#at least it's offset by heterochromia

[loosesodamarble]

The Seer of Past and Future

A girl who sees the past with one eye and the future with the other. Not literally. But this child has a past that haunts her despite her efforts to look to the future.

..........

Sterling Faust (born as Cassandra Yvern)

Her original name, Cassandra, means "one who excels over men." The name Sterling comes from Middle English meaning "little star or be used to describe something of great quality (usually in reference to silver). It's also another way to refer to starling birds.

Age: 24

Birthday: June 18

Magic Attribute: Remnant/Divination. Remnant Magic allows Sterling to have glimpses of the past and by focusing on specific items or locations she can get clearer past visions. For example, using Remnant Magic on Asta's grimoire might show Sterling the moment Asta received it. She's not directly reading memories but replaying past moments through magic. Divination Magic allows Sterling to make rough predictions of the future through a focus like tarot cards or actively peer into the future. The visions she has are focused on singular people though. If she were to use Divination Magic on Yami, she might have a vision of how he will act in his next fight without being able to see who or where he fights and possibly not even the end results. Sterling's future divinations can be amplified using methods like tarot cards, astrology, and crystal lenses (elaboration for another day).

Appearance: Sterling has bright red hair that's naturally wavy. She grows it out long and styles small braids into it. She's stubborn on styling her hair so she has heavy front bangs because of a magic circlet implanted into her forehead, which is the source of her Divination Magic. She has heterochromia, her right eye being a navy blue and her left eye being a cloudy shade of gray.

Personality: Sterling was much shier upon being introduced to the Bulls due to the trauma of losing her birth family. Thanks to Josele, Nacht, and the Black Bulls, she emerged from her shell. She is a calm and serious individual while still showing warmth to people. Speaks directly about her thoughts and feelings which makes her come off as blunt or coarse. Her straightforwardness doesn't always result in clarity as she sometimes bursts out with statements without giving context. Tends to take things at face value and so jokes or sarcasm fly over her head often. She’s diligent, wanting to see whatever she faces to the end. Studious and believes in constant improvement rather than trying to attain a “perfect” state of skill/knowledge. Sterling, being the oldest, feels a great deal of responsibility placed on her and does her best to take the lead but ultimately isn't very good at it. Becomes rather cold in a tense situation and doesn’t appreciate distractions or people making light of whatever issue is at hand. Despite how stern she can be, Sterling is ultimately a kind person. She's the type of person to greet others with a smile and nod. Approaches people she really likes directly. Willing to get along with most people but she's not successful at getting along with everyone. Still, she understands that all people are people and this respects the lives they lead, even if she personally doesn’t approve. Learned to have a giving and helpful heart from her parents; she finds great joy in helping others.

Born as Cassandra to the Yverns, a family of hunters in the Forsaken Realm, she was expected to continue the family business. To make her a more capable hunter, she was given a circlet imbued with her great-grandfather's magic (the creation of "work associates"). When Cassandra was four, the Yvern family was attacked by... she can't recall what it was, just that it was scary. Cassandra's family fought the mystery creature as Erwin Halloak, a family friend, took her to safety. She passed out during the escape and when she awoke, she was at the Black Bull Hideout. Josele introduced herself as Cassandra's temporary guardian and explained that their families apparently knew each other and that's why Josele was going to watch over Cassandra.

While she stayed at the hideout, which lasted around a month, she refused to sleep alone and constantly snuck into other rooms to sleep next to someone and feel safe. Josele and Nacht were the most accepting with Noelle and Gordon tied for second. Meanwhile, Zora used trap magic to lock her out after the first instance with him and Yami nearly stabbed her thinking he was being attacked.

Eventually, she got adopted by Josele and Nacht. Upon her adoption, she and her new parents decided on the name "Sterling" together.

Thought Liebe, Gimodelo, and the other devils were magic plush animals before learning what they really were.

Owen has surmised that Sterling's circlet cannot be removed without killing her.

Being a few years older than the other children and the nature of her Divination Magic made Sterling the go-to babysitter for many families.

Sterling gets along the best with her siblings. Despite the difference in age, Sterling is friendly with Clara and Raphael, wanting to encourage their confidence and training since they believe she is worthy of admiration. She's fond of Aimee, Naru, and Filomina but will admit she doesn't have the energy to keep up with them. Ann and Fleuriana's more bullheaded tendencies grate on Sterling though.

[vintage-squid]

Clandestine Chromatism

Pairings: Virgil/Deceit Warnings: sympathetic Deceit; anxiety; kissing; cursing; partial nudity (Virgil’s shirtless at one point); nontoxic relationships; a ridiculous amount of fluff

Summary: Everyone knows Deceit is unique in the Mindscape with his scales and oddly coloured eye, it's a part of being a Dark Side ...but Virgil lived there for years and he looks perfectly normal. Right? Wrong. They're not as different as initial appearances suggest: after all, doesn't anxiety function through the act of lying to oneself? Maybe it will take true love's first kiss for the truth to be revealed.

Part one of A Reptilian Romance

AO3 link

A/N: A gift fic I wrote last November for one of my best friends (@mightymegatron) birthdays. Originally posted on AO3, but I figured I would cross post it here :) 

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Okay. You can do this. You’ve got this Virgil. He’s your boyfriend, right? This is something you want to share with him.

Summoning his courage while he could, Virgil raised a hand and knocked on the dark mahogany door he had been standing in front of for the past five minutes. Thank god no one had come upstairs from the Commons to witness his embarrassment. The door opened, startling the anxious side from his thoughts, but he relaxed quickly upon seeing the familiar golden eye peering out at him.

“Hey Dee, can I come in?”

Deceit smiled - a genuine expression, no hint of snarky sarcasm to be found - and nodded. “No, go away.” He stepped back, allowing Virgil into his room, before closing the door behind them and draping his arms around his boyfriend to nuzzle one pale cheek. “What drives you away from here today, cheetah?”

Virgil hummed, leaning back into the embrace and finally letting the tension loose from his body. He was safe here, free from the fears his own mind plagued him with on a daily. How had he doubted them, as a couple, so strongly? They grounded one another, supported one another; this was something they had been working together towards, something they mutually desired at their own pace. He could do this.

“I want to kiss you.”

Wow Virgil, way to be subtle and work up to asking like planned. Now Deceit was going to think he was some sort of needy hussy or something and-

His thoughts were cut off as the other side slipped free of their embrace to step in front of him until they were face to face, holding their hands together in the space between them.

“You aren’t sure? This isn’t what you want? If Roman hasn’t been pressuring you with his genius thoughts about how all romance shouldn’t play out, I swear I won’t kick his as-”

“No!” Virgil startled at his own yell just as much as Deceit had, grabbing hold of the others capelette. “No.” He repeated more quietly, looking down at the black fabric still gripped in his hands. “Roman hasn’t been forcing me to do anything I’m not ready for or comfortable with. He… actually he was the one I talked to about this first. I needed to vent at someone and get their input, to make sure I was actually feeling ready and not just pushing myself into this to make you happy. Roman helped a whole lot, and this probably wouldn’t be happening without him, so please don’t beat him up on my behalf - this time” Virgil chuckled with a lopsided smirk

He looked up to see Deceit gazing at him with such a sappy, adoring expression that it stole his breath. Time seemed to slow, and before Virgil knew it, they were leaning in and closing their eyes.

They pressed together as one, fumbling momentarily with a shared laugh as their noses squished together, Virgil’s own deeper chuckle offsetting Deceit’s truly adorable giggle-snort. Their second attempt slid together much more smoothly as they tilted into the kiss and leaned into one another, Virgil all but melting into the other side. The brush of Deceit’s lips on his own was soft and dry, like the sensation of running one’s fingers over the pages of a long-loved book.

He released his nervous grip on the other’s capelette, one hand sliding up to cup the warm scales decorating Deceit’s face to smooth his thumb along the long scar that extended his lips, while the other flattened against his chest. In return, a pair of bare hands cupped his own face and drew him closer into the sweet kiss. Virgil adored when his boyfriend would forego his gloves; in his opinion, there was no feeling more comforting than the rarely seen scaled-skin.

What would it feel like, he wondered, if those scales were to brush along his own hidden away on his back? For wine and butterscotch to meet for the first time? Would this most unusual pairing of flavours mingle in the sweetest of manners, or would their taste sour and shrivel any appetite for desire?

Before those thoughts could spiral any further, Deceit, with his seemingly telepathic knowledge of Virgil’s intricate state of mind, reached around to pull the patchwork hood over the anxious side’s head and blanketed them further in their own little world. Any and all worries were swept away as their kiss deepened ever so gently. Deceit nibbled on his lip, drawing a soft noise from the shy side before Virgil gathered his courage to return the favour, blushing a brilliant scarlet when Deceit groaned out what sounded like Virgil’s own name.

When they finally pulled apart, only far enough for their noses to brush and their breaths to mingle, Virgil couldn’t help but smile and touch their foreheads together, losing himself in Deceit’s beautiful eyes. The gorgeous heterochromia was ironically hypnotic, but Virgil couldn’t find it within himself to care to look away. A charming smile spread across Deceit’s lips, so soft and adoring and in contention with his usual smirk, as one scaled thumb caressed beneath Virgil’s right eye.

“There you aren’t,” the dishonest side murmured.

Virgil’s cooling blush flared once more beneath his smeared eye-shadow, his face scrunching in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’ve been right here the entire time, kissing you, doofus. I thought one of your ‘things’ was perception?”

Instead of rising to the fond taunt, as usual, Deceit only smiled wider and leaned up to kiss the center of Virgil’s brow. “I don’t know, I haven’t been here experiencing the worst kiss of my existence with you. I overestimated my own skills, however, because apparently I’m terrible enough to get you to raise your guard.” He paused, seeming to lose himself in Virgil’s gaze. “You have grotesque eyes, such an awful shade of purple…. I hate that we match so horribly.”

Wait.

What!?

The eyes in question widened, the anxious side’s complexion rapidly paling. He pushed away from Deceit’s embrace and scrambled to get his phone out of his hoodie, dropping it with a curse before managing to lift it with the front camera open. A mismatched gaze stared back at him, a bright purple iris stark next to its chocolate partner. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. The bliss of his first kiss had stolen his mental control, letting slip his shape-shifted ‘glamour’ and revealing to the world his true visage. His secret was out. This was it, the beginning of the end. Deceit was going to break up with him for lying, and everyone was going to find out. They were going to shun him again, and this time there would be no hope to escape from the solitude.

Breath quickening, Virgil looked in panic back at the other side. “I’m sorry-” he wheezed, chest heaving. “I should have told you, but I was sc-scared - not of you! Well, h-how you would react - I mean! Sorry, I’m so so sorry, Dee! I never meant-”

His rambling was cut off by a gentle hand cupping beneath his purple eye. Through his tears, Virgil could see Deceit lean in with another one of those soft smiles before the other’s hand reached around to caress the scales peeking out from his collar along the back of his neck, smooth skin running along keeled purple.

“Excite yourself, my cheetah, nothing is okay. Forget your breathing techniques, dear one, I’m not here.”

With Deceit’s help, Virgil nodded and followed the 4-7-8 pattern which his boyfriend (ex??) tapped out on the back of his neck until he was breathing steadily once more. Hood still raised, the anxious side sniffled loudly and wiped at his cheeks, smearing his makeup further until it looked like he had buried his face into a pile of charcoal. Once he had visibly relaxed, as much as he could in this situation, Deceit spoke again.

“I know you’re not freaking out right now, but please just ignore me for a minute?” Upon receiving Virgil’s nod, he continued, “I’m going to hold it against you for hiding this from me, okay? I don’t understand why you kept it to yourself, and I promise I’m going to tell the others without your permission.” Deceit leaned into kiss his temple, once again touching their foreheads together. “You are the least important person in my life, and I don’t want you to know how distasteful I think your true appearance really is. I feel more alone knowing I’m the only one who looks like this. I feel more alone when I’m with you.”

As Deceit spoke, tears had welled in Virgil’s eyes once more, spilling over his small, but growing, smile. “You really think they’re beautiful?” He questioned, laughing wetly with a hiccup as Dee nodded. Darting into the minuscule space between them, Virgil enveloped his boyfriend in a hoodie-hug to end all hoodie-hugs, smiling wide as he buried his face into the scaled neck with a nuzzle. He felt complete as Deceit returned the embrace with a reassuring squeeze around his middle.

“Love you, basilisk.”

“Hate you always, cheetah.”

Pulling away with a sheepish shrug, Virgil dug his hands into his hoodie pickets. “So, um, I guess… Do you wanna see everything then? All of me?” Deceit’s excited gasp was the only answer he needed. He could do this. For his boyfriend, the side bound in deception who could still ground him so effectively in the truth of reality. For the one he loved.

So, with a deep sigh to settle his ever-present nerves, the anxious side slipped his hoodie off his shoulders and dropped it onto the ground next to the pair of discarded yellow gloves. He spent a moment fiddling with the lower hem of his long-sleeved shirt before scrunching his eyes shut and tearing it off as quickly as he could manage - the band-aid technique never failed. It was so easy to picture just what Deceit was looking at right now, what Virgil had seen so many times while hating his reflection: the intricate wine-dark scales, iridescent in the light of sconces lining the room, crawling up each arm and over his shoulders, where he knew they met and covered most of his back; a few patches were visibly hugging his sides, while another crept up the back of his neck to his hairline. The rest of his body was an expanse of creamy, pale skin and a tummy made slightly chubby by frequent stress eating.

When only silence greeted the reveal, Virgil hesitantly peeked his eyes open, expecting to be greeted with disgust, or worse, for Dee to have fled altogether. Instead, he felt his heart stop. If it were possible (and it very likely was, what with they’re being mental constructs of Thomas’ personality) Deceit was pulling off the most convincing Steven Universe ‘starry-eyed’ expression that would have put even a fusion-greeting-Garnet to shame.

“Uhhhh… Dee?” Virgil coughed self-consciously, crossing one arm over his torso to rub the scales at his elbow. “You...gonna say something?”

“You’re imperfect,” Deceit whispered. He reached out with a hand trembling in awe, waiting for Virgil’s nod of permission before running the pads of his fingers across the milky collar bone and over the smooth curve of one shoulder. Stepping closer, he circled the other side, never breaking contact, until he stood behind Virgil. Both hands covered the slim shoulders before sliding down the curve of Virgil’s back, down to the small of his spine, and across the lines of his hips, where they met over the pudgy stomach, fingers laced in a gentle hold.

Virgil held motionless, breathless, as he was caressed like the finest of silks, only daring to move his arms to lay his hands over those currently embracing him. He could feel Deceit’s breath against the nape of his neck, closer and closer until - oh fuck! The brush of scales against his own, as Deceit nuzzled between his shoulder blades, was intoxicating. Virgil muffled a groan behind his hand as the touch starved area of his body was treated so lovingly for the first time ever. He was all but melting into the sensation of being loved and cared for.

“I’m not going to have to give you a back rub soon,” Deceit teased. Virgil could feel that grin against his dorsal scales and couldn’t stop himself from chuckling as well.

“I’m holding you to it.”

And for once in his life, Virgil was actually looking forward to showing off his scales. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to stand out a little after all.

[lowkeyunhinged1-blog]

galena & garnet

send me a crystal and i’ll tell…

galena: what it’s like to be in a relationship with my muse

Rokku is incredibly affectionate and unashamedly romantic. The result of this is that being in a relationship with them includes a lot of physical contact and a lot of cheesily romantic stuff. They absolutely have a list of reasons why they love their partner - either mentally or an actual physical list they’ve written down - and are unafraid to break that out when their partner is sad or down on themselves. They love to do things that they think their partner might like, and their partner being happy makes them happy - Rokku would enjoy doing just about anything if their partner was enjoying it and happy, because that makes them happy.

They would also do almost anything for their partner. Rokku 100% would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for someone they loved, or sacrifice part of their life to something for their partner. The best example I have of this is with Yamikumo and Kacchan. Rokku spends a lot of time working on gathering information and building a program to track the spots that the Cheshire villain uses to get into this universe, all in an effort to try and help them get home. This is despite knowing that if the two of them go home, Rokku themselves will be left behind. They love them enough to help them to leave forever, and spend a lot of their free time on helping them to leave at that. Rokku wants their partner(s) to be happy more than anything.

garnet: what my muse’s perfect partner would be

Rokku doesn’t have a type, as such. They like heterochromia, and they like freckles, but there aren’t any physical features that they feel like their partner has to have. For Rokku, it’s about chemistry, about how they click. Rokku needs someone that will be upfront and honest with them, where they always know where they stand. They also need someone that will indulge them on occasion, because Rokku is a somewhat ridiculous creature who would go stir crazy otherwise, but someone who knows when to stop as well, because Rokku doesn’t always. Mostly just someone who can help to ground them, at least a little, because Rokku is kind of flighty, so they need someone to offset that.