#only to be furious when he learns who she is that day on the parapet

[somuchfuckingsalt]

Okay, so I just finished reading Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and someone needs to explain something to me because either I'm stupid and missed it or there's a plot hole.

We know Violet lived at Basgiath for years because her mom was stationed there. Lived there long enough that she's able to confidently tell Xaden that she's lived there longer than he has, to have extensively worked with Markham who lives and works in the archives there, and to have had Nolon mending her for years in the Healer's Quadrant.

And I know only riders and cadets are permitted in the Riders Quadrant so obviously she wouldn't be going there. But we also know the riders go out into other parts of the college all the time?? The riders use the same healers and infirmary as everyone else in the college (the same infirmary Violet has been using for years while living there before entering the riders quadrant) and Violet spends a shit ton of time in both books in the Archives as a rider.

What I don't understand, is how Violet never crossed paths with any of the marked ones? Or Dain in his first year? You're telling me that after Dain bonded and was able to have his pick of the chores and he didn't choose the Archive rotation like Violet did in Fourth Wing just because he knew she was always in the Archives? Or something in the Healer's Quadrant just so his overprotective ass could always know when she was injured? Same with marked ones, none of them ever had chore duties outside of the rider's quadrant?

The only explanation I can come up with that is that they weren't permitted to have chores outside of the riders quadrant because of Violet but I don't know how her mom would've been able to swing that because it feels like she'd be overstepping some how.

It also doesn't explain how out of all the third and second year marked cadets, none of them happened to be injured the same time she was? Or when they were permitted to leave the college on weekends they never came across each other in that town I forget the name of that they're allowed to visit on weekends when they're second years. Or even if they weren't permitted to work in the Archives, they would've still been allowed to go there because Violet does many times in Iron Flame and it's not because she's special, rider's are allowed to check books out of the Archives same as their own library.

Anyway, I feel like I missed something and it's bothering the hell out of me.

[iwriteasfotini]

Jegulus Excerpt

My second Jegulus day celebration post. Another excerpt from Book 3, written from James’ POV. It stands alone from the excerpt I shared yesterday from Chapter VI and is from Chapter XX. I did have to edit out a few spoilers but the gist of the scene is there. More budding Starchaser for your entertainment. 

The terrace [atop the astronomy tower] was seemingly deserted, but as soon as they shut the door at the top of the tower, Regulus materialized, as if by magic. Which James realized was probably the literal case. 

“Cripes Reg, did you learn to aparate?” said Sirius, rubbing his forehead in an effort to look casual, though James had seen him jump upon Regulus’ sudden apparition. 

“No you moron, you can’t aparate or disparate within Hogwarts grounds. The wards prevent it.”

“Oh, well I thought you might have mastered more advanced magic while the rest of us were plowing on with our assigned studies.”

James had to hold back a snort, as Sirius didn’t know how spot on the nose he actually was in his assessment of Regulus’ magical skills. Regulus only scowled at him. 

“I’m surprised you are making it through your basic studies Sirius, as apparently your ability to read is now questionable,” Regulus said, nodding to James. “I said to come alone.”

“I’m not an idiot. I wasn’t going to march up here for a cozy brotherly one-on-one. Who knew what I would be walking into,” snarked Sirius. 

“Of course, I should have remembered it takes two Gryffindors to match up against a single Slytherin.”

Sirius rolled his shoulders. “What do you want Reg?”

And as James watched, Regulus dropped some of his standoffish posture. “Look, I really was counting on talking to you alone,” he said in a far more pleasant tone.

 “James is more my brother than you are, whatever you have to say you can say in front of both of us or not say at all.”

James met Regulus’ eyes, and was surprised when the other boy glanced away quickly, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. Regulus gave his head a shake then said, “fine. Mother has told me you will be home with us this summer.”

“So.”

“So… I want to warn you, don’t do anything brash. She is out to get you. She’s furious over your antics this year. Says you are wasting your potential as a Dark wizard, not to mention generally mucking up whatever you are getting involved in.”

(removed a LARGE chunk of text due to spoilers)

“Can’t wait to spend my summer locked up in the house with you Reggie,” Sirius said loudly. “You are a ray of pure sunshine. No wonder mum and papa fawn over you, and play you like a tune. You are their little prissy parrot of a prince. Whatever they say goes right?”

Sirius was continuing his sarcastic soliloquy but James was watching Regulus. As they stood there, a foot apart, Regulus’ angry face shifted, and his heart rate picked up under James’ hand. It was positively thrumming against his palm. And for a second Regulus wasn’t an annoying Slytherin with a manipulation complex. He was a little kid full of secrets, who was probably as lonely as Lily. 

However, the moment had lasted too long, for Regulus huffed, and pushed James’ arm down with his dagger free hand. 

James wasn’t deterred, and tried to communicate a lot of things without saying a word. (Removed some spoilers)

But he didn’t think Regulus got any of those messages. And when Regulus went to turn towards the parapets James’ hand darted forward to grab Regulus’. Regulus’ hand was frigid in his. He squeezed it quickly, but Regulus didn’t rip his hand out of James’ like James had expected him to. Instead his mouth fell open in surprise and he glanced up from under his long wavy fringe. 

“And what’s with that stupid dagger anyway. You think you can pull a knife on me and suddenly I’m your puppet to manipulate. Cousin Bella must be so proud you are showing interest in her perturbed methods of persuasion,” Sirius was rambling on and on. And though only a minute or so had passed, James felt he had been staring at Regulus for an hour, the boy’s cool fingers sending chills up his arm.  

Before Sirius could witness the strange display taking place between his best friend and his brother however, Regulus pulled away from James and finished turning his back on them. Then he suddenly announced, “I’ve said what I wanted to say, I’m going.” He pointedly stepped far to the side, avoiding bumping into James as he strode to the tower door. Sirius gazed after him. But James only had eyes for the ledge of the parapet, where a small crystal replica of a Lily sat. When James reached out to pick it up, he found it was made of ice. 

“What are you doing over there,” hissed Sirius. “Let’s get out of here. What a waste of time, as always.”

James held the small flower in his palm, and water immediately began to pool as his warm skin melted the miniature ice sculpture. 

“What do you have?” Sirius was right behind him, but James closed his hand and squeezed. Water ran through his fingers and dripped onto the stone floor. 

“Nothing.”

“Then get the cloak out and let’s go,” Sirius said, exasperated. 

James pulled the cloak out and passed it to Sirius, who threw it over them. By the time they made it to the bottom of the astronomy stairwell, James’ clenched fist was empty, but a throbbing cold lingered. 

…

You can find more info on this series in my pinned post. Unfortunately, this is from Book 3, which is fully written but doesn’t have an announced posting date as of yet. But it’s coming to AO3, I promise! On Sunday I'm announcing the title, POV, and posting date for Book 2 in my Weekly Update.

[penwieldingdreamer]

Dante's Prayer - Chapter 3

The 2nd part of the Ball, hope you guys will like it. Let me know what you think about this. A big thanks to my beta @fortheloveoffanfic for keeping me on track with the characters 😉

Warnings: cursing

Words: 2094

"Mrs. Gray, why don't we retreat to the parlour for a drink and leave the men to talk their business." Helene suggested linking her satin gloved arm with Polly's and led her away from Thomas and her husband, nodding at the two men in parting. 

"Lady McCann, please call me Polly, after all, we'll be family soon once the wedding is done." the Shelby matriarch told her nephews soon-to-be mother in law with a smile, the two women nearly gliding over to the smaller parlour of Castletown House. 

Returning the smile, the duchess nodded her head. "By all means, then I'm Helene. We will be family soon, given that my daughter won't bail on us." A soft sigh left her lips, knowing Saoirse could be difficult. "Your nephew will have his work cut out for him, I reckon." 

"Oh he'll learn how to deal with it. I have a good feeling that once they'll get to know each other they'll find common ground." The words were reassuring, yet both women knew that it would take a while for their children - in Polly's case she felt like her brother's children were just like her own - to warm up to the idea of sharing a life together. 

Arriving at the doors separating the sitting room from the grand ballroom, Helene nodded at the butler, who let them enter. They sat down at the round table, plush armchairs providing comfort as the Birmingham resident looked around the room. Polly thought back to the time when she had to work hard to provide for her family and be there for Ada and Finn during the war, and all she could feel was gratefulness toward Tommy who was able to give them the life they led now. 

"Has Thomas told you what he wants his wedding to be like?" the mother of three inquired, nodding at the butler in thanks for bringing them both refreshments and leaned back into the high-backed armchair. "I gather now that it is his second wedding he might want to change a few things." 

Taking a sip from the champagne, the gypsy lightly shook her head. "So far, he hasn't said anything. He only does this out of duty to the family. I told him it was a good deal, but other than that he's not going to object to anything. All I can ask of you is considering a custom my family on my mother's side has partook in every time during a wedding." Polly wasn't too sure, the duchess would agree to traditions of the travelling folks but the soft smile on her face and the light nod gave her hope. 

"I haven't always been a duchess, Polly." the blonde lady started, holding the Flute glas in her hand and watching the champagne sparkle in the soft glow of the lamps. "My mother originated from Germany, her cousin married the emperor of Austria and she was made Empress of Austria and Hungary. I often visited her when I was still a child and Sisi would visit the travelling folks of Hungary. Not all is as it seems, my daughter has the same spirit in her as Elizabeth did. Headstrong, modern, loyal to a fault, kind and with a childish wonder the war has snuffed out in many people. I do hope that Thomas won't try to do what the war hasn't been able to do. Despite me agreeing to this arrangement without her consent, she is still my little angel and I will grant you your customs just like we have ours, but should your nephew hurt her in any way, he will wish for war to take him again."

Nodding her head, Polly grinned at Helene, knowing they would get along splendidly. Protective of her family, just like herself, the Shelby matriarch knew that there was a good future ahead, bright was still to be questioned, but good at least. 

Just then the decorated glass doors of the light coloured parlour flew open, a disheveled looking Arthur standing there, eyes ablaze and his face red from anger. 

"Did ya know, Pol?" he asked storming over to his aunt, hands already grabbing for her arms. "Did ya know 'bout 'er, hm?" 

Polly had never been someone to be frightened or threatened, especially not by her family, so she wouldn't start now and still Arthur always had a soft spot in her heart. Delivering a hard slap, she pushed the eldest of the brothers away from her, regret shining in her eyes. "What the fuck are ya talkin' about, Arthur?" 

"I'm fuckin' talking about Niamh." he glared, his cheeks already turning a darker shade of red from anger and the hit he received. "She's been here all them years, pregnant with ma son, so 'm askin' again: did ya know 'bout it?" 

Wide eyed, Polly felt the wheels in her head turning, remembering the girl Arthur had left behind to marry Linda, the redheaded beauty in the back of the church. "She was at the wedding, didn't say a thing, just left when it was over. That's all I know." 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Arthur stumbled back into the armchair on the other side of his aunt, closing his eyes to order the thoughts in his head flitting about like butterflies. "What am I gonna do now?" Polly moved over to him, pulling Arthur into a tight hug because she knew it was hard on him. 

Even though she wasn't a fan of Linda, her nephew loved her and she had to live with that. Now he needed to make a decision on what to do with the mother of his first child. "You need to talk to her, that much is clear. And get to know him, too." 

Nodding his head against his aunt's belly, Arthur felt a small portion of the weight lifting of his shoulders. Linda would be furious, she already was with him leaving for Ireland to be part of the wedding preparations. Nothing had been decided yet, but the eldest Shelby had a distinct feeling, that Lady McCann would want the ceremony to take place in their home and he already dreaded the day the whole family would again sit on Tommy's side of the church and Linda coming face to face with his former lover and mother of his first son.

"I thought you'd have ta greet guests." he said, a cigarette perched between his lips as he watched his wife-to-be gazing at the sky. 

"And I thought you would talk about business with my father." she replied, a smirk grazing her features and might he say it looked more like a small smile than a smirk. 

Her body leaned against the banister and Tommy couldn't help but let his eyes roam over it, breathing in the smoke of the cigarette he had missed all evening. "There's not much business to talk about when there's a wedding about to take place." 

Nodding her head, Saoirse turned her face towards his own as he leaned against the stone parapet next to her. "I hope Arthur has calmed down again after his encounter with Niamh when I left." she said after a moment of silence.

"Ach, he's fine. Needs to talk to her, though." Tommy shrugged, his stormy blues void of emotion as he stubbed out the cigarette on the banister. "His wife's goin' to have his hide, but he'll get over it." 

Shaking her head, Saoirse looked away from the gang leader, feeling like the little progress they had made went up in smoke just like the cigarette. "You shouldn't be so indifferent to the feelings of others, one day you might not have anyone left to turn to." 

"Often enough you only have yourself to rely on." he replied before he stood again, running a hand through his short hair and holding the other out to her. "We shouldn't make your guests believe that we hate each other, it's bad for business." 

Snorting, the youngest of three took his hand, feeling the warmth of Tommy's skin through the satin of her glove as he led her inside to the ballroom. "Who said anything about me liking you? I don't really care what my guests think, mother's guests on the other hand, that would be a shame. After all, they came all the way from Austria and London." 

"I see, you're not going to make it easy for me, are you?" he wondered, twirling her around so they could dance to the waltz the orchestra started to play. "What is this marriage going to look like, hm?" 

Putting her left hand on his shoulder, Saoirse mentally thanked her mother for making her take the dance lessons in Vienna or else the future bride of Birmingham's most known gangster would have been an embarrassment. Her right hand delicately laid in his left and she couldn't help but wonder if they could do more than just hold a gun and kill. "I believe you'd like me to play the obedient wife, staying at your house and doing nothing, what with your fortune now. I heard you have a son, so probably be a mother to him, while you go out and do whatever you do." 

"So, ya do know something 'bout me." he smirked, leading her across the grand room, unaware of the other dancers and their families. The pair danced in their own world and voiced their opinion on the upcoming union. "And here I thought ya didn't know anything." 

"My sisters talk, Mister Shelby, although I didn't know which one my husband-to-be was, I still heard their opinions on you loud and clear." 

The smirk on his lips widened at the thought of what Amalie and Louise had told their sister. "An' what pray tell did they tell ya?" 

"Oh, you know, that you're a gangster, cold as ice, a former war hero and would do anything to get money." Saoirse shrugged, trying to rile him up as she saw his blue eyes darken. Tommy knew that he had to keep it cool. It wouldn't do him good to drag her off and…no, he wouldn't yell at her and make a scene, that would break the deal he made with her mother. He'd rather enjoy the rest of his life while it lasted. 

Pulling her tighter into his body, he felt a satisfied grin make its way onto his face at her gasp. "You'd do well to keep those comments to a minimum. That money you so kindly brought up will grant you safety among Birmingham and the rest of England and Scotland. I don't want another of me wife killed because she wouldn't listen and had a mind of her own."

"Well then, you'd better look for another wife because I can be just as stubborn as you, Mister Shelby." 

"I'd rather not. You're more than enough." Wincing at the thought of having to go through that process again, Tommy shook his head. The music had changed and another waltz was played. "Besides, finding a good woman that freely accepts my son is quite rare in these times."

Pursing her lips, Saoirse looked up into his stormy blue eyes. "I couldn't imagine someone not liking your son. Judging by what Louise told me about him, I take it he's a ray of sunshine." 

"Are you really trying to make me hate you right now? But yes, Charlie is in fact a ray of sunshine despite having me as his father." Before the youngest daughter of the Duke could say anything, Tommy had twirled her outward, keeping his eyes on her face as he read the delight written all over it. 

He couldn't help but enjoy these moments, couldn't remember the last time he danced like this with anyone that hadn't been Grace. When Saoirse had returned to his arms, she sent him a grin, a genuine one at that. "I'm not trying to make you hate me, I was stating a fact and to be honest I can't wait to meet your son." 

Nodding his head at her answer, he led her around the ballroom for one final dance. "In two weeks you will meet him, so I do hope you won't change your mind about this arrangement." 

"Don't do anything to make me change it and I'll be there." she answered him, her right hand squeezing his left tighter than before and Tommy couldn't help but grin at her attempt to threaten him. Life would be a lot more interesting once the wedding was over. 

tagging

@fortheloveoffanfic @fics-not-tragedies

[lady-feste-pendragon]

OPTION TWO: KING OF ATTOLIA: THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL (and this idea is mine so it’s a looooooong one warning you now)

WE OPEN with a huge ensemble cast song of heckin course in which all of Attolia COMPLAINS about this HUGE PAIN in their COLLECTIVE BUTTS, telling the story of how the thief of eddis DECEITFULLY and WRONGLY kidNAPPED their prECIOUS QUEEN who may have been bloodthirsty and barbaric but who careS she was ouR queen and she’s beAUTIFUL and we loVE her and we hATE the king who forCED her to marry him bOO to the king doWN with the king we hATE him he’s TERRIBLE and the song ends with Aris comes sprinting on stage, disrupting all the singers and sending the song to a skittering halt bc guys!!!! 

Costis punched the king!!! 

To which there is suddenly a lot of Whispered Talking about oh nO costis is so niCE and now he’s gonna diE bc he punCHED the kinG also what did the king do this time--inSULTed teleus no heckin wonDER costis punched him but still v tragic cut to scene 2 Costis in his cell, pacing, sitting, standing, pacing again, and there’s a knock at the door. It’s the king of attolia, approaching from Stage Right, a bottle of wine tucked under his arm and two cups in his one visible hand. Costis lets him in. The king sets the wine on the table. He lifts his right hand--no. It’s a hook, the audience can see for the first time. The King of Attolia is missing his right hand. 

The song neglected to mention that. There’s lots these songs neglect to mention plot twist Nobody talks about How the King lost that Hand it is a Forbidden Topic 

There is no song when the king tells costis he’s being promoted, only a stuff uncomfortable silence whenever the king is not speaking. Toward the end of the scene in strides Attolia asking if Attolis has decided whether to hang costis or behead him. Attolis answers neither, costis will be promoted, and Attolia makes a noise of disgust and leaves. 

A few songs follow as Costis settles into his new position and since this whole narrative is filtered through his eyes, the audience is lead to believe all the things about attolis from the first song are true. He dresses like a peacock, he has no dignity, he’s spiteful with his servants, he makes costis do stupid things. The queen pulls Costis aside and asks him to Keep an Eye on the King for her, to report back to her occasionally. He assumes the queen will one day do away with this idiot king and he is surprisingly conflicted about that. He gets his I Want song, which is mostly just “I Want This Stupid King To Leave Me Alone” lol. 

Another important note: One of the songs is a council song that’s v political and it’s mainly during this song that we learn 1) the king is a v good singer so what was the deal with people complaining about his voice/speech/accent in that first song, and 2) Oh, that’s it, the king can’t rhyme. Attolian formal speech (sung, in this case bc Holy Musical Batman) is traditional broadway style meter and end rhyme. Eddisian formal speech has internal rhyme, has specific meters and important in-meter repetition, but no end rhyme. When Attolis sings, he Never rhymes, although you can see him Trying, actively trying so hard and only getting as far as slant rhyme which makes everyone involved Wince terribly bc Ugh That Accent, This Stupid Backward Eddisian Goat. Attolis and Attolia as of yet have no duet, but they meet in hallways sometimes and greet each other in song and it’s awkward and weighted and Short. Attolis has a lovely I Want song in which he locks all of his attendants out of his room and sings to himself (while costis is Right There, Sir) how homesick he is, and how much he misses Eddis and his freedom. It’s v sad. Attolia also has a solo during the council scene, which is also short, her time is coming i swear

THE KING’S WEDDING NIGHT is a bawdy awful song and an Absolute Bop and dite is terribly proud of himself and everyone’s humming it on and off for the rest of the act. It makes gen horrifically mopey which makes costis’ head hurt but the king is starting to grow on him. like a fungus. after all he sang that really sad song about how much This Sucks and yeah, fair, everybody’s putting stuff in his food and bed and crap and Maybe if we were Nicer to him he wouldn’t seem so Awful (all of the guards make fun of him for this). There is a short “lilies i rule, heads you do” scene that takes place during another short council scene right before The Dinner of the Fateful Dance, and during that council scene Attolis doesn’t even Try to Rhyme and people keep interrupting the council song to hum The King’s Wedding Night and he gets visibly more and more agitated as the coin keeps flipping and the song keeps playing and he leaves in a huff. Attolia tells him as he stalks off that he Has to attend dinner and during dinner he Forces (!!!) the queen to dance with him to a lovely instrumental song, which seems to play first in slow motion while Phriesine sings of Attolia’s backstory, of her first marriage, of the importance of the king’s humor when the queen offers him her wine. Suddenly the song speeds up, and the queen’s hair tumbles past her shoulders, and she’s smiling, why is she smiling? Costis blinks as the king gives her back her hair pins. That was certainly telling, but only if you’re paying attention. 

Act One ends with Costis on his day off with a sense of unease, until he passes some guards who are struggling to put away the dogs and suddenly he knows! and he takes off running!!! bc where is the king!!!!!

Act Two opens with Costis desperately singing a prayer (Ten Golden Cups) as he runs and arriving in the garden just in time to see the king easily dispatch the second to last assassin. The third is apprehended as the rest of the court arrives, assuming Costis has done the deed. The assassin is questioned furiously with the king leaning against costis and he spits furious vitriol about the king, the same things everyone was singing about at the beginning but with more bitterness, and ends with “The queen should have kILLED you when she cUT OFF YOUR HAND!!!!” and if there are enough nonfans in the audience and if the actors are doing their job right it should feel like all the air has been sucked out of the room bc you don’t taLK about that!!! the queen arrives then and attolis kisses her and presses his forehead to her shoulder and suddenly everyone is rhyming as the royals are rushed up to the queen’s chambers. The king is put on a bed, spewing blood. The queen faints, the king is Distraught, everyone is shoved out of the room. Attolia is left alone with Costis outside the room and she Sings. It’s a short song, and mostly is Extremely Angery about the assassination attempt in her Own Garden in her Own Court to her Own King. When they’re let back in in the next scene it’s Duet Time Babey!!!!! Attolis and Attolia sing together about their relationship and their Love and their past and their present and how they’ve learned to step past it all and costis watches, feeling like an outsider but also So Stunned. He tells the king about the cups and the king swears they will be there

From here things start happening Very Quickly, It Seems. The king is ill. The queen is singing more often. The queen of eddis comes to visit, not just the king’s cousins as in the book. Unfortunately we have to cut out the part where sophos goes missing bc sophos can’t exist in this universe he adds too many variables we get one (1) storyline and we can’t mess this up. The king speaks with Relius and that’s Scary. There’s another ensemble song during which Costis is the only one to defend the king and he is Uncomfortable when the king’s wedding night motif plays again. And Then the king Destroys the house of Erondites and the queen has relius thrown in jail (also during that time the queen has a vicious, terrifying, short solo that’s more like a temper tantrum and a panic attack rolled into one and the king Soothes her) When the king is Destroying that baron’s house?? 

he rhymes. 

Perfectly, flawlessly, he rhymes. He matches Attolian cadence note for note, word for word, and then he folds Eddisian repetition and internal rhyme into the mix. Attolia joins in, her own musical style rising up to meet his. The exchange lines, ending each other’s rhymes, Attolia ends up using more Eddisian themes than even he does. He proves he could do it all along, he just didn’t want to, and now he proves he doesn’t have to by ending that proclamation in a purely Eddisian way. And the next scene? Relius. Attolis. The dungeon. The King’s Wedding Night: Reprise. Perhaps the most terrifying reprise ever written. And in the end, he lets him go. And Relius returns to Attolia and once again begs her forgiveness and Attolia gets her own terrifying, heartbreaking solo, and in this one? she uses Eddisian cant and Attolis isn’t even in the room. She forgives him in a blend of Eddisian and Attolian that becomes it’s own musical language, and the only one used by the royals for the rest of the show. 

Does that sound like the end? because it’s noT guess who haven’t had a duet yet!!!! it’s Attolis and Costis time!!!!! the attendants wake costis bc the king is drunk on a rooftop and he is supposed to Fetch the king. Costis learns to speak the language the king and queen have already been speaking to each other, and the king declares he has work for costis to do. And yeS the king slips, and tumbles, and falls--until it’s clear he can’t catch himself, his foot is off the parapet--and he flails and Something catches him, and pushes him gently back up, and a gentle rich chuckle fills the stage as the voice of a god says “go to bed, Eugenides.” Eugenides and Costis stare at each other, wide eyed, terrified. “The gods really do speak to you,” Costis whispers and Attolis confirms it and a Vow is made, “will you serve me and my gods for all your days?” In the end Costis agrees and asks him to come to sword practice tomorrow.

The final scene is fairly short, Attolis’ defeat of the guard and of Teleus and his being named Annux, and Attolia is there, and i actually am not sold on that as the actual ending, this scene could be moved before the rooftop or could be deleted altogether except we Need the annux line and i want attolia to be there ugh problems problems but either way the curtain closing song is an invocation of hephestia which, invocations should also feature bc i heckin love me an invocation song but that’s it that’s the play can u imagine these idiots singing in front of a live studio audience boy i die!!!!

[denerims-archive]

capernoit [solas x lavellan]

[AO3 LINK]

warnings: making out and drunk solas

“She has enough bite to close the distance between them herself”

He’s drunk when he comes to her in the middle of the night. It’s the first thing she notices. His normally pristine posture is slack, wavering like a young tree during a storm and his eyes are a little too unfocused. Solas is always sharp and contained. It makes her want to pick him apart piece by piece. She is too old to be this curious.

Ellanna tightens her robe around her sleepwear; a thin t-shirt and thick socks. Anything else and she feels claustrophobic.

“Solas?” she asks, still trying to blink away the sleep burning at her eyes. The candles are burning low now, flickering dimly as wax pours over the bronze candlesticks scattered across the room. They flicker and cast shadows, making rooms that once felt small to her bigger in the darkness.

“Inquisitor.” 

Her hand tightens on the door frame and she fights the urge to set him on fire. He’d be fine with the cool, icy looks he seems to have mastered towards her. It figures that their flirtations at Halamshiral were another misstep in his book. Her patience for games is evermore thin than they were before. 

“What do you want?”

“You.”

Her heart stops beating in her chest for a moment before she remembers herself and wills it to start beating again. 

“You’re drunk,” she spits angrily, moving back to slam the door shut. His hand reaches out to catch the wood with surprising reflexes for someone who smells like a brewery. Ellanna stares at him through the lesser space in the door. 

“I’m not asking you for anything. I’d just like to sit with you.” 

There is a moment of pause. She’s learned to be soft when she needs to be, hard when there are decisions to be made. A First, a Keeper, an Inquisitior should know when to close a door, lock it and throw away the key.

Ellanna steps aside and lets him in.

He’ll probably wander off the battlements or trip down one of the many staircases he had just climbed up to my rooms, she reasons. He’s safer sleeping it off here with me.

She is careful not to think of the implications of her companion spending the night in her rooms. Solas clearly isn’t of the right mind to sneak up the stairs, whoever was on guard tonight would be sure to talk.  Something odd settles in her gut and she is careful not to think about that either.

She helps him to her couch, laying him onto his side. Though it might have been more comfortable than his rickety bed off the rotunda it’s a bit too short for him. He clumsily throws one of his legs over the arm of the couch and lets the other hang off the side while she goes to get him a blanket from her bed. Clumsy is a word she never thought to associate with him.

“If I didn’t know any better,” she grumbles softly. “I’d say you were using me for my Orlesian sheets.” 

He hums and shifts, eyes closed with his lashes fluttering against his cheekbones. Ellanna hesitates before gently lifting his head to slide a pillow underneath. Her hand threatens to linger, rub the tip of his ear and slide her lap under his head instead.

“Never,” he tells her, muttered into the pillow. “Though, they are quite nice”

“Sleep,” she commands him and slides back into her seat at her desk.

She watches his form for a few moments.

You. His voice echoes in her mind. Her hands tremble and she flexes them, shifting her gaze to the papers and books piled on her desk. Ellanna works as long as she can, signing documents and writing letters she’ll have to send tomorrow. So much to be done. Sleep slowly creeps into the corners of her eyes again, stinging. She rubs them, setting her quill down.

Solas is snoring softly on her couch, one arm now dangling off it to accompany his leg. She sighs softly. 

She makes sure her chair doesn’t squeak too much when she pushes out of it and shuffles over to her bed. Shrugging her robe off, she flicks her hand lazily, dousing a majority of the candles. She leaves a few on the fireplace, the room nearly dark now. Outside, she can see the stars and the white tips of the mountains over the balcony railings. 

Ellanna spares a few glances at him as she pulls her socks up to her knees again and slides into bed. The room is silent, his breath gone slow. Sometimes, Skyhold feels too tight around her, like a tunic that doesn’t fit properly and prevents her from breathing. She wants to see the sky and feel the warm forest breeze on her skin.

The thought sends an ache to her heart, down her spine. She steels herself against these thoughts usually. They aren’t of any use to her, she isn’t going back to her clan anytime soon so what’s the point of worrying.

She shifts onto her other side, watching the dull glow of candles sneak in through the space under the door.

Ellanna wakes early but he’s still gone, leaving a neatly folded blanket on her couch and not much else. The least he could do was offer an apology. She puts that out of her mind and decides to skip breakfast and walk the battlements. Usually, she’d dress and break fast with her companions down in the tavern.

“The Inquisitor shouldn’t be eating with everyone else.”

Everyone else was a heavy word around humans. When you didn’t want to say something overtly offensive about someone they were “everyone else” because you were special. She had noticed this was even more prominent at the Winter Palace.

Either way, she reveled in her tiny rebellions sitting with her friends and trying to wake up from a short restless sleep. Maybe it was some childlike part of her that still refused to stop clinging to her womanhood. It must have been stubborn because those years seemed so long ago.

She had been looping around the front of the fortress, passing through the room above the Tavern. She could hear the din of the servants starting to cook and clean.

Rubbing her forehead, she leans against the parapets and sucks in the sharply cold mountain air. The last bit of the sunrise is dissipating over the mountains. Down below, she can see the rows upon rows of tents. Plumes of smoke snake towards the sky. She can almost imagine herself among them, a nameless soldier waking for the day to sausages and cold ale and no responsibilities. The title of Inquisitor is bestowed to someone else in this fantasy.

Ellanna lets herself ache for it, just for a moment. 

Her feet are off before she even wills it. They carry her across the path from Cullen’s tower to the main hall and off towards the rotunda. Solas is sitting in his chair, as casual and unconcerned with her feelings as he had ever been. 

“You kissed me,” she states accusingly. 

His eyes flick up from his book and an unreadable expression settles over him. It’s far too early for anyone to be in the library above them but still, she is embarrassingly aware of how that would sound if anyone else had overheard her declaration. Well, there weren’t many other ways to interpret it. Especially since he had done a little more than just that. 

Ellanna’s heart flutters in her chest like a frantic bird trying to escape its cage and she can’t help but sympathize with it. 

There’s something about Solas that reminds her of the way the forest used to smell when she’d wake in the morning after it rained.

“Say something,” she huffs impatiently, eyes frantic. Solas sets his book down and he stands from his chair, crossing around the desk.

“Would you like me to do it again?”

“What?” she asks, suddenly breathless. Ellanna wonders if it’s from the furious steps she had taken to get here or from the way he’s looking at her. Like he wants to eat her.

But she has enough bite to close the distance between them herself.

Their kiss quickly turns from stubborn and angry, to frantic. His lips move against hers and his cool, soft hands are cupping her cheeks. Something roars triumphant in Ellanna and she bites down on his bottom lip, only to be rewarded by a soft groan in the back of his throat. 

It’s the Winter Palace all over again; wandering hands, needy kisses and the familiar heat building between her legs. He turns and presses her against the desk. She’s nearly his height but leaning back against the wood, his lean form overpowers her and lifts her up onto the surface. It might be similar but there is a desperation to both of their movements that has replaced the hazy lust she remembers. 

A door opens upstairs and their bodies freeze. Solas gently pulls back from their kiss, his pale cheeks flushed and his lips parted with soft pants. Their eyes look upwards, terrified their unwelcome guest has already made it to the balcony railing. Luckily, they hear quiet steps and a soft whistling tune as someone lights a few torches upstairs to ready it for the day. 

Ellanna’s fingers that were busy tugging open the ties of Solas’ tunic fall to the edge of the desk where he still has her pinned. 

Their eyes meet each other. 

“I’ll speak with you later?” Ellanna asks softly.

“Mhm,” Solas grunts, extracting himself from her. Ellanna fixes her clothes and runs her fingers through her hair where his had been only moments before. Her heart it still pumping wildly. Quietly, she grabs his cheek when he goes to turn away, already feeling that wall go up again.

His eyes meet hers and he sighs softly, relenting and delivers a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Later,” he tells her.

It’s the most free she’s felt in a long time. 

[the-summermoon]

They had reached Ishgard at a decent hour that day, and with the biting cold setting into her bones, she kept herself against him as they walked together to stave off the cold of the snow.  His bodily warmth was always such a welcome comfort when it came to their closeness, and now it was an absolute necessity though a very eagerly-received one.  Her arms wrapped around his elbow, one of her hands threaded through his.  She rested her head against his bicep, his height dwarfing her as they continued to trudge through the white powder.  Lian rested his hand upon Kyna’s as they walked along, holding the woman close to his form to ward off the worst of the wind that their home had become known for.  “I seldom stop to really look, but it’s really quite lovely, isn’t it?” he asked when they neared the city’s edge and could peer down into the darkness below.  Stretched out before them were impossibly high towers, snow-covered peaks and plans that had once been covered in lush green grass.

“Indeed, especially when the moon reflects upon the snow.  I remembered spending quite a bit of time within the parapets just keeping my eyes open for anything reptilian.  Thank Halone I was never required to bear arms and armor like my sister has a knack for doing.  Even yourself, I’m sur eit was quite cumbersome with being so frigid out here,” she uttered quietly as they had come to a stop to admire the view around them.  Lianthis nodded thoughtfully, working her arms free in favor of moving around behind her since they were standing still and drinking in their surroundings.  His arms slid around her waist, drawing her back against his warm chest, folding her up into the armor of his embrace.  “I’m glad you never had to do so, sweetling,” he murmured as he held her close.  “You become...accustomed to the cold.  The way the plate and chain stick together with the frost or the way it constantly permeates your armor...even sitting beside a fire, you’re never warm.”

Kyna canted her head to look up at him as she leaned more into his embrace, not so much for warmth this time but for the comfort that his arms around her was providing.  “Love, you’ll never have to know what that feels like ever again.  Hopefully everything we can manage gives me the opportunity to take care of you as I wish to.  Mother and Father make certain to spend quite a bit just to provide supplies, food, or anything else those in the midst of Coerthas need,” she promised as her viridian eyes turned once more to the environment surrounding them.  “I can only hope that, come what may, nothing interrupts what we’ve been able to retrieve from such a broken past.  The greatest gift I could’ve received this Starlight Celebration is knowing that you were still alive...and even more so now that you’re mine,” she continued to confess.

Lian chuckled softly at her words,” I still have to sleep in the mud on occasion.  Some of the places my work takes me are places that I would never subject you to, but...the warmth I feel knowing that you’re waiting for me will help me get through those times.”  His confidence was a welcome presence within her ears and mind.  “I can’t foresee anything legitimate that would step in and interrupt what is happening between us, Kyna.  The wheels of fate are ever turning and where once I’ve lost you, we’ve randomly been reunited.  That we should meet in such a random place in such unusual circumstances is strange enough, but for both of us to be unwed or in any serious relationship on top of that?  The Gods have been kind.”   He leaned down a bit to capture her upturned lips with a kiss.  “My interest was once made known to your father; it shouldn’t come as any surprise when it now comes around full circle, my love.”

Kyna returned that kiss happily.  “To be truthfully honest with you...Syla was completely floored.  She had heard the most awful rumors when that horrid incident happened to you.  I hadn’t deduced or even pieced together that what had happened was related to the deaths in the Brume.  Father had started making and active effort to begin looking for you, only because Syla and I, most especially me, had noticed how quite absent you were and it sent me into a form of panic I couldn’t even begin to describe,” she confessed barely above a whisper.  She stole another kiss from him.  “You’ve always been so skilled’ so I hadn’t any worry that, should violence had broken out, that you would’ve been able to protect yourself and well.  However, be all of this as it may, I had not given up hope, but I started to believe that you might've found peace elsewhere and it truly took my mind quite a journey to come to some serenity.  Syla has seen me cry very little in our entire lifetime, only because I’ve never wished to burden my family with the raving emotions I can fall prey to at times’ but when we finally heard about your family’s exile, I don’t believe I had ever wept so much.  I couldn’t believe what had happened, and we still never had the complete tale of everything that had befallen you.”

Lian reached up and gently stroked her cheek, his cold nose nuzzling into the other cheek so he could inhale the pleasant scent of her hair.  “Father was furious when he earned that we would remain neutral and not get involved in the fight for Eorzea,” he explained.  “But, he didn’t force us to leave.  He gave the rest of my family the option to either follow or stay behind, knowing full well that the other houses would vote to exile us for going against the direction of the Archbishop. Mother refused to have any part of it and I believe was taken in by distant relatives.  I’m pleased that she was able to live out the remainder of her days peacefully and even though she picked her noble life over her family, I harbor no ill will,” he briefly paused, as if searching back through the memories in his mind.  We joined our Gridanian cousins and served with distinction, having to earn our way into the good graces of a mistrusting society.  We put everything that we’ d worked so hard for and the promising lives we had in Ishgard behind to serve a greater purpose.  My father had only just entered negotiations with your father at my request so we could come to some formal agreement that would benefit both of our houses and still allow me to claim your hand,” a faint smile suddenly began to touch his lips.  “My deepest regret was walking away and leaving a life with you behind, and yet...here we are.”

Kyna smiled as she closed her eyes at his touch.  “My brother Cyrenneaux...you may not remember him as he’s quite a bit older than I, but he had the same mentality and so did Father.  Once they closed off the gates, they both felt we were being condemned to a life of absolute isolation and thought it complete folly to walk away from those who could’ve been our allies in rebuilding a stronger Ishgard,” she murmured as her tone was a bit condemning.  Her voice and demeanor suddenly changed for the happier as she looked up at him.  “Just make note that I don’t believe whatsoever in coincidences, my love.  Such beliefs are left for those who would rather remain blissfully ignorant to a more stable truth and I believe there is a reason for everything.  being here with you now, though we’ve lost a bit of time, I’m older, wiser, and have a better understanding of the things I wish to have in life.  I had to learn to place selfishness and pride in a place where they could no longer dictate who I was and so I believe that I had to move forward with the idea that I was not ready for you.  I was not the person I needed to be for you right then, and I had to “get myself right” with the world before I could ever be worthy of your love.  I truly honestly believe that.  In addition to all of that, I believe that fate had to lead us down the paths we traveled so we could better appreciate what was right in front of us all along.”

“Perhaps you’re right, my heart.  I hold firm to the idea that you and I would have been fine had we married those years ago; I’m not much older than you and at the time, not much more mature.  We probably both needed to grow up, fate simply dictated that we would mature separately rather than face those trials together.  I don’t believe we’re any poorer for having taken the long way around, I’m just glad that the path ultimately led me back to you,” he paused again, looking down into those beautiful emeralds once more.  “I’ll have this discussion with your father, but you’re a far more worldly woman now then you were back then and you don’t need him to speak for you.  I’d ask you first, because I want it to be your choice.  I love you, Kyna; always have.  I wonder if you’d do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Kyneirra looked upon him in shock as he settled himself before her upon one knee, producing one of the most beautiful rings she had ever laid eyes upon.  It was a wooden geometrical band with a brilliant diamond cut emerald in the middle that had been polished with a bit of gold upon the sides.  “Wh-What?  Y--You truly wish this?”

“You cannot truly be surprised, Kyna.  This has been in the works for some time now,” he smiled gently, the box and ring outstretched to her.

“B-But I am!  In all my years, I’m completely surprised.  Yes it’s truly all I ever wanted but -- a-are you sure this is what you want as well?”  Her uncertainty only came over her as she couldn’t believe what was happening.  Happiness. Joy. Fear. It all washed over her like high tide upon the cliffs of La Noscea.  She looked up at him with slightly confused eyes, tears pooling in them as the one insecurity that had always ran rampant within her mind was surfacing and making itself known.  “I-I love you also, and have for so very long,” she murmured.

Lian smiled as he eased a bit closer and bumped his nose against her own, a gesture that all but oozed affection.  “I’m not suggesting that we marry right off, Kyneirra.  But yes, I’m quite serious.  My father didn’t initiate negotiations with yours on his own, my heart.  I asked him to speak to your father on my behalf because I wanted -you-.”

She immediately buried her auburn head into his chest, nodding.  “Yes, yes I will marry you, oh my days our lives are finally coming full circle again,” she spoke as she cried her happy tears, voice muffled by the cloak he had wrapped around himself.  He was quite overjoyed himself to hear her accept, and lifted her from her feet as he clung to her, spinning her around happily as he smothered her in kisses.  “Then we’ll make it so, Kyna.  This will from now on be our forever to mold and create as we see fit.”

[falconedreams]

The Afterlife Is Full Of Paperwork

Ha, this is the one where me and half of my law friends died. It sounds really morbid, but it was actually quite funny.

So we didn’t all die at the same time in the same place. I actually didn’t know they were dead and vice versa until I met up with them in Ghost Immigration Central. (That’s - not what the building was called, I don’t think it had a name, but that was its purpose, basically. Which I’ll get to later.) How I died was - kind of embarrassing, actually. Oh, and before I go any further - this does not  at all reflect my intentions in real life.

So I died from a botched suicide attempt. “If you died, technically it was a successful attempt, wasn’t it?” you’re probably thinking right now. Yes, well, okay, I kinda changed my mind at the last minute. I’d decided not to jump, and was slowly climbing down, but then I’d been sitting up there long enough that someone had called the police, and as I was trying to get down the police suddenly burst out of the lift behind me, and were like “Stop!! You’re under arrest for attempting suicide!!” Which made me panic, and because I was also pretty drunk (because I wanted to make extra extra sure that if the fall didn’t kill me the alcohol poisoning would), I kind of was like “Aaaahh!!”, and tried to scramble away from the police. Which made me overbalance and fall off the edge of the parapet.

And that’s why suicide attempts really shouldn’t be criminalised.

The freefall was surprisingly short. I barely had time to think “oh well fuck” before I hit the ground. Which, after I’d gotten over the initial shock, surprisingly didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. About as much as tripping over a curb and falling, I guess. So I thought oh wow, I’m not dead and I’m not /that/badly hurt, and then, I’d better run before the police come down and get me, so I got up, looked down to check myself for injuries -

And saw my dead body on the ground lying in a pool of blood.

I guess it goes without saying that I did not, in fact, survive. I stood there staring at my dead body for quite a while while the busybodies started crowding around. I instinctively almost started to bolt when the police came down, but they just ignored me and went over to the body to check for a pulse, and when they found none, just cordoned off the area. Apparently living people couldn’t see ghosts.

I don’t know what I was feeling, shocked, dazed. Maybe a little sad. I watched them load my body into a stretcher and ambulance. Then I went to school.

….I honestly have no idea why. I suppose school is a familiar routine and sort of comforting when one has just died and has no idea what to do. Anyway, on the way there I started seeing people and things and buildings that weren’t there before, like, sort of translucently overlaid over the “real world”. I figured that was the ghost world, and what I must now look like.

Most of the ghosts I saw on the way just ignored me and did their own thing, but when I got into the Botanic Gardens there suddenly was this energetic bouncy  young-ish lady, I can’t remember faces very well but she looked about 30+, and she saw me looking lost and dazed, so she came over to me and was like “Hi! You look kinda lost! Did you just die not too long ago?”

I was still kinda dazed so I just nodded, whereupon she grabbed my arm and started dragging me to this tall translucent building, chattering all the way, something like “Oh, you poor thing, died so young! And by the looks of you probably a violent death; people who die from chronic illnesses are usually not so dazed, cuz they’ve been expecting it for a while, y’know…” and telling me about her life story. She was only 30+ when she died, and she left behind a little daughter who wasn’t even in kindergarten yet, and at first she was so upset, but after a while she got over it, and her daughter is now all grown up and doing well at her job, so it’ll all work out in the end, and I shouldn’t worry too much! I mostly just nodded in silence. Still processing the fact that I was dead.

The tall ghost building she brought me to was apparently some sort of a Ghost Immigration Central, where the newly dead go to get their ghost stuff and learn the ins and outs of ghosting, apparently. There was a counter where she took me to get a ghost IC (light blue), some ghost clothes, ghost money, and some food. Where does all this come from? People burning stuff during Qi Yue. Apparently fire is a good way of transferring things from this world to the next. But you also have to burn it with intention, otherwise if it was just burning then all sorts of rubbish from the incinerator would be flowing over to ghost world. Don’t people normally only burn stuff for their relatives? Ah, well, apparently ghosts do not need to eat or drink, and our clothes don’t get dirty, and if we wanna watch a movie or something we can just walk into the cinema, the living people can’t see us to stop us, so technically we don’t really need money, or any of that other stuff. So ghost society ended up storing all the offerings as a collective and giving them out as familiar, comforting items and rituals to help people with the transition into being ghosts. Sort of like training wheels for being a ghost, y’know. There’s even jobs you can get, mostly related to the whole transitioning business. You can do offering-sorting (apparently all the offerings that get burnt just end up falling out of the sky into a random pile somewhere), administration (giving out the ICs and ghost-training-items), some ghosts set up restaurants (the food new ghosts get from the admin are like, some fruits and biscuits, but the food offerings that aren’t carry-able, like roast ducks and what not, end up getting delivered to the ghost restaurants, by - you guessed it - ghost delivery services. LOL.) You don’t have to get a job if you don’t want to, we don’t have to pay mortgages or buy food or whatever, but some people like having a daily routine, so it’s good for them.

Then there’s death counselling. That was hilarious. It’s mandatory for new ghosts, and was in the same building where I got my IC and stuff, and I met my friends while the nice ghost lady was bringing me to death counselling. Seemed they’d met some other helpful ghost who showed them around as well. (Gonna call my friends B, S, and E, and the nice ghost lady shall be L.) Their guide took the first opportunity to drop them off with me and L and scarpered. Apparently, B was furious and had been raging the entire time. The three of them had died in a car crash because a squirrel had jumped onto the windscreen and freaked B out and they crashed into a tree. S and E were mostly quiet, probably still in shock as well, but B was continuously complaining about how if he’d known it was going to be his last day alive he wouldn’t have spent it doing homework, how we were doomed never to find love (because you stay the age you died at, and people don’t normally die at 20+). And then when we got into death counselling he blew up. The facilitator had us all sitting in a circle, and handed out paper and coloured markers, and was telling us to draw “how we felt about our deaths”, and then he just flipped. It was hilarious. He started screaming about how it was entirely ridiculous to be drawing with markers like kindergarteners when we’d just died, and how there must have been a mistake, he wasn’t supposed to die today, and he was going to find whoever the heck was in charge of deaths and demand that they bring us back to life, and then he stormed out of the room. The rest of us and L chased after him after hastily apologising to the facilitator.

We followed B while he stormed around, because, well, we have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, and he’s our friend. L caught up with us and told him that lots of people had believed themselves mistakenly taken before their time, and tried to rectify it before, and none had ever found any “administrator of deaths”, and even if there was, there would be no way we would be allowed to revive, because, well, our bodies were way too messed up and it would terrify the living. And then she told us to stay together, and always stay inside well-lighted buildings at night and sleep in shifts, and to be careful if we were going to wander far away from the main concentration of ghost society. Which we found hilarious, of course, because, hey, we’re dead. What could possibly hurt us? Well, apparently, there are these things called spectres, which are, simply put, evil spirits. Some were human ghosts corrupted by evil desires (i.e. Hitler), and some were never human in the first place. Apparently they feed on regular ghosts, and they come out at night. So yep, you can still die even after you’re dead. Wonderful. And then there’s the minor problem of “ghosts can still feel pain because years of living within a physical vessel have conditioned the consciousness to interpret damage as pain and that includes interference with the energy field that makes up the ghost’s “body”. So yeah, stay away from fires, because heat energy will still hurt you. Don’t know why light doesn’t, though.

Anyhow, B still wanted to go, and we weren’t about to let him go off on his own,  so L left us after giving us lots of warnings, and so we set off. We didn’t actually make any progress before the dream ended, though. Mostly because we had no idea where to even start. The rest of the dream was mainly spent finding a base of operations and a safe place to spend nights (we decided to set up shop in one of the law school classrooms, and oh boy, on the first night we could see the spectres batting at the windows, it was freaky as heck, but they couldn’t come in, thank goodness, because of the light) and just - sort of - procrastinating, I guess. Having one last look at our old lives before we set off on our quest proper. My friends went to their funerals. I didn’t, because I don’t really care about my family or what they want to do to remember me, lol. But we all did go to the joint memorial the school held for us. That was kind of darkly funny. All our friends were crying, and we were just there like, hahaha, omg guys, don’t cry, we’re fine, okay we’re not fine, we’re dead, but you know, we’re not in pain or suffering or anything, so, like, don’t worry about us! I was pretty pleased to see that James attended. S and E are terrified of him, and B hates his guts, so I imagine he was there for me, which was nice.

I don’t remember how the dream ended, exactly, probably I just woke up after another normal day as a ghost.