#I will be using ONLY they/them for aurum on this blog

[ask-olivervocaloid]

I didn't end up using it at all in the ask, but I actually drew Ausgris/Aurum an adapted design (from their vocaloid concept art, maghni ai, & alt designs) for this askblog

[mrpenguinpants]

See you, space cowboy

— Parting words at the end of the day.

— Jing Yuan, Blade, Dan Heng, Imbibitor Lunae, Dr. Ratio + Luocha

[Masterlist]

The title is from Cowboy Bebop. I used their "Parting" voice lines if anyone was curious. Ignore how I'm using a Kafka gif for a fic with only men. I promise this is still a "genshin" blog.

Jing Yuan

"Mmm, rest well... My apologies. There is still some work to be done and I can't see you out personally."

You blink at him before you narrow your eyes and give him a judging stare. Your fingers reach out to curl around the sleeve of his uniform, giving it a small tug that he willingly steps into despite his earlier words. He doesn't try to hide the amusement in his eyes, even letting out a soft chuckle that makes your lips downturn into a frown. Jing Yuan reaches up, smoothing the crease between your eyebrows before resting on your cheek.

"It's obvious that you're tired. You should rest for a little bit more before you go back to work," you lightly scold as you give another weak tug for him to return to your shared home. Another chuckle escapes him as he places his other hand on your shoulder, rubbing soothing circles through the fabric for a few seconds to attempt to appease you. "It's been a while since we've shared a meal together..."

Jing Yuan's eyes soften yet he politely removes your hand attached to his sleeve. This time he avoids your gaze, the disappointment flowing heavy in the air, when he shakes his head and steps back.

"Next time, I promise," he whispers, squeezing your hand to hopefully convey his sincerity. "I'll take a day off as well. I heard that our Trailblazer friend has restored Aurum Alley back to its former glory. I'm sure Yanqing would love to join us as well."

You seem to mull over it in your head. To trade one night for a full day is tempting, plus Yanqing has been running himself ragged given the recent events. It would be nice to have a break where it can just be the three of you without any military or political weight hovering above you.

"...fine. But if you break your promise, I'll sic Mimi on you," you pout at him, twisting your hand from his grip to poke him in the chest.

"I...shall plan accordingly then," he laughs awkwardly because he knows you will follow through with that threat. He still has the scratch marks on the walls as proof. Playful or not, Mimi is unfortunately an overly heavy lion.

Blade

"Go. When the mara strikes, you don't want to be next to me."

"Is that what you say to everyone who tries to help you?" you huff as you carefully bandage his wounds, the white bandages seeping red slowly as you wind them around his torso. Despite the sarcasm dripping from your tone, he can tell you're genuinely angry with him this time. If it were anyone else, he would shake them off to leave, but when you look like you're two breaths away from bursting into tears, so he can only take a deep breath and let you bandage him up.

"They'll heal. They always do," he says after a moment of silence. Alas, his attempt at comfort does nothing but make you more stressed. He winces slightly when you pull too tightly on the bandage, the gauze scrapping against his gash that's already stitching itself together again.

"I know, so shut up already," you spit in an attempt to save face, and he decides to offer a bit of kindness by not commenting on it, "I'm not doing this for you."

He knows. You used to be an ordinary medic before the Stelleron Hunters recruited you, and you incidentally had to switch careers to something more violent. But old habits die hard, and this small bit of control helps to ease your worries. Even if it's only by a small margin. Your weakened hold lets the bandages fall into a heap on your lap as your shoulder shag. You press your forehead against his shoulder just slightly above where his wound is already rapidly healing into another scar.

"Can't you be more careful?" you sigh into his shoulder, a smear of red on your cheek that you both ignore. Blood will wash out.

"I'm sorry," he replies. He won't lie to you and say that he'll try. For as much as the mara controls him and his emotions, he wills them away for a few seconds.

Dan Heng

"Time to turn in already…? Thanks for the reminder. It's easy to lose track of time in the archives — before you know it, a whole day's gone by… See you tomorrow."

You have to stifle your laugh lest you make Dan Heng more embarrassed that he kicks you out of the room to save some dignity. Even though he says all that, he hasn't once lessened his hold on you for you to actually get up and leave. If anything, his arms around your waist tighten so you're practically molded into his chest. To be fair, you had lost track of time as well. After the recent adventures and running everywhere, it felt nice to settle into Dan Heng's lap and waste a day away in the archives, just basking in each other's presence. No crazy hunter trying to stab Dan Heng or overactive mara-struck enemies attempting to decapitate you. Just the hum of the machines and the warmth of company that neither of you are ready to leave so soon.

"You know...technically it's already "tomorrow" since it's 2am. We could just stay here," you muse as you tilt your head up to look at his unimpressed expression. The longer the two of you stay up, the worse the rest of the day will be from the lack of sleep. Plus it's not healthy to stay up to reset a sleep schedule.

"You know we can't do that. Besides, you might be comfortable but this shelf has been digging into my back for the past few hours," he sighs, shifting his body to prove a point further.

"10 more minutes," you bargain.

"2," he denies flatly.

"5?" you try again.

"2." He stares you at with a frown.

"3!" You stare right back with a cheeky grin.

"...fine."

He hides the fond smile into your hair as you cheer on gaining a single minute.

Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae

"It's getting late, I won't be staying up much longer. Sleep well."

You have to stifle your amusement less you make Dan Heng recede even further into his shell, but you can't help but think it's kind of cute how awkward this dragon can be sometimes. The way he stands so stiffly and not at all relaxed for sleep, how his eyes are staring at anything but you who is standing right in front of him, coupled with the uneasy way he says for you to "sleep well.". As if he's questioning if it's okay for him to say something so casually despite all the time you've spent in each other's company. Dragon horns or not.

"Much longer...huh. And pray tell, how many minutes does that equate to again? It's kinda hard to tell when I'm talking to an infinite respawn glitch," you tease, lightly punching him in the shoulder makes Dan Heng crack a tiny smile. You mentally pat yourself on the back for that little win. Ever since the Astral Express concluded its journey on the Xianzhou, the new dragon had been walking on eggshells around everyone.

"You're talking too much to that hacker girl. That's not how the vidyadhara reincarnation works either," he sighs but the tension is gone from his shoulders. If you're able to joke about it then you're not mad at him lying about his origins, even though you haven't been in the first place. "But I will return to the Archives with the system hour."

You spare a glance at the clock. It'll be midnight in another 20 minutes. Has it really gotten that late so quickly?

"Alright, but if I check the data bank and there are new entries, I'm kicking your door open mister," you place your hands on your hips as you gesture two V-sign fingers at your own eyes, then at him. "Good night Dan Heng. See you in the morning.".

Dr. Ratio

"Another day has passed. If your problem still hasn't been solved, is it possible that the problem is you?"

He tilts his head to the side gracefully as you hurl your pen at him. The cheap plastic breaks on impact and leaves a smear of ink that you'll have to clean up unless you want another stain for Dr. Ratio to insult you for. Perhaps you can use his name as a tax write-off? It's the least he could do for you with how much attitude you put up with.

"What if my problem is you? If you didn't dodge then I wouldn't have to waste so many precious pens," you counter as you reach for the white cloth hanging from his waist to use to mop up the ink. One that has Ratio slapping your hand away with his stone booklet. He even dares to wipe at it with a handkerchief, as if touching your skin is equivalent to touching trash, rather than offering it to you!

"Ow! Geez, you really don't hold back. I wasn't going to actually use your clothing!" you fake sob as you nurse your poor hand close to your chest. It doesn't hurt as badly as you're making it out to be. You've seen Veritas throw chalk at his enemies and leave chalk-sized holes in them. "Besides, it's not like I can do anything about my "problems". [ Rahu ] isn't the easiest place to investigate..."

Your body slumps in as you think back on how little progress you've made with that strange planet. Diamond has been kind enough to not assign a deadline but you can feel the quiet disappointment every time you report that you don't have anything new to share each month. Maybe Veritas is right. Maybe the problem is you.

"Which is why you've been given the role. The numbers written on a stats page or monthly reports do not measure the trial and error of someone's pursuit of knowledge. Very few scholars I know would be capable of continuing for the sole purpose of finding the truth. Surely you're capable of seeing that? Unless I've severely underestimated your intelligence," Veritas states as if it were a fact. He reaches to take your hand, giving it a once over to see if he has truly hurt you. His words bring a small smile as your heart swells at his encouragement as you squeeze his hand back.

Luocha

"Have an early rest. I'll keep watch here."

It's the last thing you hear before your eyelids droop close and sleep takes you under. Your body slumps against Luocha's side, his hands already out and ready to catch you, before he gently maneuvers you so your head rests in his lap. He hums humourlessly as he combs through the strands of your hair, a bit of dirt clinging onto the ends. He'll have to tend to that later.

"I wonder what someone like you dreams of," he contemplates although he doesn't expect an answer. Your face is the picture of serenity as your chest rises up and down slowly with each breath, completely dead to the world. You're far too trusting of him, even his first meeting on friendly terms with Dan Heng hadn't made that man lower his guard. Sure, they had been on the same team but Dan Heng would constantly look behind him as if he was waiting to get stabbed in the back by Luocha's sword. Yet here you are, fast asleep in his lap and entirely defenseless.

A loud buzzing sounds from your pocket that Luocha reaches for to check, you're not going to be awake to answer it anyway.

"What considerate companions you have," he muses as Dan Heng's caller ID flashes on your phone before his call gets sent to voicemail. It's truly a blessing that all phones operate under the same system programming as he holds down the power button, effectively shutting the phone and other potential distractions silent. Under the artificial night light, when it's just the two of you here, no one can see the secret smile on his lips. Nor the possessive hold he has on you.

[crooked-sketches]

Please read the full post!

Thank you all so much for the amazing response received for this project! To date, an astounding 30 artists have joined! I could never have expected that kind of response so soon, so I have decided to close the signups early and move forward with the next steps!

Who will we be drawing?

The one and only...

India!!!

Introducing, in order, the artists participating!

@aphfroghat  2. @samrut 3. @ashafox 4. @Winteree 5. @doomspiral 6. @maibluemen 7. @the-heaminator 8. @itstokkii 9. @paperuniverse 10. @ama-the-weeb 11. @j-ellyfish 12. @chaoshiki 13. @viktuurishipper96 14. @theheroinewashere 15. @solareeluna 16. @dis-mr-slovenia 17. @noonartist 18. @umahumahumah 19. @f0rgetf0rgetting 20. @ellmovy 21. @loverboylen 22. @Sukno-enjoyer 23. @k3llyb3an 24. @arnikaaa 25. @currybowls-blog 26. @gybas-blog 27. @aurum-cat 28. @dapotatoauthor 29. @spadeset 30. @lecirueblr

Remember, if you no longer wish to participate or need to pull out for whatever reason please dm me!

Wooo! Now what?

I will draw the starter drawing, blur it, and send it along to the first artist in line! Then, when they are finished, they will send the drawing back to me so I can blur it and send it to the next artist. Who will then send it back to me and so on and so forth.

How will we send you the drawing?

Since the quality in Tumblr dm's is, quite frankly, ass, the drawings will be sent to me via either Discord or email. Depending on your preferences please ask me for my @ or email address via DM.

Remember, each artist has two weeks! But you are welcome to send it to me early if you finish before the two weeks are up!

Some quick rules

The minimum required for your drawing is a lined and coloured piece. NO sketches and NO black and white. Fully rendered pieces are very much appreciated, but lined and flat colour is perfectly fine.

Digital art is preferred however if you intend to do traditional art PLEASE make sure that when you send me the picture of your work that it is scanned and not a simple photograph for maximum clarity.

I will be using a canvas size of 3000 x 3500 for the initial drawing, please keep a similar ratio so that they will all fit nicely on the final graphic!

when it is your turn, I will send you a dm on Tumblr or whichever communication method you prefer. If I receive no response/indication that you have seen the message after one week, your turn will be skipped. Sending updates on your progress isn't obligatory but it is appreciated!

My Dm's are always open for questions of any kind! Or even if you just want to stop by and chat!

Finally, a personal message from the mod.

I really cannot thank all of you enough. You all make the community a little better with every piece of art you post.

This project comes at a very difficult time for me. As well as having some personal issues, my family in Lebanon barely managed to escape the war with their lives, they got out but their neighbourhood is gone and the fate of many family friends remains uncertain. Our family in Venezuela is also severely struggling during this time of unrest, and we are not always able to contact them. I decided to host this project now because Hetalia has always been a deep comfort of mine and has helped me through many personal issues in the past. I longed for a sense of community and wanted to interact with more of you all. I could not have imagined so many of you would be interested in my small passion project, especially so many artists and creators who I have looked up to for years.

In addition to this, I wanted to thank all of you who hold Lebanon, Palestine, and Venezuela in your hearts during this time. It warms my heart whenever I see people in the Hetalia community (many of whom are participating here with us!) uplifting fundraisers, charities, and honest discussion about these events.

Perhaps you don't really care about this small message, but it was important to me to say it.

If you reached this far, comment with a ❣️ and I can't wait to see y'all amazing works!

[return-to-twisted-wonderland]

Welcome home, you're back where you belong.

Please read the FAQ if you have any questions!

Hello! Welcome to the blog that's spun off from my very rampant and fun AU! In this AU, Yuu or whoever you've named were taken from TWST into a different world as a kid or baby, only to return to TWST during the entrance ceremony. Now they have to renavigate a world that was lost to them with magic. You are more than free to just make up a Yuu for this or design your own version, anything is welcomed!

From these ideas can come comedy, due to whatever shenanigans the siblings get up to, and angst, you've returned home to see how much has changed around you. Nothing is concrete which allows for endless possibilities with this concept!

I will normally use Yuu for the sibling or child if they go unnamed in the ask.

Mod talks

Current Siblings/Children/Childhood friends:

Yuu Crowley - Crowley's kid [The-Broken-Truth]

Marcus Trein - Trein's son [The-Broken-Truth] Married to Azul

Darius Crewel - Crewel's son [The-Broken-Truth] Dating Vil

Canis Woods-Vargas - Vargas' son (Wolf beastman) [🔆 Anon]

Opening Ceremony: Heartslabyul

Domino Spade - Deuce's twin brother [🔆 Anon] - Dating Silver

Roxas Hearts - Riddle's estranged older brother [The-Broken-Truth]

Emily Rosehearts - Riddle's sister [👻 Anon] - Married to Idia

Karina Rosehearts - Riddle's adoptive sister (not related to Roxas or Ruse) [💚 Anon] - Dating Floyd

Trinity Clover - Trey's younger sister [🔆 Anon] - Dating Sebek

Dekker Diamond - Cater's brother [🔆 Anon] - Married to Azul clearly for the tax breaks and totally not because they fell in love

Jacob Howl - Jack's older brother [The-Broken-Truth]

Nox Bucchi - Ruggie's older brother [The-Broken-Truth]

Hari Kingscholar - Leona's twin sister [👻 Anon] - Engaged to Trey

Sundew Ashengrotto - Azul's younger sister [🍋 Anon]

Cordelia Ashengrotto - Azul's step sister (Not related to Sundew) [🦑 Anon]

Aquarium Ashengrotto - Azul's sister (Not related to Sundew or Cordelia) [👻 Anon] - Soon to be dating Silver

Verde Ashengrotto - Azul's older brother (Not related to Sundew, Cordelia, or Aquarium) [💚 Anon] - Dating Leona

Nessie - Octotrio's friend [🍇 Anon]

Peridot Leech - Jade and Floyd's younger brother [🍋 Anon]

Toryn Leech - Jade and Floyd's older brother (not related to Peridot) [🔆 Anon] - Dating Vil

Jayden Viper - Jamil's twin brother [The-Broken-Truth]

Didem Bint Asim - Kalim's younger sister [🐧 Anon]

Honeycrisp Felmier - Epel's twin sibling [🍋 Anon]

Riley Hunt - Rook's younger sister [👻 Anon] - Dating Jade

Desmier Schoenheit - Vil's younger sibling [🎨 Anon]

Sylvia Schoenheit - Vil's sister (Not related to Desmier)[The-Broken-Truth]

Sage Crewel - Crewel's daughter (Not related to Darius) [🦑 Anon]

Kit Honest - Fellow's younger sister [🔆 Anon] - Dating Kalim

Aoda Shroud - Idia and Ortho's brother [The-Broken-Truth]

Belladonna Shroud - Idia and Ortho's sister (not related to Aoda) [🍋 Anon]

Elisa Shroud - Ortho's twin sister [🌸 Anon]

Aurum - Silver's sister [🐩 Anon]

Diavol Stonewall - Malleus' partner [🕊️ Anon]

Ruse Rosehearts - Riddle's brother (not related to Karina or Roxas) [🔆 Anon]

Cyrus - Silver's brother (Not related to Aurum) [The-Broken-Truth]

Dusk Vanrouge - Lilia's son [🔆 Anon]

Malynne Draconia - Malleus' older sister [🔆 Anon] - Dating Rook

Dawn Vanrouge - Lilia's daughter (not related to Dusk) [The-Broken-Truth]

Thornton Draconia - Malleus' brother (Related to Aurum) [🐩 Anon]

Vivienne Vanrouge - Lilia's wife (not related to Dusk or Dawn Vanrouge) [🕊️ Anon]

Ceceri - Sam's little sister [🫧 Anon]

Mayet Artemiyevich Pinker - Che'nya's adopted older sister [🪻Anon]

Oisin LeBlanche - Neige's half-brother [🪻Anon]

Nanette LeBlanche - Neige's twin sister (Not related to Oisin) [👻 Anon] - Dating Rook

Mimzy & Genesis Crewel - Poodle Beastmen Crewel's daughters [🍇Anon]

Kaiden Trappola - Ace's older brother [💚 Anon]

[asciidot]

11 for laz I need more lore

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

Fear is a tangled concept when you're a functional immortal whose been alive for two millennia, but aside from Aurum's "Death" and the underlying dread of eternity, it would probably be the first time he "broke" one of its own hard set rules. Long text because there is ...context! needed!

cw minor character death

For anyone who hasn't been trawling my blog for scraps of lore over the years, or seen me in the wild back when I used to roleplay and join JSaB servers, Lazureus is the shape who is the head of the "Watchers", one of the four main sectors in Paradise, Utopia. The Watchers is basically their iteration of "defence" that our countries have, covering general policing, warfare, "peacekeeping", punishment and some other odd jobs. They do not have good optics, even in Paradise, and Lazureus is presently a pretty hated public figure, even though some argue his necessity.

Lazureus does not enjoy his line of work, nor deem it necessary, but has developed a numbness towards it because he doesn't have a choice in it. To hold some semblance of morals to keep himself sane once this position was given to him, Laz set himself a few rules, one of which being is no matter what: he cannot directly cause a death that was not on the field, or trialled beforehand through the Wayfinders ("Humanitarian" and Legal sector, Aurums domain). That means the person for which his hand was responsible for death was either deemed guilty or had "agreed to the risk" by stepping foot in a battlezone.

On the field, Lazureus is barely deployed because he is a walking natural disaster. All the siblings have their specialties; Amael can manipulate inorganic matter and metals (things of noise) with precision, Protham is fantastic with what can best be described as telekinesis (manipulating the space between noise and sound), and Aurum is exceptional with plants and life (things of sound). They all have their practical applications. Lazureus on the other hand, can reduce sound and noise to nothing. The only exceptions are Pink shapes with their unstable sound, and deities who are instead of Light, not sound.

All that exposition to get to the actual answer to the question!

Lazureus had been deployed by the King in order to clear out an area, as the meaningless skirmish against the Backlands had started to lose momentum and was causing more trouble than it was worth to their own people.

It was a pretty desolate area, and the evacuation order had been given, so Laz was more haphazard than he usually was. It didn't scout the area, and even at the end razed a run down building in the vicinity too, even though it wasn't quite in the designated zone, just clipping Paradise land-- because he had always hated churches. One broken old tribute to his creator couldn't hurt to erase, spite fuelled or not. It was half caved in anyway, so he was doing the place a favour.

Well, he thought as much until there was shrieking in the priorly silent battlegrounds. It was all the more chilling because there was only that. There was nothing to tune it out. No background noise, no people beside him droning on about patriotism, no wind, no gunfire, just the desperate cries of a singular living thing, alone and in agony.

The next hour he acted practically on autopilot, finding the person in a few panicked minutes, dragging what was left of them out from the debris, teleporting them both to Aurum and begging xem to fix it, because Laz himself couldn't, he wasn't designed to.

They survived a few lucid-ish days before succumbing to having half their body destroyed. They were writing an article on historical architecture, and the building had interested them, even though it was so close to a no-go zone. She finished writing it then died, like it was some sort of final duty. She had no family, and she took it in her stride. She said it was all coincidence, really, and even said she forgave Laz, that it wasn't really his fault. That Laz was a nice person and just happened to be in a bad position. She was one of the few people Laz ever brought himself to be completely truthful with in those few days, maybe out of guilt, maybe out of something else, he didn't know.

When he went back to the site, the mural of his creator was still intact.

It felt like Vie was laughing at him.

[sinfulscream]

character essay: topaz from honkai star rail

strap your seat belt in, we're going for a ride.

topaz is a debt collector.

now you may start thinking: did belobog commit a tax fraud? if so, how? i thought this was a very interesting thought process. because have you ever considered interplanar debt or financial settlements in sci-fi media? unless if they were sky pirates or very simple transactions of sale and purchase - it is often not explored and perhaps, most might even consider it not interesting.

for those who played the game and dedicated their time to the events, you'll find and agree that the influence of the interastral peace corporation (ipc) is wide - considering they hold a stake in an underused freight vehicle for the aurum alley business event. the ipc was also painted as calculating, for wanting to take back not only the freight vehicle, but any semblance of a bustling city. the ipc is a capitalist loaning body, driven by its "philanthropy", until it's time to reap the benefits."

when topaz walked into the story, that painting proves to have more details - more than just freight vehicles, the ipc could do more than just assistance in business, but repairing an entire planet.

topaz's exterior personality leaves readers with quite literally no hint to who she is or where is she from, aside from her love for animals, but playing the story leaves you to find out that she came from a heavily polluted planet that the only choice left was to leave everything to the ipc. however, it was also because of this upbringing and story that topaz would prioritise survival, more than its people's freedom. after all, protection from natural disaster as well resource allocation for a planet's rebuilding is a tempting deal - especially for belobog, that had only recently been cleared from its stellaron crisis.

not only that, belobog had also borrowed funds from the ipc prior to the planet's isolation from the rest of the world due to its extreme weather. the contract topaz offered to rebuild belobog and employ its citizens under the ipc would clear the arrears owed for over seven centuries.

despite the ipc's opportunistic nature as a body, topaz came to belobog and spoke to bronya with unmatched sincerity. topaz was a character that did not come from a privileged place, yet took the steps to dance alongside the work opportunity she was provided with. even if the contract offered by the ipc was tempting, even she was amazed by the thriving spirit of belobogians, looking toward a future with their intelligence and enduring the coldest blizzards. she could no longer compare the environment between jarilo-vi and her home planet.

despite having objectively failed her mission, she was humble, and did not assert her task more than necessary. if this was what the people of belobog wanted, then she would not force it upon them.

which comes at the cost of her current position, and she was demoted by one rank. even so, she still found beauty on this planet.

as a character, one would assume that her position meant she was always out for money, but she herself said that she was past working for the money, and thus did not mind the pay cut that came with her demotion. but more than that, she maintains a headstrong personality through it all - a marketing expert who knew how to use her story to resonate with potential clients, yet endearing for her love of animals.

she is also noted to be very capable and places the interest of the planet's ahead of work - the probability of success among her planet projects stood at 80%, higher than the ipc's average of 60%.

topaz is a multifaceted businesswoman: friendly with her network, assertive with her staff, a marketing expert and most of all, good-natured. as an experienced businesswoman, her story clashes at the differences in culture and ideals against bronya, a fresh-faced leader trusted by her subjects.

this blog entry was originally posted on stormofblood.

[cjcroen1393]

So I've been hyperfixating on a Vocaloid Monster AU lately.

It started with me wanting to expand on the WOEFULLY underutilized concept of the PowerFX Vocaloids being "Classic Monsters" and just kind of... spiraled out of control from there. Now I have a LOT of ideas for Vocaloids, UTAUs and other vocal synthesizer characters as monsters for this AU.

So, specifically:

PowerFX:

Sweet Ann and Big Al = Frankenstein's Monsters (canon, more or less)

Oliver = Werewolf (I was inspired by this headcanon I found over at the old Vocaloid Headcanons blog and it hasn't left my brain since)

Yohioloid = Vampire (just LOOK at him!)

Ruby = Witch (I decided to round out the "classic" Halloween-style monsters with the only one that seems to be consistently female in these situations; after thinking about it though, it still fit, especially with the little star pattern in her jacket)

The ZOLA Project (based on their Carnelian designs)

Kyo = Vampire (Carnelian!Kyo has bat wings and bat = vampire)

Wil = Zombie (I actually don't know if Carnelian!Wil is specifically supposed to be a zombie, but someone said he looked like one so I went along with it)

Yuu = Werewolf (the furry, animal-eared hat and tatters/tears on his outfit scream "werewolf")

Other Vocaloids:

Aoki and Merli Lapis = Faeries (canon, obviously)

Aurum = Ghost (their aesthetic is supposed to be "a 1930s radio producer", so I thought why not make them an ACTUAL 1930s radio producer who died and now haunts the abandoned radio tower they used to work at? And yes, I know Aurum isn't technically a Vocaloid/won't be one when they're released, but let's ignore that for now)

Avanna = Witch (she gives off "magic user" vibes to me)

Daina = Kitsune (because foxes)

Dex = Werewolf (because wolves and also his voice provider made an entire song about him being a werewolf so canon)

Fukase = Demon (mostly just vibes in this case)

LUMi = Mermaid (because she's part jellyfish)

Luo Tianyi = Angel (canon)

Mayu = Vampire (it's in her aesthetic; I like to think she tries to bite people she's in love with so they'll never leave her)

Meika Hime and Mikoto = Forest Spirits (canon)

UTAUs:

Chikune Kenta = Vampire (canon, obviously)

KYE (Fuyuki Kaisei) = Dragon (he likes reptiles and also dragons are cool)

Kasane Teto = Human/Demon Hybrid (hence, "Chimera")

Kurobousuku = Werewolf (his name is literally "black wolf")

Namine Ritsu = Witch (another one based on vibes; also it would be funny for one of the few male witches in the story to also be a crossdresser)

Scott-129 = Alien (sort of canon)

Sekka Yufu = Yuki-onna (she's speculated already to be a "snow spirit" and a Yuki-onna seemed to be the most fitting choice for her)

Yuutsukoe Karasu (Kellyn Werner) = Tengu (sort of canon)

I want to do something with this idea, and I have some plot bunnies floating around in my head, but I'm not certain if I'll get around to it.

[chrisrainicorn]

hi I feel weird asking and sorry if it's a bother but I don't really use social media at all so I have no idea if you've already talked about this

Ive been following your stories for a bit on fanfic.net and I love arkos but I was curious if you were going to start writing again?

And if not did you have any idea how you and porter were going to end underdog?

Also I've found some free time myself recently so I've started trying to write my own fic and I'd like to thank you for inspiring me to do that its your stories I think of when I think about rwby so thanks.

Omg hi sorry for taking so long to reply! I barely check the inbox here bc I've been more active on my sideblog now, this "main" blog kinda of became a reblog dump owo''

It's so wonderful to hear my stories motivate you! :'0 that's how i started too, someone else's writing motivated me. So the chain continues! I hope you have a great time with your own stories! Good luck!

Now, about writing again, in general? It depends, writing takes a lot of energy from me, and its something i do only when I'm EXTREMELY inspired. RWBY hit the spot for me for a long time, and then I lost interest in the show, and after that, I only wrote one more fic for my current fandom (its posted only on AO3). For me to write, I have to have that perfect combination of fixation, hype, ideas and motivation that happens only once a blue moon :P

Underdog was completely 100% planned until the end actually! I put more details under the read more.

We had the story outlined until its final moments. We just didn't continue bc life, the pandemic, and the lack of interest in the fandom that eventually came to us. In the second half of the story, Jaune would find a way to tell everyone about Aurum, this eventually leads to them signing up for a dog show so they can confront Aurum in person, shenanigans ensues, they confront Aurum there and win in the end. ALSO dog Jaune would eventually prevent the fall of Beacon by a series of coincidences :P (his dog sense of smell and hearing is very helpful) There's a wacky final battle, somehow Salem's plans are ruined by some meddling kids and their dog. Jaune would eventually turn back by getting full control of his aura/semblance. Aurum's dogs would be confiscated and they would adopt one and help organize a fair to find homes for the others. Arkos would happen. It would be the end of this silly and fun story!

[ask-narratordoe]

FAQ

This is a Frequently Asked Questions post for my blog. This may be updated in the future!

So, where are we, exactly?

We’re in the realm known as Lumerde. Here’s a map! Doe and her friends are specifically located in Celestial Nova, LHK. Celestial Nova is the capital city of the Lunar Heavens Kingdom, ruled over by Queen Hestia. There’s also something called the Veriam Court, which keeps track of all known and officially recognized alicorns. Draconis and Firestone Isle are separate regions; Draconis is not an open nation for travel, and Firestone Isle is a neutral region ruled by Princess Calliope Amore.

What happened to the original MLP:FIM characters?

They exist in small amounts! I use them to flesh out my world.

The only currently incorporated ones are as follows:

Twilight S. R. Shinefoal (Twilight Sparkle)

Dusk Shinefoal (Shining Armor)

Princess Calliope Amore (Princess Cadence)

Princess Wisteria Amore (Flurry Heart)

Thorax Crystalhoof (King Thorax)

Queen Hestia (Princess Celestia)

Princess Astraea (Princess Luna) (currently missing, but alive)

How does money work?

LHK uses coins called aurum. The conversion rate is 1 aurum per 2 bits. Draconis uses paper notes called medals. The conversion rate is 1 medal per 6 bits. This means that 1 medal = 3 aurum. 

1 Aurum: a small, golden coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 1.

5 Aurum: a small, golden coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 5.

10 Aurum: a mid size golden coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 10.

20 Aurum: a mid size magenta coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 20.

50 Aurum: a large magenta coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 50.

100 Aurum: a large, magenta coin. One side has a 4 pointed star, the other a numerical 100.

Aurum is made from pressed gold and glazed with a non-toxic chemical made from the plant tritaberries. This is to ensure its legitimacy, and it glows under a blacklight.

How does magic/a cutie mark work?

Magic is fueled from a blood-like substance called veriam. Like oxygen carries oxygen, veriam carries magic. All ponies can use magic, as long as they are born with cristalla (which is the organ that pumps veriam). It’s rare that someone is born without a cristalla, but if they do, there are prosthetic options available. Magic is not a necessity to live for most ponies, but a lot of things on Lumerde require magic.

Cutie marks don’t exist the same way they do in Equestria. Ponies actually develop things called “veriam marks,” which develop when they use a lot of magic. Most ponies do have one, since it’s common to use a lot of magic, but not everyone does. Veriam marks show after a long period of time (they fade in) and symbolize what a pony uses their magic the most for.

All ponies can perform these basic spells:

Hoof adhesive (grabbing items with hooves)

Telekinesis (grabbing items from far away without hooves; this only works for very short distances)

Light (emits small light from selected area)

Marking (Leaves a chalk-like mark on any surface with selected limb)

Marking, or mark residue, can be removed with a common household cleaner

Barrier (creates a small barrier around the user that pushes anything else gently away. Only affects living creatures)

Strength Enhancement (slightly increases a pony’s strength or speed, works like adrenaline. Thestrals are able to do this to an extreme degree)

Everyone can perform all spells, but if their species isn’t naturally inclined towards such spells, it’s much more difficult. For example, it’s difficult for a kirin to learn water manipulation, but easy for them to learn fire manipulation.

How do names work?

Kind of the same as human names do. Every pony is given a name, an optional middle name, and inherits their surname from either their mother or father (it is up to the parents which they take). In the case of royalty, such as Calliope and Dusk’s foal, the baby takes the name of the royal bloodline (Amore in this scenario).

How are babies made?

WOAH! That’s quite a question. I’ll answer anyway. There’s a hierarchy of pony species when it comes to genetics, like eye color in humans. This hierarchy is pegasus/thestral, changeling/cambin, kirin, unicorn/equidae, briza, hippocamp. They fill out like Punnett squares do! So ponies with multiple genes exist, but ponies who are, for example, half changeling half briza, do not present their mixed traits physically. The only exception to this is asterin. Asterin will always bear asteros foals, no matter what.

Things such as mane color, fur color, fur pattern, and eye color are randomized. It also tends to shift while a foal grows up, but by the time they hit 3 years of age, this shifting settles into a specific color/set of colors.

Are there any evil ponies?

There are criminals, selfish ponies, and ponies who are dangerous, yes. But there are no inherently evil ponies.

Who runs the blog?

Me! Sorry, more specific. My name is Doe. No, no, not Narrator Doe, Mod Doe! I named Narrator Doe after myself because, well, she’s a self-insert. I didn’t originally intend to make her and myself separate in any way, but she turned into an in-universe ponysona by accident. Hence, the same name. If you’re talking to me specifically, please refer to me as Mod Doe. My username on other platforms is @doeblossom

Who are we talking to?

Narrator Doe. She’s the one who owns the blog in-universe, and reads all of the questions and comments. Questions can be targeted towards other listed characters and they will answer, but Doe is the main muse.

How do users communicate with Doe?

She usually has access to the internet, and therefore this Tumblr account. But when she doesn’t, she’s followed by a species of insects called Musunovi. Musunovi come in two variations: Novi, for non-anonymous asks, and Musu, for anonymous asks.

How does Doe know so much about the world?

She’s been doing a lot of research since starting the blog. A lot of her information is from the textbooks and papers her father (a professional researcher) provides, but I don’t think I’ll be outright drawing an entire textbook again. That was a bit much, even for me.

Are crossovers possible?

Yes! Lumerde is connected to Equestria and other universes. There’s a portal between Lumerde and other realms; the entryway is underneath the castle, heavily guarded, with an anti-magic force field surrounding it. The only magic that exists in the portal room is the portal itself. While it stops actively used magic, it doesn’t remove it from a pony. So an Equestrian changeling would be forced into their true form, but a Lumerdian asteros would not be killed. This portal has three links to Equestria, letting out at Ponyville, Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire. These portals are unregulated. This portal is open to the public, and you need a certification tag to go through, but it’s very easy for Lumerdians and Equestrians to bump into each other. If a pony doesn’t have a certification tag, it’s pretty easy to get one; they only exist as a proof of identity.

Equestrian ponies’ anatomy doesn’t change, though. Equestrian ponies and Lumerdian ponies look pretty different, so it’s easy to tell who’s who. The properties of magic are also maintained. By this, I mean that ponies from any other realm will still be able to perform their magic whenever they please, but outside of the portal room itself.

Can I DM you/send you a message/send an anon ask?

Yes, yes, yes!! I love interactions and I love interacting with all of you! My messages are always open.

Can I make fan art?

I will actually, legitimately cry. Please do, I would be so flattered. Just nothing too NSFW/gore-y, please.

Can I make an OC in your world?

Go right ahead, I would love to meet them! Just make sure you follow the rules of this universe, please.

How can I tell who’s talking?

It’s almost always Narrator Doe herself. If it’s someone else, I’ll notify it in an end note, such as -Borealis or -Mod Doe. Narrator Doe’s speech is also typically in italics.

Can I ship your characters?

Sure! But there are a few exceptions

No familial shipping (like Doe x Star, Star x Cedric, etc.) unless they are married (like Cedric x Penn)

Please don’t ship Doe, Borealis, and Jasper with each other.

Will you draw/ answer anything I ask? Anything?

Ah, well... no. I’m sorry! Sometimes I don’t have the energy to draw posts, but I still love doing it when I do have the energy. However, there are some asks I will outright delete.

I will delete/not draw for asks if:

They contain explicitly sexual references towards the characters

Sometimes I don’t recognize these, and they go over my head. You still won’t get the response you want, sorry! SFW compliments are fine :]

They contain references to drugs/alcohol

Questions like: “Omg [character] r u high rn?” or “Does [character] like drinking?” The answer will always be no. These topics make me extremely uncomfortable, so please don’t.

They are made with the intent of getting art of your OC.

Questions such as “*boops [character] on the nose*” or “Hi, I’m here to give you a hug!” might not be responded to or drawn for. I love your OCs, I really do! And I love interacting with you all. But I can’t draw for everyone, and it feels a little rude to simply ask for the sake of free art. I will draw your OC if I want to, but I hold no obligation.

This includes giving the characters items or forcing interaction. Again, I appreciate the attention, but I’m not too interested in these sorts of interactions.

Side note: this also includes attempts to arrest/capture a character. I’ve gotten and deleted far too many of these.

They’re just bullying!

Saying overtly mean-spirited things about the characters is just not the vibe. Doing things like making fun of Doe’s weight or Jasper’s height in a mean-spirited manner will be deleted. (asks tagged with the tone indicator /lh don’t count though! Light teasing is fine.)

They promote your own blogs/socials.

As much as I love seeing your OCs, don’t forget that this blog is about my world and characters.

Questions like: “Hi, this is my oc! Do you like them?” or “You can ask me questions if you want” will be deleted.

That being said, if I do draw something for you (whether it be fanart or a response to an ask), you are not obligated to draw for me in return!

Thank you so much for reading, if you did. This post will always be here, if you so need it. I hope you enjoy my universe!

[transman-badass]

Well... I have two rn.

Black Velvet: A Runner Owen Novel is a gothic fantasy set in a Victorian inspired world of eternal night. 19yo Owen Rosedown, a detective for hire, is left at the titular Black Velvet Castle after his employer, the handsome Lord Aurum Vim-Calyx, is injured by their mutual enemy, the vampire only known as the Scarred Man. Instructed to find the second of two priceless journals, Owen becomes trapped in the castle along with everyone else in it after the Scarred Man reappears and takes it over. With their fates all but sealed, Owen refuses to give up hope, using the journal as his guide to try and free them all. But the Scarred Man, who desires Owen for himself, is not going to make that easy.

As you can probably tell, it's about as dark as you'd expect a gothic story to be, but also very very gay 😅 there's a bit of a love triangle between Owen, Lord Aurum and the Scarred Man. This verse has a blog too! @runner-owen

The other is Harbinger. It's part of my Mythos Noir series(?). Basically: Cthulhu Mythos meets Detective Noir, set during the Great Depression in the New Orleans of the Northeast. Wes, a gumshoe in exile from NYC, teams up with a runaway flapper from Chicago, Sadie, to take down the dangerous mobster Nathan O'Tipp, who controls the entirety of Arkham, Massachusetts. They both work for a detective agency but this is 100% off the books. In between their investigation on O'Tipp, Owen helps a yellow-clad stranger from out of town track down an item stolen from his employer, and watches over a mysterious blind woman who knows and is more than she seems. Things don't end well for Wes and Sadie but you gotta give them credit for trying.

Did I mention the protagonists of both these stories are transmen? 😁 Pretty diverse casts, too, best I can. I'm deeply invested in both of them, even if researching not one but two different historical settings can be challenging.

hello and welcome to

tell ella about your wip so she can love it hour

instructions:

1. tell Ella about WIP

2. recieve genuine reaction of fondness

[blueseyforthesoul]

2020 Top 5

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I got tagged on my check please side blog @willdexpoindexter so I did this for my omgcp works from the year but wanted to show off my TRC work too! So doing another ;)

I only published 6 TRC fics this year and honestly cutting only one felt mean so I’m taking advantage of that “ish” and posting all of them.

We seek someone to sew sutures in the places where we're torn, 10.6k, Rated T, bluesey

This was my big bang and hoo boy it was a beast. I couldn’t decide between doing a band AU and a soulmate AU but of course those are compatible! So I did both.

Summary: Gansey isn't the half of his soulmate pair with a name, and Blue hasn't said anything so he doesn't think she has his name either. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a huge crush on the cute bassist of his roommate's band. Shenanigans ensue. 

#soulmates #trans!Gansey #no-magic AU

In Too Deep, 1.8k, Rated M, Declan/Gansey

Never thought I’d be writing declansey but I really enjoyed this one, a gift for my dear friend Aurum. FWB to Lovers with a little dash of miscommunication for the fun of it.

Summary: Things had been different since Gansey came back from his road trip and various ecological protests. Not bad, just different. In fact, they had been quite good. But Declan had to call it off before he got hurt. Well, hurt worse. 

#FWB to Lovers #miscommunication #sex before feelings

bury my heart underneath these trees, 3.5k, Rated T, Noah

Written for @czernsgiving, I used the prompts as an excuse to look at Noah from before canon through the end, breaking my own heart along the way. I’m really proud of how his voice turned out in this.

Summary: Noah's life existed on the edges of magic until one day he became magic. The story of Noah's death and finding friends despite it.

#alternate POV #missing scenes #canon character deaths

(i’m calling it) closure, 1.7k, Rated Gen, Gansey

This one was for @ganseyweek and I had such a hard time deciding if I wanted it or the Noah one above first because I love them both so much. Just our boy thinking some things through post-canon

Summary: Gansey has a lot of time to think these days. A series of introspective drabbles written for Gansey Week 2020 on The Road Trip.

#introspective #post canon

Chrysalism, 397, Rated G, blue & gansey

Another missing scene, Blue and Gansey on the phone in a thunderstorm. I just love these two and I love writing them!

Summary: Chrysalism: The amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm. 

#missing scene #slice of life #phone call

caffeine, small talk, 1.7k, Rated T, pynch

Yep I only wrote one pynch last year, whoops. I do like this fic, I just like the others more. But it’s a cute little coffee shop AU and the world needs more of those tbh.

Summary: Ronan Lynch is not going to rush it, but he's been meaning to ask out the Adam "black coffee, four sugars" for a while now. Today's the day. 

#coffee shop AU #flirting #first date

Tagging @cashewwritesstuff, @gthechangeling, @tinyarmedtrex and anyone else who wants to do this! Show me what you’re proud of in 2020 :)

[goose-books]

those of you who are new here might be wondering, “what is max even talking about? doesn’t he have three active WIPs that he’s posting about? now he’s going to post about another one that’s been on hiatus?” and the answer is yes i am because it’s the horrortwins’ canonical birthday so we’re on 24 hour TMR lockdown turn up

TMR is my oldest project, a high fantasy WIP about two kingdoms separated by an impassable forest. sometimes children go into the forest. and then they do not come out. except for a few of them (our dear heroes), who come out... markedly different. in simpler terms, it’s a fae story full of gay and trans people and it’s very near and dear to my heart. so near and dear that i started this blog on aurum & argentate’s canon birthdays! the joke is that. uh. argentate uh. dies on his fifteenth birthday. press f

so under the cut... the 2.5k words i wrote about the birthday BEFORE that one. ft. twin princes aurum and argentate and their best friend, a castle scoundrel called moon.

(tws: a description of a shutdown/panic attack, a one-line mention of unhealthy eating; argentate throws up in the vaguest terms possible.)

Of course, it was already too late.

The dice were cast; the pawns were played; the story had been written a long time ago. Really, Argentate reflected, it had been written in his mother’s hand, on the slip of paper she clutched in bloody fingers, three years ago, when he found her. Beware the kingdom of the double-edged sword. If you see it you’re too late.

Argentate reached up to the hollow of his throat to touch the iron cross hanging there. Funny how easily a kingdom could be convinced to follow a demon.

“Argentate?”

In two years, when he came of age at sixteen, Argentate was to be crowned the raven king in place of his ailing father. At the present moment, at fourteen, he was sitting on the floor in his dressing room, one leg out in front of him and the other drawn up to his chest, head resting back against the nearest couch.

He did not, Argentate reflected as he met his brother’s eyes, look very kingly.

Aurum hovered in the doorway for a moment. He was already fully dressed, of course, golden silks draped over his finely stitched tunic, a simple diadem on his head, golden paint daubed around his eyes and over his cheekbones. Argentate, in his underclothes, was nowhere near as prepared, and he watched Aurum’s mouth make a few different unhappy lines.

“Is it just me,” Moon had asked him a week ago, “or is Aurum acting oddly?”

Argentate had stared at the ground for as long as he thought he could get away with it. He was a gifted liar; it was what he was known for. But no one could lie to Moon.

“I wouldn’t know,” he’d said finally, with her eyes burning into the back of his neck. “I haven’t… spoken to him. For some time.”

Now Aurum finally approached, standing over him. “Argentate?”

His voice was as careful as his steps. Like he was treading on thin ice. Argentate’s throat burned with guilt. I’m sorry, he wanted to say. I know I’ve been awful lately. I’m not angry at you, Aurum, I never am.

Instead he closed his eyes, reached up to press his cross into his throat, and said, “I’ll be fine.”

“Do you… plan to get dressed?” A bit of the usual humor crept back into Aurum’s voice. “Although if you want to speak to the kingdom in your underthings, by all means, you have my full support.”

Argentate scrubbed at his face. He wasn’t dressed, no, but the usual malaise hung over his shoulders like a cloak should. Guilt. Nerves. The sick sense that he hadn’t done something he was supposed to. The numb knowledge that it was too late to change a thing.

“I meant to,” he said. “Get dressed, I mean.” The rest went unsaid: I have just been sitting here. On the floor. Thinking about how I should get dressed.

“Ah,” Aurum said, extending his hand. “The traditional route. We’ll save the nude speeches for the future, then.”

Argentate took his hand, stumbling a little as Aurum pulled him to his feet. He steadied himself on the closest wall, taking a few deep breaths. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. His hands found their way to the cross, again and again.

Aurum was rifling through the fabrics laid out on the reclining couch. “You ate breakfast, I hope.

Argentate scoffed. “Wish I hadn’t.”

Aurum glanced at him. “Sick?”

“I’m always sick.”

Not that it wasn’t his own fault. Not that he didn’t do it to himself. It was like a game, really: how long could he go without eating? How late could he stay awake? How much could he study on two hours of sleep? How far could he push himself?

He was never really winning, of course, but if he could look past that then he was winning all the time.

It had been two months since he had started pouring his daily anti-stress potion into his chamber pot. Today was no different. Still, Argentate thought irritably, maybe he could have fought force of habit for one day. He certainly could have used something to soothe his nerves, to numb the tumultuous churning in his chest.

Then again. The potions always made him nauseous. That would have been something, the crown prince appearing for a public announcement only to be fantastically sick all over himself. A spectacle for the kingdom. Real entertainment.

“Look alive,” Aurum said cheerily, and threw a shirt at his face.

Argentate pulled it off, hissing. His tunic. Right.

“At least I hope that’s the right one,” Aurum said. “Blast it, Argentate, where’d you send your attendants? All these trousers look the same.”

“I prefer to get undressed with no one staring at me.”

Aurum arched an eyebrow. “It’s nothing they haven’t seen before.”

Easy for him to say, Argentate thought mutinously. He didn’t seem to have any qualms about undressing in front of others.

Aurum tossed a pair of trousers his way. “Or is this because of your liaisons behind the stables?”

Argentate scowled. “Who told you that?”

“Moon.”

Goddamnit; Moon knew everything.

“You don’t have to show me the marks.” Aurum smirked at him. “Though I am surprised there are any boys in the castle who aren’t terrified of you.”

“Well, I’m not using my tongue to yell at them, am I, now turn around so I can put these on.”

Aurum snorted. “We’re brothers; we used to take baths together.”

“Do I care?” Argentate snarled.

Aurum’s shoulders went stiff. He didn’t say anything, just turned around to face the wall.

There it was.

Argentate gritted his teeth, self-loathing burning in his chest, and put his clothes on.

His attendants had painted his face earlier - silver to match Aurum’s gold, the same royal symbols swirling over their skin. His tunic, too, was threaded with silver. For his eyes. For his fantastic eyes. He was getting awfully sick of silver.

It was slower, dressing without the servants’ help. His fingers fumbled. His right hand in particular was clumsy, still wrapped in gauze bandages. A week ago he’d broken a pane of glass in his bedroom window. He hadn’t meant to; it had just happened. He’d been pacing, and there was too much in him, crackling like electricity or magic or sin, too much too much jittering through his veins, and all of a sudden he jerked back into his own body to find glass on the floor and blood on his fingers. He hadn’t stopped shaking until long after the castle medics bandaged his hand.

Don’t panic, Argentate told himself, taking another deep breath. Don’t panic. So long as he could get through this without it starting - the shaking, the shallow gasping breaths - he would be fine.

He fastened the last button on his tunic. All that remained was his ermine cape - what he was to wear instead of Aurum’s silks - lying across the couch.

Argentate looked at it.

The cape looked back at him.

“Are you done,” Aurum said, still facing the wall, “or…”

“Yes,” Argentate said, picking up the cape. It was only fur; he ought to have liked it. Their father wore furs all the time, because furs were expensive, or elegant, or gaudy or whatever was the common thread between all things King Vita liked.

He rubbed a finger across the velvet, then across the fur collar, and considered dashing the wretched thing to the ground.

But he was the crown prince of the raven kingdom, and he could not throw childish tantrums. So instead he draped it around his neck and fastened it at the hollow of his throat, right above his cross.

He and Aurum looked at each other.

Aurum stifled a snort.

“You have to… not look like that,” he said, shaking his head. “This is… no.”

“I hate it,” Argentate said miserably, hunching his shoulders up to his ears in a futile attempt to minimize contact. Something about Aurum’s laughter prickled just as the fur did - an intolerable rough itch against his skin, a touch that made him twitch and writhe, so much so that tears pricked at his eyes.

“It’s nice.”

“It’s horrible. I hate it. I hate it so much.” God, he was starting to get breathless. Not now. Not now. Calm down -

“Hey.” He startled at Aurum’s hand on his shoulder. His brother peered gently into his eyes, tilting his head. “Hey. Argentate. It’s okay.”

With his other hand, he undid the clasp; then he swept the cape from Argentate’s shoulders and settled it around his own.

“I think,” Aurum said, fluffing it up, “I look better in it anyhow.”

Argentate gazed at him. His tongue was thick in his mouth; his words caught in his throat. I’m sorry, he wanted to say. Thank you. Thank you. I’m sorry.

Instead he just jerked his chin toward the door and said, “We shouldn’t be late.”

---

The midday sun was too sharp. The clamor of the crowd below was harsh, discordant. Half the roaring in Argentate’s ears had nothing to do with that.

It’s simple, he thought desperately. It’s so simple. The royal family appears. We tell them all I’m going to be king in two years. Another demon king on a demon’s throne. And they cheer. And then I’m done.

The herald’s trumpet blared. The sound crashed around the inside of his head, bright and brash and cacophonous and agonizing, and Argentate clung to the marble railing of the balcony so he wouldn’t collapse.

His father was speaking, a rare occurrence these days, with the king’s health as it was - his father was speaking, and Argentate meant to focus on the words, or failing that to focus on the comforting presence of Aurum standing behind him, but all he could focus on were his father’s arms. Broad arms, for a broad man. Thick hair growing coarse and wiry all the way up to his elbows. My father, Argentate thought dizzily, my future. A keening wail rose in his throat; he swallowed it back. He pushed down his dizziness. The raven king announced his son’s coronation, and the people of the raven city thundered their approval, and the sun stabbed down into his eyes, and Argentate couldn’t breathe but that had been true for a long long time.

He barely made it inside afterward, prodded by his father and brother, pawing uselessly at his clothing. It was happening. It was happening, it was happening, there were claws clamping viselike around his chest and his breathing kept coming shorter and shorter and his hands were shaking like there was something under his skin, like maybe his mother had been right about magic all along, like maybe there was something in him trying to get out, and he could barely hear Aurum talking, saying that Argentate hadn’t wanted the cape, hadn’t you, Argentate -

I’m sorry, Argentate tried to say, but he was far beyond speech.

He fled the room in suffocating silence.

---

Moon found him in the east garden. Moon had a talent for finding people. Or maybe she had a talent for appearing out of nowhere whenever she was most needed. One moment he was crammed behind a tall, pungent plant, curled up as small as he could make himself, knees drawn up to his chest, panting for air, and the garden was empty. And the next moment all the same was still true, except Moon was at his side.

“Sit straight,” she said, quietly but firmly. “You’re obstructing your breathing.”

Argentate shook his head. His chest hurt. His chest hurt so much and he didn’t feel well and he couldn’t speak, all he could do was claw at his face, arms, chest -

Moon guided his nails away.

“Can you talk?”

Argentate shook his head again, and then again, and then again, until he was dizzy with it, until it hurt.

“Are you going to be sick?”

Argentate opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.

He was sick, multiple times, into an exotic-looking rosebush. Moon held his shoulders. “All right. All right. Deep breaths.”

His bitter laugh came out half sob.

“That’s all right,” Moon repeated. “I’m going to hold onto you, okay? You’re going to breathe with me.”

True to her word, she held his shoulders until the worst of the shaking was over. Only then was he able to wobble to his feet, to glance around the castle garden for the exit, and only then did Moon slip her hand into his and say, “Come on. I’ve got something to show you.”

To the west of the castle was the ocean, glittering and harsh and cruel. To the east was the forest, dark and threatening and suffocatingly green. But to the north was merely fields and farmland. There was forest somewhere off in the distance. But they could not see it, and maybe, right now, that was enough.

Moon’s father had been a guard, before the plague took him. She knew the patterns of the watch at the north wall; she knew where a bedraggled crown prince could sit in silence on the battlements. Blessed silence. So rarely was it ever silent in the castle. So rarely was he ever alone.

They sat. Moon swung her legs over the edge of the castle wall. Argentate laid his head down in her lap, shielding his face from the sun, and she stroked his hair.

It was a great many minutes until he was able to choke out, “Thank you.”

“We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Hate being… firstborn,” he managed, with colossal effort. “Aurum… should’ve been… ‘s made for this kind of thing.”

“It’s okay, Argentate,” Moon said, and there was so much honesty in her voice that he almost sobbed. Instead he buried his face in her tunic and tried to breathe evenly.

The castle’s stones were sun-warmed; somewhere, in the distance, he could hear birds. His heart rate was going back to normal. His words still weren’t entirely in order, but he was coming down a little, coming out of his own head.

“Aurum misses you,” Moon said, above him, to the sky.

“Haven’t… gone anywhere.”

Around the castle, they said the crown prince was a crooked liar. That he lied incessantly and skillfully. That he lied for the fun of it. In truth it was rarely fun, but it was all he knew how to do.

“I haven’t gone anywhere,” he repeated, and it tasted worse the second time.

Still. Moon didn’t call him on it. She only ran her fingers through his hair, rhythmatic, soothing, until he felt a bit more of the tension in his chest ease.

“You still have two more years,” Moon said. Two more years. An eternity. The blink of an eye. Two more years. “Who knows how much will change?”

[stars-and-rose]

Now that we've met one another (I think deserve each other)

[ourdawncomes]

Mobile Rules

General

Thank you for coming to my rules page! I'd appreciate it if you could read over these to prevent future misunderstandings.

This is a Dragon Age multimuse blog. The characters here are either canons or ocs based in the Dragon Age universe. I do rp crossover with characters outside the universe, but probably won't be making many AUs. My main blog is a Solas rp blog (theharellan) and I am more active there!

Here are some basics!

mostly canon, semi-canon divergent

independent, semi-selective

mutuals only

21+, not open to smut

shipping status varies by muse

tags triggers

Interaction

i am selective

Since this is my less active blog, I'll only be roleplaying with mutuals. I don't practise character exclusivity, however, and will roleplay with multiples of a single canon or variations of a PC. At best, I have default Inquisitors I'll fall back on when we need one and mains.

Thora - default Inquisitor for Tetrak

Vivienne - default Inquisitor Ruth (Divine verse especially)

Bruno, Adelaide, Vher, and Peace - default to my Solas (found at theharellan)

Some characters require plotting to write with, either due to their nature or verses.

Cole - requires plotting before any threads so no wrong assumptions are made about portrayal

Peace - requires plotting before any threads for the same reasons as Cole

Bruno, Adelaide - require plotting due to being Agents of Fen'Harel and therefore aligned against most characters

on shipping

I do practise ship exclusivity. I will only ship with one version of a character, and will list them here. I don't expect people to be reciprocal in this regard, it's for my own comfort.

Shipping Availability:

Thora: multi-ship (all genders)

Merrill: multi-ship (all genders)               ✦ Bethany Hawke (hopewrought)               ✦ Lyna Mahariel (ghilannainguideme)

Vivienne: multi-ship (all genders)              ✦ Maxima Aurum (mercysought)

Cole: no ships

Gorim Saelac: single ship               ✦ Tamar Aeducan (paragoninexile)

Lord Woolsley: absolutely not

Tetrak Cadash: multi-ship (men only)

Sylvi Cadash: no ships

Ruth Trevelyan: multi-ship

Bruno: selective ship (all genders)

Adelaide: single ship (women only)

Peace: single ship               ✦ Love (spiritualjourneys)

Vher: single ship               ✦ Miraen (ancientimpudence - qpp)

on following

This blog is not follow-for-follow. I like to keep my dash relatively slow moving. As mentioned, I do try to keep the opportunity for non-mutuals to roleplay with me or chat.

As for unfollowing (or soft blocking) I won't usually explain why, usually it's one of these couple reasons:

Inactivity (the main one tbh - if I see you're back I'll refollow!)

Offensive material (homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, etc)

Untagged Negativity / Vagueblogging (it makes me anxious)

Untagged character hate (especially Solas or Merrill hate)

As one final note on following: I don't send in passwords. I promise I read your rules before initiating interaction.

on memes

Please don't use me as a meme resource! If it's an IC meme and requires interaction, I absolutely don't expect reblog karma. However, consistently reblogging memes that require no IC interaction w/o sending me anything will result in a soft block. Also, if you do send me something I'll check to see if I can send you something in return.on messaging meI will not roleplay using Tumblr's IM system and prefer not to roleplay on IM platforms (Discord, etc) period. Feel free to message me OOC, it's open regardless of whether or not I follow you. I may take a while to get back, so if it's urgent please contact me on theharellan as I check that dash more often.

My Discord is also available for mutuals. Just shoot me a Tumblr IM or ask and I'd be happy to provide it!Threadsplease be patientRoleplaying is a hobby, please respect that.

Before you message me asking about replies please check here for a list of threads here. If you're not there, please message me and let me know! I'd appreciate it, I like to keep it updated.

i'm open to any format.

Banter, para, multi-para, novella are all possible. I prefer to reserve longer threads for plotted or intense interactions, and shorter threads for more casual roleplays b/c otherwise there's way too much navel gazing. Shorter threads are also much more likely to get timely replies.

I don't format beyond small text, and will roleplay with you regardless of whether you do or don't format yourself. I will use icons for some characters and not for others, so I will obviously rp whether or not you use icons.

Tagging

common triggers on this blog

This blog regularly features themes of fantasy racism, self-harm, and mental health issues. All themes present in the Dragon Age series will also likely appear here at some point, even if it's OOC discussion. These will be tagged when referenced.

my tagging policies

I track the tag #ourdawncomes

I tag general triggers and will tag others upon request. My format is: #(trigger)+tw. For example a blood trigger warning would be: #blood tw.

For threads/writing where Merrill's blood magic is referenced or written about I will tag "#blood magic tw" and/or "#self harm tw" if self-harm occurs or is referenced.

I will also tag content warnings for things that include, for example, character death (like so: #character death cw).

I will not tag the word "queer" as "#q slur". I am uncomfortable with tagging a word I use to describe myself as a slur, among other reasons. If the word makes you uncomfortable, you can put "*queer" into Tumblr Savior and it will blacklist posts containing the word. Or simply don't follow, whichever makes you feel most comfortable.

NSFW is a rarity on this blog. When I do write or reblog something even vaguely NSFW it will be tagged #( nsfw )

For a full list of the tags I use often on this blog, please refer to this page navigation.

my tagging requests

For my comfort, please tag...

#Animal Death TW (especially pet death)

#NSFW

#Gore Images

#Solas Hate & #Merrill Hate

OOC Stuff

about me

You can call me Tas! I use she/her pronouns. I’ve been in the Dragon Age fandom for like 8 years now and I’ve been rping for like 18 years total. I've been rping Merrill on and off for about 6 years or so and made the original version of this blog in 2018.

I have a personal blog (queenaeducan) and my discord is available to mutuals, just shoot me an ask!

Name: Tas Age: 27 Pronouns: She/Her Interests: Elves & cats

[kispu]

A Guide to Different Planetary Geometric Arrangements

Pretty much everyone in magic is familiar with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, the ritual used by the Golden Dawn as a standard banishing ritual, which involves drawing the pentagrams in the air on the four corners and so on. As each point of the pentagram is connected to an element, a different but similar ritual, the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram, may be used to tune your ritual space for elemental invocation. The same may be done for planetary forces, but in GD logic the pentagram is a sign of the microcosm (elements), while for macrocosmic forces (planets) the hexagram is used instead, which is the figure 1 in the image above.

In the Greater Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram, thus, you draw the hexagrams in the air according to the planet assigned to each corner, clockwise (anti-clockwise banishes). This neatly arranges them in a way that mimics the distribution of planetary correspondences in the Hermetic-Qabbalistic Tree of Life system used by the GD (in which Binah = Saturn, Chesed = Jupiter etc).

You'll notice though that only the sun has no corner because it's treated as the sum (no pun intended) of all planets, so a GIRH for the sun involves drawing ALL 6 other hexagrams. This literally hurts.

There are other systems, though, which, in a more practical fashion use a heptagram (7 corners, 7 planets). Figure number 2 is the one used in Sorita D'Este and David Rankine's version of the planetary ritual explained in their book Practical Planetary Magick (Sorita also explains how it works on her blog). It features the chubbier variation of the heptagram (called a 7/2 heptagram) and the planets are arranged in a week-day cycle order. Number 3 is the skinnier heptagram (7/3) used by the Aurum Solis order (source: Melita Dennings and Philip Osbourne's Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick). Starting from Saturn at the top, as you follow the line you'll get the same order as from the GD hexagram (Saturn-Jupiter-Mars-(Sun)-Venus-Mercury-Moon), also mimicking the descent from the 3rd sephirah, Binah, all the way down to Yesod.

The bottom three figures are purely theoretical and, as far as I know, are yet to be actually used in ritual, though they might be useful for me as I'm searching for a more Babylonian-centric system. Numbers 4 and 5 are derived from an academic paper by Peter James and Marinus Anthony van der Sluijs called "Ziggurats, Colors, and Planets: Rawlinson Revisited", which aims at understanding what planetary order ancient Babylonians used, as well as their color correspondences, based on archeological evidence. Thrillingly for the occultist, they arrive at a pentagram and heptagram distribution: "As it happens, the Ecbatana ziggurat order can be correlated with the standard Neo-Babylonian sequence by means of a pentagram, by plotting either on the corners and reading along the diagonal lines. Such a result is not a mere curiosity. It is well known that, in imperial Roman times, the sequence of the weekdays (by their tutelary deities) was derived from the quasi-heliocentric (“Chaldaean”) planet order then in vogue (Cassius Dio 37.18–19; Boll 1911: 372–75; Neugebauer 1957: 169; 1975: 691) by taking leaps of two." The pentagram layout excludes the two luminaries, however, though I suppose the Sun could be conflated with Saturn and the Moon with Jupiter due to some weird Babylonian logic that would take too long to explain here (see Ulla Koch-Westenholz's Mesopotamian Astrology for more info). Their heptagram layout, though, is shockingly similar to Sorita and Rankine's version, as it also follows the week-day order cycle, though with a different starting point (its top corner is the moon, for Monday, while Sorita and Rankine's starts with Saturn).

The final figure, number 6, is another scholarly supposition, drawn by Sara de Rose in a paper called "Is CBS 1766 a Tone-Circle?" which attempts to interpret a 7/3 hexagram drawing on a clay tablet as a musical pattern. Its corner attribution also follows the week-day order cycle. I can't comment on it further, however, due to my lack of musical knowledge.

I have decided to put all of these figures together for my own studies, but I share them here with whomever might be reading this because I think it might be interesting to other magicians who work with planetary magick.

[morris69morris-blog]

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