#raven of the silverwood

[bangtanloverboys]

dragonpants & winterflame // jjk

summary - your professor assigns you to look after and help get the new kid, jungkook, settled in. you’d think it be easy, but he’s nothing like any of the other students

pairing - new student!jungkook x wizard!reader

genre - fluff; wizard 101 au

word count - 5.0k

warnings - dip’s made up lore, friendship, gay bears (oops a double entrendre), tending of the wounds(tm), nick jonas

guide - pyromancy = fire magic; thaumaturgy = ice magic; grizzleheim = viking bear, wolf, and raven world

author’s note - behold my last w101 au! i've had so much fun working on this and it's my pride and joy. thank you all for enjoying (and i'm sorry to the w101 fans who've had to deal with this in the tags 😅)

the seven schools of ravenwood masterlist

Life in Wizard City was never something that you had expected for you, having grown up on the far edges of the spiral in Grizzleheim. All you’d ever known were the harsh winters of a world full of bears, wolves, and ravens. No one quite knew where you’d come from only being found the burnt remains of Draugarth as an infant. Sten and Bo Silverwood of Clan Ironclaw were the ones who took you in and raised you, calling you their hairless cub.

Growing up, you knew you were different. You didn’t have fur like a bear or a wolf, nor feathers like a raven. You were something else, even beyond your physical appearance. Despite having no fur, your skin bore to the elements, you were never cold. Chilly, yes. But in the cold winds that enveloped Grizzleheim, you never once shivered. But your Papa and Bubba never made you once feel as if you were an outcast, they loved you as their own and that’s all that would matter. 

As you reached your fifteenth year, more peculiarities began happening around you. Your body would grow warm, becoming unbearable to the point you’d wear the thinnest of your clothes in the midst of snow storms. When it was your turn to make dinner for your fathers, you’d burn the meat to charcoal, eventually banning you from the kitchen. However, the worst was yet to come.

You were huddled near a hearth in Northguard, knees pulled up to your chest as you stared into the fire. You watched the flames flicker and change, almost as if they were forming into small figures; you’d see bears and wolves talk amongst themselves, laughing heartily, ravens fly across the sky, and creatures of myth you’d heard as a young one. Creatures like dragons, imps, and centaurs. You’d thought you were only seeing these things in your mind's eye as you watched the fire, but as you focused more on the dragon, you watched as it grew larger. You rubbed your eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light, but it wasn’t. The fiery depiction of the creature grew and grew, spitting out flames from its mouth, catching onto the roof of a nearby hut. You screamed for help, but with each panicked cry, the fire grew larger and larger. Quickly, the clan rallied to put out the fire, but with each bucket of water thrown over it, it did not settle. Only when your papa had wrapped you into his arms, calming you down did the fire finally die. 

“This cub is a demon! We must free ourselves from it!” Kol Shadowsong accused, singling you out. The clan leaders gathered in the Great Hall to discuss what should be done with you, as you nearly burnt Northguard to the ground. Your fathers stood beside you, refusing to back down to let you stand alone. 

“Your Majesty, see reason! It’s clear they have no control over this affliction! They meant no harm! They’re practically still a cub!” Your papa shouted at King Valgard. 

“And that cub nearly burnt this stronghold to the ground!” The king growled. “If they cannot control it, they are a danger to the rest of us. I cannot allow them to endanger the rest of the clans.”

“But what if they could learn to?” Your bubba countered. 

“How?”

“I know.” All attention was turned toward a new voice, Bauldur Goldpaws, the trader. “I’ve heard of this affliction in my travels. It’s called pyromancy! The ability to control fire and summon creatures of that nature. It can be controlled, but only through hard work and training. There is a school that teaches how to control and master this very affliction. Ravenwood in Wizard City.”

You’d only vaguely remembered hearing those names. It sounded familiar, yet you did not know or understand why, like something from a dream.

“That’s halfway across the Spiral and the World Tree connection was severed centuries ago! How do you intend to even get there?” Your papa questioned. 

“The skyways, as our ancestors once did.” Bauldur turned to face your fathers personally. “King Valgard has already tasked me with the honor of re-establishing our trade routes. Wizard City is one of those stops. With your permission, I will ensure that your cub will get there safely. They will be enrolled and they will learn to control it.”

“Do they look like me?” You found yourself asking. All attention was returned back to you, and you felt small under everyone’s gaze. “These pyromancers. . . are they like me?”

Getting down on one knee, Bauldur met your gaze. “Yes, child. There are many that look like you. You will be safe and taught to control this,” he gestured to your hands. 

Looking between your fathers, you met their eyes. Papa clearly not wanting to let you go, to keep you safe by his side and protect you from the world forever. But Bubba, he knew. He knew this was what was best for you, best for the clan. Looking back to Bauldur, you nodded. “I’ll go.”

The trader looked back to the King, who sighed. “Fine,” he waved his hand. “Your cub may go and learn to control this. . . pyromancy. But they may only return, once they’ve mastered the ability. Then and only then may they return to Grizzleheim. Dismissed.”

Your fathers walked out of the Great Hall, bickering between themselves as you looked up at Bauldur. “We leave at first light, pack heavy. We’ll be traveling for a few moons.”

It was hard to say goodbye, having never left home before and to be gone for so long. . . You were scared. You didn’t want to leave, but you knew you had to. It was for the good of the clans. You packed all your belongings into several chests; your robes, your boots, helmets, hats, and swords. Anything you might’ve needed, you were packed and ready for. 

“Be good,” Papa said as he squeezed you tight against him. You buried your face into his fur, trying to memorize every last detail of him. 

“I will.”

Bubba hugged you just as hard, if not harder. He knew this was coming, that one day you’d leave, just never imagined it so soon. Pulling away from you, he placed his paw on your face and smiled at you. “My little cub, be proud of who you are and where you’re from.”

As Bauldur said, it took many months to reach Wizard City. Had you gone in a direct route, you might’ve gotten there faster, but unfortunately you were just a ride along. Bauldur had a job to do, re-establishing the long lost trade routes amongst the other worlds of the Spiral. You’d see places you’d never even imagine seeing; the evergreen world of Mooshu, the ancient sand covered temples of Krokotopia, and the endless fields of Zafaria. Until finally, Bauldur and landed at the edge of the world in Wizard City! 

Dozens of wizards gathered as the ship weighed its anchor against one of the stone towers. You’d been used to whispers and stares all your life, but this was different, you felt isolated and singled out, as if you were being peered at under an eye-glass. You hid behind Bauldur once he was beside you on the grass.

“Who goes there?” A man with hair on his face and dressed in strange armor questioned. 

“I am Bauldur Goldpaws, and this is my ward, Y/N Silverwood. We seek your Headmaster.” 

The guard looked between you and Bauldur, “Follow me.” Was all he said before he stiffly started walking towards a tunnel, burrowed deep into the cliffside. 

The Headmaster, Merle Ambrose, was stunned to learn that you were there to enroll. No one had ever traveled so far in order to attend. It was a first. But nevertheless, you were enrolled in the School of Fire. Professor Dalia Falmea took you under her wing, giving you private lessons until you’d caught up to your age group. You were a bit of an oddity at first, being the only one dressed in furs rather than the colored robes your peers wore. You’d even shocked everyone when you’d been able to pick up thaumaturgy as a secondary school. But eventually the intrigue and mystery died away as time went on.

You’d been at Ravenwood seven years now, almost finishing your mastery classes. You’d held onto this moment for years. Finally, you’d be able to go home! To see your fathers once again! You’d kept up correspondence with them, sending letters through the trade route you’d helped Bauldur set up. So they knew you were in good health and they were also happy for you. At least up until the past year, the former death professor unleashed monsters onto the city streets endangering the students and their livelihood. Papa almost wanted you back then and there, but there were also growing tensions amongst the clans (at least so you’d heard through Bauldur, your fathers did every attempt to keep it from you) so you stayed in Wizard City. However, none of you could’ve predicted what else was to come. 

It was like any ordinary day, you’d just finished your class with Professor Falmea when she called you up to speak with her before you could leave. Shouldering your pack, you walked up to her on the platform. 

“Yes, Professor?”

“Ah, Winterflame. You’ve advanced much in these past few years, becoming one of my star pupils.” 

Your face grew warm at her compliments. “Thank you, Professor.”

“And as my best student, there’s something I need to ask of you.” She motioned toward the door, glancing behind you, you watched as a bright red haired guy about your age walked in, dressed in red and orange robes. “This is my newest student, Jungkook Dragonpants.”

You furrowed your brows at the name, “Dragonpants?” Did you hear that right?

“Yup, that’s me,” the wizard winked at you. 

You’ve never met a student with a lastname like that, the weirdest one you think you’ve heard was Frogtamer. You were going to have to ask him about it later. You turned to Dalia to finish talking.

“Winterflame, I’d like you to help get him adjusted to life in Wizard City. In fact, Headmaster Ambrose suggested it, considering you know how it feels,” she explained. While you knew neither of them meant no ill will, it still felt slightly targeted. There’d been dozens of new students and transfers to Wizard City since you. But maybe he was from far out in the Spiral too, and there was the fact he was also a pyromancer.

“Okay,” you nodded before turning to Jungkook. He was near bouncing on his heels and his eyes. . .His eyes kept wandering around the room, between the professor, the walls, the chalkboard, the cauldron, everything. Okay, you could relate to that, seeing it all for the first time. Trying your best to hide your smile, you nodded to the door. “Come on, let’s go.” The two of you walked out of the school house, and still Jungkook was looking at everything. Bernie, Torrence, Bartleby, Arthur Wethersfield. You remembered being like that, taking everything in all at once. “So on either side of the tunnel are the dorms, yes it’s one door. But your key is what opens the door to your own room, specifically. You get your key from Lincoln,” you said, gesturing to him as he wrote in his booklet. “I can give you a more in depth tour later, so you’re getting the dry run. If that’s alright with you.”

“Yeah that’s fine,” he said, smiling as he looked up at the World Tree.

“So, where’re you from?”

“Oh, I’m from Eeeeerrrr. . .”

“Eeeerrr?” You raised a brow.

“It’s some place far away with a name you wouldn’t know or how to pronounce,” he waved his hand, trying to hand the subject. “What about you? You from around here or elsewhere?”

A bittersweet smile crossed your face. “Grizzleheim, a world tucked away in the farside of the Spiral.”

“Woah, that sounds. . . cool. What’s it like?”

Again, you were confused. How did he not know what Grizzleheim was? Since your arrival and the trade route was re-established, almost everyone knew what Grizzleheim was and how far it was. “It’s cold, a lot closer than here. It rains or snows most of the year, don’t get a lot of sun. But it’s beautiful and it’s. . . it’s my home.” You found yourself stopping on the sidewalk, reminiscing.

“Do you visit often?” 

You shook your head. “No, I haven’t been since. . . since I enrolled. It’s-it’s a long story.” You weren’t about to get all nostalgic with a stranger. “But anyways, are you a transfer? Novice, what?”

“I’m new.”

“. . . Are you in class with people our age or younger?”

“Oh, I’m not in class. Ambrose said I can do independent studies to help catch up. Like helping out around the city and anyone who needs it. Speaking of which, where’s Unicorn Way? I was told to go there as soon as I could.” He asked, his head glancing about, this time with intention rather than curiosity.

“Unicorn Way is crawling with monsters, are you sure you were asked to go there?”

Jungkook held up a letter, addressed to Private Connelly in the Headmaster’s handwriting. It was off, but if it was Ambrose. . .

“Through the Commons tunnel, turn left, go down the street, over the bridge, Unicorn Way is right there.”

“Great, thanks,” he smiled as he patted you on the shoulder. “Talk more later?” He asked as he started toward the tunnel. 

“Yeah, just uh, meet me in front of the Library, noon!” You called out after him.

“Awesome, see you then!” Then he vanished into the shadows. He was odd, but you were intrigued nonetheless. 

A few days later was your rest day, and you typically liked spending it in Olde Town,  sitting on the grass at the edge of the cliff, where Bauldur dropped you off. He wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be for another few weeks before he made his rounds back to Wizard City. When he was there, you’d catch up, then trade the dozens of letters your fathers would write to you and give to Bauldur yours. But days like this, you’d just sit and stare out into the skyways.

“Hey!” A voice pulled you out of your thoughts. Turning your head to the side, there stood the new kid, Jungkook. His face was littered with fresh cuts and bruises, but he still held that same cheery demeanor he had when you first met him. “Whatcha doing out here?”

“It’s my off-day, what happened to you?” You rose to your feet, immediately going to check his injuries.

“Oh, these? Just finished clearing up Unicorn way,” he said with a proud smile. 

His words took you aback, “You- you did what?”

“Well it’s not cleared up permanently. There’s still some ghosts, but the skeletons and dark fairies are all taken care of for the most part.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “But Prof Falmea said I’m almost to the level of her apprentice level class with how fast I’m progressing.”

“In just a few days?” You were baffled, no one has ever advanced that fast before! At least not without prior schooling.

“I’m a fast learner,” was all he said. “But really, why are you here on your off-day? Are there not a lot of exciting things to do around here?”

“No there are. There’s the Shopping District, Fairgrounds, dueling. . . But I like coming here, it’s where I first stepped foot in Wizard City.” You smiled softly at the memory, you felt so small then. Now no one even bats an eye at you, just another student walking the grounds. “But anyways, how are you finding it?”

“Well, I’ve done a lot of back and forth lately between places, but everyone is nice, given the circumstances. Sorry I had to rush off the other day, but the Headmaster said it was urgent. But I’m seeing a lot of the city, and this place is pretty cool.” He turned to look up at the cliffs of the city, and you followed his gaze. Just barely, you could see the overhead branches of Bartleby. Both of you stood there for a moment, enjoying the view. 

“Hey, I’m sorry if this is a weird question but how did you get Dragonpants?” You asked. It’s not exactly a common question to ask, but you were curious. You always were anytime someone gave their name. 

“What do you mean?” He furrowed his brows. 

“I mean how did you earn Dragonpants as a last name? I got Winterflame because I’m one of the few pyromancers that has thaumaturgy as a secondary. I know a guy broke his wand and earned his last name, another summoned Humongofrog. So how did you get yours?”

All Jungkook could do was stare at you blankly. “Uhhh, I- uh. . . that’s an interesting story. Oh, look at the sun! I need to rush to Firecat Alley. I’ll definitely tell you that story later. Bye!” He then ran down the street, but instead of Firecat Alley, it was towards Triton Avenue. 

And that’s not most of your interactions with Jungkook were. You’d see him randomly on the streets in between classes (in between quests for him), he’d always have a new cut or bruise somewhere on his skin. But he was advancing quickly. Every time you saw him, he was further and further along in his independent studies. Last you checked, he was nearing the adept level courses. Despite his quick advances, battles were getting harder and more difficult. So he started asking you for help, which you did. You helped him in Firecat Alley, Triton Avenue, and Cyclops Lane. Dueling beside him was incredible, he was focused and valiant. He didn’t let the enemies get to him, no matter how cruel their taunts grew.

“Doesn’t it ever bother you?” You found yourself asking, as the two of you tiredly made your back back towards the Commons.

“What do you mean?”

“What these- these villains are saying to you? Surely, it has to get under your skin sometimes?”

Jungkook paused, dark eyes almost hidden by his reddish-pink hair. “Sometimes. In the beginning, it did a lot. But the more I fight them off, it’s just becoming more and more. . . annoying than hurtful.”

“Annoying?” You asked, almost chuckling.

“I mean, yeah it’s annoying!” Jungkook’s face broke into an exasperated expression. “‘You won’t get away with this, Young Wizard!’, ‘Malistaire is coming!’,’No puny wizard has ever defeated me!’ Puh-lease! As soon as they start saying stuff like that, the more it motivates me to win out of spite.”

That had both of you peeling over in laughter, earning a handful of odd looks from your fellow students and passing citizens. 

The two of you grew closer and closer, but no matter what, he didn’t say much about his past. Nothing on where he was from, or how he got his last name or why he wasn’t properly enrolled in school. Nothing. It didn’t bug you much, you could understand not wanting to answer pestering questions about where you were from, so you didn’t ask. But with each quest the two of you completed, you only had more and more questions. You just felt out of the loop. 

However, once his quests started taking him outside of Wizard City, he had to continue going out alone. You didn’t have permission to leave the city, only Jungkook and a few select transfer students were granted that permission. You did your best to keep in touch still, he’d stop by your dorm and ask odd questions about Kroks and other things related to sorcery. You directed him to the library. There wasn’t much else you could do to help, as you had your own studies to focus on. 

The last time Jungkook came over though, it was the worst of them. It was already late at night, but you were still up, cram studying for your final mastery exam in two days. After re-reading the same sentence over and over about the differences between sunbirds and phoenixes, there was a harsh knock at the door. 

With a yawn, you walked over to the door, opening it to see Jungkook, battered and bruised. His left eye was dark and near swollen shut, his lip was busted, and he was leaning on the door frame for support. “H-hi.”

“Oh my stars!” Your body immediately woke up, helping him into your dorm. You set him down at your desk as you rushed to your trunk, digging through it for a healing potion. Instead you found an old salve from home. It would have to do for now, you hadn’t had a chance to stock up on potions. Jar in hand, you made your way over to Jungkook. Opening the jar, you dipped your fingers in and took out a small glob. “This’ll feel a bit chilly.” Jungkook winced as the balm touched his skin, but he remained still as you continued to apply it to his wounds. 

“Smells kinda funny.”

You chuckled at that. “Yeah, it does.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a yarrow-marshmallow salve. Honestly, I forgot I had it. My bubba probably packed it away for me.”

“Your bubba?”

You paused. You didn’t talk much about your homelife to anyone, no matter how much they asked. This was the first time you ever willingly brought it up. With a shaky breath, you continued. “Yea, he’s one of the men who raised me. They’re the only family I’ve ever known.”

“You weren’t raised by your parents?”

You shook your head. “I was found in the remains of an old village, it was attacked by these creatures called grendels. I was the only survivor. I was found, tucked away in a burnt down shack. Sten and Bo Silverwood, my papa and bubba. They found me, took me in, and raised me as their own. Don’t know who my birth parents were, all we could figure is they were pyromancers and traveling across the spiral, probably traders. But we’ll never know,” you shrugged. “And I’m okay with that, I love my dads. And I wouldn’t change anything about how I was raised.”

“You said you can’t go home.”

“Yes and no.” You huffed. “It’s not easy to get to Grizzleheim, it’s months of traveling the skyways. But even if the world door worked, I can’t go back. I was. . . I was a danger to the clan. I had no control over my magic and the king had no choice but to order me to attend Ravenwood until I learned to master it.” As soon as you started, you couldn’t stop. All these years, and you never shared your story with anyone, not outside Professor Falmea. “But my pyromancy mastery final is in a couple days. And next week, Bauldur Goldpaws will return to Wizard City and I’ll be able to go home again.”

Jungkook was quiet for a moment, his eyes downcast. “I’m also from far away but. . . I don’t think I’ll be able to return home.” You’re silent, waiting for him to continue. “I’m from Earth. Where I’m from there’s no magic or talking animals, or anything. It’s just people. Then one day, I almost set fire to my house with my bare hands. I don’t know what to do so I start running. And I ran, and ran and ran until my legs felt like jelly. It gets blurry from there but next thing I know, I’m in the Headmaster’s office.”

“You don’t know how you got here?”

Jungkook gnawed on his lower lip. “I can’t really talk about it. Ambrose said so.”

Orders from the Headmaster, so you let it drop. Maybe in time he’ll tell you in time, but until then, you’ll take what little answers you can. “Can you tell me about your last name?”

That had Jungkook break out into a grin. “He didn’t tell me there were reasons behind last names, just wanted me to have one to blend in. I just chose a random one, thought it was funny.” Now it was your turn to laugh. You smacked your hand over your mouth, trying to muffle your laughter. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I’m dumb I know.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just, you’re-you’re going to endure weird looks for the rest of your life, you know that right?”

“I signed myself up for it, I just need to make up a convincing story for it.”

Once your laughter died down, you just smiled at Jungkook. With the salve applied, it was slowly bringing down the swelling and discoloration. Running a hand through his red hair, you sent him off. “It’s late. Get some rest.” He did as you were told, walking off toward his own dormitory. 

The next morning, you stopped by to check on him, wanting to see how he was faring the day after but he was gone again. That poor boy is gonna get dragged all over the Spiral if he doesn’t learn to say no to a favor. But Jungkook was the farthest thing on your mind as your exam date was coming up. Your nose was stuck in a book or a scroll, you didn’t have time to think of anything else except acing this test and finally going home. That was your sole motivation. 

The day of your final, Jungkook was outside your door.

“Hey-”

You cut him off before he could even begin. “Sorry, I really don’t have time.” 

“But-”

“Listen, Jungkook, I really don’t have time. I really gotta go, I’m sorry.” You gave him a sad smile as you made a beeline for the School of Fire. 

After three long agonizing hours of going through the different types of blade and shield combos, and the various types of spell casts from firecat to meteor strike to inferno salamander and their historical origins. You finally made it out. You answered every question to the best of your ability, and now all you had to do was wait for the results to be posted. 

As you left the school house, Jungkook was waiting outside, sitting on the steps of Professor Falmea’s office tower. 

“Jungkook, what are you doing here?”

“The door is open.”

His words puzzled you. “I’m sorry, what?”

“The door! You said the door to your home world was severed years ago yeah? Well it's open again.”

“What.”

“Ambrose just told me that the door to Grizzlehiem just opened, no one knows how or why, but it is. That’s what I tried telling you this morning!” He said, smiling. “You can go home.”

Dropping your items, you bolted. In the back of your mind, you knew that King Valgard wouldn’t be happy you weren’t a titled master yet, but damn him. Damn the technicalities, you knew you were a master. You just wanted to go home again. You pushed past all the other students as they entered the World Tree, not listening to their complaints as you rushed towards the door (you could vaguely hear Jungkook apologizing on your behalf as he ran after you). 

Hand on the nozzle, you thought of Grizzleheim. Home. The smell of the pines, the crisp snowy air, the laughter of the bears in the Great Hall. You could see it all perfectly in your mind's eye as you opened that door. And there you were, on the other side of the rainbow bridge, at the world tree door. 

“Oh, wow,” you heard Jungkook breathe out from behind you.

You took one step out the door; your boots crunched on the dirt beneath your feet as you stood there, taking it all in. “Papa! Bubba! I’m home!” You burst into another run, down the rainbow bride and towards the village, shouting at the top of your lungs. “Papa! Bubba! It’s me! I’m home!” Back on solid ground, you made your way towards your childhood home. Not one thing about this place changed, it was as if you’d stepped back into a memory. 

“Little cub?” Your papa’s head poked out from the hut. He looked older, white hairs gathering around his snout and ears. But it was still every bit your papa. 

“Papa!” You squealed, adrenaline pumping through your veins so hard, you couldn’t feel your lungs as they burned or how your legs ached with each step you stook. Your papa saw you in the nick of time, opening his arms wide enough for you to jump into his hold. Tears brimmed in your eyes as you dug your face into his chest.

“How- how can this be. . ?” 

“Bubba!” You turned to see your other father, standing speechless in the kitchen. You jumped into his arms next. He returned your hug instantly, with your papa returning to hug you from behind once again. Tears were now freely rolling down your cheeks as you held your dads tight as you possibly could.

“I don’t understand, how- what?”

“The world tree door has been re-opened. I- I don’t know how but, I- I needed to come home. It’s been so long.” You cried, your hands gripping tightly onto Bubba’s fur. “I can control my powers. I did it. I learned. I can come home now, yeah.”

“Oh cub, of course.” Papa answered. “You did as you were told by the king. You can come home.” The three of you said nothing further after that, crying and holding each other. Relieved to finally see each other again after seven whole years.

From behind your group hug, you could hear someone clear their throat. “Oh,” you pulled away from your dads, seeing Jungkook standing awkwardly in the door frame. “Bubba, Papa, this is Jungkook Dragonpants. He’s my friend.”

“Dragonpants? What kind of a name is that?” Your Bubba asked, voice low.

“Bubba,” you groaned.

“It’s my name, sir,” he said, not backing down from your father’s clear intimidation attempt. He certainly was brave, very few could stare him in the eyes and not back down. 

“Any friend of our cub’s is a friend of ours,” your papa said, narrowing his eyes at his husband. “Come in, tell us all your stories. Everything you left out in your letters.” With a smile, you nodded, turning back to Jungkook who was looking more outside. Wrapping a hand around his arm, you pulled him inside.

“Wait, hang on, is that Nick Jonas?”

[silvernsteel]

                                         ☽ 𝔸 ℝ ℂ  𝕃 𝕀 𝔾 ℍ 𝕋 ☾

𝒞𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓃 𝓂𝑒...

[xaphrin]

I grew up reading your TT fanfics and always find myself going back to them, even years and years later! So first off, thank you for giving me the Raven content I needed when the series was suddenly cancelled 😊 I was curious what romance novels would you recommend? Trashy, feel-good, fun, naughty — anything goes!

Oh. Oh, friend. You do not want to go down that rabbit hole with me. I read, on average, between 4 - 7 romance books a month.

But, since you asked...

Dragonkin Series from G A Aiken - if you like hot and horny and sarcastically witty dragon shifters. Plus, her world building is so good. Like yes, the romance is top-notch, but also the fantasy story she weaves is so intriguing and it's by far one of my favorite fantasy stories, but with real, genuine porn in it too.

Anything from Presley Hall - she writes mostly alien/sci-fi romance. She has... three series now? They all take place kind of in the same universe, but I'm very fond of her Voxeran stories. I'm waiting for the next one to come out.

Fire's Edge and Inferno Rising from Abigail Owen. It's kind of a long series about familial groups of dragon shifters.

Ice Planet Barbarians from Ruby Dixon. I'm pretty sure I was drunk when I bought the first book because the title is ridiculous, but I ended up devouring most of the series (before my free trial of Kindle Unlimited ended). Her writing really develops between each books in the series, and she's got a few other stand-alone books in the same universe that are just great.

Cara Bristol has a few series she writes. They're pretty quick, easy reads, and you enjoy the time spent with the characters. They're not blow you out of the water, but they're genuinely enjoyable.

Nadine Mutas has a witches series that feels a bit like I'm reading a New Adult novel. It's cute and fun, and easy to get into. I think I read the whole series in a week. To Seduce a Witch's Heart was just fun, and silly at times.

Bec McMaster has a few series that are really quite good. There's a sort of steampunk, high-society, Victorian series with werewolves that's my favorite. And a gaslight magic one that's top-notch. I really enjoyed reading her work.

Dark Protector series from Rebecca Zanetti. It's a solid modern vampire series.

Soulless by Gail Carriger. Technically more of a steampunk book and less of a romance, but it's such a great novel with great tension between the the two main characters that it's just one of my favorites.

Nalini Singh's Archangels series is great. Also not really a romance as much as a series of books that circle the contention between Archangels and Humans, but still quite good.

Red Phoenix's Brie and the Art of Submission is just ridiculous and over the top, but I think it was one of the first erotica series I read that I just genuinely kind of enjoyed. It's not great and sometimes it's just dumb, but it's actually very sexy and fun.

And I used to read a ton of Christine Feehan (I'm a fan of her Dark series, with the Carpathian Vampires), and Gena Showalter.

I’m currently reading some kind of good, but bordering on ridiculous Steampunk romance right now called Iron Dominance, by Cari Silverwood. Will I read the other books? I don’t know. But this book is not bad. 

I also love a good regency bodice ripper, but they all kinda tend to be about the same for me. Enjoyable, and a fun way to pass the time, but there isn't any that stand out right away as the best book I've ever read.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. I've been reading romance books for a solid twenty years, and there are also a ton of books that I just genuinely enjoyed reading, but might not have been anything that stuck with me in my head for very long. I was trying to go through my Kindle and Hoopla and Overdrive to see if any of them sparked a memory, but they really didn't. Ultimately, I'll give anything a chance for about 50 - 100 pages. And there have been some great books that I read once, and never really thought about after.

There have also been some terrible mishaps.

[tc-doherty]

Hello, hello, and happy wbw to you~! So, what is your single favorite piece of world building from each of your current WIPs?

Happy WBW! Oh my, all of them? LMAO

Celestials - I like the fact that the mages have different eye colors based on what country they're born in, it's very cheesy but I love that kind of thing.

Coyote Song - the 1st draft of this might objectively have not been very good but the world building is rad as hell, I can't pick a favorite thing! If I had to, it's the fact that the different territories under the control of different gods have completely different rules based on which god is in control of them. The entirety of creation and existence is different in different territories.

The Deadlands - I like the tamers and the way that I set up the magic system in this universe.

The Desert of Claw and Fang - the desert itself, how it was created and how it ties into the Ravenous, I think that's pretty cool.

Dragon's Daughter - this is a fairly standard fantasy universe so I didn't do a ton of unique things with it… I would've liked to have gotten more into the Old Kingdom but in the end I believe that some things are better left for the reader to make up their own minds about ;)

The Gryphon of Sirray - the lengths that I'll go to to put gryphons into a story… I'm kidding, I like the magic system here as well.

Hoofbeats - the clothing design!!

The Huntress of Anihwen - this one needs a lot of work and probably almost everything will be completely redone but I like some of the stuff that I did with the underworld.

Into the Witch's Wood - this is the closest I will ever get to writing something set in a modern era, and it's still only mirroring the 20s and 30s… But I do like the way that they use magic to create technology. It's hardly groundbreaking in terms of world building, but I like it.

Laero - there's so much here…if I had to pick, I really like a lot of the histories that I made up for the different cultures and how they ended up the way they are. None of it is ever in the actual book itself, but I know it and that's enough.

Magic Black As Knight - this is the closest I've ever come to writing a true, standard sword and sorcery high fantasy story so I haven't actually done much independent world building. Maybe some of the spells that I've developed for it are kind of cool? But that's just based on the way that I tend to typically write magic.

Miracles - I really like the set up with the gods being as involved with humans as they are and how that has affected the culture, and the fact that there are all of these legends being told about people who still exist and still do things.

Northbound - I'm pretty pleased with this one all around, I like the different cultures I've created and how they interact together

The Race of the Midday Moon - this one is too new in development so I couldn't say

Second Chances - the shapeshifters! I put so much work and thought into how these races evolved and how that has affected their social and psychological development in the present day of the story

Silverwood - this is my baby, I put so much world building into it!!!! But…I do love the Drezhein a lot! My horrible nasty little children.

The Swan Husband - this one is also still in development but some of the rules that I've created to make the story happen are very funny to me (this one Especially has a lot of basis in traditional folklore, which I adore - as we know)

Temitope - I really like the kingdom of Murane and things that I developed for it! Nothing crazy, but I like it.

The Thief Queen - I really have not worked on this since I 1st wrote it in 2014, it's going to get a massive overhaul anyway, but I do like the way that Zephryal's people use magic, and I'll probably keep that

Untitled 1 - I don't know that some of of the world building in this makes sense but it has immense nostalgic value because it's based on an old RP from middle school/high school

Untitled 2 - this is based on xianxia novels, which I love, and shonen manga, which I also love. So it's full of tropes and world building from things that I love. But I especially like the rules that I came up with for the yaoguai… Definitely not typical xianxia. But I like them. It's all extremely self-indulgent

Untitled 3 - my favorite part about this is, again, the history that I came up with to explain why the world is the way it is but unlike Laero you actually do get to learn about it this time

Untitled 4 - I do a lot of medieval style world building and this time I'm going even older, so I am pretty excited about getting into it but I don't have anything specific yet

Untitled 5 - this is set in the same world as Temitope but in a different kingdom, I enjoyed getting to flesh out that world a little more!

Untitled 7 - this idea is maybe a week or two old tops, I really haven't gotten far enough yet

[clemkaplan]

[ CLEMENTINE KAPLAN. 32. CIS FEMALE. SHE/HER ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ TWO MONTHS ] and are originally from [ BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS ]. They are an [ EVENT PLANNER ] and in their downtime love [ GARDENING ] and [ HORSE BACK RIDING ]. They look a lot like [ LUCY BOYNTON ] and live [ ON SILVERWOOD TERRACE ]. (ooc: nel, 20, she/her, pst )

hlo besties, i’m nel and this is clementine !! she’s inspired by marie antoinette and is a new muse, but i’m super stoked to be playing her !! this all got a bit long, so love you if you read it all <33

here’s her pinterest board xx

ABOUT.

tw: drugs, overdose, death

the youngest of four children, clementine kaplan was used to being spoiled. she loved her mom. she loved her dad. she loved her brothers. she loved her sister. it was the perfect life.

she was a jester, wanting to make her family laugh, whether that was creating dances or one woman plays, she wanted to entertain. they’d indulge her, congratulating her and encouraging her.

her heart was full. full of love and toys and dresses and bows and friends. she got everything she asked for. one glance of her big, blue eyes and the world fell into her hands. it was all she knew, not knowing how lucky she was. her older siblings protected her and guarded her, keeping her safe from the pains of the world, while she skipped through fields and picked the neighbors’ flowers.  

she did well in school, but she was always distracted by her friends. if they wanted to go to the park, she’d drop everything to go with them. and when they were in high school and the park turned into a party, she’d be the first to say yes. she danced the most and laughed the loudest and smiled the widest, capturing the attention of everyone around her. it was bestowed upon her like a crown created only for her head. she was indulgent. she was wasteful. but she didn’t even realize it was wrong. she left a trail of hearts in her wake, from friends and lovers alike, growing bored after she filled her stomach. it wasn’t meant to be hurtful, but she only wanted to be so full of joy that it was leaking out of her ears.

she was accepted into boston university for hospitality administration. it was the best news. she could stay home and live with her family forever. her jubilation was tampered as her sister sophie started dating alex. he was trying to take her precious sister away as she spent more time with him than with clementine.

at the last second, she decided to stay in a dorm at college and that spurred her long nights of drinking and doing drugs. she was gluttonous, ravenous, and completely blind to the fact that she had a problem. she’d come home high. she’d go to class high. by some kind of miracle, she managed to graduate with her b.a. and moved back home, where her parents accepted her with open arms. she was their baby after all.

it all came to a head when sophie announced her engagement. that was it. that was the end. she had found a new family. she went to the club with her boyfriend at the time, and the next morning, she woke up in a hospital bed. she had overdosed. she cried for hours after her parents told her, sending them out of the room. she was embarrassed to have been brought so low.

clem went to rehab and was there for a month. her parents gave her a job working at their event management firm. it was low responsibility, but her first true responsibility nonetheless. she went n.a. meetings and started gardening. she went back to riding horses, her sport of choice from elementary to high school. she was doing well. she was stronger than before. she still went out with her friends and she still danced, but the only high she got anymore was from all eyes being on her.

the world came crashing down when sophie died. sophie. her sister. her best friend. one day she was there and the next day she wasn’t. close to relapsing, one of her brothers found her before she could. she went about her daily life as a ghost. it was like a raincloud followed her wherever she went. clem threw herself into work as a distraction and moved up the ranks of their business. she cherished every time she got to talk to someone. she reached out to everyone she met and tried to be kind, but she was always dragged down by her own problems.

it’s been hard for her. it still is hard for her, but she worked so hard, her parents have put her in charge of their expansion to l.a. she packed up her bags and moved, excited at the prospect of a fresh start.

PERSONALITY.

being the baby of the family, she was sheltered growing up, getting what she wanted when she wanted. she knows she’s privileged, but so used to this, she can be a bit insensitive sometimes because she doesn’t always grasp the extent. she is selfish and likes to take, but she is kind and inclusive. she is confident and outgoing and blunt, but she is scared of outright calling someone out. though, things don’t always come out the way she means them. she enjoys having fun and meeting new people, but she can be a bit of a flake because she wants to constantly be entertained, and can’t properly communicate about wanting a relationship to end. she’s a hard worker, but she also loves not having to work.

HEADCANONS.

her love language is acts of service.

since she just moved out here, she doesn’t have a pet, but she always had dogs growing up. her parents would end up taking care of them, but she always called them hers.

she is incredibly lucky. will find twenty dollar bills on the ground. has a collage with all the four leaf clovers she’s found hanging up on her wall. she can still drink without wanting to relapse.

every morning, she goes for a walk on the beach. she likes to start her day off with fresh air and the feeling of sand beneath her toes.

every sunday night, she takes a bubble bath and does a face mask. she finds it relaxing and thinks it’s the perfect way to start her week off right.

she actually hates clementines. she only likes berries.

does NOT talk about her past drug problem.

she was closet with sophie. she’d understood clem in a way no one else did because she understood her heart, and seemed to always knew what she was thinking. she’s trying to be her happy self again, but it’s hard without sophie, made even harder knowing that alex is out there alive and well. it’s not fair, and she and the rest of the kaplans still blame him. she’s hell-bent on never forgiving him and never letting it go, the one grudge she has and one she’ll nurse until she’s six feet underground like her sister.

WANTED CONENCTIONS.

she hasn’t been here long, so she probably won’t have a ton of established connections.

enemies: someone who is jealous of her because she lives in her own little bubble, and it rubs them the wrong way that she so easily gets what she wants.

friends: coffee buddies or bar buddies or walk buddies, etc

neighbors: maybe she’s tried to recruit them to help with her garden.

someone who has known her from her past. friends from boston. enemies from boston. exes from boston. someone who knew her in college and saw how wild she got. people who knew her sister.

crushes!

a plot based on this!!!

i’m so down for not plotting nd just seeing how the thread goes <33 bt also if any of y’all have a dream plot you really want nd think she could fit, i’ll be so down for it. or if you wanna plot bt don’t have ideas, i love quotes nd applying them to rp situations, so hmu if that’s what you want !!

[silverlake-rp]

The following characters have just joined Silver Lake! Please go over the checklist, make sure everything is in order, and send in your account in under 48 hours.

Isabel Martinez [ Jeanine Mason, Painter ]

Calliope Winters [ Diane Guerrero, Private Investigator ]

Anthony Rothschild [ Aaron Taylor Johnson, Upcoming Business Owner / Winemaker ]

Gideon Gray [ Aldis Hodge, Food Truck Owner ]

Jameson Abernathy [ Garrett Hedlund, Owner of Golden Griddle Diner ]

Mateo Mercer [ Sean Teale, Part-Time Cook at the Golden Griddle Diner ]

Anya Ida Serra [ Camilla Mendes, Police Officer at LAPD ] 

Raven Moffitt [ Fola Evans-Akingbola, Bartender at Los Globos / Student ] 

Blake Vasquez [ Rosario Dawson, Nurse ]

[ ISABEL MARTINEZ. 30. FEMALE. SHE/HER ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 30 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SILVER LAKE ]. They are a [ PAINTER ] and in their downtime love [ SPENDING HER AFTERNOONS AT THE MUSEUM ] and [ ART JOURNALING ]. They look a lot like [ JEANINE MASON ] and live [ ON REDCLIFF ST ]. (ooc: elle, 27, she/her, est)

[ CALLIOPE WINTERS. 30. FEMALE. SHE/HER] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 30 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SILVER LAKE, CALIFORNIA ]. They are a [ PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ] and in their downtime love [ TRUE CRIME PODCASTS ] and [ CHILLING IN DIVE BARS ]. They look a lot like [ DIANE GUERRERO ] and live [ ON REDCLIFFE STREET ]. (ooc: vex, 26, she/her, est! )

[ ANTHONY ROTHSCHILD. 30. MALE. HE/HIM] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 30 YEARS (OFF & ON) ] and are originally from [ SILVER LAKE ]. They are a [ UPCOMING BUSINESS OWNER/WINEMAKER ] and in their downtime love [ RACE CAR DRIVING ] and [ PURSING THE STOCK MARKET ]. They look a lot like [ AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON ] and live [ ON SILVERWOOD TERRACE ]. (ooc: alli, 21, she/her, est)

[ GIDEON GRAY. 37. CISMALE. HE/HIS] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 8 YEARS ] and are originally from [ KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI ]. They are a [ FOOD TRUCK OWNER ] and in their downtime love [ BASKETBALL ] and [ WOODWORKING ]. They look a lot like [ ADLIS HODGE ] and live [ IN A TOWNHOUSE NEAR OASIS APARTMENTS ]. (ooc: clara, 31, she/her, cst)

[ JAMESON ABERNATHY. 33. MALE. HE/HIM ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 23 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SAVANNAH, GEORGIA ]. They are a [ OWNER OF GOLDEN GRIDDLE DINER ] and in their downtime love [ PLAYING GUITAR ] and [ BOATING ]. They look a lot like [ GARRETT HEDLUND ] and live [ ON REDCLIFF STREET ] ( lisa, 23, she/her, pst )

[ MATEO MERCER. 24. CIS MALE HE/HIM ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 24 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SILVER LAKE, CALIFORNIA ]. They are a [ PART TIME COOK AT THE GOLDEN GRIDDLE ] and in their downtime love [ POSTING “AYO WHERE’S THE SEASONING” COMMENTS ON FOODTOK ] and [ SHOWING UP TO PLACES UNINVITED ]. They look a lot like [ SEAN TEALE ] and live [ IN A SHARED APARTMENT BUILDING NEAR REDCLIFF ST ]. (ooc: stark, 27, he/him, gmt)

[ ANYA IDA SERRA. 24. CIS-FEMALE. SHE/HER ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ HER WHOLE LIFE ] and are originally from [ SILVER LAKE ]. They are a [ POLICE OFFICER AT LAPD ] and in their downtime love [ ROCK CLIMBING ] and [ MAKING ORIGAMI ANIMALS ]. They look a lot like [ CAMILA MENDES ] and live [ IN A SHARED APARTMENT BUILDING NEAR REDCLIFF ST ]. (ooc: natalie, 26, she/her, gmt)

[ RAVEN MOFFITT. 24. PANGENDER. SHE/THEY] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 2 MONTHS ] and are originally from [ SEATTLE, WASHINGTON ]. They are a [ BARTENDER AT LOS GLOBOS/STUDENT ] and in their downtime love [ VOLUNTEERING ] and [ WATCHING OLD MOVIES ]. They look a lot like [ FOLA EVANS-AKINGBOLA ] and live [OASIS APTS]. (ooc: k, 32, she/her, est)

[ BLAKE VASQUEZ. 41. FEMALE. SHE/HER ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 15 YEARS ] and are originally from [ BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ]. They are a [ NURSE ] and in their downtime love [ WATCHING TRASHY REALITY TV SHOWS ] and [ DRINKING CHEAP BOOZE TO WASH AWAY THE STRESS OF THE DAY ]. They look a lot like [ ROSARIO DAWSON ] and live [ IN OASIS APARTMENTS ]. (ooc: deejay, 25, she/her, est )

[williamsilverwood]

The Banquet Part ll

(( This takes place post BFA and before Shadowlands. Because I’m lazy with writing. )) The embroidery was impressive, the highest quality silk one could get their hands on. A vest with the Silverwood house sigil on the chest and shoulders hugged against the young lord’s chest, fitting snugly against his body. He wore grey and dark pants that were of a similar fabric. To top off the outfit, a billowing cloak hung around his shoulders and down the rest of his back like a blanket. 

Will sat on the edge of his bed, tugging black shoes onto his feet. It had been sometime since he wore proper noble attire and even longer since he was in his human form to do so. His elongated ears twitched at someone approaching. He turned to look over at the grizzled complexion of his friend and trusted advisor, Thoros.

“Well, never thought I’d see much of you in your old body.”

“I thought perhaps it is time to get more acquainted with it. Though I’m unsure what the reactions of the other nobles will be.” He replied, murmuring out his last words.

Thoros’ bushy mustache twitched and he rolled a single shoulder in a shrug.

“I do not think they’ll make too much of a fuss about it. Besides, it is a face they remember after all.”

Will rose a brow. “Is it? I did leave home in my teens, and I doubt they remember what I looked like.” He rubbed at his face with both hands. “Even then it's still the face of the first born son of a prominent house who decided to abandon his duty to his family and live in the city.” He ran a few fingers through his long locks, looking up towards the older man.

“Can’t dwell too much on the past, lad. You came back, didn’t you? Established your right once more and have been fighting under the Gilnean banner for years now. Though, I’m sure Grymm’s Vale’s people would like their lord around more often. You’ve been fighting for quite some time.”

Will blew a strand of hair away from his face, peering towards Thoros. “Well, there’s always fighting to be done. Not my fault there are constant battles. The Legion, a bloody fourth war. Never seems to end. I just hope we’re given some time to finally relax.”

 “Agreed.” 

In the moment of silence between the two men, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard along the spiral staircase that led to Will’s chamber. A teenage boy with the symbol of a Silver tree emblazoned on his tunic’s chest came hurrying into the room. He had a shock of messy red hair and wide cheeks.

“My lords..” He dipped his head and upper body into a brief bow. “The guests have arrived in the great hall. Shall I see them to their seats in the dining room? Or do you wish to make an address first, my lord?” His hurried eyes glanced towards the lord in question.

“Hm. What do you think?” Will eyed Thoros who was busy caressing his goatee. 

“Huh? Oh, you should greet them. Its the formal thing to do. It leaves a good impression, lad.”

Will nodded. “Right..” He brought himself up to his feet, brushing his pants off for a moment and passing Thoros with a good hearty slap to the shoulder. “C’mon old man, lets go address the peoples.”

“You are addressing them! Not me. Don’t be putting this on me like usual, boy.”

The young lord patted the teen on the shoulder, ushering him down the stairs as he turned his head to flash a grin to his old friend. Those prominent fangs sticking out as he did so. “I’m just messin’ with you, ya’ old bastard. I know what I gotta do. No sweat.” He waved a hand dismissively before following suit down the stairs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The various lords, ladies and high ranking officials of the Grey Hand were present within the great hall of Silverwood manor. They intermingled with each other; mostly conversing about where they felt Gilneas and the Alliance as a whole was headed after the recent war.

Will had just arrived at the main floor with Thoros in tow. He looked around the room, watching as servants carried out large platters of food. Various meats, breads and other treats were placed upon the white tablecloth.

The dining area housed a long table with many chairs tucked neatly beneath it. The most prominent chair was at the front of the table, stark white in color with a large emblem of the noble house it represented on the back.

The Lord of the house sits there. Many times did William see his father sitting at the head of the table, usually stroking his beard and always looking grumpy. The forced dinners with other families were always the worst. Though William had a good feeling this one was to be different than all the rest. Hopefully.

Thoros slammed a heavy hand against the young Lord’s shoulder. “Ready to make that address, lad? Doesn’t have to be too long, just welcomin’ them in.”

Will’s brow twitched and he glanced over to Thoros. “Suppose so. I never did listen when my father did these things. I was always off in my own head, wanting to break out of these stone walls.”

“Ha, I know lad, I know.” Thoros replied.

With a soft sigh, Will began to move towards the banister that overlooked the main entrance where everyone was lingering. Before he could however, he heard small footsteps barreling towards him. His ears twitched and his head turned. Though he did not even need to look to know who it was rushing towards him. A wide smile was already present on his face as he knelt down to welcome the embrace of his only daughter.    

He hugged her against his chest, squeezing for a moment or so before letting her go. “You look adorable.” The young girl donned a dress. It was dark in color, various blacks and greys with intricate patterns of red roses running along the trim in typical Gilnean fashion.

Zoey beamed, moving away from her father to spin around in her dress. She seemed rather pleased with herself. “Its pretty!”

Will gave her a look. “I thought you didn’t want to wear a dress..” He murmured, a glint in his eye as he teased his daughter.

She puffed up a bit, cheeks tinged with crimson. “W-well… I…!”

Her father laughed, reaching down to comb a few thick fingers through her chestnut hair that was all done up in curls. “I’m teasing you, sweetie. You look very pretty.” His daughter’s smaller fingers tried to bat away his own as he touched her hair. 

“But daddy has to talk to all the lords and ladies. Carmen will take you to the other children. Play nice.” He pinched her cheek before kissing her forehead.

Zoey nodded quickly, prancing off to one of the caretakers that took her hand and led her to one of the tables. 

Will walked confidently towards the main bannister overlooking the conversing crowd that had gathered. Men were in fine linens and suits while most of the ladies wore expensive dresses.“Good evening!” Will stood at the bannister, gesturing with his hands out towards the

 crowd. He was using that billowing, loud voice of his. Instead of shouting over a battlefield, he was shouting over lords and ladies. He was certainly not in his element. Many heads turned to regard him, looking up at a lord they did not instantly recognize. 

Will was one who revered the embodiment of Goldrinn’s fury. It was a blessing to him. More often than not he was within his Worgen form. Tonight, he donned the body in which he used to frequent these very halls with. However, it was changed. He was beginning to slowly adopt more of his wolven features onto his human body. It was without a doubt because of his nearly incessant use of the blessing that was gifted to him. He did not mind the changes much but to the various aristocrats gathered in his great hall… that remained to be seen.

“I welcome you to Silverwood manor as it’s reigning lord.” One of his brows twitched. Usually he heard his father say those words and it was odd to hear them come out of his own mouth now. The thought of having a similarity with his father provided an unsettling feeling. 

“Tonight, we celebrate our victory in the fourth war. From Arathi Highlands to the distant shores of Kalimdor, the Alliance have claimed a resounding success against the Banshee Queen’s brutish Horde.” William paused for a long moment, looking across the crowd of faces that peered back at him.  

“She has descended into darkness once more and our hunt continues. But for now, drink, be merry and enjoy yourselves. Glory to Gilneas.” He ended to an applause from the guests. The tips of his ears twitching slightly and a smile forming on his lips as he offered a half bow. He turned on his foot to face Thoros who had been crossing his arms over his chest nearby.

“Brief but good. Nice job, kid.” He clasped a thick, calloused hand on Will’s shoulder, giving him a firm pat.

“I thought I started to sound like father. Almost lost my appetite.”

Thoros bellied out a loud chuckle. “At the start, a bit, but you’re not him. Don’t fret now. Try to enjoy yourself tonight. You’ve earned it.”

“Mm.” Will muttered, staying at the top of the stairs so he could greet each and every noble that walked up on either side. It was draining. He was a socialable person but this seemed like too much. Every lord and lady were greeted formally with slight small talk before he moved onto the next couple. It went on and on before he finally saw no one else coming up the stairs. He turned, eyeing everyone at their seats, conversing quietly. Will let out a small sigh, about to engulf himself within many more conversations before he felt a presence rush up behind him suddenly. 

Instinctively, he whipped his body around, right clawed hand ready to slash at whomever had decided to appear from the shadows. 

A raven haired woman in an equally as dark dress quickly ducked underneath his hand that was coming towards her. As soon as the young lord saw the ‘intruder’ was not really an intruder, he stopped his hand before it would even reach her.

“I didn’t see you treat the other guests like this..” Her voice was soft but carried a slightly huskier tone to it, one that made Will’s ears twitch in familiarity.

“... Caitlyn?” He asked, eyes widening to see the woman before him.

She stood close to him, a lavish and elegant vanilla scent surrounding her form. Her face was narrow with sharp features. Lips plump and painted in a daring red color. Her eyes were large and strikingly bright green, dark full lashes surrounding them, paired with smokey eyeshadow. They held a mischievous glint in them as they peered upwards to him.

The woman’s body was more on the skinnier side. But for some reason, she still looked like she could hold her own. Perhaps it was the aura of confidence she seemed to exude around her or the stance she took with her head held high and eyes forward.

“It has been some time, dear.” Will smiled softly towards her.

“That it has. And you’ve.. well… you’ve changed a lot, Will.” She reached out with long, thin fingers and took one of his hands, moving it up in between them so she could see those elongated, sharpened nails. “Gods, your’s are almost longer than mine. Such interesting changes.” Her own long nails pressed against his palm for a moment before withdrawing.

“Aye, it happened over a long period of time. I never really do come out of my other form.”

“You prefer it?” She perked a thin brow before upturning the corners of her lips into a grin. “That does not surprise me.”

Will could not help but to let out a small snicker at that. “I do, yes. Much more than this form. This body, this.. face, reminds me of my days back here. Being molded into the perfect first born son I was supposed to be.”

Caitlyn took a step back, getting a better look at him. She crossed her left arm over her chest, placing her right elbow into her palm and cupping her chin while an elongated nail tapped at her soft lips. “Well, aside from your wolvish features, I see much of that perfect first born son you were supposed to be right now.”  

Will’s brow furrowed, eyes glancing away from her.

“Or.. its just the clothes you’re wearing. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in threads like those. Definitely not back in the city.” She winked at him, moving a few steps forward so she could place a gloved hand against his chest. “Now, don’t you have guests to attend to?”

Will looked down towards her with an amused gaze. She was just like he remembered. Bold. Confident. Alluring. There was much he learned from her from his time in Gilneas City, like how real people got their way. That certain kind of charm that became one of the young lord’s most strongest attributes. He had much to thank her for. Perhaps an invitation to his chambers to catch up would suffice.

“Unfortunately so. And you’ll have to tell me how you managed to get past my gates, my hounds and my guards without so much as a speck of mud on you.” He remarked.

Caitlyn slid away from his body, moving towards the large banquet hall. She stopped for a moment and looked over her right shoulder to simply wink at him before proceeding to walk confidently into the main hall as the various nobles conversed with each other at the table.

Will stood there, eyeing her as she left. The corners of his mouth upturned in a gentle grin. It seemed the distraction that was needed from this formal procedure had just arrived.

[micvhisms]

                             the  placement  of  guilt.   /    task, ii.

exhaustion  had  settled  into  micah’s  bones  like  the  chill  of  winter.    he’d  barely  made  it  into  his  apartment,    closing  &  LOCKING  the  door  behind  naomi.    he  didn’t  say  anything  to  her  as  she  went  to  her  room.    what  could  he  say?    sleep  well?    don’t  think  about  our  DEAD  INTERN  or  our  arrested  friend?   somehow,    he  doubted  she  would  find  comfort  in  the  words.    he  retreated  to  his  own  room,    the  lights  still  out  as  he  collapsed  onto  his  bed.    his  mind  raced,    filled  with  images  of  ashley,    soaked  in  blood,    isaiah,    dragged  away  in HANDCUFFS,    everyone  so  lost  and  confused.    as  if  it  wasn’t  clear  as  day.    or  maybe  micah  was  too  cynical;    maybe  he  only  saw  the  worst  in  people.

(    RIDDLE  ME  THIS:   the  difference  between  the  goddess  with  flaxen  hair  and  a  smile  painted  upon  supple  lips  &  the  sinner  with  raven  hair  and  weary  eyes,    hidden  in  fear  and  oppression?

                                 simply ━━ vision.

                        where  she  saw  the  world  in  technicolor,    he  saw  muted  hues,    blacks  and  whites,    shaded  grays.    he  saw  the  worst  because  he’d  LIVED  IT.  )

miles  away,    gina’s  death  was  declared  a murder.    it  was  the  first  night  that  micah  genuinely  didn’t  attempt  to  sleep.    the  sun  rose,    and  his  phone  rang.

                           {          log entry:        unanswered:   001.           }          

a  cup  of  coffee  sat  in  front  of  him,     the  burn  still  stinging  his  tongue.     there  was  irresponsibility  there,     someone  would  say.   in  burning  yourself  on fresh  coffee.      better  to  rip  yourself  apart  on  your  own  jagged  edges,     he  mused,     as  if  that  would  make  a difference.  weren’t  you  bound  to  B L E E D,    either  way?     his  phone  rang  again,    going  unanswered,    in  favor  of  last  night  playing  in his  mind  again.       bryce’s  lost  look,    damaris  checking  the  body,     isaiah━━━━

                          {          log entry:        unanswered:   004.           }          

when  the  buzzing  started  again,     his  patience  snapped.     for  the  first  time  since  this  all  began,     he  picked  up  the  phone.    ❛  STOP  CALLING  ME.    jesus,   i  don’t  want  to  talk  to  you,     okay?    stop.... fucking  calling.  ❜    

silence  rang  out  on  the  opposite  end  and  micah  almost  thought  he’d  done  it.    for  the  first  time  ever,    he’d  stood  up  for  himself,    and  maybe  he’d  won.    then,    quietly  from  the  other  end ━━━      ❛  uh,     hello?    um,    micah  byeon?   hi,     i’m━━  ❜    

❛  why  are  you  calling  me?  ❜     but  he  knew.   god,    he  did  this  regularly;    people  asking about  the  movie,    about  silverwood,    about  cristian.     he  knew  what a  reporter  sounded like,     even  when  they  were  confused  and  scared.

❛  oh,    um.  ❜     shuffling  on  the  other  end,    the  telltale  rustling  of  papers,    followed  by  stammering  that  had  micah’s  eyes  rolling.      ❛  last night,    um,    GINA  FLETCHER  was  murdered  at  the  party  you attended,    correct?  ❜    

micah  slipped  the  spectacles  from  his  nose,    setting  them  on  the  table.      he  pinched  the  bridge  of  his  nose,    allowing  himself  a sigh  as  he  forced  down  his  irritation.    he  couldn’t  lose  his  nerve.    he  was  the  last  person  who  could.     ❛  don’t  ask  a  question  you  already  know  the  answer  to.    get  to  the  point.  ❜    

❛  what  were  you  doing  before  her  body  was  found?  ❜    

micah....    couldn’t  answer  that.    not  HONESTLY,    anyway.   he  already  knew  that.    honesty  wouldn’t  be  his  friend  here.     but  his  lies  had  to  be  CLOSE.     ❛  i  was  in  the  party  with  everyone  else.    then,   they  announced  the  winner  of  the  costume  contest,    and  i  went  looking  for  a  bathroom.    when  i  came  back,    they’d  already  found  the  body.    not  that  i  didn’t  already  say  this  when  the  police  questioned  me  last  night.  ❜    

scribbling,     half-lies,    half-truth.     it  would  get  SKEWED  anyway.     ❛  were  you  with  anyone?  ❜    

❛  how  often  do  you  take  someone  into  the  bathroom  with  you, exactly?  ❜     the  sarcasm  was,   perhaps,    unnecessary,    but  that  WAS  a  stupid  question.     ❛  are  we  done?  ❜    

❛  not  yet.     mr.  byeon   ━━━   what  do  you  think  happened  to  gina  fletcher?  ❜    

the  hands  clenched.      ❛  i  think  she  DIED.    and  you’re  questioning  her  friend  instead  of  doing  something  useful.  ❜    

there  was  a  moment  of  silence  between  the  two.    maybe  micah  went  too  far,    taking  his  frustration  out  on  someone  who  wasn’t  asking  anything  micah  wouldn’t  be  hearing  for  weeks  to  come.    he  was  tired  just  thinking  about  it.    there  was  a  weariness  in  him,     an  unprecedented  sort  of  tiredness  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  his  eyelids.    he  was  so  tired,    and  it  hadn’t  even  been  a  day.    he  was  certain  he’d  scared  the  guy  off  for  a moment.   then,    he  spoke  again.     ❛  i  apologize  for  your  loss.     one  last  question,    then  i’ll  be  finished.

                                  did    isaiah    maxwell    do    it    ?  ❜    

it  took  everything  in  micah  not  to  hang  up  then  and  there.    what  a  stupid  question.   and  they  might’ve  expected  him  to  say  yes.     ❛  no.    of  all  the  people  there,    you  REALLY  think  isaiah’s  the  one  capable  of  murder?  ❜    

❛  you  don’t.  ❜     not  a  question;    knowing.

❛  i  think  isaiah’s  convenient.     he  makes  a pretty  scapegoat,     but  he didn’t  do shit.  ❜    

all  he  got  for  his  defense  was  another  bout  of silence.     then:     ❛  thank  you  for  your  cooperation,    mr.  byeon.    i  know  this  wasn’t  easy.    on  behalf  of  the  daily ━━━   ❜    

micah  hung  up  before  he  was  forced  to  sit  through  condolences.      not  for  the  first  time  this  month,      he  shut  his  phone  off,     setting  it  to  the  side.     he  took  a  drink  from  his  coffee,    letting  the  liquid  burn  its   path  down,     scorching  away  the  remnants  of  last  night’s   misery.

            day  one  of  not  sleeping.    

                              the  sun  rose,    and  micah’s  phone  didn’t  ring.

[kandrsdarkangelsbookblog]

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[mysterybustershq]

squad night gone wrong » event (1/2)

everyone gets an anonymous message saying to meet up at the hq and things get... spoopy. 

damaris.-Yesterday at 6:37 PM

She'd seen the lights were on from outside of the building and expected, when she pushed the door to the main room open, that she'd be met with the faces of fellow group members when she did... though instead, it seemed like she was the first one there. "Hello?" She called, voice a little too soft to even be considered such, moving forward and dropping the plastic bags of snacks onto the nearest table at a hesitant snails pace.

elijah.-Yesterday at 6:58 PM

elijah squinted the cryptid text one more time, the dim light from his phone the only one he had besides the tiny spotlight provided by his handy dandy flashlight. it was strange alright, but strange? that was his specialty. and when he pushed through the door, wheezing slightly, he believed himself to be alone when a barely there voice cut through the thickening black like a machete. his bambi eyes dilated and the flashlight when haywire as he thought: GHOST! GHOST! GHOST! he swallowed loudly. “hello! i know i’m not supposed to interact with you but -- but if someone is here, please give me a si--AH!!!!!!” he jumped about three feet in the air when the light landed on damaris, a frantic frazzled hand digging through his backpack for his inhaler, taking a much needed pump. “oh thank god, bloody mary. it’s just you. sorry, it’s just -- you never know when a normal situation might turn paranormal, you know? and this definitely feels" his eyes sparkled "PARANORMAL.”

naomi.-Yesterday at 7:06 PM

naomi didn't think twice after recieving the text message saying that everyone was going to meet up at the hq that night. she was used to all the pranks and things the group was always used to so she replied with a quick 'ok' before getting ready and making her way towards their building. it was a good thing that her dad had offered to take the twins for the weekend, she knew if she had brought them to this 'squad night' she'd end up feeling more stressed than relaxed. once she arrived, naomi dug in her purse for the key to the main door— only to find out that the door had already been unlocked and open. 'okay, someone's here already.' she muttred to herself, entering and looking around the room until her eyes landed on elijah and damaris. 'hey guys.' she greeted, walking over to them. 'are you okay?' her question was directed towards elijah as she eyed the inhaler in his hands.

verena.-Yesterday at 7:18 PM

with her head bent over her small desk littered with textbooks, pens, and highlighters lined up to perfection, verena worked tirelessly on her classwork. as she scrawled a few notes into her notebook, the soft ping from her phone brought her out of her trance, forcing her to look up from her work. setting down her pen and pushing her glasses further up her nose, vee checked the notification. a text requesting her pretense at the mystery busters building. with a long sigh, the brunette pushed back in her chair, collected her things and slipped out of her dorm. stuffing her hands further into the pockets of her peacoat, verena approached the mystery busters building, yanking open the front door and ducking inside. her brow was bent in confusion as she approached the small group. “ hey. what’s the emergency? ” she asked as she came to a stop beside naomi, eyeing everyone curiously.

cristian.-Yesterday at 7:42 PM

in any normal circumstance, cristian could probably think of a dozen things he’d rather do than be called back on campus ( especially on a saturday night ) , but he couldn’t lie, the eeriness of the text message intrigued him, and he couldn’t deny the curiousness that swept him as of late when it came to these sort of things. pulling up to the front of the building, he didn’t have much of a clue what to expect, but the raven-haired male could already see a couple familiar heads scurrying around through a window, concern painting their faces. his brows drew to a expression of confusion as he waltzed into the headquarters, his usual demeanor of assertiveness and confidence cloaking his walk as he stepped in. once parallel with the rest of the group that was already there, all concern seemed to be pointed toward elijah, which made the corner of cristian’s lip slide upwards in a half assed smirk. “ what ? what’s with the spooked faces ? ” he questioned, hands out in a puzzled stance, “ elijah have an accident in his pants again or something ? “

micah.-Yesterday at 7:56 PM

in the spirit of total honesty, micah wasn't all that spooked by the message. he didn't have half of the mysterybusters' numbers saved, if only because he hoped they'd never call or text him anyway. upon reading it, he'd sent back a short and disingenuous, "noted" before deleting the thread. had he not already spent entirely too much of his time at hq, he probably would've missed the meeting. unfortunately, he was already on the second floor, nursing a water bottle full of rum, and working on homework that he'd later ask vee to look over, when he heard people start to show up. with a sigh, he tucked his homework away in his bag before standing up. grabbing the water bottle (he needed it for most, if not all, meetings with these ghoul-fuckers), he made his way downstairs, catching the tail end of cristian's comment. he choked back a laugh, partially because he didn't want to add to the bullying. if he were a better person, he would tell cristian to knock it off, but he was far from that. he stopped behind eli, nudging him lightly, his face a perfect mask of near indifference. ( near, because he still looked rather bitchy. but he'd rather that than look like he cared.) "why do you look like you're about to keel over? i'm not drunk enough for this yet."  he looked around at the rest of the group, and immediately considered walking back upstairs. "is something wrong already? no, don't answer that, i don't want to know."

julian.-Yesterday at 8:09 PM

it’s not like the meeting had distracted julian from anything more eventful. elijah had left the apartment before him, sneaking out without much of a sound, with julian leaving no more than ten or fifteen minutes behind him. so he was surprised to find the main room of the building already filled with activity, assuming he was arriving early ( in classic julian fashion ). he took a quick look around the room, and after noting that elijah was at the center of attention, didn’t search for more evidence. “lana called this and she’s not even here yet?” he asked out loud, to anyone who may know the answer. “makes sense, actually…”

trevor.-Yesterday at 8:14 PM

with the sound of a ding coming from his pants pocket, trevor realized he was completely alone in the dorm and assumed the text was just elijah telling him about a spooky occurrence he’d read about but it wasn’t. not thinking too much of it, he figured it was a party to celebrate the new years and new member which meant he had to look turnt ready. grabbing his stash of blunts he kept in a polly pocket case and throwing on his party leopard snuggie, the boy exited his room in a hurry - ready to get weird in the mystery busters hq. walking into the building, it was dark, not a good sign of a party but trevor told himself maybe it was a surprise or blacklight arty - pushing down the thoughts that made him think he was about to be scared to death by cristian or elijah. seeing the small group gathered, the tall man let out a loud “ WAZZZZUP ! “ as he held up the polly pocket case high in the air. noticing the not so fun atmosphere, he lowered his hand and awkwardly shuffled over to the crew. “ why do i have a feeling that is not snuggie time ? “

kimberly.-Yesterday at 8:29 PM

because she very rarely questioned the antics of the team with more than just a furrowed eyebrow and a whole slew of judgmental thoughts, kimberly didn't think much of the message. the prospect of ashley not being there had brought her a great amount of comfort, so much so, she almost felt guilty. almost. once she arrived at the hq, she walked slowly towards where everyone seemed to have gravitated, tacking herself at julian's side, just at the cusp of trevor's roaring. she blinked a few times and asked, "why did you just assume it was snuggle time, trevor?"

damaris.-Yesterday at 8:49 PM

understandably so, she'd been a lot more jumpier after silverwood ( already jumpy to begin with, this wasn't good ), but she'd also developed a new automatic response of turning to face strange noises with whatever strange weapon came to hand first. the sudden shout behind her had almost caused damaris' heart to beat right after her chest as she'd picked back up her plastic bag and swung it- only JUST managing to stop it in its arc of hitting the other before it was too late. "you almost gave me a heartattack," she all but hissed, her fear melting away quickly into concern, though the question of whether or not he was okay was taken right out of her mouth by naomi. it seemed their antics had heralded the entrance of everyone else- bar isaiah, held up back at their shared residence- and though she was still a little on edge, she managed a murmured, "that's not funny, cristian," before she spoke up a little louder and addressed everyone else, "did lana not run this squad night by any of you guys before sending out the text, either?"

elijah.-Yesterday at 9:07 PM

every syllable out of cristian’s mouth felt like blow to the face and where blood would have erupted instead was RED, a horrible blotchy redness that glowed hot and coated his cheeks. god, he wanted to stand up for himself -- to just stick his chin out and say i don’t know, should we ask your mom? i’m sure she knows what accidents look like but elijah was a creature of loving and not lashing out so, he bit his tongue, lifted his eyes and attempted, however meekly to hold his ground. “i did not ‘nut’ thank you much! and now that were all crystal on that let’s focus on what’s still murky: our circumstances for being here.” eli bit his lip and considered the evidence. “lana doesn’t really seem the type to throw a kickback at hq” unless it was her following in the footsteps of her serial killer dad, something elijah would never bring up, but considered quietly. “i don’t know about this scoob. it’s suspicious to me and i think . . . something’s amiss here something . . . worth investigating. who’s with me!? like , okaaaay, i know it’s kind of our night off but justice doesn’t sleep . . . supernatural or otherwise.”

naomi.-Yesterday at 9:33 PM

naomi let out a small laugh at cristian's horrible roast. 'i'm sorry eli i  didn't want to laugh but...' she shot him a sympathetic smile.  'yeah she didn't run this by me which is weird because one she would never plan a squad night. like ever. and two if she did— then we should probably leave because she's about to pull the biggest prank on us.' naomi was probably overreacting but this is lana they're talking about. 'sorry but i'm not investigating shit tonight. if we die... then we die like unprepared men.'

verena.-Yesterday at 10:04 PM

the more members arrived, the more verena regretted leaving her late night study session. she’d tuned out those who stood around her almost immediately after cristian opened his mouth. she racked her brain for a good enough excuse to leave, not wanting to waste her time If they hadnt intended on doing anything productive. “well, if this isn’t mandatory and we’re not going to do anything important then I have hours of reading to do so…” her frail shoulders moved up and down in a nonchalant shrug before crossing her arms over her chest.

cristian.-Yesterday at 10:26 PM

grinning at naomi’s laugh, cristian narrowed his gaze at his ex-girlfriend, resisting the urge to roll his eyes since calmer waters with damaris were a near prospect on the horizon. “see ? it was funny,” he taunted, trying to retain a more lighthearted tone than a bitter one, but with the uncertainty rising in the room and nothing yet to show for it, it was hard for cristian not to get a bit annoyed. crossing his arms over his chest, he rose a brow tentatively, eyeing the company around him and taking an impatient sigh -- trevor’s polly pocket case, filled with what cristian could only assume was weed, seemed to be the only thing interesting him in that moment. “wait, so no one really knows who sent that text ? because if nothing’s happening, then i’m with vee. i got other shit to do, man,” cristian shook his head, swiftly checking the time on his phone, “seriously, who’s fucking around ?”

micah.-Yesterday at 10:47 PM

as everyone started to blame one of the few absent members for the anonymous text, micah listened with intense disinterest. "if none of us sent it, i'm gonna agree with vee and say let's just go." he probably would've said so even if one of them admitted it. his eyes slid to trevor, and he felt a smile pulling at his lips. it died before it even made an appearance. he might've been fond of the guy, but no one else needed to know he was that fond. "i'll snuggle with you, buddy. not here, though. why would you want to have a snuggle party in this shitty place?" then he paused, then straightened up, a confused and unimpressed look in his eye. "wait a second. all of you showed up to a fucking meeting because you got a text, but none of you recognized the number? did none of you think, hey, maybe this is some shady shit? don't you have a group chat for that?" micah was hardly blameless, as he'd also shown up without knowing who'd sent it, but that was normal. and he hardly cared if he walked into a trap, but he'd hoped at least one of them had more sense than that. then again, given who he was talking about, his standards were probably a little too high. he smirked,  unconcerned as he ever was. "so. what, are we thinking it was lana or casper the not so friendly ghost?"

julian.-Yesterday at 10:55 PM

julian started to get upset the second micah through accusations out. he kept himself by kimi, arms crossed over his chest. “right. because it would be anyone other than lana. you know, the girl who knows how to deal with every piece of technology in this building?” he sighed, taking a moment to relax. “does someone want to call her? see if she’s on her way?” julian would have pulled out his phone and did it in front of them all, just to prove a point, but lana hardly ever answered his texts. there was a slim chance she would answer a phone call.

kimberly.-Yesterday at 11:19 PM

kimberly glanced over at cristian when he spoke, trying to be discreet but realized too late that peering around julian like she was was mildly suspicious, and she snapped herself out of it. she was a little too used to julian's annoyance with micah so the tone of his voice wasn't offputting. "i'll text her," she said, sighing, discontent with having to interact with lana and pulling her phone out, tapping out a text that read something of the likes of did you call a team meeting or??? and then clicked the sleep button swiftly. "settled," she said, pink lips twisting up into an almost too-pleasant smile. "so now we wait? or?"

lana.-Yesterday at 11:43 PM

not surprisingly at all, lana spent the majority of the day at the headquarters. so, you could imagine her frustration when she finally stepped foot into her room and then her phone buzzed with a message asking her to go back. she dropped her bag to the floor in exhaustion; debating whether or not it was even worth returning to the building. it’s not like she even contributed to the conversations, anyway. after a minute or two of fighting her conscious, lana finally decided to just put the bag back on her shoulder and make her way over to the others. but, she wasn’t going to do it without preparing the perfect dirty look to flash all of them as soon as saw their faces. she groaned as she walked through the entrance and continued to drag it out through the hallway … and then as she turned the corner … and then as she passed the stair case, up until the point that she stood in front of the doorway to where everyone was gathers. lana was about to reach for the handle until she realized they were talking about her. no shocker there. she felt her phone vibrate in her hand once again; it was kimi. okay, now that was shocking. lana didn’t even bother reading the message, she instead swung the door wide open. she stood there, arms crossed over her chest— giving them that exact dirty look that she worked so hard on the whole walk here.(edited)

bryce.-Yesterday at 11:55 PM

there was no surprise that bryce was late. whatever time frame he ran on, it never matched up with anyone else's -- normally it wasn't a problem. he had seen the text calling for the meeting, he did, and he was planning on leaving, but distraction caught hold and soon enough he realized quite a bit of time had passed since his phone had first dinged. a quick swear escaped him and he shoved his things into a messenger bag, walking quickly to make up for lost time. it wasn't too far, but it wasn't his intention to make everyone else wait any longer. with his bag slung over his shoulder, he walked into the hq. he was only a few minutes late but a sheepish expression had spread across his face nonetheless. with lana standing in the doorway, he turned sideways to step past her. "hope i didn't miss too much." he took a few more steps into the room until he was standing beside micah. "what's this all about anyways? whoever sent that message, like, you couldn't have been more vague if you tried." his gaze turned to scan the faces of his friends, his eyebrows raised expectantly.October 22, 2017

trevor.-Today at 12:06 AM

trevor felt a bit out of place, which wasn’t unusual for him but he was dressed for a party and the others were dressed for ghosting hunting. the boy awkwardly clutched his polly pocket purse to his chest as he found his place next to elijah who was also clutching something dear to him, his inhaler. it soon became apparent that none of them knew exactly why they were there. “ um ... so should i get the camera because if this isn’t a party then shouldn’t i be filming ? “ he asked quickly, wondering if this was an impromptu ghost hunting meet up. as soon as he finished lana burst through the doors, she looked a bit more annoyed than usual so he resisted the urge to go and attack hug her. “ lah-nah! did you text us ? “ he exclaimed loudly, pushing a smile on his face hoping she was the sender of the text and not some ghost.

isaiah.-Today at 12:17 AM

isaiah either never showed up to the meetings, due to clashes in his timetable, or always turned up late. tonight was the night he was late- rocking up, with his varsity jacket on, still slightly puffed from training. he put a hand over his hair, glancing around at the room. everyone was standing around in such a strange manner, it made him frown. "what's up?" he couldn't help asking, feeling like everybody else was probably wondering the same thing. as trevor went over to lana, isaiah tried not to roll his eyes, instead looking out for julian, or elijah. or... ashley. "is this gonna take long? i hate to have to bail, but i really gotta work on next game's plays." he said, pulling an apologetic face. "Wait we're filming? " isaiah cursed softly, wishing they'd included that in the text instead of just saying next to nothing. he really wasn't camera-ready, if he did say so himself

naomi.-Today at 1:17 AM

naomi started to feel a headache coming on by all the different conversations that were happening. "I'm not fliming tonight and I'm sure as hell not editing any footage either so jot that down." She raised her brows, looking at everyone i the group. "lana... why did you have us meet up here anyway?"

lana.-Today at 1:22 AM

her expression softened when she heard trevor and naomi's questions, "what? what are you guys talking about?"

micah.-Today at 1:27 AM

micah glanced over at lana, shrugging. "we all got an anonymous text to meet up here, and they think it was you." he wouldn't put it passed her, but given the fact that she wasn't exactly jumping to admit it, he wasn't so sure. "but i'm guessing... you didn't." he opened his water bottle, lifting it to his lips before pausing. "it wasn't me, and i'm gonna give you all the benefit of the doubt and say it wasn't you, either. is it possible a fan got our numbers?" he briefly thought of ashley, and her penchant for accidentally posting private things, but took a drink, instead of saying that, and sent up a silent prayer that he would either die or be dismissed before they all started freaking out.

isaiah.-Today at 1:30 AM

isaiah found the nearest chair and sprawled himself down on it, stifling a small yawn. as usual, everyone was looking around as if something mysterious had happened, when really it could be as simple as people simply not checking their phone properly. "alright, well we're all here now. did any of you guys actually need us for anything?" he asked, because the matter of WHY they were there wasn't that important to him, mainly he just wanted to get WHATEVER it was over and done with, and then maybe do a few bicep curls if he could fit in the time.  isaiah paused then, at micahs words. "a fan? why would a fan text us to meet up at a place? do they want, like, a group orgy or something? because i'm not down for that. "

julian.-Today at 1:33 AM

seeing as they wouldn't be leaving any time soon, julian took a seat on the nearby armrest of a chair, looking up at everyone. "well, if you're not in the orgy, what's the point of it?" he asked isaiah with a grin.

trevor.-Today at 1:38 AM

trevor's smile vanished from his face when he heard lana's response, knowing that if she didn't send the text then it was a mystery and with elijah's voice in his head - his thoughts when straight to ghost texts. he quickly wrapped his arm around elijah's shoulder, mostly to comfort himself before scanning the groups faces to make sure no one was smiling or messing with him. " i am not dressed for an orgy ! " trevor mused out, his voice sounding a bit shaky. " i am not having an orgy in this building - if anything the grassy knoll near the bleachers is a much better spot and maybe then we wouldn't get attacked by a crazy stalker fan who wants to fuck us ! "

isaiah.-Today at 1:45 AM

isaiah couldn't help the lazy grin flicking up his face at julians words, a hand going to his heart. "stop flirting with me, vega, you'll make me blush." he found himself trying not to grit his teeth at trevors next, equally as stupid, words. "reel it in, trevor." you god damn idiot, he added silently. he couldn't help side eyeing the way trevor draped himself over elijah. he turned his attention back to lana, "why does everyone think you sent the text? does nobody here have your number saved or something?"

lana.-Today at 1:48 AM

"everything wrong that happens here is my fault, isaiah, didn't you get the memo?" she rolled her eyes, "anyway, it wasn't me. i hate to say it, but i don't even have all of your numbers." her arms fell to her sides, "so, what now?"

naomi.-Today at 1:51 AM

"well what we're not going to do is have an orgy and blame lana for this. seriously i've seen her contacts— i don't even think i'm in there." of course naomi was in there, but she was trying to prove a point.  "damaris brought snacks and they're not gonna eat themselves. why can't we just hang out? like a regular group of friends?"(edited)

bryce.-Today at 1:57 AM

"so wait, naomi, if there's an orgy and we don't blame lana, that's okay then ?? is this an and/or situation ?? -- kidding. i'd be gone the moment someone started taking their shirt off," bryce shrugged his shoulders before adding, "not that like half of you aren't attractive, but that's just not really my scene." he let his bag fall from his shoulder to the floor before walking to where the snacks were. "might as well not let these go to waste. and you're right -- hanging out would be cool. maybe we could set up a movie or something??" he grabbed one of the snack bags and opened it, not hesitating beginning to eat.

isaiah.-Today at 2:12 AM

isaiah had no idea how suddenly everyone was lounging around, ready to eat snacks and do nothing. his own body was twitching slightly already, ready to run around, do some jumping jacks. anything but laze around. he glanced over at lana, uneasily. she was always a bit ... Much, in isaiah's book. which is why he tried to avoid her, especially after the first time they'd met. "uh. sure." he merely replied to her, before turning back to face somebody, anybody, else. "i was joking about the orgy guys. the text doesn't matter that much anyways." isaiah dismissed easily enough, looking down at his phone, and locking it, to stop the text blaring up at him. "i appreciate your honesty, bryce. you're very handsome as well, dude." isaiah said, clapping the male on the back. "anyways, you guys enjoy your snacks, i should probably get going." he couldn't help glancing at ashley, as if wondering if she'd be going as well, or staying. if she stayed ... maybe he would too

naomi.-Today at 2:19 AM

"it's still kind of weird..." naomi mumbled, in refrence to the message they had all gotten. she reached over and grabbed herself a bag of chips, opening it and popping one in her mouth. "eh a movie sounds nice but i'm not in the mood. are any of you?" she asked, eating another chip. "c'mon isaiah, don't be such a buzzkill. we can go down to the basement. i know we just got some cool new things like two days ago. anyone up for checking them out?"

isaiah.-Today at 2:22 AM

"what cool things?" isaiah couldn't help being curious now, perking up slightly, his eyes sliding away from ashley, to look at naomi. he found himself hesitating, before shrugging, curiosity getting the best of him. "alright. basement trip, why not? i'm always up for exploring." he agreed easily.

kimberly.-Today at 2:23 AM

"my vote is a no to the basement trip," kimberly chimed in. that's all she has to say.

micah.-Today at 2:28 AM

"for once, i gotta agree with kimi," micah said with a nod towards the short girl. it was a test not to make eye contact of color with the only person who really had sense around here, but he'd succeeded before. "as much as i would love to see which one of them want to kill me first, i have a feeling it'll involve screaming. and if that's the case, you should all probably just try your hand at that orgy instead."

ronnie / cristian-Today at 2:36 AM

leaning back on a nearby wall as everyone continued to debate the idea, cristian reached over and popped a chip into his mouth, shrugging casually. "eh, why not ?" he spoke up, crunching on the salty snack, "fuck it, right? we're all here anyway. might as well." turning to his best friend with a generous grin and nudging his shoulder, "shut up micah, you'll be fine."

isaiah.-Today at 2:40 AM

isaiah glanced over, opening his mouth to argue against kimi and micahs protests, when cristian beat him to it. isaiah eyed the boy, slightly warily, before nodding. "don't worry, kim, i dont think you'll break a nail or anything, and micah ... it'll take like two seconds to look around. if naomi wants to look, then we'll look. besides, isnt it better in groups then splitting up? thats what horror movies always tell us, right?" not that he really watched that crap. "hi ho, to the basement we go. maybe we can find herby a friend."

micah.-Today at 2:43 AM

micah sent a halfhearted glare to cristian. "if we go down there, and i come back up here, alive, i'll never forgive you." he sighed, knowing that with both cristian and inevitably kimberly joining the side of the young and the quite frankly stupid, he didn't stand a chance. "hi ho," he deadpanned. "let's go before something pops out at us, and someone-" with a glance to trevor and elijah, "-has a heart attack."

kimberly.-Today at 2:51 AM

kimberly was sure the discussion was over -- the entire gang could go downstairs and she would happily sit and wait for them to come back screaming, but cristian had to speak up. it wasn't that insightful, normally someone saying fuck it would probably make her scoff, but she felt herself sighing and nodding. "fine, let's go," she let out, tossing her hair over her shoulder and trying to remember why the fuck she joined the mysterybusters in the first place.

lana.-Today at 2:54 AM

"yeah, i'm not going," nothing and no one would change her mind. she tried to make the response sound nonchalant, but it almost came out to be defensive. she wasn't scared, that was a given. however, her father's things were hiding in that basement and she wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. "if you guys need anything while you're down there though, feel free to ask literally anyone other than me."

isaiah.-Today at 2:58 AM

sometimes isaiah had no idea what lana was even doing here. sure, the rest of them got into arguments and stuff sometimes, but isaiah couldn't think of a single person here who knew a single thing about lana, other then that she was defensive as all hell. "damn, lana, if i didn't know any better i'd think you didn't even like us." isaiah let out, only.. kinda... teasing. he turned to look at kimi, who was suddenly ready to go down to the basement, despite her previous stsatement. "cristian says jump, am i right, kimi?" isaiah couldn't help letting out, with a grin on his face. not that he could really talk. he was mainly just glad that micah was coming. "nobody will be popping out at us, i'm sure ghosts or whatever have better things to do."

micah.-Today at 3:04 AM

micah actually laughed, a surprised snort escaping him before he realized what a mistake that was. as much as he didn't give isaiah the time of day, he didn't particularly disagree with him. he quickly moved on, wanting nothing to do with whatever drama came from that comment. "i wasn't talking about ghosts. i meant whoever sent us the text." micah was more open to the idea of ghosts since silverwood, but not enough to think that one was going to try to scare them right now. he looked at lana, moderately envious of her willingness to stay behind. if micah thought he'd actually get some peace and quiet by staying behind, he would, but if lana was staying, he wasn't sure what would happen. she could kill him, for all he knew, or she could try to talk to him. he wasn't sure which would be worse. "anyone else staying behind, or are we all ready to face herbie and his friends?"(edited)

kimberly.-Today at 3:20 AM

"shut up, isaiah," kimberly responded, crossing her arms and pouting. that's all. thank you.

lana.-Today at 3:30 AM

lana stared at isaiah in confusion, "i don't." it was a lie. but, it was the only answer she could ever or would ever give. she then moved out of way for everyone else to exit and plopped down in her chair by the computers; hoping that they would all stop talking and leave the room already. she wanted to track down this unknown number and find out who sent that text message. no one else seemed to really care— yet for lana, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something strange was to blame.

micah.-Today at 3:37 AM

realizing they were getting absolutely nowhere any time soon, micah frowned, and started towards the basement. the sooner they finished this up, the sooner he could go home and do literally anything else. having made the trip to the basement a dozen more times than he would like, he felt nothing but boredom and vague annoyance as they walked. he considered searching for the light switch on the staircase, but figured that if any of them fell, it would at least put a hold on the movie night they were suggesting.

isaiah.-Today at 3:41 AM

isaiah couldn't help but grin as micah laughed. it felt strangely, like an accomplishment. however, at kimi's words, he tried not to roll his eyes, instead holding up his hands, defensively.  he couldn't help raising his eyebrows at lana, "then... why are you here? with ... all of us?" he questioned. it's not like something was keeping her here, after all. nobody had a gun to her head. as they descended down the stairs, isaiah stumbled for his phone, blindly, before reaching it and flicking on the light on it. "everyone try not to trip, yeah? last thing we need is someone bleeding out." he advised, making sure to walk slowly, following micah down, holding a hand out to help steady everyone else- just in case

[silvernsteel]

“You gotta know, I'm feeling love      Made of gold, I'll never love a            'Nother one, another you                    It's gotta be - love, I said it” 

[keksu86]

Two pieces on display October 12- November 30 "Roots and Wings" exhibition at Silverwood Gallery St.Anthony,MN - "Remnant of a Raven" Ravens are scatter-hoarders. Roaming large territories to scavenge seeds, fruit and meat, they store away many morsels to eat later. Each year a percentage of the cached seeds goes uneaten giving way for a chance to take root and grow into trees. This raven lived a full life and now aids in the fertilization of the forest floor, slowly decomposing into rich organic matter. This is an example of wings to root. - "Samara-Winged Seed" "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe After floating away from its parent tree, this maple seed has taken root. New leaves unfurl with the promise of developing into a full grown tree. - - - - - #samara #maple #sprout #seedling #forestfloor #woodland #skull #raven #lichen #nature #pottery #ceramics #urn #cremation #fineart #specimen #foraging #sculpture #sodafired #shinrinyoku #shousugiban #woodgrain #clay #floraandfauna #lifeanddeath #rootsandwings #umami (at Northern Clay Center)

[silvernsteel]

                                          𝕽𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓 ☽⦿☾ 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝓴

Companion Piece 𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖙𝖊 ☽☉☾ 𝖂𝖔𝖑𝖋

[silvernsteel]

— Thoughts on Alice Groß —

The rain did not seem like it would be stopping anytime soon. Silf found shelter in a run-down shack just off the roadside, taking refuge as the torrent came crashing down around her. The crack of the storm lashed out in the distance, but Silf didn’t mind. The rain reminded her of home back in the jungles, and with that her thoughts turned to an intriguing sight she chanced upon earlier that day…another reminder of home, albeit a strange one. “If only I had a chance to approach him…” She thought, recalling the visage of the Viera male that she only saw in passing from a distance. She frowned and felt a shiver run down her spine. Silf couldn’t quite understand why the feeling of unease came over her but recalling the Viera’s features gave her pause. “He was…something was off. Beyond just what was there on the surface, the paleness…and those scars…there was something else unnerving.” Silf frowned in thought on this and stared off into the distance. “Maybe next time I’ll have more nerve to reach out, it’s not often you see the males of our tribes about so openly…I’d be curious to know where he hails from.” With this last fleeting thought the rains began to lessen and Silf headed back out into the dark of the forest.

Thanks for the ask, @kri-babe​ ! Alice is pretty neat, it was fun digging up all the little info about him :D Thanks so much and hope you enjoy my dumb dumb thoughts!

[ FOR EVERY 💭 I RECEIVE, I WILL WRITE ONE THOUGHT MY MUSE HAS HAD ABOUT YOURS] [open]

[silvernsteel]

— Thoughts on Kyrie Silverwings —

Silf pulled the coat around her a little tighter as she stood outside The Forgotten Knight, the snow coming down harder now. It was not so much the cold that caused the reaction, but the looming shadows and eerie darkness creeping up from between the gothic structures. As she stood waiting for her partner to arrive Silf’s ears twitched and her eyes stayed on the darkest corners of Ishgard. It had grown quite on the dark streets and the unsettling silence sprung thoughts to mind of one very particular woman she had spied once at this very spot. “How strange she seemed…” The thought popped into her head as she recalled the woman. “It was a face I’d have a hard time forgetting. Beautiful, but…like nothing I’d ever seen before.” Silf reached up to touch gingerly at her own facial markings, and her eyes narrowed. “I wonder what her tattoos were about…or…were they even tattoos? So very odd...” the thought drifted away as she saw her partner round the corner, the thoughts of the strange woman being lost to the darkness of night.

Thanks for the ask, @kyrie-silverwings​ ! Trying something different this time with a more story-centric writing style for responses. Hope you enjoy my dumb little blurb, Kyrie is so cool! <3

[ FOR EVERY 💭 I RECEIVE, I WILL WRITE ONE THOUGHT MY MUSE HAS HAD ABOUT YOURS] [open]