#first time drawing my boi orion ever!!

[letmesleep8]

even if I die screaming // elliexreader

CHAPTER 1: Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

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Chapter 2 | A03 gets it first

content warnings/tags: mature; angst; troubled characters; friends to lovers

notes: it's my first time ever posting fanfiction and English is not my first language, please be nice or I will cry.

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"Were you making fun of me with some esoteric joke?"

I am sitting on the floor, my face burning along with my soul and the back of my throat. I take another sip of the third-rate alcohol to calm me down on my hands and the instant  headache brings another wave of fury within me. I scream and throw the bottle at a wall, as if it was the one to blame for my current situation. I get up and rub my hands over my face as I walk to the window, looking over to the river. I feel the cold winter air going through my lungs as I look into my past and wonder how I managed to be this stupid.

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May 11, 2034 Spring

Dear diary,

The weather is finally starting to get warmer. I think I heard some birds shrimping this morning. Mama found me some new vinyls on her last patrol, most of them were either scratched or only contained some sort of classical music, but there's one I really like. It's golden and it has a picture of a couple on the cover. I think it says "rumors", it's kinda dirty still. I had never seen a vinyl that sparkled. My favorite song is the one that says "don't stop  thinking about tomorrow, it will be better than before". I bet that guy didn't ever see a future like this coming.

Dina asked if I wanted to come to the river tomorrow with the other kids. Don't know if mama would let me though. Gonna make dinner real good so she does.

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"Wait up! Jesse, you run too fast, it's not fun."  I rushed as much as I could to try to catch him.  "You don't know how to play!"

Jesse laughed as he got closer to the shore, I managed to catch him a bit after, still panting. Right after me came the village dog all of the kids fought to keep last week. "You're lucky Barkie is such a loyal pup, right?" He knelt beside the big German Shepherd, scratching her chin. "Otherwise even she would be able to outrun you!"

"Her new name's Stevie!", I rolled my eyes. "And it suits her much better. Right, Stevie? Yes, it does!", I baby talked and kissed her head as the boy rolled his eyes.

As we discussed Stevie's recent name change we heard Dina's voice a few feet from us, calling us over. She was sitting by the river with Cat as some of the other boys played in the water. I got closer, bringing the dog with me.

"Oh hi, Stevie!", Dina said excitedly. The puppy nodded her tail happily. 

Jesse quickly remarked how unhappy he was with the sudden name change, leading to a childish argument between the three of us while Cat just kept drawing trees on her little notebook as usual, only speaking when directly asked to, she said she thought Barkie was a better name. I was ready to tell her how bad her taste was when I heard some noise behind me. I was quick to look, thinking it could be an infected somehow, but it was Maria. She looked at us with a slightly angry face, knowing we shouldn't be sneaking out. In normal circumstances I'd be terrified by the thought of getting scolded by Maria but, right now, something else had caught my attention. 

The blonde woman had a girl next to her, she seemed to  be close to my age. As Maria said something about how we shouldn't be going out of town and how we were old enough to be responsible my eyes traced the girl's figure. Her freckled face, her green eyes, the bandages on her right arm. I couldn't tell if  I was overthinking things or if the spots between her shoulder and her wound really formed the Orion constellation.

Completely oblivious to the scolding, I interrupted her. "Who are you?", I said to the girl, trying to sound more threatening than curious. 

"I am Ellie. Williams", she looks at me, suspicious.

"Hey, quick!'' Jesse quickly interrupts us. "Do you think Stevie is a good name for this  dog?"

I glared at him, this wasn't the time or moment to ask such question to a stranger. And also she had nothing to do with our dog after all!

"What? Like Stevie Nicks?", she replied, clearly puzzled. I quickly soften my gaze and unintentionally smiled. Maybe she's fine.

[alltheyoungmoons]

the ghosts of my memories won't let me sleep

Rated T, 2.1k words - Summer of 1995. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, has become the new base of the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius finds it hard to fall asleep on his first night there.

The clock in the drawing room chimed thrice, the sound shattering the mortiferous silence of the ancient townhouse. Sirius heard it all the way from the kitchens, in the basement. He hadn’t set foot in that house, or in Islington for that matter, for twenty years, twelve of them spent in hell. He thought he quite deserved a drink to celebrate the unlikely return, and remembered very well where Orion stored his liquor collection. Kreacher had caught him tinkering around that cupboard several times, the young boy mesmerised by all manners of fancy bottles and delicious-looking liquids. He produced some ice with his wand inside of a fine crystal goblet he plucked from the mantle top and poured a healthy dose of aged Firewhisky that must’ve cost a fortune, stirring slowly. He brought the glass to his lips, inhaling the smokey, rich smell of the alcohol. He looked down and sighed, and placed the goblet back on the table. With a tap of his wand he transfigured the goblet to a mundane-looking Old Fashioned glass.

“Much better,” he muttered to himself, and went for the stairs. 

Sirius, for all his misfortunes, had never thought he’d be back in this house. He hadn’t thought twice about giving it to the Order, relishing in the fact that their parents would be rolling in their graves if they knew. It had been the easiest decision he’d ever made. He didn’t think he’d be forced to stay there, though. He’d take his cell at Azkaban or a frigid Scottish cave over his childhood bedroom any day. Thankfully, Remus was there with him.

He planned to nurse his drink on one of the library’s sittees, hopefully with a useful read in hand. He felt wide awake, adrenaline coursing through his veins just like after a duel, or a flight, or a quick shag. If he couldn’t sleep, the least he could do was keep his mind occupied. 

He was deep in thought when a rotting step whined under his foot, and he looked up, flinching instinctively. 

He was in front of his mother’s portrait, the curtains drawn wide open, but she wasn’t screaming, as she did that morning, when he, Remus, Moody and Kingsley breached the entrance of Grimmauld Place after a decade of abandonment. 

Instead, she looked at him gravely and with disdain, her mouth a tight line. 

In this silence, Sirius had the chance to properly see her. She wore her mourning dress, black cap and veil to cover her silver hair that matched the gray in her eyes, the same that were looking back at her now. She was so different from how Sirius last remembered her - a beautiful, regal woman now turned old and bitter, her hateful scowl forever impressed on her once smooth skin in deep wrinkles. 

He broke the silence first. “Hello, mother,” he said, tilting his glass towards her in a sort of cheering gesture.

She didn’t bother to look him in the eyes, her gaze wandering out of frame. “You’re no son of mine.”. Her tone was flat, indifferent. 

“Believe me, I’ve spent the better part of my life hoping just that. But alas,” he opened his arms as if to show off his surroundings, shrugging “The house opened for me. So.”

No response. Walburga kept staring off into the distance. Sirius wondered silently what she could see within the dimension of the frame.

“Guess you didn’t disown me after all,”

“Well, You won’t catch me complaining about it. It’s been pretty useful lately.”

“The inheritance, I mean”,

“Turns out being put in prison for twelve years is an excellent savings plan.”

Sirius saw her eyes dart to him for a moment. He wasn’t sure if it was the mention of Azkaban that did it, or the fact that he had the gall to bring up a subject so common as saving money. 

He took a sip, suppressing a smirk. 

There was a thrill in being able to talk to her without the fear of retaliation that was engrained in their every exchange since Sirius was ten. 

He still felt a little nauseous, though. 

“You were sent to Azkaban.” She said, then. It sounded like an affirmation, but Sirius knew better. His mother never did questions, only statements. 

Sirius nodded. He studied her reaction. 

Her eyes would’ve glinted if they weren’t oil paint set on canvas.

“Just like your cousin.” 

Sirius had been wondering when the comparisons to other members of the family would start, a fixture of Walburga’s chinwag. 

“Dear Bellatrix was there, alright,” Sirius nodded, circling the remnants of the ice around his glass. “The whole jolly company was there, eventually, the inner circle at least. Saw them coming in one by one. But I was there first.”

He looked up at her, and saw one of the corners of her thin mouth lift slightly. He was starting to enjoy this. He wanted to make her believe he’d recanted his belief in the end, and then pull the rug from under her feet. He wanted her to ask. 

“And I was the first out. First Wizard to ever do it.”

“I’ve been at large for the better part of two years now.”

“Thankfully no one can find me here.”

He winked.

Walburga sat up, straightening her already impossibly rigid posture. The shadow of pride swiftly passed on her features - Sirius recognised it immediately. He used to chase that impossible shadow as if it was his only reason to live. Before Hogwarts. Before he knew better. 

They studied each other for what felt like minutes, their stern features a mirror of each other. 

“How.”

Sirius rose to his full height. Not so much a question as a demand. Still, she had caved.

“Well,” he started, with a chuckle. “I tried to avenge my best friends’ deaths and was falsely incriminated because of the curse of the name that I carry! This title taints everything it touches like poison, it fosters animosity and mistrust, it follows like a haunting! The system this family helped to build sent me straight into the Dementors’ mouth without even sparing the thought of a trial, just because I must’ve done it, I must’ve been rotten after all, because I am a Black! First and foremost, forever scarred to drag around your filthy, thoughtless, sheeple beliefs with me even if I made extensively clear that I never wanted to be associated with you or the obscenities you preached! You were always so concerned about decorum and standing and reputation that you never noticed that all of those things had slipped from your control decades ago! Outside of your stupid Sacred Twenty-Eight circle-jerk everyone thinks you’re utterly mental!”

Twelve years of pure agony, of building a steady hatred for them and all they came to signify, had come out in almost a single breath, his tone clear but never loud, precise and cutting - he had learned from the best, after all. 

Sirius had never hated his family during his school years, and even after, during the First War, he tried his best to act like they never existed at all. Indifference was the best way to hurt someone, he knew that well. But in Azkaban there were no distractions, and he found that rage was an excellent companion, keeping his flame alive. He had been caught because of Peter, sure, but he was imprisoned without a trial because of his name. It was never going to go any other way. 

Walburga’s face had turned into a mask of blistering fury, huffing angrily, chest heaving - she stayed silent for a moment, and Sirius had to remind himself that she was a painting. He would not flinch. 

So he took another sip, smacking his tongue at the end.

Walburga lunged towards him fruitlessly, shrieking, her rage bound to the two-dimensional space of the canvas, starting off her usual tirade:

“Filth! Traitor! Coming here in the house of my forefathers slandering the name of the Noble and Most Ancient House in Britain! How dare you come back here, you scum! I knew since the day you came back from your first semester at Hogwarts that you were going to be nothing but a criminal! A degenerate! Fraternising with blood traitors and half-bloods! Having impure thoughts about them! You’re nothing but utter filth and I cursed the day you were born until I drew my last breath! Traitor!”

Sirius just stayed there, leaning along the rail, finishing off his drink and letting her words slide off him, like water off a duck’s back. There was something cathartic about letting his feelings explode like this, with no filters, even if it meant they’d probably have to endure Walburga’s shrill shouting for a while. The treat had not been without its consequences; still, better be subject to her incoherent string of slurs rather than one of her well-placed hexes. 

There was a sudden noise from up the stairs, and after a moment, a sleepy Remus appeared, in his pyjama, wand drawn. He stopped a few steps from Sirius, looking confused and disheveled from being woken so abruptly. Sirius looked up at him tenderly and smiled, and Remus let his arms rest down to his sides, donning a grumpy expression. 

“Merlin’s balls, Sirius. I thought someone broke in.” Remus had to shout over Walburga’s yelling to make himself heard.

Sirius couldn’t help but grin at him. “Couldn’t sleep, bumped into Mother. Thought it’d be rude of me not to greet her properly.”

Remus squeezed his eyes at him suspiciously. His gaze registered the empty glass and Sirius’ fingers nervously tapping on them. 

“You had to go and tick her off uh? What year is this, 1973?” Remus had stepped down a few and was now eye-to-eye with Sirius. He was studying his face in that way of his, as if gathering information and quickly making a log of it in his head. 

They hadn’t talked about it, exactly. They had a steady correspondence streak going since the summer after Sirius - and Peter - escaped, but some things couldn’t be committed to parchment. It was clear that they were both inclined to naturally fall back into their old ways, but so much had changed, and even when forced to share a bed - seriously what was Dumbledore thinking, just sending him there, no notice, as if Remus lived in a mansion, as if Remus wanted anything to do with him after all those years… it had been extremely awkward to say the least. 

And for all the free, comfortable beds that Grimmauld Place had to offer, Sirius still couldn’t sleep.

But the love was still there. They both felt it. If it was never going to be like it had been before, Sirius was fine with that. Remus was his oldest friend. 

Still, it was fun, sometimes, to slip into the old ways. 

“You know, I have an idea that would really aggravate her”. Sirius glanced at Remus’ lips and wriggled his eyebrows. 

Remus arched one brow and crossed his arms. “How many of these have you had?” 

Sirius huffed as if he were offended, but smiled. 

“Come on, help me draw the old bat’s curtains.”

“Fine, but I want a drink too, afterwards,”

“Fine, but can I sleep in your bed,”

They looked at each other, spooked, and then warily glanced at the portrait that was still mumbling angrily, quieter now. It didn’t seem to have noticed them.

Sirius was just bantering along, but the truth had its way of slipping out. 

Remus’ lips were parted, and his cheeks were flushed. Sirius couldn’t stand the buried pain in his eyes. He looked down, and whispered.

“Can’t sleep.” He found his gaze “This fucking house, y’know?”

Remus exhaled sharply, and nodded. 

“Sure, yeah.” He whispered back.

“It’s not really her, you know.” Remus added, still looking at him, searching.

“Yeah… yeah I know. Still. Felt good to take some things off my chest, I guess.”

“Might want try to piss off Phineas Nigellus’ portrait next. That one’s more animated.”

Sirius tutted “Remus, don’t give me any ideas.”

Remus smirked “Bet he loves an argument just as much as you do,”

Sirius rolled his eyes, but he was elated. It was the first time they had been able to joke between them as if no time had passed at all.

“Tease.”

They yanked the curtains shut, and tried a few silencing spells to boot. When they were done, Remus plucked Sirius’ tumbler off the railing and gave him a delicate shove.

“Come on then, Master Black. Show me where that cranky old elf keeps all the booze.”

[electricsynthesis]

“Tell me the rules,” his dad says, backpack thrown over his shoulder. They’re walking along the dirt road that leads to town, leaving the parked truck behind them; Keith’s dad had said he didn’t want anyone to see his license plate. When Keith opens his mouth, mind about to spill something about when to wash his hands, his dad interrupts with, “The rules for going into town.”

Keith scurries to keep up with his father’s long strides. It’s hot today, and Keith shifts his new backpack over his uncomfortably sweaty shoulders. His backpack has the constellation Orion on it, which is very exciting. It’s his first time taking it into town.

“Don’t talk to anyone,” Keith recites dutifully.

His father nods his approval. “Unless?”

“Unless you say it’s okay.”

“That’s right. And? What else?”

“No drawing attention to myself,”

“That means?”

“Keeping my ears covered,” Keith counts off on his fingers. “Lowering my eyes. Ummm…” when his dad explained this one to him, he’d just talked again and again about why Keith isn’t supposed to talk to anybody.

“Just… just don’t draw any attention,” his dad sighs.

“I don’t know what—”

“Yes, you do, boy, come on. It ain’t hard.” He snaps. Keith shuts his mouth. “What’s the last rule?”

“…I promised it wouldn’t happen again,” Keith whines, embarrassment and shame squirming in his gut.

“What’s the last rule?”

“It’s not fair,” Keith goes on, hotly, jogging to match stride with his dad. “I won’t talk to anyone. I swear. I just want to—”

His dad stops walking entirely to whirl on Keith. He towers up, high in the air and looking darkly down at Keith. “You will not wander off. I won’t stand for it.”

“I was fine—”

“You can wander around with your thumb up your ass the day I ain’t around anymore to tell you not to,” his dad says, the harsh snip of finality to his tone. “And not a second sooner.”

Keith lowers his eyes, chastised. Shame makes his chest warm, and his breath shudders as he nods, silently.

“You understand?”

“I understand,” Keith mumbles, eyes hot. He scrubs at his face before they can fall.

Silently, they walk past the sign that says LINCOLN, NEVADA. Dirt roads become asphalt. Stone stucco and brick buildings rise from the sandy ground. Keith brushes his sneakers over patches of grass on the side of the road. There’s a hum of activity in the air; all at once, noise and chaos rush him and his father.

There are so many people. They are all so different from Keith’s dad, who’s the only person he knows. They are tall and short and old and young. Some of them are even girls. Keith sticks close to his father’s side. He wants to grip the leather belt holding up his dad’s cargo shorts, but the last time he did that, his dad told him not to act like such a baby.

Keith’s eight now, and that means he needs to start acting like a grown up. But he isn’t allowed to explore on his own, not ever. The unfairness of it twists his stomach and his mouth along with it, but he doesn’t say anything.

His dad abruptly stops walking, and Keith runs into his side in surprise. His dad’s strong hand reaches out to steady Keith by his shoulder before he can fall. His dad’s face is thoughtful as he looks down at Keith. He crouches down. “You promise you won’t go nowhere I don’t give you permission to?”

Keith’s chest lights up with hope. “I promise. I swear.” He draws a cross over his chest. “Cross my heart, hope to die,”

“Stick a needle in your eye.” His dad finishes with a crooked smile. “Aaaalright,” he draws out the word, digging through his pocket for his wallet. He pulls out a bill and goes to hand it to Keith. But when Keith reaches for it, he snaps it back. Keith’s eyes find his father’s face. “You remember how to get to Lela’s?”

“Yes,” Keith nods.

“And you cross your heart you won’t talk to anybody but Lela?”

“Yes,”

“And you’re only allowed to talk to her about what you’re buying.”

“Yes, sir.”

His dad’s smile goes soft, and he hands him the money. Keith closes his hand around it in victory, chest warm with excitement. “Then why don’t you go buy your daddy some cigarettes?”

“Yes! Thank you, Daddy!” Keith cries, wrapping his father’s waist in a tight, happy hug. His dad chuckles, a big hand coming down to ruffle Keith’s hair.

“Come straight back here when you’re done, and if I ain’t here, wait for me. Don’t talk to nobody. And,” he flicks the edge of the bill. “Whatever you have leftover, you can spend on yourself. Whatever you want.”

Utter elation spreads through Keith’s entire body. “Really?”

“Really.” He chuckles, and pushes himself to a stand. He shoves at Keith’s shoulder, causing him to stumble in the direction of the road. “Get going, then.”

Keith takes off at a run through the streets, dodging around the legs of the town people. That’s what Keith’s dad calls them, anyway. Them town people don’t know shit from Adam. His dad doesn’t like people very much. But that’s alright— the only person Keith needs is his dad.

He trips over something fabric and springy, and goes sprawling onto the asphalt. It bites his palms and he hisses in pain, eyes watering. A dog barks very close to his face, and he yelps in surprise. When he whirls around in the dirt, he finds himself face to face with a dog. A big dog; shaggy brown fur and a long snout. Keith can smell the dog’s breath as it pants, and he wrinkles his nose.

“Oh my goodness!” Comes a shrill voice, and Keith, suddenly ill-at-ease, whips his head up. A woman stands there, with white hair and big glasses. She blinks owlishly down at him, mouth hanging open. “Are you alright, honey? You hurt anywhere?” Keith doesn’t do or say anything, he just stares at her. After a second, she stutters, “Where’s your momma?”

Nowhere, Keith doesn’t say, because he isn’t supposed to talk to anyone except Lela.

“Honey? You alright?” When she crouches down and reaches a hand out, Keith’s heart careens into overdrive. He flings himself upward and takes off sprinting once again into the roads. She calls something after him, but he ignores her. He can’t talk to her anyway.

Keith decides that he’s seen more people today than he has in his whole life before. The thought leaves him breathless and a little scared, but his dad let him go off alone, and he can’t mess this up. So he traces the roads, checking and double checking all the turns and signs until he finds himself at Lela’s Swap Shop.

The bell ting-tings as he opens the door, and it makes him jump in surprise. It squeaks as it slides shut, which makes his ears twitch. But he rallies himself; inside, it’s very cold— cold like winter— and he rubs at his arms. There’s a buzzing sound in the air that he doesn’t like. It’s a lot like a flying bug, or maybe if a car were really quiet? After a moment of investigation, he realizes that the shelves are making that sound. When he waves his hand over them, they’re cold. Woah. Like their fridge at home!

He remembers that the cigarettes are behind the counter, and that you have to ask for them. So he jogs past the shelf-fridges until he comes up to a wooden counter. He has to stand on his tiptoes to reach it, and he sets his elbows on the wood to help.

A woman emerges from a swinging door to the back. She’s tall. Maybe almost as tall as Keith’s dad. Her hair is long and black, and her eyes are dark. Keith swallows past a suddenly dry throat; he’s supposed to talk to her.

“Hey there, little man,” she says, talking softly. “You want some candy or something?”

Keith opens his mouth. No sound comes out. He’s supposed to talk to her. He has permission. He has to talk to her to get the cigarettes. But this whole thing is suddenly crazy; there’s so many people, and it’s so loud, and Keith is very small. Keith is trying to remember if he’s ever talked to someone without his dad before.

“Hon,” she says. “Are you alright?”

“Cigarettes,” Keith blurts, mouth and throat moving before his brain does.

She stands back, almost affronted. “What’s a little boy like you need with cigarettes?”

“They’re for my daddy,” he explains, shame warming his cheeks. He puts the bill on the counter. “See? He gave me this.”

Her mouth twists. She looks at the bill, and then at Keith. “And who exactly is this Daddy of yours?”

“Um,” Keith feels very chastised. “Heath Kogane?”

She chews on this for a second. Then, she swings her eyes up to the sky, and quietly mutters, “If anyone is gonna send their tiny little boy to,” and then she trails off unintelligibly. “Oh, fine. You know what your daddy smokes?”

“Marlboro menthols,” Keith recites.

She seems unwilling as she opens up the glass case behind her and pulls out a box of cigarettes. She hands them to Keith only after a long, drawn out sigh. When he takes them, she swipes his money and punches something into her cash register with clear annoyance on her face. “You tell your daddy to come and talk to me next time he’s in town, won’t ya?” She says, handing him another bill and some coins. In her other hand is the box of cigarettes.

And Keith is struck frozen-still, because he isn’t supposed to talk to Lela about anything other than buying stuff. So he takes the money, the cigarettes, turns heel and walks away. Lela stutters a few wordless sounds behind him, but he immediately realizes he doesn’t know where he’s going. “Where’s the candy?” He asks.

“Aisle four,” she says, voice confused. When he looks at her for a long moment, she points at the ceiling. “The aisles are labeled.” Keith follows her finger just to see that yes, there are little numbered signs. He rushes over to aisle four.

These shelves do not appear to be fridge-shelves, but just regular shelves. They’re stocked with all kinds of things; toaster waffles and crackers and things he doesn’t recognize. But he follows the shelves until he finds the technicolor packaging he associates with candy; neon brights and big bubble letters. He very carefully reads the label on each one, looking for— ah!

He finds a bag of sour jawbreakers and immediately rushes back over to the counter. He throws the bag so hard the jawbreakers shudder in place. Lela raises her eyebrows down at him. He hands her the money she just handed him, wordless. His other hand is still holding the cigarettes.

Equally wordless, she takes the money. Punches some more things into her cash register. This time, she only hands him a few coins leftover. He swings his backpack to his front, unzipping it and sliding the cigarettes, the candy, and the coins inside. He carefully arranges them so they all sit upright. Then, he zips has bag back up.

“Orion,” she says.

Keith’s eyes go wide. Not even his dad recognized the constellation, and he was the one who bought Keith the bag for his birthday.

She mistakes his wide eyes for confusion, and nods to his bag. “It’s very cool. You like the stars?”

Amazement has Keith nodding, very slowly.

“I do too,” she smiles. “Tell you a secret,” she lowers her voice, and Keith leans in close to hear better. “I used to be a pilot.”

His eyes go even wider. A pilot? His dad was a pilot, too. Pilots are so lucky. They get to touch the sky.

“D’you like space?” She asks.

Keith nods.

“You wanna fly?”

Keith nods.

She reaches out, and he flinches. But she just smiles, and brushes her finger against the front of his bag. “It’s much prettier up close.”

Keith doesn’t say anything. He hugs his backpack closer to his chest. But he feels breathless as he nods. He steps back, looking at her as he backs up. Backs up and up and up, until he’s sliding back through the door and into the outside world. He only loses sight of her when the door is swinging shut again.

Keith isn’t sure why he’s blinking tears from his eyes, or why his heart feels so fragile in his chest. He’s eight now; he isn’t supposed to be such a baby.

[erijuice]

My Revision of Wish

As someone who loves the concept of Wish, I thought it was a decent addition to the Disney Animation Canon. I enjoyed the songs, the gorgeous hybrid artstyle, and the homage to Sleeping Beauty's wide cinemascope aspect. Unfortunately, the more I think about Wish, the more disappointed I was with the final product. For what was supposed to be a celebration of Disney's legacy, it ended up being shot with the blandification ray by the studio itself, because they had a lot of interesting concepts planned for the film. It's just impossible for me to hate Wish like everyone else on the internet, because I know there's passion behind this idea, it was just muddled and screwed over by the despicable corporate side of Disney.

Now, while I did love the final product and was also simultaneously disappointed over what it could’ve and should’ve been, I wanted to showcase my version of the film with a heavier emphasis on the wishing star’s untold origin story. This is actually an updated/edited version of my original draft, and I added a little bit of characterization as well.

SPOILERS FOR THE ACTUAL FILM BTW

Wish (in my version) is fully 2D-Animated, and contains music, orchestration and lyrics from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, with additional output from Julia Michaels.

Cast:

Alycia Pascual-Peña as Asha

Chris Pine as King Magnifico

Amara Le Negra as Queen Amaya

Roman Banks as Orion (Star)

Summary: 

“Have you ever wondered how the legendary Wishing Star was born?… Set in a time centuries before Snow White wished by the wishing well, or Geppetto wished for his little wooden puppet to become a real boy, Wish takes place in the medieval city of Rosas, a fantasy kingdom off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea where your wishes can literally be transformed into reality. The kingdom is ruled by King Magnifico (Chris Pine) and Queen Amaya (Amara Le Negra), respected by all as the kingdom’s sole wish-granters. They live happily in peace with their royal daughter named Asha (voiced by Alycia Pascual Peña), who was set to take her parents’ throne once she turned 17. 

Princess Asha is sharp-witted and wildly smart beyond her years: a young philosopher in the making, who believes that the stars are always there to guide her. She's a shy bookworm who is very creative, she draws animations in her notepad and paints with watercolors all over her bedroom, much like Rapunzel. Asha also wants to be a musician and to inspire the people with her music. While being devoted to her goal to ensure that everyone gets their wish to come true, Asha also struggles with poor leadership skills, and she doesn't know how to be a good leader to her friends, or her kingdom. Her parents seem to make it look easy, and sometimes Asha prefers to rely on them to make her dreams come true. However, Asha believes that a bigger and stronger wish requires a much more difficult journey, and in order to achieve her wish, she must confront her own parents, two of the fiercest and most powerful villains the Disney universe has ever known.

King Magnifico is almost the same as his canon depiction, except he has no backstory of him losing his family to destruction which would've make him more sympathetic, and does not mesh well with him being a villain. He uses his magic to remove wishes from people's hearts and keeps them in his own "wish orbs" for personal keeping, but we don't find out what he does with them until the first act. Before he praticed magic, he was a philosopher who believed in the power of the stars in the night sky, inspiring Asha to develop her belief that there is magic in the stars.

Queen Amaya is a female villain who is madly in love with Magnifico and pressures Asha to be a perfect royal daughter, much in the vein of Yzma and Maleficent, with shades of Mother Gothel. She is a black dark-skinned Latina, and Asha's birth mother. Queen Amaya owns has a pet cat assistant named Cleo, who is a callback to Maleficent's crow Diablo, or Lady Tremaine's cat Lucifer.

Alright, now back to the story!

On her 17th birthday, during a beautiful royal ball, Asha notices that her parents have wondered off from their thrones, and she uncovers a dark truth about both of her parents and how they want to keep the wishes of the people for themselves. Even worse, she peaks through the cracked door of the throne room to witness that the King and Queen are crushing the people's wishes, and infusing their energy, in order to make their own magic more powerful, and thus manipulating the townspeople and giving them the false hope of their wishes being granted. Asha tries to keep what she saw a secret from her parents, but she argues that the wishes must be free and sent back to the people. After a heated argument with her parents, she runs to the forest and makes a passionate cry for help to the stars, in the hopes that they will give her guidance and strength to help her entire kingdom. (‘This Wish’ is staying btw, but with adjusted lyrics) Her plea pulls down the brightest star out of the sky and transforms it into a glowing ethereal humanoid being without a name.

Here is where we meet Orion. Orion is THE wishing star of legend. He is a glowing, Black-coded, humanoid boy around the same age as Asha. Newly formed, he has no name and no sense of right or wrong, much like Pinocchio, but he reveals himself to be a powerful shapeshifter with magic celestial powers. The starboy is aided with the tiny, Luma-like canon version of Star, named Little Dipper, as his personal companion. Little Dipper is more mischevious than Orion, but it's also a powerful wish granter in a tiny celestial body. With a reworked, more orchestral version of "At All Costs", Orion takes Asha on a gorgeous flight, explaining his purpose to help Asha, as the duo sings in harmony above the stardust-sprinkled woodlands, with Little Dipper setting the scene. After the song ends, Asha tries to name all the constellations off the top of her head, and ultimately names the starboy Orion (serving as a subtle callback to Kiss the Girl). Asha brings Orion back to the kingdom, and she tries to teach him how to grant the peoples’ wishes. As the two plans to give the wish orbs back to the people, Asha notices that her parents are angered over the townspeople praising Orion’s descend, hoping that he will grant the wishes of all the people. Feeling threatened by Orion’s presence, the King and Queen scheme to use dark magic to kill Fate and steal her magic, so that they will remain as the only wish-granters in Rosas, but at the risk of permanently being surrendered to the dark side. (This Is The Thanks I Get, except it's reworked into a grand, badass, orchestral villain duet with Magnifico on the first verse and Amaya on the second verse)

Desperate to warn the kingdom about her parents’ true colors, Asha disguises herself (a la Sleeping Beauty) as a peasant girl, while Orion tries to disguise himself as a normal human boy. As the two try to grant the wishes of the townpeople who haven't given their wishes to the king and queen, the town descends into chaos with some wishes spiraling out of control. While it is a moment of hilarity, Asha and Orion come to a realization that some wishes should never be granted in the first place, as they're more likely to cause harm and chaos than pure good. The two comes across a group of seven teenagers modeled after the Seven Dwarfs, Asha's longtime team, and Orion starts to get to know each one of them, before planning a rebellion against her parents, and yet, Asha is secretly hesitant to disobey her parents, she confesses to Orion - in a short reprise of At All Costs - about how she used to be perfectly obedient and a perfect princess to her people. Meanwhile, Orion reveals to the Seven Teens that he’s still learning to grant wishes, but they also end up horribly wrong, but he comes to a realization that he shouldn't grant wishes that could cause harm, no matter how much they beg for it. The Teens make a promise to Asha that they will protect her secret, as well as Orion's. The duo and the teens team up to stop the King and Queen, with a reworked version of "Knowing What I Know Now."

During the epic climax, Orion and Asha create a diversion, with Asha freeing the wishes with her team and learning to be a good leader in doing so, while Orion shapeshifts into multiple forms to battle the King and Queen and distract them away from the castle, but they capture Little Dipper into the scepter, and use Dipper's magic to transform their cat Cleo into a giant dragon (akin to Maleficent's dragon form) that flies them to the top of the castle, with Orion chained up. The parents chain Asha to the top of the castle where the battle occurs, and they force their daughter to watch Orion suffer. Engulfed by the pain of losing her protector, Asha breaks into the This Wish reprise, as do the other residents of Rosas. The King and Queen try to push Asha off the castle to her death, but the townspeoples' voices lift her up, as does Orion's, and he uses his magic to make her float above in mid-air. Everyone's hearts beginning to glow and attract their wishes back to their hearts as they sing in unison. Orion transfers most of his celestial powers into Asha, who uses her temporary celestial powers to free Little Dipper from the scepter, and blast the King and Queen to their death, while Orion simultaneously creates a powerful sword to throw into Cleo's heart, killing her as well. After a moment of silence, Asha breaks down into tears and feels bittersweet that she’ll never have her parents again, but more optimistic about being the ruler the kingdom desperately needed - someone who will choose only the best wishes to come true. Orion comes down to Earth to comforts Asha with a hug, and the kingdom rejoices with the evil King and Queen gone for good.

Cut to a few months later with Asha hosting her first royal ball for Rosas, and dancing with Orion, similar to the endings of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. Before Orion flies back to the night sky to become the Wishing Star, he gets Little Dipper to create a magic wand and grants her the role of a honorary Blue Fairy guardian, transforming Asha’s purple queen gown into a beautiful, glittering, baby blue gown. Orion informs to Asha that Asha will be reincarnated into a true Blue Fairy after her time on Earth comes to an end, but Orion will descend back down to Rosas every now and then to help Asha. As a final gift, even though he admits his magic is not perfect just yet, Orion finally grants Asha’s wish and creates a lute for her to play for her people, but Asha realizes what her true wish was all along: To be a good leader to all of Rosas.

After Orion forms into the glimmering Wishing Star in the night sky above Rosas, Queen Asha looks down on the townspeople of Rosas with hope in her smile and she looks up at the wishing star above her, with a hope that everyone will have a wish to come true, because now, Queen Asha knows that there is no force, no magic more powerful than the power of a wish, for a wish is more powerful when it’s inside your heart.

Cut to a few nights later, after the credits have rolled, when Asha walks out onto the balcony above the kingdom. She pulls out a music sheet, and begins to play ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ for the stars, as an homage to Orion.

My version of Wish will also contain hundreds of Easter Eggs that all pay tribute to ALL 61 FILMS in the Walt Disney Animation Studios library, all worked seamlessly into the context of the story, not just containing the ones that inspire the film like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Anyway, all I’m saying is that Disney should’ve hired me and put me into the writers room, because as a Disney fan, I know how to make this story work and how to make it even better, and I hope you guys love this version of the story! Oh, and also, screw Disney for donating to a genocide. Goodnight Kingdom of Rosas!

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Hey my big me hehe.

Could you write Young!Tony, sunshine and the twins with the prompt “milk and cookies” (sweet and spicy bingo)

And the twins want to give Santa milk and cookies ans ask their parents if they can stay awake and in the living room to see Santa?

Thank you in advance hehe. 🩷🎃

Cookies for Santa

Pairing | Boyfriend!Dad!Young!Tony Stark x Girlfriend!Mom!Fem Reader

Word count | 1.6K

Summary | Your twins are very excited to be celebrating Christmas - but especially to see Santa. They're still too young to fully grasp the idea behind it, but you and Tony manage to come up with a plan to have Santa pay a little visit to your house, and the twins are very excited about finally seeing Santa bringing their presents.

Rating | General (G)

Warning(s) | Established relationship ~ Boyfriend/Girlfriend, use of nicknames ~ Sunshine, Love/My Love, Baby Boy, Baby Girl.

A/n | Thank you for this adorable request; it's the perfect timing, so I am thrilled to work on all this cuteness! It's fantastic to peek into their earlier life as parents; they melt my heart each time. I want to thank @ccbsrmsf1 for proofreading and melting with me. This has to be one of my favorite pieces, and your reactions made it even better! 🩵

Events Masterlist | Milk & Cookies | @sweetspicybingo Masterlist | "I don't know what I would do without you" | @marvel-smash-bingo

Banners: @vase-of-lilies | Divider: @firefly-graphics | GIF: Owner

Main Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist | AU Masterlist

This year will mark your third Christmas as a little family of four and the first Christmas in your new house. Last spring, you found a beautiful home during your work, ticking all the boxes you would need. It has room to expand your family, and it has been nearly six months since you moved here.

With Christmas fast approaching, the house has undergone a makeover, from a giant Christmas tree with presents under it to some artwork the twins have made and some bits of Christmas decor. It is starting to become a festive place already.

But now that Christmas is only a week away, you notice that your twins, Hudson and Orion, are getting impatient for Santa to visit the house.

''Mommy? Is Santa coming?'' your son Hudson asks as you're cuddling with him on the couch while Tony is bathing your daughter Orion.

''He won't be coming for another week, Baby Boy, just a little more patience,'' you tell him before giving him a small peck on his head, and he settles into your hold with a small sigh. You feel the butterflies soaring through your stomach as you look at your little miracle baby in your arms. How someone so small can be so adorable will never cease to amaze you, and you enjoy every minute of it while you still can.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Orion asks Tony the same question as he's drying her off, just done with her bath.

''Daddy? Will Santa come?'' she asks as she looks up at him with her big eyes, giving her a charming look that makes everyone who sees it melt over her. She has everyone wrapped around her little finger once she bats those doe-like eyes a few times.

''In a week, he will, Baby Girl. And when he does, you and your brother will get all the presents you could ever wish for!'' he tells her excitedly, and she cheers happily before Tony ruffles her curls with the towel to dry them off.

''Can we give milk and cookies to Santa?'' she then asks, and Tony nods.

''Of course, we can, and you can both make a drawing for Santa too for him to take as a thank you for bringing you presents,'' he offers, which makes her nod in excitement, too.

Not long after, she's dressed in a night pull-up and cozy pajamas, ready for one more bottle of warm milk before bed. The milk is made within minutes, and not long after, Tony lets himself and Orion plop onto the couch next to where you and Hudson were already cuddling.

''Here you go, Baby Boy,'' Tony says as he hands Hudson his dark blue bottle with the warm milk, and Orion has her purple one, too, before you turn to Tony to give him a peck on his lips.

''I don't know what I would do without you, My Love," you say as you let yourself melt against him, enjoying his warmth as you put on a cartoon for the kids to enjoy. With a slight smile, you listen to the kids babbling and drinking, just living in the moment.

''Let's hope we won't ever find out, Sunshine,'' Tony whispers against your loose curls, and after a soft kiss, he interlaces his fingers with yours, and all four of you cuddle like that until the bottles are empty and it's time to go to bed.

Over the next week to Christmas, you and Tony have been thinking long and hard about getting Santa to visit them because the twins would love to meet him. With only two days left, you suddenly get an idea and need to bring in some outside help for it.

Christmas Eve has officially arrived, and you just ate dinner, but now it's time to prepare everything for Santa's visit. You are all wearing matching Christmas onesies as you prepare the cookies and milk for Santa to eat and drink when he comes over.

''Here Mommy!'' Orion says enthusiastically as she brings over the box of chocolate chip cookies you baked earlier that day with the twins - well, they sprinkled in too many chocolate chips. At the same time, you did the rest, but it was a team effort either way.

''Oh, thank you, Baby Girl!'' you tell her as you get them from her, and you instruct her to get Hudson so they can both bring the cookies to the fireplace where Tony is setting the last things up.

You put three cookies on a plastic plate and hand the plate to Hudson and Orion, who carefully bring it to your boyfriend, who's patiently waiting for them, filming the entire time as they walk in, both holding the plate with two hands.

''Here, Daddy, Santa's cookies!'' Hudson says, and after careful instructions on where to put the cookies, you walk in with a cup of milk, and then all you need to do is wait for Santa to come by. You told the kids Santa won't fit through the chimney, so he will be coming through the front door instead, making it easier for you and Tony later on.

''Shall we watch a Christmas movie until Santa visits us?'' you ask, and the twins climb onto the couch, and you and Tony find your usual places before the twins find their places in your laps.

Orion is snuggled up against you today, and Hudson is happily cuddling with Tony as you put on a kid's Christmas movie. After about 30 minutes, the doorbell suddenly rings, announcing Santa's arrival. They both jump off your laps to run to the door, and you follow them while Tony stays behind to film the entire interaction in the living room.

''Santa!'' they scream in unison as the door swings open, and he's standing there with a bag of presents. Both twins wrapped themselves around his leg, and you didn't miss the wink he sent your way, which made you smile widely.

''Well, well, well! Have you two been good this year?'' he asks in a deep voice, and they happily cheer that they have been very good before you lead him to the living room, where the twins have already found their seats in front of the fireplace, ready for Santa to eat their cookies and drink the milk.

''You can sit in the big armchair, Santa; Hudson and Orion decorated it just for you,'' Tony says as he shows off the big chair, which has Christmas wrapping paper taped to it in big chunks, and he sits down with a loud huff.

After he sat down, the twins babbled happily away about everything and nothing, and Santa listened carefully to every last word they had to tell him, all while eating the cookies and drinking the milk. Not long after, they're both sitting on one of his legs as they each get a turn to ask what they want most for Christmas.

''So, Hudson, what would a big boy like yourself like to get for Christmas?'' he asks, and Hudson tells him that he wants new coloring pencils because he is sure that Orion broke them, even though it was, in fact, him who accidentally sat on them.

''And what about you, Orion? What would a big girl like you like to get for Christmas?'' he asks her, and without a shadow of a doubt, she tells him she wants a little brother or sister for Christmas.

You and Tony quickly look at one another with a look of surprise as a bit of blush spreads over both your cheeks. You have thought about expanding the family - you moved into a bigger house because of that, but it's not something you've been actively working towards right now.

''Well, maybe you should continue being a good sister to Hudson for a few more years, and eventually, you will have a little brother or sister; how does that sound?'' he asks her, and she nods in agreement. Then she asks him for a doll instead, which he can gift her this time around.

''There is time for me to visit more homes! I have many more children to bring presents, but I hope you will enjoy the ones I will leave here for you,'' he tells them before they climb off his lap, ready to wave goodbye.

''Thank you, Santa,'' the twins say in unison before he walks out the door, and before you walk into the living room, you decide to text ''Santa'', or Howard, more specifically.

''Thank you for making their Christmas unforgettable. I owe you.''

And with that, you run back into the living room to find the twins on Tony's lap as they're both telling him everything as if he didn't just witness every second of it. You stay in the door's opening as you lean against it, looking at the three biggest loves of your life.

Tony looks at you and gives you a wink before you walk over, too, and you join the big cuddle fest. The rest of the evening flies by in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, you are enjoying your third Christmas morning with your kids and your boyfriend.

''I can't wait to spend many more Christmases with you by my side, Sunshine,'' Tony tells you as he pulls you between his legs and sits on the floor, his back against the couch. The twins are ripping open their presents, and Tony attacks your neck with soft kisses as you giggle in response.

''Who knows, maybe we'll be celebrating Christmas with five of us in no time,'' you tease Tony, and you would both like that. Your family is already impressive, but one more little one would complete it, and you can't wait for that day to finally arrive.

''Who knows...'' he whispers, and with that, you both enjoy Christmas as a family and even for just a few hours, you can forget about everything going on outside as you're wrapped in the bubble of your family. You've never enjoyed a Christmas more than you are this year.

[loserboyfriendrjl]

queerdeadwizards' fic rec list

(a/n: if you do not see my friends' fics on here, it's because i am making a fic rec list where there are no fics of my friends; i might be subjective, and i am friends with amazing writers, so you can safely assume that i am recommending all of their fics.)

Sunflowers & Sweetpeas by katialena

Language: English, WIP. Current Word Count: 7,462

Found Family takes a lot of work, but there is always room for one more. Even while teenage romance gets... complicated?

Texting/Social Media Fic Part Three. In Progress.

marginalia by spindrifters

Language: English, WIP. Current Word Count: 192,506

This story began a long time ago. That part is already written. Nothing can be done about it now. It began with two young men—barely more than boys—who upended the world, magical and mundane alike. Grindelwald and Dumbledore, glorious leaders of the revolution, who brought wizardkind out of hiding and into the light during those last, violent days of 1899.

But a winter's night seventy-seven years later is where things really kick off.

Because Remus Lupin knows what to expect when you’ve been sold somewhere new. He knows it better than he ever thought he'd have to by this point. He knows how to survive. And Sirius Black is doing his best to just graduate Hogwarts and get himself and his brother away from this goddamn house. He's got it figured out by now. He has a plan.

Neither of them, however, had accounted for the other messing everything up by the mere fact of just existing.

(Or, the one where Sirius is heir to a pureblood first family and Remus is a half-blood servant, but a chance meeting leads to healing old wounds, stumbling into love, and just maybe accidentally kickstarting a revolution.)

you wouldn’t like me by crushofdoves

Language: English, WIP. Current Word Count: 20,339

It’s 2005 and Sirius is trying to figure out his gender, his brother, and his new crush.

My Only Sunshine by Loua29xx

Language: English, Completed Work. Word Count: 28,973

“Sirius Orion Black, you are charged with the murder of Remus John Lupin,” Sirius draws in a shaky breath at the name, “in regards to this offence, do you plead guilty or not guilty?”

Guilty.

*******

Standing trial for the murder of the man he loves most in the world, Sirius can’t help but look back on his time with the light of his life. His sunshine.

[phyriaxi]

Sketchbook Post! [ 1 ]

Welcome to my first sketchbook doodle dump!

I ended up having a bunch more drawings to share than I initially assumed, so I wanted to include some of my thoughts as well! This post will be quite a bit longer than usual :] thanks for stopping by!

CONTENTS:

NEW UNIVERSE (personal project work)

Sketches from life

Fanart (there's a lot of Arknights)

A couple of mini-comic sketches

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NEW UNIVERSE // character explorations and other doodles from my personal project!

I haven't really talked about it here, but for the past couple of years I've been working on an original story in my free time! The image above is a quick lineup of the main cast that I doodled while waiting at the station. Progress is slow, but the placeholder name is "NEW UNIVERSE", and I'm currently working on developing the stories for my characters and their origins!

(yes, i draw a lot of Arknights fanart ... but I do have some original work too LOL)

A couple characters you may have already seen are Lyda Khatra (the white-haired girl with bows in her hair) and Maria Serval (the lady who has horns and is usually smirking). They appear many times in my sketchbook, alongside many other characters that I'll try to introduce~

[ Clockwise from the top-left: Sara, Lyda Khatra, Kiron Schiavona, Red-Eye, Iris Serramount (2) ]

I recently found an old pack of red pencil leads prior to this page, so its purpose is mostly to test the material and less about the characters. But a bunch of them are on here, so I suppose it's a good chance to talk about them a bit :)

>> Sara, the top-left character drawn in light red pencil, is a young Verlin adult (note: Verlin are basically the in-universe demon people, and they're the counterpart to the angel-like Zaurites... it doesn't really give them powers or anything, I just wanted characters with horns and halos lol). She's pretty aloof and was originally a scout for the Blackbird Syndicate, one of the three power-holding entities currently in control of the (tentatively-named) city of Midria. However, she was quite terrible at her job, and they eventually realized that Sara enjoyed making/maintaining records of Midria's various fauna and cryptids. She is often followed around by a trio of little eyeball creatures :D

>> Lyda Khatra is the next character here, whom I've drawn a couple times before and posted here. In short, she's an agent for a security company known as WALTZ, which is in turn a subsidiary/cover of a group called The Styx. On missions, she partners with a boy named Sasha, but due to his unique condition (which I'm still expanding on, so I won't explain it here), she is often outcast by other WALTZ members and nicknamed "Miss Mortician". Truthfully, Lyda is just a child who ran from home, who believes that she won't ever have to acknowledge her fears if she can delude herself enough.

>> Following Lyda is Kiron Schiavona. He's a prodigy marksman who was discovered by one of the Administration's commanders, Elena Sparrow. He takes pride in his abilities, but for whatever reason, Elena has rarely assigned him to any proper missions.

>> Red-Eye is up next, in her usual twin-tailed hairstyle. She is from the Blackbird Syndicate's courier department, which is pretty much the city's only remaining postal/courier system. As a highly capable messenger, she and fellow courier Orion take on many high-priority delivery, retrieval, and escort missions. (additional note: I used to draw her with only one red eye, but somehow the heterochromia felt boring after a while, so both her eyes are usually red now. But either is fine)

>> Last on this page is Iris Serramount. Her story continues to be revised and rewritten, so there's not much I can say about her yet (except that she's 19, which is a fact that has stuck throughout most of her iterations).

Some other characters that I don't draw as often include Myra ("Malady"), Seremi and William Khatra (Lyda's older siblings who work for the Administration), and to a lesser extent, Maria Serval. Red-Eye's coworker/partner Orion doesn't get much time in the spotlight either :P

The following group of images includes a bunch of their sketches. Seremi is the one with the chin-length messy hair + a cape. She and Maria have a lot of history, and the two of them still work in the same division to this day. Myra/Malady is the one with the choppy hair, holding a chain-scythe in the third (?) image. Her original concept had her as a cowardly clairvoyant trying to take back her life for herself, but the clairvoyance isn't really relevant to the story anymore. Orion is in the last image.

(Yes, I did draw Arknights' Lappland with my Maria Serval in the first one. I'm a big fan of their 'shit-eating grin' energy lol)

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Sketches from/inspired by life // quick studies of people and places, often at the park

I'm lucky to live near many wonderful parks and greenspaces, which gives me a lot of opportunities to people-watch and draw from life. Admittedly, I only started taking advantage of this recently, but I'm glad to have started late rather than never :]

Also, I have access to this really awesome roof, which I take inspiration from in a couple of these drawings. It's in a pretty industrial but under-maintained area, but luckily that means there are lots of rusty pipes, worn bricks, and random metal gadgets that really scratch my aesthetic itch!! I hope to incorporate more of that visual feeling into my artwork going forward.

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FANART DOODLES // unsurprisingly, it's mostly Arknights

This is probably the content you're the most familiar with, albeit in a different style than usual. At this point, Lappland is my warm-up and passtime go-to, so she shows up a lot. I also drew Asuka from Evangelion the other day, and I really like how that sketch turned out!

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MINI-COMICS // doodles of scenes that popped into my head

I'm terrible at writing, especially when it comes to stories, so these are probably mediocre at best. But I hope to publish NEW UNIVERSE as a comic/manga-styled story eventually, so you could say these are just my first steps, hehe :]

1: Red-Eye and Courier receive an unconventional request

2: Commander Sparrow introduces Kiron to his new squad members, the Raptors (featuring Maria Serval being very snarky)

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That'll conclude this sketchbook post! If you've read this far: I know this was a REALLY long post, but I hope it was enjoyable! I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

There are a couple more drawings that I'm quite fond of, but unfortunately I've now hit the image limit for a tumblr post. Maybe I'll save them for next time :] I hope to make more posts like this in the future when I have the time. Usually the stuff in my sketchbook stays in there forever and I never share it with anyone (nor do I often take the time to look back and think about it), so this was a lot of fun for me!

>> Oh, and lastly, thank you very much for nearly 500 followers!! <3

[carewyncromwell]

Carewyn felt like her heart was being squeezed. “Orion…”

She shifted forward and almost made to get off the bed, but Orion quickly knotted the bandage on her hand and clutched it between both of his. He raised his head to look her in the eye.

“I can’t act like I knew, or even thought seriously, that our stars would align again…but even with that…I’d imagined a life much better than this for you.”

Carewyn’s eyes grew a little smaller upon his face.

“…You thought of me?”

Something flickered at the back of Orion’s eyes – was it uncertainty? His gaze flitted back down to their hands.

“…Yes,” he murmured. “Not…constantly, but…the memory of your voice was very soothing, on the most restless nights at sea.”

Carewyn stared down at Orion. The faint shyness in his expression, for the first time, made him suddenly look just like that boy again – the bruised, scared, trembling boy she’d tended to and sang to sleep…

“I suppose…that was what I’d imagined, mostly,” said Orion, his voice lower than ever as he looked up at her again. “That you’d have married a man who you’d look after and sing for.”

~POTC AU, Part 2: A Maid in Bedlam

 x~x~x~x

Ahhh, my kids!! My pirate kids!! 🥹

Ahem. Yes, a while back, I did the top sketch as a “redo” of the original drawing from the section cited above, back in April...and I figured I’d not only color that sketch, but redo the other part of that original doodle, likewise in color! How much progress can happen over the course of two and a half years!

I actually am working on a little prelude fic focused around that fateful first meeting of Carewyn and Orion’s during the POTC AU, which I’m hoping to have finished before the end of next week. It’s been really nice to revisit this AU again after so long, since even if I’ve become more thorough with the AU’s I’ve written since, I have such a soft spot for both the time period and the roles my kids play in the plot. ^.^ I mean, come on, Orion was practically born to play witty (Captain!) Jack. 💚

Look alive, mateys! Have a magical day! xoxo

[kalahannikolai]

My own personal rendition of Optimus Prime! A big chonky boi, with some rather unique aspects that surely mean nothing plot-wise. It was also one of the earliest designs I ever did. He looks mostly as good as he does because I used a picture of a figurine as both reference and design inspiration, and it was this bad boy right here.

Lore and backstory below!

In ages past, a young spark by the name of Orion Pax sought to be a force for good among his people. He began his journey by first being a librarian, learning within the great hall of Iacon. He knew he had much to learn about Cybertron's history and culture, and he wanted to know all that he could. The young bot could never explain it, but he had an insatiable urge to know all there was to know.

The prime in charge of Iacon, the ancient being known as Alpha Trio, carefully watched and shepherded the growth of this intriguing prospect. The wise and knowledgeable figure saw that there was more than met the eye with him. And so centuries passed under the prime's tutelage, but as he learned Orion only grew more distressed.

Countless millennia that were wrought with division, coercion, and strife. A caste system meant to oppress and control the population, corrupt primes that sought conquest across the stars. All of it was an affront to their history, to the core of who they were all meant to be. And when one of his dearest friends, Shadowmancer Prime who led the khadracons, took their people and left for freedom among the stars.

It wounded Orion to know end, for the khadracons were the descendants of Cybertron's first born children. They could claim the lineage of the ancient predacons. Now that they had gone, only what few of their numbers chose to let go of their khadracon insignias and remain behind would keep the memory alive. This devestation would only be felt by Orion Pax, and in secret by Alpha Trion.

Fury and injustice would draw Orion Pax out of the library of Iacon, where he would enlist as one of the peacekeepers of the planet. But unlike the others who only perpetuated Sentinel Prime's rhetoric and prejudices, Orion actually fought for peace. He fought for the actual inherent rights of their peoples, and this would lead him into a friendship with the bold Megatron who fought his way out of the gladiatorial pits.

They would share in a glorious friendship for many long years, until time would erode all things as it always does. Megatron would succumb to his hatred, and Orion would have to stop him. But he would not do so alone, as Alpha Trion would push him to find the Matrix of Leadership. A long lost relic belonging to an ancient prime from the first days, it would choose Orion as its new herald and he would become Optimus Prime

More a prime than there had been for millennia, Optimus Prime formed his autobot resistance and stood against Megatron's conquering decepticons. It would be a grueling Civil War, and one that would shake the foundations of the universe. As Unicron himself was poised to destroy everything they held dear, a truce would be forged as all of Cybertron's children banded together to defend it.

In the wake of this peace, Optimus gathered those who would follow and left to seek out Shadowmancer's footsteps. The khadracons would be found and reunions were had, but the peace Optimus had fought for would not last much longer. Not when the darkness hidden deep beneath Fódlan would soon dig its talons into everyone.

[lunapwrites]

Favorite Lines, Snippet Smonday, etc...

Okay, I was tagged in MANY things recently, and I'm going to probably kill many birds with a single post. Thank you to @femme--de--lettres, @spindrifters, @greenvlvetcouch, @bluestringpudding, and @bluesundaycake for the tags over the last week or two (and others who I am probably forgetting but appreciate just as much!)

This whole section absolutely tickles me. Just... Remus being 100% in the zone and only vaguely aware of Problems occurring around him while he's doing nerd boy shit. XD

Downstairs, the front door slammed open. (“FILTH! BEAST! MUGGLE-LOVING WHORE—” “INCENDIO — oh, bugger all!”) “Can you check that?” Remus muttered, prodding a bind rune to shift it ever so slightly to the left.  Seven degrees, maybe? No, too much —  five should suffice. Sirius huffed, his footsteps carrying him out of the drawing room and into the hall. “Hullo Annie, nice to see you Annie, thank you for setting fire to the drapery again Annie—” “Not now — is Nymphadora here?” Sod it. Quicker to just rebuild the whole bloody thing from the ground up at this point. And if he took it piece by piece, it shouldn’t come crashing down on him — that was the tricky bit. One wrong move and he could wind up blowing them all to kingdom come. Or he could wind up giving someone a duckbill or something. Magic was funny like that. “No? We haven’t seen her since she left for work. I thought she was having dinner with you tonight.” But he could use Orion and Sirius’ work as a foundation and just… make something that made a little more sense based on that. Wards for detection, protection, alarms, maybe even slipping in an apotropaic talisman because, quite frankly, Remus was at his wit's end, so he might as well get creative with it. “She was supposed to, yes, but she never came home.” If he worked from the outside in and just… replaced wards as he went, that would be the most sensible approach. But then he’d probably need to go back and adjust them again after he’d replaced the central bind rune, and he really didn’t want to keep fucking around with it. That was just asking for trouble, it was. “Well, she’s probably just been kept late at the office—” “That was my first thought, but we already asked Kingsley, and he said she left at her usual time. She’s not there.” If he was quick and careful about it — and he typically was — he could hot-swap a new core in and then build the rest out before it all backfired. Take a little planning, but he could get there. Probably.

Remus. Remus, no.

Anyway, this is extremely rough draft but I do like how it's turning out as of right now.

I'd tag someone else but honestly idk what I'm even tagging for at this point hahaha.

[saturnsstufff]

Epolouge: The Empress

Warnings: slight NSFW

"Thena, sweetie, you can't play with that-" Techno warned to his child, moving the wrapped sword away from her tiny hands.

"But Daddy- you said you'd teach me!"

As Athena got older it was obvious she shown sides of taking after her father. Her curiosity in weaponry, speech, and body language told you that much. But, to be honest, you didn't mind.

You would admit, after being away from the toxicity of the empire, and the people it entailed, life was much simpler, and way more humble. It was homey, something far more than the large palace was. Instead of large marble floors, tall lengthy walls, and perfect matching fabrics, the cozy cottage home Techno and you built was made of warm, strong logs, wooden floors that gave off a warm glow, mismatched blankets and curtains that hung with care, showing they were frequently opened and closed. It was perfect for your small family. You adored it.

After the fall of your kingdom and the near escape you all had, life was hard to adjust to. Techno was distant, scared he would lash out at you again like he did in the library. You wanted to tell him it was ok, that it was a terrible misunderstanding between the communication, and the people holding the letters. Yet, the way he grabbed you still had you hesitant. You could still remember the first few months within the tundra.

Your eyes watched the brute cut more logs. The way he moved the axe, you wouldn't have expected him to be a once prestigious emperor. Instead he looked like a boy far past his years- someone overly exhausted.

The baby in your arms was easily fast asleep. Warm and cozy from the near fireplace, and if that wasn't enough, her mothers arms and chest opted as a warm cushioned resting place.

The past month was hard, both mentally and physically. Between the tension techno and you had, and the fear of Athena getting too cold from no true shelter, you both were at your wit's end. Thankfully Techno and Phil worked to built a small shelter. Something you could rest Thena in, well the three of you worked to build a more suitable home for a family.

The rocking chair you were seated in offered a soothing place to think back on it, of course your thought's were disrupted when Tech walked back inside the home. Logs over his shoulder for the fire, not wanting it to die out and bring the tundra chill into the home.

"Did she fall asleep finally?..." he asked softly, setting the logs down. Although he walked over to the two of you, he didn't rub his finger on her cheek like he normally would, he probably had sap on his hands from the wood. Something that was now normal.

Your smile came easy to his tone "yeah, she zoned out pretty quickly after she ate. You were right about rice cereal, she's not as hungry anymore" your eyes went up to meet with his. His smile was just as gentle as yours. "Where did you even hear about it?"

"I was curious if it would... I was trading in the village and I herd it from a elderly woman" he explained, moving to the sink to wash his hands off.

Your curiosity perked at this.

"You did?"

He hummed and wondered back, sitting on the couch, still respecting the space you wished. Just because you two were married didn't mean it was all sunshine and rainbows. Things were still healing, you still got weary around his touch after the library incident, and he was still blaming himself for the years you were alone. He didn't feel like you could forgive him so easily- he knew you shouldn't.

"Mhm. She saw me looking at a small plush and rattle. She asked if I had any children or if they were for a friend... I explained I had a fussy infant... she kind of laughed and told me a few ways to avoid it..." his cheeks went pink as he glanced away.

It was easy to believe Sarah tampered with the letters, the tech in the letters was cold and distant about children. Where the one you laid with every night cooed, and played with his daughter, eager to show her the world. One thing he did for her almost made you break down in tears.

Due to fleeing for your lives, Athena no longer had toys, blankets, or anything she needed. She even lost her plush, the one she slept with every night. When she was particularly fussy one night, you explained to techno why. Of course he was saddened too, he didn't wanna hear his little girl cry, no parent did. So the next day he found some scrap fabric and sewed together a small Pig for her. You would always remember how eagerly she pulled it into her arms.

In the end. It was easy to see Technoblade was a family man.

When night time rolled around, you were thinking back on all the nights techno held you close. After his return you both slept with a bit of distance between you. The first night you both were tightly within each other's arms, too scared to loose each other again. But after that something about laying tightly like everything was ok didn't feel right. So the two of you kept a bit of distance, easily a hands reach away if needed.

Tonight however, you wanted tech to hold you. You wanted old times back, the endless giggles, the warm arms, slight smirks, his nose in your neck content with life. You missed it so much.

So when Techno crawled into bed, you fallowed in suit, but instead of crossing over him for your place by the wall, you sat atop straddling his waist. The action alone was enough to make him pink, and curious. His hands didn't rest on your hips, rather you guided them to rest there yourself, showing it was ok for him to touch you.

You could feel how hesitant he was. He didn't want to scare you, drive you away farther than you already were.

"Princess... what are you doing?" He asked softly, admiring your form above him, dearly missing the sight deep down.

"Tech I miss you... I miss you holding me, making love to me, whispering how much you love me... I miss how close we were..." you said slightly pained.

He drew a slight breath, the air coming out shaky. "Darlin'- Princess... look... I miss it too... But I hurt you... I accused you of sleeping with Orion, i also assumed you hated me... It made me draw my sword to you... it made me Grab you-" he was cut off by you.

"And I forgive you... it's in the past... we can move forward... I mean... I'm assuming you wouldn't do it again..." you said slowly, watching him discard your hips for your hands.

"Ill never raise a hand, or blade to you again... never again... God's I love you too much to even think of hurting you like I could have... Your all I have..." he said softly, tearing up slowly. Thinking back on it, he hated how he acted, he was hurt and took it out in rage, he took it out on the one person who endlessly loved him.

After talking out how you two truly felt, you tried to make love again, the action felt odd, yet long awaited, Both of you desperate to feel one another after so long without each other, but sadly when Tech moved you under him, you watched his eyes well with tears before he fully broke down in tears.

Their may have not been physical intimacy shared, yet the wounds of words, and actions began to slowly heal, and it all started with techno burring his face into your chest, his sobs drowned out by the wild wind outside the cabin.

Your thoughts were shaken from your mind as you watched your daughter try to charm tech into teaching her sword play.

"You promised!" She said, hoping it would budge the stubborn Brute.

"Yeah, well I promised your mother a new ring too and all she got was another one of you-" he said scooping Thena up into his arms, holding her upside down to get her to laugh.

"Yeah well she can take Ares back! I don't want a brother!" Thena said, sounding like she meant it. "He’s annoying and he always cries at night" she explained, finding her reasoning good enough.

"It sounds like you when you were his size" you said with a smile, stepping up beside your husband, almost eye level with your child. "Ares is young, he'll grow up and get quite darling. Crying is his only way of communicating he needs something" you explained, moving your head so you were somewhat looking her in the eyes.

When tech started to tickle her, it brought smiles to you both. Over the years her giggle, and laugh had become your shared favorite sound. Athena was so innocent and pure, she was the only hope that had survived the darkness of the empire. Luckily out of that darkness came a stronger relationship between you and Tech, even if it took time to develop again.

Without the empire down his throat, he had become much more relaxed. Even his voices seemed to dull down quite a bit. Not only that, but with his son born he felt more at home than he ever had.

This was, and always will be better than what you suffered. This was the life you and Technoblade deserved, after every tooth and nail fought for normality, this was rewarding. This was home.

[praxcrown5]

Hooo!  Boy!  It's good to be working on War and Wings stuff, again.   I'm celebrating the 10 year anniversary of my Transformers Prime fanfic: War and Wings.  As part of the celebration, I'm planning to edit each of the chapters, as well as release new artwork for each chapter.  Don't worry; I'm not going to change anything major.  I just want to edit for readability and to close up some plot holes that were missed during the initial release. So, to kick things off, I think it's high time that Io gets her own reference sheet.

 I'm also including an extended biography, since we really don't get to delve much into her backstory in WAW.

Here’s a link to chapter one of the fic (unedited as of right now...but that’ll change once I finish another character ref).

https://www.deviantart.com/praxcrown5/art/War-and-Wings-Chapter-1-part-1-Truth-or-Dare-304027044

Enjoy

Name: Io of Nova Cronum Age: Approximately 250, 000 earth years (by the time WaW starts) Profession: Medic and CaranologistStatus: Offline Eons before the Decepticon/Autobot war, Io studied caranology--a mathematically intensive subdicipline of enerology--under the tutelage of Flash Point and Olefin, two prominent researchers in Nova Cronum.   The two scientists used their power and influence to collect Io as a raw protoform from the Well of Allsparks.  They took the protoform back to their lab and used Olefin's knowledge of protoform matter to shape her body, giving her her first altmode (hovercraft).  She would begin studying caranology as soon as she finished her general education courses at the Iacon Academy.  Within a few dozen vorns, she had advanced so much in the field that 'bots, including her formers, began calling her a "prodigy," and she was sent to the Nova Cronum Research Institution to hone her studies.   She would continue on there until just before the Rust Plague forced Cybertron to destroy it's expansive space bridge network.  With energon supplies dwindling due to rampant use in the ages prior, Io would rejoin her formers and together with a cabal of other scientists, would begin the seemingly impossible task of trying to create synthetic energon.   During the age of Rust, Io would be introduced to the world of underground gladiatorial combat by one of her research partners.  She never participated in any matches, as her body wasn't designed for combat.   However, she would become sympathetic to calls for social equality that were being expounded by bots like councilor Soundwave, Orion Pax and Megatron.  As time went on, the functionism of old began to regain steam, and many bots in the research caste began to draw ever more arbitrary lines between themselves and those whom they considered socially inferior.  When Io's own research cabal began to drift in this direction, Io left in protest.  Her formers didn't want her to go, as they felt that her viewpoints may help influence the rest of the cabal, but ultimately left the decision up to her.  She flew to Kaon where she became a vocal supporter of Megatron and his more radical ideas of social reform. After Halogen's assassination, she would side with Megatron and his "decepticons", hoping that her knowledge of caranology could be put to good use.  However, she soon found out that the 'Cons cared little for what they considered "intellectual pursuits," and after being dismissed by Shockwave, was sent to the Kaon slums to serve as a medic and prostitute.  She was reformatted into a jet to make her more appealing to Decepticon soldiers.   Despite hating her new life, her talents in "medicine" earned her some sympathy from her y'vst, and she was allowed to leave the slums from time to time to practice flying and marksmanship in the nearby Sonic Canyons.  Eventually, her favorable reputation in the slums (combined with a bribe of several thousand shanix) earned her a place in an aerial gladitorial match called the toib'ai'lov Tournament.  She earned high enough marks that she was recruited to the 4th tactical bombing division under Commander Dreadwing, where she would partake in numerous, aerial offensives against Autobot ground forces.  Between battles, her medical skills were still used to "boost morale," and as time went on, she began to wonder if joining the Decepticons was really worth all of the pain. Eventually, the Decepticon front reached Praxis, and the ensuing stalemate saw a pause in the war.  Megatron, furious over the outcome, ordered Bruticus Maxiumus, and a legion of loyal gladiators, to invade Nova Cronum.  The citizens of the city were given an ultimatum:  Join Megatron or die.   The citizens, including Io's formers, held fast to their position of neutrality, and were slaughtered.  The city was shelled until nothing was left in the aftermath but pools of molten slag.   When news of Nova Cronum reached Kaon, Io deflected.  If Megatron was willing to inflict such horrors upon unarmed scientists, what was to stop him from doing the same to his own followers.?  She flew to the ruins of Praxis, ripped out her decepticon insignia in front of the startled Autobots allowed herself to be shackled and carted off to Iacon where she was interrogated by Prowl for nearly three orns.  Once it was discovered that she was a very qualified medic and caranologist, she was sent to the Iacon Academy and assigned to an old scientist named Drive System.  Drive System, suffering from Decepticon prejudice and jealous that Io was more talented of a scientist than him, attempted to blackmail her for her research.  Io, in a blind rage, tries to kill him, but is apprehended quickly and sent to the decagon.  After ten orns of confinement, her probation begins and she is sent to the Iacon Clinic and Triage Facility to serve as Ratchet's shield and assistant.   https://www.deviantart.com/praxcrown5/art/War-and-Wings-Chapter-1-part-1-Truth-or-Dare-304027044

[quillsanddaydreams]

starry henna

sirius black x desi!reader

—author’s note: this was something I'd been waiting to write since forever. Requested by @sirisuorionblack, thank you so much bby I loved writing it. I hope you enjoy! Sirius attends your sister's wedding which finally makes him confess his feelings.

—warning(s): mentions of food and drink. female!reader (pronouns aren’t used, but is implied).

—word count: 1,754

You adjusted your bangle, before taking a last look at yourself. The traditional salwar you chose for the day was growing on you. Your sister called you, struggling to tie the threads at the back of her dress. Taking them from her hand, you made a beautiful butterfly knot, moving to take a final glance at her. She bit her lip, raising her eyebrows.

“Kaisi lag rahi huun? (How do I look?)” she asked, moving a strand of her hair nervously as you smiled at her encouragingly.

“Bahut sundar, (Very beautiful)” you said softly, hugging her. She sighed. “Itni kya jaldi hai shaadi karne ki? Thoda ruk nahi sakte the? (Why did you have to rush to marry? Couldn't you wait for a bit?)”

She chuckled, pulling back, holding both your arms.

“I’m gonna miss you too, not more than my room though,” she laughed, lightening the mood. She always seemed to know how to do that.

“Now let’s go, we wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting. Especially that boyfriend of yours,” she said a knowing look on her face as you felt your cheeks warm. You protested.

“He’s not my boyfriend—”

“Not yet,” she said, cutting you off. Something about her smirk told you; you couldn’t argue with her. But then again, you didn’t want to.

The two of you moved out of your room, placing the hotel key safely in your bag. It was rather silent in the elevator, you knew your sister was anxious about the ceremony. Not that one could tell that as soon as you arrived at the hall. You gasped taking in the changed decorations. Colorful, studded umbrellas hung from the ceiling and small couches were placed along the edges of the room— mehendi artists sat there with people surrounding them with open palms. Everyone’s eyes landed on your sister as she beamed and greeted them gracefully. You wondered whether you could ever be as elegant as her.

You gazed across the room looking at your cousins, mausis, and other members of the extended family. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Seeing James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter at the back near the food stands; you made your way over to them. They looked charming in kurtas you had bought with them earlier. And what a shopping trip had it been.

“No but you have to get it, it’s what today is about—” James said to a tired-looking Remus.

“What is today about?” you asked, amused. They wheeled towards you, their faces lighting up.

“Tell Remus he must get henna,” James pleaded, and Remus swayed his head wildly.

“Well,” you started smugly. “It wouldn’t hurt.”

Remus groaned making Peter snort. You faced Sirius who was staring at you wordlessly. Ignoring the tickling in your stomach, you asked him, “Are you not getting one too?”

Sirius shook himself a little, before releasing a cough.

“Well, I was hoping you would apply some on me,” he said as you raised your eyebrows.

“Me?” you asked, incredulously.

“You are quite the artist and the tattoo would mean more with you making it,” he said. “If you want, of course.”

“I would like that,” you said after a beat.

“You’re looking stunning today by the way,” Sirius added. “You do everyday, but this dress…”

“And we’re invisible again,” James said before you reply. Remus let out a laugh patting him.

“Bet they wouldn’t have noticed if we slowly moved away,” Peter snickered.

Sirius shoved his shoulder casually as you picked up a drink to hide your expression.

“I think you should get your henna done now,” you said, seeing your sister sit down at the head of the room, the henna women sitting by her sides and taking her hands. “I got mine done in the morning. It would take time to dry.”

As James and Peter took Remus away unwillingly, you shifted towards Sirius.

“Come, I’ll find a cone to make some on you,” you told Sirius, taking him by his hand. Moving to one of the couches you asked for some spare henna. The boy nodded, giving you a fresh cone along with some cotton swabs and cleanser.

The two of you proceed to sit at a corner and you put a cushion over your leg for support.

“Where would you like me to draw?” you asked as he offered you his left palm dramatically, running the other hand through his hair— picture of a model. You giggled.

“And what exactly do you want it to look like?” you asked, placing your hand on your cheek.

“I didn’t think much about that,” he pondered. “I do like those vines on yours? Uh— make whatever you like.”

You hummed, thinking. Perchance you did know what exactly would suit him. Cleaning his hand with a cotton swab, you took a cone in your hand and started making little footprints from his thumb to his pinky finger. Sirius inhaled sharply when he realized what you were drawing.

“Tsk, stay put,” you said as Sirius sat up straighter. He looked on to what you created keenly. You caught him gazing at you instead more often than not, making it harder for you to concentrate.

“You never quite told us what this is about,” he said after some time. “I mean it’s pretty great, people getting temporary tattoos before a wedding. And from what I’ve learnt from staying here, everything has a meaning. Does it have a story too or?”

“It’s supposed to wish the bride prosperity and happiness,” you said, remembering what your mother told you when you asked her the same. “A saying goes that the darker someone’s henna becomes, the more loving their partner is.”

“Oh?” he asked curiously, looking at your hands. “If your henna becomes darker later— it would be because of some lover?”

You chuckled.

“Well, according to the saying yes,” you shook your head. “In reality, it depends on your skin and what kind of powder you use to make the mehendi. But it’s pretty to believe the saying, don’t you think?”

“If you have someone in mind, then yes,” he replied.

“Do you?”

Sirius eyed you intensely. Your heart beat faster awaiting his answer.

“I do,” he said. For a moment neither of you looked away from each other. The dholak began to play startling you both out of the trance. You peeked at him and then got on to make little paws to complete the design. Neither of you dared to speak again. The tension seemed almost unbearable.

“Tada!” you said on adding the finishing touches. Sirius observed the design, seemingly delighted with it.

“It’s so pretty,” he hushed. “The paws, the footprints... brilliant! I wish I could do the same for you...”

“You can actually” you said all of a sudden. Sirius furrowed his eyebrows as you explained further. “There is a small space left here you could make something on.”

“You would like that?”

“I would love it,” you gaped as Sirius shook his head. “You can do it, please Sirius, that way we both would have made each other a tattoo.”

“I’m not great at art,” he pointed out. “And what would I even make?”

“Make the Orion belt,” you said, ignoring the heat rising in your ears. “I saw those gorgeous astronomy projects you made and I would love something starry and tied to you too.”

Sirius blushed, abashed.

“If you want that,” he said. You handed him the used cone, having won, and laid out your palm to him.

Carefully marking up the stars he began to fill them in. You bit your lip watching Sirius work. His hair fell over his face, curls licking his skin. He was so caught up in work that he seemed to forget everything nearby.

“I know I’m handsome but I won’t be able to work with you looking at me like that,” he said, unmoving. You flushed, mummering you weren’t making Sirius smirk widen.

“Of course you weren’t.”

Sirius heaved a sigh sitting back, letting you regard the stars.

“It’s beautiful—”

You wanted to say more but your cousin Ruuhan came beside you, grabbing your arm to get your attention.

“Come dance, everyone is!” he said as you grinned. You looked at Sirius in silent question as he shook his head telling you to go on. Your mausis and other cousins were already dancing when you were pulled in. Laughing you moved along with them, dragging your sister to dance along with you.

You spent the night eating, dancing and having fun. The marauders joined you— you gave them your best puppy dog eyes when they said no. Amidst everything, you couldn’t remember the last time you had been this happy. It felt like a high. A happy high. One you never wanted to escape.

The next few days passed in a blur and it was almost too soon you were walking your sister through the grounds to marry the girl she loved. Wrapping an arm with hers you watched all the eyes on you two. Sirius stood along with the marauders, gasping a little when he saw you. You gave him a small nod, expecting him to wink back or give a teasing look, but it never came. He looked at you like he was seeing stars for the first time. Angling your attention towards your sister, you stepped forward. Handing over her hand to her fiancée, you watched your sister get up on the stage. Tears welled up in your eyes. Sirius came to stand beside you and took your hand in his. Squeezing it a little, you gave him a reassuring glance.

“You know; the past few days I’ve realized something,” Sirius said quietly as the ceremony moved on. You gestured for him to continue.

“Love should be celebrated, grandly because,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Because you shouldn’t be afraid to show off the one you adore to all around you. What I couldn’t understand however; what were we supposed to do if all others except the person knew about the affection you had for them?”

You sucked in a breath, waiting for him to continue. Sirius took your hand in his, running his fingertips along with the stars he drew.

“I love you,” he whispered so softly you almost missed it. Your heart leaped as he avoided your eyes. You cradled his face, making him look at you. His grey eyes shone angelically under the fairy lights.

“I love you too, Sirius,” you said, pulling him close. The two of you sat with an arm around the other, watching your sister take her vows for life.

—as for the taglist: I don’t make taglists, I have a blog @from-my-quill ​ ​ which is updated whenever I post fanfiction. You could have the notifications on for it and it will work just like me tagging you.

⟨⟨REBLOGS AND FEEDBACK ARE APPRECIATED⟩⟩

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Manuscript Search Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @asher-orion-writes and @inkspellangel! :D

Words: bright, sun, eyes, shadow, box, call, trouble, light and smile. These are from The Power and the Glory, Totentanz and Like Snow on Hungry Graves:

Bright:

On the bright side, Karandren hadn't been lying about the spell-books. They'd been the contents of the Imperial Library before the country fell to the Bone-Worshippers. How they had survived when those lunatics hated magic of all sorts was probably a testament to the hypocrisy of the High Priests.

Sun:

Hariye slid down into the ditch. It was muddy, but the water soothed his aching muscles and the hedge shielded him from the sun. He lay there for a long time. Birds chirped overhead. A rabbit poked its head out of the hedge, spotted him, and immediately bounded away. Once he heard footsteps on the road. He tensed until he heard children's high voices. No one else came along the road.

Eyes:

The stranger stared right at Mirio. His eyes were unusually large even for a Saoridhin and the colour of silver. Not like Abi's eyes, which were a shade of silver that was closer to pale bluish-grey, but pure silver like the metal. The effect was extremely eerie and almost frightening.

Shadow:

Ilaran was there, older again than he'd been last time but still not quite an adult. If she had to guess she'd say he was about the same age as she was now. Another man stood opposite him, a blond man several decades older than him and in mud-stained travelling clothes. Abi was amused to note how the two men couldn't have looked more like opposites if they'd tried. The blond man was quite short, had a square jaw and wavy hair, and wasn't overweight but certainly wasn't underfed either. Ilaran was tall, had a very angular face and straight hair, and looked even thinner now than he did as an adult. The two of them put side-by-side could serve as personifications of substance and shadow. Yet there was a vague resemblance between them, just enough for her to remember the blond boy from the first time she'd arrived in Ilaran's memories.

Box:

If the gods themselves had descended from on high the gathered people could hardly have been more dumbstruck. They hardly noticed anything about the newcomers themselves; they were much too distracted by the blood-stained sword one of them had in their hand and the large box the other held to their chest. The High Priest looked around for his guards. They were supposed to stay in the palace out of sight, but to keep an eye on proceedings from the windows. If anything untoward happened they should have rushed out to defend him. So where were they?

Call:

"You see, Raitálen," he said in an incongruously fatherly tone, "the hawk is tame. You can set him free a hundred times but he'll always come back when I call him." He gave Ilaran a cold smile. "Still, we can't expect you to understand such things. You're just a half-breed. Your mother has taught you too many of her barbarian ways." He gave Aderthril a poisonous look. She returned it with interest. To Ilaran he continued, "You must learn better. Else you'll never be worthy of inheriting my throne."

Trouble:

She could say a whole lot more, but she didn't to commit a murder in a public place. Too many witnesses to pay off. Too much trouble when someone identified the victim.

Light:

Ketevan climbed unsteadily to her feet. The mer let go of the boat and swam a little way off. For the first time she got a good look at it. Her mouth dropped open. None of the drawings did justice to how beautiful its tail was. Its scales were dark blue and its fins -- lighter blue and streaked with white and purple -- flared out like a cape.

Smile:

Waiting for the curtain to rise on the next act, Diarnlan thought, and smiled bitterly. Did normal actors ever get tired of playing the same role night after night? Did they ever want to scream and throw things at the playwright?

Tagging @emelkae, @unhinged-corvid, @blind-the-winds, @ashen-crest, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D New words: ring, rhyme, refuse, roar and reckless.

[maraudersbutmuggle]

The hole you left

Content Warning: Depression, Psychological Abuse, Bad Parenting. London, July 27th, 2012 Regulus woke up late. Nobody woke him up like they used to. He looked at his clock. He started to panic. What about his routine? Surely Mr. Vance would arrive soon for his piano lessons... But then, Regulus remembered what had happened last night. Sirius left. Sirius was gone. Regulus felt a chill run through his body. Regulus tucked into his covers. He didn't feel like doing anything today. Even if he felt guilty of not doing anything and missing all his activities. Sirius probably wouldn't care. Where was Sirius? Was he okay? Regulus sat down and picked up his laptop. He opened Facebook. Surely Potter would know something. Surely Sirius was with him. Regulus began to type some message to James. But then he regretted it. Regulus had always known Sirius prefered James more than him. Sirius was happy and laughing when Regulus saw him through the halls of Hogwarts, with his friends. Sirius wasn't like that with Regulus. Not anymore at least. Each time that Regulus had tried to talk to him, he was in a bad mood. They used to be best friends as children. Not anymore. And Regulus missed his brother. Regulus walked to his window and opened it. He craved a cigarette. Barty had taught him how to do it last term. Regulus had found it relaxing. But Regulus had smoked for the first time with Sirius. The previous summer at Marbre Noir. The castle was too big for their parents to notice. Regulus remembered how Sirius laughed when he coughed. "You'll get used to it" he had said KNOCK, KNOCK. Regulus jumped and turned off his cigarrette, tossing it through the window. "I'm awake" "Time for breakfast sweetheart" Regulus' mother sounded cheerful. She was in a good mood. Regulus frowned. He didn't understand how. Sirius was gone. And Regulus was in a bad mood. Regulus got dressed and prepared to go downstairs. But unfortunately, Sirius' room was on his way. The door was half-opened. Regulus didn't want to get in. But he had to. Sirius' room was a mess, which provoked Regulus anxiety. He hated mess. Regulus had to have everything in order. "Bloody tosser" he murmured Regulus stared at the posters on the wall. Rock bands, Naked girls on motorbikes. Even a few of his drawings. "You said you were gay, is it true?" Regulus sighed and got out of there before his anxiety got worse. Regulus let out of some breath. He didn't like not having Sirius around. He was always around. Lately in a bad mood. But he was there. Regulus wondered if he would ever see him again. Regulus climbed down the stairs. "Mother..." he would ask her to bring Sirius back, she could do it. Maybe make Orion apologize. Walburga was in the back yard. The Blacks only had breakfast there on good days and special occasions. Today it was neither. "Why are you eating here?" Regulus was feeling overwhelmed by the constant change. Walburga ignored him. Instead she smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart" she said "Come sit down. What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes? Pancakes are your favorite" "Okay..." Regulus sat down. His mother was smiling brightly. "Samantha... Pancakes for Regulus and a coffee for me" "Yes madam" Samantha bowed. "I am confused" Regulus said "Sirius is gone. Why are you happy?" Walburga's smile disappeared. "He left, Regulus. What do you want me to do, cry?" "I cried a lot yesterday. I'm sad, because I miss him, aren't you?" Walburga was silent for a while "I'm sad too. But I am mostly angry" "Why?" Walburga turned to face Regulus. She stroked his hair gently. "I want you to understand something, darling" she began "Sirius left because he wanted to. He'd never liked it here" Regulus didn't answer. "Did we kick him out last night?" "No. He left" "Exactly" Walburga smiled "But because Orion hit him" Walburga turned to look at Samantha who was serving them. Samantha seemed uncomfortable. When Samantha left, Walburga spoke again. "Is better if you don't tell the servitude that" she murmured "But it's true" "Your father only hit

Sirius because he was being

bad-mannered" Walburga said louder "You saw that. You saw how Sirius was yelling. He didn't respect his parents" Regulus didn't know how to respond. So he didn't. "Is it true? Uncle Alphard is gay?" Walburga sighed and nodded "I saw him kissing boys on various occasions. It is true" "I don't mind it" Regulus answered "I don't mind if Sirius is gay too" Walburga got furious. "It's not about that, Regulus" she said "It's about how your brother always prefers everyone more than us, his family. Alphard had been feeling his head with ideas against us. And he is a rebel. You know how he drives me insane" Regulus had seen Walburga cry many times because of Sirius. He hugged her. He had comforted her. Walburga had told Regulus how much she loved Sirius. About how he was impossible to manage. How she tried so hard to get along with him, but he didn't let her in. "Do you like him, mother?" Walburga's eyes filled with tears. "Of course I like him" she answered "He is my son. Just like you" Regulus believed Walburga liked Sirius. It was Orion who was a bad guy. Regulus didn't like his father. "Sirius prefers that woman, though" Walburga continued "Euphemia Potter. She is the 'perfect mother' for him. And he prefers that Potter kid over you. You know that, right?" That was true. Regulus hated it. It hurt him. "We are gonna let him have 'his perfect family' then" Walburga spatted "See if he doesn't miss us" Regulus wanted to yell. "Can I talk to him at Hogwarts?" "If you wish" Walburga nodded "But I doubt he would want to talk to you" "I'm angry..." he said "I know sweetheart, I am angry too" "This is bullshit!" "It is bullshit indeed" Walburga smiled "Now eat your pancakes before they get cold" "I'm not hungry" "Okay" Walburga said looking through her phone "Also don't tell any of your friends the real reason Sirius left, okay? We'll invent an excuse" "What are you doing, mother?" "Deleting all the pictures of Sirius" Regulus blinked. "If he wants to erase us from his life, then I'll do the same" Regulus stood up. He was definitely not hungry. He just needed a break. Regulus' temper was boiling up. The thing was that he wanted his brother back. But Walburga was right. He always prefered the Potters. None of this would've happened if Sirius would have stayed put last night, like Regulus had told him. But Sirius always needed to make a mess. Sirius always provoked everyone. Maybe he was planning on leaving all along. And he had left Regulus alone. Regulus hated change. And now he had to forget about Sirius. A very important part of his life. Regulus got to Sirius' room. He clenched his nails on his palm. He was furious. Sirius was a mess. And Regulus was furious. "FUCK YOU SIRIUS!" he yelled to nowhere. Sirius prefered James Potter. And Regulus was furious. He began tossing everything to the floor, breaking everything he found, destroying everything. "Aaaaaaaah!!!" Sirius had abandoned Regulus. And Regulus was furious. After his outburst, Regulus collapsed to Sirius' bed exhausted. He hugged Sirius' pillow. Sirius wore too much cologne. And Regulus missed him. Tears ran down Regulus' cheeks. "Fuck you, asshole" Regulus cried "Why did you leave me?" For Sirius, his friends were his everything. For Regulus, Sirius was his everything. His best friend. Not Barty. Sirius. And now, Regulus had lost him forever. Regulus broke down crying.

[slytherinsnekxvii]

i've been thinking about sirius black and grimmauld place and how much he hates it. so, here have this little fic i wrote about my take on that, just to get myself back into the swing of things now that real life has let up a little bit. warning for awful parenting that might hit a little too close to home before it goes off the rails, walburga and orion saying some really horrible things, and a stinging hex:

By the time Sirius gets his Hogwarts letter, Regulus has mastered the art of performing. He's much better than Sirius was—is—and Sirius wonders how much of that comes from Regulus seeing him make the simplest of mistakes and face the consequences. He wonders when he realised that he's being made an example.

He draws a knee up to his chest, idly twirling a quill between his fingers as his stomach grumbles. He ignores it. He's been sent to bed without supper enough times now that it hardly matters. He scratches two more lines of I will be obedient into the parchment and he thinks about Regulus some more.

He doesn't like the kid, sometimes. Envies him, even. There are things he does that Sirius finds maddening. Regulus has never spoken an original thought his life, follows every instruction given to him, willingly backs himself into corners and he refuses to put up a fight, unless he's the one who started it and knows he can finish it. What makes it worse is that these are lessons that Sirius taught him and couldn't learn himself.

Keep your innermost thoughts close to your chest and if you must speak them, do it aside, address no one but yourself.

Follow orders. Let yourself be manhandled and coerced into position by those who can see the bigger picture.

Never turn your back to your audience.

Turn the other cheek and follow through.

It's bothersome. They have a perfect little heir right there, but they ignore him just to try and force Sirius to be what they want him to be. It's a waste of everyone's time, since they all know that round pegs do not fit into triangular holes. It's suffocating, since they try to do it anyway, shaving away at the bits and pieces that won't fit, hacking at the parts of him that don't mold to fit the shape that they've carved for everyone carrying the Black name. It's unfair, that he's stuck here like this, going to bed without supper, writing lines, of all things, and riding out the effects of a nasty session of "Occlumency training", which he is certain is just an excuse to rifle through his mind and give him a headache.

I will be obedient. I will be obedient. I will be obedient.

His hand moves on its own, the letters appearing on the page ever-so-slightly wobbly as he writes without bothering to look at the words. It's infuriating, the way they echo in his head over and over, and over, again.

He lifts his head when Kreacher appears before him with a crack, his horrid little house-elf face twisted into that familiar, ever-present cross between a grimace and a scowl. "What?" he asks, and somehow, the elf's expression sours even more.

"Mistress wants her lines," Kreacher says. "Mistress says Kreacher is to collect them from Master Sirius."

"I'm not done yet," Sirius snaps, and bites his tongue when the house-elf turns up his mouth in disapproval. He takes his time carving the last few sentences into the parchment, and while his penmanship is probably the greatest it's ever been, he still scowls at the paper even after it's been handed over.

Kreacher scowls back at him and disappears. Sirius rubs his ears and wonders if the elf Apparates that loudly on purpose.

I will be obedient. I will be obedient. I will be obedient. The stupid words spin around in his head, and he scowls harder as he considers that he could probably fill an entire sheaf of parchment in his sleep.

See if I ever turn out like the bloody show dog you want, he thinks, vehemently, and shoves aside the bits of stationery on his desk so he can collapse face-first and not think. There's another crack, and he startles, forcing himself upright as Kreacher stands before him, with his little, twisted house-elf face and little, twig-like house-elf arms crossed.

"What?" he bites, again, and when the elf's expression takes a turn for the worse, he leans back in his chair and doesn't bother shaking off the vindictive satisfaction that crawls up his spine.

"Mistress wants to see Master Sirius in Master Orion's study. Master Sirius is a bad boy," Kreacher tells him, and he fights the urge to slam his fist on the desk, or worse, into Kreacher.

"Why?" Sirius asks, and he knows exactly why, they only ever want him for one reason, they never call on him for anything else, at all, ever, but he still asks. He's not actually expecting anything different, but he does it, just to be difficult.

"Master Sirius has been a bad boy," Kreacher says.

"Right, yeah. Thought as much, really," Sirius tells him, and makes no move to get up from his seat.

"Mistress wants to see Master Sirius in Master Orion's study," Kreacher repeats, and Sirius scoffs at him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" he taunts, and the elf Disapparates. Sirius sneers a bit at the wall, sticks out his tongue as he mocks, "Master Sirius has been a bad boy." He scoffs, idly kicks at the leg of his desk. "Master Sirius has been Sirius. Master Sirius isn't Regulus."

He collapses onto the desk again, lets out a quiet, frustrated scream as his leg picks up the speed and kicks even harder. He takes a deep breath as the woods shudders beneath him and eventually gets his limbs back under control. "Master Sirius doesn't want to be told what to do," he mumbles into the wood. "Master Sirius is a person. Master Sirius doesn't want to be controlled," he continues, quiet, and is glad that his moping is drowned out by the sound of Kreacher Apparating into his bedroom once again.

"Mistress says Master Sirius is being difficult. Maater Sirius must come to the study at once," the elf says, and Sirius doesn't even bother to lift his head. "Master Sirius must come! Mistress insists!"

"Or what?" Sirius asks, tone as bitter and spiteful as his little eleven-year-old tongue can manage.

"Mistress says that Master Sirius must come to the study at once! Master Sirius is being a very bad boy! Horrible boy! Spiteful child!"

Sirius feels his eye twitch as he listens to the elf slowly dissolve into histrionics, wonders if he's listening to Kreacher, or his mother. "Master Sirius is just fine!" he says. "Master Sirius doesn't have to listen to you or be obedient or anything!"

"Master Sirius must go to the study!"

"No!" Sirius exclaims, and he does bang his fist on the desk, noticing far too late that Kreacher has gone silent. The realisation strikes him when his hand leaves the desk and a hand circles his wrist, grip ice-cold. "No..." he says, quiet, and horror takes him as he involuntarily tries to tear away from the hold. If anything, it tightens.

"You would disobey your parents, Sirius Orion?"

"I—" Sirius gasps, and forces himself to be as still as possible, as steady as he can manage even though he still finds himself shaking by the time he finds it in himself to continue. "No, Father, I—"

He won't hit you, Sirius thinks. He would never stoop so low, and he isn't holding his wand. He wouldn't hit you. He wouldn't. He would never. Not with his bare hands. Not without his wand.

His trembling ceases a little, and he starts to speak again. "No, Father, I—"

"Quiet. Your mother is calling for you, you wretched child. Why have you not attended to her?"

"I'm sorry—"

"Apologies mean nothing without action, young man. Do better," Orion stresses, and Sirius bends, head bowing as he prepares to reiterate his apology.

"I—"

"That was not an invitation to speak, Sirius Orion."

"Yes, Father. S—" he bites his tongue and tries not to listen to his heart slowly beating its way out of his chest.

"This is no behaviour to be exhibited by my heir. You will get up, and you will come with me to attend to your mother."

"Yes, Father," Sirius says, and swallows the fire building behind his tongue and under his fear.

The grip around his wrist loosens, and he moves it a little, just to make sure it's still there, still attached, still working and prepares to get up even as he hates himself for listening and his father for making him.

"Quickly, Sirius Orion. Your mother is waiting."

"Yes, Father," he says, and in his mind, he kicks himself for the meekness in his tone.

When he stands up on marginally less shaky legs, Orion moves to clap a hand on his shoulder to steady him and the sheer anticipation of the touch forces Sirius to stand at attention. He straightens his spine until it can go no further without snapping, and when Orion's hand actually lands on his shoulder, he has to concentrate to avoid flinching under the touch.

Orion taps his shoulder once, twice, and then grips it with the same force he'd used on Sirius' wrist. "Go on, then."

Sirius starts to move. Orion does not let up, steel grip still locked in place as it directs Sirius throughout the house. They pass Regulus' door, and Sirius fights the urge to sneer at it, with its stupid, pretentious sign protecting his stupid, pretentious baby brother who's probably asleep with a full belly and not a care in the world with Kreacher at his bedside to bend to his every whim. Stupid, lucky performer sticking to his script... poor little contest crup doing tricks for the judges.

Orion's grip on his shoulder tightens and Sirius hisses as he bends under the pressure. "I said, quickly, Sirius Orion. You would make your mother wait even longer for you than you already have?"

"No, I—" Sirius continues, tripping over his own feet as the his own movement ceases while his father continues to push.

"She's been patient all this time and you would leave her to sit alone and unattended to?"

"Father—"

"Ungrateful child," Orion rebukes and Sirius chokes.

"Yes, Father."

They enter the study quietly, Sirius standing at attention once more while Orion rounds the large desk to take his seat. Walburga crosses and uncrosses her legs in her nearby armchair, and clears her throat. She sits up, handa placed carefully atop each other in her lap and it's an image he's familiar with. She elegantly rolls her wand between her fingers and Sirius reminds himself to tread carefully, don't make a mistake, she's armed, even if this the most demure he's ever seen her.

"Siri."

"Yes, Mother," he answers.

"Why did you not come when I called?"

I didn't want to, I hate you, I hate you both, he thinks. I was scared, he thinks. "I don't know, Mother," he says.

"That isn't an answer, Sirius Orion. If you didn't know, you could have done as I asked of you and inquired it of me when you arrived."

You didn't bother to ask. You ordered, he thinks. "Yes, Mother," he says.

"Why did you not come when I called?"

I'm here, anyways, aren't I? "Kreacher was annoying me," he lies, or well, sort of. Kreacher had been annoying him, but that wasn't why he'd disobeyed. He bites his tongue when he watches their expressions shift.

"Kreacher... was annoying you," Walburga asks, tone flat.

"Yes, Mother," Sirius says.

"So, rather than banish him and do as you were told, you chose... to disobey me?" The uptick in her voice is dangerous, but her position remains the same and Sirius falls into the trap.

"I—sorry, Moth—agh!" The Stinging Hex hits his hand and he shakes it the appendage rapidly as he waits for the pain to abate. "Yes, Mother," he croaks, when his hand graduates from acute pain to slight numbness.

"Do better next time," Walburga tells him, rolling her thirteen inches of elm between her fingers. "Apologies are worthless, I know your father would have told you that much."

"Yes, Mother. I won't keep you waiting again, Mother," Sirius forces. You'll drag me kicking and screaming next time, he thinks.

"Words, again. Powerful, yes. Useful, yes... but that's only in the hands of those whose actions are able to prove it. You've not done so, Siri," Walburga continues, quiet, and this is how Sirius knows he's gone and done it.

His hands move to clench on their own, and his aching left convinces him to clasp them behind his back instead. His legs itch to move, to run away, to go anywhere but here. He wishes he had his broom.

"You disobey. You refuse to listen. You ignore our teachings. You blunder and stumble and do all manner of upsetting things, Siri. We feed you and clothe you and we provide a bed for you to rest your head when the night comes, and yet... you continue to act so horribly. You speak out of turn, you do everything in the exact wrong manner. If I didn't know better, I would think you were doing such awful things on purpose. To spite your father and I." Her eyes meet his and Sirius can't help it, he looks away. His father's lip curls and still, he refuses to look at her.

"You are a horrible child, Siri. Wicked and ungrateful and awful. You aren't worthless, though. You're the product of your father and I, after all. And you aren't incompetent or stupid. You can be taught, Siri. All you must do is listen, and obey. You can be trained and we will make you the wizard you were meant to be as our heir. You need not do anything but obey."

Sirius takes a breath, the cool air sticking in the back of his throat as he feels the hackles on the back of his neck raise. "I—You don't—"

"Don't... what, Sirius Orion?" his father asks.

Nothing, he thinks. "It's—I'm a person! You want an heir that you can teach and train and make, have Regulus! I don't—" he starts, and his eyes widen as he listens to the words spilling out of his mouth with no permission of his and no control over them at all.

"You are a wretched, horrible creature! Awful boy! Spiteful child! How dare you?" Walburga screeches, and Sirius winces, his own mouth clamping shut. "We are your family, your parents. You would disgrace your own blood in such a way? Horrible, awful child! Incompetent! Lazy! Stupid! Never learns! You are an awful creature! Terrible boy! Unworthy! I can hardly believe you came of my loins! We have been nothing but good to you! Awful child, waste of blood, Sirius Orion, how dare you?"

She's sprung out of her chair, elm wand held high in her hand as a weapon, and Sirius ducks even as he shouts.

"I didn't mean it! I didn't, I didn't, I was only angry," he pleads. "I won't do it again," he tells them, quietly, and as his mouth quivers, he tastes salt.

"See to it that you don't," Orion says, frigid even as he rests a hand on his wife's waist to steady her and glares at his firstborn. "I'll not have such an outburst taking place again."

Tell that to your wife, Sirius thinks bitterly, sniffing as quietly and unnoticeably as possible to stave off the rest of the tears he hadn't realised he was crying.

"Yes, Father," Sirius says.

"Get out," Orion tells him.

"Yes, Father," Sirius says, and with that, he turns around and leaves. Quietly, with some sort of dignity so they don't have another thing to hold over his head.

He passes Regulus' stupid door again, kicks it and watches as not even the sign shakes.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," he cries, quietly, as he continues down the hallway, with his voice warbling and his fist pounding against the wall as he goes. Regulus' face flashes through his mind, and then his mother's, his father's, his own. Coward, he spits, inaudible, and the word is coated in every bit of venom he's capable of. "I hate you," he says to the empty air, and not even he can tell who he's trying to address.