#black clov

[headmate-lab]

Hello, could We get an alter with the sleeper role (https://pluralpedia.org/w/Sleeper )? Anything else would be up to you, We just dont need an emoji sign-off because We don't really have a use for them. Please and thank you.

(Apologies if anything sounds weird. We're french and I don't front a lot, let alone type.)

Name(s): nyx, iridise, celine

Pronouns: he/him, they/them, th3y/th3m, cloud/cloudself, fog/fogself, ze/zeph (zephyr neoprns), daze/dazes, space/spaces, star/stars, song/songs, luc/lucid, bloss/blossom, clov/clover, zzz/zzzself

Age: nostalage

Species: sheep + human (just count sheep!)

Gender(s): neoboy, genderfaun, sleepic, rainsleepic, plastarskyic, nightstickergender, nightsleepyrainic, nightgender, sleepygender, nocturlance, nightskygender, staric + stargender, sleepydream, noctstuffic

Sexuality: nebularomantic, berrisexual/berriromantic

Sources: brainmade/none

Role: sleeper

TransIDS: transluciddreamer, transpsychic, transrealityshifter, parintersex, permadissociated, transpeaceful & transharmless, transdoll, caneian, permasleepy, transabledbodied, oilpaintbloodic

CisIDS: green eyes, horns, blonde hair

Appearance: mixed skin, sheep ears, black horns, short blonde hair, blue highlight, nose piercing, piercing right under the mouth (we dont know what its called, sorry!), green eyes, golden moon and star earrings

Paras: 🌱, 🧊, 💕

Emoji signoff: 💤🌟 (we know you said you didnt need one, but just in case!)

Extra: pleasant & soothing person, easily startled, deep sleeper, -w-

Picrew:

since daze is a sleeper we made space sleep/dream/nighttime themed. hope you like them and ze do well in your system!

[giggly-squiggily]

Lee takemichi and ler hina pleaseee

Oh dang- it's been a hot minute since I've written for TR! God I miss it (and I'm lowkey salty at Crunchyroll for taking season 2 off it like COME ON!) I've gotcha covered, anon! :D

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps):

@myreygn @duckymcdoorknob @baby-tickles2022 @cupcake-spice13

“Takemichi…”

Her voice, gentle and sweet. It sounded so far and so close at the same time.

“Takemichi…wake up…Takemichi…”

He could see her still- hair so soft and pink he imagined it was made of feathers. Honey colored eyes so big and expressive she could never hide her feelings. And that sweet precious smile, one she always had on for him.

“Takemichi…”

He didn’t want to wake up. He just wanted to stay this way, her soft voice in his head and the happiest version of herself as his view.

“Takemichi!”

His eyes shot open, the smell of cherry blossom  lotion hitting his nose. His head was resting against something soft and warm- a pillow maybe? He reached up to find…skin.

Skin?

“Hey there- had a nice nap?” Hinata smiled down at him, her head upside down as her hair pulled over her shoulder. His soft pillow turned out to be her lap, her fingers working through the thick tufts of black hair. “You fell asleep so quickly- it must have been a difficult week, huh?”

“I...Hina…” He breathed, eyes welling with tears as he smiled. God- he could never get over her.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” She didn’t seem too alarmed at his tears. Her thumb brushed beneath his cheek, wiping it away as it dripped.

“Nothing…I just had a bad dream, that’s all.” He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. Please, he begged whomever was listening. Please let this be real.

“Want to talk about it?” Her hands went back to combing through his hair, sending pleasant shivers down his spine. When he shook his head, she paused, considering. “Do you…want me to help you feel better?”

“What do you have in mind?” Takemichi looked up at her, his eyes falling to pretty pink lips. Oh, he’d love a kiss right now…

“I’m thinking..of tickling you!” She cried, the hands in his hair shooting to his neck, gently kneading the skin. Takemichi let out a squawk of laughter, feet kicking and giggles breaking out of his mouth before he could argue. “Take this!”

“Ahehahahahhha! H-Hihiihna, plehahhahhahase!” Takemichi tried scrunching up, but her fingers were already at the sensitive spots along his pulse point, just barely scratching. “Ahehahahahaha I’m nhohohoohohoht ehehehven that tihihihicklish!”

“Sure you’re not. That's why you’re laughing so much, right?” Her hands dropped to his sides, kneading them softly. “Oo, bad spot?”

“AH!” Takemichi tried rolling away, but he was trapped. No matter which way he turned, her hands followed, squeezing his sides and tasering his ribs. When she poked at his belly, he squealed, trying and failing to flip over. “Pleahhahahahahhhahase!”

“Please what?”

“Stahhahahahahap!”

“Stop…?”

“Tihihihiihhickling mehehehehehhe!”

“Keep tickling you? Okay!” She giggled, scritching along the soft parts of his belly. “You’re so cute, Takemichi! I could listen to you giggle like this forever!”

“Ahehahahhahahahah, buuhuhuhuhut I’ll dihihihihiihe!” He cried, cheeks bright pink as tears of mirth blurred his vision.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you! I’ll kiss you back to life! Just like this!” Her tickles came to an end as she leaned down, pressing a gentle peck to his forehead.

“Aehehehe…ehehehehe…bleh.” Takemichi let himself go limp, turning his head dramatically to the side. “I’m dead….”

“Hehehe! I’ll save you!” Hinata giggled as she leaned down, this time kissing his lips. Immediately he was kissing her back, reaching up and pulling her down gently. Warmth spread through every crevice in his body- it was as if he was sitting on a hill with the sunshine basking over him. And there she was- his sunshine.

“Are you alive?” She asked, brushing his cheek with her thumb.

“With you? Always.” He breathed back, placing his hand over hers. When he really looked at her, he could see the green clover necklace around her throat. “You kept it.”

“Always.” She smiled, touching it gently with her hand. “I’ll never throw it away.”

Takemichi sat up, pulling her over until she was laying in his lap. “My turn.” He teased, tapping along her ribs and earning an array of musical giggles.

Even if this was just a dream- he was just happy to be with her again.

Thanks for reading!

[dreamwritesimagines]

It’s CMA-

I’m not feeling 100% so plz bear with me if this is shorter than usual. I’ll probably add on later

Also hope ur doing better from last time we talked❤️❤️❤️❤️

So I’ve read a few books on developmental trauma and we talk about it in class sometimes and we talk about the hyper-/hypo-arousal that they go through and the issues with emotional regulation and how easy it is to throw them off their axis, and I feel like you’ve portrayed that very well in this story.

Like the way that she’s either at stress level 10000% or completely shut down and there’s very little in between. Or how the it’s very unstable- every little thing throws her off her axis.

And of course the anxiety and paranoia of everything going wrong at any given moment. It’s this thing with people who’ve faced child abuse that they learn to always be on guard because they never knew what was going to set off their parents, so they’ve learned to overanalyze every little thing and we see that a lot with clover.

We also see some negative distortions, or “bad thinking habits”, such as spiraling/catastrophizing, black and white thinking, etc. which I think that you’ve written very well.

Idk I think I’m just really in love with the way that you’ve portrayed the trauma and its long term effects on her, how difficult it is to get over that, how it permeates every part of her life, the coping mechanisms that were really necessary for her survival, etc.

There’s actually a lot of brain studies on what’s called toxic stress- I’ve probably brought this up before- and how it completely rewires your brain, but I don’t think the data can properly convey the emotion of it like you have with this story.

I actually wouldn’t be surprised if the feeling that clover was describing about shutting down her emotions and everything was actually related to not only hypoarousal and repression but also some dissociation. The brain has trouble dealing with chronic stress like that, and dissociation (which includes depersonalization and derealization) is actually a response to prolonged high amounts of stress.

The hypoarousal is actually more common in situations in which the situation feels inescapable, which is common in children. Many people overlook it because they assume that all anxiety manifests itself as panic attacks, but when it comes to kids hypoarousal is very common.

It’s the whole ‘fight or flight’ idea, which pretty much all researchers agree should be ‘flight, fight, and freeze’ in terms of survival mechanisms (including against trauma). If you’re confronted with something like a bear, your first option/thought is almost always to flee the situation (same for pretty much all living creatures with “basic instincts”), then if you cannot flee then fight, and if you cannot do that, then to freeze. Freezing is a last resort because you cannot do the other two options. It’s a last resort, sort of helplessness like playing dead.

(humans are unique in that we can overcome our fight/flight/freeze response thanks to executive functioning, but that is impaired in children with trauma. This isn’t really relevant, but I always thought it was interesting. It does however take a lot of work to do so; it’s difficult to rewire your brain, esp as an adult, so how your brain gets wired as a child does have a huge impact on you, which is what we see with clover)

Okay sorry as you know when I get started talking about developmental trauma I can’t shut up. Onto other stuff:

Josie putting Anthony in his place: fuck yeah you go girl

Clover calling out Anthony about Charlie: fuck yeah you go girl

(aka fuck Anthony he’s been an oblivious ass so far and he needs to redeem himself)

Teddy is going to have three homes with three times the toys in the span of like a month lmao good for him

Clover’s aunt and uncle looking out for her 😭😭😭 also ben and Charlie and Josie and Bess and Andrew and teddy and everyone else doing the same🥺 she is so loved and she doesn’t even realize it💔💔

Man clover keeps passing out. First in her garden and now this lololololol

I’m so worried that when her parents show up, they’re going to reveal her trauma to everyone in the ton, or at least the bridgertons. That’s so horrible and retraumatizing to clover and I’m worried that even if she starts accepting her feelings and healing that she’ll be too fragile…………………

Okay going back and speaking of clover not eating and passing out, I haven’t eaten today and it’s 3 pm so I should go do that Lmfao. I just love talking to you so much that I always forget/put it off on saturdays (it’s not ur fault btw I woke up at like 2 LMFAO fuck spring forward)

Okay love u lots. hope ur well❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

OMG CMA DARLING! 🥰

I hope everything is alright! Are you okay??❤️

Aw I'm so happy to hear that I could portray it well❤️ I think especially when it comes to spiraling and anxiety, we will see just how it can affect Clover in the following chapters❤️ She never acknowledged her trauma or even talked about it with Benedict or anyone really, so she thinks repressing it will make it easier for her to handle it but it won't at all❤️

There’s actually a lot of brain studies on what’s called toxic stress- I’ve probably brought this up before- and how it completely rewires your brain, but I don’t think the data can properly convey the emotion of it like you have with this story. Excuse me while I cry, this is such a wonderful compliment darling! 😱��❤️ Aaaaaaa I'm so glad to hear this! ❤️

I agree with you on the dissociation thing and we will see an example of it very soon! Clover is very used to adapting like...zero emotions expression when she's scared and Benedict will witness it soon❤️

Wait I didn't know that, I thought everyone had like...either fight or flight or freeze response depending on person not that it was like a gradual reaction of the sort! 😱 That's very interesting!❤️

I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THIS SO MUCH! ❤️❤️

Loll Anthony made a huge mistake, talking down on Clover in front of her feral overprotective big sister ❤️

Teddy will have such a happy childhood! ❤️

Oh when her parents shows up... That will cause so much angst, I already have some scenes in mind for it and you will absolutely love it 😏

OMG GO EAT SOMETHING RIGHT NOW 😱❤️

Honeeeey thank you so much for this! ❤️❤️ ILYSM, I hope you feel better soon! ❤️❤️❤️

[indiansplendortea]

Is it OK to Drink Masala Tea in the Morning?

[jvlewis77]

TV Show & Movie Tracker

Check out this movie, "Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" : https://trakt.tv/movies/black-clover-sword-of-the-wizard-king-2023

Discovered using TV Show & Movie Tracker #TVSTT

[faradigm]

Ngga tahu ini canon apa ngga. Tp bukannya jadi sebentuk dukungan bagi Asta ya bahwa nantinya dia yg akan jadi wizard king berhubung udah bisa pakai harga nasional wkwk

Storinya rada meh. Kek pembukaan pertarungan asta yuno di awal, eh malah diserang musuh. Di kakek yg mantan wizard king, pas kalah malah tobat. Tiap villain kurang e back story dan pengembangan karakternya.

Tapi fight asik sih. Udah itu aja yg ai tonton dan nikmati haha

Seen "Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" on Netflix yet?

[swan2swan]

More Nero’s memories than we got during “Nero’s Memories”

[gayrhya]

promo owo?

hey gaymers im ev

they/he/she // 24 // gay ass

college student in the pnw

i currently have black clover brain rot and primarily draw fanart & my self insert ocs + some oc x canon writing

you guessed it, my fave character is rhya and hes GAY and i am in gay love with him. 

i also have interests in mythology, biblical angels, d&d, and skunks

more abt me in my pinned post // carrd 

[one-leaf-grimoire]

“illusion”

Chapter 15

Hi! This chapter has some sad parts but MC finally stands up to a big threat. LMK what you think!

Warnings: none, this chapter is SFW

A03 LINK // SFW LINK

The true nature of my Illusion Magic is in the way that it effects the human brain. My magic can trigger responses within the mind of another, forcing their brain to release the hormones and electric signals necessary to conjure up what I want them to perceive. Images, sounds, feelings... but one spell does this better than any other; the spell I have only cast once before.

Fear Landscape.

This spell targets a single region of the brain, the amygdala. Stress hormones are released in a massive stampede, causing pupil dilation, heart rate increase, and restriction of breathing. All of these things compound upon each other until the body shuts down. 

The first time I used it was an accident. We were on a mission in the woods, and were almost done, when a massive wolf appeared out of nowhere. The spell manifested in that moment, probably triggered by my own fear. I don't remember it very well, since I blacked out in a similar fashion to today, into a warm, golden sleep. But according to Alice, the wolf collapsed into a whimpering pile, giving us enough time to escape.

I never really thought about what happened to that wolf. I wonder if it died, just like the dozen or so men that were unlucky enough to be around me today.

But now, lying silently in a hospital bed while the nurses checked up on me for the fifteenth time tonight, I have plenty of time to reflect.

I killed that man... the general. I killed all his men. 

The nurses and doctor keep talking among themselves. From what I've gathered so far, the slime mold penetrated my body much farther than they thought at first, and kept proliferating even after the caster was dead. It'll take a while for me to heal completely.

It's been around three days since the attack- at least, I think it has been that long. My mind has been foggy and disoriented, so I can't be quite sure. My only reference for time is the light coming in through the curtains, and the three times per day that a meal is brought to me. I'm barely able to eat, but it could be worse.

After all... someone was hurt much worse than me that day.

The door creaks open once all the nurses are gone, and none other than Captain Hervey and his two vice captains come in. My gaze flickers up to Julius's face first, catching a glimpse of his worried expression. I quickly look to Hervey next. "Captain..."

I start to sit up, but Hervey raises his hand to pause the movement. "Stay still, you're injured enough as it is." He lets out a heavy sigh, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"As good as I can." I motion vaguely at my right arm, where green mold veins still linger under my skin. "The doctor said maybe two more days before my system gets flushed of this stuff."

"I see." Hervey nods a little. "It'll be good to have you back on your feet..."

I gulp nervously, scared to ask the next question.

"Captain... is Alice-"

"She's still in her coma."

I fall silent. 

"The doctor doesn't think she's going to wake up."

... she's... not going to wake up? 

"Like... not today? Or-"

"Not ever." The words come out sharply, freezing my heart.

I was told as soon as I was conscious enough to listen. The other Shining General was a powerful ice mage. He managed to trap Julius in Ice before making a break for it. Hervey took off in pursuit, but it was too late; The general ran into Alice's group, and in the fight... 

"People don't recover from a frostbitten brain." Hervey muttered, a little callously. I'm too weak to even summon tears, but I feel every part of my soul being shredded apart. 

Alice... you have to wake up... you have to.

"But I told you; My ice magic countered his. I killed that Bastard... both of us felled Generals in this battle. That's why I'm here today."

I look back up at Hervey as he walks to the side of my bed, producing what looks like a small plaque. "Captain, what's this for?"

"It's a special commendation from the Wizard King himself," Hervey explained, giving me a strained smile. "You've been promoted to Senior Magic Knight."

"Congratulations," Malota says, giving me a rare smile of her own from the other side of my bed. "You're basically at the top now."

"You've impressed all of us. Well done."

I look at the foot of my bed, where Julius still stands, and he gives me the same smile as the others. He's happy for me, I can tell, but that tenseness is easily explained; today feels like no time to celebrate, while Alice lies unresponsive in another room.

Impressed... congratulations...

The words feel bitter in my mind.

"I... I'm getting this now... because I murdered someone, right?"

My voice is numb, cold and emotionless. My head falls back onto my pillow, and I stare blankly up at the ceiling. 

Hervey exchanges a glance with the other two before clearing his throat. "NO! Well, yeah... but don't think of it that way. You defeated an enemy of our Kingdom, and now he will never harm anyone again."

That general... his magic hurt. I remember how Giles writhed in pain, and how my mind snapped as he pushed me past my limit. But, I saw something in his eyes. He had a family... there were things in this world that he loved. But me... I can't love anything. Love was ruined for me, so I ruined it for all of them, too...

"I didn't even mean to do it." Slowly, my eyes flicker close. Maybe if I pretend to be asleep, they'll leave me alone. "I was trying to escape..."

"Our bodies do unexpected things when we think we're about to die."

Julius's voice pulls me out, and my eyes open again. I can't bring myself to move and look at him, but I'm listening... I'm listening.

Julius...

"You did what anyone else would have done... but you deserved this promotion before that, trust me." 

Even from where I lay, I can hear the smile on his lips. This time, there is no tension.

How many people have you killed, Julius? You've been to battle far more than I have... and I've heard the stories of your terrifying power. That power scares me, too, but at the same time... I know it protects me.

If I had any less restraint, I would have reached out to him, begged him to take my hand, pleaded for him to stay. I don't care who sees, I don't care who disapproves, I just want him here with me, forever.

But there's just enough restraint within me to keep me still. After that awkward moment, Hervey leads the others out, leaving the plaque on my bedside table.

------------

It's not until later that night that the full gravity of the situation dawns on me. Alice, my closest and oldest friend, was going to die, and I could do nothing about it.

"You're in my group, right? So I'll protect you! No matter what. And you're going to protect me too!"

Alice said those words to Cecelia. She promised that she would live.

Alice... I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You're my friend, nothing less, and I know in my heart that you could never hurt me. As sure as the sun rises, as sure as it sets... you would have never betrayed me.

But why...

I roll over in the dark, my delirious mind breaking down as tears and wet sobs rip from my throat.

Why did I have to realize that after it's too late?!

I clutch a pillow tightly as I cry, holding onto it for dear life. And maybe it's just my imagination... but I feel it hug me back, warm and soft.

-----

When I wake up the next morning, there was no large pillow that I could have been curled up into. The side of the bed next to me is warm; at least, I think it is. But I can't see anyone there, and my fever makes the entire world burn.

Maybe that was just my imagination.

-----

"There you are! Oh, god-"

Two days later, I'm sitting up in bed, feeling good enough to eat. I look up from my soup to see the door open, and two very familiar older people come rushing towards me. I drop my spoon in surprise.

"Mom? Dad?"

Indeed, it's my parents, and a moment later they both tackle me in a hug that's definitely more rough than they should be giving me right now. I let out a hollow gasp as the air is knocked out of my lungs, but I quickly get over it and smile. "Hi... It's good to see you two."

I hug back, burying my face into their shoulders, and am suddenly overwhelmed with... nostalgia. Both of them pull back and start fawning over me, telling me how proud they are of me, and how worried they were before they could visit. It's bittersweet, and it takes everything I have in me to keep from bursting into tears. 

All the pain and trouble I've gone through, I did it for them. For the hope that I could free them from the path they think they're trapped on. Marrying a Kira will give us status for life, but now that I'm a Senior Magic Knight, we don't need that status. By myself, I can support them, and then...

"Oh!" My mom's eyes suddenly lit up. "Look who insisted we bring him with us!"

"Huh? Who-"

I look around her shoulder, and my blood runs cold.

"Hey."

Lawrence Kira stands there in the doorway, not even the faint ghost of a smile upon his face.

My heart starts to pound.

He's here... oh god...

"Congrats on your promotion." He walks inside, and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Looks like you got pretty hurt, though..." He comes to a stop at the foot of my bed, and I resist the urge to scoot back further. My grip on my mother's hand tightens slightly. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Uh oh. I open my mouth, not sure what to say. He better not use this time to confront me... he's evil. I look over at my parents, who also start to look worried. In front of them, too! He knows that if he pressures me here, my parents will join them. They're looking forward to the wedding, and they don't want me to get hurt again... I start to panic. SHIT!

Finally, I manage to cobble together a response. Play dumb! "Um... well, they should let me out of bed tomorrow-"

"I'm not talking about that-" Lawrence snaps. "I'm talking about you playing Magic Knight for years and years. Face it, you're not cut out for this." He motions at my fading injuries. "You almost died, I don't want you to face something like that again before our wedding."

"He has a point, Darling," Dad pipes up innocently. "If you died... I don't know how I would go on living."

"I know, but I'm not going to die." I tighten my hold on my mother's hand again. She doesn't say anything, but I see something flicker in her eyes. I look back over at Lawrence, his stone cold grey eyes staring right into my soul. "Lawrence, I killed a General. A Diamond General. And I just got promoted. Do you think I'm weak or something?"

"Not weak..." He crosses his arms, and I see his cool exterior waver for a moment. "But you're not strong enough to avoid this type of injury... you Captain knows it too." His confidence returns, and he points at my plaque. "Have you ever heard of a pity promotion? It's not unusual for a weak magic knight to receive a big promotion right after they sustain a bad injury. It's supposed to convince you to leave, because you've done enough. And that's true for you." 

I feel my heart sink. No, I've never heard of pity promotions before, but that adds up.

Am I... am I really that weak?

"I... I- er-"

"FILLER WORDS-" Lawrence snaps, shutting me up immediately. He calms himself after the momentary outburst. "Stop using filler words, remember?"

I nod, my hands shaking.

"Listen... you're not being disgraceful." Lawrence offers me a shallow smile, stepping forward. I feel my heart jolt again, like a deer cornered by a hunter. "But it's time to leave this path and become what you're meant to be..."

I... I can't... I have to... I-

"My wife-"

"No."

The word slips out, and Lawrence freezes. His eyes widen a little, somehow getting colder.

"What did you just say?"

Shit, shit, shit! My heart pounds, but it's too late to go back.

"I- I said no." I take a shuddering breath, ignoring my parents' shocked faces. "I don't want to marry you, Lawrence, and I'm not going to."

The words don't quite register for Lawrence, ricocheting around between his ears. But once they do, it's obvious. His cheeks start to redden, and his wide eyes crumple with rage.

"You... you can't just say no now! We've been engaged since I was ten!"

"Honey, what on earth are you thinking?" Both of my parents look scared. Their whole lives, they placed their entire future on this marriage, not considering any other way to protect us. But now, I've found another way.

Yes... through my own strength, I forged a path! With the help of Alice, I created a fate far different from what Lawrence tried to create for me. I won't let Alice's work go to waste! I found a life I can live with pride... and I found someone that I want to love with all my heart!

"I am a Magic Knight, Lawrence." I sit up, shaking off my parents' hands, and point accusingly at the man who's caused me so much pain over my entire life. "You are the lowest of the low. You forced me to do things I wasn't ready to do. You hurt me, and manipulated me- and I'm not going to just lay down and take it any more!"

My voice raises steadily in volume, and so does my courage. Somehow, a smile starts to grow on my lips, and I clench my fist as I say the words I've always wanted to say.

"For my family, and for my own pride, I reject you, Lawrence Kira-"

Just as I utter his name, I see something in his gaze snap.

Oh- God-

Instantly, mana caves in around him then shoots out at me. I don't have time to finish my sentence. Poisonous, thistly grey vines hit my throat, wrapping around it and blasting me backwards. My parents both scream, and I hit the wall above the bedframe with a resounding CRACK. My mouth opens with a silent scream, the thistles pricking my skin and drawing blood. My back hurts, my legs kick helplessly, and my fingers claw uselessly at the tight chords that choke the life out of me. But at the same time...

That's it Lawrence. Show the world what a monster you really are.

"YOU WENCH!" he basically gargles, still overcome with indignancy and rage. A vein starts to pop out of his temple. "Do you think I'm going to just let you leave? After all the work I put into you?! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN UNGRATEFUL SOW WITHOUT ME!"

The thistles tighten, and I start to taste blood too.

More... more... show me more of your hate!

Lawrence looks unhinged as he clenches his fist, controlling his magic. "So... I'm going to teach you a lesson... and then you're coming right back to the castle WITH ME-"

He's cut off suddenly. I crack open an eye to see both of my parents on their feet, hands and Grimoires up. Both are already forming magic in their hands, Eye magic and Memory Magic, and both are targeted at the prince. Lawrence's eyes widen. "What- What do you think you're doing-"

"Let go of her." My dad's voice is deadly soft. Both of them aren't freaking out, but I can hear the urge to tear into Lawrence in his words. "Now."

"I don't care if you're a prince. You don't touch her ever again." My mother's voice holds the same quiet threat.

Lawrence opens and closes his mouth a few times, and I feel his thistles weaken slightly. All I can do is hold my breath and stay still as the edges of my vision start to blur. 

yes... both of them stood up for me... Mom, dad, I promise this wasn't a mistake!

"If you defy me... your status will mean nothing. Society will ostracize you," Lawrence threatens. "Are you really going to throw everything I gave you away?"

"Status means nothing, now that we know what you really are like," my dad's voice starts to waver. "Let her go before I show you what I'm really like."

After one more tense moment, the thistles disappear. I let out a deep gasp before collapsing back down onto my bed, a trembling mess. My parents immediately retract their magic and rush to my side. "I-I'm fine-" I wheeze, sitting up with their help.

Lawrence still looks mad, but that calculated coolness in his eyes returns.

"You... you'll regret this."

Without another word, Lawrence turns dramatically and storms off, slamming the door behind him.

The nurses are called back in, fixing up the wounds on my neck. They aren't deep, but Lawrence's Thistle Magic leaves millions of microscopic wounds. It hurts like a bitch, too.

But the whole time, up until my parents leave, only one thought circles through my mind.

I did it...

I'm free.

[story-kat]

Art by  Saniiisan

Posted with Permission (reprint/edit and/or commercial use prohibited)

[bxstard0]

     ✨ Little Yuno and Asta ✨

like/reblog if you save

twitter @yumchux

[everypronoun]

anything plant related that’s isnt plantself???

big list of plant related pronouns

misc plants:

bam/bamb/bambs/bambs/bambself (bamboo)

bay/bays/bayself

be/beech/bies/beeches/beechself

beet/beets/beetself

bi/birch/bir/birs/birchself

bud/buds/budself

ca/cac/cactu/cactus/cactuself

ca/catta/cat/cattai/cattailself

clo/clover/clov/clovs/cloverself

co/cot/ton/otton/cottonself

cy/cyp/pres/(ypres/ipres)/cypresself

do/dog/gwo/gwod/dogwoodself

fern/fern/ferns/ferns/fernself

fern/ferns/fernself

fi/fir/fir/firs/firself

fir/fir/fir/firs/firself

ga/gar/gard/garden/gardenself

gir/gra/grass/grass/grasself

ha/hol/ly/olly/hollyself

haw/hawth/thor/thorn/hawthornself or hawthself

(he/hi)/(hem/him)/lo/lock/hemlockself

iv/ivy/iv/ivs/ivself/ivyself

ko/ok/ra/kra/okraself

ku/kuk/kui/kuku/kukuiself

le/lel/el/elm/elmself

leaf/leafs/leafself

mae/map/pel/aple/mapleself

min/mint/mints/mints/mintself

mos/moss/mossir/mossirs/mosself

oak/oaken/oaks/oakens/oakself/oakenself

pa/pal/al/alm/palmself

pi/pin/ion/ñon/piñonself

pi/pin/pine/pines/pineself

po/pon/der/deros/ponderosaself, ponderself or ponself

po/pop/lar/lars/poplarself

reed/reed/reeds/reeds/reedself

sa/sap/saps/saps/sapself

se/seque/quoi/quoia/sequoiaself or sequoiself

shrub/shrub/shrubs/shrubs/shrubself

spa/ap/sen/spen/aspenself

sprout/sprouts/sproutself

spru/sep/ruce/spruce/spruceself or spruself

stem/stems/stemself

tho/thorn/thorns/thorns/thornself

tre/ter/ree/tree/treeself

vi/viol/viols/viols/violself (violet)

vin/vin/vins/vins/vinself

vine/vine/vines/vines/vineself

wi/weed/wis/weeds/weedself

will/willow/willow/willows/willowself

wreath/wreaths/wreathself

wu/wood/woo/woods/woodself

cacti/succulents:

(a/ag/aga)/gave/gaves/gaves/agaveself

ae/onium/onis/onis/aeoniself or aeoniumself

aga/ve/ves/ves/agaveself

aloe/loe/loes/loes/aloeself

aloe/vera/ver/veras/aloeself, veraself or aloeveraself

barr/rrel/barr/barrs/barrself or barrelself

buck/horn/bucks/bucks/buckself or buckhornself

bunny/ear/ear/ears/bunnyearself

ca/cac/cactu/cactus/cactuself

cac(t)/cacta/cacts/cactas/cactaself

cac(t)/cacti/cacts/cactis/cactiself

cac(t)/cacto/cacts/cactos/cactoself

cac(t)/cactus/cacts/cactus/cactusself

cact/cact/cacts/cactself

cacta/ceae/ceaes/caeas/cactaself or cactaceaeself

car/don/car/dons/cardonself

cho(ll)/lla/chos/chos/chollaself

claret/cup/clar/clarets/claretself or claretcupself

eche/veria/ver/veries/echeself, veriaself, or echeveriaself

ga/steria/ster/steries/gasteriaself

grapto/petalum/petals/petals/graptoself, petalumself, or graptopetalumself

jo(vi)/jovi/(jo)vis/(jo)vis/joviself

jovi/barba/bar/barbs/joviself, barbaself, or jovibarbaself

liv(ing)/stone/livs/livs/livingstoneself or stoneself

mun/mun/munz/munz/munzself

nee/needle/dles/dles/needleself

nee/needle/nee(d)s/nee(d)s/needleself

pachy/cereus/cer/cereus/pachyself, cereusself, or pachysereusself

paro/dia/par/pars/parodiaself

pe/yote/yotes/yotes/peyoself or peyoteself

peyo/te/tes/tes/peyoself or peyoteself

prickly/pear/pear/pears/pricklyself or pricklypearself

re/butia/butis/butis/rebutiaself

rebu/tia/rebus/ties/rebutiaself

ro(su)/rosu/ros/rosus/rosuself

ro/sette/rose/rose/rosetteself, roself, or setteself

rosu/laria/lar/larias/rosuself, lariaself, or rosulariaself

sagua/guaro/(sa)guar/(sa)guaros/saguaroself

se/dum/ses/ses/sedumself

su/succu/cus/cus/succuself

succu/lent/cus/cus/succuself or succulentself

succu/lent/lents/lents/succuself or succulentself

other floral:

ama/amara/amaran/amaranth/amaranself

bloom/blooms/bloomself (might be plantkin-exclusive? i can’t tell if a troll submitted that)

bo/bel/oss/bloss/blossomself or blosself

bud/buds/budself

ca/cam/mel/mellia/camelliaself or camellself

ca/car/carna/carnati/carnationself

ca/uc/yuc/ucca/yuccaself

co/lum/bi/bine/columbineself or columself

dai/daisy/dais/dais/daisyself

do/dog/gwo/gwod/dogwoodself

fir/firs/firself

fleur/fleurs/fleurself

flo/flor/flori/florid/floridself

flor/flora/floraself

flow/flower/flowers/flowerself

frie/friez/freesi/freesi/freesiaself

fu/fuch/uch/uchia/fuchsiaself

ha/hib/bis/cus/hibiscuself

haw/hawth/thor/thorn/hawthornself or hawthself

hy/cin/hyas/hyacin/hyacinthself or hyaself

hy/hys/hyself (hyacinth)

ir/ir/iris/iri/iriself

ja/min/jas/jasmi/jasmineself

je/min/jes/jessa/jessamineself

lau/rel/aur/laur/laurelself or laurself

lav/lav/lavs/lavs/lavself (lavender)

lav/laven/lavend/lavends/lavendself (lavender)

lil/lily/lils/lilies/lilself/lilyself

lo/lot/lotu/lotus/lotuself

ma/mag/nol/nolia/magnoliaself or noliaself

nar/narc/narcir/narcirs/narcself (soft c as in certain, narcissus)

pe/peony/peo/peon/peonyself

pe/per/peri/peri/periself or periwinkle

petal/petals/petalself

po/pop/py/oppy/poppyself

rho/rhod/rhode/rhodes/rhodeself

rie/orch/id/chid/orchidself, orchiself, or orchself

ro/ros/rose/roses/roseself

rose/roses/roseself

sa/sap/saps/saps/sapself

sy/syr/rin/ringa/syringaself

ti/tul/ul/uli/tulipself

to/mis/misel/miselt/mistletoeself

tul/tulip/tulips/tulips/tulipself

vi/viol/viols/viols/violself (violet)

wi/win/winkle/winkle/winkleself or periwinkle

wi/wist/wis/wister/wisteriaself, wistself, or wisterself

zi/zin/zin/zinni/zinniaself

fruit/gourds:

app/apple/apples/apples/appleself

apri/cot/apris/cots/apriself, cotself, or apricotself

av/avo/avs/avs/avself (avocado)

ban/bana/bans/bans/banself (banana)

ber/berr/bers/bers/berryself

black/berry/berr/berrs/blackself, berrself, or berryself

blue/berry/berr/berrs/blueself, berrself, or berryself

boy/sen/boys/sens/boysenself

canta/loupe/loupes/loupes/cantaself, loupeself, or canataloupeself

cherr/cherr/cherrs/cherrs/cherryself

ci/cit/citru/citrus/citruself

clemen/tine/tines/tines/tineself, clemenself, clementself, or clementineself

coco/cocos/cocoself

cot/cot/cots/cots/cotself (apricot)

crai/sin/crais/sins/craiself or craisinself

cran/berry/berr/berrs/cranself, berrself, or berryself

cur/rant/curr/currs/currself or currantself

date/dates/dateself

dra/gon/fruits/fruits/dragonself

du/rian/dus/rians/durianself

fig/fig/figs/figs/figself

go/ji/jis/jis/gojiself

grape/grape/grapes/grapes/grapeself

gua/va/guas/vas/guaself, guavself or guavaself

honey/dew/dews/dews/honeyself, dewself, or honeydewself

jack/fruit/fruits/fruits/jackfruitself

ki/kir/kirs/kirs/kirself (kiwi)

ki/kiwi/kiwis/kiwis/kiwiself

kum/quat/quats/quats/quatself or kumquatself

lem/lem/lems/lems/lemself (lemon)

lem/lemon/lemons/lemons/lemonself

lim/lime/limes/limes/limeself

lon/gan/lons/gans/lonself or longanself

ly/chee/lys/chees/lyself, cheeself, or lycheeself

manda/rine/rines/rines/rineself, mandaself, mandarself, or mandarineself

mang/mango/mangs/mangs/mangself/mangoself

mango/steen/steens/steens/steenself or mangosteenself

mel/melon/melo/melons/melonself

mul/berry/berr/berrs/mulself, berrself, or berryself

musc/musc/muscas/muscas/muscaself (muscadine)

necta/rine/nectar/nectars/nectarself

o/live/lives/lives/oliveself

oran/orange/orans/orans/orangeself

pa/paya/pas/payas/payaself, papaself, or papayaself

pass/sion/sions/sions/sionself or passionself

peach/peach/peaches/peaches/peachself

pear/pear/pears/pears/pearself

per/simm/per/pers/persimself or persimmonself

pine/apple/pines/apples/pineself or pineappleself

plan/tain/plans/tains/planself or plantainself

plum/plum/plums/plums/plumself

pom/pom/poms/poms/pomself (pomegranate)

pom/pome/pomes/pomes/pomself or pomeself

prickly/pear/pear/pears/pricklyself or pricklypearself

pum/pum/pums/pums/pumself (pumpkin)

pump/pumpkin/pumpkins/pumpkins/pumpkinself

quin/quince/quinces/quinces/quinceself

rai/sin/rais/sins/raiself or raisinself

ram/butan/rams/buts/rambutanself

rasp/berry/berr/berrs/raspself, berrself, or berryself

rasp/rasp/rasps/rasps/raspself (raspberry)

sour/sop/sours/sops/sourself, sopself, or soursopself

star/fruit/fruits/fruits/starfruitself or starself

stawb/strawb/strawbs/strawbs/strawbself (strawberry)

tama/rind/tamar/tamars/tamaself, tamarself, or tamarindself

tange/rine/rines/rines/rineself, tangeself, tangerself, or tangerineself

toma/tom/toms/toms/tomself (long o, tomato)

winter/melon/melons/melons/melonself or winterself

spice/herb:

anise - ni/an/anise/anise/aniself

arugula - ru/gul/aru/aru/aruguself

basil - bas/basi/basilself

chervil - che/vil/cher/cher/chervilself

chive - chi/chiv/chives/chive/chiveself

cilantro - ci/lan/cil/cilan/cilanself

cinnamon - ci/cin/cinnself

cloves - clo/cloves/cloveself

coriander - co/der/cor/cori/corself, coriself, or coriaself

dill - di/il/dill/dills/dillself

lavender - lav/lav/lavs/lavs/lavself

lavender - lav/laven/lavend/lavends/lavendself

marjoram - ma/mar/marjor/marjoram/marjoramself or marjorself

mint - mint/mints/mintself

myrrh - myr/myrs/myrrhself

oregano - re/or/reg/oreg/oreganoself or oregaself

parsley - pa/par/pars/pars/parsleyself or parself

rosemary - ro/rosem/rosemself

saffron - saff/saffs/saffself

sage - sa/sage/sageself

sage - sa/sage/sas/saes/sageself

tarragon - ta/tar/tarra/tarrag/tarragonself

thyme - thy/thyme/thymeself

[technicallyblakebelladonna]

really fucking sucks seeing what happened to f/air g/ame but at the same time, people using that to say that they’re starting to worry about the status of bumb/eby is just completely ludicrous. “bla/ke’s a black cat, black cats bring bad luck” is just something i saw recently and im like ?????

i get it, shipping something and hoping for that to be endgame for q/row.. i get it. it was healthy and good for qr/ow and clo/ver was a good character. but honestly imo, it kinda got hyped up in the fandom way too fast. it has none of the development and interconnected plots that b/ees do.

so seeing what happened to f/air ga/me and immediately worrying about bumb/eby is just ridiculous imo. crwby knows what they’re doing. bee/s arent going anywhere. their relationship isn’t in jeopardy. crwby has built up 3 volumes worth of connected plot with these two, and they wouldn’t throw it away so callously. fa/ir ga/me is NOT “setting the standard” or whatever for how lbgtq+ relationships are being treated. everything crwby has done up to this point (yes including clov/ers death) has given me no reason to doubt them, and especially in regards to bumb/eby.

at this point i can hope that the outrage over fa/ir ga/me is used for a positive change that crwby is made aware of, and that more mlm rep can be introduced later down the line (it would be so fucking lovely for q/row honestly), but until that point, there’s nothing much we can do about the way the story went - aside from doing our best as a fandom for those who are upset by this to do our best to communicate the hurt that we’re experiencing in a clear manner.

and also trusting crwby in regards to bum/bleby, cause they’ve really given us no reason to doubt that relationship

[70sdaisy]

tagged by clov @dreamingbearmedal​ > : ) thnk u clov

Name: sophia

Nickname(s): sophie. sopie. soapie. sofa. soph. soap

Gender: girl

Star Sign: cancer

Current Time: 9:32 pm

Favorite Artists: the front bottoms, doja cat, pinegrove, mitski, elliott smith, beach house, weezer, phoebe bridgers, fleetwood mac, joji, the moldy peaches, a lot more 

Song Stuck in My Head: wine pon you by doja bc its the last song i heard lol

Last Movie I Saw: god ummmm. i have no idea. i think it was the sonic the hedgehog movie and i loved every second of it

Last Thing I Googled: acnh flower guide

Other Blogs: i have one nsfw blog i barely ever post on. you can dm me for it if you really want it

Do I Get Asks: sometimes! i really like getting them i like talking to ppl or hearing about them or answering questions 

Reason for URL: i thought it sounded pretty and i’m a fan of the 70s aesthetic

Following: i literally have no idea but it’s a lot. i never unfollow people and i’ve had this blog since i was 13

Average Sleep: probably 8 hrs?

Lucky Number: i don’t know..it used to be 3. sometimes 2. occasionally, 7

Currently Wearing: black leggings, gray soccer t-shirt 

Dream Job: something where i can help people, and something where i can be creative

Dream Trip: idk....i want to go on a big roadtrip across the US. i also would like to go to italy

Favorite Food: i don’t know anymore! i really like seafood.. maybe sushi

Instruments: guitar, ukulele, baritone ukulele which is like tiny guitar, vague knowledge of chords on piano but no ability to put that into practice

Favorite Song: everywhere by fleetwood mac and aphasia by pinegrove never get old to me. also angeles by elliott smith

<3 I TAG... @florulfauna​ @weedbreath​ @stargazingly​ @bunnibo​ @celestihals​ @twoheadedangel​ @vanillaboba​ @imissthefarm @flornzi​ u don’t have to do it but you are all treasured mutuals and i love u and if u like tag things here u go : ) 

[kittykissbliss]

Daniel Radcliffe stops to smoke cigarette outside theatre where he’s starring in play Endgame

Daniel Radcliffe has kicked off his new theatre role in London’s West End and was seen enjoying a cigarette in between shows in London. The former Harry Potter star, 30, is currently starring in a new production of Samuel Beckett play Endgame and stopped for a smoke outside the Old Vic theatre. Daniel was wearing a pinstriped suit, with a hoodie and jacket thrown over the top, and clutched onto a coffee in one hand while his cigarette was burning in the other.

He was seen taking puffs in between chatting with friends and looked pretty content.

Daniel stars in the famous play as Clov alongside Alan Cummings, who’s known for being in movies such as After Louis, Black Beauty and Any Day Now. Alan appears as Hamm, an old blind man, in the play.

Endgame sees Hamm clash with Clov, his servant, while they bicker in a room and are regularly interrupted by old folks Nagg and Nell. Metro.co.uk has reached out to Daniel’s rep. Daniel and Alan recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show to promote the play and were sat on the sofa alongside Miriam Margolyes, who bizarrely asked Daniel whether he has a foreskin and made Alan explain bisexuality to her.

We’re not kidding. She outright asked Daniel whether or not he had a foreskin and he managed to handle it like a pro by simply responding: ‘No, I’m jewish.’ Call The Midwife star Miriam then asked host Graham the same and he joked: ‘Loads of them. I collect them!’

Luckily for Daniel other recent interviews haven’t, ahem, focused on his manhood, and one saw the star open up about his girlfriend Erin Darke.

He told Radio Times magazine that he thinks Erin is the one, especially because she likes all the ‘super-nerdy’ things he does.  ‘I grew up doing lots of things where I thought, “This is super nerdy. I’ll never be able to do this around a girl,”‘ Daniel admitted. ‘But that’s the wonderful thing about the moment you find the relationship you’re meant to be in. ‘It’s like, “Oh, I can do all of that stuff and you don’t mind. And you actually think it’s fun, too. This is fantastic!”‘

https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/30/daniel-radcliffe-smokes-suspicious-looking-cigarette-outside-theatre-starring-play-endgame-12153863/?ito=article.desktop.share.top.twitter

[story-and-song]

Betrayal

a short story (that turned out to not be so short whoops) about my d&d character, izara, and everything that happened with quaro, an npc she thought of as a friend and a brother, after the single most intense session i’ve ever played. for context - rhea, scorch, alix, and clov are other pcs, arutha is the black dragon we somehow befriended, and philial is the leader of the resistance in iralos, the city we were essentially starting a slave rebellion in. quaro killed her brother, halsen. nilfa is the woman who izara recently learned was responsible for burning her village and killing her family. yikes.

Of all the things that Izara was expecting the leader of the resistance to do when they returned triumphant with the body of a dead tyrant, slapping her across the face was not one of them.

“Your friend killed my brother.”

Izara took a step back, holding a hand to her stinging cheek. “What the fuck are you talking about?” she growled, indignation warring with genuine confusion. After a long, ridiculous, incredibly trying day, an accusation like this burned. They had taken the city. The high councilor was dead. Iralos was free. Could just this one thing be easy, for once?

Of course not.

A moment later, realization broke over her like ice water flooding her veins. Shit.

Quaro.

They hadn’t seen him since that morning. She’d tried not to worry too much; he was an adult, and perfectly capable of handling himself in a fight. But why had he disappeared after the execution? Where had he gone?

What if he’d -

No. He wouldn’t.

Would he?

When the high elf guards dragged him forward in chains, the world faded to distant ringing in her ears accompanied by the thundering of her heartbeat. Her vision swam, and a black fury that she hadn’t felt in years rose in her throat like bile.

She strode forward, shoving blindly past the guards and leveling one sword at his throat. With his face tilted up towards her, she could see how bloodied and bruised he was. She ignored the twinge of sympathy in her chest.

“What did you do?” she hissed.

He turned to her. “I only followed my mission,” he said, with a voice turned to gravel from the pain.

“What fucking mission?” Fear prickled at the back of her neck. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be. Not after everything, not after she’d saved his life, not after he’d helped them, not after all that they’d been through.

Not after she’d finally started to feel like she had a family again.

~

When a strange man threw an arm around her shoulders in the bar in the Underdark hideout, it took every ounce of Izara’s willpower not to flip him over her shoulder and attack. Before she had the chance, he whispered, “Please, just go with it.” There was a desperation to his voice that intrigued her, and though she wanted nothing more than to throw his arm off, she gritted her teeth and played along.

When the slavers arrived a few minutes later, she was glad that she had.

Between the two of them and some help from Rhea, they made short work of the slavers. Tensions were understandably high in the tavern after the bloodshed, so she pulled him outside for an explanation. He introduced himself as Quaro Misthos. The slavers had been chasing him through the Underdark for miles, he said. He’d been desperate for anyone that could help fight them off, and she’d looked capable.

Her instincts screamed at her not to trust him, and she didn’t. Not fully. But there was something about him that reminded her of some of the kids she’d grown up with, or some of the little ones that she’d sometimes watched over when their parents were busy. He was a wood elf too, and there was a clumsy sincerity in his voice that made her heart ache for simpler times. It made her want to trust someone for the first time in over twenty years.

Well, she could at least see how this would play out.

“You’re free now,” she’d told him. He had been found a room, and that was that.

A few nights later, she knocked on his door just after midnight.

“Do you want to help us kill our boss?” she’d asked. He’d hardly even hesitated before agreeing.

She knew she’d liked him for a reason.

~

Trying to get into her homeland was proving much harder than it had been to get out. Their plan to bypass the guards on the way in was flimsy at best, but weirder plans had worked.

Quaro took his place at her side, and she gripped Alix’s hand tightly as they approached. Pulling this off would be nothing short of a miracle.

“Are you sure about this?” Quaro whispered to her.

“Absolutely not,” she replied. He shrugged, and they kept walking. It wasn’t like this was the first stupid thing they’d done.

They introduced themselves to the guards as a young family, a husband and wife with a young child that definitely didn’t look suspiciously like a disguised gnome.

In the end, Izara was just surprised that they got as far as they did before everything went sideways.

They ran down the path into the forest kingdom, disguises and pretenses long since abandoned. It was all she could do to keep a running count in her head - is this everyone? Did we all make it through? Between racing forward at breakneck speed and dodging arrows, she was several dozen yards away before she realized that Quaro had gone down. Surprisingly intense fear flashed through her, and she doubled back for him without a second thought.

She healed him as quickly as she could, dragging him to his feet and continuing down the road. By the time they lost sight of the guards behind them, everyone was exhausted - none of them had escaped without wounds, and they’d nearly lost Rhea. She took a moment to study the forest around her. With a start, she realized that she recognized it.

“I… may know a place where we can rest undisturbed for a time,” she offered, excitement and sorrow and an old, familiar anger battling for control of her heartbeat.

Quaro smiled at her. “Lead the way.”

~

Izara had tried to brace herself for the sight of what remained of her village. Still, a spike of ice seemed to lodge itself in her chest the moment she saw the burned-out shells of tree trunk homes and blackened bones half-buried in the grass. She drifted forward, almost subconsciously, walking the familiar path to her parent’s house. Even with all the old landmarks gone, she knew the way. She’d walked it for over a hundred years, after all.

She was only barely aware of Quaro following not far behind her when she stopped to pick a few vibrant wildflowers bobbing in the breeze where they’d grown over a scorched log.

At least something had started to grow here again.

There would be more, she knew. They were always the first ones to come back after a fire. Taking a few would not harm them.

It took a conscious effort not to crush their stems in her hand as she approached the remnants of her childhood home. She took a deep breath to stop herself from shaking. It didn’t quite work.

Most of the enormous tree that had watched her grow was long since gone. All that remained was a few sections of rotting, hollowed trunk and blackened roots. But she could still see where the door had once been, and caught glimpses of the space inside through twisted holes that had once been windows…

No. Better not to look too hard at whatever was left inside.

From just behind her, Quaro let out a low whistle.

“Gods, it’s even worse than I’d heard,” he said softly, gazing around at the rest of the village.

Izara laid the wildflowers carefully on the ground in front of her house before responding. “What did you hear about what happened here?” she asked eventually.

“I heard that it burned down about twenty years ago,” he started. “That everyone that lived here was killed. Well, except for one. I heard that it was one of the residents that started the fire - when they found her here, she ran, and they never caught her.”

“You heard wrong,” Izara snapped. She could feel heat rising to her face and ears along with a wave of frustration. She knew that they’d placed the blame on her, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Quaro took a step back, eyes wide. “Are… are you okay?” he asked.

The gentle concern in his voice deflated her anger like a popped balloon, and her shoulders slumped as she sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “No. But perhaps I will be, someday. I’ll tell you what really happened here later; I’m hoping to find more information about it once we reach the city. Maybe you can help me.”

“If I can, I will,” Quaro said. “After all, you’ve already saved my life twice. It’s the least I can do.”

He gave her a reassuring smile, and though she hesitated, she returned it.

~

At the very least, Izara thought, they weren’t trying to make her bluff her way past the checkpoint this time. The wood elf guards wouldn’t question her and Quaro. Let the others come up with their own lies to get inside - she wasn’t any good at lying directly to people anyway.

As the two of them approached the gate, Quaro leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“What are we going for this time? Couple, siblings, friends?” The ease of the question startled her; this was becoming familiar much more quickly than she’d realized. Despite her shortcomings as an actress, things like this always seemed to go so much more smoothly with him to play off of. He was just easy to work with. It felt like they’d been doing this for years.

The thought warmed her heart in an unfamiliar way. It reminded her of the shenanigans that she and the few other children in the village would get up to when she was young; she’d never had siblings, but she might as well have. Half-forgotten laughter rang in her mind. She could picture the edge of a conspiratory smirk, could remember pieces of an elaborate distraction to break into stores of sweets in the elder’s house, could feel the heart-pounding rush of wild adrenaline as they raced into the woods with their prizes after being discovered.

For the first time in a long time, the memories didn’t leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Siblings, I think,” she replied. He nodded, and they fell easily into step as the gate loomed before them.

Dangerous as it was, she could get used to this.

A small part of her whispered that she already had.

~

When the two of them had accompanied Clov into the forest in search of the dragon, Izara had assumed that if anything were going to attack them, it would in fact be the dragon. This, she hadn’t expected.

The strange hairy creature in front of her giggled wildly as it dashed around the clearing, its rock monster launching boulders at anyone nearby. It still had Arutha lassoed in place. There wasn’t much that she could do; between the restraints and the wounds she’d sustained from attacking the city, she wasn’t going to be much help.

So much for having a dragon on their side.

She slashed at the creature again, and it yelped as one of her blades connected. It was starting to look hurt. Her next swing went wide, and it scurried away from her. She took the moment to look around, and her heart leapt into her throat.

Quaro was facing down the rock monster alone, and it had a boulder hefted in one massive hand, ready to bring it down on him. She was already moving when it hit home and Quaro collapsed.

She shouted for Scorch and Clov to keep them busy and laid a hand over Quaro’s mangled shoulder. His breathing was fast and shallow, but it steadied when she sent a pulse of healing magic through him. His eyes blinked open, and Izara let out a relieved sigh. Quaro surveyed the ending of the battle around them with a wince.

“Looks like I owe you another one,” he muttered, letting her help him to his feet. “Sorry about that. Where would I would be without you to save my life?”

She shot him a quick grin. “Dead, probably.”

He chuckled at that, picking up his staff from where he’d dropped it when he fell. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be here to keep an eye out for our resident damsel in distress,” Izara said, patting his cheek. He rolled his eyes, but when he followed her back to the rest of the group, he was smiling.

~

“You’re doing great, you know,” Quaro said quietly in the predawn gloom of the rented tavern room. Izara turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

“What?” she asked, mindful of Scorch still snoring a few feet away.

“These guys, the Bozos. They’re lucky to have you.”

“I don’t know that I would say that…” Izara muttered, feeling an echo of the frustration of wrangling unruly party members into a cohesive unit if only for the sake of keeping them all alive. They looked to her, sure, but she hadn’t even wanted that much. All she did was nag them. She doubted that “lucky” was a word that any of them would use.

“No, really,” Quaro continued. “Without you, I think they all would have died a long time ago.”

“Well, you might be right about that. Still-”

“Hey, listen. I might not have been here for long. But over this time I’ve seen how well you all work together. They give you a lot of shit, but I think that they really do respect you. And I think that they know that you’re doing your best with what you’ve got.”

Izara sighed. “I… appreciate that. All I want is to keep us all together and alive. They don’t make it easy.”

At that, Quaro laughed. “No, they certainly don’t,” he said. “But you’re doing well anyway, for what it’s worth. They need you.”

“Thank you, Quaro,” she whispered after a moment. She wasn’t entirely convinced, but it was certainly nice to hear that someone appreciated her desperate attempts to keep the group from tearing itself apart.

Quaro leaned back to peer out the window at the nearly deserted cobblestone streets below.

“Do you want to go take a walk?” he asked, glancing over at Scorch’s sleeping form.

Izara smiled, and the perpetual tension in her shoulders seemed to ease just slightly.

“Yeah. That’d be nice.”

~

Flash after flash of lightning seared the night sky, and the pouring rain left Izara’s hair plastered to her skin. She swiped impatiently at the water running into her eyes, but it didn’t help much. The ground beneath her feet was slick, churned to thick mud by the rain and panicked feet. There were still screams from nearby; she had no idea what was happening. Another flash made the blades in her hands gleam. It was followed instantly by a sizzling crack of thunder that all but shook the ground.

“What’s happening?” she shouted over the noise of the storm and distant combat. Scorch shrugged helplessly, her fiery hair nothing but steam. Izara glanced around, squinting into the darkness. Nothing. Not even her eyes, accustomed to the Underdark and nighttime forests, were much use on a night like this.

Cursing, she turned back to Scorch. “We have to find the others! We don’t-” She cut herself off as a familiar face, wild-eyed with panic, came sprinting out of the gloom towards them. Quaro skidded to a halt, slipping a little in the mud and reaching up to steady himself on her shoulder. She grabbed his elbow, and he looked up at her, gasping for breath.

“Izara! Listen, I-I need your help. There’s not much time to explain, but I just-” The crack of a whip echoed over another low rumble of thunder, and he spun around to face it.

Emerging from the shadows was an unfamiliar elven woman in a dark cloak, a long, curled whip held at the ready. She sent Quaro a cold smile, and raked her gaze over Izara and Scorch. They didn’t seem to be her targets - she turned back to Quaro and raised her voice over the storm.

“There you are. You’ve led me on quite the hunt - Lady Nilfa won’t be pleased.”

Izara’s blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

Nilfa.

The name she’d been searching for since they’d arrived. Her heartbeat stuttered in her ears, and a vicious sort of excitement flooded her mind with a rush of adrenaline. Her only thought was that she needed answers, and she would do whatever it took to wring them out of this woman.

“Quaro, what is she talking about?” she growled. “Who is this?”

Quaro shook his head frantically. “I don’t know! I - I knew her once, but I haven’t seen her in years! I don’t know what’s going on! She’s trying to kill me!”

Izara’s grip tightened until the leather-wrapped pommels of her swords were digging almost painfully into her palms.

“Then we’ll just have to kill her first.”

~

The nice thing about not needing sleep was quick reaction times, Izara reasoned when she was startled out of her trance by a knock on the door. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Stone ceilings, rickety wooden door - for a slightly panicked moment, she imagined that she was back in the Underdark.

After a moment, she remembered the events of the previous night - the group tracking down one of Iralos’s five councilors, then killing him and dragging his unconscious wife back down here for the rebellion to deal with. Right. The underground tunnels. The hidden resistance. That was where they’d decided to spend the night before the planned excitement tomorrow.

She stood silently, taking the hilt of one of her swords without a second thought as she crept towards the door. It wasn’t likely that a potential assassin would be so bold as to knock, but you could never be too careful. She still didn’t trust these people.

The door was rough beneath her fingertips as she eased it open. It creaked, and she winced a little at the sound. Outside, the stone hallway was dark. She could feel the chill of the underground prickling at the pack of her neck. Gods, but she was tired of caves.

She pushed the door open a bit wider and peered around the frame; her shoulders slumped with relief when she saw the face behind it a moment later. Quaro, looking nervous and confused but none the worse for wear, gave her a small wave.

“Finally,” he whispered. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys.”

Izara raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, we’ve been looking for you too,” she said. “Where did you go?” She stepped forward to glance down the hallway. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.

“It’s, ah, a long story. And I’m honestly not sure? It was, um, weird. Really weird. Can I come in?” he asked, voice still hushed. She stepped aside without hesitation, swinging the door shut behind him. Much as she didn’t want to admit it, she’d been worried about him. She was just glad that he was alright.

“Well, it seems we both have some updates, then,” she said, sitting back down on the mat spread over the floor. “The revolution begins tomorrow, at Halsen’s execution. Before that, we’ll be accompanying Rhea to the morning’s council meeting for a bit of information-gathering. One of the councilors ran into a bit of misfortune tonight. But with the help of magic, he’ll be showing up as normal tomorrow. At least, that’s what the other councilors will think.”

Quaro sucked in a breath, eyes glinting with a hint of anxiety in the low light.

“Tomorrow, then. It’ll all be over.”

Izara nodded. She could feel it too, an unease gathering like a storm in the pit of her stomach. Whatever happened tomorrow would determine the fate of the city and their entire mission.

They’d made it this far. They could win.

They had to.

“We can do this,” she said, hoping that her conviction was convincing. “We’ve done all we can. All that’s left is to free this city. Besides, we have a dragon on our side, remember?” He cracked a smile at that, and she smiled back. She’d protected him this far. She could keep him safe.

One way or another, tomorrow would have victors.

She was going to do everything in her power to count them both among them.

~

“Was all of this - did none of this mean anything to you?” Izara hissed. There was no concealing the way that the point of her blade trembled; she could barely feel her hands through the buzzing numbness of shock. She was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what this meant, even if he wasn’t talking.

He looked up at her with a cool, flat gaze and said nothing. She gritted her teeth. How dare he sit here, calm and collected, like he had nothing to answer for? How dare he act like he hadn’t just betrayed her, betrayed all of them, after everything that they’d done for him?

How dare he?

A tidal wave of fury rose behind her eyes, and she dug the edge of her blade deeper into his skin. A thin line of red wound its way down his throat, and she swallowed hard against the twinge of guilt in her chest.

“You worked for her, didn’t you. You worked for Nilfa. I asked you about her, more than once, and you said nothing. After everything that she’s done to me. After you saw what happened to my village, after what I told you. And you - you fucking said nothing. You pretended to feel sorry for me. And the whole time, the whole fucking time, you were lying. You foul, heartless bastard, after I decided to trust you-” She turned away, eyes stinging, and let the tip of her sword drop into the dust.

“Was it worth it?” she asked quietly, voice shaking. “Was it fucking worth it?”

He remained silent.

Izara took a deep breath. She could practically feel the worried eyes of her friends on her, and oh, but that was not something she was prepared to deal with. This could not continue. She refused to be made more of a fool than she already was. Stupid of her to have shown him compassion, to have allowed herself weakness to begin with.

Her fault for trusting him, in the end.

“Where is she?” she growled, leveling him with a glare. “Where is Nilfa?”

He stared back at her for a long moment.

“I know you think you’ve won a victory here today-” he started, in that croaking, damaged voice, and she almost laughed. None of this was anything but hollow, now.

“There is no victory until she is dead.” Her voice was flat, cutting him off. She had known for the past twenty years that she would not find rest until whoever had killed her people was dead. It had been foolish to allow herself to stray from that path, especially now that she had a name and a face.

It would not happen again.

“One last question, then,” she said, forcing her expression into a mask of calm, even as her hands still shook. “Was it worth it? Lying to me? Lying to all of us? All of those innocent lives, a peaceful village full of civilians - I hope that whatever you gained was worth the slaughter of more than fifty people.”

“Casualties of war,” Quaro croaked.

Izara saw red.

There it was. An admission. He’d never cared - of course he hadn’t. He’d known, and he’d never once felt even a flicker of guilt.

“Casualties of war?” she whispered. “What war? You self-righteous bastard. They were civilians. None of them deserved to die. We didn’t know of any war; you would try to justify burning a village full of people - and my family - for the sake of a war that they knew nothing about?”

“You don’t know what traitors your parents were.”

“Don’t you dare.” Hearing him speak of her parents sent fire through her veins. “Don’t you speak of them. You have no right.”

She took a step back, barely feeling the impact of her foot on the ground. Yesterday, she would have killed to protect him - had even done so.

Today, she wanted nothing more than to bury her blade in his heart.

Abruptly, she spun around to face Philial, who had been watching the whole exchange with an unreadable expression.

“Would you mind if I killed him here and now? He is your prisoner, after all.” Part of her mind screamed that she didn’t need permission; he deserved to die for this. But even now, even with rage coursing through her and his betrayal plain as day, some small part of her hoped that she would say no.

Philial glanced at Quaro, the lines of her face hard with exhaustion and grief. “We will kill him tomorrow, together,” she said finally. “A public execution, along with the last of the councilors. He does not deserve to be spared that humiliation.”

Izara gave her a single sharp nod, stepping back and sheathing her sword without looking at him. No more weakness. No more vulnerability. No one would ever do anything but exploit it. She should have learned that lesson long ago.

Rhea stepped forward, almost uncertain. “Do you want me to…” she gestured at Quaro, and Izara knew that if anyone could drag information from him, it would be her.

“Do whatever you want,” she said, waving Rhea off. A bone-deep ache of exhaustion seemed to have settled over her all at once. She could no longer bring herself to care.

Izara trudged away, barely able to keep her chin raised. The battle was over. They had taken the city. Fighting alongside her team had never felt more natural. Iralos was free, the high elves were slaves no longer, and they were a step closer to saving the world.

They had won.

And she was still alone.