#ch: ember

[ashton-ryder]

🙌 Ember

send me ‘🙌’ for me to praise one of my mutual’s oc’s. The moment I met Ember I knew for Ash it was going to be annoyance at first sight and I WAS LIVING FOR IT!! I love the fact that Ember at first glance looks like just the rich girl and I was learning with Ash that she's much better than what he thought rich people would be like. The best gold that she has is her heart. Even if it doesn't always end up well ajdgdhdh, it's the thought that counts and i love it, Ash has also learnt to be more patient with her. @emberwexley

[ashton-ryder]

@emberwexley

[mosneakers]

Coraleye: [voice quivering, barely audible] I... I don't understand? How did this happen? I called out for your mom, Morgyn, not my great-grandmother...

Morgyn: When we open the doors, we don't always have control over who enters them...

Coraleye makes a feeble attempt to clear her throat. Coraleye: Grandma Agnes? Agnes Darling? Is that really you?

Agnes: Why of course, my dear, who else? I apologize for intruding, but I just couldn't help myself. Come darling, I'd like to take you with me for a short while. Share some stories with you, first hand.

Morgyn: I believe she's inviting you to astral-project with her.

Coraleye: [Eyes light up] Really? Oh! But...Rosemary... Morgyn: Darling, that can wait. It's the afterlife, afterall. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon. [Chuckles] Tycho: [Hesitant sigh] Morgyn's right. This isn't an everyday opportunity. You should go. We'll be right here, patiently waiting for your return. Coraleye smiles lovingly at Tycho and turns to Morgyn.

Coraleye: Do... do you really think it's safe, though?

Morgyn: I do. But if anything goes wrong, you know the spell. Just call for me and I'm there.

Tycho gently steals Coraleye away from Morgyn's reassuring gaze and kisses her deeply. Tycho: We're there.

Morgyn: [Chuckles] Yes, I'll be sure to bring him along too. Now hurry, you don't want to keep her waiting.

Coraleye scurries over to the specter, her arms stretched wide, awaiting her hands. Agnes: [Doting lovingly] Oh, let me get a good look at you! My goodness, look at those eyes! Little Coraleye Tempest Rose Darling. My heir... isn't that right? Coraleye: [Beaming proudly] Yes!

Agnes: Wonderful! You've blossomed into a radiant young woman, my darling. Your great-grandfather Eric and I have been watching over you, fondly. [Cheekily] You've had quite the journey, love.

Tycho anxiously watches Coraleye interacting with the spirit of her great-grandmother.

Morgyn: Hey... [Nudges Tycho with elbow, whispering] What are you worrying about? This is all part of the craft for a proficient spellcaster like her. Everything's going to be fine, okay?

Agnes: [Peeks around behind Coraleye] I promise I'll keep her safe! If you both don't mind, I'd like to show my granddaughter a small window into her family history, what life was like in my day. [Sparkling smile]

Coraleye's eyes begin to glow, and she blows a heartfelt kiss to the others as she and Agnes fade away completely.

Tycho: What just happened, Morgyn? Why did she just disappear like that? I thought astral-projection involved traveling outside of the physical body... Morgyn: Just relax, okay? The rules of spellcraft in this realm don't always operate the same way they do on the outside.

Tycho: Well, what are we supposed to do while we wait for her to get back? Morgyn: [Shrugs] I don't know; I guess we could hold our breath? [Grin]

[arendaes]

The reaction to Zacharius is one of my favorite bits of non-Legend mythic path reactivity in the game (<- person who has tons of favorite bits and has to get specific.)

Also, Daeran knows Ariadne so well already, she absolutely does NOT want to look like that and it's part of the reason why she turns Zacharius down. You know...besides the fact it's the right thing to do, obviously.

Anyways, just a few more misc moments I enjoyed tonight:

[seraphfighter]

Character Cuddle Scale

Thank you for the tag, @glitchinginthegarden! 🫶 This is a fun one.

How-to: Rate your OCs based on how they handle cuddling/being cuddled.

I'm going to try and include some of my lesser-known OCs along as my main ones in this--here we go!

Val (cp77): 7/10. In theory, Val's a cuddler. The girl longs for an affectionate touch. But in reality, she has a hard time letting enough people close for that kind of physical contact. Yet, when it's with her significant other, she melts into the cuddles. Wrap your arms around her and you aren't allowed to move away until she says so.

Aila (bg3): 5/10. If you don't know her and she doesn't trust her, don't touch her. You might lose a hand. If she loves you though, she enjoys the contact. But most of the time she prefers to be the one holding instead of being held, she likes being able to give her partner that physical comfort. She loses some points for her shortness.

Rowan (skyrim): 9/10. This man was made to cuddle. His idea of a perfect day is lazing around doing nothing and if you're there with him, you aren't escaping the cuddles. He also naturally runs warm so you will be comfortably toasty the entire time.

Jade Shepard (me): 3/10. Good luck getting her to rest long enough to cuddle. She's constantly go go go. She hates sitting still. She'll begrudgingly cuddle if you pull her down and force her to, but she will constantly be shifting around so it won't be very comfortable for either of you.

Ember Hawke (da): 4/10. She's not a very physically affectionate person, which isn't a surprise to anyone who knows her. Her love language is words of affirmation. Yet, if she's feeling down or if you're in need of physical comfort, she will cuddle with you, but as soon as you're feeling better she's done.

I have more OCs I can go into but I feel like some answers would be repetitive, so we'll stop there for now.

No pressure tagging: @totentnz, @togepies, @bishicat, @trashcatsnark, and @streetkid-named-desire

[ashton-ryder]

"Yeah, I used to think Rosie always had way too many plants around the building," if there was new a pot of plant sitting jn the diner or common areas, it was always Rosie. Ashton always thought it was a bad idea for overcrowding and kept that opinion to himself, but he also couldn't help but water some of them if they ever looked too dry, probably a habit from taking care if Ivy's house plants. And he can't deny that they're probably one of their most important assets now. Water, Food, Electricity, Safety, that's all that mattered right now in keeping people alive and sane.

Ashton hummed at the idea politely, "many of the birds should be looking to migrate from the winter at this point," the bird Valerii was looking for hasn't come back either, but it seemed wrong to shoot down her idea so quickly, "but.. we could try." His hands carried on their own task but his eyes carefully watched Ember's to make sure she's doing alright, more gentle than she seemed to have wanted to start off with.

Her next words reminded him of how far apart of a world they lived in despite living in the same building. He wanted to retort but hesitated, "I.. think it's gonna take more than just trust in one person." Ashton had no dealings with The Mr Wexley and had no idea who he is other than the preconceived notions people had of him. Thus he had no reason to trust that this disaster could even be solved by just one person. He already had questions on their decisions of doing buffet style meals instead of rationing meals according to people, but who was he to speak up? Speaking does fuck all while actions get things done. Ashton was one to keep his head down and do the work he thought was necessary for them. "Food and water will deplete as the days go by, with winter coming lesser crops might thrive, and if we eat faster than they can grow.." Ashton shook the thought out of his head, gingerly placing their sweet potatoes in a basket, "starving is a possibility we just have to live with and prepare for."

Eyes following his hands as he gave her a little demonstration, the idea of sticking her hands directly in the dirt was almost appalling. Walking away now, though, would be embarrassing and wouldn't exactly look so good on her, so she had to just sort of push through her discomfort. Thankfully she'd been in enough crazy situations that her skill in that department was well practiced.

"Oh... okay." Sagging a little in relief, she reached out to take the sweet potatoe from him, turning it over a little bit before handing it back. "I mean... at least it's something, and Rosie has all those plants all over in the halls down there. We might be okay..." Besides how long would it be before nature started to take over and come back? Maybe they'd be able to hunt. "Maybe we could like... trap birds, too? There's a bunch of nests all over the sides of the building. Usually Daddy hires someone to knock them down, but I mean... maybe we could... use them?" Shrugging a little as the idea tumbled from her head free of obstacles, she carefully leaned forward and ever so gentle started to use the spade to brush the dirt away from another one of the potatoes, delicate like she was afraid to hurt them at all.

"We won't starve... Daddy wouldn't let that happen to everyone." Of all of them... she was pretty sure her father was the best.

[gloomforrestrunes]

do you have a headcanon voices for other characters not shown in your first video?

i do! idk if theres enough to warrant another video but here's headcanon voices for characters that'll be more important after the first volume

ember spark- suki from "avatar the last airbender"

eden morn- veronica sawyer from "heathers (1988)"

cinder vesper- randall from "monster's inc"

pepper may- ekko from "arcane"

also a hc voice for post-banishment laxo (his first volume one is still accurate, but i wanted another for after his banishment) - wally darling from "welcome home"

[asteralley]

nagyunn 🤝 akechi 🤝 furuya

going down a path of self destruction for the sake of revenge

[avoidingcertaindoom]

My DM thinks he's so funny. Joking about sponsored posts while discussing the other members finding my character dead--

[ragnar0c]

DAMN... THIS GIRL HANA CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT RORY'S SMILE....

[dragonologist-phd]

Owlcatober 2022 - #23. “Good”

“But then I thought…even people who do those horrible things…they couldn’t have always been so bad inside, could they? Maybe someone decided they were bad, and told them so, and they believed it.”

A conversation between Ember and Knight-Commander Lilith

AO3

The encampment is a whirlwind of activity, an endless bustle of soldiers running through their training, quartermasters barking orders out to their apprentices, people of all sorts tending to the daily duties that keep the Crusade afloat. The noise and activity never halts- save for the brief moments when the Knight-Commander passes by, during which everyone from the servants to the swordsmen pause to stand at attention and give her a respectful salute.

Lilith gives them acknowledgment as she makes her way through the camp. Their deference is noted, of course, and with no small amount of satisfaction. The army’s time on the road has been short, but already the troops know to respect her- and even, she thinks, to fear her.

The reaction is not undeserved, not after the things they have seen her do, and she decides to be pleased that the people under her command are learning so well.

Her inspection of the camp is swift, and altogether leaves Lilith in better mood than she had thought she would find herself. For once, things are running smoothly. The Hellknights have settled in well, and the protests which rose from weak-hearted soldiers at the news of their recruitment have been firmly snuffed out. Lilith is about to return to her tent and the battle plans within when she is waylaid by an obstacle which, in hindsight, should perhaps not have been so unexpected.

“Lilith!”

If the informal address weren’t enough, the chirping voice has sufficient familiarity to immediately inform Lilith of whom it is that has appeared at her side, even before she wearily glances down at the little elf girl. Popping up at the oddest of times has shown itself to be a talent of this particular companion, no matter how Lilith tries to discourage her from following along at her heels.

“Ember. Do you need something?”

“No,” the girls says happily as she skips along at a quick pace to match Lilith’s long strides. “But I wanted to tell you, I thought more about what you said.”

“I say many things.”

Ember’s answering giggle is soft as a whisper, barely audible over the activity of the camp around them. “That’s true. I’m talking about what you said about only helping people who deserve it. Do you remember?”

Only then does Lilith stop and turn to face the girl. Yes, of course she remembers what she’d told the young witch: Don’t waste your powers on the unworthy.

Ember had been disheartened by those words- as disheartened as someone like Ember ever is, at least. Lilith, on the other hand, had been left somewhat hopeful- perhaps, she’d thought, Ember would finally be dissuaded from this interest she’d taken in Lilith’s war. Alas, it had worked just as poorly as all of Lilith’s other attempts to send the girl away from the Crusade.

“Of course. And what was it you were thinking?”

“Well…at first, I was thinking that maybe you’re right,” Ember says. Her brow furrows as she sorts through her thoughts. “Except the thing is, I don’t know who is worthy and who isn’t. How could anybody?”

“The best way to judge a person is by their actions, I would say.”

“I know. And sometimes people do such horrible things. And maybe they do that because they’re bad, which I guess would have to make them not worthy?”

Ember says this all with a sense of puzzlement, one which Lilith cannot understand. From any other child, she might assume this reluctance to acknowledge the faults of the world came from naivete, but Ember…for all that Ember speaks of childish ideals, she has clearly seen too much to be called naïve.

Yet even now, she shakes her head at her own words and continues on. “But then I thought…even people who do those horrible things…they couldn’t have always been so bad inside, could they? Maybe someone decided they were bad, and told them so, and they believed it.”

Something tightens in Lilith’s chest, but she keeps her expression carefully neutral. “…Maybe so.”

“And that’s bad, isn’t it? Because the person who told them that could be wrong! And so if someone told them they were good, they could believe that too- someone just has to tell them.”

“What is the point of all the conjecture?” Lilith’s tone is harsher than intended, but Ember merely blinks in surprise before her smile returns once more.

“Oh, right! I just wanted to let you know- I don’t think anyone is really bad inside, not all the way. Which I think means that nobody is unworthy. So I decided I’ll never reject anyone, just in case.” She claps her hands together, apparently thrilled with her conclusion, and looks up at Lilith with sunny expectation.

But Lilith doesn’t say anything in response; she can only look down at this child, this cheerful, hopeful, child who somehow looks at the unforgiving world around her and still manages to say things like that. Ember tilts her head, her smile slipping by the smallest amount in the face of Lilith’s silence. “Is that okay?”

“You’re too good for all this, Ember.” The words slip out without intention, heavy and mournful, and it is only a fraction of what Lilith suddenly wishes she could tell this child.

But before Lilith can anything else, Ember’s eyes widen, and suddenly her hands are clasping Lilith’s in a desperate plea. “Oh, please don’t be sad! I didn’t mean to make you sad!”

The sudden touch jolts Lilith back to the present moment, and she swiftly stomps down on the surge of sentimentality. With a brittle smile, Lilith gently pries her hand from Ember’s grasp. “I’m perfectly fine, I assure you. Don’t go wasting your worry over me. You just…you go help people, then, if that’s what you think you need to do.”

Ember gives her an uncertain look, but finally nods and returns the smile. It isn’t until she slips away, back into the crowd of soldiers and generals and mercenaries, that the hollow bitterness returns to Lilith’s chest, and once again she mourns the fact she simply isn’t able to turn this girl away from the battle she has chosen.

You truly won’t be deterred, will you, you strange little fool, Lilith thinks. Not even by people you’d undoubtedly be better off without. Fine. Be stubborn. Just please be smart enough not to let this war destroy you.

[ashton-ryder]

💬 + Ember

Send Me 💬 + a Name and My Muse will Talk About That Person

"I admit, for the past four years here, I've usually tried to avoid the Wexleys, they live in a completely different world and I didn't really need to get involved in that. Ember included, hate is too strong a word to use, but pretty sure we would not mesh well together, despite her being close to Beau and Ziggy. Totally avoided going to games with her if Ziggy wasn't there too. And meeting her well, kinda proved it right, I felt bad for being straight with her, maybe a little mean, I don't know. She still annoys me but.. I know she has a good heart, y'know? It's hard to be mad with that for too long, as exasperating as it can be. I'm surprised we're doing much better now just as people." - @emberwexley

[faefaye]

One of my favourite scenes so far :p.

[ashton-ryder]

He gave pause to actually think about her words, it's only respectable for a productive conversation when you try to see the others perspective, but still he shook his head with a light shrug, "not really, I've served my country, I'm pursuing a dream career, I think I've lived." Perhaps without the context of having to accept his potential death at a young age, it was hard to explain that feeling to her. He was prepared to die for years and to be prepared to face death, he had to be content with life first, and he was.

Ashton wasn't entirely sure what was happening as she continued to talk, "thank... you?" His reply slow and hesitant, body tensing up uncomfortably at the hand to his knee though he did his best to hide it well, what is one suppose to reply to that? "I'm not joining Sada's club or whatever that is though if that's what you're saying," he had to put it out there.. just in case this was another one of Sada's games she's trying to play with him. But despite all that, she did indeed have some profound words to share of her own, to which Ashton did soften his tone and replied in earnest, "I won't, thank you for the... um, sound advice. One to bring into the new year I guess." If anything he could at least meet one of her requirements he wouldn't mind a road trip out to a new stargazing location, one to put in his to do list for the year.

He could see the light at the end of the tunnel to be left alone again as her friends came up to her, hopefully pulling her attention away from him. "Oh- uh.." he didn't have a good excuse to worm his way out of this situation, he was not prepared for these, and so Ashton let's himself get pulled up to his feet for whatever picture they wanted to take, "okay.. sure, I guess." A corner of his lips tried to at least pull into a small smile, hoping to hide the awkwardness before the camera snapped. "That good enough?"

Eyes following his hand as he pointed to the door, her brows furrowed in confusion. She couldn't just leave, so much rested on tonight and the exposure, and really it was one of the few times a year their family spent... sort of together. Besides, who just left a party like that?

Those same furrowed brows gradually rose higher and higher as he spoke, taken a little aback by the near constant stream of pessimism that she'd ever heard in her entire life. "Isn't that like... exhausting, though? Always like... expecting the worst thing and being all on edge for it? Okay, like.... say the world ended tomorrow... sure you'd be prepared to stay alive... but would you have lived?"

Lifting her glass to clink it against his own and taking a little sip, Ember sighed and shook her head. "You're so cute, and you could go far with... all of this you have going on..." Motioning to all of him, she let her free hand fall onto his knee with a light slap. "There's so much more to life than doom and gloom and what-ifs. What's the point of it if you can't enjoy it? See the world, see the stars from different places, meet different people, taste different foods. I hope you don't just hide away all the time. It's a shame to keep that face all to yourself."

Locking a little wink on him, Ember moved to stand up, brushing any untoward wrinkles from the front of her dress as she composed herself back into her social media personality as her friends started to come over with their cameras. "Oh! We should take a picture together!"

[gailynovelry]

Rereading your old work is good and fun and delightful and rewarding, actually.

[seraphfighter]

I was tagged by @totentnz to make myself and my ocs in this picrew, so I decided to make all my angry girls.

From left to right: Me, Val, Aila, and Ember Hawke

No pressure tagging: @glitchinginthegarden @merge-conflict @trashcatsnark @bishicat