#bruna of cologne

[hphmmatthewluther]

Threads of Silver: Chapter 5 - Ripples in the Valleys

After a long time of waiting due to uni work and creative block, it's finally here! This is the conclusion to this part of TOS, but there is definitely more of this story, that might be told by some other familiar faces! This story features ocs by @camillejeaneshphm and @endlessly-cursed !!

The previous chapter can be found here !!

Chapter 5: Ripples in the Valleys

“It must be understood that in medieval society, poisonings were seen as a fairly regular and harmless practice for dealing with problems, especially when a serf or servant was poisoned, but only if the perpetrator is never caught. To fail at a poisoning, however, was a massive social faux pas, as it often had the capacity to ruin a good feast in a way successful poisonings didn’t.” - Mayson Kowalski’s History Report

It was Gabriel who broke the stunned silence that had filled the hall as Lachlann got to his feet. He looked the apprentice up and down, shaking his head in disbelief. “We all thought…I mean…it was, wasn’t it? The symptoms…the way you…”

Rowena nodded briefly, before turning back to Lachlann. “His body is still dealing with the poison, but…the more fatal symptoms don’t seem to be appearing. Now then, would anyone like to do the decent thing and own up to poisoning my apprentice?”

There was an awkward silence in the air as the many guests looked between each other, Lachlann noticing the Osadas looking directly at Mathilde and Bruna. All of the decorum between the group he had seen early had gone.

It was Mathilde who broke the silence. Between her dark expression and the accusatory look Gabriel was giving her, it seemed rather obvious now what she was notorious for. “Something you’d like to say, good sir?” she asked, her tone of voice passing the judgement back onto Gabriel.

However, it was Rousalie who spoke up. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous-”

“Rousalie, it’s alright-�� Gabriel tried to interject, Baron Osada now standing up trying to calm his children down, and the Thane of Cawdor absolutely failing to get everyone to sit back down. Unfortunately, Mathilde and Bruna weren’t helping matters, and it seemed to Lachlann as if an argument would break out there and then. At least until Godric stepped away from the High Table and jumped up onto the one the others had all been sitting on. They all fell silent. Rowena merely rolled her eyes, which conveyed to Lachlann that this wasn’t the first time he’d done this.

“Works every time.” Godric chuckled to himself as he walked across the table towards the others. “Now, I hate to interject, you know me-”

“Oh, please…” Rowena hissed, Lachlann looking up to see Luxia trying to hold in a laugh.

“-but,” Godric continued, holding up his cloak to keep it from getting into any soup, “I feel like all this yelling isn’t helping matters. Let us start with what’s important: are you alright, Lachlann?”

Lachlann winced as the hall now turned to him. He was beginning to understand why Rowena thought of Godric the way she did, but he still appreciated him asking. “I…I definitely feel less faint, and the pain is lessening too…still feel rather sweltered, though.”

Gabriel nodded. “See? This is what I was talking about, all symptoms of Enchanted Nightshade!”

Mathilde chuckled. “Though you are missing the most important component of Enchanted Nightshade, namely the death that follows. Are we sure he didn’t just react badly to our food?”

Rowena tried to stop him, but to Lachlann it didn’t seem like anyone else was following social etiquette either. “Maybe the fact that a certain changeling over there projected into my mind so she can tell me I’m being poisoned.”

Lachlann didn’t need to do much to signpost who he was blaming. The glare he was giving Betwixt was enough for everyone to swivel their heads to find her clutching at the fabric of her dress and glaring back at him, also noticing the Thane of Cawdor looking increasingly agitated. “...And you’re going to all believe him over me? If I wanted to kill him I would have actually done it, not made him pass out for a few minutes, that would simply be-”

She very clearly wanted to say more, but the two changelings either side of her placed a hand on either of her shoulders, and she fell silent. The changeling on the left, the one in the dress, gestured to Godric to continue.

Godric nodded to the other two changelings, his smile fading for a moment. “Thank you. Now, maybe a better question would be “Why didn’t he die?” Because as I’m sure Mathilde knows, that could only be Enchanted Nightshade. I’ve had many a good guest succumb to it in the past few years. And the answer, from where I’m standing at least, is clear.” he said, coming to a stop a few inches from where Lachlann was sitting.

There was a moment of confusion, before Rousalie finally exclaimed “Oh!” and pointed at Lachlann’s bowl. There was a mass of clamouring as the nobles craned their necks to see what she was pointing at, and sure enough within the bowl was still a huge amount of bread and meat. Now she’d pointed it out, it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other empty plates.

Bruna finally spoke, still clinging to Mathilde. “I…I don’t quite follow-”

“I do.” Rowena said, a smile now on her face. “Lam, are you alright to stand?”

“I-I think so, milady.” Lachlann said, now feeling a little self-conscious about her holding him up. She let him go and walked over to the table, picking up the bowl. Pulling out her wand, she muttered a few words and her wand glowed a faint purple. There were gasps and a few gags as the food became covered in purple veins.

Godric chuckled. “And there we have it. As Rowena so eloquently demonstrates, It’s not a matter of the food being poorly poisoned. He just didn’t eat enough. My word, this must be why poisonings only happen in noble circles…”

“What makes you say that?” Gabriel asked, squinting at the contaminated food.

Rowena moved it closer to him, Rousalie backing away as she did. “Well, don’t you see? I’m afraid Lachlann here is still getting used to a diet such as ours. Where he comes from they eat different amounts. To him, he ate a normal amount of food.”

“H-He…” Mathilde said quietly, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times. Lachlann stepped over too, and when he did she shot him a look not unlike the one Betwixt gave him. Not just irritation, but sheer disbelief that someone as low as him was able to best her. It made him feel a lot better about the whole thing.

“It was rather rich food.” Lachlann said, absentmindedly. “Does…that settle it?”

“I’m afraid not just yet.” Rowena sighed, turning to the High Table and staring at the Thane. “The last thing I want, O Thane, is for this to devolve into a messy argument that you can skew into one of your battles. As far as I’m concerned, anyone in here could have done it. I confess I’ve made my enemies, after all. I suppose I really should have listened to Lady Hufflepuff. Come, Lam, we’re leaving.”

The Thane looked as if he was about to blow a gasket (not that the gasket had been invented yet). “E-Excuse me?! You talk of me as if I am some common mercenary! My feast has been ruined by the use of magic and so it is my right to use whatever means I have to deal with this!” he spluttered. He looked to either side of him, to Salazar and the third changeling, the one in armour, who seemingly had a conversation between each other based on eye contact alone. Lachlann wondered if they were doing the same thing he and Betwixt had done. Eventually, in part due to the flabbergasted expression on the Thane’s face, Salazar turned to the rest of the hall.

“I find this reasonable. I shall use my magic in the Thane’s service to discover the culprit.” he pledged, his eyes darting across the hall for reactions. They fell on Godric, waiting for his response. For a moment, Lachlann felt as if that was it. He had almost died, but now everyone’s focus was on the Thane’s feast being disrupted. An intense rush of anger filled him at that dismissal of his life, and of Rowena’s, so much so that he almost missed what Godric said next.

“I agree…with Rowena.”. There were gasps. There were mutters. There were exclamations of “What?!”, but Lachlann watched silently. Bruna and Mathilde looked scandalised. The odd thing to Lachlann, though, was that he didn’t think Salazar was taken by surprise by this. Godric, clearly enjoying the attention to the point that he winked at Luxia, continued, “I grant that the feast is ruined, and that is a tragedy. But for you to see yourself as entitled to our services in that way…that I cannot stand. We grant our services as a gift, a price for protection. It becomes clear to me now that perhaps another approach is needed if all it gets us is petty killings and being thrust into battle against each other for the highest bidder.”

Godric leapt off of the table, grinning at the others. “I’m with Rowena on this one. I just don’t think I can stomach another pointless skirmish. What say you, Sal?”

Salazar looked between Godric, at his own apprentices who suddenly looked rather afraid, and then at the Thane. “I’ll admit that I find it slightly degrading at times, but it’s more about finding the right nobles to work…with.” he said, Lachlann unsure if he was looking at the changelings or at the Thane. “But I insist that there is no division between us. You are my friend, Godric. As are you, Lady Ravenclaw. As is anyone who seeks to ensure that magic’s purity is maintained. I imagine you shall be leaving too?”

Godric’s smile had faded once more, and he nodded. “I think that’s for the best. Luxia, my dear apprentices, shall we?”

Luxia got up and walked over to him, maybe milking the attention her walk was getting just a little bit, folding her arm under his once she got there, and not really paying attention to Lachlann. The Osadas, meanwhile, turned and bowed to their parents before joining up with Lachlann and the others.

“Does this happen to you a lot?” Gabriel asked, as the Thane started yelling at the group to stay, his voice undercut by Godric pulling the grand doors open.

“...Not until recently.” Lachlann shrugged, still nursing his stomach.

“I didn’t know serfs ate so little!” Rousalie said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I mean, I saw how much you ate, no wonder you survived!”

“Rousalie, please!” Gabriel said, exasperated. “Sorry, Lam, she really doesn’t mean to be this obnoxious…”

“I-It’s fine, really.” Lachlann reassured him. “Being a serf saved my life, after all.”

“Former serf.” Rousalie said, smiling.

Lachlann found himself laughing at that as they found themselves outside their carriages, as if he hadn’t been poisoned just a few minutes prior. “Yeah…I guess you’re right.”

They ran to catch up with the others, with Godric and Luxia getting into their own coach and leaning over to talk to Rowena. “Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay with us?” Godric asked, looking back at the castle. “I do worry about what that Thane might do.”

“I can take care of myself, as can Lachlann.” Rowena pointed out, opening the door for her apprentice to climb in, “We fought off the Sovereign of the Changelings after all, what’s some foolish noble who thinks he owns the place?”

Godric merely smiled at her. “You’ve been asking that question all your life, I think. Say hello to Helga for me, won’t you?”

Rowena smiled back and nodded, checking to make sure Lachlann was in the carriage. “Safe travels, Lord Gryffindor.”

“You too, Lady Ravenclaw.”

***

An hour or two passed, and before long the carriage had stopped outside a medium-sized castle, the gate already open. As the two climbed out and walked towards it, already Lachlann felt that it had a profoundly different feeling to it than the Thane of Cawdor’s abode. The flames dotted around seemed to glow more warmly, and the structure did not seem to loom over him in the same way either. Lachlann spent a moment clutching his stomach, the carriage journey had not helped his fragile stomach. He brought a shaking hand up to his hair, dreading to think what he must have looked like. A few seconds passed and a woman with blonde hair in a simple yellow dress walked out, accompanied by another blonde woman who was about Lachlann’s age,with incredibly long blonde hair that escaped her veil into two long braids. She seemed to be the other woman’s apprentice, though very clearly was also a noble.

Helga Hufflepuff stared at Rowena and Lachlann for a moment, before clicking her tongue. “I did say it was not wise to attend.” she said finally, looking Lachlann up and down. “My word, boy, what has she put you through?”

Lachlann blinked a few times before mustering up the strength to speak “I…it was not Lady Ravenclaw’s fault, milady…I have some share of the blame for my actions towards the one who hired the poisoner.”

Rowena looked between Lachlann and Helga and sighed. “...I’m sorry. Do you have any medicinal herbs? I might be able to improve his condition before we leave for home.”

Helga nodded, clicking her tongue once more. “Of course. Henriette, if you could see to gathering those, that would be wonderful. Come, I’m sure you’ll want to pick up Helena.” she said, a smile appearing on her face as they entered the castle. “She’s been very well-behaved, for the most part. Kept trying to crawl out into the corridors, though.”

“Well, she’s in a very adventurous stage at the moment.” Rowena shrugged. “You can see why I needed the extra pair of hands.”

“Indeed. I hope you don’t mind me copying your ideas.” Helga chuckled as Henriette returned with the herbs. “Finding an apprentice with connections to the King and Queen has been rather useful with my work in dealing with these pesky wars. No offence to your choice, of course.”

Lachlann didn’t react, only watching as the herbs were prepared. He looked over at Henriette for a moment, who looked back. Lachlann blinked rapidly again. “A-Apologies, um…I’m afraid I’m not exactly in the best of shape.”

“There’s no need to worry, I’m not surprised after a dose of Enchanted Nightshade.” Henriette reassured him, looking over at Helga and Rowena. “Did Lady Hufflepuff’s absence get mentioned?”

Lachlann shrugged. “It might have happened in the time I was unconscious, but it also came up when Lady Ravenclaw was dressing down the Thane.”

Henriette smiled at that. “I am glad to hear it. You are very lucky to have a mage like her teaching you. I’ve heard a lot of things about her spellcasting and knowledge, it’s wonderful to have her active once more.” She said, sagely.

Lachlann nodded along with what she was saying. “Yes, her knowledge of magic is second to none. I’m glad that I’m able to help her. Which reminds me-” he said, walking forward to help with Helena briefly, Henriette following behind.

“It’s alright dear, I’m here…” Rowena whispered, her daughter sobbing for a moment before swiftly calming down as she settled into her mother’s arms. “Thank you, Lam. I see you two have been introduced to each other. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we visit, though perhaps next time we will be able to stay for longer. Alas, Helena needs her cot, and Lam here needs to sleep off the rest of the poison.”

Helga laughed out loud at that, placing a hand over her mouth. “Apologies, my boy, apologies. You’ve been through the wringer tonight, I can see that. And you’re still trying to help where you can. You’re already a fine apprentice, and I’m sure you’ll be a fine wizard as time goes on. I’m sure we’ll see you both again soon, especially if the Thane continues to rage about his feast being ruined.”

Henriette passed over the herbs to Lachlann. “I look forward to seeing you at full health soon.” she said, smiling softly at him.

Lachlann took the herbs and bowed. “Thank you. I’ll try not to annoy the changelings or Lord Slytherin’s lot too much for a little bit.” He turned to leave, feeling a lot better than he had done, and looked across the hills and valleys, covered in silvery moonlight. The wind rushed through the grass, creating waves of movement that scattered themselves across the Highlands. It occurred to Lachlann that this was the second time someone had tried to kill him in the past week. He felt a peculiar sense of pride in that he’d been able to defend Rowena’s beliefs in this way, and as he boarded the carriage and started eating the herbs, he wondered just how much of the magic at work in the realm could be used to push back against those who sought nothing but control.

This is where the night ended for Lachlann of Wexford. But it is not the end of the night for many of the others who attended that ill-fated feast.And thankfully, records exist of their night as well. Across the windy valleys, the ripples blew from the grass to the trees to the fires of the Thane of Cawdor’s castle, that one by one were being blown out. In the courtyard, staring as the last carriage left, Salazar Slytherin stood with the castle’s owner.

“I shall fire all my cooks, just to be sure!” the Thane insisted, unable to look Salazar in the eye, “I cannot apologise enough for what happened! For you to be accused of poisoning like that! I do wonder just what Lord Gryffindor teaches those apprentices of his.”

“Lord Gryffindor is a close personal friend.” Salazar droned in an icy voice. “Please, do stop grovelling. You ought to go and oversee that process personally, I doubt you would want any more of your food to be contaminated, am I right?”

“Y-Yes, of course!” the Thane said suddenly, running off into the castle. A few moments later, a blonde woman and a woman with red hair walked out and towards the waiting Lord of Magic.

There was a moment where he stared at the two before sighing. “I want to hear nothing of portion sizes and what kind of serf or peasant he was. You failed. I ordered you to poison a magic-user and you failed.”

“I’ll say!” came a voice from the open gate. A woman in a deep purple dress walked out, followed by two others. They angrily walked towards the others, holding their dress above the ground as they did so. “I’ve never felt such rage before. I thought you said peasants were supposed to be the weakest of mortals?” she fumed.

“I said that non-magical serfs were the weakest of mortals.” Salazar replied, giving Betwixt no more attention as he turned to the two changelings behind her. “Monarchs Eadar and Sgàthan, I hope this night has not diminished your opinion of mortal feasts.”

The two looked at each other, shrugged, and proceeded to change, their hair turning white as snow and their skin becoming pale and then purplish. When they opened their eyes, there were no pupils. The one in the suit of armour, Eadar, spoke first. “Not at all. We do not share our daughter’s anger at the serf, nor his mistress. Nevertheless, two slights such as these against the Silver Kingdom cannot go unaccounted for.”

“Three, if you count the silver this Lady Ravenclaw is harbouring.” Sgàthan pointed out, dusting down her dress. “You mortals have such fragile lives. I wonder why you put them in danger so frequently.”

“Getting to the point…” Betwixt seethed, also returning to their white hair and eyes, “We came into an agreement with you because you promised you could take out anyone opposing our claim upon these Isles’ silver. And now, that bastard and the woman he babysits for have all the motivation in the world to start gathering allies against us!”

“I doubt Rowena would do anything so rash.” Salazar pointed out, his attention finally turning back to his apprentices. “She will concoct a plan of some kind to achieve her goal. Which gives us valuable time. So I ask you both…what are you going to do with that time to help uphold that agreement with our friends here?”

Mathilde and Bruna looked at each other, clearly feeling a great deal of unease at the way Salazar was talking to them. “Lord Slytherin…Majesties of the Silver Kingdom…” Mathilde began, only now beginning to truly process what had happened. Only now processing that someone had gotten the better of her. Someone lower than her. “We will do whatever is necessary to get rid of them. I will correct my error and ensure that the next time he is brought down by my poisons, he does not wake up.”

Bruna nodded along with Mathilde. “And I pledge myself to that same goal. I will assist in devising a strategy that not even Lady Ravenclaw could predict.”

Salazar smirked and turned to the changelings. “There, I think that settles things, no? Rest assured that soon the serf will be dead, and Rowena…well, her responsibilities that she hired that boy to help with will be too much, I’m afraid. You needn’t worry about her opposing you then.”

Sgàthan nodded approvingly. “Very good. We shall return to our kingdom. Come, Betwixt.”

Betwixt sighed, glaring at Mathilde and Bruna. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing the both of you.” she said, chuckling darkly. “I’d quite like to be there to watch him splutter…” she said, shapeshifting into Lachlann and mimicking him clutching his own neck “...and choke..and turn blue…” before quickly returning to her initial form, laughing aloud as she followed her parents.

The three humans bowed, before turning to the carriage. Before they could get on, however, Salazar put his hand in front of them. “This conversation is not over. I want to know exactly what your plan is and soon. There can be no distractions from this, either. If your family comes calling once more…” he said, pointing at Bruna, “...I cannot promise I can hide you from them. Especially not without the changelings supporting us.”

He moved his arm and allowed them into the carriage, glaring up at them before taking a seat near the front. The carriage moved out of the courtyard, and Bruna and Mathilde turned to look at each other, each with an expression that a thousand words would not be enough to describe, but most of which involved killing Lachlann Doherty.

***

It was late now, and Merula put down the book she was reading from with a sigh. “...There we go. Sorry if that took longer than I thought it would.” She looked up, half-expecting to see them all asleep, but instead she saw Mayson, Persephone and Matthew all still watching intently, smiling.

“Thanks, Mer!” Mayson exclaimed before being shushed by Persephone, “That really does help. I’ve got this assignment in the bag now!”

“I, too, am grateful.” Persephone admitted. “And I appreciate the amount of gossip and scandal that occurred. Such devious plans those nobles had!”

“I do wonder if I’m a walking spoiler for whether or not he makes it through though, um…” Matthew pointed out, at which the group laughed.

“Yeah, well, that’s history for you. About how you get there, not the destination…though that’s still pretty important too.” She said, staring at Matthew for a few seconds before shaking herself out of it. “Right! You two, off to bed, and Luther here has to sneak his way back to Ravenclaw Tower.”

The two lower-years stood up and headed for their respective dormitories, waving goodbye. “Thanks again, Merula!” Mayson said, “I’d prefer you teaching over Binns any day!”

It was now just Merula and Matthew. She started piling up her books, hoping she wasn’t too pink in the face. “I could…walk you up to your room, if you wanted. Keep you out of trouble, and all that.”

Matthew smiled, taking a step closer to her. “As much as I’d like that, um, you look really quite tired. You need sleep too, you know.”

“Oh…fine.” Merula sighed, pulling him close and kissing his cheek. “Go on, get out of here. If I had a bar of silver I could just pull Ravenclaw Tower closer, couldn’t I?”

Matthew blushed and nodded. “Maybe you could. If anyone could figure out that world of ancient magic, it’s you.”

He turned to leave, Merula looking down at her notes, about her ancestors, his, the founders, and the strange and wild magic that roamed. To her, it suddenly didn’t feel all that far away.

[endlessly-cursed]

guzma's 20 years old! edit; silvercrownlogne + 'fuck off, wilhelm' 'i can tell him to fuck off myself' ft @hphmmatthewluther & @camillejeaneshphm

happy 20 years old to my fav man on the internet! can you believe it's been three years since we started this medieval adventure? i can't, lol

getting to know you has been a blessing and a treat. many nights where i'd have a terrible day, opening our discord and fangirling over our founders ocs was what got me through most things. i know your bday was weeks ago, but i wanted you to have something nevertheless, no matter how silly.

thank you for being an amazing friend, and to more adventures! felicidades, guz, me alegra tenerte en mi vida 🤍🫶🏻

[princegumbxll]

✨Fem! Bucci Gang HCs✨

(slightly not sfw for 18+ characters) inspired by @askbuccigang ‘s genderbends

Bruna/ fem!Bruno:

soft butch vibes- not quite a traditional tank top butch but definitely more on the masc side

sometimes wears perfume, but mainly wears cologne

smells like jasmine, bergamot, and sandalwood

a serious capo who’s focused on work, but soft enough to take baths with you and brush your hair

a “you can handle yourself” type mom

if you act up at the store, she’ll give you the s t a r e

insert *she doesn’t know how to use a phone* jokes but take it an extra level: her childhood made her mature faster at a younger age, making her overprotective of her lovers and colleagues, also not able to enjoy young adult things

she tries of course. it’s like living your teen years in your 20s

tops abbachio, only bottoms sometimes

reluctant to bottom sometimes, she just wants her baby to feel good! will probably let you top if you give big enough puppy dog eyes

Gina Mista/ fem!Mista

sweaty and smelly b/c she’s athletic and b/c she doesn’t know sometimes, doesn’t care

with those abs OBVIOUSLY she works out like all the time

short nails, thick eyebrows, hairy arms, hairy legs- hairy wlw rights!!!!

happy trail

maybe that’s why she wears long sleeves and long pants in this hot Italian weather

she’s not quite curvy thicc but more on the toned thick and firm side with an ass that doesn’t quit 😖

narancia calls her gy-na to piss her off sometimes, lost a boombox the next day

bruh girl

manspreads on the bus

“baby, you’re my forever girl” 🥺😫💘

gives very top vibes especially with the gun pants thing but she’s a switch

Leona Abbacchio/ fem!abbacchio

early 2000s fashion girl but make it G O T H🕸🖤

like the low cut jeans and everything, chunky flip flops, tight t shirt, but she makes it all work

collects a lot of makeup but she forgets about it sometimes so it gets dusty and crumbly and that’s her biggest pet peeve besides fem!giorno

also collects magazines and records

butterfly ass tattoo

if she was a song, she’d be “I miss the misery” by halestorm

yes, she still has giant titties but she obviously wears something to prevent them from flying around while she’s fighting some mafia goon

femme pillow princess for Bruna but WILL top you

fem!Narancia

five feet tall

google doc full of memes

“on jah”

if she was a song, she’d be “coloring outside the lines” by misterwives

definitely has “hey look listen” energy

has stickers all over her nintendo switch

still has short, shaggy hair- it’s less maintenance

lots of hair in her face, not so much math in her brain

which wacky earrings will she wear today? who knows

like tupac, public enemy, coolio, snoop dog, and a couple catchy aerosmith songs

absolute lege with aerosmith

very lovable 💕💕

fem!fugo or miss ❤️pannacotta❤️

it took her a long time but she reads books for fun now instead of being expected to annotate for symbolism, motifs, literary devices, and whatnot

that bitch in class with the pens but it came from a fear of not having legible and organized notes b/c her parents would check them

word of the day calendar

has one? is one? you decide

collects pretty notebooks

you can’t see it but she has a swiss cheese hole shaved in the side of her head

tutors biweekly

lowkey scary when she gets mad, narancia unintentionally pushes her buttons

sweetie pie

fem!Giorno

personality wise she’s the same but she’s still the smartest fuckin jojo

soft 🤍- soft skin and hair too

gives off fawn/bunny vibes

flowers in your hair, flowers in her hair, there’s no flowers left on the dang ground!

the outfit is the same but it would probably be more like a women’s power suit so it’s a more comfy fit

orchestral quartet under the moonlight type dinners

has stacks on stacks on stacks of cash but doesn’t show it all the time

frog hunting and moving earthworms away from the sidewalk dates

[mythvlogie-archived]

𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑻𝑨: the code of honor that governs the mafia, forbidding anyone to betray their comrades and seek the authorities. the penalty for betraying that founding principle: death.

𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 — the battaglias are the most powerful family of the american cosa nostra branch, living in the lavish boroughs of manhattan while making unsavory deals under the cover of darkness. the battaglias have ruled the manhattan crime syndicate with cunning and acumen for over sixty years, and continue to do so, this time with an unusual capo: caterina battaglia. the first woman to become a don in the history of the sicilian mafia. she’s ruthless, astute and beguiling, and only a fool would cross her path. it turns out that such fool lives under the same roof as the don, her younger brother — santino. a lifetime of being overlooked has left a deep mark and the insatiable taste for power, as he plans to overthrow his sister with the help of the battaglia’s very own made men and women, claiming to be the rightful alternate to their father. santino’s methods are merciless, some would even say bellicose, but his objective is one that anyone loyal to the family can agree: he wants the battaglia name to be the most powerful crime syndicate not only in the united states, but in the world. santino has had enough of the five boroughs; he wants to build an empire. with a lethal feud brimming at the heart of the family, where does your loyalty lie?

omertà is an appless discord based group, all muses must be 25+ and all muns must be 21+, the group will tackle mature topics such as violence, substance abuse, smut, etc.

( 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 —  𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 )

( fc. age in letters. gender. pronouns. ) welcome to the family, first last ! the records show that you have been working as an occupation for the battaglia family for number of years/months in letters. i have heard you are quite positive and negative, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of 2-3 aesthetics, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina/santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( ooc alias. age. tmz. url. )

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑨𝑮𝑳𝑰𝑨 𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑲𝑺

𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢 (1/1)  — the leader of the family, chosen by the last capo. in this case, caterina’s father, giovanni battaglia. responsible for protecting the family, as well as keeping everyone in line and dictating the future of the organization. caterina battaglia, monica belluci, fifty years old, npc.

𝐬𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐨 (1/1) — the underboss, responsible for smaller operations that don’t require the capo’s intervention. santino battaglia, luca marinelli, forty years old, npc.

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐞 (1/1)  — the capo’s right hand man, responsible for giving advice and making important connections, sometimes exerts more power than the sottocapo due to their networking abilities.

( oliver jackson-cohen. thirty six. cis male. he/him. ) welcome to the family, jimmy o’rourke ! the records show that you have been working as a consigliere for the battaglia family for six years. i have heard you are quite arresting and cynical, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of overcoats concealing the guns on his holster, the metallic taste of blood on lips & gold chains in lieu of ties, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( ron. 25. gmt -3. mythvlogie. )

𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 (3/4)  — nominated by the capo, they are responsible for the soldati and report to the don. they oversee a variety of operations and work as lieutenants for the family. the battaglias have four different types of caporegimes, or clemenzas. the leisure caporegime is responsible for casinos, strip clubs, night clubs and other leisurely establishments. the international affairs caporegime, responsible for overseeing international operations as well as making connections with the other crime syndicates such as the bratva, the calabrian mafia, the yakuza and the triads. the traffic caporegime, responsible for illegal dealings such as drugs, guns, and more. the arms caporegime, the chief of guns and security for the battaglia family. all caporegimes must be 30+.

( ana de armas. thirty-three. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, mia d’amado ! the records show that you have been working as a leisure caporegime for the battaglia family for three years. i have heard you are quite captivating and sly, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of cherry red lips, the feeling of swinging on a swing & silk sheets, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( jules. 23. gmt-3. seremity. )

( hande erçel. thirty. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, mira aslan ! the records show that you have been working as a traffic caporegime for the battaglia family for two years. i have heard you are quite daring and deceptive, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of half used bottles of perfume, sharp red nails and a sharper tongue & the sound of the ocean during a storm, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( bela. 21. gmt-3. drunkenloved. )

( megan fox. thirty four. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, olivia vigliano ! the records show that you have been working as an arms caporegime for the battaglia family for four years. i have heard you are quite eloquent and frivolous, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of leaving before the other wakes up, clenched fists & the touch of velvet, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina*. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( barbie. 23. gmt-3. sncflwers. )

reserved

𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝��𝐭𝐢 — the brawn of the battaglia family branch. they are responsible for getting their hands dirty, also referred to as made men/women or wise guys. responsible for assassinations, drug dealing, collecting money from the associates’ establishments, extortion and other illegal operations. they must report to their respective caporegimes and are not to be associated with the capo or the sottocapo publicly. unlimited spots.

( bruna marquezine. twenty five. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, molly vanderpump ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for two years. i have heard you are quite charismatic and ruthless, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of perfectly manicured nails, a concealed weapon & blood on white sheets, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( del. 22. pst. goldrushed. ) 

( tom hardy. forty. cismale. he/him. ) welcome to the family, steven simpson ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for five years. i have heard you are quite diligent and amoral, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of perpetual nightmares at three in the morning, ugly scars that hide even uglier truths & broken watches that make you feel lost in time, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( krissy. 26. est. bbydclls. ) 

( giuseppe maggio. thirty three. cis male. he / him. ) welcome to the family, domenico mancini ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for four years. i have heard you are quite adroit and callous, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of bruised knuckles accompanied by signet rings, the sandalwood scents of tom ford's oud wood cologne & and a never-ending nightmare playing on a constant loop, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( leesh. 21. pst. wearyhands. )

( casey deidrick. thirty three. cismale. he/him. ) welcome to the family, cage lafferty ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for eleven years. i have heard you are quite debonair and impulsive, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of all black clothes, a patchwork of tattoos across your body & concealed weapons, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( kevin. 28. gmt. wrciths. ) 

( benedetta gargari. twenty six. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, alessia genovese ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for eight years. i have heard you are quite loyal and resentful, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of weapons hidden in dainty garter belts, smudged makeup under bloodshot eyes & bruised skin, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( ella. 21. gmt-4. boreaalis. ) 

( riccardo mandolini. twenty five. cis male. he/him. ) welcome to the family, ludovico vieri ! the records show that you have been working as a soldato for the battaglia family for four years. i have heard you are quite forceful and savage, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of ruination staining bloodied, calloused fingertips, bending every rule just enough to get away with it & watching silently from afar — observance hidden in raw, dulled gazes, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( lex. 23. est. silenthalos. ) 

𝐚𝐯𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢 — associates to the battaglia family, could be on their payroll or just after mutual benefits that the protection of the family produces. these are judges, attorneys, politicians, police officers, establishment owners, escorts, athletes and pretty much any occupation that exerts a certain influence. unlimited spots.

( pedro pascal. forty five. cis male. he/him. ) welcome to the family, salvador reyes ! the records show that you have been working as an informant detective for the battaglia family for ten years. i have heard you are quite thorough and prideful, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of breakfast at a diner, unbuttoned shirts & shady motel rooms, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( bird. 22. est. soloneys. ) 

( elizabeth lail. twenty nine. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, cassandra 'cassie' maxwell ! the records show that you have been working as an executive assistant for the battaglia family for four years. i have heard you are quite passionate and impetuous, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of a personalized, engraved letter opener with an extra sharp edge, a wardrobe of curve-accentuating dresses and power suits & the smell of smoke after a firework explodes, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( kels. 25. pst. foolsongs. ) 

( matthew noszka. twenty eight. cismale. he/him. ) welcome to the family, forbes belle watson ! the records show that you have been working as a club owner for the battaglia family for five years. i have heard you are quite persuasive and conniving, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of lies masked with a convincing smile, hundred dollar bills banded together with a gold clip & crisp glasses filled to the top with gin held between clenched fingers, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with santino. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( adri. 25. est. litscigarette. )

( margot robbie. thirty. cis female. she/her. ) welcome to the family, ashley vienna ! the records show that you have been working as an escort for the battaglia family for five years. i have heard you are quite kindhearted and passive, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of an innocent finger pricked by a sharp thorn, lace covering the silhouette of a body & and feeling alone in a room full of people, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( lauryn. 24. cst. lovesonged. ) 

( theo james. thirty six, cismale. he/him. ) welcome to the family, heath addington ! the records show that you have been working as a police officer for the battaglia family for six years. i have heard you are quite vigilant and guileful, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of a wolf in sheep's clothing, being tricked into playing a game you can never win & foreign languages dancing on a poisoned tongue, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( holly. 21+. gmt+8. frgilebones. )

( manny montana. thirty-seven. cis male. he/him. ) welcome to the family, demitrick estrada ! the records show that you have been working as a detective for the battaglia family for seven years. i have heard you are quite tactful and intense, but i am not one to judge. caterina tells me you remind her of flashing a badge using bloodied knuckles, deceptive words told through warm honest smiles & the sound of lone footsteps in a dark empty alley, i guess it’s a good thing you’ve caught her eye. between the both of us, i know your loyalty lies with caterina. don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ( amanda. 21+. mst. ladygenie. )

𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐜𝐬

monica belluci, luca marinelli, oliver jackson-cohen, ana de armas, hande erçel, megan fox, bruna marquezine, pedro pascal, tom hardy, giuseppe maggio, benedetta gargari, matthew noszka, elizabeth lail, riccardo mandolini, casey deidrick, margot robbie, theo james, manny montana

𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐜𝐬

ayça ayşin turan

at this point you may apply for only one muse, with the opportunity of multiple muses eventually.

[fearresurrected]

All of the asks for Lance, Clyde and Trouble

jaci I sf2g. I’m putting this under a cut because it was 18 fukin pages. just zoom in by like 10% because idk how to change my tumblr theme to increase the font size without redoing the whole thing.

1. What do they smell like?

Lance - sweat and dirt. prob some b/o in there too lmao.

Clyde - fancy cologne and vaguely of cigarettes. maybe a little booze in there too.

Trouble - a very light musk smell. not a gross musky smell, just natural ppl smell.

2. What is their voice like?

Lance - kind of a medium to deep voice, slightly gravelly.

Clyde - very smooth and dulcet. could listen to him talk for hours.

Trouble - deep, almost kind of rumbly. you can feel it in your chest when he speaks.

3. What is their biggest motivator?

Lance - survival

Clyde - power

Trouble - answers

4. What is their most embarrassing memory?

Lance - getting caught with his pants down. literally. sat down for a #2 and someone came across him and stole all his stuff rip.

Clyde - he considers most of his childhood an embarrassment. eating from dumpsters, sleeping in boxes, etc.

Trouble - he doesn’t really feel shame? he always feels justified in his actions.

5. How do they deal with/react to pain?

Lance - pretends it doesn’t hurt. OR is over dramatic and wants sympathy.

Clyde - gets angry, pays it back in double.

Trouble - ignores it.

6. What do they like to wear?

Lance - durable clothing. also no shirt.

Clyde - tailored suits

Trouble - custom armor

7. Which of their relationships have impacted them most positively?

Lance - mimiiiiii ❤❤❤❤

Clyde - hak, bruna is prob a close second tho.

Trouble - halo, though he wouldn’t know it.

8. What’s the weirdest thing they’ve ever eaten?

Lance - omg he’s eaten so much weird shit. mystery canned foods, squirrel, anything tbh.

Clyde - he’s had weird fancy shit like kalamari, escargot, etc.

Trouble - angels don’t need to eat when they’re in heaven so anything he ate would be considered “weird” lmao.

9. Describe the way that they sleep.

Lance - ugly sleep. legs splayed out, snoring, possibly drooling. major bed hog.

Clyde - silk sheets, four-post lush bed, gets plenty of beauty sleep. also he has a modified headboard for his horns lol.

Trouble - angels don’t need sleep in heaven….rip. idk if he’d even know what to do lmao.

10. What is their favorite food/kind of food?

Lance - anything fresh like fruits/veggies or “normal” meats like beef or pork

Clyde - rib-eye steak. the more expensive the better. 

Trouble - he doesn’t like food loool.

11. What do they feel most insecure about? 

Lance - what he’s supposed to do with his life. his main focus has always been survival and he expected to die before getting too old to defend himself, but once he gets a family he has to think about more than just his own survival. he doesn’t know how to switching from surviving to living,

Clyde - failure. he wants to separate himself from his past but it’s always there lurking in the shadows. the idea of returning to the gutter haunts him, but it also fuels him.

Trouble - whether or not he’s doing the right thing.

12. How do they like to dress?

Lance - he wears whatever is useful ((lots of pockets, easy to move in, durable)).

Clyde - dresses to the nines all the time.

Trouble - armor. when not in his heavy armor he’s in whatever he can wear under his armor.

13. How do they react to feelings of guilt?

Lance - self destructive

Clyde - outwardly destructive

Trouble - he hasn’t really experienced it. he’s very self righteous so guilt is very rare.

14. How do they react to/deal with betrayal?

Lance - he kinda expects it tbh. he knows it’s mostly a fend-for-yourself world.

Clyde - murder lmao.

Trouble - if someone betrays him he considers it blasphemy as he directly serves the will of god, and will react accordingly. ((smiting. he smites.))

15. What is their greatest achievement?

Lance - living as long as he has.

Clyde - going from a homeless orphan to a mafia boss .

Trouble - he doesn’t really feel like he’s achieved anything, he simply serves.

16. What are they like when they’ve gotten too little sleep?

Lance - complains a lot. takes any opportunity to sneak in a nap.

Clyde - short fuse, zero patience.

Trouble - confused and frustrated because he doesn’t know what it is to be tired lmao

17. What are they like when they’re drunk?

Lance - he’s an oversharer when drunk. takes a while to get drunk off low alcohol content but he doesn’t have much built up tolerance to high content.

Clyde - horny? hmao. it does take a while for him to get drunk tho, he has a high tolerance to any kind of booze.

Trouble - he does not partake in spirits.

18. What kind of music do they enjoy?

Lance - he mostly only hears live stuff so anything acoustic. a good banjo is fun. 

Clyde - anything as far away from club music as possible. or lounge music. he has been overexposed to both rip.

Trouble - he likes listening to hymns when he wants to relax.

19. Are they right or left handed?

Lance - ambidextrous ((stronger in his right hand))

Clyde - right handed

Trouble - right handed

20. Fears?

Lance - losing mimi ))));

Clyde - betrayal from a high-level/trusted person

Trouble - losing connection with god

21. Favorite kind of weather?

Lance - warm days. not blistering hot but sunny with a warm breeze.

Clyde - he has a love-hate relationship with rain. he hated it growing up because he had no escape from it, but now it’s a reminder of how far he’s come.

Trouble - he’s impartial.

22. Favorite color?

Lance - green //coughmimi’seyescough

Clyde - red

Trouble - gold

23. Do they collect anything?

Lance - scars? lmao.

Clyde - body counts? lmaooo. no he likes collecting fancy liquors from foreign countries.

Trouble - not really.

24. Do they prefer either hot or cold weather more?

Lance - hot he wants to show off his bod ;)))

Clyde - he doesn’t have a big preference but he does like cold weather.

Trouble - he’s impartial.

25. What is their eye color?

Lance - hazel

Clyde - yellow

Trouble - gold

26. What is their race/ethnicity?

Lance - human

Clyde - demon? fallen angel? idk.

Trouble - angel

27. Hair color?

Lance - brown

Clyde - black

Trouble - black

28. Are they happy where they are currently?

Lance - sure. he’s alive and ((mostly)) healthy so he’s chill.

Clyde - he’s comfortable but always striving for more.

Trouble - not really? lmao. he’s in a state of personal upheaval, challenging everything he’s ever believed in.

29. Are they a morning person?

Lance - can be.

Clyde - ye

Trouble - doesn’t sleep so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

30. Sunrise or sunset?

Lance - rise

Clyde - set

Trouble - both

31. Are they more messy or more organized?

Lance - messyyyy.

Clyde - organized, tho he has other ppl to maintain it lol.

Trouble - organized.

15. What is their greatest achievement?

Lance - idk he’s pretty laid back. I guess ppl leaving things empty but it not being obvious?? idk how to explain. if he saw a jar of food that looked full but when he picked it up it was empty. like, can’t ppl just turn it over or crush it or something so others don’t get their hopes up smh.

Clyde - gossip.

Trouble - he doesn’t rlly pay attention to anything trivial enough to be a pet peeve.

33. Do they own any objects of significant personal importance?

Lance - nah he’s lost so much stuff he’s learned not to attach personal significance to anything.

Clyde - he would never let anyone find out but hak kept one of his wing feathers after he had them removed because they were so badly mutilated by a rival gang leader. clyde keeps it hidden away.

Trouble - not really.

34. Least favorite food?

Lance - he’s pretty much a garbage disposal, he eats almost anything. but he doesn’t like dark greens.

Clyde - he’s not a fan of sweets tbh.

Trouble - he doesn’t like food lol.

35. Least favorite color?

Lance - dark purple

Clyde - orange

Trouble - pink

36. Least favorite smell?

Lance - skunk

Clyde - maple

Trouble - sulfur

37. When was the last time they cried?

Lance - probably the last time mimi scolded him. )):

Clyde - when he was a kid most likely.

Trouble - the last time he sat down and really contemplated what happened with his connection to his father.

38. Were they with anybody the last time they cried?

Lance - mimi

Clyde - hak maybe

Trouble - nah

39. Tell us about one of the times they got injured? [[these rlly deserve attention on their own so I’ll put a real quick summary and if anyone is curious they can ask about them]]

Lance - lance’s giant scar on his face/neck that was the result of an explosion oof.

Clyde - was tortured and his wings were mutilated beyond recovery.

Trouble - haven’t written it yet but eventually his story ends in him dying after a battle soooo. rip. ):

40. Do they have any scars?

Lance - tons. a rlly prominent one on the right side of his face/neck.

Clyde - a few here and there but he doesn’t remember what caused them. two large ones on his back from where his wings were removed.

Trouble - nah he heals.

41. Do they struggle with any mental health issues?

Lance - yeah he prob has ptsd or something but there aren’t exactly therapists to go see. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Clyde - he has a bit of a narcissistic personality.

Trouble - …abandonment issues? lol.

42. Do they have any bad habits?

Lance - he flirts a lot

Clyde - smoking :/

Trouble - believing he’s always right? everyone else would find it annoying at least lol.

43. Why might someone dislike them?

Lance - he’s so gd cocky.

Clyde - well he is a criminal lmao.

Trouble - I meeeean he did attack one of his own and start a revolution to infiltrate the throne of god soooo.

44. Why might someone love them?

Lance - idk ask mimi? lol. no but he has a good heart. :3c

Clyde - he has power and stability, he’s decisive and strong willed. also he’s hot so. ;)))

Trouble - he’s loyal, determined, and wants righteousness to prevail.

45. Do they believe in ghosts?

Lance - nah

Clyde - I mean it’s possible they exist considering there are demons and mermaids and all that.

Trouble - he knows they exist, but only temporarily.

46. Is there anyone they would trust with their lives?

Lance - mimiiii. and cocoaaaaa.

Clyde - hak. he also thinks he could trust bruna but also doesn’t want her to risk anything for him.

Trouble - god

47. Are they romantically interested in anyone?

Lance - mimi. and malikae tbh.

Clyde - brunaaaaa

Trouble - nah

48. Are they dating/married to anyone?

Lance - MIMI. they’re dating but idk if they’d ever get married? I mean in their main universe it’s kind of an outdated practice.

Clyde - idk if he’d admit to “dating” bruna, but he definitely considers it a thing lmao.

Trouble - nah

49. Do they like surprises?

Lance - hell yeah.

Clyde - doesn’t really care..

Trouble - not in the slightest.

50. When is their birthday?

Lance - he doesn’t know tbh. his mom was too far gone to really know when it happened and his abuela was off scavenging at the time. he knows it was sometime in the spring tho.

Clyde - october 30

Trouble - idk man it was 3000+ years ago no one kept track

51. How do they usually celebrate their birthday?

Lance - he doesn’t ));

Clyde - he usually keeps his schedule clear that day and spends some time with hak.

Trouble - he doesn’t.

52. Do they have any family?

Lance - his previous family was his mom and abuela. his mom died when he was still a kid and he was separated from his abuela some time later. his current family is mimi and cocoa.

Clyde - he considers hak family. eventually he’d consider bruna something like. ;))

Trouble - all the angels are his family.

53. Are they close to their family?

Lance - ye

Clyde - they’re the only people he is close to.

Trouble - very much so.

54. What is their MBTI type?

Lance - esfp

Clyde - istj

Trouble - entj

55. What is their zodiac sign?

Lance - unknown

Clyde - scorpio

Trouble - unknown

56. What Hogwarts House would they be in?

Lance - hufflepuff or gryffindor

Clyde - slytherin

Trouble - gryffindor

57. What D&D alignment are they?

Lance - true neutral or chaotic good

Clyde - chaotic neutral to lawful evil

Trouble - lawful good

58. Do they ever have nightmares? If so, what about?

Lance - he relives the event when he was separated from his abuela. he also has nightmares about being eaten by the abominations.

Clyde - sometimes. he doesn’t really remember them though, just wakes up flustered.

Trouble - nope.

59. What are their views on death?

Lance - it’s always been a part of his life. as much as he fights it it’s not because he’s afraid, it’s because he’s defiant.

Clyde - he sees death day in and day out. he’s killed enough people and seen people he knows die that he doesn’t fear it. it’s just business.

Trouble - it is part of the cycle of life. without death there could be no living.

60. What is something that they’re sure to laugh at?

Lance - someone beefing it lmao. honestly it doesn’t take much to make him laugh, he can find humor in almost anything.

Clyde - getting the upper hand on a rival.

Trouble - he’s not much of a laugher….

61. When bored, how do they pass time?

Lance - complain he’s bored lmao. uhhh he’d do anything rlly. go for a walk, throw rocks, fiddle with his bat whatever.

Clyde - find someone to entertain him.

Trouble - he doesn’t have time to be bored. he devotes every moment of his life to serving his father.

62. Do they enjoy being outside?

Lance - yes and no. shelter is nice when he needs it, but he doesn’t like being cooped up.

Clyde - not really. the city is polluted and chaotic. he’d rather be somewhere he has control.

Trouble - outside of heaven? no. outside as in out of his homestead? sure.

63. Do they have an accent?

Lance - nah

Clyde - y’know I never really thought about it, but someone commented on the webcomic that they heard his lines being spoken with “a very soft southern accent” and I could get behind that.

Trouble - I don’t think so? he speaks so rarely idk if anyone would be able to pick up on it lmao.

64. Upon seeing a slice of chocolate cake, what is their first reaction?

Lance - “this is a trap. but also….cake.”

Clyde - uninterested.

Trouble - uninterested, verging on disgust.

65. If they knew they were going to die, what would they do/say?

Lance - he’d make mimi leave. distract her with something and go to his doom all alone. ;________;

Clyde - take as many people down with him as he could.

Trouble - he’d accept it as his father’s will and say “I’m ready.”

66. How do they feel about sex?

Lance - ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) no rlly he’s open about enjoying it. he’s happy in his polyamourous relationship and would never cheat on his partners. it can be a physical release or a way to be intimate with someone he cares for, just depends on the circumstance.

Clyde - he’s pretty casual about it tbh. he doesn’t need to be in a relationship and he’s pretty open about sleeping around/letting his “partner” sleep with whoever she wants. it’s just physical to him.

Trouble - for him sex is something you earn. he is only intimate with someone he is deeply connected to.

67. What is their sexuality?

Lance - bisexual

Clyde - heterosexual

Trouble - demisexual

68. Do they become squeamish at the sight of blood?

Lance - nah

Clyde - nope

Trouble - nu-uh

69. Is there anything that they find really gross?

Lance - rotting flesh

Clyde - begging

Trouble - sin

70. Which TV Trope(s) best describes them?

Lance - the merc

Clyde - the cold mafia boss.

Trouble - the “hero of their own story” villain

71. Do they enjoy helping people?

Lance - somewhat? at least more so than hurting them.

Clyde - nah

Trouble - he doesn’t get joy out of it but feels it’s his duty.

72. Are they allergic to anything?

Lance - nothing he’s noticed.

Clyde - does poison count? lmao.

Trouble - nah.

73. Do they have a pet?

Lance - he sort of has joint custody of cocoa I guess. only when mimi is busy tho.

Clyde - he’d prob have some sort of exotic pet tbh. black leopard or something.

Trouble - nah.

74. Are they quick to anger? What are they like when they lose their temper?

Lance - no, he’s pretty laid back. when he does lose his temper it’s quick, and he recovers pretty fast.

Clyde - depends on the circumstance. it takes a bit to get under his skin but once there he’s like a firestorm, burning everything in his wake.

Trouble - his anger is saved pretty much solely for sin and demonkind. even then he doesn’t really have a “temper,” it’s just an inherent hatred for them and anything they do.

75. How patient are they?

Lance - not very rip. his attention span is…easily disrupted lmao.

Clyde - he has a good amount of patience for things he’s working on. for anything he doesn’t deem worth his time he has 0 patience.

Trouble - I mean. he waited like 1000 years before making a move lmao. so he’s pretty patient.

76. Are they good at cooking?

Lance - a bit. mostly just like bbq/grilling,

Clyde - nah he has ppl cook for him.

Trouble - doesn’t eat.

77. Favorite insult? Do they insult people often?

Lance - calling someone a dick lmao. and yes he does insult ppl, both intentionally and unintentionally, pretty often.

Clyde - he doesn’t need to insult ppl tbh. but if he did he’d find out what rlly would hurt them. his favorite way to insult someone is to make it as personal as possible.

Trouble - nah.

78. How do they act when they’re particularly happy?

Lance - he glows lmao. he’s chipper and drips optimism. he’s one of those “if I’m in a good mood I’m gonna put everyone else in a good mood too” ppl.

Clyde - he comps drinks at the club on the house, gives out bonuses to gang members, shares the wealth so to speak.

Trouble - idk if he’s ever been really happy? rip.

79. What do they do when they learn about other people’s fears?

Lance - avoids the subject.

Clyde - uses it against them.

Trouble - either doesn’t care or criticizes them for their weakness.

80. Are they trustworthy?

Lance - for the most part. his loyalty is dependent upon the other persons.

Clyde - not really rip.

Trouble - extremely.

81. Do they try to hide their emotions? Are they good at it?

Lance - sometimes? he uses humor to mask what he’s feeling and it’s usually believable. 

Clyde - oh definitely. he’s trained himself to bury anything and everything,

Trouble - emotions? what are those? lmao.

82. Do they exercise regularly?

Lance - he kinda has to rip.

Clyde - not as much as he should ((gotten a little complacent in his cushy lifestyle)) but he def keeps himself in shape.

Trouble - ye

83. Are they comfortable with the way they look?

Lance - 100% would bang his clone.

Clyde - I think occasionally he has a nostalgic feeling of loss over his wings, but otherwise he’s good with his bod.

Trouble - he doesn’t really care about looks tbh.

84. What are some physical features that they find attractive on people?

Lance - apparently he has a thing for freckles? mimi and malikae are both covered in them lmao.

Clyde - he likes currrves.

Trouble - he’s not too into physical appearances but does notice the way ppl carry themselves. he tends to gravitate towards a soft or shy manner ((speaking softly, little eye contact, slow, deliberate movements, etc.))

85. What kind of personalities do they find attractive?

Lance - he likes anyone who he can tease. someone who is flustered by his flirtations. but he also loves seeing ppl who can stand up for themselves.

Clyde - he likes spitfires. the more independent and strong willed the better.

Trouble - he likes someone who holds strong to their beliefs but isn’t aggressive about it. someone willing to lend a hand where it’s needed without wanting praise for it. quiet, sensitive, and good natured.

86. Do they like sweet foods?

Lance - sure but not on it’s own. he loves dessert.

Clyde - nah.

Trouble - nope.

87. What is their age?

Lance - about 30, he doesn’t quite remember.

Clyde - 42

Trouble - in his 3000’s

88. Are they tall or short or somewhere in between?

Lance - 6’4 // 193 cm

Clyde - 6’3 // 190 cm

Trouble -  6’3 // 190 cm without wings ~ 6’11 // 211 cm with wings

89. Do they wear glasses or contacts?

Lance - nah

Clyde - nope

Trouble - nu-uh

90. Do they consider themselves attractive?

Lance - oh he knows he’s attractive and he loves it lmao.

Clyde - yeah tho he doesn’t really care.

Trouble - not really? he doesn’t care about appearances.

91. What is their sense of humor like?

Lance - he’s the type of person who can make a joke out of anything. no matter how bad the situation he can find a way to lighten the mood.

Clyde - he has a dark sense of humor. he thinks it’s funny when people are terrified of him.

Trouble - he doesn’t have one. :/

92. What mood are they most often in?

Lance - he’s pretty laid back most of the time, slightly leaning towards a good mood.

Clyde - he’s usually pretty hard to read but most people guess he’s in a no-nonsense mood.

Trouble - he’s very stoic. generally he’s pretty neutral.

93. What kinds of things anger them?

Lance - senseless violence, especially against anyone/anything that can’t defend itself.

Clyde - plans going awry, incompetence, disrespect.

Trouble - sin.

94. Outlook on life?

Lance - mixed. he considers himself a realist so he accepts that there is suffering and injustice and he fully expects to die at any moment, but he’s not jaded from it.

Clyde - he’s fully determined to make the world his, to defy or destroy anything that stands in his way. being ruthless is the only way to get what you want.

Trouble - slowly deteriorating. both the world and his resolve.

95. What kind of things make them sad/depressed?

Lance - letting down people who depended on him.

Clyde - losing people he trusted. It’s hard for him to find anyone he trusts so losing one puts him in a tough spot.

Trouble - the silence from god. the worlds are burning and their creator says nothing.

96. What is their greatest weakness?

Lance - caring too much

Clyde - not being able to see past his own ambitions

Trouble - uncertainty

97. What is the greatest strength?

Lance - adaptability 

Clyde - perseverance 

Trouble - commitment 

98. Something that they regret?

Lance - leaving his abuela behind.

Clyde - falling for a rival gang leader’s trap, leading to him nearly dying and getting his wings destroyed.

Trouble - attacking halo, tho it’s not until the end of his storyline that he realizes it.

99. Biggest accomplishment?

Lance - partnering with mimi :)))

Clyde - mafia boss

Trouble - helped defeat lucifer’s army in the angel rebellion.

100. [Create your own!]—-> How do u feel about kaela spending nearly 4 hours doing all these questions?

Lance - would be smug I spent so much time on him.

Clyde - would not give 2 shits.

Trouble - would call it a waste of time.

[okgooglenews]

Angela Merkel Laments Loss of Reliable Global Alliances - New York Times

New York Times Angela Merkel Laments Loss of Reliable Global Alliances New York Times Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in Munich on Sunday. “The times in which we could rely fully on others, they are somewhat over,” she said. Credit Christian Bruna/European Pressphoto Agency. COLOGNE, Germany — In the aftermath of a contentious ... Merkel after G7 says Germany cannot 'completely depend' on USThe Hill Angela Merkel Says Germany Can't Rely On The US Or The UK AnymoreBuzzFeed News Merkel: Europe must stay united in face of ally uncertaintyWashington Post Washington Examiner -Breitbart News -Mediaite -Bloomberg all 24 news articles » http://dlvr.it/PG8cjF

[hphmmatthewluther]

Threads of Silver - Chapter 4: Feast or Famine

I'm back! The previous chapter can be found over here!

This chapter features characters from @camillejeaneshphm , @nikyiscreepy and from @endlessly-cursed !

Taglist (please ask to be added/removed!): @camillejeaneshphm @endlessly-cursed @that-scouse-wizard @catohphm @gaygryffindorgal @potionboy3

In the dull orange light of the fires that surrounded the entrance to the Thane of Cawdor’s castle, Lachlann tried to readjust his clothes so they’d be less constricting for what felt like the hundredth time. It didn’t work. He and Rowena had only had a single day to get used to the tower’s new location before they were off on horseback to get here on time, leaving especially early so that they would have time to drop Helena off with Rowena’s friend, Helga Hufflepuff. They did not stay long, but he overheard that she too had decided to find an apprentice. It appeared that Rowena had started something of a fad when she ventured to Ireland, though of course she had had to wait until Lachlann turned eighteen for him to begin learning magic with her. In the time in between, it seemed, such ideas had caught on with those that knew Rowena. He had met those working under Godric already, and was now slightly curious as to whether or not this Salazar person had done something similar.

A loud creaking sound rang through the night air as the great doors before them opened, allowing Lachlann and Rowena to see into the castle itself. The grand structure still seemed incredibly dark and imposing in spite of the many lights that were dotted across the walls and courtyard, guests all around seemingly all too happy to enter the place, which to Lachlann looked almost nightmarish with how it loomed over them.

Rowena seemed to understand her apprentice’s concerns. “Worry not, Lam. While the Thane’s castle certainly doesn’t present its owner as benevolent, he will not want to look too bloodthirsty in front of his guests, especially since he’d like to distract from Helga’s absence.” Lachlann nodded along as they ventured across the courtyard, following the other guests. He was keeping an eye out for Godric or perhaps the Osadas as well, while also listening to Rowena’s advice. He got the strangest feeling that he’d almost certainly need it.

“Now, you’re an apprentice and ex-serf, and so some may not necessarily be welcoming to you. As long as you remain close to me and remain dutiful, deferential and polite to all, we shouldn’t run into any problems. Understand?”

“Yes, Milady.” Lachlann confirmed. “And that’s even if the changelings are here, understand?”

“Yes, Mi-” he stopped to ask if he had heard her correctly, but before he could they had made it into the hall where the feast was being held, being briefly greeted by the Thane before entering, who couldn’t quite seem to meet Rowena’s eyes, despite towering above her and being donned in ceremonial armour. 

But the Thane wasn’t what Lachlann’s mind was on.Huge tables were set up across the large space, about as large as the inside of a church, with plates and knives carefully set out, as well as enough space to socialise before sitting down to eat. There was a singular table on the raised part of the hall, which stretched across most of the area, that seemed to have the most ornate chairs and tablecloths. Something else caught Lachlann’s eye as they walked into the room. Most of the knives and plates were either wooden or iron, except for three on the far right of the high table, which glistened in the candlelight in an all too familiar manner.

“They’re here.” Lachlann said bluntly, Rowena nodding. Her face didn’t show any sign of emotion, however, a surprise to Lachlann seeing as she would be eating with the very people who sent someone to kill her. When she heard someone call her name, however, she rolled her eyes.

“Ah, Lady Ravenclaw, I’m so glad you decided to come. And Lachlann! Wonderful to see you again! Luxia, dear, this is who I was telling you about the other day.” Godric laughed, walking over to the two with a woman with dark hair in a red dress by his side, who Lachlann assumed must be Luxia, as well as the Osadas,  who both bowed to Rowena and gave a brief nod to Lachlann.

“Lord Gryffindor. Lady Thorne.” Rowena said, bowing in return and trying not to grit her teeth, “And how wonderful to see Gabriel and Rousalie too. Will the baron be joining us too?”

“Yes, though father and mother are with-”

The crowd seemed to be growing quiet and moving away from the door as a group neared it. “That’s what I was going to mention, ‘Wena…he’s just arrived.” Godric sighed, Luxia looking slightly nervous as she too gazed over at the door.

The man gave the briefest of nods to the Thane, who bowed and smiled as he held the door open for him and his entourage. He had dark hair and a short beard in the same shade, and wore resplendent green robes, lined with a material that looked silver, but most likely wasn’t the real thing. What was real, however, was the staff he held in his right hand, that thudded against the stone floor as he walked. His green eyes flitted across the room, Lachlann following them whilst everyone else was seemingly entranced by him. They scanned his seat at the high table, the silver crockery, the many guests, Godric, Rowena, and for the briefest moment he seemed to smirk at Lachlann before completing his venture into the room, the noise returning as both he and the Thane began to socialise, his servants closing the doors to the hall behind them.

“Lord Slytherin, I presume?” Lachlann asked aloud. The Osadas had stepped back a little, and Rousalie nodded as if answering the question.

“Yes, and there’s our parents, just there.” She pointed across to the two people at the edge of Salazar’s entourage; both looked to be in their mid thirties with a different form of Regalia compared to those around them, which Lachlann supposed made sense seeing as they were from abroad. “Goodness, a Scottish feast, how exciting. I wonder how it may differ from English ones…”

Gabriel sighed. “Would you stop pointing? It’s improper and you might attract them over.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Rousalie asked.

“It might be!” he hissed back, Lachlann feeling slightly awkward. “If people see us on the opposite side of mother and father-”

But alas, Gabriel’s worst fear came true. Salazar turned and began walking towards them, entourage included. Seemingly knowing that Lachlann would be more than a little concerned by this, Rowena turned around and nodded softly. There wasn’t much more to say. He’d either sink or swim at this point.

He watched as Salazar approached both Rowena and Godric, bowing as well as kissing Rowena’s hand. He was the only one who saw Godric roll his eyes when that happened. The Thane of Cawdor also bowed, before slipping away to “prepare for the feast”, as if he had noticed the tension in the air. Lachlann tried to reassure himself. It wasn’t like anyone would be wanting to talk to him specifically, after all. He felt far worse for the Osadas, who suddenly found the floor very interesting to look at in the face of their parents. 

By this point, some of the entourage had left Salazar’s side, leaving just Baron and Baroness Osada, Salazar himself, and two women who looked about Lachlann’s age.

“Lord Gryffindor, Lady Thorne, and…” he paused for a moment as he stared at Rowena. “It’s so wonderful to see you again, Lady Ravenclaw. The realm of magic simply hasn’t been the same since the last time you graced us with your presence.”

“You’re much too kind, Lord Slytherin.” Rowena replied stiffly, “Returning to being a full-time witch is something I have been eager to do for quite some time.”

“Indeed, indeed…curious how quickly you’ve been able to do so, considering…well, I thought that you must have offered your services to a noble or king, especially when I heard you’d changed address. But no, you’re still up in the Highlands, correct?”

“Correct.” Rowena said, bluntly. Godric quickly stepped in before she could say anything else, however.

“Yes, it’s a truly lovely spot she’s chosen, I was over there just recently with the Osadas. They are truly wonderful travelling companions, Baron Osada. They are exceptionally well-behaved and dutiful.”

“I’m so glad you found them that way.” the Baron replied, bowing to Godric. “We are so grateful for your tutelage of them. What an invaluable endeavour.”

Godric shrugged, smiling. “Well, I cannot take all of the credit, Alas. The idea was Lady 

Ravenclaw’s, of course…”

“Indeed it was.” Salazar said, smirking, his eyes once again flitting to look at Lachlann for the briefest of moments, before turning back just as the Thane of Cawdor approached. “Ah, it is time for us to take our seats at the high table.” He turned to the rest of the group, with Lachlann, Gabriel and Rousalie all unable to directly make eye contact. “You all should be escorted to your seats in due time. I don’t believe you’ve met my own apprentices, from the Kingdom of Francia, no less. Lady Brunhilde of Cologne, and Lady Mathilde of Coventry, allow me to introduce you to the children of Baron and Baroness Osada, and…Lady Ravenclaw’s apprentice. If you’ll excuse me…” he said, bowing slightly and walking away, his staff tapping against the castle floor, as if signalling the other guests to make way.

Perhaps, in hindsight, Lachlann should have paid more attention to who else was on the high table. But it now fell to him and the Osadas to greet Salazar’s apprentices. Rousalie, with surprisingly quick speed, got her introduction out of the way very quickly, graciously bowing before taking a step back, even gesturing to Gabriel as if to rub it in. Ignoring her, Gabriel stepped forward, and by instinct Lachlann did too. He forced himself to look away from the ground and up at the two women.

The one Gabriel bowed in front of was the taller of the two, and by a decent degree taller than a lot of others in the hall, including Gabriel, but stopping a few inches short from Lachlann’s height. She wore an elegant deep purple dress in the same style as Salazar’s clothing, her hair a deep orange, masterfully styled, and her face unmoving as Gabriel bowed slightly before her, extending his hand. Lachlann tried his best to copy the motion for the woman before him (thankfully Rowena had taught him for moments like this). Unlike the woman in the purple dress, however, the woman before Lachlann wasn’t expressionless at all, and seemed to be making just as many observations as he was. It gave him a modicum of relief.

Judging by the order Lord Slytherin had introduced the two, he assumed that this must be Lady Mathilde of Coventry. She also had incredibly well-styled hair, though hers was blonde, and she was much shorter in height than Lady Brunhilda. Her dress was a similar shade of green to Salazar’s, though perhaps a shade one way or the other, and happened to be adorned with silver linings across the fabric, wrapping around the tightly fitted upper half of the dress, giving her a very sleek look despite the many, many layers that presumably made up the dress. Her green eyes looked down upon him, and he dared to look back up. She remained quiet, but it was clear that she had something on her mind as she looked at the group all the same.

***

Persephone looked between Merula and Matthew for a moment. “So both your ancestors ended up meeting each other a thousand years ago? Boy, no wonder you two got wrapped up in all of that magical destiny sort of thing.” she chuckled.

Merula rolled her eyes at the interruption. “Oh please. Once you’re at the thousand year mark the chances are you’re going to find an awful lot of ancestors wandering about the place. It’s no surprise that many of ours just so happened to come across each other, it’s just that it got recorded because our ancestors are fairly important people.” she said, proudly.

Mayson sighed. “Aw man, that doesn’t mean you're technically a Baroness, does it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kowalksi.” Merula chuckled. “Possibly. There are several contenders for where the title should be, myself being one of them, though of course I don’t mind too much. My fame will come from what I do, not because my ancestors managed to pass a title down the family line.”

Persephone raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like you, Miss Fourth-Generation-Slytherin. Anyway, when are we getting to this gossip? So far all we’ve had is some weird cutlery.”

“And the general tension between the founders, um…” Matthew pointed out. “It’s crazy to think we know them now as close friends after hearing they acted like this around each other, trying to one-up each other with their apprentices.”

“Well, we’re getting into it now. You want gossip? Fine.” Merula huffed, flicking through her notes once again. “Hm…being a Baroness would be pretty cool…a-anyway… ”

***

Even now, Lachlann could smell the food being prepared in the castle kitchens, the smell beginning to waft in from the doors. The others didn’t seem too bothered by it; perhaps because they had had meals like these all their lives, and so it provided an extra difficulty when it came to socialising like this. Still, he remained determined to represent Lady Ravenclaw in a proper manner. He and Gabriel rose from their bows and watched as Brunhilda and Mathilde both curtseyed in return, the silver that adorned Mathilde catching Lachlann’s eye. He figured this was a result of the changeling’s claim of control over silver only extending to the Isles.

But right now wasn’t the time to focus on silver, even if the changelings were here at the feast. Maybe it would come up with Brunhilda and Mathilde, maybe it wouldn’t. He knew full well the conversation likely wouldn’t be led by him.

The woman Gabriel had bowed before, Lady Brunhilda, spoke first. “How truly wonderful it is to see you all. It is always a pleasure when you visit from your home kingdom, and I am delighted to hear you will be staying in these Isles on a more regular basis.” she said, the words sounding complimentary, but Lachlann sensed no real emotion behind them.

Gabriel, too, sensed the detachment, but seemingly chose not to comment. “Indeed, Bruna, it truly will be a delight for both myself and my sister.” he said. Bruna seemed to glare at Gabriel with some semblance of annoyance for a moment before quickly returning to her blank mask. Rousalie’s face, meanwhile, briefly glowered with anger at being pulled in before composing herself.

“My brother speaks truthfully. It is always a varied experience whenever we are invited to a feast anywhere in these Isles. There are simply so many slight differences in the way the many kingdoms do their feasts!” she exclaimed, smiling.

Bruna smiled as well, but it seemed hollow. “I wholeheartedly agree. It’s much the same in the various provinces in France, wouldn’t you agree, Mathilde?” she droned, looking to her companion.

Lachlann turned to look at her, and was surprised to see that she’d been looking at him. “Oh, of course, Bruna, dear.” she said, her face still in that observant expression. “We’ve both been to so many of these feasts…” she said, her eyes now fixed on Lachlann. “But this is the first time Lady Ravenclaw has come to a feast with an apprentice.”

All eyes in the group were now on Lachlann, Rousalie once again wordlessly gesturing, this time for him. “That’s correct, milady.” he began, though sensed immediately that it’d take a little more than that. “Lachlann Doherty, of Wexford.”

“Wexford, did you say?” Mathilde repeated, her eyebrow slightly raised. “I’ve not heard of that province. Would it happen to be on the other island?”

“That’s correct, milady, by the South East Coast.” Lachlann confirmed. “Though, I suppose the accent gives it away too.” he said as well, unsure where that admission had come from.

Mathilde’s mouth formed a small smile, Bruna continuing to watch on without reaction. “Yes, it does.” she chuckled. “But of course, that’s not why you’ve been the subject of a few rumours.”

“Rumours, Milady?”

“Quite so,” Bruna interjected, “About how despite Lady Ravenclaw devising the idea of apprentice mages, she was the last to acquire one. And while the other sorcerers of her standing took their protégés from their close friends who shared the gift…she went all the way to the South of Éire, only to return with…a peasant.”

“A former peasant.” Rousalie pointed out, sparing Lachlann from thinking about making the interruption. “Or do you prefer “serf”, Lachlann?”

He blinked a couple of times. “Either’s fine.” he blurted out, clearing his throat before continuing, “It’s not exactly something I can hide about myself, after all.”

Mathilde hummed in response, her fingers tapping together. “Fascinating, you seem remarkably frank about your former status…you consider yourself to be among your peers, now?”

Lachlann shrugged, praying that he understood what she’d asked properly. “Well, in terms of us all being apprentices, yes. Though I’m not gonna pretend I’ve had as much experience as any of you, be it in magic or in doing whatever it is we do at feasts.”

Mathilde blinked. Then she smiled. Then she brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a chuckle, which seemed to surprise Gabriel, Rousalie, even the stoic Bruna. “Worry not, I do not blame you for not knowing what it is we do at feasts. After all, sometimes I have similar questions myself at events like these.” The others in the group then took terms politely agreeing with Mathilde’s comments, Lachlann’s eyes being able to glance over at the group preparing to sit at the high table. He saw the Osadas, Godric, Luxia and Rowena on the left side of the Thane, and Salazar and three others on the right. He didn’t recognise them at first, but then realised that these were the ones dining with silverware. There were two who looked to be in their late 20s and seemed to be a couple, and a woman that somehow seemed younger but not by much. But before he could examine them any further, people started moving around the hall.

“The feast is beginning.” Gabriel explained. “Well, technically it already has, but the actual feast portion of the night. You understand.” He confirmed. Lachlann nodded in return as the tables were organised and plates were positioned on top. A servant appeared, gesturing for them to follow, but before he could walk forward, he was stopped by Gabriel. “You’re doing well, friend, but…be wary around those two. They are fully devoted to Lord Slytherin, and they say that-” but he stopped as Bruna and Mathilde walked past, and he was forced to walk along with them.

They were guided to their tables, and ended up passing by Rowena’s group as a result. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head in a way that suggested “Did it go well?”. Lachlann returned the expression in a way that suggested “I think so, at least it has so far.”, aware that there would be conversation during the feast as well as whatever followed it. He tried to calm his nerves, his eyes once again scanning the room. It was during this that he noticed Mathilde and Bruna were talking in hushed voices to Salazar and the three others. The Lord noticed him, but merely smiled, and gestured for the women to rejoin the group before talking with the others on his side of the table, presumably the changelings.

Two others made eye contact with Lachlann from that group. Mathilde, only briefly, and the youngest of the changelings, who gave him a smirk that felt oddly familiar. He sat down with the others, next to Rousalie and opposite Mathilde. The younger Osada also noticed the woman. She had a purple dress, though of a different shade to Bruna, as well as silver linings that absolutely had to be the real thing.

“I’m not sure what family they are, either.” Rousalie whispered, smiling still. “They certainly seem important, though. Do any of us present have an idea as to their family?”

Gabriel shrugged, as did Bruna and Mathilde, though theirs seemed almost in unison, as if practised. Lachlann wondered if that was something they taught nobles, how to shrug properly. He fought the urge to smile about it. “Ah well,” Rousalie continued. “It doesn’t concern us right now.”

Before any more could be said, however, the food was brought out. More meat than Lachlann had ever seen was piled onto the plates, alongside rich-looking bread and more. It was definitely the most amount of food Lachlann had ever had on a plate, dwarfing even what Rowena gave him. He looked around, and everyone else seemed to be waiting to eat, looking at the high table. The Thane stood up and raised his goblet, a wicked grin on his face. “Welcome, esteemed guests! We are honoured to have so many of the nobility in our presence here in the Highlands, and I am sure his Majesty of this fine region would agree. And so, in thanks for his wise leadership allowing this meeting between those of a magical persuasion and those who are otherwise. To His Majesty the King!”

Everyone in the room raised their own drinks, repeating the toast, before the feast properly began. Lachlann picked up his utensils, his eyes still on the high table. Yes, he was very much hungry, but there was simply so much in front of him, he wondered where on earth he was supposed to start. It was then that Mathilde cleared her throat.

“Something about the Thane’s speech?” she asked, a small smile present on her face as she spun her fork on her food.

Lachlann shrugged. “I suppose a little. It was odd to see him praising the King so much, since I heard the Thane doesn’t like him.”

Mathilde rolled her eyes in a lighthearted way. “Oh, but that’s precisely why. He’s wanted to try and break from the King for a while now, he’s just got to keep up appearances for a bit until the time is right. But you don’t need to worry about all that.” She leant back a little on her seat. “Now, you ought to eat. Your food will get cold.”

He nodded, focusing on the large meal before him. He took a hold of his spoon and started eating what was before him. It wasn’t just food that looked rich. It was the most filling thing he’d ever tasted, a single bite or two of the red meat completely wiping away the stomachache. He had some of the bread, hoping it would be slightly less rich, but no such luck. A few minutes in and he already felt full, and he’d only eaten about half of what was on his plate. He tried one more bite, and it felt as if his stomach was fit to burst. He wasn’t sure how rude a gesture it was to not eat everything on his plate, and so decided to be very careful about pushing his bowl forward, the food left inside hidden to an extent by the goblets in front of it. But, as fate would have it, this would turn out to be the least of his problems.

At first, he thought it was the richness of the food that was causing him to feel a little unwell. But soon, it became clear that the pain was in more than just his stomach. It was as if it was reaching out across his body. He felt sweaty, his head felt numb, it became very difficult to breathe. Once more, he’d observed everything in the hall. He saw Mathilde, her eyes anywhere but him for some reason, Bruna whom she was talking to, who also seemed to act like he didn’t exist all of a sudden. The only one who seemed concerned was Gabriel, who he saw mouth words that he didn’t hear. That was when Lachlann realised his hearing had muffled. The world seemed to swirl around him, and his thoughts were on how disappointed Lady Ravenclaw was going to be in him because of whatever this was…at least until he saw the woman in the dress smirking once more. And he knew where he’d seen it. The last time his life was in danger.

“You.”

Suddenly Lachlann was not in the hall of the Thane of Cawdor, though he heard distorted voices from the feast in the misty air. Instead, he was in a clearing in a dark forest that seemed to be shrinking in on him, the trees covering more and more of the grass. The only other person there stood opposite, looking down upon him.

“Me.” Betwixt chuckled, her eyes now a pale white without irises. “Typical peasantry, always surprised when a changeling they met in armour rocks up in a dress. It’s so fun watching them wrap their tiny little minds around the ways of the Fae.” 

Lachlann scowled as he lay on the ground, trying to regain his composure. “...Should’ve known. I just thought you would have spent some time sulking after I threw you in that puddle.”

Betwixt rolled their eyes, though without the pupils it was a little hard to see. “Please. I likely would have sulked a little longer, but when I heard you would be accompanying the thief to this feast, my parents and I agreed that it was simply too good an opportunity to miss.”

Lachlann blinked several times, the mist getting just a little bit thicker. “So, what? You poisoned my food?”

“Do you never listen?!” Betwixt seethed, dusting down her dress, “We are royalty! As if we would ever poison someone ourselves. We simply spoke to Lord Slytherin and he agreed to have his specialist handle it. We’ve used the services of his acolytes in the past, after all.”

“Right…” Lachlann sighed, his mind swimming as he tried to get to his feet, though this time it was not from numbness, but from curiosity as to who had poisoned him. As he thought about it longer, the answer became clearer. “And killing me does what, other than avenging your soggy clothes?”

Betwixt did not show an outward reaction to that jab. “Simple.” she smirked, her skin becoming purple and her hair going from brown to white, “Without you, Lady Ravenclaw will once again be unable to operate as a full-time witch. From there, it shall be far easier to reclaim our stolen silver.”

“You stole the silver first, as far as I’m concerned.”

“It was given to us through Fae law, something you clearly know nothing about!”

“You caught some Lord exaggerating, congratulations, it doesn’t give you the right to-”

“Would you be quiet!” She bellowed, running her hands through her hair. “When I use Legilimency on those who are dying on my orders, it is not for them to insult me! It is for them to plead for their worthless mortal lives! You are doomed! As we speak, the poison works through your veins, causing so much pain that your mind is obscured by a cold, foul mist…until of course, death strikes.” she gestured to the forest. “That’s why you can only hear my voice. I am here, but the fog in your mind prevents you from seeing any more.”

Lachlann blinked. “...but I can see you. It’s not even all that foggy.”

Betwixt looked like she was about to continue, but stopped in her tracks. “N-No, you can’t.”

“...I’m certain I can.”

“No you can’t! The poison is clouding your mind, you can’t see, you’re frozen in place...”

Lachlann took a step forward. “I can see you, and…” he turned his head, noticing a path leading out of the forest, towards what looked like Ravenclaw Tower. “I think I see a way out.”

Betwixt laughed in spite of herself. “No, no, no!” she said, denying what was happening in front of her as Lachlann started walking forward. “You can’t move! You can’t see the trees! You can’t see the way out! That’s not how this works!” she screeched, stamping her foot on the grassy floor.

“Ah, typical nobility.” Lachlann chuckled as he walked past her, “Something doesn’t go your way, and you can’t wrap your head around it. Who was the blind one again?” 

“Stop!” yelled Betwixt, uselessly, “Come back this instant! You’re doing it wrong, you damn peasant!”

Lachlann simply waved as he walked towards the Tower, the trees thinning along with the fog. It was still cold, and he still felt awful, but his mind was clear. He looked to the sky, and lightning came down over the trees. There was a flash, and the forest was gone. He opened his eyes, scanning the hall yet again. He was lying on the stone floor of the hall, with Rowena on one side and Rousalie on the other, Gabriel squatting nearby as well. All eyes were on him.

“Oh, Merlin…” Rowena said, her voice betraying how relieved she was.

“Aah! He’s still alive!” Rousalie exclaimed, backing away in shock.

“Yeah, I can see that, Rou,” Gabriel sighed. “How did…”

“Wena, just where did you find this boy?” Godric chuckled, Luxia holding his arm and the Osadas near him, all looking on in surprise.

Lachlann sat himself up, still feeling numb and sweaty. He looked at the high table, at the Thane of Cawdor who seemed at a loss for words, at Salazar who simply glowered at him, at the changelings who were behind all this (and seemed to be having trouble keeping their chosen forms stable). Then he looked at the table he’d fallen from, at Bruna and Mathilde. The former was trying and failing to keep expressionless, her lips parted slightly. The latter was glaring directly at him, held back by Bruna as if she was afraid Mathilde was going to leap over the table to get at him. Lachlann simply smiled.

“A-Apologies…” he said, grimacing in pain, “...As a former serf, I’m afraid I’m ignorant on the proper way to be poisoned.”

***

Merula paused for a moment, yawning. “Blimey, how long have I been going…Matthew, you’ve got one of those muggle wrist-clock things…what time is it?”

Matthew checked his watch. “It’s…ah…late.” He sighed. “Past midnight, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“You can’t stop now!” Persephone exclaimed. “We were just getting to the good stuff! I wanted to know what everyone was going to do next!”

Merula sighed. “You were the one who wanted us to go to bed in the first place, Palerosine.”

“Sparks is right,” Mayson said, “You’re the best History of Magic teacher I’ve ever had. You actually made it…y’know…interesting! I actually want to learn more for the first time!”

Merula rolled her eyes. “I know you’re playing to my ego, Kowalski…but that’s exactly how I operate, as I’m sure Matthew must have told you. Alright, I’ll tell you about the rest of the night. You’d better get an O on this report, is all I’ll say. The both of you.” she ordered, pointing to Mayson and Persephone.

“Oh, I imagine we will, don’t worry.” Persephone smiled. “Also…did you just call him Matthew?” she asked, pointing to the only Ravenclaw in the room.

“What? N-No. Did I? No. Don’t be silly.” she said dismissively, fishing through her notes and hiding her blushing face. “Ah, here we are, let’s…let’s keep going.” she said, quickly looking at Matthew, who smiled back at her. She blushed a little more, before finding what she was looking for. “Here we are…Lachlann makes his snarky quip, and then…”

[hphmmatthewluther]

Bringing Good Tidings, Part 4: Epiphany

Here it is! Sorry for it being so late! This is the final part of a 4-part collab by myself and @endlessly-cursed, featuring characters by her as well as characters from @camillejeaneshphm and @that-scouse-wizard !!

Bringing Good Tidings, Part 4: Epiphany

As Lachlann watched the Krampus snarl at the many guests, he moved in front of his children on instinct, as did Mathilde. The creature had dark grey fur and moved like a goat on its hind legs, though instead of hooves on the front trotters there was a pair of clawed hands. It had two long horns on its head that curled in different ways before tailing off, and on its back was a large red bag. Lachlann could guess what it planned on putting in there. It cackled at the frightened nobles who fled from it until they were shivering in the far end of the hall. That only left Lachlann’s family, Henriette’s family, Bruna and Betwixt as the last ones not cowering in fear.

“As always…” Mathilde muttered under her breath, holding out her free hand for the other three children to cling onto, Felix remaining in her other one.

Henriette, figuring that they would know at least something that could help, turned to Betwixt, and was surprised to see an expression of abject fear on their face. They saw her looking at them, and tried desperately to calm themselves. They failed. “...I-I apologise…I thought that I would never have to deal with it again…”

The Krampus snapped its neck to look at the group. “Ahh, if it isn’t the ickle Sovereign, no mummy or daddy to keep you from me now…and who do I have to thank for that?”

Lachlann’s grip on his wand tightened as Krampus creaked its neck over to scrutinise him. For the briefest of moments, it was as if the last decade or so had never happened, and he was a scared peasant boy with no idea what magical monstrosity stood before him. “...Anything they could do, Betwixt can do. And more, as a matter of fact.”

The Krampus’ eyes, goatlike with long black slits for irises, stared unblinking. “And what about you? You, who found himself at just the right place at the right time to inherit an abandoned kingdom’s worth of silver and magic? You are a very lucky peasant…but I think your luck may have run out.”

Lachlann considered looking away from the hungry gaze of the beast, but despite his fear a part of his mind considered the possibility of it striking at his children if he did so. But he couldn’t keep staring, couldn’t keep looking at his warped reflection within the goat-man’s eyes.

But then he heard voices to his left and right. “What on earth are you talking about?” he heard Mathilde say, trying not to let his breath hitch when he heard her take a step forward to stand by his side. “I was there, and I can tell you he did a fair bit more than that. He and Henriette saved countless people from meaningless wars and conflicts. The kingdom was just a bonus, really.”

“Indeed.” said Bruna, who he was even more surprised to hear walk forward, “And if his luck’s run out, he’s always got his foolish noble friends to save him, which we’ve often had to do anyway.”

Lachlann nodded silently, his face now level with the Krampus, this strange Fae-like barrier even stronger with the three of them standing together. Betwixt, breathing rapidly, turned to Henriette. “We might be able to get out of this…if we make the Krampus look away, it will have lost, and we can go on the attack.”

Understanding, Henriette directed her attention to the staredown, the Krampus trying and failing to insult Lachlann, with even his children joining in on the conflict. She stifled a smile as they yelled several irish insults that Lachlann must have taught them, even Fèlix was getting in on the act, blowing raspberries at the creature. Henriette marvelled at the Doherty family for a moment before clearing her throat just as the Krampus was beginning to get even more annoyed than it had been previously.

“Cease this!” He raved, his goat-eyes still unblinking in spite of his rage. “I will not be bested by a mortal family…especially not a cursed mortal family!”

Henriette cleared her throat. “You seem quite keen to criticise us, sir, but I’d say you’re ripe for criticism too. I assume you’re here on the invitation of a certain changeling advisor?”

The Krampus tapped on the floor with its hooves a few times. “Please do not distract me, I’m trying to kidnap these children. I’ll get to yours in a minute…maybe they’ll be able to continue their playdate on the way back to the Faewyld.”

“That’s rather what I was getting at. Why do you kidnap children? And why specifically at christmas? I don’t remember a Krampus going to Bethlehem after all.”

The goat stuttered for a moment, before bleating in disgust, still not looking away. “Bah! Typical! No consideration for how your funny little church took over one of the pagan festivals! All this revelry, and dancing, and flirtatiousness? It did not come from your God or his ministers. It came from us! And now we’re taking what you owe: the children you cannot raise right!”

Though it did not turn, Henriette still felt as if a pair of unblinking eyes were now on her too, just as they were on Lachlann. “It’s funny, there are so many more peasants than you noble types, and yet I end up taking far more of these children. I hear them, you know, bickering and gossiping like their parents, with the same disdain for everyone around them that you all have! So in a way, this is something of a gift for them. They get away from you, and have a chance to live free from your sins!”

Henriette thought for a moment that its eye had darted over to her, but it clearly wasn’t enough to break the spell. She felt like looking away, but she didn’t need to. She knew the faces that were standing behind her, just as Lachlann knew the faces behind him. Maybe she was afraid of what they might end up like. But with that fear came excitement at seeing them grow. No matter what might come, what mistakes they made or what tragedies befell them, she would be there for them, and she would make sure their lives were theirs to lead. She took a breath, looked the Krampus up and down, and said “Forgive me for not taking parenting advice from a creature that looks like a gargoyle done on a budget.”

The Krampus snapped its neck to stare at Henriette, the crack echoing through the hall as it realised that the sound was about more than its bones. Fred placed his hand on her shoulder, looking at her and smiling, before turning to the now nervous beast. “Thank you for silencing this prattling beast’s tongue, darling. If he dares to loosen that tongue against our family again, may I relieve him of it?” he asked, brandishing his large sword.

The Krampus scraped across the floor with its hooves nervously. “T-This wasn’t my idea, understand…i-it was that other fellow, the advisor…they said Oberon himself wanted me to do this…I’m beginning to think they might have been lying.”

“Mm, funny that.” Betwixt chuckled, stepping forward too. “Because now you’re going to listen to the Monarch of the Silver Kingdom. Leave, for these children are protected.”

The Krampus bowed its dark head in defeat. “Very well. I see now that you will not let your children go lightly. Not you with your three,” it bowed to Bruna, “not your…however many there are, it’s hard to count-” at which Henriette had to hold Fred back, “and not your five.” Before anyone could say anything else, there was a puff of black smoke, and the Krampus was gone. In its place were two small white goats, one with a label reading “to Lord Lachlann (Doherty) of Wexford” and the other “to Lady Henriette of Wessex”.

At once, the children all ran forward to pet the goats, giggling amongst themselves as the other nobles moved away from the wall and towards the others. Everyone else seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief, but Henriette and Lachlann then shot a look at each other. “Wait a moment,,” Lachlann said, looking at the goats. “Did it say…five?”

Mathilde chuckled, Henriette realising it before Lachlann when she saw Mathilde’s hand on her stomach. She had thought her dress was less tight than Mathilde usually had it, and what was more, Henriette had suspected the same thing was the case for her too, and felt her own hand move over her stomach. The Lady of Coventry chuckled at her husband. “Don’t look like I’ve poisoned you or something. I found out a few days ago, should be due around the Harvest season.”

Sam looked up amongst the gasps and cooing. “What does that mean?”

Caitílin looked as if she was about to mock him, but stopped. “It means that Mum’s having another baby!”

“Does this mean that there’s going to be another feast?” Simone asked, still smiling.

Felix started fidgeting out of his mother’s hands, clearly already getting jealous of the attention the baby a few inches below him was getting. Lachlann scooped him up and kissed Mathilde’s cheek, a warm and wonderful smile on his face. “Oh Tillie, that’s wonderful news, I’m so…I can’t put into words how happy I am.”

“You’ve said that every time.” she replied, smirking as she kissed him back, “But thank you, dear. And yes, Simone, though a small one.” She looked up at Bruna, hoping to see a look that confirmed she would be there, but the smile on her perfectly poised face carried a sadness with it.

“I wish I could, but I am expected to leave here tomorrow.” Bruna sighed, cupping Mathilde’s cheek in plain view of everyone else. “But I shall keep you and your lovely children in my thoughts. You too, Lord Doherty.” she said.

Lachlann blinked once or twice, looking out the doors the Krampus had come through, still ajar, at the starry sky outside. It was Henriette, though, who then spoke, her hand intertwined with Fred’s, Betwixt looking at the two goats with the many children. “Then perhaps we ought to spend this night together, in celebration.” she said, looking between the three knowing that they meant far more to each other than most marriages could articulate.

The two women looked at Lachlann, and at the toddler he was holding, and nodded in unison. “I’d love nothing more, my dears.” Bruna said, the sadness still present in her smile, but now with something more hopeful behind it too.

[hphmmatthewluther]

💞 for our OT3 or Reyllardo please?

Thanks for the ask, Noe! I couldn't decide in the end, so I did both! Hope you like them!!

[hphmmatthewluther]

E & F for Silvercrownlogne? 👀👀👀

Thanks for the ask noe!

E - Experimenting: Considering the circumstances, I imagine there's something of a cultural clash between Bruna and Lam when it comes to the bedroom. Maybe there are some things that the serfs do that are unheard of in aristocratic circles and vice versa. Either way I imagine Lachlann would be down for either "style" of intimacy, and hopefully Bruna would be too. And of course, with their interactions with the fae, they might get some ideas from them too...

F - Firsts: This is definitely an interesting question considering Bruna's marriage as well as what happens with Lachlann marrying Mathilde, but I think that their first time would happen some time between Bruna's marriage becoming confirmed/inescapable and Lam and Tillie beginning to traditionally court each other. I can see them dancing around each other during some feast or event, with Bruna maybe bringing up the marriage and Lachlann agreeing that it's incredibly unfair, and wondering if there's anything he could do to help, and from there...well, for the sake of Wilhelm's pride I imagine what happened next is omitted from the history books.

[endlessly-cursed]

hppe23: silvercrownlogne sharing a moment after a fun night

@camillejeaneshphm @hphmmatthewluther

[endlessly-cursed]

she got two little horns and they get me a little bit

mathilde is owned by @camillejeaneshphm

[endlessly-cursed]

Trick or treat! - @hphmmatthewluther

Hellooo babe!! Have a summary of a certain chapter of a certain serf and very lonely redheaded woman...

Only Eighteen

A few days before the wedding, Bruna beseechs her father to cancel the wedding, but denies her and forces her to attend the feast in their name. That night, she and Lam grow close (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

[endlessly-cursed]

for the If They Had A Kid ask: Lachlann and Bruna? - @hphmmatthewluther

Name: Matylda Helene Doherty

Gender: She/her

General Appearance: Brown hair long hair, blue eyes, imposing and mighty appearance, average height and erect

Personality: Arrogant, spoiled, she has a rough exterior and a sweet interior and is only kind to those whom she deems worthy

Special Talents: Inherits her father's powers, being able to have premonitory and vivid dreams

Who they like better: Brunhilda

Who they take after more: Both of them

Personal Headcanon: She would be doomed by the narrative, since she'd be likely born of That night during the engagement party and tried to be passed as Wilhelm's

Faceclaim: Öykü Karayel

[endlessly-cursed]

bitches be like "that's my ot3!" and that ot3 consists of...

lachlann doherty belongs to @hphmmatthewluther

mathilde coventry belongs to @camillejeaneshphm

[endlessly-cursed]

💗- Brunhilda pls🥹🥹🥹

silvercrownlogne 💚💙 @hphmmatthewluther @camillejeaneshphm