#her and adira are safe

[poebrey]

I forget that paramount hasn’t officially announced that Mary is coming back for Academy and then I see people talk about how Tilly had too many loose ends left lol

[littlest-w01f]

Chapter one

Series Masterlist

CW: None

"Please forgive me, Mother Amair, for I have become a liar, I have kept things from my own family, no one can know what I have planned, because they would try to stop me. My mother has asked me to pray for the best marks in the medical exam and enter the Healers Quadrant with the highest score, but all I ask of you is that you get me across the parapet in one piece.

I know the risk of what I ask, being in the Riders Quadrant comes at a great cost of my own life, I won't lie, from what I've heard of it, I might kill, and take the lives of other riders, but I've had years to think this over, and I'm certain this is what I want. I plan to run away, at the last moment, to the turret, away from everything. Please, Mother Amair, grant me your blessing and aid me in this quest. I will honour your teachings."

Adira opened her eyes, her hands pressed palm facing, sitting crosslegged, she looked sideways at her packed rucksack, a sinking feeling set in her gut at the thought of how she was going to pull everything off. She had already snuck away once, for the Rider's entrance test. The Healers didn't have one, only a main exam.

"Well, do think about blessing me, you know. I've been very nice," She smiled, offering flowers to the Goddess. "I wanna ride dragons. So just, help me survive, please. Thank you."

She placed her notebook in her bag, zipped up it up and slung it over her shoulder, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. This was it. There was no turning back now. She looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a formal white blouse with paired pants, a coat hung over her shoulders. Her hair was in a tight braid, baby hairs a mess on her hairline. She crept out of her room, wincing as the floorboards creaked beneath her feet.

"Oh, my baby!" Her mother cooed as she made her way downstairs, rushing about. "Are you ready? Were the bathing salts relaxing? Don't take too much tension ok? You're going to ace this!"

"Yes, mama," Adira giggled as her mother dragged her to sit at the breakfast table, a feast laid for her, all her favourite foods, the last time she would be eating the home cooked meal with them for a long while.

Her father chuckled from where he was having his breakfast, "My love relax, Adira will be great. She's our child after all." He came up to wrap his arms around her mother, kissing her cheek gently.

Adira watched them with a smile, her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't just the test today that was making her nervous, it was the secret plans she'd been keeping from everyone. She knew her parents might not approve of her decision to join the Riders Quadrant. But she also knew she couldn't live with herself if she didn't follow through with it.

Her father was a medic, while her mother a scribe, and her eldest brother followed in their mother's footsteps. It was her turn to choose one or the other, and after they lost their middle child to the Rider's Quadrant, there was a chance they wouldn't want her to join it.

"Well, we shall see about that!" Her mother declared, playfully flicking a piece of toast at her daughter. "You're not going to let some fancy title cloud your judgement, young lady! You listen to your elders, stay safe, and focus on healing the sick, not causing your chaos!"

Adira laughed softly, knowing her mother meant well. She took a bite of the crisp bread, trying to ignore the knot forming in her stomach. She glanced at the clock, realizing it was almost time to head out.

"We should go now, Mama. Reach early and everything," Adira said, standing up and giving her mother a quick hug before moving to embrace her father. "Thank you for always believing in me, Da. I won't disappoint you." Much. She didn't add. Her father was leaving for the border since the dragon riders needed a healer, leaving her to go to Basgiath with her mother.

Adira grabbed her rucksack and gave her mother one last reassuring smile before following her out the door. As they reached Basgiath, it truly felt like Conscription Day, plenty of Candidates hoping to be Cadets stood outside, waiting to be let in so they could go to the Quadrant they hoped to join, plenty stood with their parents just like her.

The air buzzed with anxious energy as the hopeful candidates milled about, exchanging nervous glances and hushed whispers. Adira clutched her pack tightly, her heart racing in tandem with the commotion. Joining the long line.

As they approached the entrance, a stern-faced guard stepped forward, eyeing the crowd with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Name and intended Quadrant, please," he demanded gruffly, his hands holding the ledger.

Adira's mother placed a steadying hand on her daughter's shoulder. "This is Candidate Vanchev, Riders Quadrant, sir," She said proudly, the accent that slipped catching curious glances from a few people.

The guard's eyes narrowed as he scribbled something in the ledger, then looked up at Adira and her mother with a raised eyebrow. "Very well, Candidate Vanchev, right this way."

Adira blinked in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly as she realized her mother had discovered her secret application. The realization sent a chill through her, she hadn't expected her mother to support her choice so readily or boldly. She'd been thinking she would probably drag her back home by her ear in front of everyone.

With a deep breath, Adira felt his gaze on her hands. Her fingers were slender and hands unmarked with the marks she suspected he was looking for, save for a faint burn mark on her left hand from a childhood accident of her pretending to be a dragon over the stove while her parents were away. "Next!" The guard called out, already focusing on the next candidate in line.

Adira's mother squeezed her arm reassuringly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Let's get inside, dear. We have a lot to discuss once we reach the common area."

Inside the sprawling War College, the air hummed with anticipation. Students from various quadrants mingled, some chatting excitedly with their parents or guardians, others nervously fidgeting with their belongings. Adira's mother led her through the crowds, navigating the labyrinthine corridors with ease born of familiarity from her days in the college.

They eventually arrived at a large common room filled with plush seating areas and long wooden tables. Adira's mother guided her to a quiet corner, away from prying ears. "Sit, child," she instructed, settling down beside Adira. "Now, tell me - why the Riders Quadrant?" Her tone was calm, yet there was an undercurrent of intensity in her gaze, one that screamed at Adira to not lie. "And why did you not tell us?"

Adira hesitated, unsure how to begin. She'd rehearsed this conversation countless times in her mind, but never voiced her true desires aloud. "How did you know?" She asked instead, looking into her mother's eyes that matched hers. "I... I was sure..."

Her mother turned her attention to Adira, her expression softening. "A mother knows these things. The way you carry yourself, the fire in your spirit... it's unmistakable. Even if you tried to hide it, keep all those secrets, I would still sense it."

Tears sprung in Adira's eyes as she tried to formulate her sentences before she spoke, "I just... I always wanted to be like him." A single tear escaped Adira's eye, trailing down her cheek as the painful memory of her brother's wake resurfaced. His name was on the death roll after Threshing happened, he would've been a third year by now. Her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close in a comforting embrace. "After... I thought you wouldn't want me to..."

"Oh, sweetie..." Her mother murmured, stroking Adira's hair soothingly. "Your brother may be gone, but his legacy lives on within you. If that's what your heart yearns for, then who am I to stand in your way? Don't you worry about a thing. I'll convince your father, he won't be upset with you." She smiled, holding her daughter close, "You know, My mother didn't want me to leave Tirvainne, or come here to be a scribe. I could never hold my daughter back, not like my mother tried to do with me, after all, I met a boy here-"

Adira smiled up at her mother, as she was about to begin her story of how she met her dad, "And that was dad, who was from Lewellen, and you were kindred spirits who had found each other after running away from home. And you decided to settle in Morraine because it felt right and had 3 perfect kids. And you shared everything with them so their culture wouldn't die." She continued the story, pulling away to look up at her mother.

Her mother cupped her face in her hands. "I may not want you to do this, because I am terrified of losing you. But I will not hold you back. You must promise me one thing - you will not take unnecessary risks. Your safety is crucial. My world needs you, Adira. Do not forget that."

Adira nodded fervently, a mix of emotions swirling within her. Relief, gratitude, and determination battled for dominance. "I promise, Mama. I'll be careful, I swear."

The bell rang about their heads, "It's almost time, let's go. I'll walk with you to the turret, ok. Then I have to go." Her mother raised her hand, to pull her up.

Adira stood up, brushing off her skirt as she faced her mother. "Alright, Mama. Thank you... For understanding. For being here." She hugged her tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender and rosemary that clung to her mother's hair.

Pulling back, Adira smiled wide, though her eyes still held a hint of nervousness. She removed her coat, handing it to her mother. "Shall we?" She gestured towards the doorway, where a group of candidates were being ushered out to the southern turret by stern-faced instructors.

As they stood in front of the stone turret that led to the Parapet, there was a line of candidates waiting to sign in and mark their attendance. Adira stood in line without a thought, standing behind two girls with full Rider black. Her eyes widened when they landed on the hair of the girl who was nearly her height, the colour faded at the tips. Sorrengails. The girls were Sorrengail, daughters of the general. She subconsciously straightened in their presence, holding her rucksack tighter.

Adira's mother pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Remember, trust your instincts and let fate guide you. No matter what happens, I love you more than words can express." With those parting words, and a final tight hug, she turned and disappeared into the crowd with the other parents, turning to give her daughter a lingering look, leaving Adira to face the unknown.

Adira watched her mother disappear into the sea of faces, a bittersweet ache settling in her chest. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead. With a final glance at the spot where her mother had vanished, Adira began the ascent to the Parapet.

As she climbed the stairs, the air grew cooler, carrying the distant smell of stone. Adira's heart pounded in sync with each step, her palms growing slick with sweat despite the chill. She couldn't help but listen in on the sisters, catching herself thinking about how it would've been like if her brother was there to give her advice after he'd entered the Quadrant.

"Most of the marked kids who carry rebellion relics are from Tyrrendor, of course-" And Adira tuned Mira Sorrengail out.

She squared her shoulders, looking around, taking in every detail, ready to face whatever challenges awaited her.

"Come on! You can do it!" Ezra cheered his little sister on, watching her on the balancing beam a few feet on the ground with mats on the floor to break her fall. Adira held her arms out open as she walked on the beam he practiced on.

Ezra Vanchev was thirteen when he said he'd wanted to be a dragon rider. Their parents, in support, paid for classes where he could train to take on the Rider's Quadrant. And Adira, in her curiosity, had followed him to his lessons.

Adira's eyes sparkled with determination as she focused intently on the wobbling beam beneath her feet. She drew upon every ounce of concentration, channeling the same mental discipline that Ezra had been teaching her.

Slowly, deliberately, she shifted her weight, transferring her center of gravity with each measured step. The wooden planks creaked softly, protesting her progress, but Adira remained steadfast, refusing to yield to fear or doubt.

"Almost there, Ada!" Ezra's voice carried a note of pride and encouragement. "Just a bit further!"

Emboldened by his faith in her abilities, Adira pressed onward, her bare toes finding purchase on the worn wood. Finally, with a triumphant cry, she reached the end of the beam and leapt safely onto the mat, landing with an awkward roll.

"I DID IT!" Adira leaped into her brother's arms, giggling loudly. While they were young, he was her height, but now, he'd hit a strong growth spurt during his late teens, making him nearly reach the sky.

Ezra caught Adira effortlessly, swinging her around in a joyful circle as he whooped with delight. "Look at you go, little sis! You're a natural-born acrobat!"

Adira laughed merrily, her brown eyes sparkling with exhilaration. As Ezra set her down, she gazed up at him adoringly. "You're going to make an amazing Rider someday," she declared, her voice full of conviction. "And maybe, I'll join you there too!"

Ezra's grin faltered momentarily, replaced by a somber expression. He glanced away, his jaw tightening. "We'll see about that, Ada. It's not easy being a Rider. There are risks involved... We're studying about them..."

Adira's enthusiasm dimmed slightly at Ezra's serious tone, but she quickly regained her spirits, not wanting to dwell on potential dangers. Instead, she nudged him playfully, trying to coax a smile back onto his face.

"C'mon, Ez, don't be such a worrier! We'll face whatever comes our way together, as always. Besides, think of all the incredible adventures we'll have!" Adira's eyes shone with excitement as she spun around, gesturing grandly at the training grounds. "Imagine soaring through the skies on majestic dragons, exploring uncharted lands, and protecting the world from threats!"

Ezra couldn't help but chuckle at his sister's infectious enthusiasm. He ruffled her hair affectionately, noting the way her imagination seemed to come alive whenever she talked about becoming a Rider.

"You will have to, pipsqeak!" A voice broke through Adira's joy, "You are supposed to go to the Rider's Quadrant to die, Tyrrish trash."

Adira whirled around, her eyes narrowing at the sneering figure who had interrupted their playful moment. The boy, clearly older, exuded an aura of superiority and disdain. His sharp features and piercing gaze seemed to bore into Adira, making her skin prickle with unease.

"How dare you speak to us like that!" Adira stepped forward, fists clenched at her sides, barely held back by her brother who knew the bullies weren't worth fighting. "We're not trash, and we won't let anyone disrespect us like this!" But it didn't matter if their parents had taken part in the apostasy or not, to some folks, all Tyrrish were the same, same as the rebels who had gone against Navarre.

Ezra instinctively positioned himself between Adira and the bully, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. "Back off, Valtor," he warned, his voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "Adira and I aren't in the mood for your crap today."

Valtor sneered, his lip curling in contempt. "Oh, look who thinks they're tough now. You're nothing but weaklings, Vanchev. Your parents' pathetic attempts to hide their traitorous past won't save you from the fate that awaits all Tyrrish scum."

He took a menacing step closer, his gaze flicking dismissively over Ezra before settling on Adira once more. "Especially not the girl. She's got spirit, I'll give her that. But it'll get her killed sooner rather than later. Dragons burn tiny little sticks, they light them like matchs."

Ezra's fist connected with Valtor's jaw with a resounding crack, sending the bully stumbling backward. Before Valtor could recover, Ezra pounced, pinning him to the ground. Adira gasped, her eyes wide with shock at the sudden violence erupting around them.

"You want to talk shit about her, huh?" Ezra growled, his grip on Valtor's collar tightening. "Let's see how you like it when someone fights back, you prick!"

Despite his bravado, a flicker of uncertainty crossed Ezra's features as he realized the seriousness of the situation. Other students were starting to gather, drawn by the commotion. If word got out that Ezra had assaulted one of the students, a legacy no less, it wouldn't look good on them.

Valtor spat blood onto the grass, his face contorted in pain and humiliation as Ezra pulled off of him. "You're dead meat, Vanchev! My father graduated at the top of his class, he'll make sure you pay for this!"

The gathering crowd murmured ominously, casting uneasy glances between Ezra and Valtor. An instructor pushed her way through the onlookers, her expression stern and disapproving. "What is going on here? Tell me now!" she commanded, her voice firm but controlled.

Ezra hesitated, as he met the instructor's gaze. He knew better than to defy her authority. When he turned back to find his sister, Adira was gone. Without hesitation, he sprinted round the corner, searching for her, his pulse pounding in his ears. He spotted Adira huddled against a rough stone wall, her eyes wide with fear. Relief washed over him, but it was short-lived as he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

"Ada, what happened?" He asked urgently, dropping to his knees beside her.

Adira shrugged, her eyes avoiding his. "I just needed some fresh air. And... To think," she added quietly, her gaze drifting toward the horizon. "About everything that happened earlier. About my dream of becoming a Rider."

"Hey, no. Don't let a stupid boy make you question what you want." He held her close, rubbing her back soothingly. "That bastard probably doesn't even know what he's saying. He probably is just repeating what his parents say around him. Don't let a random boy bring you down."

Adira sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she leaned into Ezra's comforting embrace. "You're right," she said softly, her voice still tinged with sadness. "I shouldn't let him get to me. But it's hard not to take it personally when they constantly remind us of where our parents came from, we don't even live there... They treat us like... Like we wronged them, like we're... Like we're bad people, maybe we are."

Ezra frowned, his brow furrowing with concern. "Hey, none of that, okay? You're not a bad person. You're Adira Vanchev, a bright and talented girl with a heart of gold. Don't let anyone, including those idiots, make you doubt yourself." He gave her a gentle smile, stroking her knee in comfort. "To be a Rider, all you need is to show those dragons what you can do. Stupid people will then just fall in line."

Adira managed a small, wobbly smile at Ezra's words, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly under his touch. "Thanks, Ez. You always know just what to say to make me feel better."

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as determination flared in her eyes once more. "You're right. I won't let those bullies win. I'll prove myself, show everyone that I've got what it takes to be a great Rider."

[varian-and-the-crystal-empire]

Dark Kingdom rambles

Considering how different every member of the brotherhood dress and are named, I wonder if as the moonstones influence spread if more

They are also well named, so like to sort of dive into it first we have King Edmund,

This was the only full body I had so sorry Eugene, but the man is dressed in pretty standard fantasy English Germanic dark knight fantasy armor, just with a big fur cape.

His name, Edmund, is of old English origin and means "wealthy protector", and why wealth doesn't seem to be much of a thing in the Dark Kingdom, he is a protector. He protected the world from anyone dangerous getting their hands on the moonstone, he protected his son from the danger by sending him away.

Then we have Quirin

Likewise a very normal standard European fantasy armor, even more standard because it's not black knight it's just darker then usual plate male

The more interesting thing about Quirin is his name, which is the german form of an old Sabine (pre rome) name/god Quirinis meaning spear, but more importantly? Quirinis was the god of war and AGRICULTURE. Our farmer man

Adira, likewise pictured above, is the first member of the brotherhood to really stick out. It's very similar to old turkish styleNarmor, maybe a little bit of Nguyan dynasty era Vietnam flair. The facepaint is a little remiscent of braveheart, but the practice is old enough the romans called the ancient scottish the Picts or Picti, painted people.

She's got a big dumb fantasy greatsword, and she's also very well versed in martial arts.

Her name is of Hebrew origin meaning strong, noble, and powerful, and that's generally how she carries herself.

Then we have Hector

Hector has a smidge of all the elements mentioned but with a little viking flair as well, with the braids, what I can only assume are metal bearings on his sleeves and random leg belt, fang earring, and the gigantic fur collar. He is also very much a classical fantasy beast tamer, and the hidden blade gauntlets are also pretty fantasy esque. As are his unnaturally bright green eyes that make him almost more animal then man.

And Hector? oh Hector might be the most well named of the bunch.

We all know the name Hector from one incredibly old text, the Iliad.

Hector means steadfast, and as long as Hector lived the city of Troy was safe, it wasn't until Achilles killed him that things started to turn in the Grecians favor.

Hector kept everyone out of the Dark Kingdom for 10 years (except maybe Ulla and Donella, if we assume that they just... convinced him they were doing some trial maybe he just tagged along with them to make sure), he likely fought and defeated many many people to do so.

The things that make Tangled Hector like Iliad Hector are his loyalty, courage, and how dangerous he is on the battlefield.

The things that make them look like a unit is how they are all deeply entrenched in fantasy vibes, despite having so many differences. But it makes me wonder if, as the moonstone's curse spread, if more smaller kingdoms became a part of the Dark Kingdom, influencing the fashion and armor that they had access to.

[oonajaeadira]

FLUFFBRUARY 21: photography | pepper | truffles (Dave York)

ADIRA'S SELF-IMPOSED FLUFFBRUARY RULES:

Six sentences.

Must be fluffy.

All 29 ficlets must feature a different Pedro.

All three words must be used (Fluffbruary prompt list here).

Use the words in order.

I reserve the right to break rules and/or cheat.

He may not be the best at photography, but Dave knows his subjects well.

A day at the farmer’s market: Molly holding a pepper as big as her head, Alice with a jar of honey, and Carol with a cookie in one hand and a bouquet he bought for her in the other.

Carol has a sweet tooth and a love of flowers…her birthday is coming up and Dave smiles to himself at the thought of drowning his loving wife in roses and truffles.

It’s only a year old, but the polaroid he keeps in his breast pocket is in rough shape with how many times he’s meditated on it in hard moments and he makes a mental note to take another one as soon as the summer school break begins, when the girls are smiling and sun-bleached and windblown, laughing at some dumb joke he’s made.

All of them happy, safe, secure, living life without a care in the world; it's his greatest wish, it’s what all of this is for, he is provider and protector and woe betide anyone who comes between him and his own…

He presses the photo to his lips–once, twice, three times, a kiss for each of his greatest loves–before returning it to the inside pocket of his camo and lifting the rifle upon his shoulder to center the target in its sights.

.

___

@fluffbruary

FLUFFBRUARY MASTERLIST

[psychiatry-and-poetry]

A Court of Shadows & Healing

Part 1 | Part 3 | AO3 | ACOTAR Masterpost | Masterpost of masterposts |

A/N: In this chapter, Azriel hasn’t learned how to fly for long distances and he can’t winnow either (no one’s taught him or bothered to explore his abilities yet, even he doesn’t know they exist). Also: slight claustrophobia at the end

Word Count: 1495

As they landed, Azriel took all of a second to steady himself, not even bothering to take in his surroundings, and pressed a dagger against Adira’s ribs, having drawn it out from a sheath moments before. “Start talking,” he hissed, looking up at her. Her eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting him to threaten her, but she raised her hands in surrender. “Very well, I suppose I should have expected that, though the dagger seems to be a tad extreme no?” His only response was to push the dagger further into her leathers. She sighed, or at least exhaled as much as she could. “If you want answers, boy, then you’re going to have to start asking questions. Preferably sometime today,” she quipped, when he didn’t say a word.

“Why did you bring me here?” It seemed like the most logical question to ask, considering he might very well be hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from Windhaven. By the Mother, was he even in the Night Court?

He didn’t know how he was going to get back; at least without Adira’s help. He couldn’t fly for long distances, though he knew how to orient himself. Granted, by the time he escaped, she’d probably have tracked him down easily anyways.

Rhys and Cassian would start worrying after a while when he didn’t come back, and Rhys’ mother would be worried out of her mind. Those three would be the only ones who would bother to look for him anyway. He knew Devlon certainly wouldn’t; and seeing as Rhys’ mother and the camp lord were the only two people who knew of his current location, he wasn’t exactly feeling safe at the minute.

“Because you need to train.”

“Train for what?” He was already training for the Blood Rite; as all Illyrians did when they were old enough to wield a weapon, he supposed.

“You’re not training for anything. Gods, you’re thick, aren’t you?” Adira let her annoyance show, scoffing, and even with Azriel holding the dagger to her, it still seemed like she had the upper hand. His tether on his emotions snapped, and at that comment, Azriel drew blood, managing to elicit a hiss from the female. “If you want to ask me questions, you’re going to need me alive and breathing.” He refused to break his gaze from her, until she raised a brow in question. Azriel dropped his dagger from her side; wiping the blood from his dagger on his thighs before sheathing it in one swipe.

“Much better. Now that we’re civil again, we can talk this out without acting like lunatics and stabbing people,” she said a tad irritably, brushing off the blood as if it were nothing, the wound already beginning to heal.

“I didn’t stab you!” He objected.

“Oh really? I would call holding a knife and threatening them, then drawing blood; stabbing. I suppose they call it something else in Windhaven, do they?”

“You deserved it!” He nearly screamed.

“Deserved it? Deserved what? Getting threatened by a youngling who can’t even hold a dagger properly and hardly over a decade old?”

"I-" He started, but she ploughed on, completely, either disregarding or ignoring him. “Believe me when I say I do want to tell you what’s going on, and I will, but first, I’m going to need you to put that dagger down. And take off all your weapons while you’re at it. I don’t fancy being held at knifepoint again.”

“You first,” Azriel said, looking her up and down, trying to figure out where she might have weapons concealed. She didn’t look like the type to start a brawl, least of all with a young Illyrian-in-training, but he knew looks could be deceiving.

Rolling her eyes, Adira started to undo the buckles on her holsters, carefully removing lethally crafted blades from all across her body. Placing them on a low-lying table close by, she raised a brow at Azriel, crossing her arms across her chest. Your turn.

Begrudgingly, Azriel removed his weapons, though it took far less time, seeing as he wasn’t covered head to toe in blades as Adira was.

He looked back up at her expectantly, but Adira didn’t look pleased. “All of them.”

“This was all of them,” he said, staring her down. “These were all the weapons I have.”

“Stupidity I will tolerate, but insolence I won’t. I know you have a knife tucked in those leathers somewhere, boy.”

Huffing in annoyance, he unsheathed a small dagger from his side as well, practically throwing it onto the side table with the other weapons. He’d done his best to conceal all his weapons, and yet somehow she seemed to know his tells suspiciously well.

“Satisfied?” Ignoring his snarky little comment, Adira gestured for him to sit on a plush divan of the richest emerald, and it was then he realized how vibrant and utterly majestic this behemoth of a house actually was. The sheer size of it overwhelmed him, and no other word, save for mansion, would even begin to describe how stunned he was.

The hall they were currently in could have fit Rhys’ mother’s cottage in it well over three times, and he hadn’t even been to the other rooms yet. 

Gossamer curtains of the lightest sage were billowing in a gentle breeze that brought with it the soft scents of peony and pear, immediately helping to ease Azriel’s aggravated nerves. Plush divans of rich velvet and low-lying tables made of crystalline glass were placed throughout, likely for drinking and debauchery when night fell.

The entire house was almost entirely open to the elements, with only the occasional pillar for structural support. As Azriel trailed his eyes up a particular pillar, (a rather beautiful one at that, he admitted to himself, with intricate carvings of flowers and vines snaking up the length of it), his eyes managed to find the ceiling.

Or rather, the lack of one. His eyes met a cloudless, cerulean sky, with the occasional bird flitting across like some old mosaic of the Gods. He blinked a couple of times, trying to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. “There’s no ceiling,” he breathed finally. A soft smile tugged at Adira’s lips.

“No, indeed.”

“But how-”

“Magic,” she replied simply. “When I first became owner of this house, I decided that the climate was so beautiful we simply didn’t need a roof. So I took it away.”

Deciding that was all he was likely to get from someone he’d met a couple of hours ago, he decided to change the subject. “I want to call in my bargain. Starting now.”

Sighing, she leaned back, and waved a hand at him. “Ask away.”

“Why am I here?”

“I told you: to train.” Azriel frowned at the non-answer, and Adira continued. “You have a certain, shall we say, skill set. It’s better for you, and everyone around you, that you know how to use those skills to your advantage.”

“What skills?” He bit out. She went quiet for a moment, then said, “Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do as I say, and close your eyes.”

“What if you hurt me?” Azriel’s skepticism shone through, but Adira was undeterred. “I’ve taken all my weapons off. There’s no way I can attack you unless my limbs somehow stretch like jelly.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Azriel, though neither laughed. Instead, she continued, “Do you want to make a bargain for that too?”

“No.” It was bad enough that he’d had to make one bargain; he wasn’t about to make another one anytime soon.

Relenting, Azriel shut his eyes, and Adira’s voice drifted over to him.

“Good. Now, think of the night sky, of the darkness between the stars. The frigid, unforgiving cold; and the smothering blanket of something foreign and heavy settling over you.” Azriel scrunched up his face in concentration, and all was silent for a moment before he heard a barely audible gasp.

He opened his eyes to ask her what had happened, but he couldn’t see Adira. The room was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, and suddenly Azriel felt trapped. The room was too small, and he couldn’t see anything half an inch from his face. Panic washed over him, and breathing had become difficult all of a sudden. 

There was a reason Azriel still slept with the lights on back in Windhaven. There was a reason he despised the dark; why it felt like the air was being sucked out of his soul every time he entered a room devoid of light.

Some days, it felt like those manacles and chains of the heaviest iron were stuck to him. The chains his father had insisted on putting him in, even when he had screamed and thrashed and fought for all he was worth.

Azriel didn’t know what happened next, only that strong, firm, and distinctly feminine hands caught his traitorous body as he went under.

Part 4

Line dividers credit goes to @enchanthings

[peregrineroad]

Watching Babylon 5 for the first time! Some thoughts on the first four episodes:

(Note--I’m very spoiled on pretty much every major element, having been lured in by spoilers in the first place and being the sort of horrible person who skips to the end mid-mystery novel to find out who it’s safe to like. I have wandered the unhallowed halls of the TvTropes recaps, and also AO3. I’ll try not to mention many explicit spoilers for later episodes but my commentary is going to be informed by that context.)

--I was a little surprised by how character focused the first few episodes were, as well as where that focus falls—Sinclair, despite being the heroic force of narrative resolution in most of the four, seems emotionally kind of in the background? Even in Ep. 4, where he got to speechify the monster to death, it didn't feel that founded in his individual characteristics. I presume the pilot movie, which I’ll circle back to, did more to establish his personality. That’s not a general complaint, though: I’ve appreciated all the character stuff we’ve had so far with the rest of the cast. It’s already created a great ensemble feeling, and there’s a lovely mix of believable pre-existing dynamics with newly developing relationships.

--Ep. 4 is the most action-orientated and correspondingly some of the character stuff felt pretty rushed and shallow, though I liked the ending scene with Sinclair and Garibaldi. It felt like it should have been more Stephen’s episode than it actually was.

--There’s been some slightly clunky exposition here and there as characters tell each other things everyone already knows for the sake of the audience, but there’s also an immediate sense of lived-in complexity that makes it so that those choices aren’t as jarring as they could be. Yes, the dialogue isn’t perfectly natural, but it’s giving me expedited access to a world that does feel natural and well-realised, so it’s a reasonable trade-off.

--I wasn’t expecting early villain-coded G’kar to be so cute. The huffy way he brushes off his gauntlet after Londo attacks him in Midnight on the Firing Line! Him stealing Vir’s handheld game in Born to the Purple, and his hilarious noise of anguish at the end when Londo tells him he’s saved the honour of the Centauri republic!

--Interesting that we get both sympathetic and fleetingly very unsympathetic views of Londo’s feelings about empire in the first episode—his anger at his government for abandoning his nephew and the other civilians in MotFL, how he maybe associates that kind of moral, political fecklessness with the ‘weakness’ of a declining empire, compared to the moment he says that the Centauri should have simply wiped out the Narn—whew.

--Also, it’s clear that he wants more from and for his people, but doesn’t take his job as ambassador seriously at all. I know *spoilers* that he was assigned this job as a dead-end kind of thing, a joke role, so presumably his superiors don't take it seriously either--but I haven't really figured out why yet. Because no-one thought Babylon 5 would work out? Delenn has her own stuff going on when it comes to being Ambassador, but G'Kar definitely thinks his job is important--is that just because the Narn situation is so different, they need the negotiations more? Hmm.

--Very interesting that Londo's ambassadorship is something Adira seems to find important and admirable, even after the point where she needs to flatter him--he feels powerless, but has the connections to get her freedom so easily it happens off-screen. It seems like maybe he starts to recognise that disparity a bit at the end of BttP. He has made a difference, to her, at least, and also even his career rock-bottom is a level of influence people in her position could never access on their own.

--Infection definitely seems like the weakest so far, but I'm really enjoying myself.

[foursthemagicknumber]

Hear me out

Adira is tasked with following Varian to make sure he’s safe and when she gets caught and starts calling people by their defining characteristics hugo decides to call her read head because she quit literally has a red head

anyway just hugo and adira both calling people nicknames and the thing is neither of them know eachothers name

[goshdangitpaul]

here’s some unfinished fanfiction. Just for you

Varian’s head felt fuzzy. He pitter-pattered down the hallway, almost running. He was going somewhere… but where? He couldn’t remember. He practically jumped down the staircase, eager to reach it. What was he doing again?

Oh, right, following the pull.

His daddy said that he shouldn’t wander around the castle without someone with him, otherwise he would get lost. Varian didn’t doubt him, but he did doubt Uncle Hector when he said there were monsters that would eat him up (in one bite!) at night. He was sure that monsters would be a “safety hazard” or whatever that meant.

Finally, out of breath, Varian reached the exit of the castle. His gait slowed and he fiddled with his fingers, suddenly nervous. What if there were monsters out there? His daddy would be so sad if he got eaten!

The pulse pulled harder on him, angry for slowing down. He whispered an apology, but it didn’t seem to care. The force tugged on his body hard, and Varian felt fuzzy all over. He tilted his head into his hands, whining at the headache beginning to form. He stumbled forwards. Then his vision went bye-bye and Varian couldn’t remember much more.

He suddenly became aware of someone restraining him, his arms and legs being pinned down to a warm chest. He looked up, and saw Aunt Adira’s relieved face staring down at him.

“Hey, Stripes, are you good now?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he replied, somewhat sheepish. “I’m sorry. Big sorry”.

She shrugged, releasing her death grip on him and holding him more like a baby. (Rude! Varian wasn’t a baby anymore! He was four— and a half!)

“It's fine. You’re lucky to have your best aunt ready to keep you safe.”

Varian frowned, “but you’re my only aunt?”

“Exactly! I’m automatically number one.”

He giggled, kicking his legs and narrowly missing Aunt Adira’s head.

[cljordan-imperium]

WIP ANAGRAM TAG

I was tagged by @primroseprime2019

Find sentences in your WIP beginning with the letters in MANOR (I didn't see a new word, so I'll use yours)

M - “More than five, and yes I did. Although apparently grandfather’s men have made some new ones because I couldn’t find a trace of the old ones. I only got the key up here because I scared the desk clerk more than the rest of you did.” Nic answered, pausing for a moment. “I wasn’t here. Understand? Tell none of them. She’s safe, you’re all alive. That’s all I cared about. I’ll keep grandfather off your asses, but you’re going to have to show up eventually. Let me know when you are and I’ll buffer the reception.” (@behindthesemasks )

A - Adira’s hands made soft fists on the back of Caliban’s shirt as she just relaxed into him.  “I’m sorry I keep being such a mess.  You don’t deserve this…any of this.”  She brought her forehead to rest against his neck, relaxing and letting her eyes close again.  It was in his arms that she felt the safest, and she knew that he was going to let nothing happen to her, and absolutely no one near her at the moment. ( @the-andromeda-effect )

N - No matter how much he tried, Emery wasn’t able to hold out forever, though.  He was able to keep from begging or crying out.  Grunts were all the soldiers got before he passed out, his body limply hanging from the chains that led to the manacles encircling his wrists.  For that, the soldiers continued to rain down blows on him even after he had fallen into unconsciousness.  It was not as if he could tell the King about it.  They often took out their hatred for Branoc on his sons, most people did. (@inopinatus-ea )

O - Once the door was locked, she turned back to the other two men, giving a pointed look to Declan that had him standing up straighter and the smile wiped off of his face.  She had a feeling that somehow Spencer and Declan knew about the kiss, but she wasn’t going to let this turn into anything other than what it should be:  a respectful situation where the eye of a poor girl who was at that very moment probably being tortured, or worse.  “Whatever it is that you find amusing, Detective O’Malley, I suggest that you get it out of your system or get out of my suite.  There is nothing amusing or funny that ever takes place in here, this is no exception.”  Her tone was chiding and it had both Spencer and Karsten raising eyebrows.  Head ME Cavenaugh was taking charge of her autopsy suite and heaven help anyone that got in her way. ( @bendingthelaws )

R - “Rhys, I didn’t think you were going to be back until later.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t burn you, did I?”  Adalicia was concerned, but then hearing his light laughter was relieved that she hopefully had not.  She attempted a smile as she looked up at him, not quite sure if she accomplished it. ( @graeadalicia part of @theimperiumchronicles )

The new word is FRIEND - Tagging @aether-wasteland-s @memento-morri-writes @cillmequick @runnning-outof-time @sarah-sandwich-writes

My Tag List - @saltysupercomputer @watermeezer @frostedlemonwriter @crowandmoonwriting

@toribookworm22 @jadeglas @mama-ivy @ashirisu

@abalonetea @pheita @writingmaidenwarrior @dreaminggoblin-deactivated20241

[gretchensinister]

Babylon 5 rewatch, S1 E3: Born to the Purple

Oh lol the TV-safe strip club

Yeah just take the bottle G'Kar

Lando is the first person in the series to canonically get laid (and wait till you learn later in the series what he's using!)

VIR on his switch in a meeting

"What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy???"--This is a line that has lived in my head for I guess 30 years now. Sometimes I think it when my alarm goes off

G'Kar on Vir's switch at the meeting

Don't worry the probe goes in your mind

Starlaces spotted! That would be a fun item to recreate actually

I mean, it's surely to simplify things for the actors, but Adira and Lando have such different accents that it makes me think, "oh, I wonder what that means socially/regionally for each of them"

Lando really is a Romantic at heart, I suppose

Oh, it's Ivanova

That's such a 90's pillow on their couch

As a kid I looked at the data crystals and was like "that's cool but inconvenient because you can't label it like a tape or floppy disk" and then I ended up with several unlabeled flash drives and those aren't even aesthetic

I hope Vir was in that cheery mood on purpose *at* Lando

We're going to the MALL to commit INTERPLANETARY CRIME

VIR YOU'RE BEING PROMOTED

"Don't give away the homeworld." --another line that stuck with me

Piss off Drakis

I forget what happened to KoDath, because NaToth became G'Kar's attache later

How did the station develop a criminal underworld so quickly

The Shady Bug again! You build a bug, you use a bug

Lando I love your cloak but it really doesn't fit with the vibe

In a way...it was really lucky for Ivanova to be able to do that, with her so far away.

Mmmm marbles (he did just put what looked like a marble in his drink right?)

Background people like "damn was that the ambassador kicking a guy?"

Oh Lando...

[notsodailycake]

Here, i finally finished this💀

Meet my Zelink fan kids! I have alot planned for them, but I'm too shy to actually share everything, especially bc I've only now just started fully exploring Totk (i got the game around last month) and so i wanna make sure I'm like, canon accurate, but i wouldn't mind answering questions about them👉👈

Anyhow, some fun facts about the desings:

Sonia has scars on her eyes and the tip of her left ear, why? The ones on her eyes were caused by a wolf she came across the one time she ran away from home (due to her jealousy over her sister when she was born, it's a long story), the one on her ear is bc of a bird she tried to grab once since Adira thought it was cute and wanted to pet it (Adira was 2, Sonia was 5)

Sonia's earring was a gift from her bff/crush, a gerudo girl that imma keep secret for now bc I'm still working on her

Adira's feather necklace is a gift from her close buddy/bff, a rito, which I'm also gonna be hush hush about for now

Adira messes around with alot of not so safe devices out of curiosity and the need to create, but gets her hands dirty/hurt in the process, hence the band-aids

They both have small fangs thanks to their mom (iykyk)

Adira's favorite color is pink, Sonia's is blue

Also, huge thanks to @carogdraws for helping me desing their clothes! It was a huge help and i probably wouldn't have done it without it ^^

Now, those are the extra info i have for them, the rest of the basic info i have already shared will be under the cut

Yes it was copy pasted from the last post i did about them, but i have a need to keep everything in one neat little post sue me

The two girls are 3 years apart. Oldest is Sonia (yes, named after Queen Sonia herself), and the youngest is Adira

Sonia is more like her dad, especially in terms of looks, but she inherited her mother's eyes and thurst for answers. She's very energetic and adventurous and likes helping others

She tends to be the guinea-pig to a lot of her sister's projects and creations since she has almost no self-preservation. She enjoys it tho, thinking it as a fun activity to try out new things and hang out with her sister. She also enjoys carving things, mainly toys and masks. Most of her sister's toys were made by her when they were around 11 and 8

Although she is usually quite the airhead, and not really the brightest (like her dad, cough-), she definitely inherited her mother's overthinker mind. Doesn't help that she also tends to think little of herself, being the firstborn of the Princess and Hero themselves, alot of people put her under alot of high expectations and although her parents tried their best to show she didn't have to prove her worth, the gossip around town was hard to ignore, doesn't help the fact that her sister has started to become a prodigy to her mom, creating inventions to help hyrule and planning to bring the royal system back when she's old enough

Sonia though, has no intention of bringing the royal life back, nor to continue it. Like her dad she wants to explore, she's fascinated by history and wants to disvover every small relic left unseen. And she wants to travel beyond Hyrule one day as well and help those she comes across her path. But also perhaps, escape the duties and expectations others put on top of her, and perhaps prove herself better then those expectations

She loves her sister tho, despite everything, and will never admit to her how jelouse she actually is of Adira. How jealous she was of Adira of being able to hang out with their mom so much, have so much in common with her, sometimes she wonders if she has anything from her mom other then her eyes

Adira is alot like her mother, especially in the looks department, but she has her father's eyes and thurst for chaos. She's usually quiet, but very sassy when needs be, and although seeming quite shy, she got quite the temperament and wont hold back her tounge

Like mentioned previously she becoms a prodigy to her mom, creating and getting invested on inventions to help hyrule and planning to bring the royal system back when she's old enough. She spends most of her time studying and working on anything technology finding it fun to see what possible outcomes it came give

Although sometimes the pressure is too much, as much as her parents give her the liberty to explore her interests, as she had started to show advancements in her creations and helping hyrule, as well as proclaiming to bring back the kingdom (even tho she was a child when she said that), all eyes were now set on her and she is terrified of any failure, and to disappoint everyone, she usually confides on her sister who never cared of her status and just liked to be around her for her (and well, she felt too embarrassed about it to tell her parents about it, they didn't need to worry about such simple things in her eyes, they already fought the townsfolk so much bc of that, she didn't want to make them dislike her parents bc of her)

She admires her sister alot, looks up to her and wishes she could be as cool as her, as free as her, but she isn't good in any sort of physical activities and is usually just stuck in the lab. And that causes a smidge of jealousy as Sonia is able to bond more with their dad then Adira ever could, she feels like she has nothing in common to her dad other then his eyes and need for chaos (which the second part was something looked down apon by others)

And those are the basics i have so far, there is more but I'm unsure about it for now, and aren't 100% concrete yet, so i wont share at the moment

But before i end this, here are some small fun facts:

Both Sonia and Adira are pure glutons, just like their dad XD. They have cooking sessions together quite often, helping around the kitchen when they can;

Sonia loves horses as much as her dad does, but she is terrified of riding them, because when she was little and riding one for the first time, the person who set settle on didn't do it properly and she fell, head first into a rocky ground, and to add onto it, the horse stepped right onto her pinky. Now she has small panic attacks trying to ride them

Sonia actually used to hate Adira. Since Adira was a rainbow baby, Zelda and Link did kinda get overprotective with her and accidentally neglected Sonia. That didn't last long after Sonia did cause a whole scene with running away and almost getting killed- but that's likez a whole other story in itself lol (i might make a more detailed post about this later). But after that incident, they were able to work things out, and Sonia ended up being way more protective over Adira than her own parents

[the-andromeda-effect]

20

TW - abuse mention, violence mention, injury mention, mental trauma, ptsd

Caliban had taken many women to his bed the first night he’d met them, and that was the only night they’d spent together.  Some he’d dated for a while before becoming sexual.  None of those had ever brought about the conflict that he currently felt with Adira as she returned to the bathroom to finish changing.  It was not that there was not the physical desire for her, or that he knew that it would be far more than one night with her, but rather that the physical was so far less important at the moment than making sure that she felt safe and secure mentally and emotionally.  The other could wait, and he would wait, because he knew how wounded she was in all ways. He did not want to add to that in any way; certainly not if there was a chance of losing the way she looked at him by rushing or pushing for anything.  Whenever her eyes and his met, there was something that he could not describe within them, something that awoke a part of him that hadn’t been touched before, and he was finding he liked it.  

When Adira was once more behind a closed door, she leaned against it, holding the PJ pants to her as her heart thudded within her chest.  She had no idea what had made her so bold as to walk over to Caliban like that and just assume he would welcome her touch upon his bare skin and her help in disrobing.  It hadn’t been until she had actually been in the act of doing it that her brain had kicked in.  By then it had been too late and the only thing she felt she could do was continue, and now she was thankful that she had.  Just his initial response of covering her forearms and hands with his own had almost made her knees give way in relief and also a warm and safe sensation that had flooded her whole body.  She craved him in a way that she had never craved Mircea, in a way that she couldn’t even put into words. It wasn't blind lust, it was something deeper. 

From the day that she had met Mircea, she had known that they would be married.  It was why her father had introduced them.  Also from that day, she had alway tried to garner his approval, to please him, to make him proud, to elicit praise.  He had at least pretended in the beginning to be somewhat fond of her and that her efforts were more than enough.  The lack of overt affection understandable due to theirs being an arranged marriage, but it was one he seemed to desire, something that still confused her with how things eventually went.  However, the longer their relationship went, the more it was obvious that she was not who he wanted and that her efforts would never achieve the results that she hoped for.  She had still tried, no matter how many times she failed to live up to standards he seemed to change on a whim.  Up until the day she had been kidnapped, she had relentlessly tried.

Caliban was completely different from Mircea in every conceivable way.  One could say that their marriage was no less arranged than hers with Mircea had been.  It was not built on love, but an agreement to provide for her and keep her safe.  The difference was that even in the beginning of her relationship with Mircea she had not felt as safe and secure with him, nor had she felt as accepted.  Then there was something about the way that she felt when she was held in Caliban’s arms, the way just his voice calmed any fear or anxiety in her, the look in his eyes when he looked at her, his gentle and soothing touch when she was upset or hurting - it was all so new to her;  at the same time, it was like what she had always been looking for in the past, but never found.  

It was in wondering how he had not found a wife previously, with everything he had already shown her of who he was, that Adira came upon the thought that made her stomach turn: what if there were other women he was in a relationship with when he had saved her?  Could she do that again?  Could her heart take other women also being in a relationship from someone other than Mircea?  If there were, could she even do a fake marriage?  Her breath caught and her heart burned at the thought.

By the time that Adira finally opened the door again, Caliban had started to worry if things were okay with her.  The room had been too quiet, and she had seemed to be in there too long.  He had to keep reminding himself not to rush her.  Patience was never one of his virtues, but he knew that if he wanted to unwrap the delicate gift that was the true nature of the woman he now called his wife, he was going to have to learn some.  There was something about her that made him confident that whatever new skills he might have to learn or test he might feel like he was enduring, in the end, it would be worth it.

“Is everything alright?” He finally asked as she silently crossed over to the bed and began to place her jeans in the bag that he had brought up for her.  She hadn’t looked at him when she came out of the bathroom, nor even when he spoke to her, and this concerned him.  Before she’d gone back in, they’d once again been affectionate with one another and she’d seemed to be relaxing.  Had she had another panic attack of sorts?  

Still not looking at him, Adira’s voice came out soft and stuttered, “I hadn’t thought to ask before if…” She paused, gathering the courage to say what had come to her mind as she realized how much she was attracted to Caliban. It was as if the question was stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.  There was a fear of hearing the answer once it did.

“If what, sweetheart?” Calban asked cautiously, as head cantered.  He had heard the hesitation and nerves in her voice.   He pushed off of the dresser he’d been leaning against to walk over to her.  There was definitely something wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what could have changed in just a few minutes.  

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her head still bowed as if looking down into her bag.  “If you had…someone you were with..you know, when you..we...”  As she let her breath out, she steeled herself for the answer.  Her hands had balled to fists around the clothing she was holding, as if that would somehow protect her from the answer hurting her.  She had known many men who would be with multiple women simultaneously.  It wasn’t like she was naive to the way the world of rich and powerful men who looked like him operated.  Even those who were married often had more than one girlfriend on the side besides their wife. This was often the life wives of family heads led.

So that was the issue that had suddenly come to bother her.  The tension Caliban had been feeling waiting to hear what had upset her faded instantly.   He was glad her back was to him because he could not keep the devilish smirk off of his face.  Not that he was laughing at her, far from it; no, he was delighted that the beauty was concerned that she might have competition for his affection.  To him that meant that she too was starting to feel something for him in the same way he was for her.  Otherwise she wouldn’t care if he was in a relationship with someone else while being fake married to her.  Being fake married to Adira seemed to get better every time he turned around, and now he was going to have at least two weeks secluded with her in a mountain cabin.  Who knew what could happen then?

“And it would bother you if I did?”  The shaky inhale of breath after his question gave him his answer, just before his arms wrapped around her from behind.  She couldn't hide the slight tremble in her body from him, a tremble that he hoped his next words would quell.   Placing his chin on her shoulder, he let his warm breath fan across her neck with his next words, “my darling wife, if there had been, the moment I slipped that ring on your finger they no longer existed.”  He gently kissed the crook of her neck and continued, “there is now, and from now on always will be, only you, unless it is you who wants things otherwise between us.”  Caliban was never one to share a woman, nor did he expect a woman to share him.

As much as his words comforted her, she also felt like they were too good to be real. “Are you sure that you can be happy that way?” Adira was afraid to even hope, even if she prayed, to a god she had long since stopped believing in, that it was true.  She was under no illusion that Mircea had ever been faithful in their marriage, even from the beginning.  He’d always blamed her; of course it was her failure as a wife that led him to have to find others.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”  He kept his chin on her shoulder and laced his fingers with hers now that she’d covered his hands with her own.  Every time he thought he’d figured out how much damage that Mircea had done, something more was revealed.  There was no doubt the coming days and weeks would reveal more, and he would try his best never to repeat those wounds.  If he could, he would instead heal them.  

“Well,I…I don’t know.  I just know that no matter what I tried, I was never enough for Mi-” Suddenly Caliban’s hand was over her mouth, cutting her off as she felt herself fully pulled back against him.  Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and she waited for the pain.  Pain always came after the wrong things were said.  Hopefully Caliban would not be as brutal as Mircea had been.  She still ached from being dragged by Kondrat and the abuse in that basement.

banners by: @cafekitsune

[pleniluneloves]

𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙛𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙭 𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨

ella absolutely loves stealing adira's clothing, considering they're too large for her and she likes to be comfortable. adira can get annoyed when she sees her favourite sweater has gone missing again, but deep down she finds it endearing.

over the time they've been together adira subconsciously started getting more and more stuff in the colour beige, because it reminds her of ella. think of pens, mugs, notebooks, even clothing. ella took notice of this and pointed it out when she was painting her one day, she was wearing a beige hoodie. adira brushed it off, but ella knew from that day on.

ella takes a lot longer painting when she's working on a portrait of adira compared to anyone else. not because she finds it difficult to paint her, but because she's determined to capture her beauty just right each and every time. and she does. especially her eyes and hair stand out.

when adira laughs in front of ella and covers her mouth, ella slaps it away. she hates it when she hides her smile, and she absolutely adores seeing the gap between her teeth. she finds it incredibly adorable and will point this out each and every time it's revealed to her.

ella is already very prone to fall asleep anywhere anytime, but this habit becomes ten times worse when she's around adira. this is because she feels safe around her, protected. adira allows her to do so, and will sometimes even go as far as to pulling ella on top of her when she's drifted off again. only when they're in private, though.

every now and again ella will urge adira to paint with her, guiding her where she has difficulty continuing. this always ends up with adira grumbling underneath her breath saying that she doesn't need help, and to be fair she really doesn't, but ella likes to use this as an excuse to hover behind her and place her hands on top of adira's.

it's hard for ella to sit still, but the one time she's completely frozen and won't move is when she gets to watch adira do ballet. it hasn't happened often, but the few times it has ella has been absolutely speechless throughout the whole thing. adira didn't like the silence afterwards at first, but the second time around she realized it was a good silence. not a bad one.

adira loves showing her collection of various knives and weapons to ella, explaining what they're called and best used for in full detail to her while running her fingers along the sharp edges. ella will just lean over and listen, eyes flicking between said knives and adira's face, wearing a big grin as she watches adira lose herself in her fixation.

ella knows how to comfort adira like no other. whatever it is she's going through, anger, sadness, trauma, she's there and handles it with adira. she'll run a hand through her hair repeatedly, talk to her, or just be with her in the same room in silence until she's calmed down.

ella's constantly helping adira figure out new hairstyles, they've spent hours in the bathroom, adira's gaze avoiding the mirror as ella stands behind her and works on her locks. she'll look when ella excitedly asks her to do so, and smile whenever she actually likes the look. she rarely wears one out, though. save for the time she walked around with space buns the whole day because she forgot to take them out.

adira's kept every single sketch, drawing and painting ella has made of her ever. she keeps them stored away safely in a drawer, underneath documents so that no one will just stumble upon them by accident.

𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙛𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 @𝙠𝙮𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨 ♡

[theinternetarchivist]

Oooh does Varian ever recognize his cousin Horace Eugene? Does he join Raps on her journey to the Dark Kingdom? Does Adira help him out on his journey? Where does Ruddiger come in? If you don’t mind me asking. Your au is really interesting, I’m captivated.

Oooooo these are great questions!

Okay so

1) I’m thinking he doesn’t, Eugene’s, or Horace’s existence might’ve been kept a secret from him to prevent him from getting too curious, or he might’ve been lied to/given too vague of details

2) he does! He’s definitely helping guide her because like, he already made the journey to Corona, he knows the journey back well enough. I need to find motivation for why they’ll return to the dark kingdom, I’m thinking it might be to prove the Sundrop’s existence and figure out what to do next which could always lead to a bit of tension cause King Fr*deric’s like “oh nah”

3) Adria *kind of* helps, she’s not there directly, in fact on the journey to Corona Varian doesn’t even know she’s there, but she is. She wanted to follow him to make sure he’d be safe, but she also wanted to follow him to stop Hector from interfering

4) OOOOO okay Ruddigar, I’m thinking he still meets Ruddigar in Corona and like- okay his only real exposure to animals are the horses the brotherhood keeps, Hector’s pets, and King Edmund’s bird, but he sees this Racoon likely try to steal his food but god dammit the Racoon is too cute to get rid of

And TYSMMM!!!! This au is totally taking over my little brain icl

[kousaka-ayumu]

Adira Amy

Warning: this may contain mature subjects such as bullying,mental health problems, rape, stalking, and abuse and depression.

Nickmakes: Adira(All), UglyBear(Yuzu), Adira-chan(Sonomi), Adira-shi(Idia), Amy-san(Ortho), Princesse des roses(Rook).

Twisted from: Bobby BearHug(Poppy Playtime), Cherry Blossom Cookie(Cookie Run), Honami(Project Sekai)

Voice claim: Fukagawa Ruka

Age:17

Height: 166cm

DOB: 2/14

Species: Bear beastwoman

Homeland: Queendom of Roses(Former)

Sagewillow

Family:

Elizabeth(Mother)

Eros(Father)

Dorm: Heartslabyul

Class: 1-C(No.3)

Club: Chess and gardening

Hobby: Taking photos of flowers, designing clothes.

Likes: Hugs, anything cute, photography, watering plants, romance books.

Dislikes: Plants getting trampled, people getting hurt, Yuzu.

Favorite food: Pies, anything related to honey

Least favorite food: Burned food.

Favorite drink: Tea.

Pet peeve: People think love is a disgusting and weak emotion.

"A second year at Heartslabyul, she's a very loving and caring girl, and the unofficial therapist, if anyone suffer from any mental health problem, please talk to her at her personal office."

Appearance

Adira is a tall girl with long brown hair tied to a ponytail with a red ribbon and deep blue eyes.

Background

Adira is the daughter of a psychiatric and a nurse in Queendom of Roses, unfortunately due to her being a bear beastwoman, she is stereotype of being a terrifying and a horrible girl due to many of her peers, causing her to get bullied by many kids.

This led to her being depressed as nobody stand up for her as well as being isolated and left out by the other kids, gradually she and her parents ended up moved to Sagewillow in order to keep her safe, but unfortunately it only led to her feeling guilt as her mom have quit her job at the Hospital and her dad quit being a psychiatric.

And now she didn't want anyone to go through the same thing she did, that's why she have her own personal office at the dorm.

Personality

Adira is very loving, kind and caring girl as she tries to help anyone and everyone with their problems as well as giving them a reason to live, unfortunately this led to her being called a people pleaser by the NRC NPCs but she tried to hide it with a smile.

Unique Magic: Calm Rose

It allows her to create silhouette rose vines, it help reduce a person's stress and lower the heart rate, however doing it too much led her to exhaustion.

Trivia

Her family and the Rosehearts knew each other.

Seh was put to sleep by Samara once while overworking herself and being too hard on herself.

She had a close relationship with Riddle, due to his problems with his mother he would often talk to her about, making them have a close relationship causing the other Heartslabyul students to mistaken them for a couple, making both of them denying it.

She likes having tea parties with her dolls and other stuffed animals.

Would go mama bear on anyone.

She almost overblot once but was stopped by Kalpana.

She knew about Carter's real self.

Adira loves romance books, movies, anime, manga and manhwa but doesn't like it when it involves @bu$ed, sta@lk1ng, and r@p3.

She didn't understand that she can't help everyone.

What do you guys think about her?

@zexal-club @anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna

[shadowworldwanderers]

Nadira Richards & Cyrene Roberts

Name: Nadira Richards Nickname: Adira, Nads Love Interests: Cyrene Roberts, Shay & Ezra Matheson Appearance: Nadira will wear jeans and t-shirts, sweaters, dresses. Whatever appeals. The one constant is her blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. Height: 5'6 History: Nadira has always known she was a succubus. She just knows enough to not drain her lovers, using her ability to restrain herself to find real, true love. She meets Cyrene when the woman is alone, drinking away a rough day and finds herself drawn to not just feed from her, but turn her sweet, sad, girl into her beloved, a Succubi mate. She meets Shay next, of course, turning her attentions to the man when his lonely soul calls to her, not quite expecting to meet Ezra again. She had known Ezra once, long ago, leaving town, now she sees him again and hunger strikes for both men.

Name: Cyrene Roberts Nickname: Cy, Rena Love Interest: Nadira Richards, Shay & Ezra Matheson Appearance: Cyrene has dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin. She prefers jeans and shirts over dresses, although the times the need is at it's worse she has been known to wear dresses simply to hunt and feed easier when she is without Nadira. Height: 6'0 History: Cyrene Richards was born local, lives local and never expects to see anything unusual. That all changes the night she meets Nadira, the woman's gentle care soon drawing her to kiss, then sleep with, the woman. She learns later she had fed her now beloved, but at the time she knew nothing of the Cryptid world. Nadira turns her that night, making her a Succubi and her bonded mate, steals her away to romance and happiness. When Nadira is next with her 'pretty boys' she takes Cyrene with her and Cyrene finds her world changes once more. She is loved, safe and welcome to be just as needy as she wants to be.