#oc is a former sorceress

[vvyvernicus]

Thought I'd share the beginning of a long fanfiction chapter for the Sofia the First fandom! Takes place in the beginning of Season 2 and introduces a new face to the cast. Someone even more infamous than Cedric?

Also just a heads up that it's slightly darker than its upbeat source material. Nothing worse than the darkest Disney movies 🙂

In the magical world of the EverRealm, curses were just as abundant as the magic that created them. Sprouting up from just about any corner of the world. As much as magic benefitted those who lived with it, it was still quite volatile and dangerous in these circumstances. To have one person be affected by a curse was already a serious problem depending on the severity. But a whole town? Civilization?

To be cursed is to be punished. Be that by a divine being or powerful magic. In most cases, the latter is far more common. 

A curse that affected a large land mass was only slightly more common than natural disasters. Even those were often said to be born from magical disturbances. But few people were capable of stopping them solely on their own.

Enchancia was currently under the influence of a widespread curse; nearly the entire kingdom was affected. This was dubbed as the curse of Eternal Night. It was not as harmful as other curses, but still caused unrest within the kingdom. When crops and fauna began to wither, the king knew that he had to take drastic measures to bring sunlight back to the lands.

King Roland the Second was quick to act since day one of this curse. His first order was to send out knights to patrol the kingdom for any signs of foul sorcery. Right after he sent them off, he then turned to someone who specialized in the manner of all things magic. This was of course the kingdom's very own royal sorcerer, Cedric. 

Despite being the kingdom's royal sorcerer, not a lot of people put much faith in him to do things right. Spells going awry was a common occurrence. Of course, he would get things correct eventually, but not until after everyone bore witness to the failures. Thus it was no surprise to him when he was not able to produce results for the root cause of the curse even after a week. 

While the kingdom itself was able to receive imports from its neighboring monarchies and the people were able to take in sunlight by leaving the kingdom's borders, it was still in a state of crisis. With not even the moon or stars illuminating the sky, it sunk the morale of the usually upbeat locals. Not only that but it caused disarray among the commoners who did not have clocks in their homes. The only sort of light that bloomed in the kingdom was the flickering of torches and candles alike.

By the time the two week mark hit, the people's panic continued to grow. Local flora was beginning to die and leaves had begun to fall off trees. Even with the kingdom's best efforts, no one was able to locate the cause of this curse nor knew of a way to stop it. Not even Princess Sofia's assistance was enough to aid the kingdom this time. So King Roland was left with no other choice than to seek help from outside Enchancia.

When other kingdoms became aware of Enchancia's plight, they did their best to offer support and advice. However none could truly do anything in regards to the curse itself. Unfortunately, it was decided that the kingdom was in dire need of a professional to deal with the issue at hand. And there was only one such person who was readily available to be contacted at any given time.

A curse exorcist. That is what they call sorcerers who devote their lives to the study and elimination of curses. There were few who existed in the world, but those who did were dedicated to their craft. One in particular was widely known to have a notably high success rate in vanquishing every curse they came across. Eris the Accursed.

King Roland had just informed this to his family during another dinner illuminated by candlelight. While this was supposed to be a good thing, many appeared skeptical at first. After all, it was not too long ago with their last encounter with a sorceress. She was proven to be a fraud in the end, but it still put a damper on expectations.

The youngest child could only smile at the news. This was no time to be sad after all. If it was a chance to cure the kingdom, how could she not be ecstatic?

“Then that's great! She'll be able to make the darkness go away!” Sofia smiled with excitement as there was finally a promising lead on putting an end to the curse. Her stepfather did not share the same enthusiasm.

“She is still a dangerous woman, Sofia. There is a reason she is called Eris the Accursed. Inviting her into the kingdom may only bring more trouble,” Roland explained to her as the girl's blue eyes went back down to her food.

Queen Miranda looked towards her daughter with understanding as she placed a hand against Sofia's back. Sofia was truly a girl pure of heart and always sought to see the best in people. But, like her husband, she too was cautious of this curse exorcist.

“You've always been a very kind girl, Sofia. But as your father says, she is not a person we can trust so easily. We'll just have to hope for the best upon her arrival,” Miranda said in that naturally soothing voice she had that seemed to put everyone in a better mood. At least until the twins added their thoughts on the topic.

“So, is she actually super evil?” James piped up with curiosity. His question had visibly worried his twin sister. Before Roland could answer him, his eldest daughter spoke first.

“She won't try to harm us, will she?” Amber whimpered, thinking about some evil villainess showing up with the goal of taking over the kingdom. It seemed unlikely that would happen, but it was still a cause for concern. 

Roland sighed as he crossed his arms. In his mind he was thinking that this was a risk they would have to take. But to pacify the worried faces of the children, he had to downplay his own concerns.

“As long as you don't go near her alone, everything will be fine. She wouldn't dare to do anything like that with an audience. None of the rumors have mentioned her being so bold,” Roland explained to them which seemed to ease Amber a little. But only more questions popped up.

“Rumors?” the young Sofia spoke up, prompting her stepfather to sigh. He supposed there was no reason to keep these from them. In fact, it would only encourage them to maintain their distance from Eris—should she arrive in Enchancia.

Roland sighed again, realizing there was little point in withholding the truth from them. “Yes, rumors,” he began, his voice lowering as if the shadows themselves might be listening. “The most well-known one is that townsfolk have reported their neighbors going missing after interacting with a woman dressed in a dark cloak…”

Let me know if you have any thoughts!

[spin-attaxx]

Couple of quick additional refs for Shade and Charn I did for Artfight.

[lovesick-joey]

I want to yap about my dc ocs because I can't keep them in my mind forever and I have to be annoying about it. so here's a post dedicated to them

▾ Sneakers / Crusader Cat

OVERVIEW ▸ Sneakers is a heroic stray cat who gained powers after an encounter with a sorceress. He lives in Gotham City and is a protector to other stray critters inhabiting in the crime-ridden place. He has three wives; Queen, Bun Bun, and Loretta and has a total of 8 kids. He is a part-time member of the Justice League and a full-time member of the Legion of Super-Pets. Humans call him Crusader Cat.

DIRECTORY ▸ Extended Info ⇀ @sneakers-crusadercat (RP account)

▾ Eugene Amsel / Golden Condor

OVERVIEW ▸ Eugene Amsel was once a former member of a cult (unnamed), but after it's fall he became a notorious vigilante from Gotham City going by the name of Golden Condor. On command, he had the ability to instill fear into his enemies just by touching them or being near them. His methods of fighting crime were cruel and brutal, and he lacked the empathy to give mercy. He will make a person's life hell if they go against him. He was a member of the Justice League and was in an on-and-off relationship with Batman. He is currently deceased.

DIRECTORY ▸ Extended Info ⇀ TGCS

▾ Chauncey the Green Lantern cat

OVERVIEW ▸ Chauncey was a stray living in the streets of Jump City. He endured many challenges as he grew up, and after a near-death experience with saving a life, the Guardians granted him a place in the Green Lantern Corps. He was eventually adopted by Noelle Jonas and gained two dog siblings named Jumper and Duke. He is a close friend of Sneakers.

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

▾ Shrub / Super-kitten

OVERVIEW ▸ A highly intelligent, shape-shifting alien who takes the form of a small kitten. His origins are unknown and so are his intentions. He is close friends with Sneakers and Chauncey, who are presumably the cause for his preferred form. While he can speak many languages, he prefers not to. He lives in the sewers of Gotham City.

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

▾ Cleo / Rascal

OVERVIEW ▸ A six-year-old vigilante with superpowers in which the origins of getting them are unknown. She has superhuman reflexes and enchanted hearing that ables her to hear things in frequencies an average human can't. She can generate and manipulate electricity. She can also summon lightning, though this depends on how excited and hyper she gets. It is uncertain where she came from, as she doesn’t have biological parents nor other family members. She currently lives in Central City where she resides in a local hospital which she calls home. The staff serve as her found family.

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

now moving onto ocs that I haven't made art for, or expanded on their lore yet!

▾ Conroy

OVERVIEW ▸ Conroy is a 7-year-old boy who was an experiment by Lex Luthor. He was created using the DNA of half the founding members of the Justice League; Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman. This makes him very powerful, as he had inherited their abilities and powers. Lex created Conroy with the purpose to obliterate the Justice League. However, Conroy had rebelled against him and escaped from his control. (Note: in the universe he's set in, he replaces Kon-El. Kon-El does not exist.)

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

▾ Gospel

OVERVIEW ▸ He was once a man named Joshua Rock, a poacher who hunted down animals for trophies and for the fun of it. Now he is a wolf-like creature who resides in forests, swearing to protect it's inhabitants. He stays far away from society and could only remember snippets of his original life as a human. He comes out at night from time to time to watch humans, and though he comes across as frightening, he is quite peaceful if him or wildlife aren't bothered. He is an ally of Swamp Thing.

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

▾ Nora Halsa

OVERVIEW ▸ Nora is a 12-year-old girl who grew up in a lab. Her father was the head of the lab and he had experimented with her as soon as her mother passed away, resulting in Nora having strange powers and abilities. She has telekinesis and could summon sharp shards of glass to protect herself and others, she also has healing capabilities. She has albinism. She is insecure, empathetic, and a people-pleaser.

DIRECTORY ▸ N/A / STBA

[aroaceleovaldez]

do you have anymore rogue demigod headcanons? recently i've been thinking of my own rogue demigod ocs and trying to come up with ideas for them

BOY DO I

Okay i have a lot of very niche thoughts about how rogue demigods work and the sort of loose culture they have as a collective group. I'll go over the main thoughts I have and throw some bonus loose rogue concepts at the bottom of the post just for fun if anyone wants oc ideas. Below a cut cause i've thought about this a lot so there's. a lot:

Most rogues take the "names have power" thing a lot more seriously than campers do, since they don't have the protection of the camps to help them. As a result, many rogues go by "rogue names" or pseudonyms. Some chose their names on the spot, others slowly gained a name over time or were nicknamed by other rogues. Some may choose to not go by a rogue name, but many at least have one even if they don't always use it. Some rogue name hcs I have for specific canon characters include: "Hound" or "Hound of Hades" for Nico (cause hellhounds, also rogues making jokes about him being "the camps'/Olympians' dog"), "Rue" for Chris (named himself after Clarisse cause he missed her, though he's too bashful about it to admit it), Luke's was "Titan," and Hylla's being "Twice-Kill" is just canon. It's also fun to play around with how common some rogue names might be ("Wolf" and other animal names are definitely popular), how silly some might be (Just the first thing that popped into their head, their old street/town name, a famous actor or character, a youtuber's name/handle, cryptids, etc etc. "Ender" is also definitely popular. yknow. from Minecraft), and what stereotypes might be associated with rogue names/common rogue names. You can get real funky with it really easily. I'm personally a big fan of there being a rogue joke about people with animal-themed rogue names, just because of how common they probably are. It's probably rare that somebody earns an animal-themed rogue name from the collective community rather than just picking it themself. Also easy jokes about rogues sliding by with youtuber names or similar just cause most rogues can't access the internet, so they don't get the reference.

Almost all rogues knew about other mythologies/pantheons way before the camps did. It's a very open-secret type of thing. It's pretty impossible for them to not run into demigods from other pantheons living like they do. They just generally don't tell camper demigods about it, partially because it's sort of an unspoken rogue agreement to keep it secret from them for general demigod safety and also because most rogues don't like campers, so it's kind of a joke to keep them in the dark. Titan Army demigods were very well aware of both camps in particular.

The Amazons, Hunters, Circe's Sorceresses, and other rogue groups are also fully aware of this but don't ever mention it, even if they're camp-affiliated. The sorceresses just generally didn't run into campers enough for it to be relevant (and the campers they did run into probably never went back). For Amazons they're probably just too focused in profits to bother stirring up trouble by telling the camps about it. The Hunters probably don't mention it for the safety of the camps.

Camp Jupiter is very anti-rogue and hostile towards rogues in general. It's very rare that rogues are able to join the legion, and anyone who leaves to become a rogue is formally exiled and can't ever return. Most people who join the legion have to either be sponsored by a retired legionnaire family living outside of camp or just wholly directed to camp by a god (or representative of a god - see: Nico for Hazel). Rogues particularly hate CJ because of that. CHB on the other hand is perfectly willing to take in former rogues and there are plenty of ex-rogues in CHB who are fully aware of other pantheons. They just. Don't feel like ever mentioning it. Rogues are generally a bit kinder towards CHB because of their more open friendliness towards rogues, and will help direct new demigods towards CHB fairly often. They're still not fans of it most of the time, but they understand rogue life isn't for everyone and that it's safer, at least.

A lot of rogues take mercenary work, or other hired jobs. Technically this one is just kind of canon. See: Lots of TOA rogues, even some rogues from PJO and HoO are implied to have been hired by the Titan Army or Giant Army (or Octavian). This line of work is seen as totally legitimate to rogues, though there's a lot of different opinions within rogue circles about how it should be gone about. The most common opinion is that it's taboo to take or hire hits on those who run safehouses. Rogue safehouses are usually considered off-limits for any kind of targeting, and trying to target them is sure to ruin your reputation. Stealing or inter-rogue violence is generally considered on the table though. It's largely a lawless space. If you're particularly cruel or try to throw your weight around a lot though, you're sure to be ostracized by other rogues. Because of this, groups like the Titan Army who vocally advertised a lot of trying to make life better for rogues were popular, but other groups like the Giant Army or Tri are significantly less popular because they're seen as just power-grabs trying to hire extra muscle because they can't handle their petty squabbles on their own. Most rogues who joined the Giant Army or Tri were either indebted to them somehow or really desperate and willing to take more dubious jobs.

Norse rogues are actually significantly more common than Greek or Roman rogues, as they don't have any options for a camp to train at instead of living as a rogue, and get hunted down by monsters once they become old enough often regardless of specific parentage. Norse rogues are often more willing to take more dangerous work, as they hope it will either attract the attention of their godly parents to help them or if they build up reputation and die valiantly it will be enough to get them into Valhalla.

Safehouses are rare, but not unheard of. They're mostly just rare because their success rates vary wildly, and many try to build one but fail. The successful ones are often widely known in rogue circles, and there are some that are trade/gathering hubs to find work or restock supplies (and catch up on news). Most are considered peaceful zones, though there are some where combat is allowed, or may even have spectator sports like gladiator battles or etc where rogues can try to build up their reputations and notoriety.

Not every demigod benefited from Percy's deal that the Olympians had to claim all their kids - for some, they could have otherwise slid under the radar, but being claimed caught the attention of monsters and forced them on the run. Some got claimed in the middle of doing something in their mundane lives (with the gods doing some mass-claimings after the war) and had to run away on the spot, and resent Percy/CHB/The Olympians for it.

Free to use rogue demigod concepts:

Amazons and Hunters count as rogues! Anything with them is always fun. Ex-Circe sorceresses are also very fun.

Titan Army, Giant Army, and Tri rogues are also always very fun to play with.

Rogue satyrs, fauns, and nymphs! Or monsters/part-monsters, even!

Cursed rogues! Maybe they're part-monster, and/or the curse is part of them being banished/exiled somehow.

Rogues who run safehouses, or rogues who don't run safehouses but live there. What's their community like? How does it function? What are the rules there, and what's life like there? What's their role?

Think of a rogue name and then make a character themed around that. It's VERY fun I highly recommend it, especially if the names are leaning silly. Rogues stealing youtuber names, or their favorite anime characters, or some other pop-culture reference and hoping nobody notices. Rogue named Vriska or Sans or something. Rogues named after Pokemon. Get funky with it.

Rogues who work with monsters, or have alliances with them! How did their alliance come to be? Is it reliable? Why do they work together - what do either of them get out of it? etc etc.

Mercenary rogues, or other rogues who do hired work. Who are their clients, and what does their work entail? How does that impact their reputations?

Rogues who were revived with the Doors of Death. what were their lives like before they died? How did they die? How did they come back? Were they ever part of the Giant Army? What's their second life like?

Multiple generation rogues! Second-gen or third-gen rogues who were born into rogue life outside the camps but have always known about demigod communities.

Demigod who got claimed unexpectedly from the post-Titan War mass-claiming stuff and was forced on the run.

Norse rogues! Rogues from different pantheons! Or even rogue magicians! How do their lives differ from Greek/Roman demigods? What do they get up to?

[bhaal-battle-beer-bard]

Astarion x Tav

📜🪶📜🪶💙🎻🫧🌹🌸🌹🫧🎻💙🪶📜🪶📜

request: for @aristenfromwarsaw

Fangtastic days of our lives

➹summary: a comforting day/evening in the life of Astarion and his love Aristen after post-game settling down, takes an unexpected turn as Astarion while enjoying his new found life and love, sees something of interest…

➹pairing: Spawn Astarion x F!Tav (Aristen by @aristenfromwarsaw)

➹content/tags: fluff, comfort, romance, smuty flirting, fun, slice of life, little tiny bit of angst and guilt

➹word count: 5,036 ➹ao3

➹cameos: @evander-jane Devana Lysander @alpydk Ragnar @goromimii @pinkberrytea (by order)

➹a/n: another belated birthday present for @aristenfromwarsaw  Thank you very much for all the great photoshoots you always did for me, just like that. Such things really fill my heart with joy. I hope you like it. Thank you for trusting me with your Tav Aristen. I take writing other OCs really serious, because an OC is very personal thing and it is way harder to get them in character. I used the infos/backstory you gave me once about Aristen for the best I could.

📜🪶📜🪶💙🎻🫧🌹🌸🌹🫧🎻💙🪶📜🪶📜

Fangtastic days of our lives

Teak, mahogany, oakwood, dried tobacco with the hidden essence of vanilla. From somewhere the sweetness of honey and roasted nutmeg.

These were impressions of antique wood, boiling kettles, clanging beer mugs and laughing voices that filled the Elfsong tavern.

It was like a honey-colored, subterranean, starless sea.

A sea of ​​people, scents, voices and music.

A sea of ​​life that would envelop the coming evening when the sun would have completely disappeared, making way for the aurora again after the starry night.

Astarion was acutely aware of his surroundings. Perception meant survival.

But not today…not anymore.

He could simply explore and enjoy his surroundings while he waited for his beloved:

Aristen the storm sorceress and former daughter of Bhaal. She was able to walk in the sun and as a vampire spawn he had to wait until the sun had made the rays that were fatal to him disappear.

That didn't matter to Astarion. He was used to the night.

But he never wanted to go back to that cold, lonely life.

The Sorceress, along with the other companions, had freed him from slavery once and for all. But it was she alone who had given him back the vision of his eyes, of his entire senses. Astarion could sit in the tavern and just be, taking in the surroundings of life.

No more looking for victims. No more fear. Never again.

The Elfsong Tavern was full of life and he was part of it.

So after hundreds of years, Astarion could finally taste life again. See it. Hearing it with his pointy ears and feeling and smelling it warmly with the scent of pumpkin, butterscotch and spicy beer.

A quite pretty bard with white freckly tattoos on her face and braided crimson hair beneath her Tiefling horns played the lyre on the Elfsong stage. Astarion noticed dagger-shaped earrings on her pointed ears. The Avernus fire of her origins blazed in her blue eyes as she sang:

“Empty kisses, shallow words,

Fiery passion only hurts

When the sorrow takes an oblivion hint

Will you cure and begone with the wind…”

Astarion continued to look around while the sadly whispering voice reached his elf ears.

“I hope someone sings a song like that for me too. Such expressions of love really manage to make me weak,” sighed a tall black-haired woman, whose face bore at least as many tales of adventure as freckles.

"Me too. But I really hope that the ballad has a happy ending,” replied a long-haired beauty at her table. The human woman's wavy, light hair framed a gentle face with captivating blue eyes.

“Oh you heard that? Oh no! ", the adventuress, ashamed, put her hands on her head with her side-braided hair and covered cringing with embarrassment one of the green eyes. "I should stop talking loudly to myself."

The other woman laughed a little and her wavy hair swayed on the shoulders of the long, light dress with floral embroidery: “It’s all good. I won’t tell anyone else.”

She winked briefly.

“But tell me…” she took her hands away from her face with the little different eyes, “…you’re not from Baldur’s Gate either, right? You also speak with a different accent than me.”

"Correct. I come from the East..."

“What did she say? Sêlune guide me?”

Astarion was distracted by an almost desperate voice that sounded at least as concentrated and angry as it was beer-soaked.

He saw a barbarian sitting at the next table, holding his beer mug almost too tightly.

The raised dark blonde hair did not distract from the piercings and black war paint, which Lae'zel would certainly have approved of.

“Okay, can I memorize this Sêlune prayer or not?” he muttered to himself and downed the beer in one gulp.

Astarion had seen him before and that evening he had stared at Shadowheart the whole time. Was the barbarian building up – or drinking up - the courage to speak to Shadowheart next time?

The vampire was distracted from the barbarian when a pale woman walked past his table accompanied by a brown-haired man. He noticed them because they both had scars on their faces. But no, that wasn't it at all. Something else drew his attention to them...they smelled somehow, almost reeked of...swamp? No magic.

That same hidden scent of feymagic that came from the black haired adventuress with the freckles.

The woman's pale face was friendly, almost cheerful. She enjoyed the music and the sad ballad. Did she know the feelings and sad love that the Tiefling woman sang about?

Astarion was all the more struck by the face of the dark-clothed man with the scarred hands who accompanied her: he was rigid and joyless and his eyes had an almost malicious shimmer. He didn't seem to suit her. He walked rigidly like an aristocrat or a trained soldier, or was he rigid because of the blade - that was clearly visible to the Rogue - that he wore under his clothes?

The man's gaze fell on the bard's dagger earrings. But not only the brown-haired human looked at the earrings, but also a white-skinned, tall elf who walked behind him. Astarion didn't know what was more noticeable: his large deadly sword, the long white hair, the black tattoos on his face, or...or the earrings in the shape of a dagger that hung from his ears.

He nodded almost imperceptibly to the bard and she returned his nod briefly.

Frowning, Astarion averted his gaze and looked around the taproom.

Many of the guests listened attentively to the ballad. Couples in love held each other tightly and some wiped a tear from their face.

“…in the dark of the night I see your tears

Rubies glisten full of pain

Rage and misery

Don’t get lost in brandy, bergamot and rosemary”

The ballad finished gently and the bard stood up.

"Thanks! And now for the bard duet!”

With a wave of her hand, she invited her partner onto the stage.

Wild white hair adorned the scarred drow face. It looked like survival for Astarion.

She could be young and old at the same time, that's how it was always with the elves. Young pretty faces and centuries behind them. Sorrow, suffering, joy. Everything was possible.

The narrow waist with the subsequent curved hips and thighs with short pants was adorned with a weapon belt with a sword and a flute.

The skilled hand whirled out a shiny silver flute and the duo began to play:

„Two bards do the trick, because bards do it better

Drow or Tiefling, it doesn’t matter

Shiny white hair, or wagging tail

Their persuasion will never fail“

They quickly changed the melancholic mood and the silver flute had a captivating sound, as if it were a homage to a goddess.

“One plays the flute, the other smashes lutes

Buy us a drink and we’ll tell you who is who“

A Tiefling whose rosé colored hair matched her white pink frilly clothing cheered enthusiastically to the tavern song.

Astarion heard her applaud with a giggling laugh. Cute little laughs with a sweet smile upon her light face.

It was that kind of sweet laugh that told the vampire how innocent, unspoiled, kind and naive the person was.

Yes, the delicate Tiefling woman was a sweet, innocent thing, Astarion could tell that with just a sideways glance of his red eyes. The sweet and naive kind of girl that immediately fell for him. Who he easily ensnared and seduced for Cazador. Or was she one of the people he would have avoided because they were so naive...innocent, undeserving of it? He would probably have avoided her if possible because such a sweet, lovely person didn't deserve to fall victim to the vampires.

Astarion closed his eyes briefly and grimaced at the emerging memories that he immediately wanted to repress.

Thanks to his beloved Aristen, he no longer had to do this.

He was free.

Cazador dead.

All of Baldur's Gate saved, saved from the Empire of the Netherbrain and the Mind Flayers.

Yes, thanks to the blonde adventuress whose fate was forever intertwined with his and all her other companions, he had escaped his fate as a slave. Their courage and their determination, with the help of the other fighters, allowed him to defeat Cazador.

But not only that, the storm sorceress had also given him love and patience. And the confidence to be better than Cazador. He didn't need blood-soaked, soul-eating power to be safe, to be worth anything.

Astarion would never have to hurt innocent people against his will again.

All thanks to her.

And yet Aristen did not consider herself to be good, nor to be lovable.

She loathed herself for her actions as a born Bhaalspawn, which she only dimly remembered. No one could hate her more than she hates herself.

And perhaps it was even worse for her, imagining every day what atrocities she had committed in the name of the God of Murder instead of knowing for sure.

She didn't see herself as a lovable hero, a savior. Astarion wished so much that she could see herself through his eyes just once. Then she would finally forgive herself.

The problem was that the sarcastic vampire had never said that to her and perhaps never would. There would always be something gnawing inside him, at his battered heart, that would prevent him from casually revealing his innermost, deepest feelings. What if he did lose her to someone else one day?  If it would not be an arrow or observer to steal her from him? How could he then pretend that his vain heart had not been destroyed for all eternity?

Darkness crossed Astarion's face at all the thoughts and he shook his head with his white curls to drive them away.

Once again he let his gaze wander over the audience, while his pointy elven ears only casually listened to the singing of the bards. It was only thanks to his beloved Aristen that he was able to recognize the diversity of the guests gathered. To be recognized again.

It had once been a faceless mass. At some point, after all the years of slavery under Cazador, the people in the taverns had become nothing more than a uniform mush to him. Victims, cattle like sheep, to his master. Criminals who hurt him and whom he hurt in return and they became victims of the vampire lord.

Dark, blank faces.

Without eyes, without soul. Just like Astarion himself had felt.

But after Aristen came into his life - with the craziest tentacle adventure of his life - everything had gradually changed.

First he recognized her blue eyes, then her face. The smile of her lips plagued by guilt and bloody ghosts of the past. The same smile as his own.

Then he saw all the faces, the people, their stories and lives again.

He saw the colors. The differences and the similarities. He heard the voices, the laughter, the music. He noticed the scents and smells again. Astarion saw joy and life again.

A scent that stood out from the rest of the tavern's smells suddenly tickled Astarion's nose.

Orchid drifted discreetly from the front door.

A slightly tickling shiver ran over the tips of his elf ears, while Astarion was already peering towards the door with large, round eyes.

Like the true epiphany she was, a blonde woman made her way through the elven song. Her appearance truly stood out from the rest of the tavern's audience:

Her delicately pinned hair and a ladylike, sweeping blue dress made her truly look like a lady of name and rank.

Astarion smiled as he looked at Aristen's appearance.

She always made an effort to look chic and beautiful, no matter what the circumstances. Like a true lady who belonged in a ballroom and not a tavern.

A ballroom, not a bhaalroom.

But Aristen loved all facets of life and also sat in the meadow under a tree in the forest with her fancy dress on.

If Astarion had his way, then very soon she would be pressed into the grass beneath him with the dress rumpled.

He chuckled dirtyly to himself as he couldn't help but think of that thought. And before he even thought about the first visit to his grave together, he shook his head and pushed it all away from his white curls.

"Darling..." Astarion stood up after Aristen made her way to him, having spotted him with a smile beaming with joy, "...you give me all sorts of ideas as always."

“What do you mean?” the high elf asked in surprise and blinked in confusion because she couldn’t follow him.

“Nevermind little love,” Astarion grinned mischievously and briefly kissed her delicate hand in greeting. He gently stroked Aristen's hand again as he slowly lowered it.

“The sun has already set enough for you to go out, Astarion,” his lover informed him. She would pick him up when it was safe for him outside.

"I've already run errands from a few merchants," Aristen spoke as the two left the tavern.

"Nice. Then we can now buy the rest together. Have you got everything so far?” asked Astarion.

The blonde nodded as they stepped outside.

Astarion sucked the air outside the elfsong into his lungs. Had breathing changed since he became a vampire? After all, he was undead.

Astarion didn't know. He couldn't remember, it had been too long.

In addition, the past no longer counted - smiling, he glanced furtively at Aristen who was carrying the basket with the purchases - only the present and the future counted.

“Yes, I did the grocery shopping that wasn’t of interest to you,” the blonde laughed and winked knowingly. “There was wonderful blossom honey, I couldn't resist,” enthused the sorceress, rolling her eyes heavenly at the thought of it and licking her lips in anticipation of the taste of the honey.

“Then I can taste it from your lips and tongue,” Astarion whispered seductively.

"What?"

“Oh, nothing…” the pale elf just grinned again.

His pointed ears were suddenly tickled by the brush of her lips as she leaned in very close to him.

“I heard you very well, my dear,” she whispered to him, her blue eyes sparkling meaningfully at him after she leaned back and gave him a knowing smile.

The vampire laughed. It was a serious laugh. It went from its sonorous, seductive, dirty murmur to a deep rumble before dying out in a high-pitched spike.

“I saw such a beautiful pair of earrings in the window at the Glitter Gala,” sighed Aristen languidly after she continued the story.

“So why didn’t you buy it, darling?”

Aristen shook her head: “Because it’s not necessary. I prefer to save our money for important things. After all, magical artifacts are expensive and the most important thing is that we find something that makes you immune to the sun.”

Yes, that was the ambition and current mission of Aristen and Astarion: to find a way for the vampire spawn to walk in the sun again.

Their friends also kept their ears and eyes open.

Gale read every book that might contain useful information.

Shadowheart, as well as Lae'zel on her travels through the astral planes, always sent them messages when they heard about mysterious artifacts.

And Halsin and Jaheira also reached out to all their acquaintances from near and far.

"If you hadn't used so much of our gold to rebuild the city and help its people, then you could afford any jewelry you wanted," Astarion nudged her with his shoulder and winked knowingly. The slightly accusatory tone was just an act.

“You know I wanted to try to somehow make amends for my actions when I was under Bhaal's control. This will never work, I know that. I can't bring back the people I killed. But I can at least try to help those left behind. It's too little. It’s no consolation…but at least it’s something.”

There was sadness in the blonde's voice. The look in her blue eyes was sincere before they slid slightly to the ground.

Astarion didn't like that, so he decided to cover up the whole thing: "I don't know what you're doing with this penance and compensation anyway."

He casually folded his arms behind his head and sounded as indifferent as he could.

“But…” he grinned playfully at the blonde Sorceress, “we could visit The Counting House again with Minsc. Then we have enough money to play benefactors and buy jewelry and beautiful clothes.”

Aristen raised an eyebrow with an amused grin: "You want to volunteer to do something with Minsc, really?"

“Now that you mention it…argh…better not. You may find him amusing, but he's always bursting in to chatter about his hamster at the most inopportune times. The guard almost caught me picking the lock of the Tabernacle when he suddenly stood loudly behind me, screaming my name and his hug almost broke every bone in my body.”

“What did you want at the Stormshore Tabernacle outside of opening hours?” Aristen asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing!” Astarion quickly dismissed the topic. Too fast.

“What’s next on the list for today?”

“We really have to go to the Devil's Fee. It has finally opened since the devastating battle against the Netherbrain and the reprocessing. If there are special artifacts or information about them anywhere, it’s there!”

Astarion nodded eagerly and the two elves walked quickly through the streets of Baldur's Gate.

"Oh no! No no no!” Helsik shouted from afar as her eyes saw Aristen.

The Sorceress blinked in confusion at the violent reaction and she looked around to see if anyone else was behind her, as the shopkeeper thought she might be.

“Not you!”

"I? But…"

“Nothing but!” Helsik cut her off. “After last time, I already told you that it was too hot to be seen with you and that the store was off limits for now. After the fuss you caused with your little friend and the black-haired fuzzy head.”

Astarion grinned briefly. He knew exactly who the saleswoman was talking about. After all, they had learned of Bhaal's daughter's past and how she had been involved in the Grand Design.

“I have new business partners, so I don’t need loud attention, after all, hell operates quietly.”

“We don’t want to cause any problems, I swear!”

The vampire let his eyes wander over the lavish and devilishly mysterious display while Aristen soothed Helsik.

“We just want to buy an artifact or information. Nothing improper, nothing complicated, nothing dangerous. Just good old Mammon.”

“Child, you will never have as much gold as I want from you so that I can burn my fingers again because of you.”

"Are you sure? I'll pay any price...whether it's gold or otherwise. We're just looking for a way to break the vampire curse of being vulnerable to the sun. Please."

Helsik laughed briefly, compassionately, not maliciously: “Deary, at the Devil’s Fee we don’t break curses, it’s more about the other way. That should be clear to you from the name.”

“My Love…” Astarion slowly tore his eyes away from the display cases and stood next to Aristen again, “…let me talk to her. I think I can convince them better with less…emotional involvement based on old stories.”

“Are you sure?” Aristen asked, unconvinced.

“Of course, baby…” he was already pushed the Sorceress toward the exit, “…you go do the other errands in the meantime and leave this to me.”

Aristen left the devilish business and made her way to the large square of the lower city wall. She visited the arms dealers and her thoughts continued to dwell on the fact that if even devils couldn't find a way to free Astarion from his curse, who would?

She would never give up hope. Anyway, Helsik was probably right: if it was about help, then hell wouldn't be a good negotiating partner.

Maybe they should trust in nature, magic and clerics. The gods may not have heard Astarion then, but perhaps they could now request divine intervention?

The vampire could walk in the light of the Moon Maiden, perhaps Dame Aylin and Shadowheart could ask even more of Sêlune. Maybe she could expand her moonlight.

Perhaps…

“STOP IMMEDIATELY!”

Aristen was snapped out of her thoughts and the blacksmith who was stationed across from Sorcerous Sundries just handed her back Astarion's freshly sharpened dagger.

“COME BACK IMMEDIATELY!”

From the direction of the Devil's fee came rumbling, loud voices and, above all, lightning and sparks.

“Stop the criminal scum!” shouted a city guard. “Subject, let him stand still!”

“Where for?”

“That way!”

“Or rather there?”

“I thought I saw something in that direction…”

“Then I here, you there,” the steel armored guards rumbled.

The clatter of steel armor slowly faded from the blonde Sorceress's ears, but a perfume that differed from her own scent of orchid and rose reached her nose.

Aristen smelled cherries, musk, palmarosa, black pepper and…

“Does this belong to you, little mouse?”

…sulfur.

Raphael's slightly tanned complexion stood before her. His brown hair was done to perfection with meticulous work, as were his clothes. Large, sparkling brown eyes regarded her, both sublime and mischievous.

The devil in human disguise had the white-haired vampire in tow, holding him by the collar like a naughty schoolboy.

"Raphael..."

“So you still know my name. Ah…very good. Tell the wizard of yours that too. Hopefully he’s still looking for my crown?”

Aristen nodded: “We defeat the brain. The crown will then be at your disposal. That’s how it was settled.”

“Excuse me…” the vampire groused

The devil released Astarion, who grumbled and moved his shoulders.

“Stealing from a shop that has connections straight to hell, very very naughty.”

As was his style, Raphael moved his hands theatrically while his voice whispered mellifluously. The reprimand was more than just played as amusing.

“Anyway, you were there in vain. There is nothing to buy there that could solve the vampire's little “problem”. Otherwise they would all be walking around here freely in the sunlight. Or not?”

The devil made a sweeping gesture and looked around ostentatiously before laughing.

“I'll talk to Helsik and smooth things over, after all you don't sleep well in unmade beds like in clover. But tell your wizard that it is my crown. When he finds it, he has agreed to hand it over to me immediately. Not to Mystra and he certainly shouldn’t get the foolish idea of ​​using it himself.”

“He is not my wizard,” Aristen clarified briefly, “Gale belongs to no one but himself. Mystra also has nothing to command him.”

“Does he see it that way too? Or does he like to be walked on a leash? He always just does what others tell him. After all, his own decisions are the stupidest I've ever seen...and I've literally seen it all."

“You mean as stupid as wanting to rule the crown of Karsus?”

“Haha…careful, little mouse,” laughed Raphael. “Just make sure I get the crown as quickly as possible.”

“When Gale finds it, you get the crown. That was the deal. We stick to that. But you'll have to be patient. It wasn't intended that the crown and the stones would be lost again, but it was hard to prevent it when the Netherbrain fell into the sea during the fight."

“I'm surprised you're so relaxed about this. You can't put me on a leash as easily as you can put the vampire spawn on a leash. Or was it rather the other way around and you Astarion put the former Bhaalspawn on a docile short leash?”

Mischief sparkled in the brown eyes of the human-shaped Cambion. There was a subtle, biting, malicious provocation in his words, which he spoke with a sonorous purr, as always.

Astarion's face contorted a little and the vampire barely suppressed a roll of his ruby-colored eyes. For a moment he seemed like a disgruntled cat.

"I think I liked you better when you just rhymed all the time," Astarion replied sassy.

Raphael laughed briefly, unimpressed: “Whatever. Less dawdling and making long fingers, but more diving for the crown,” reprimanded the devil with a raised eyebrow.

The devil wrinkled his nose slightly at the vampire spawn before turning back to Aristen and giving her his full attention.

“By the way, greetings from your fiery friend Karlach and her rapier-wielding colleague Wyll Ravengard.”

“Why are you ordering greetings from Karlach and Wyll? Have you met them?”

“Well, those two made themselves quite a name all around Avernus,” Raphael smiled in his smug way, “furthermore, I greatly welcome their actions against Zariel’s forces.”

He made one of his swinging hand movements with his manicured fingers: “I would like to invite you all to my House of Hope to linger, relax and chat. So you can catch up. You know, the Crown of Karsus is the key that grants you access. And until that happens…fare thee well, little mouse. I hope I will see you soon, knocking on the door of my house.”

As was his style, Raphael bowed expansively and his scent of leather, cedar, lily, rose, oud, vanilla and sandalwood disappeared into a swirl of sparks and sulphur.

“He hasn’t forgotten his flair for great performances. I don't know whether I should admire it or whether he's starting to get on my nerves with it," Astarion sighed briefly before straightening his shoulders and straightening his doublet with a quick tug.

"Anyways..." the vampire turned to another topic, "...I think it would be a good idea if we get out of the immediate area while the city guards are wandering around here."

The elf touched Aristen's elbow to encourage her to leave.

“What did you want to take from the store anyway, in the first place?” Aristen wanted to know from Astarion, curious and skeptical.

“Well…” he started to press and scratched the back of his white curls, “…I saw something…”

"And what was so terribly interesting that you would risk to be arrested by the Flaming Fist?"

“Well...it reminded me of you...and...I thought you should have it. But Helsik is really a cutthroat bitch with exorbitant prices.”

Aristen smiled good-naturedly: “Oh Astarion…”

“However…here…”

The vampire held out a white silk scarf to the storm sorceress.

Aristen's eyes widened. You could see from the shimmer and the way the fabric fell that it wasn't just silk that was woven there. It was definitely the weave itself and more that was at work there. Depending on how it fell and how you moved it, a golden blue shimmered.

“The scarf reminded me of the one you told me about. You know, the scarf with your name on it that you were found wearing as a baby in the Bhaal Temple. It’s one of the few memories you have left.”

The vampire took out a borealis blue thread from his pocket and began to embroider “Aristen” into the scarf.

“I wanted you to have something that you could never lose, that could never be destroyed, that had your name on it. Because if something ever happened again that made you forget...that made you forget yourself, at least you would always have your name with you. Then you know that you are Aristen. Not the daughter of the murder god. Not the chosen one of Bhaal. No Bhaalspawn. Just you. You are Aristen.”

The vampire began to embroider an “&” sign into the scarf.

“And well…” Astarion began to shuffle uncomfortably again and focused entirely on his work so that he didn’t have to look his lover in the eyes, “…if you ever forget something again, then you’ll know that we belong together. I don't want you to ever forget me. And so you also always carry my name with you.”

The vampire finished his work and the white scarf now embroidered with new memories read: "Aristen & Astarion"

“There is nothing in the world that would ever make me forget you, Astarion,” the high elf spoke softly.

She closed the distance between the two of them and kissed Astarion. The elf slowly closed his eyes as their lips met. His cool, hers warm. He felt her breathing life into him as they kissed.

"Thank you so much," the blonde said after they pulled away from each other, "you can't imagine how much this means to me. I love you, Astarion."

Aristen held the silky, white and blue scarf in her hands, stroked the pale elf's blue embroidery and smiled. "I think this used to be the color of your eyes too."

She smiled softly, as soft as the silky fabric of the scarf felt on her soft hands. Hands too soft for the crimes they had probably committed earlier in the name of Bhaal. In a previous life.

Aristen raised her eyes, which were also blue, and caught Astarion by surprise. Speechless.

That rarely happened.

Very rarely did the vampire find himself without words.

“Ah, I…” he took a breath to say something, but he lacked a suitable response, so he could only hold his breath, taken aback.

The gentle look in his lover's eyes and her words had triggered something in Astarion that he still couldn't handle: affection, sincere love.

Towards him and in his own heart.

The white-haired vampire exhaled and smiled just as gently at his beloved Aristen.

He reached out his cool hand to her and placed it against her rosy cheek. The blonde nestled herself a little in the vampire's hand and her gaze lingered lovingly in Astarion's now ruby-colored eyes.

“You never stop surprising me,” his whispering voice sounded sincere and just as genuine was the smile he continued to give her.

It was a smile that acknowledged how happy he was, partly surprised, partly just realizing that he wasn't really surprised anymore. And perhaps that was what surprised Astarion the most.

It was a day like any other.

A day like any other.

One day in the rest of their life.

Their life together.

And it was beautiful.

And he would never want it any other way.

📜🪶📜🪶💙🎻🫧🌹🌸🌹🫧🎻💙🪶📜🪶📜

➹a/n: i just gave my own Tav Saulus a little cameo guest appearance  😉 in the style of AU I also inserted aristenfromwarsaws other OC Devana, like a little, what are all the other tavs doing when not being the main character

the great Tavs of my lovely mutuals also did a tiny cameo:

Nala Hartwick of @evander-jane

Thomas Rosewood and Nana of @alpydk

Lovely Vierith of @goromimii jamming with my Saulus, best bardic duo

Mavka of @pinkberrytea

I hope I did the slice of life good justice and you all could taste, feel, smell, hear the life through all the description of scents, etc.

[littlejuicebox]

Midwinter Carol 2 / The Barrier

Pairing: Ascended Astarion x Female Elf Sorceress OC

Word Count: 2.9K

Story navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Summary/Setting: Based on the prologue/premise from my OneShot "A Midwinter Carol."

Astarion and the OC broke up after his ascension. She left Baldur's Gate for fifteen years, only to return just recently. Following the events of "A Midwinter Carol," Ascended Astarion has been convinced to pursue a new beginning. Will he be able to change who he has become, with the help of his ex-lover? Or will he ultimately fall victim to his pride and desire for power?

Preview:

There are a few minutes of silence as the two elves walk side by side, Umber following the sorceress like a shadow. Years ago, the pair had been strolling hand in hand through the city, laughing together despite the imminent threats at nearly every corner.

Astarion would pickpocket a noble, she would admonish him. At night they would find themselves in an alley outside a tavern, where he always used the money he pickpocketed to buy his lover and other campmates all the alcohol they could consume. He would always press her against the wall and cage her with his arms as they kissed.

His thigh would sneak its way between her legs, causing the blush on her already alcohol-flushed cheeks to rise as his hands wandered shamelessly, desperate to brush against the curves of a body he’d already memorized. Every inch of her had been seared into his mind, just like every part of him had been etched into hers.

Now two ghosts stood in the place of those lovesick elves. Their relationship had been consumed by the burning flames of his desire for her, nothing left behind but charred ash after he’d scorched through the limits of her patience.

Warnings: This will be 18+ even though this first portion is PG / in game spoilers / OOC Ascended Astarion because it follows my epilogue / Eventual Smut and maybe Gore / Angst, trauma, fluff

What should one bring to call upon an ex-lover fifteen years after the breakup?

This was simply one of the hundreds of questions that crossed the Vampire Ascendent’s mind as he hungered for sunrise.

After the God of Ambition’s enlightening visit, Astarion could not find sleep. Before long, he’d wandered out of his bedchambers and began to pace along the corridors, filled to the brim with restless energy and scattered thoughts.

The Palace had never seen the Lord in such a state. No one knew what this changed behavior meant, and it left everyone from spawn to servant on edge. His typically cold, critical demeanor had disappeared into a dazed, distraught one. A nest of coiled silver hair, formed by Astarion’s worrying fingers, now replaced the head of perfectly curled locks that had once sat upon his crown. He was murmuring to himself, playing through a conversation a million times over and anticipating every possible outcome. It was as if the Vampire Lord were forming a script in his mind. 

Astarion held himself in restless limbo until mid-morning; this had truly been the most patience and willpower he could exert upon his own gnawingly anxious psyche. He'd always loathed this feeling, the weakness within him that he thought he'd squashed when he performed the rite. But seeing a vision of his future, one where his ex-lover held a stake lodged into his chest as crimson pooled around the wound, had a strange way of striking fear in the previously fearless.

The Vampire Lord could not wait any longer. Yes, it would have been uncouth to rapidly knock on the Duke’s doors at the crack of dawn, demanding to speak to his former lover. However, arriving at the tenth hour of the morning, albeit entirely unplanned and unannounced, would be acceptable.

Wouldn’t it be?

Astarion finally released himself from the torture of his thoughts and readied himself in his chambers, undoing the mess he had made of his typically flawless appearance. And then he requested a carriage to bring him to the Duke’s estate.

In all that time, he never did figure out what would be the proper thing to bring when calling upon the woman. And while the Vampire Lord would typically consider his presence a gift, he worried if it would be considered one through her eyes. 

Access to Duke Ravengard’s property had always been highly limited; Astarion had never been on the entry list. He’d seen the inside of the home once or twice, only during the course of business, and never as a social call between friends. The two men had ceased to be friends, if they ever truly were, shortly after the silver-haired elf’s ascension.

When the Vampire Lord arrived at the gate, he hoped to simply request access; he thought he might ask them to discuss the matter with the Duke’s guest of honor. Surely if they asked her, she would grant him a brief visit.

Astarion didn’t expect that the guards would simply tell him no without entertaining the thought at all. He considered threatening to rip out their throats and drain them dry, but the “new beginnings” concept had seared itself into the forefront of his mind. For now, and despite his growing impatience and frustration, the Vampire Lord had to choose to follow the rules in situations where he would typically slice throats and sling threats.

Gods, following the rules was irritating and inefficient. It always had been, in his eyes. But fifteen years of getting his way at nearly every turn had spoiled the pale elf. 

It wasn’t long before Astarion reasoned he could just sneak in through another route. Perhaps it was breaking a rule, but at least he allowed the guards to keep the pitiful existences they called lives. He could never perfectly adhere to the straight and narrow, even as his best self.

He slinks away from the gate and meanders along the back of the estate, which is lined with a tall stone barricade covered in blooming ivy. There were no guards in sight on this portion of the property.

Astarion chuckles to himself at Wyll’s lack of security; the human man had always been too trusting for the vampire's tastes. The Vampire Lord's own palace had guards placed at every possible entry point, as well as on key points of the roof. Though now, Astarion supposed the type of company he'd chosen to keep these nearly two decades had always required that level of security.

A lazy wave of his hand and the Ascendant turns into a cloud of gray mist. But as his fogged form attempts to pass over the stone wall and into the estate, he hits some sort of powerful magical barrier. The invisible shield forces the Vampire Lord into his corporeal form and ricochets him through the air, curving him in an arc as if he'd been shot from a cannon. He slams into the ground with a loud thwack, leaving a small crater in the earth where his unnaturally sturdy body made contact.

The Vampire Lord sits himself up and groans. He may not break easily, anymore, but the force of the crash shot through his bones and caused them to ache. Astarion is still recovering from the reverberation when an elven woman’s head pops over the stone wall, peering warily into the dense shrubbery. Her brows are furrowed into a look of concern, but when she spots Astarion, still lying on the ground, her eyes flash with recognition.

“Astarion… is that you?” The amber-eyed woman calls, clearly trying to stifle the entertainment threatening to sneak out of her tone.

Back turned to the woman, the Vampire Lord hears her voice before he sees her. It’s the same voice that soothed his deepest worries in the nights leading up to his confrontation with Cazador. The one that cried his name in ecstasy, filling his undead chest with so much pride in his ability to pleasure her and fueled his overwhelming desire for the woman. It was the voice that, fifteen years ago, had coiled itself around his heart and then crushed it with tearful, honeyed words and lamentations.

The all too familiar voice, in that moment, cued the Vampire Lord’s all-consuming,burning humiliation. Astarion takes a moment to gather his thoughts and slip his powerful Vampire Ascendant mask back into place.

Then, he stands and dusts himself off with a small chuckle before finally spinning to face his ex-lover. He beams his winning smile and then tosses both hands in the air with a casual shrug, trying to play off the embarrassment of this faux-paux.

“Yes, darling. I came to call upon you at the front gate, but I was denied access. You, perhaps better than anyone, know that I am not easily deterred." He laughs, but it feels somehow shallow as it escapes his lips.

The elven woman is watching him, studying his face, searching for… something. He cannot tell what.

The Vampire swallows and then gestures toward where he'd hit the shield, intending to distract her from his discomfort, "I’d planned to sneak my way through to bid my hellos, but I encountered that forcefield. I have to admit the barrier is fascinating… I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” 

At the mention of the barrier, her honeyed eyes rip away from him and fleetingly flick up to the sky. She nods and then emits a soft, genuine tinkle of laughter before returning her focus back onto him.

 “Ah… yes. It’s a protective enchantment I’ve invented. It dispels all magical methods of transportation and attempts at trespassing,” She grimaces, and then offers a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders, “I apologize. There have been several solicitors and reporters trying to sneak their way onto Wyll’s property recently. Unfortunately, my return to the city has caused a bit of excitement in society."

There is an awkward pause, both of them staring at one another, neither quite sure what to do or say next. Astarion tries to think of something smooth and elegant to say, but nothing comes to mind; she'd always been unnervingly distracting.

The woman blinks and then offers a small, wary smile before saying, "Come back to the front, I will meet you there.”

She disappears without his response, and the silver-haired elf is left with no other choice but to follow her directive. He idly muses that he’s been bested, once again, by his ex-lover's spellcasting. More than once, during their playful sparring matches, she had knocked him prone with a powerful thunderwave blast or frozen him in place with her spellcasting specialty -- ice magic.

It was quite a strike to his ego than an exceptionally powerful Vampire Lord had been outdone by a simple sorceress. Fifteen years ago, it had been Astarion's fear of her clear potential to easily overpower him with her innate abilities that had driven a wedge between them. He could not stand the thought that she could easily outdo him, if she so wished.

After the short trek back to the front gate, the Vampire Lord catches the tail-end of a conversation between the sorceress and the guards. She is irritated, all narrowed eyes and crossed arms directed towards the men posted at the gate.

“I’m sorry, m’lady. We are under strict orders to not allow Lord Ancunin on the grounds. No exceptions. I understand he is your friend, but I cannot afford to risk my job.” The guard murmurs, tone apologetic.

She sighs and shakes her head in response, “Very well, then open the gate so I may exit.”

A pause. Silence. The two soldiers exchange a nervous glance.

“What? Did the Duke say anything about forbidding me from coming and going as I please? No? Then open it.” The elven woman continues, tone now prickling with anger and eyebrow raised in incredulity. As the gate begins to swing open, the maiden tosses a glance over her shoulder, “Come on, Umber.” 

She exits the gate with a final glare at the guards.

And then she is standing in front of him once again, so close he could detect the floral notes of her perfume and nearly taste the blood rippling beneath her skin on his tongue from its smell alone. Time stood still; the Vampire Lord was wholly captivated by the woman.

The sorceress is wearing simple robes and a soft, wary smile. Despite her unassuming garment and barren face, the Vampire Lord was certain no other being, not even a god, could ever compare. She had always been a vision, shining brighter than any ray of sun that had ever danced upon his marble skin. 

They had not been a couple for over five thousand four hundred and seventy five days, but there had not been a single day in all that time where his thought about her had changed. This was simply the first day in all that time that the silver-haired elf allowed himself to acknowledge it as his truth.

Astarion suddenly feels remarkably overdressed. His heavily brocaded doublet is nothing more than a veneer, a false shield held in front of his heart. He hadn't felt a moment of uncertainty like this since becoming Vampire Ascendent.

Nearly two decades apart, fully honed Ascendant powers, and more than one guild under his thumb, but it seemed his weakness for the sorceress hadn’t changed. Her ability to disarm him with nothing more than her presence always caused him to falter and fumble. At one point, he'd loathed it; majority of him still did. She was the crack in his impenetrable shield.

How could it be possible that time passed between two former lovers simultaneously felt like eons and instants? He was desperate to cross the few feet separating him from her, gather her in his arms, and refuse to let go again.

But she had been the one to draw the line in the sand, all those years ago. He supposed if he were truly going to pursue a change, then she had to be the one to cross that line now. If she would ever choose to cross it again… after everything.

So Astarion stands still, feet rooted in place, rubbing the pad of his thumb against the pad of his index finger.

“Hello, Eirianwen. Good to see you again. You look…”

‘Perfect.’ He wants to say, but he swallows the compliment down, unable to bring his already faltering pride low enough to say the truth aloud.

“Well rested,” He finishes, the words shooting past his insincere smile in a rigid tone.

He’s given hundreds of eloquent speeches at parties every year since they’ve been apart. He’s formed mergers with factions that held history of disagreements older than him. He'd convinced politicians to do his bidding, successfully talked his way out of investigation more than once, and spoken fear into more than one kingpin in the city.

Well rested?

Was that truly the best he could do?

“Good to see you again, too,” Eirianwen starts, and then pauses, glancing down at the serval cat brushing against her leg.

It meows, and its jade eyes are locked on Astarion, assessing him. Eirianwen stiffens for a moment, and the Vampire Lord realizes the cat must’ve said something to her. When she glances at Astarion and notices he did not understand, the tightness in her muscles dissipates.

She gestures to the cat, “This is Umber, my familiar.”  

Astarion nods to the cat and then refocuses his attention to his ex-lover. He’s all smiles and pomp, quickly falling into the role of Vampire Lord once again.

“Would you care to join me on a brief walk?”

There are a few minutes of silence as the two elves walk side by side, Umber following the sorceress like a shadow. Years ago, the pair had been strolling hand in hand through the city, laughing together despite the imminent threats at nearly every corner.

Astarion would pickpocket a noble, Eirianwen would admonish him. At night they would find themselves in an alley outside a tavern, where he always used the money he pickpocketed to buy the sorceress and other campmates all the alcohol they could consume.

His thigh would sneak its way between her legs, causing the blush on her already alcohol-flushed cheeks to rise as his hands wandered shamelessly, desperate to brush against the curves of a body he’d already memorized. Every inch of her had been seared into his mind, just like every part of him had been etched into hers.

Now two ghosts stood in the place of those lovesick elves. Their relationship had been consumed by the burning flames of his desire for her, nothing left behind but charred ash after he’d scorched through the limits of her patience.

The Astarion prior to his Ascension felt like another person entirely; he could barely remember that version of himself anymore. But he never forgot Eirianwen or the way she made him feel all those years ago; her memory had stained the very fiber of his being.

Finally, it is the female elf that breaks the uncomfortable silence. Her tone is hushed as she flicks her honeyed eyes to the Vampire Lord, “Astarion… why are you really here?”

He stops in his tracks. For a moment, he is unable to meet her gaze and is instead looking past her shoulder. Astarion's long fingers flex with anxiety, and then he turns his head to meet her eyes. There is a stab in his gut when, for the first time, he notices the subtle signs of aging on the woman.

Whispers of creases around her eyes, a few more freckles from the sun, the subtle spreading of her skin depigmentation which she'd abhorred, and he'd adored.

He'd been particularly fond of the small patch under her left eye, which he would kiss every night and every morning all those years ago. Fifteen years may not be a lot of time by elven standards, but for an immortal watching the only person they had ever truly loved age while he stayed frozen for all eternity, it suddenly seemed like far too long.

The crushing reality of time caused his gut to churn. Astarion could control and outmaneuver many things, but eventually she would fall victim to the passage of time if he did not change her. And she would not agree to his previous offer, not then and not now.

The pale elf clears his throat and then murmurs, “There is an event this weekend. I was wondering if you would accompany me.”

“Oh I don’t know, Astarion, I–” Eirianwen begins, clearly caught off guard by the invitation. Her arms wrap around her chest, as if attempting to shield her heart from him.

A muscle feathers in his jaw as he flicks his gaze away from her. He cannot meet her eyes to beg, but he knows that she is the key to whatever ounce of salvation may be left for him.

His tone is soft, almost a whisper as he says, “Ani… please.”

She is holding an ice knife in her hand, about to blast it through the vampire for attempting to dive into her neck while she was asleep.

“Ani, I just need one small sip of your blood. Please. Nothing more than what I need.”

She is at the tiefling camp, celebrating their victory and buzzed from the poorly made wine. They are flirting relentlessly, after several days of the cat and mouse charade.

“We could make our own entertainment. I know a quiet place not too far from here.”

“Say please, Astarion.”

“Please, Ani.”

She is standing in the Palace dungeons. Cazador is on his knees as Astarion implores her to use the parasite and assist him with the ascension ritual.

“Ani, help me do this. For us. Please.” 

A moment of weakness from her, followed by the sickening screams of seven thousand souls.

The word please on Astarion's lips had always been a dangerous thing. 

“You are the only person that calls me Ani.” She murmurs, her tone wistful and distracted.

Astarion notices that her eyes are distant, looking at something he cannot see. He furrows his brow, trying desperately to decipher the thoughts going on behind those striking amber eyes.

The elven woman sighs and shakes her head for a moment, dispelling the memories before focusing her gaze back onto the Vampire, head cocked slightly to the side. 

“What kind of event?”

“A benefit auction. I receive an invitation every year, of course, but this is the first time I might actually attend. If it helps to convince you, I think your presence would draw quite the crowd… it’s for a good cause.”

“A benefit auction? For who?”

“For the children that were orphaned by the Netherbrain battle. Has Wyll not mentioned it?”

She shakes her head no and he continues.

“Many of them are in apprenticeships or pursuing higher education by now. Jaheira is on the committee. The proceeds of the auction provide funding for their general needs and education costs until they find employment.”

The Vampire Lord knows he’s convinced her before she says anything. Eirianwen had been soft-hearted for nearly every straggler, but children had been her deepest weakness.

Arabella, Mol, Yenna… the list went on. The sorceress had spent much of her free time in camp reading to the younglings, braiding their hair, or giving them basic weaponry lessons. On their outings, she would buy the same newspaper from every street urchin they encountered along the way.

The day Arabella left, Ani had cried herself to sleep with worry, nestled in the crook of his arm as he carded his fingers through her silvery-blue waves. She’d stained his shirt with her tears. Astarion only now realizes that had been the last time he’d seen her cry.

“Okay,” She murmurs, more to herself than him, as if still trying to convince herself, “I suppose it is for a good cause. And surely marketing my presence will draw more funding. I will go with you.” 

“Splendid.” Astarion responds with a subtle nod. Inside his chest he feels his heart flutter for just a moment, and the sensation catches him by surprise. He stiffens.

Had it ever done that before? He’d noticed it beating sometime after the Ascension… but he’d not truly paid any mind to the organ after that. There hadn’t been anything to remind him of its existence until that brief flitting sensation.

Had he imagined it? 

Eirianwen hums in response, her brows still furrowed as she looks at the Vampire Lord. The elven woman keeps scanning his face, and Astarion finds himself unnervingly uneasy under her inspection. All the haughty confidence of the Vampire Ascendant fell away beneath the piercing gaze of his ex-lover. But he kept the confident mask glued in place, smiling his tight, practiced, politician's smile.

The sorceress never told him, but she hated how that smile never reached his eyes. She remembers how he started grinning in that manner shortly after the ascension, when he had finally been able to see himself in the mirror. He'd instantly hated his crow's feet and began practicing the smile to avoid the crinkling of his eyes.

The change in his smile had been the first thing that caused Eirianwen to accept that the man she took to bed every night had no longer been the same one she'd fallen for.

Umber meows. The female elf blinks and then rips her eyes away from the vampire, glancing down at her familiar. 

“I have to go now. Wyll and I were planning to meet for lunch.” Eirianwen says, glancing back in the direction of the Ravengard Estate.

“Very well. I will see you Saturday, then. I’ll pick you up at eight?” Astarion responds, thumb rubbing once again at the pad of his index finger.

“Okay,” She hovers for a moment, eyes roaming over his face one more time.

What was she looking for?

“Goodbye, Astarion.”

“Goodbye, Eirianwen.”

The amber-eyed woman quickly turns and walks away from him, and Astarion watches as she leaves. He notices her cast a subtle glance back in his direction, followed by another meow from her familiar. And then she's gone, turned around the corner and disappeared from his line of sight.

Watching Ani walk away always felt like seeing the last grains of sand slip through an hourglass.

-----

Story navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

[ssnailbitchh]

Woe, Funger OCs be upon you

Tried to replicate Miro's art style but I think I ended up doing my own thing rip. Anyways I love these two, dysfunctional witchy mother-daughter duo ❤️

Inanna is a travelling witch and former nun of All-mer who delves into the dungeons, and her whole arc is that she's essentially a hippie religious reformist who's anti-institutional religion. 9 out of 10 chance of becoming a hypocritical cult leader rather than the spiritual revolutionist she seeks to be.

Aeronwen is an immortal sorceress who kidnapped and raised Inanna as revenge against Inanna's witch hunting parents. A certain floating head would describe her as "A bat shit hag with the worst bony ass in existence". Girlie has currently been crucified for the last 7 years by said parents, but she's still kicking!!

[asexxxualerotica]

OC Muse List

~Dungeons & Dragons Muses~

Asterion Labrynthia: Minotaur prince in banishment from his kingdom. Quiet and gentle despite the great power and strength he wields. On a path of vengeance to avenge his killed parents.

Branwen Black: Ranger from the far north, raised and taught by an elite squad of mercenaries and huntsmen known as the Blackguard. Has a strangely innate connection to ravens and wolves.

Clover Brandyburke: Lagomore knight in service to a powerful archfey. On a quest to avenge his honor after his fiance left him on the altar. Serious and severe, and also naive to the mortal world.

Dariax Dendarrow: Goliath former bandit chief, abandoned after a disgraceful defeat to a young adventurer. Seeking to grow stronger to challenge the young adventurer again and defeat him.

The Devils of Emon: Based out of the Exandrian city of Emon, a band of adventurers named such for the surprisingly high number of tieflings in their crew.

Aquamarine: Tiefling rogue with ambitions to be the best thief in the region. Came to Emon and was immediately arrested for pickpocketing. Has an affinity for gems and trinkets.

Gamora Great-Bear: Orc warrior woman on a mission to find love, but just finding powerful monsters to defeat. Was similarly arrested, this time for exhibitionism, which she will do again.

Jeanne Ironwood: Woman driven by losses in her childhood to dragons. Trained by Percy DeRolo as an expert gunslinger and markswoman, and known for her cold and calculating demeanor.

Kyrie Targana: Tiefling performer who lost her arms to an abusive slaver. Was previously in a circus troupe with Omega and Thorne, and is now in a romantic relationship with Scourge.

Omega: Tiefling magician in a heated relationship with his succubus patron. Younger brother of Thorne. Definitely the most problem-attracting member of the crew.

Captain Scourge Maelstrom: Tiefling pirate captain and champion of the seas. Unofficial leader of the Devils, and the founding member. Captain of The Sea Devil, and tends to stay on his ship.

Thorne: Tiefling brawler known for getting drunk and getting into fights. Older brother of Omega. The most bristly member of the crew, often gets into fights with Jeanne late into the night.

Varris Alwyn: Tiefling warrior in loyal service to the Everlight. Seemingly ageless, and has a constant bet in the background by the rest of the Devils over whether he's really a dragon or an angel.

Verdant Wilde: Tiefling huntsman trained personally by Vex'ahlia DeRolo. Sent to Emon to keep an eye on things in Greystone Keep. Ended up forming a new adventuring crew alongside Jeanne.

Galatea the Golden-Scaled: Gladiatrix known for her gleaming golden battlekini. Left her life in the arena after repelling a raid on the city, seeing she could set out and do good elsewhere.

Jade Higurashi: Tiefling monk who was previously training to become a powerful sage for a local temple. After being thrown out, she turned to drinking and fighting to fill the gap they left.

Jaerik Aldraeyds: Changeling on a mission to find her true father in the Feywild. Unfortunately, her own naturally high libido and trend for falling to her enemy's lusts has delayed her quest incredibly.

Khadamori the Unbroken: Ulitharid warrior who was held in bondage by his own kin for most of his life. Eventually broke free and became a liberation leader, fighting to free slaves throughout the Underdark.

Korrin Vasailiis: Elven sorceress who made a deal with a demon to survive a horrible fate, and became a vampire in the process. Now on a quest to find new purpose, as her life is even longer than expected.

Lorelei Astolas: Tiefling lady of the night based out of Emon, a long-time rival and long-distance friend of the Ruby of the Sea. Known similarly as the Lady of Pearls for her pearlescent skintone.

Onyx the Shadowhand: Black Dragonborn rogue whose talents for theft and throwing down with thugs has been turned to aid and protect the less fortunate. Has a soft spot for children.

Peregrine Weis: Tiefling warrior woman who was once a faithful weapon for a zealous church, but left when they murdered her wife. Now trying to make up for her loss, and find who she is without faith.

Riot Doomthighs: Goblin bard with a love for heavy metal music and a wild devotion to the death god Xyrnyxrys. Also known for wearing very suggestive (but still protective) armors during her performances.

Serena Clyffe: Former noble lady who fled her home after accidentally frying her would-be betrothed with lightning. Now on the run from the law, and experiencing the world for the first time. Absolutely loves storm chasing.

Terra Verdell: Wood elven druid who has never lived in high society and wants to experience all that she can of it. Left her home in the forests to seek fun. Has found plenty by way of encounters with monsters along the way.

Twilight Obsidia: Tiefling from the Shadowfell who left her abusive family to seek a better life. Currently trying to live her life as a witch in the woods, doing good for the locals and farmers.

Variax Frosthollow: White dragonborn warrior, strongest in his clan, with a destiny to become a true dragon. Was the son of a dragon himself, but was only a dragonborn rather than his true heir.

Velvetina Gingersnaps: Lagomore witch from the Feywild with a desire to see the world. Also with a desire to avoid all of the felonies and fines waiting for her in the Feywild for her past antics.

Wilder Evergreen: Tiefling-orc huntsman with a bone to pick with an archfey. Grew up in woods that neighbored the Feywild, and his sisters were taken when wandering in them. Out for blood.

Willow Wellmeadow: Lagomore druid settled in the mortal plane. Protector of the dense woodlands and warden of a portal to the Feywild. Tends to be kind and welcoming to visitors.

Xakos Duskwalker: Half-orc gunslinger and gunmaker. Studied in ancient artificing and restoration of mythical mechanisms. Had his research stolen and spread out, and is out to take it back.

Yora Vor'ziira: Dark elf rogue who was kept as a slave by her own kind and forced to fight in bloody combats. Was eventually helped free by a human slave, and now wanders the surface world seeking a home.

Zhekhar O'Shevaqt: Efreet lord, master of slaves and of coin in the City of Brass. Known for being incredibly charismatic and devilishly handsome. Also known for spoiling his toys utterly rotten.

Zurrak Hellbellows: Red Dragon, often in a human guise. Considered the King of Dragons, and reigns from a long-dormant volcano he has fashioned into a castle. Intent on conquest, and claiming more wealth.

[pinklocksoflove]

About Tags Ask Submit Rules

Adding this but call me Boomsta, I'm 30+ and go by he/him

Feel free to bug me whenever

So something i'm going to be doing from now on:

The idea of fantasy elements in a modern world has always interested me. So for my modern muses I'm placing them in such a setting. Everything is the same except with adding like Elves, Dwarves and the like as well as magic, though magic isn't as common as it is in medieval fantasy.

For most interactions it's mostly going to be mentioned not always a primary thing say like

That Elf in a Porsche just cut me off!

You hear about that new Dwarf YouTuber?

Stuff like that.

Also a new note: due to being asked numerous times: I am not only focusing on wlw ships. Yes they are pretty dominant but not the sole focus. I am very much open to other ships.

Yes I am more than willing to ship with non birnary folks!

All my fantasy muses are going to have modern fantasy setting versions

I'm also going to try to work up a muse specific to the modern fantasy setting. Open to suggestions too

A note: there are a number of muses who are semi-active but do not have about pages yet. Feel free to ask about them

Krista "Vex" Sutter (the reformed ex convict in modern verse, a very tough mercenary in fallout verse)

Tizzi Pepperspark (the cute, dirty minded goblin bartender)

Vasilisa Von Rosengart (the delightfully mad, incredibly gorgeous vampire countess)

Jilyra (the dorky IT succubus)

Anninka Pavlona (Russian spetsnatz sniper working in counter terrorism)

F31IX (the robot cowboy in the fallout universe originally a robco prototype) Now has a verse for FNAF Gilda Volsbacher- Veteran Sister of Battle Celestian, Order of The Argent Shroud.

Felu - A proud, often quiet Zora swordswoman who favors the use of a bastard sword with great prowess in one hand, two hand and half handing styles of the weapon. She often works with Nafiif as part of her team during more dangerous expeditions

Sylfina the Fairy 

Soria Desai

Illendra the Gerudo Sorceress 

Bounty Hunter K4Z0-4 AKA Kaz

Mystra, Goetia Wizard (Helluva Boss Oc)

Lucatiel the Nurturer (fallen angel hazbin hotel oc)

Iron Knuckle Zavira (Gerudo OC mainly affiliated with the Age of Heroes setting)

Verosika Mayday (with some deviation from canon)

Verse info for Hazbin Iggy

Lisenka Zinchenko (Sinner oc for Hazbin Hotel)

Charlie Morningstar

Lucienne Cambrioleuse (Sinner Oc)

Nomiya Kuri (historical fantasy/unintentional time traveler samurai oc)

Nomiya Inuko (Kuri's younger sister, a spiritual medium and monster hunter)

Olivina (Ollie) Knightly Exorcist tasked with taking on the most dangerous threats, to both heaven and hell.

Cherri Bomb

Captain Emberblade: Infernal pirate overlord that wanders the wastes of hell in search of treasure, hunter of horrific beasts and hoarder of booze.

"Crackers": Runaway royal pirate and former member of the Goetia family

Siren: Musical succubus a part of Captain Emberblade's crew. Main recruiter for new crewmates

Didi Sparks: Fun loving Succubus with a passion for fashion and art. MtF trans and happy (has full human verse too)

[castlephantom]

My biggest nightmare is if Netflix will adapted other Castlevania characters intro bunch of OOC's, race swapping characters' skin color. I'm not saying that because some N!fans think I'm racist (which is totally wrong to make such clames since I love to see characters having different skin tone). The problem is that thise changes actualy ruins the characters apparence and that is a biggest mistake.

Lets look at Issac. In Curse of Darkness, he acts like that both because of the curse and his devotation to Dracula. In the show, he black Muslim and is going what game Hector does, since they gived N!Hector the worst adaptation to be a like a pet to Lenore.

Nocturne shows how you can do even worst. The prefect example are thise three particular characters: Orlox, Drolta and Annette. They having the most European names and made them black. Orlox as an Aztec was pretty questionable to me and they turned intro a sexy man. Annette is a former slave and claimes that no one understands her pain and being rude. When I saw this I was like; "That isn't Annette. That's someone that just have her name and is literally an OC character." But Drolta... really? They did her design to be like someone serves some c*nt in that show.

The original Orlox is a man that schemes in the the novel Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku, Annette is a kind girl that was ready to sacrifice herself then to became a vampire under Dracula's hands, Drolta is an old sorceress/witch and Isaac is affected by the curse.

[lunedegivre]

Mist of Chaos (part 1)

A/N: Got few requests about Fanfic with Aria Witcher's AU. I'm not quite used about how tumblr works, so i hope the anonym person who asked me for this prompt will read this! “ tissaia finally finds her but aria is badly beaten up after the fight, so tissaia takes care of her?” I just wanted to add, english is not my first langage, i write first in french and then, i do my best to translate but even if i'm used to read in english i can still do some mistakes! i'm sorry for that ♥

Pairings: OC x Tissaia

Summary: Aria went missing from the first bounty Tissaia allowed her to go after her came back, and the rector is worried. Word count: 1486

Warnings: Blood, Dead bodies, Fainted body, Severe wounds. Part 2 Part 3 (soon) ----------------------------

One week. It had been one week since she had left. Tissaia had finally agreed to let her take a bounty.The ginger needed a change of pace, after all those years on the road, being locked up again for over a month within Aretuza’s walls was driving her insane. She needed something to take her mind off, to step away from their research on the artifact, and besides, her sword was itching.

As chaotic as she was, the rector had grown accustomed to having her former student around her again, throughout her daily routine, and, in the end, she had to admit that not hearing from her for this long had stirred a faint worry in her heart. Tissaia drummed her fingers nervously against the parchment she was reading, her eyes fixed on the paper, though she had long since lost track of its contents. She had laid out clear rules, yet Aria had never been particularly skilled at following them. Or rather, she always had a knack for interpreting them in her own way...

A short mission, no more than three days. Simple enough, wasn’t it? She had assured her she wouldn’t do anything reckless. But the archmage had to accept that miscalculations were possible. Even so, that didn’t excuse her from sending a magical missive to keep her informed. Tissaia exhaled, lifting her gaze to stare out the window. Noon had long passed. She had a reputation to maintain, a certain detachment to uphold, but she had to admit it: she was worried. Perhaps, deep down, she feared losing her again, as she had until Aria's return to Aretuza. But that... she was too proud to assume it.

The only thing that reassured her was that she could still feel the faint vibration of the mage’s Chaos. She knew Aria kept her power concealed, suppressing her true strength to appear as any ordinary sorceress. But even that did little to ease her mind.

Finally, she straightened, closing her eyes in concentration. She shouldn’t do this, Aria was a grown woman; but her instincts urged her to ensure everything was alright. Her mind sharpened as she called out to the redhead silently. At first, there was only darkness. Tissaia’s hands clenched on her lap, crumpling the fabric of her robe. Then, faint blue sparks crackled, tracing a path she followed mentally. The first images began to take shape, slowly.

Her brows knitted together, and the scent of blood caught in her throat.

Tissaia froze. Bodies. Nilfgaardians, at least a dozen, strewn across the ground. A ravaged village. Smoke, still rising from the ruins. No sign of the bounty huntress. Had she walked into a trap, or was she merely at the wrong place at the wrong time? Her heart barely quickened as her gaze caught a fluffy tail darting into an alleyway. Nymeria. She opened her eyes. That was enough. She had waited too long already.

She exhaled sharply through clenched teeth. -Foolish, reckless girl who thinks she’s invincible.

With a sweeping motion, she focused, recalling the details of what she had seen and what Aria had told her before leaving. Chaos crackled around her, and the rector opened a portal.

The stench struck her immediately, making her stomach lurch. Metal and burned flesh. The echoes of slaughter still lingered in the air, as if the violence had only just subsided. She didn’t bother masking her distaste, this was all too familiar, and no less unbearable.

Tissaia stepped forward, gliding between the bodies, holding her breath, her cloak brushing against pools of coagulated blood. It was cold. A hollow wind carried the scent of ashes. Her eyes scanned everything at a furious pace, seeking any trace of Aria’s Chaos. But in the end, she simply called out, confident the danger had passed.

-Aria?

It wasn’t a shout, more of a quiet summon, as if she were nearby. But silence was the only answer. She pressed on until the smallest flicker of movement caught her attention to the left. The rector turned her head, her gaze landing on the small, curled-up figure of a marten, huddled near the lifeless body of a horse, trying to make itself as small as possible.

Wide, terrified black eyes locked onto hers. At the sight of Tissaia, the creature recoiled, poised to flee, as if she were yet another threat. Its fur was matted with mud and blood, but there was no mistaking it. There couldn’t be another. Tissaia took a step toward her, but the creature bristled, its filthy fur standing on end.

-Nym’!

The name carried authority. The marten froze, recognizing the voice. A few beats passed, then, in a blur of movement, she darted toward Tissaia, emitting soft, frantic noises, half-whimper, half-relief. She pressed herself against her feet, stumbling over the hem of her robes, dirtying them in the process.

Tissaia bent down, scooping her up. She had no idea what state she’d find Aria in, why care about a ruined dress now? The battlefield had already sealed its fate.The archmage examined the trembling creature in her arms, feeling the way she clung to her sleeve, burying her quivering nose into the crook of her elbow. What happened here?

Then, an idea struck her. She had never attempted this spell on an animal, but it seemed the only efficient option. She closed her eyes, fingers barely grazing the marten’s front head, like a silent request.

Nymeria rested her head against Tissaia’s palm. The response surprised her. Perhaps she was smarter than she had assumed.

-Show me.

A fleeting but potent connection. The images came in broken flashes.

The battle. Aria, swift, lethal, cutting through soldiers like a storm. The blue flare of her magic, the glint of her sword. Then, the abrupt shift. Pain. Her stance faltering, her body collapsing into the mud. A bloodied hand clenching at her side.

Alive. Wounded. But alive.

Nym lifted her head, suddenly mooving, breaking the contact and leaping from Tissaia’s grasp. She scurried forward, stopped, glanced back expectantly. The archmage didn’t hesitate. She followed.

The marten led her out of the village, which reassured her somewhat, it meant that the redhead had been able to drag herself away. The wind rushed through the trees, whispering lamentations among the branches. Night was falling slowly, draping the forest in a damp veil of shadows, thickening the air with a silent menace.

The rector moved quickly, her senses sharp. She wasn’t sure whether it was anger or worry that pulsed more fiercely through her veins. Nym darted ahead of her, vanishing into the darkness at times, only to reappear, her fur matted with dirt and ashes. The marten would sometimes pause to sniff the ground, then turn to Tissaia with an almost impatient air, as if she believed Aria’s former mentor wasn’t moving fast enough for her liking, before pressing on.

The scent of blood was still there. But there was something else, a fainter trace, a thread of chaos, one she knew by heart. She latched onto it, her fingers clenching slightly. She never let emotions dictate her decisions. Never. But this time… this time, she could feel anger mingling with her concern, and she did not like it.

Aria.

The name pulsed through her mind like an unspoken call, but once again, only emptiness answered.

The scene around her was grim. Trees, split open by magic. Scorch marks seared into the ground. A lingering whisper of a battle still trembling in the air. Nym veered abruptly into a denser thicket. Tissaia followed. And then, there she was.

Curled on her side, half-submerged in mud, one hand still wrapped around her sword’s hilt. Strands of red hair clung to her bloodstained face. Her breathing was weak, uneven. Tissaia knelt immediately, fingers pressing against her throat. A pulse. Faint, but steady.

-By the gods, Aria…

She didn’t waste time. A hand to her forehead, magic flowing, a sharp yet careful probe assessing the damage. A deep wound in her side. Substantial blood loss. But no poison. Nothing she couldn’t fix.

Her gaze lingered on Aria’s drawn features, the slight furrow of her brow even in unconsciousness.

-You drive me mad… she murmured, barely a whisper. How have you survived all these years alone.

Carefully, she slipped one arm beneath her back, the other beneath her knees. The effort was not insignificant. Aria no longer had the frail body of a student, and the height difference did her no favors. Not to mention the weight of her leather armor.

The wind howled through the trees as she stood, holding Aria against her. Nymeria, swift as ever, scrambled onto her shoulder, nestling against her mistress’ neck. Tissaia’s grip tightened around the unconscious body in her arms. Without a second glance at the battlefield, she opened a portal and stepped through, taking Aria far from the cold night. There was no time to waste.

[nightingale2004]

Meet my Narnia oc

Alina: female

Age: 13-28 (the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe), 1300+ (Prince Caspian and Dawn Treader)

Appearance:

Family: Professor Diggory Kirk (former guardian), The Pevensies (sibling figures), Aslan (father)

Personality: caring, loyal, reliable, kind, compassionate, intelligent, patient, calm, level-headed, playful, strong-willed, generous, devoted, respectful, open-minded, selfless, honorable, determined, brave, stubborn

Epithet: The True

Title/status: Guardian and advisor to the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve (formerly), Queen of Narnia (now)

Species: Sorceress

Items/jewelry: silver locket w/ a heart engraved (glows when opened and/or at full power. Given by father christmas)

Weapons: dagger, sword w/ a lion head hilt, bow and arrow quiver (her initials are on the quiver/ also a gift from father christmas)

Love interest: Caspian X

Extra: Before Alina was born, it was prophesied that a guardian of the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve would be be born and would ensure their claim to the thrones of Cair Paravel and they would also be powerful sorceress to help defeat the white witch and end her reign. After Alina was born, the cold winter winds of Narnia blew a warmth of hope telling everyone of Narnia that the guardian was born including Jadis the white witch, so she sent her army to find her and eliminate her and those that harbored her. Alina's mother was confronted by Aslan in a dream. He told her about Alina's destiny, and he promised that she would be safe, but she would have to be separated from her family for her own safety. So Alina's mother gave her to Aslan, who transported her to earth in the home of Professor Diggory Kirk, where he raised her with Macready. As she grew up, she went back to Narnia once where she met Mr. Tumnus once, but after that one journey, she never went back again until she met the Pevensies.

After she met the Pevensies, she immediately loved them and felt a pull towards them to protect them and from then on she had never left their side, until they left Narnia to their home but Alina this time remained.

[marioandsonicfangirl793-art]

SMB AU: The Spirit Animal Kingdom Ancestors

NEW MARIO OCS OVERLOAD… 😭

And yass, they are mentioned from my description of my OC Alice the sorceress! And if you don’t know, they are the parents of King Marcos, and also the grandparents of Sheila! ⭐️

From left to right: Wolf Queen Nerissa is Marcos’s mother, and Cape Buffalo King Valentino is Marcos’s father! 👑

HEADCANONS:

Valentino is a Spirit Cape Buffalo who lives in a rogue homeland far from the Spirit Animal Kingdom. Nerissa— as a young princess— is the heir to the throne of the Spirit Animal Kingdom since her family are royal ancestors after the true ones who turn out to be mythical creatures such as a Spirit Dragon and a Spirit Winged Unicorn— who make the kingdom a better place to be and also have all animals treat equal and fair.

Princess Nerissa’s real family died from an unknown war, so she is being raised by a dragon king named King Firedrake and a unicorn queen named Queen Sparkle— the former ancestors of the kingdom, who happen to be at their elder ages. They were her adoptive parents.

Nerissa likes to cast spells and perform magic. Valentino just likes to explore around the kingdom for some experience.

Valentino and Nerissa met as kids and they were getting along. As they grew up, they had their first date after showing a thing for each other. Nerissa’s family gave her an arranged marriage with Valentino, and they were married.

Years passed, and Nerissa gave birth to a wolf prince, but Valentino was confused by its looks, but he’s perfectly blessed to have a heir like him. He and Nerissa named him Marcos.

Both Valentino and Nerissa saw that their son had met Alice— at the time they were kids— and got along with her as best friends. The two rulers started making friends with Alice’s family.

Valentino and Nerissa attempted to take Marcos to school, but it takes time for him to get used to it. They assure him that his friends will be there.

They stopped Marcos from going to school at the time he became a high schooler with Alice and their new friend Zoey, because they knew that Marcos was a heir to the throne. They continued on with training him to be king.

Valentino and Nerissa hired a ram to be the administrator until the time Marcos takes the throne. The administrator was Luna the Ram. She met Marcos on the day of he will be king.

At the time Marcos, Alice, and Zoey reached their adulthood, the day starts of Marcos’s coronation, that he will be crowned as king. Valentino and Nerissa invited his friends Alice and Zoey so that they can search for Marcos’s future queen.

Alice and Zoey were the options of being Marcos’s wife. Valentino and Nerissa were thinking on which will be the best option. However, Valentino ended with a result of Zoey being chosen as the new queen, much to Alice’s jealousy.

Alice’s emotions bottled up after not being selected as queen, causing her to take out a sharp weapon from one of the display tables and even commit an attempted attack by tossing it.

The sharp object tossed flies through the air and suddenly pierced a painful wound through Valentino. He cries out wildly in a painful animal language, so much that the wound has taken over his body. Valentino felt a seizure and a stroke at the same time because of the impact on his body that he fell to the ground, bleeding to death.

Marcos, his family, and Zoey are all shocked after seeing what Alice did to Valentino. Nerissa felt her emotions bottle up with pure sadness and anger and she was more furious at Alice.

All of the Spirit Animals overheard that Alice had killed the king, and they exposed her, saying mean things to her and calling out to get her out of the kingdom.

Nerissa blames Alice for what she’s done, and then signifies that she is banished from the Spirit Animal Kingdom forever. Alice curses out to her and the Spirit Animals that she will have revenge some day or another.

After Alice left the kingdom, Nerissa goes back inside the castle, cuddles against Valentino’s lifeless figure and cries her heart out in echo. Marcos was very sad because of what happened to his father, but Zoey was the one to comfort him as Luna comforts Nerissa.

Few days went by as everyone held a funeral for King Valentino. Nerissa was devastated, but she got all the comfort from Marcos. All the Spirit Animals paid respect to their king.

A month passed after King Valentino’s death, and Queen Nerissa had to be strong for him. She was indeed, though.

Nerissa sees how close Marcos and Zoey were after getting over Alice’s banishment, and she thought of them being together after remembering that Valentino selected Zoey to be Marcos’s queen. Nerissa was happiest after seeing Marcos propose to Zoey who accepts it.

Nerissa was in so much happy tears after seeing Marcos and Zoey get married and they became the new king and queen of the Spirit Animal Kingdom.

Time goes by as Zoey was pregnant with a heir to the throne. She was happy to be a mother; Marcos was happy to be a father; and Nerissa was happy to be a grandmother. She really hoped that Valentino would be there too and also happy to be a grandfather.

Marcos and Zoey’s daughter, Princess Sheila, was born! Nerissa started her life as a grandparent, and was really blessed to have a granddaughter.

Sadly, after 5 months, Nerissa got sick with an illness. She was in the hospital with her son, his wife, Luna, and her granddaughter who was 5 months old. Nerissa asks Luna to take care of her son, Marcos to take care of Sheila and Zoey too, and to remember how much she loves him as a mother. They were her last moments she had with Marcos and her family.

Nerissa died due to the complications of a heart stroke as an old, aged, and kindhearted ruler, now joining with the Spirit Animal ancestors led by Spirit Dragons and Spirit Winged Unicorns, and most importantly, her beloved King Valentino in heaven.

Dang, SO MANY HEADCANONS I wrote! 😳

And like I said, they are King Marcos’s parents! <3

I hope you like it! 

⚜️❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷💖💝⚜️

Art/OC’s ©️ Me. 

⚠️ Please don’t use, repost, trace, or copy my art without my permission.

[laura-sanchez-mlp]

My NEW MSA Enemy OC

Full Name:

First Name:

Last Name:

Nicknames: The Dark Descendant of The Dark Sorceress (by Emilie), Son (by his family),

Gender: Male

Profile Pic

Age: 4 (his child from and in the past), later 29

Blood Type:

Occupation:

Past or Actual Occupation:

Favourite Shows/Games: ___/___/___

(___,___,___)

Favourite Food:

Instrument:

Favourite Animal: Crow Twins (his pet's named "Ryan" and "Robert")

Family Members Relatives: Unknown mother (missing), Blaze Scarett (his disowed father: arrested), The Dark Sorceress (his ancestor)

Other Family Members Relatives:

Species: Human/Humanoid Wolf Hybrid

Friends: Eli Mars (his best friend: former), The dark shadow spirits (his minions), Darkest, Ravette, Reverb 'Rev', Bad Ghosts, Bad Demons, Ruben, Bad Spirits

Enemies: ___, ___ and ___ (his bully-enemies and deceased), Mystery Teams, Girls' Clues Club Team, Metal-Stars Team, Kate Stein and her boyfriend, ___ ___ (his two arch-nemesis), Eli Mars (his former friend),

Alignment: Good (in the past), Bad

Likes:

Dislikes:

Hobby:

Goals:

Weapons: N/A

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman strength, Dark magic, Levitation, Shapeshifter

Skills and Abilities:

Skin Colour: Ivory Pale

Eyes Colour:

Hair Colour:

Clothes:

Shoes:

Accessories:

Hair Styles:

Nationality:

Sexuality:

This one sounds like: Ra's al Ghul (from DC Super Hero Girls 2019), Lord Darkar (from Winx Club) and Death (from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)

@sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

[kinomorebi]

Character Repository

always a work in progress

OCs:

High Fantasy

Vesiryn Othalon - Melise Jow | GoT/HotD | what makes a monster, a search for purpose, bite the hand, power is for those who take it

Ikora Veronys - Sherouk Farid | world design focused (think Elden ring, meets Dune, meets Star Wars, meets LotR) | Horror | the making of a god (Heavy trigger warnings for blood, gore, body horror, etc etc)

Sci-Fi

Kyrie Santos - Anya Chalotra | Star Wars | former Jedi, what makes a monster, ambivalence

Ailani Dagon - Adria Arjona | Star Wars | Jedi, blind loyalty, not all that is good is kind, sunshine through the clouds

Genevieve Pacheco - Imogen Poots | post apocalyptic/modern, high technological advancement, cryptid/gothic horror

Ezra Beo'rul - Archie Renaux | Dune/SW/GoT/HotD variability | smuggler, climb the ladder to survive, neutrality in action, cog in a wheel

Gothic Horror

Annora Cicarelli - Hande Ercel | blood witch, the mercy in death, finding gentility amidst the violence, no peace in revenge

Valendra Cicarelli - Eiza González | blood witch, desperation for power, blood red revenge, burn it to the ground

Psychological

Freya Caldwell - Jessica Chastain + Bryce Dallas Howard (Katherine McNamara for young Freya) | hired assassin/thief/smuggler, what's behind the mask, searching for purpose, I am only what the world has made of me

Violet Calhoun - Lily Collins | Missing persons mystery, southern gothic themes, paranormal, glimpses into human interaction, where do we place our guilt?

Sage Williams - Liv Tyler (older alt. Anne Hathaway) | southern journalist, where does the drive take you? making a name for yourself, potential slight paranormal themes

Colette Moreau - Haley Bennett | Historian/scientist/archeologist | Uncovering the truth, what you see is what you believe, skeptic

Canon: (divergence is inevitable)

Felicia Hardy - Minka Kelly + Katheryn Winnick (Younger: Chloe Robertson) | Marvel Comics | Heavily cannon divergent, flirtation as a means of power and control, femininity is power. **steers away from the sexism of the comics

The Red Cat - Rebecca Ferguson | Marvel comics | not much cannon to go by, so she's essentially an OC. Think Natasha Romanoff meets Felicia Hardy

Rey - Daisy Ridley | Star Wars | Request only. MAJOR canon divergence here. Consider her OCified. Follows most of TFA but diverges heavily after. Scavenger, not at all related to Palpatine(sorry, not sorry). ‼️Kylo exclusive with Nightmarefuele. NOT here for "Reylo bliss"

Test Muses...

Santiago - Ben Daniels | Interview with the Vampire | canon divergent

Selina Kyle - Zoë Kravitz | Batman 2022 | likely canon divergent. Shares a lot of similar changes with Felicia Hardy (see above)

Anastasia Auron - Bridget Regan | Siren-human hybrid OC | tba

Kajia Moretti - Zoë Kravitz | OC | biker themes, loyalties divided

Astarion Ancunín - game graphics (Neil Newbon) | Canon divergent

Yennefer of Vengerberg - Anya Chalotra | The Witcher | sorceress

Morena Hawthorne - TBA | The Witcher / High Fantasy OC | still a w.i.p

Enzo Bozelli - Logan Lerman | OC | backstory tba

Apollo - Robert Sheehan | BG3 Mage OC | tba

[sweetfire01]

my short attention span could never sit me patiently through crochet. pls show us your creations when you do. also, projects :0 I've always wanted to make a visual novel myself but i don't even know where to start lmao. the most i did was try and learn programming but you can imagine how that went hahaha

also also, new ocs? :000 can we. cann we sneak peak? character desrripition? oc lore bls - apple anon

Hi apple🍎, I think I'll crochet mostly granny square at first, just to learn the basic stiches. But I'll show you for sure the stuffies! I also have a problem with the short attention span, however I find myself focusing a lot while doing a repetive task, so I think I can handle this.

About the visual novel, I know there are online some maker that could help us, but I never tried them.

Aaand now, about the projects...👀 First of all, those are all concepts I'm still working on, so they could change in the future.

The book one is a fantasy children book for adults. Like I said in the previous post, it doesn't specifically have anything to do with agere, but I always read and hear "In Disneyland adults can return as a kid too", "Eveyone has an inner child" and so on. And I once found a video recommending books for children going through some difficult situations, like divorce of their parents, getting bullied...So, why not for adults too?

I want to try to address some "adult" themes through the main character, a little elf called Hazel. He's a kid that just moved to a new realm and he's adjusting to the new life, thanks also to the help of an adult elf, Hyacinth, that took him under his care.

That's it for the first project.

The second one in more complex, is also a fantasy and it follow the story of 13 charachters that stood out for their brave, loyality, fortitude ecc... and become "Holy knights", a special force to defend the country.

My idea was to make 13 different VN/book/whatever, each one focusing on a character, on how they became knights or how they solve a mission with the whole group.

I jut need to think the last character but I have to define better also the others one.

At the moment I have:

a former warrior called "The Immortal"

a god that love humans

a bard whose tongue was cut out

the father of the first "holy knight"

a pearl diver

a guy who killed another one (No, he isn't yandere)

a sorceress (There is here a yandere in her story)

a girl who was "reincarnated"

Those are the ones I'm sure about their story. Let's see if the dreams can suggest me other things. 😂