the marriage of your home and what you'd ran from, intertwined with the fabrics of mine." she had told him a lot that he shouldn't have known about the curators, but the secrets, as it had turned out, were safe with him, until now. "for all i learned about your world, the one you don't like looking back at and then one we live in now, you never learned much about mine. you weren't the only one who abandoned their stars, fires." his smile, then, falls lopsided, a small shrug to his shoulders. as it untangles itself, he pulls it with him again. he turns his back on the high wilderness, and instead, he brings it home. the entrance to the dome is simple, undecorated. large, white doors in presentation, almost medical in appearance. but he guides it, nonetheless, and banters as he pulls it through.

"don't be silly. there's nothing memorable about me, not to london, anyways. they'll recall you whisked me away one day, and then in return i whisked you further. but this city will never know me. if there's anything special or proper about any love story being written, fires, it is that it is yours." the room is insignificant at first glance, but he ruefully releases its hand to close the large doors behind them. the candle is the only light now, where he moves past it to something large in the middle of the room, not unlike a projector. "love stories aren't about mystery. they're about hearts, whether they are beating or not. they're about looking at someone without them realizing that you are staring," he crouches to mess with a few of the mechanisms about, huffing as he fiddles, "—and realizing, in a million tiny moments that otherwise appear insignificant to those around the two of you, that you have fallen in love with them a second time, and then a third, and then a millionth—aha!" something sparks and he jumps back, shaking his hand from the sharp pain of it.

it only takes a moment, for the ceiling to light up in a thousand little constellations : a mixture of light, and color, and movement. stars, asteroids, galaxies, and plentiful more. the masters never would've allowed this manner of technology imported from the surface to go public. but, oh, it was such a lovely dream. he is proud of himself at least, where he blows out the candles and sets it down, no longer needed where the false stars above them now offer it instead. the high wilderness, he had gathered in his construction, had been something to admire being among the stars. but the surface, rather poetically, had always been below them, gazing up.

he returns to its side, squinting at it as he reaches up to touch his fingertip to its lips, smug. "you can only claim that you are truly in love, murciélago tonto, when you realize that there are some things that simply cannot be told through story. you can read it through letters and notes and novels, but it will never be the same as feeling it. of course, not that we really have much to compare it to." with a huff, he turns and wanders into the middle of the room, before collapsing onto the ground, his hat ends up quite a ways away from him from the fall, but as he blows his hair from his face unceremoniously, he ignores it. "think of how cute you would've looked, shuffling in here to lay in one of our little recliners to stare up at the stars. it's your loss, you know. i poured my heart and soul into this place ... now what am i meant to hand them over to?"

like attracts like, and trouble draws its makers : so was such a feud best summarized as something brought to stalemate, but it was a battle neither one were bound to win. not with plagues involvement, in any case : it'd argued for luminaries censure, irons for her sense of business practices, and if he'd asked it'd have hordes of stories to share about why it felt so strongly — barring london thus from knowledge of their home in part mostly to keep them from any particularly stupid ideas : like returning the city to a place in the skies, somewhere far, far beyond the caves it'd been buried beneath. not that he could know those intricacies, with how it polluted the city so terribly one would think it were trying to smother it in soot and smog 'fore it ever reached its industrial heyday. but that couldn't be further true, and drudging up its history is hardly his intention. this, it knows, from the moment he turns on his heel, its own sour expression fallling back to curiosity where he whipped back 'round to hurl a brick in the building's direction.

and it hardly startles! no more than the brief widening of the eyes in any case, mouth caught agape searching for words it cannot seem to find. the sounds it makes, barely even half-syllables 'fore it gives up entirely, swallows, lets its ears flick and posture loosen where it stands some paces behind. it isn't certain whether his behavior or its own temporary refusal to falter is the bigger act of outright rebellion.

it's never seen him like this. and in truth, it doesn't think it minds the change so much—however utterly befuddled he leaves it standing; taken aback, lips pursed where all the while it watches him. this is the first time it's nearly speechless : if only for the fact it doesn't know what to make of him, or their surroundings—from his monologue, to the petty bit of friendly ruckus; it doesn't have the heart to tell him that misdemeanors such as these are hardly its particular province, so above are the masters above that which even the constabulary would likely care more for were it not a plot of land abandoned; he looks so proud of himself—how high he raises his head with arrogant huff, it doesn't even recall a moment it's seen him grin with such reckless abandon, or any abandon at all. makings of a proper brujah indeed, the rebel soul that lights his heart on fire.

" whatever am i to do ... " wisdom urges it not to follow; to do anything other, let its words draw out back to silence and raise its head and not fall prey to a most obvious trap. but its impulses beg it other : and its these which it acts upon, where its feet start to follow him through the roughage and rubble and disarray. " i suppose it would be my responsibility, then, " it hums as it starts to shuffle out of its cloaks. an undue weight where it isn't necessary; this far away from any sort of public, even the dim glow of carnie lights couldn't hope to reach. its identity then, both secured and revealed, though its a sight he's borne witness to quite a few many times, this is different. the swiftness in where it unclasps each hook keeping them pinned to less than proper attire, ragged and ill-fitting to its form. one would think the masters keep their clothing in better condition—they could certainly afford to! that leaves it only to be its own aesthetic choice, to look the part just a step 'bove street urchin, as it bundles the robes in its claws and cranes its neck up to smile back. a little too toothy to be comforting, unmarred by shadow to mask the more devious glint in the curl of its lip, the squint of its eyes. " —to apprehend the offender. "

bundled and discarded, more carefully than perhaps is necessary, in the shrubbery below as it presses its heel 'gainst the planetarium walls, reaches up to grasp the windowsill. its not particularly worried about the glass. were it any more deluded, it'd think he just tossed it a wink 'fore his form disappears on the other side. well, there's only one way to go from here, and that was— " to give chase, " and hup! " —and to capture! "

it hoists itself up with unnerving ease, thanks in part from its height; it hangs from the side for all but a short moment before it shouts and practically throws itself over, crouched in on itself when it lands— and strangling back laughter, from the sound of it, if the delighted little chuffs were of any indication. " pages' blood has hardly touched you. and you would know it, the way it parades around, singing of our false stars. you're too good for it. " its only a second more 'fore its at his side again, arm slinking around his waist as it bows its head to nuzzle 'gainst his own ... before sparing him quite the harsh nudge right to the ribs, standing back indignant. the scowl it wears, though, has a playful edge; not furious. " —is what i would say! but wild is looking to be the better word. you're brujah yet, or i'll toss myself on veils working line! " and its voice lends further credit to its feeble attempts at humor, chuckling to itself as if the very idea he belonged to anyone other was so outlandish indeed. bold claims to make of a caitiff, it knows, but it's certain of it. not that it gets long to process the thought before its attention is lost again.

its laughter inevitably settles, and its arms cross loosely over its chest where it casts its gaze over shape and shadow. this place could have been beautiful once : still is, perhaps, however haunting. the urchins certainly could make quite a ghastly tale from the way the light flickers over broken displays. only some of the planets it recognizes, brow raising as it—practically—stargazes. " when did you even have the time for this? " or the energy, or the resources ... it would have a list for miles, if it didn't stifle itself, fang catching cheek as its eyes adjust the familiar warmth of candlelight. curiouser.

" you're with me, of course they'll remember you. " it mutters at last, its attention drawn 'way from replicas of the reach and further things. no use paying it mind, when there was a mystery still to uncover. of a boy, and a bat, and the stars between them : it catches his eye in an instant, and just like that, its purring again, even if its tone falls the slightest bit melancholy. " ...though i can't assure the most savory sort of stories, i can promise a memory. " and slowly, it moves to curl itself 'round him again, bowing its head to press a kiss to the top of his before standing straight again. " ours, us — london hardly understands the intricacies of a well crafted story. a proper love story is ... " its voice draws out with a hum, where its hand raises to cradle his face again. it feels like its looking at him again, for the very first time. he was so scared, once : but it doesn't see that same fear anymore. he's changed. " ... mysterious, however captivating the tale. " or the person behind it. undeniable then, is the way its expression softens in how it looks at him : tender, longing.

[just-like-playing-tag]

On Cecile's plan including the destruction of the sisters' embroidery and Cecile embodying the figure of the traitor

I'm really going through it now. Okay you know that unconsolable dread one is afflicted by when history goes lost. Ancient libraries burning, historical art pieces being destroyed; it shakes to the core, because to destroy books and art and historical artefacts means to destroy the last items that carried the memory of people long gone; and doing so means killing them again, once and for all. Because if there's one thing more scary than death, that's the thought of being forgotten forever; then, you won't just be dead, but you'll cease to have ever existed.

I needed to preface that because no sane person would do that of their own will; it's going against the natural emphaty all humans share and that is ineherently human; it's going against one's own humanity.

But that's what Cecile did when she threw the sisters' embroidery to flames. The history of sister after sister who fought against the system, a legacy of trainees hoping in a better world, hoping that even where they failed, someone else could still succeed. Young, abused girls who still believed escape was possible, that a world of freedom could be real. And Cecile threw all of that away. She killed those girls again, and that makes her ruthless. And she did that because she loved another person.

And to do that because you love another person. To do put everything, everything on the line to grant their survival. To go against your own humanity just because your love for them is stronger than anything. To selflshly (can I say that?) condamn every. other. person if it's to save the person you love. To be willing to have them hate you till they're alive, as long as they stay alive.

Like idk I don't think we talk enough about Cecile as the figure of the traitor. Because she intentionally made herself guilty of betrayal thrice at least. She betrayed the system; when she put Krone's survival over hers, going against all the principles the mama system is based on. She betrayed all the sisters that came before her and that had entrusted her with the embroidery as a way to escape; to make Krone appear innocent. She betrayed Krone, by framing her; to grant her survival. And all of that- all of that, she did for Krone.

It's funny- in Dante's depiction of Inferno, the deepest circle of hell is where traitors get punished. The circle is divided in four rounds; on the first round are punished the traitors to family. On the second, traitors of the nation. The third is for hosts who betray their guests. The fourth is for traitors to their lords / benefactors / masters. It's curious, Cecile kinda fits every category: she betrayed her family (Krone), the nation (the system), the guest (the mama structure that gave her a new place opposite to sure death, though this one is a stretch); the benefactors (her seniors, the sisters that came before her and gave her the means to escape). The last round is dedicated to the punishment of what Dante deems the worst sin a man can commit: the betrayal of your own benefactors. The people there - Judas, who betrayed Christ, and Brutus and Cassius, who betrayed Caesar - are forever damned to be incessantly eaten by Lucifer.

Cecile is the epitome of traitor. Not a traitor like Minerva Norman, who tried to kill Emma's friends when she was away in order to pursue the greater good; she's probably a closer traitor to GF Ray, who gave the lives of other children in exchange of the sole survival of the people he loved because he thought there was no other way. Who was willing to be hated by them for that, as long as they would have survived.

If after dying she was sent to Dante's Inferno, she would end up in the last rounds of hell. She tainted herself of sin, and she did all of that for love.

[maracujatangerine]

68. A night to remember

Part of @the-whumpers-soiree

CW: implied violence, implied non-con, implied drugging

Ramona looked down at the gilded invite and smiled.

“Thank you, Hernandez.” She told her driver. “This will do. I’ll probably return with someone and we’ll go to the usual place.”

“Understood, Ma’am.” He met her eyes in the rear view mirror with an understanding born out of twenty years of service first to her father and then to her, and a savage smile that echoed her own. “Good hunting.”

She put her perfectly manicured hand in the waiting attendant’s outstretched hand, allowing him to help her out of the car.

Her high-heeled shoes hardly made a sound against the red carpet leading up to the venue. Ramona thanked the woman who took her coat while warning her not to drink the free punch, exchanged her ticket for a glowing red bracelet that matched her dress, and continued on towards the high-speed elevators.

Alone in the elevator, she straightened out a wayward curl of her black hair.

She hadn’t heard of anyone she knew attending, but she expected to meet at least a few people that she knew. Those who both shared her interests and had the means and connections to indulge them in this way were a select crowd.

True enough, she nodded in greeting to Jenna D’Angelo. The blonde woman was chatting up a young man who looked like he might have some Chinese ancestry. She touched his arm, and her red bracelet contrasted with the shining blue one that circled his wrist.

The sunset view was spectacular, the sun slowly sinking into a cradle of pink clouds fading into deep bruise-like purple.

The venue was filled with people, chatting, dancing, indulging in multi-coloured drinks. The sweet smell of apple-scented tobacco wafted past from a group sitting cross-legged on black pillows on the floor, passing a water pipe from one to another.

Ramona was so intent on surveying the blue-braceleted persons on offer - a shy-looking, elfin brown-haired girl - a man with long, jagged scars down his arms and a sweet, dimpled smile - a pair of fair-haired young women, obviously twins.

Behind them, a man she would have preferred not to meet tonight. El Jefe, dark-haired, handsome - and extremely aware of that fact.

“My dear Ramona, you grow more beautiful day by day.” He gave her a smarmy grin and bent to kiss her hand.

“Thank you. How lovely to see you.” She forced a tight-lipped smile, moved on and resisted the urge to wipe off her hand while he was still looking. Creepy fuck. Rumor had it that he went even further with his toys that the admittedly rather lax rules of their congregation would allow. Something about him made her skin crawl. He’d been hanging around with Cassius before Cassius passed away and Ramona had hoped that she would have had seen the last of him.

Apparently not.

Then, she saw him! Unknown, young and gorgeous. Dressed in dark trousers and a red silk shirt. He had short-cropped curly hair and very dark skin tilting towards blue, matching the bracelet around his wrist. His teeth flashed white in a smile when he caught her looking at him, but his head was lazily lolling back against the black leather sofa. He was already drunk. Drunk, or - more likely - there was something stronger coursing through his system, something he’d probably not chosen to take tonight.

“Hello darling,” Ramona told him, “I think I’m going to take you home.”

*

Thank you for the great prompt @the-whumpers-soiree ! (I encourage everyone to join the festivities!) 🥂

This is very tangentially related to Lydia and Coriander’s story, but I’ll tag the crowd anyway since you might enjoy the hint. :)

Tag List Part 1: @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-em @whumpzone @wh-wh-whu @neuro-whump @carnagecardinal @cowboy-anon @whump-me-all-night-long @redwingedwhump @myst-in-the-mirror @haro-whumps @eatyourdamnpears @bloodsweatandpotato @pinkraindropsfell @whumptywhumpdump @theydy-cringeworthy @whump-in-progress @whumpsy-daisy @nicolepascaline @whumpcreations @briars7 @shiningstarofwinter @whumppsychology @alex-ember @miss-kitty-whumptastic @whumpy-writings @in-patient-princess @youtube-fandoms-bands @goblinchildindabog @mazeish @distinctlywhumpthing @inpainandsuffering @canniboylism @icannotweave @incoherent-introspection @kim-poce @broken-typewriter @the-monarch-whumperfly @whumpers-inc @grizzlie70 @lil-whumper @writingbackwards @sunflower1000 @wingedwhump @thecitythatdoesntsleep @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @onlybadendings @rabass

[innepttia]

F is for Friends who do stuff together (pt 4)

I just love Rolan Quarn. For @hanarinhightown and @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves ( @bonksoundeffect ). I missed writing these two! I really wanted to do one from an outsiders perspective. I’m so sorry I gave them such terrible IM names lmfao but I almost died at Dex’s. Trying a little too hard to convince everyone his name is Dexian huh

Please note: all these characters, except for Rolan and Dex (but also kind of Dex) are their own OCs. None are my creations; I’m just a fan.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Pt 4: this is a slow burn because they’re idiots (Rolan POV)

Rolan watched the pair in silence. They didn’t know he was back yet and he wanted to keep it that way for now. Being barefaced, he excelled at keeping hidden. He sat on a bench in a corner of the Presidium hoping that something would happen between the two men.

Nestor was working, standing with a straight back that hadn’t been softened by civilian life yet. In contrast, Cassius stood with a slight slouch, having actively tried to forget all the military rigor. Rolan knew Cassius had absolutely no clue what Nestor was saying, but he was hyper-focused on the younger man. 

“The humans brought this one,” Nestor said, patting a big leaf of the plant they were standing near. “They call it an Elephant Ear. I had to search the extranet for what an elephant ear looked like and it really does looks just like this!” Cass was nodding like it was the most sage wisdom he had ever heard. Rolan fought the urge to roll his eyes. Nestor sprayed the plant with a water mister lovingly.

“Is this one your favorite?” Cassius asked, very obviously trying to come up with something plant-related to continue the conversation. Cass shifted from foot to foot, fidgeting in his nervousness. Oh, Spirits, it was tough to watch these two be so oblivious.

“Oh, no. I mean I like this one because it’s big and human tropical plants are fun to take care of. My favorite plant is an asari flower by the Dark Star.” Nestor suddenly pulled his mandibles in tight to his face. Rolan leaned forward in his seat a little. “It’s right across from the entrance where you usually are… um, but it’s supposed to be a flower that only blooms when both of the moons on Nevos are at their peak. The asari councilor put in an order for salarian scientists to figure out how to get it to bloom on the Citadel though, and it blooms every night now.” Cassius was holding onto every word as Nestor continued rambling about this flower.

Cassius was soft when he spoke with Nestor. Cass would laugh and call Dexian a dumbass at the first chance he got, he would nag Rolan about where he was all the time, and when he was with Kirhil he did his best to ply the quiet turian with drinks to get him to spill the beans about his past. With Nestor? It was all gifts and warm, fuzzy feelings. “I saw this and thought of you so I bought it. Would you like it?” or “Back on Altakiril we used this to water our plants by hand. I got one for you.” But when Dex asked about the gift, Cassius said, “Friends just give each other gifts sometimes.” while not once giving any of the others a watering pail… or anything really. Hell, they all had to pay for their own drinks.

Incidentally, Nestor was using said water pail at this moment. He had moved on to water another section of the Presidium, Cassius trailing after him not at all like a lovesick fool. The groundskeeper was leaning over slightly to reach a plant farther away and Cassius’s eyes were locked onto the young turian’s waist. When Nestor stood back up, he stared at his water pail.

“Have you ever had such strong feelings for someone that you thought you would suffocate?” Nestor asked suddenly, not looking up from the pail. Rolan leaned forward even more. Maybe this was the moment; he would be glad to have been the one to witness it.

“...Yeah,” Cassius said, also looking at the pail.

“Yeah,” Nestor repeated.

Rolan was literally on the edge of his seat.

“So what’s your least favorite plant?” Cassius asked, immediately moving on. Rolan stood abruptly. He opened his omnitool and sent a message to the others.

[16:59] turiantrickster: We need to meet and talk about Cass and Nestor. There has to be something we can do to get them together.

[16:59] definitelydexian: Agreed. Let’s meet when Kirhil gets off work.

[18:05] nursekirhil liked definitelydexian’s message

[offrozenmemoirs]

The tiefling finds herself breaking out in a cold sweat. Estranha would never say something like that, at least not so cruelly, but now she's reminded of what it means to live her life. A woman torn between wanting a simple existence and the one who has decided that she'll try to fix all the world's problems by herself, with no real concern for her future. She was by no means an idiot, but to say that she lived in the now, without thinking much of the future? That would be an accurate observation of Creed.

"Who cares what my father thought of me? What kind of father treats his daughter as if she was a failure but then decides to ask her to fix not only his mistakes, but her entire bloodline's? How is that fair to me?! Why should I have to be the one to fix the problems and lead a house I'd rather not be part of?!"

[Why couldn't he have told me this while he was alive? Doesn't he know the target he's painted on my back? I always knew Ariortos viewed me as competition, even if I didn't have the ability to conjure flames out of nothing, or bid the dead to spring from the ground. He had everything he wanted...Except our father's approval.]

Rafan had cared little of what their father desired, and the moment she was old enough to become a headhunter, she chose the path without caring much for any of her family's reactions. Though she had her noble title restored as a Zarin after their father's death by Ariortos, she willingly took her wife's name. Liyan? Took a path much like Creed, and after graduating from Drakeshadow, they took up the career of a bard, choosing to spread joy to people through the power of music. So, really, after Ariortos found the letter left by their father...It meant that she and him would have to have it out at some point.

[Why can't she just ask me to give all of this up? I would run away with her if she asked me to. I WANT to run away with her. What's the point of having power when I'd just follow in my family's footsteps?]

Creed feared the very idea of becoming anything like her ancestors, finding a way to manipulate magic or the people for her own ends. She knows that she's not the only person in her family who's had the "curse" of being born without the ability to use magic. She's also aware that those members of her family have made names for themselves in Avernus, usually by way of becoming fiends that some warlocks made contracts with. Creatures beheld to even more evil things that took joy in torturing their souls if their demands were not met.

[I won't let that happen to me. I will never allow myself to be bought to the hell that is Avernus.]

"What am I supposed to do? I did not ask for this purpose to be laid upon my back. Why should I bear the sins of my forebears? All I want is to save Cassius, and be free to live my life the way I decide. Not beheld to Il'Surrish. Why can't this just be easy for once?"

Creed had nearly broken her body in becoming a monk, grueling training that left her with scars and aches even today. She didn't believe she was the "live fast, die young" type, but she certainly didn't do herself any favors.

Even now, she thought of what it would be like to simply settle down, because Estranha was different. She's not like the flings she had with others, simply wishing for the warmth of another body beside her. Estranha was something that could be home for her. She could see herself coming home to the woman, and being safe, being free to be herself. She wanted to say that she loved the lavender haired woman, she loved her so much it hurt.

"I'm sorry that I'm such a coward. That I've become some fucked up self-fulfilling prophecy."

She drops her head, falling to her knees, and it's not long before she jolts up in her tent, covered in sweat. She chokes back a sob, shoulders shaking. Something had to give, something needed to change, with her first and foremost.

Creed's shifting posture calls for adjustments. Estranha's legs instinctively hook around either side of her waist. Minor adjustments are made as they pull themselves slightly upward, affirming the hold they have on their arms. Gravity, that cruel mistress, looms over them, threatening a humiliating fall should they falter. Aloft from the monk's impressive stature, even the slightest miscalculation—cockiness or carelessness—would leave them with more than wounded pride—a terrible crick in the neck or aching back. 

Yet, nestled in the rosy locks, Estranha's voice is of that familiar sweetness that serenades the redhead's ears. But amidst that voice is an eerie whisper, one that slips past the surface-level softness and creeps to the darker chambers of her heart, venturing further to depths that the Wanderer may only know. 

"How do you imagine settling down when you've never mustered the courage to ask me out?" Those pale fingers, distinctly not Estranha's, tap against the tiefling's jugular. "How can you be ready for that when you cannot start? The thousand-step journey starts with taking the first step, and I see you meandering everywhere, but the path you ought to tread when you are so wistfully dreaming of it."

"Is this another chapter of your life where you realize how your restlessness forsakes you for being unable to stay still? Il'Surrish's path has its demands, even if it means no control. It is a total submission, which you do quite well. You fear having power." Once tapping, the hand spreads, fingers fanned out, dragging a languid path across Creed's collarbone. "How willing are you to defy the Wanderer? To settle implies roots and permanence. Foreign concepts for you." 

"Now, promising such things... Will you really toy with that girl? Dangling a promise poorly constructed by your uncertainties and indecision? How heartless. Your father thought better of you." 

[shanastoryteller]

how different do you think the story would be if draco malfoy had been picked as the hogwarts champion?

draco doesn’t know how this happened, and he’s pissed off in between being terrified. he stands up, nose in the air, and walks to the front of the great hall, taking his place between fleur and viktor. 

he expects them to look thrilled. if he’s the hogwarts champion, they’re going to have an easy time of it, but instead the both of them just look concerned. he’s been talking with both of them, friendly with both of them, because he’s not an idiot, he knows what power looks like. 

he knows what it isn’t, and it’s him. he’s smart, and strong, but he’s a fourth year and even with all the spells he’s not supposed to know, he doesn’t have the easy, solid presence of viktor of fleur, people who are not only powerful but know how to wield their power, unlike potter who just stumbles around accidentally defeating monsters with that stupid confused look on his face. 

then, as if this whole situation isn’t bad enough all on it’s own, the goblet spits out one more name. 

harry potter. 

of course. draco doesn’t know what he expected, really. 

severus yells. his parents make an awful lot of scary threats that he knows they’re prepared to deliver on. his aunt floos over from the magical artifacts office to try and declare the goblet faulty, but it’s not use. 

his name came out of the goblet, so he has to compete. 

he can’t help but notice, however, that no one yells on behalf of potter, no one comes to his defense in the face of this ridiculous task they’re supposed to complete, not even dumbledore, even though potter’s supposed to be some sort of golden boy. it seems, maybe, that everyone’s forgotten along the way that he’s a kid too. 

that night his parents send him a package, and he rolls his eyes because he hasn’t worn something like this since he was a kid, but it’s not like he doesn’t understand the rational behind it. he slips the dainty silver ring on his middle finger, and makes a mental note to fidget with it. 

~

his housemates rally around him when he gets back, faces solemn, quiet as severus towers behind him. 

he sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. “well,” he says, “are we going to win this or not?” 

a slytherin is the hogwarts champion. he can’t get out of it, so he’s going to win it, he’s going to rub silver and green in the face of everyone who’s ever looked at him sideways because of his house. 

over a hundred eager smiles meet him. if he succeeds, all of slytherin succeeds, and so all of slytherin is going to help him. 

~

he finds out about the dragons from Flora, who’s cousin is an intern in the department of magical creatures. snape ropes his newts level slytherins into devising a sleeping potion powerful enough to take out a dragon, and cassius drills him in manipulating the bubblehead charm until he’s exhausted and his fingers ache and lungs hurt. pansy promises to carry the potion with her on the day of the first task so draco can cast a simple summoning charm to get it from her in the stands. 

the day of the first task, he summons the potion, casts a giant bubblehead charm around them, then a smaller one on himself, and smashes the potion in the center of the dragon’s forehead. it roars, and blue mist surrounds them, and then there’s a thunderous crash as the dragon falls to the ground, asleep. draco cautiously darts forward to collect the golden egg, darts away, and casts a dissipation spell before ending both bubblehead charms and running as far away from angry, sleep muddled dragon as he can get. 

he thinks it’s a pretty impressive display until potter flies around the horntail, outflying and out maneuvering her, and coming away victorious with the golden egg tucked under his arm. 

the second task seems to throw everyone for a loop. even severus looks perplexed by the screaming egg, and nearly his whole house writes their parents and uncles and cousins for advice. 

it all ends up being worthless.

everyone’s huddled around the egg in the common room, and there’s a pounding sound. draco closes the egg and they all look out the window, which of course leads out to the great lake.they are in the dudgeon after all. 

there’s a merperson, young based on the pattern of their scales, who’s pointing towards the egg, and them pointing towards themselves, then gives an approximation of a wink and swims away. 

marcus flint, of all people, is the one who figures it out. “water,” he says, “listen to it under water. it’s a mermaid singing.” 

his prefect takes him to the baths, and him and as many people as they can cram in there listen to the egg sing it’s pretty song. there’s some debate about what the merpeople will take, with vincent suggesting all his hair products and daphne offering up his broom, but it doesn’t actually matter what it is, because what they take doesn’t change what he has to do, which is get it back from them. 

severus offers gillyweed, adrien pucey says that draco might as well take advantage of the bubblehead charm he already knows, and theo, who is terrifying and brilliant, says it’s too bad he doesn’t have the durmstrang ship. 

they all go quiet, and severus stands up and says that he can’t hear this, then leaves, “hear what?” theo asks, blinking, and marla, who’s already been accepted to cairo’s curse breaking graduate program, leans forward, eyes bright, and starts coming up with a plan. 

then draco finds out they’re taking people, not things, and that’s just not on. 

they’ve taken his cousin. 

“luna lovegood?” potter asks, confused, because he’s an idiot, and draco ignores him. 

the stakes are suddenly much higher. he doesn’t think they’d actually let the hostages get seriously hurt for this contest, but intentions don’t mean much to him right now. 

the other three champions go bolting into the water. draco turns and goes the other direction. 

everyone’s in the stands, so the durmstrang ship is completely empty. people must be figuring out what he’s doing, because there’s some angry yelling, but stealing a ship isn’t against the rules, so. he does just as marla told him to, and he doesn’t know what and who she had to do to get this information, but he’s too grateful to question it. he steps to the captain’s helm, activates the underwater mode, and the boat sinks into the great lake.

steering is extremely difficult and requires more upper body strength than he’s thrilled with, but he’s surrounded by a pocket of air as the ship zooms past the other contestants, so he doesn’t care all that much. he throws up the shield to barrel through the line of merpeople acting as a barrier. he uses a severing spell to cut the ropes and summons luna into the ship. as soon as he crosses the barrier, into the air, she gasps awake, and he carefully sets her on her feet. 

“cousin!” she greets, smiling. “headmaster dumbledore said that i would be thing you most sorely miss. that means you like me, right?” 

“wrong,” he says gruffly, flicking her radish earring. “i love you, but i don’t like you, you’re weird and annoying.” 

she just keeps smiling at him, eyebrows raised, and uhg, this is the worst, she’ll never leave him alone now. “well,” she says, “we are related, after all.” 

“hey!” he says, but she only giggles. 

they should be leaving, he’s gotten here first and he can get back first, with his cousin in tow. 

but. 

what if something happens to the others after he leaves? viktor and fleur will be so upset if something happens to their girlfriend and little sister, and well, it’s not like harry will be any fun to poke fun at if he’s busy mourning his best friend. 

he can’t just say that though, and it’s not like he’s willing to come in last just to make sure everything gets back okay. 

“cousin?” luna asks, head tilted to the side. 

“shut up,” he says, and taps his wand on his hand. 

he transforms three wooden dummies with the hostages respective names carved into their chest, then right below it adds early bird captures all the prizes, xoxo draco and swaps them out, although he has to keep the ships shield’s activated while he does because the merpeople are pissed. 

gabrielle huddles into luna’s side, who speaks even less french than gabrielle does english, but draco’s too busy steering the ship to play translator. 

granger and weasley stand next to each other, staring at him like they’ve never seen him before, and he really wishes they’d stop looking at him. “what?” he snaps. “i just - i’m just trying to - to make them angry, is all.” 

“right,” weasley says, eyebrows pushed together. he and granger share a look. draco doesn’t know what it means, but he hates it. 

“oh, piss off,” he grumbles as the ship breaks the surface. 

the durmstrang students are clustered near the shore. their headmaster looks pissed, but all the students are laughing, so draco doesn’t feel too bad about the whole thing. 

viktor and potter bring back their wooden figures, and fleur stops crying and kisses him on both cheeks when she realizes draco’s gotten her sister. potter hugs granger and weasley, and the three of them keep looking at him. 

draco gets nines across the board, with each judge deducting a point for stealing, which he doesn’t think is fair. no one said stealing wasn’t allowed after all. 

~

the third task happens, and everything goes wrong. viktor attacks him, and later he finds fleur unconscious and sends up red sparks for her. he ends up fighting back to back with potter, which is hell, and the golden trophy is across from them. he and potter look at each other, for a moment completely still, and then they both go running. draco’s so close, he’s not going to let harry win this, even if the whole thing does seem a bit unfair what with viktor having lost his mind and attacking fleur, but draco’s not about to be a hufflepuff about this. 

because there’s no justice in this world, they grab it at the same time. 

draco’s used a portkey plenty of times, and it doesn’t disorient him. he lands on his feet with his wand out, and pointed right at a man with overly large front teeth. 

a crackly voice says, “kill the-”

draco doesn’t wait around for him to finish that sentence. “stupefy!” 

the stunning spell works, and the man falls to the ground with a loud crunch  that would be concerning if draco cared. “malfoy?” potter mutters, finally getting to his feet, looking too pale and green around the edges. his hand is pressed against his forehead. “i-i think something is wrong. we should leave.” 

“malfoy,” that same crackly voice says, and draco leans forward cautiously. “good, good. lucius’s boy. you’ll finish this, then.” 

cradled in the man’s stupified arms is a scaly creature about the size of a large toddler with beady red eyes. 

draco’s hit with overwhelming wave of revulsion, with wrongness, that he’s never felt before and can’t explain. “I-I,” he pauses, stepping back, and in front of potter, who still looks like he’s going to be sick at any moment. he keeps his wand out, but uses his other hand to twist the ring around his middle finger three times. 

“pick me up,” the thing commands, “we have work to do. i need your flesh.” 

oh, merlin above. 

there’s two pops, and then his parents are here, following the distress signal sent off by his ring. 

“mum, dad,” he says, taking another stumbling step back, finally able to breath when they step in front of him, wands raised, “that’s - i think,” he pauses, “that’s the - the dark lord.” then, because he wants them to make informed decisions, “he tried to kill me.” 

“did he,” his mother says, voice icy. his father sighs, like he already knows what’s coming, but makes no move to stop it. “avada kedavra.” 

there’s a flash of green light, and when draco peeks around his father’s shoulder, the scaly creature is unmoving. 

“dear,” lucius says mildly. 

narcissa turns, holding out her arm, and draco tucks himself against his mother’s side. “yes darling? surely you didn’t really want to get involved in this mess again. and,” her voice drops, “he tried to hurt our son.” 

“yes, of course,” he says, reaching out a hand to brush it through draco’s hair, “but keep in mind there are plenty of people who will want explanations of what just occurred. he’s not actually dead, you know.” 

his mother hums, “well, i suppose we’re changing sides.” 

lucius frowns, but it’s not like he’s going to argue with narcissa, so he says, “very well.” 

“um,” potter says, and the three of them turn to look at him, “what?” 

“that’s a portkey then?” lucius asks, looking to the trophy on the ground. daring, “i’ll handle things here, you go back with the boys. surely there’s someone who set this up waiting for whoever returns.” 

“uh,” potter says, “er, sorry, i just - can we take pettigrew too? he - i can use him to clear my godfather’s name, is all.” 

his parents both make a face like they’ve smelled something rotten, and his mother sighs. “i suppose dealing with sirius is one of the many prices we’ll pay for switching sides. very well. petrificus totalus! wingardium leviosa!” the mans stunned body rises, and voldemorts’ pathetic corpse falls with a dull thump. she looks expectantly towards them. “ready?” 

potter shoots him a desperate look, but if he’s looking for draco to explain his mother, he’ll be waiting for a long time. draco had given up on that by the time he turned five. he wonders if all this means that he and potter will actually manage to be friends. 

“come on, potter,” he holds out his hand, “mum’s probably going to kill at least one more person tonight, so best not to start questioning things now.” 

“at least two, if i get my hands on dumbledore,” she sniffs, grabbing draco’s other hand so she can travel with them by portkey. 

potter looks down at his outstretched hand, then back up, and only hesitates a moment more before taking it. “call me harry. isn’t ant of this, you know, weird for you?” 

draco shrugs. “we’re wizards, harry. weirdness is relative, don’t you think?” 

harry’s just grabbed the portkey, so his laughter gets cut off, and draco tries not to mourn the loss. 

hopefully, now he’ll get a chance to hear it again, after all. 

[bookwyrminspiration]

TW// Drugs n such

you asked for it smh, but I've been thinking a lot about that one scene in Neverseen in Exilliums healing tent (or whatever its called)

I had a whole rant here about what the implication of this 'serum' might mean in the lost cities but it kinda spiraled into nothing so I'm cutting it out. (main point was just the mood towards drugs, Shannon has had previous mentions of both alcohol and drunk people, so (though im not saying she should incorporate this into a middle grade book series a t a l l), Id be curious to see her take on drugs, (if they exist and how they effect people and the elven population // how is it treated? Is it looked down upon or even forbidden (why we might only see it in Exillium territories) or is it so normal and inconsequential that its just part of the norm in the lost cities?

but anyway, back to the thing I was originally thinking of - i feel like this is something rarely talked about but pls tell me I'm not the only one who has picked up on how weird Keefe's relationship with sedatives is. It's such a contrast to Sophie, where she's openly opposed to taking any type of sedative he seems to be really open to them, in fact in Unlocked every time he's knocked out by a sedative his language is pretty much always positive, like he really enjoys it. This probably just ties into something you mentioned a while back about Keefe and dealing with stuff by running away but I find it really interesting.

(Sorry if this is an uncomfortable ask to get, I know not everyone is comfortable with drug talk and I hope this Isn't overstepping a line.)

you're fine, don't worry! no lines overstepped. I appreciate you including the warning at the top, even though I'm alright talking with the subject. if there's something I'm uncomfortable with, that's not on you to know or worry about because I haven't shared any of my specific triggers, and the more anxiety-inducing ones are so specific to my personal experiences that I highly doubt they'll ever have any effect on any conversation ever. but I do genuinely appreciate your concern <33

I don't remember specifically what I asked for, but this is a topic I hadn't even realized was so fascinating, so thank you for bringing it up! That scene is kinda funny (as in weird) looking back on it, but Keefe was completely out of it and being a lot more vulnerable than he probably wanted to be due to his state of mind. I think it was intended to mirror something like anesthesia or laughing gas (note: in my brief research trying to find info about the boobrie dude I made a mental comparison between tam and sandor, so I'm just making note of it here so I don't forget), at least as far as Keefe's reaction goes. I think part of this was strategic so that we could get some information and vulnerability (although unwillingly) from Keefe and get that first glimpse of "the boy beneath all that swagger" (paraphrased from Sophie). But that's not what your ask is about so I'll move on before I get even more distracted.

wine, at the very least, exists in the lost cities. we've got fizzleberry wine, which is blamed by some for Caprise Redek's accident. Aside from that we've seen no mention of it, as this is a middle grade series about a young teen girl in a fantasy world, and in a "perfect" world there isn't a lot of talk about recreational substances. And I agree with you! this isn't to say that I think drugs and alcohol should be this huge thing in keeper or that it even needs to be address, just commenting that the attitude the general public has towards substances and intoxication is likely even more severe in the elven world, as has been the pattern with other things. We can tell from Caprise's incident that their wine functions similar if not identical to ours, as it was said to have impaired her motor control and thinking, hence how she fell off that balcony. So I think we could assume that drugs in the Lost Cities would be similar to those in the Forbidden Cities in function. Not in name though, likely named after some strange elven thing. Though if we go with the wine example, Fizzleberry is likely an exact description of what it is--the wine probably fizzes and is made from berries.

the elves highly value the mind, so I anticipate that anything that messes with it past beneficial medicinal uses prescribed by a physician are frowned upon. they think of your mental capacity and capabilities as integral to who you are, and composure as essential. drugs take that away and can impair your reasoning, hence my conclusion they're not well liked. however, I propose that this mindset is mostly those who are very proper, for example Lord Cassius. Dex was more than ready to take concentration serums of his own making--and convinced Sophie to take one (note: dex has almost killed both Sophie and Fitz. that can't be fun to know)--which directly messed with his limbic center. However, as he was raised in an apothecary and is already a little less in line with all other elvin values, I don't think him being an outlier is enough to completely through out my assumption. overall: looked down upon because it messes with the mind and the mind is crucial to elven society, and the way it impairs your thinking would make you a lesser person

and you're right! keefe's relationship with sedative is weird. we have this teenager who grew up without stable supports or a loving family having very little regard for how substances will effect his body, prioritizing the possible--not guaranteed, possible--benefits over all the risks. this is not to say drug use is inherently bad, just that the situation he's in makes me very cautious because he feels more at risk of falling into bad habits. also, your observation about tying that into him running away is very astute! i've talked a lot about him running away from his problems in more ways that physical, and I think this is an excellent example of that

he doesn't like his reality, the world he lives in when he's awake and aware and lucid. it's full of all these problems and people and he doesn't know what to do. but when he's asleep? he doesn't have to deal with any of that. he doesn't have to do anything, but he's also troubled enough and anxious enough that sleep doesn't always come easy, and he can be plagued by nightmares. but those sedatives mess with his mind and not only make him sleep faster and longer, but they can mess with your dreams and alter the reality you experience while asleep. i guess it could be a way of trying to take control of a situation he had very little control over, especially in unlocked when everyone else was trying to fix things without consulting him. with his waking world that bad, of course he's gonna like anything that takes him away from it.

it stands out especially when we switch to him as a narrator and he's praising these things and wanting to be sedated, as we've spent so long in Sophie's head and she's so against them from the trauma she experienced in the first book. that could mean his attitude them is more jarring just because we're used to Sophie and it wouldn't seem as dramatic if we'd switched from say, Fitz's head. but that doesn't mean there's nothing here.

i think i've said it before, but Keefe doesn't have any healthy coping strategies right now that he consistently relies on. his deference towards avoidance and making the problem go away, even if it's just in feeling induced by drugs, is a more extreme example of how he doesn't know how to just exist without hurting.

I jumped around a bit between topics so if I missed something you wanted to talk about more in depth please feel free to send another ask! Keefe's relationship to experiencing reality is fascinating and covers things from denial and refusal to change all the way to drugs and literally altering the way his brain perceives reality. This boy is on a collision course with destruction in both body and mind.

[gay-otlc]

bisexual polyam keefe?

Keefe has a habit of drawing his crushes

A lot

Sometimes he draws his crushes and him on a date

From a pretty young age, his sketchbook had elves of all genders

The guy elves, the girl elves, the probably genderqueer elves.

He wanted to smooch 'em all.

Somehow he managed to convince his dad that all the guys he drew himself with

(cOUGH, Fitz, COUGH)

Were just date ideas for bros, you know? Super hetero bros. No homo dates.

And his dad bought it???

I mean Cassius is literally an Empath so like he Knew what was going on but

Cognitive dissonance and extreme denial is a bitch.

He didn't really know there was a word for it until Sophie, he just kinda knew that he liked more than one gender.

He didn't even know there needed to be a word for that; didn't everyone like all the genders?

Keefe was thoroughly convinced that all elves dated around all the genders when they were teenagers/young adults and just married an elf of the opposite sex to make ✨elf babies✨

But yeah anyway Sophie came out to the gang as bi at some point.

And Keefe responded with "Cool, I'm happy for you, but what the fuck does that mean?"

She explained it and he went "Ohhhhhhhhhhh, me too."

(Sophie later decided omni fit her better but yeah)

(The two of them are just two mspecs in an m/f relationship)

He started dating Sophie first because Fitz was still pretending to be straight honey you're not fooling anyone but okay

Once Fitz comes out (wow shocking), the power of the TEAL EYES captivated him and he found it difficult to only love Sophie, but he also felt very guilty about that?

Like a good partner who understands the concept of communication, he talked to her about it.

"Understandable. Fitz is really hot, I see why you would like him."

They talk for a while and decide they want Fitz in their relationship.

So yeah, Sokeefitz!

Bonus headcanons:

Keefe has a t-shirt that says "I put the bi in bitch."

(Fitz got it for him)

Everyone assumes Keefe is good at math because he puts the pi symbol everywhere

He knows nothing about math. He just likes it because it's on the polyam flag.

Keefe is shit at remembering which joke/funny story he's already told which partner so he'll often tell things to the same partner twice and the other partner not at all.

But he tries.

If he has to wear a cape, they're going to be either bi or polyam flags.

I saw a post once that said Settlers of Catan is polyam culture and I think about that every time I play Settlers.

But yeah, Keefe is pretty good, he just hoards sheep and shows no mercy with the robber.

This is long and I am tired. Thank you for the ask.

[lumi-klovstad-games]

Assuming Leandros SURVIVED THE RESULTING BROWBEATING FROM ORTAN CASSIUS, and almost certainly Marneus Fucking Calgar Himself (going over the entire Chapter's head and narcing to the Inquisition is VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS as the Inquisition has callously —and occasionally, enthusiastically— purged whole chapters for even less in the past), I imagine he's grown up a LOT between games. It's been a hot minute between games. Dude would have been lucky to survive the Chapter's wrath, nevermind the wrath of the enemies he'd have to fight in the meantime.

If I were Calgar, I'd have "voluntold" Leandros to the Death Watch with a note that "this whelp needs to learn a LOT. Make sure he does. But hey, if he dies, well... shit happens."

Or just bust him back to novice status. Congratulations, graduate, you're back in school.

I mean, Leandros' biggest defense isn't any argument he might make, but full contrition, true penitence, and praying to the God Emperor that the sheer cost associated with making a Space Marine gives him SOME kind of non-fatal crash padding. He was a VERY young Ultramarine, implied to basically be on his first real deployment. His superiors MIGHT consider that in his favor — we were all young and passionate once.

But yeah, if he's AT ALL still alive, he's absolutely a better, more mature, and wiser man than he was at Graia.

And if he is, I desperately want to see him apologize to Titus; he did what he did not realizing the potential consequences to the Chapter, and Titus forgiving him after all that time would be a great scene, and having Leandros swear on Sidonus' memory that he will be worthy of the Ultramarine legacy and stand as a loyal brother at last to Titus would be SO COOL.

Titus could even compliment the soldier Leandros became, and Leandros would say "I had many great teachers, though... I now admit that that I did not listen to some of them as I should have. But now, I am ready to listen."

And Titus being Titus would say something like "Some men live their entire lives and die without ever seeing their faults. You are already a wiser man than many to see that you have faltered. But the past is not our battlefield, for duty calls, and we shall answer. Together, we will rally to the here and now, as true soldiers must, for the enemies of today are the villains a warrior should be most concerned with."

Yeah... I love me a redemption arc. How could you tell?

Who is Leandros and why do we hates him

Young Ultramarine side character from the Space Marine game who spends chunks of the game berating the main character for not following the codex astartes to the letter. He later decides that the main character, who is Leandros' captain, mind you, might have been corrupted by the influence of chaos. Because he's doing radical things like thinking outside of the box (the codex).

So, in a moment of hypocrisy that is frankly impressive, Leandros goes to the fucking Inquisition and reports Titus, resulting in him being taken away by them for testing/interrogation/cbt at the end of the game.

The reason this is so very bad, especially if you're like Leandros and spend your early morning hours snorting ground up pages of the codex, is that the codex itself dictates what to do if you're worried about corruption or odd behaviour in a squad member; you tell a chaplain. You absolutely do not involve the separate, private organisation that 8 out of 10 marine chapters would pick a fight with, given the advantage.

Leandros basically backflipped on all of his beliefs the minute his captain told him to grow up, and went crying to the people infamous for involving themselves in space marine affairs and disappearing chapters who upset them.

Dude is basically a narc.