#reminds me of when i shipped my sonas together

[vanglaggle]

there’s two of you … how are they cloning you

unethical breeding practices

[snicker-dooodless]

*GRABS YOU BY THE FACE*

ASH-

RAMBLE ABOUT YOUR BILLY KID SELF SHIP THIS INSTANT

(i may not know who this billy kid character is but anything to support a friend :3) also bc i wanna fangirl over them bc THEY JUST LOOK SOOO ADORABLEEE💖💖💖

EVE IM IN PUBLIC AND YOUR GONNA MAKE ME GIGGLE STOP IT! Anyway, I’m just gonna give yall some fun facts since I know that if i don’t I won’t be able to hold back and I won’t be able to stop rambling about them lol

-their ship name was actually gonna be GameKnight (since my sona works at an arcade and billy is obsessed with a show called starlight knights.) because i think for dates they would have game NIGHTS…get it?

-My sona owns an apartment so I’m pretty sure that when they get more serious Billy would move in since I’m like- 99% sure he’s living with one of his friends currently (Nicole I’m pretty sure)

-Eve, I know you. So I know you’ll understand when I say that these two are practically just Leo and Tomiko

-so- ya know the Starlight Knights? That show Billy loves? I like to think Ash only watched clips of it before meeting him for the animation. So when they get together and watch it together, they both focus on parts of the show they usually wouldn’t. Ash finally focuses on the story and characters instead of just the animation, and Billy finally realizes how much story telling is shown visually through the art and animation

-Since Billy is a robot he doesn’t get sick, so whenever Ash does he thinks she’s dying or something

-Ever since they met at the arcade ash works at Billy comes by way more often. Saying that he was earning and saving up his tickets for a prize when in reality he isn’t even playing any games, just talking to Ash

-Ash would make him fanart of Starlight Knights, as well as draw his sona lol

-they would wear couple costumes for Halloween, either something cute like starlight night characters or something stupid like Sans and the queen of England

-Billy would have pet names for her like ‘Starlight (starlight knights ref) princess, Ashyyyyyyyyy (he always draws out the Y too) beautiful or handsome’

-Ash would have pet names for him like ‘my knight (starlight knights ref) pretty boy, handsome’

-They both have mutual ones too like ‘Pookie, babe, baby, baby girl, boo boo bear, Shnookums’ they have cheesy ones to annoy each other and to gross people out in public

-Ash would send Billy these pics randomly

-Whenever Billy would feel sad that he doesn’t have a mouth so he can’t kiss her, Ash would just say that “since you don’t have lips, that doesn’t limit me to where I have to kiss you” if that makes sense lol? So she just peppers kisses everywhere on his face

-also speaking of him not having a mouth, Ash would draw mouths on sticky notes, either kissy 030 ones or cat :3 ones

-pictures that remind me of them

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask!!!

[artblock-tm]

I unfortunately lack the time right now to go through the list, so use this as an excuse to answer any of the OC questions you want. If none in particular, answer every single one.

(cracks knuckles) Here we go :)

This is the OC ask list, by the way!

I’m gonna answer them all so…. Be prepared.

And, Doll and Grace, if you’re reading this since you got pinged, hi. Forgive me, there’s a lot of text under this cut.

Doll, you were mentioned because I discussed shipping OCs.

Grace, you were mentioned because I wanted to share your Sketch design with the world.

Love ya. Sorry. Let’s get on with it.

Your Oldest OC:

That title would probably have to go to Rynne! I’ve had her for several years now, and she originated as a cringe sona-but-not-it’s-like-me-but-a-sadist-with-a-scythe sorta characters. Gosh, she’s so old, I have no relevant art to show of her!

Your Newest OC:

It’s been a while since I’ve developed a truly new OC…so it’d have to be Drisco and Castarian. They debuted in the mind at the same day, but Castarian made an appearance later so technically he’s the newest!

Favorite OC:

I don’t have an overall favorite… but I do pick and choose favorites from each story I have. A couple of my favorites include Maroon, Jay, Switch, Dislan, and Rynne.

Any Villain OCs?

Go read Masked.

Plenty! Outlander, of course, but we can’t forget Dhá-Aghaidh, Jynx, or Dr. Kruger, now can we?

Main Reason For Making OCs:

Mostly for story reasons that spawn. However, I do have fandom OCs, (and some of them happen to be the most well-known!) but I will inevitably end up working them into a story. OCs spawning from roleplay is a rare sight, and it’s only happened once… believe it or not, that’s how Karmin came into existence!

Describe Your Character Creation Process:

Step 1: Concept for a silly guy comes into my brain.

Step 2: Come up with a basic design for them to be changed later.

Step 3: Inflict soul-crushing pain.

Step 4: Have so much fun inflicting pain that I have to remind myself that it’s supposed to be a story. Suffer without coming up with actual story elements.

Step 5: Receive divine inspiration and everything comes together and I’m so fucking back baby.

Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until done.

Fav OC Ship:

Castarian and Drisco. They’re not a couple, but they have feelings for each other. They each blame each other for their deaths and refuse to see the other’s way. They separated themselves and feel the crushing loneliness l, but when they’re together they can’t stop arguing.

Drisco wants nothing more than to HURT Castarian, but only HE can hurt him, no one else, since he is the only person Castarian has wronged.

Castarian hates Drisco’s facades, violence, and methods, but those are what helped him in life. Drisco holds the power to make Castarian feel good about himself… and he’s dependent on that.

Do You Ship Your OCs With Someone Else’s OCs:

For everyone else who doesn’t know, my OC Jaide gets to be in a doomed yuri with Sky (the asker’s OC!! Hi Marci <3)

But I do have quite a few characters shipped with those belonging to @corrupted-tale. Like my OC Dislan and her OC Pix. And my Narrator with her Lady Luck.

Weirdest OC:

I’d have to say Bi Solomon earns that title. He’s a fascist furry who reinvented capitalism in a post-apocalyptic world. (And by furry I do mean he’s a Creature btw).

Favorite OC Design:

I REFUSE to let that achievement go to Drisco so Night! ILY Night!!!! You’re so cool and gender and badass!!

Not the greatest picture of it, since it actually has 4 arms and a cool-ass sickle… but oh well.

Would You Consider Yourself Nice To Your OCs:

Go read Masked.

Haha, not at all. They all suffer underneath my thumb, no matter how beloved they are :)

An OC You’ve Killed:

The easy answer are OCs like Jaide, Levi, Drisco, and Castarian, since they’re ghosts and that’s their whole gimmick.

It’s actually rare for me to kill off OCs and leave them forever, since I feel like they die before their potential is fulfilled. But the previously mentioned fascist furry Solomon dies (good riddance), and I have a pantheon of gods that get slaughtered in a different story!

Are Any Of Your OCs Parents:

Go Read Ma

Besides Jaide, I do have some others! I have a royal family group of OCs, with King Leonard and Queen Beatrice being parents to a chaotic group of kids.

Dr. Kruger, while not physically being a dad, is burdened with being a single father as punishment for being too William Afton core.

Are There Any OCs You Find Yourself Neglecting:

Each OC has gotten their time in the spotlight, but I haven’t developed all of the characters from that royal family. And I have waning interest if the cast of Ora and the Rift in Time…

There are concept OCs I neglect since I dunno what to do with them. Like Brittlebrine. He started off as a cool concept for exactly one day and then I never thought about him again. And I’m still conflicted on Devon…..

An OC that’s difficult to write/draw/rp:

Vipsi’s hard to write, despite having little screentime. She lost her mind, but I don’t entirely know how to write insanity arcs. Not to mention that I didn’t really know how their story should go…

My entire godly pantheon is difficult for me to draw (except for Lux, since I’ve had her design figured out). I don’t have finalized designs for some of the less important gods, but the design ideas are difficult…

Out of the few OCs I’ve roleplayed, Karmin has been the most difficult (which is ironic, considering she originated from one). I have to actively consider what is going on in her brain and how to present it in a good way. But it’s okay since she’s only ever been in two rps ever.

Your Tallest & Shortest OCs:

My shortest is probably Gemi! He’s less than 4 feet tall. Truly a little guy.

And my eldritch being OCs are the tallest. In their most incomprehensible forms, they’re about 40-70 feet tall? It fluctuates, since they’re impossible to comprehend. But they’re very large.

Your Oldest and Youngest OCs:

As much as I’d like to say my youngest is Levi, he was born 500 years before Masked present! That means that Ora is likely my youngest, being 7 or 8.

Just like with height, my eldritch being OCs take the cake for being the oldest. They’re all billions of years old, except for Thirio and Tsumi. Epithymia is the oldest of them all, but if Nova were still alive, he would’ve won the crown.

Do You Dislike Any Of Your OCs?

Mr. Bi Solomon deserved that bullet to the brain. See you in hell, you corporate motherfucker.

Have You Ever Made A Self-Insert?

Oh yeah. My sona Doodle doubles as a self-insert when I don’t want to make an entirely new character with a flat personality since they’re based on me.

Branching off of Doodle thanks to some sort of evolution is a self-insert named Sketch. Sketch is what happens when I want to ship myself with characters, but they will be the star of the SPM fic I have planned!

Here is the current design for them, made by the lovely @gracebeth3604! (Cropped to avoid spoilers </3)

An OC Regret:

I have OCs that spawned from ideas that I didn’t fully know how to handle well, or problematic media. They were all from when I was younger, though, so all is forgiven and those OCs have been sent to the fiery oblivion.

Weeeelp that’s all of it! If you’ve read this all, I’m super impressed! Thank you so much, but you’re gonna forget all this. I hope it was worth it to you! ❤️

[ladybugkisses]

It's a bird. It's a plane! IT'S QUESTION 4. Sorry, so send it so soon after answering the last, but I read the response to your last question, and just couldn't help myself, since I thought of a good one while reading the your response.

So, we've gone over pet peeves. But what are the opposites. Those little things Alastor or your sona do that drive the other one crazy in the best way, but they don't want to tell the other. (Maybe out of pride, embarrassment, afraid they'll stop, etc) What do they do that makes the other one secretly smile, feel loved, think how cute their SO is, feel so lucky, or just maybe make their heart skip a beat every time.

The things they secretly adore about each each other if there are any.

If you ever get tired of the quesyions let is know, since I don't want to overdo it, but I love reading about you and your f/o. Idk, makes me smile. I ship it.

funny you ask this when i'm currently making a comic on this topic 👀

my sona doesn’t really react to alastor’s ♥️ many ♥️ pet names, but her one weakness is "sweetheart" and hE KNOWS. she does a Really poor job at hiding how much it gets to her

on that note alastor loves my sona’s fluffy fox version of her tail, and she won’t admit it but she enjoys the attention gdskgks

going back on the last > ask < for a bit, depending on the context or situation, alastor actually likes it when i fawn over his deer features. on one hand they’re a sore reminder of his death and a bit embarrassing yeah, but on the other hand my partner finds me cute heheheh nice

not that he’s gonna say that outloud

alastor loves my sona’s habit of wrapping her tail around him (usually the leg(s), sometimes the waist) and makes a point to never comment on it in case she becomes selfconscious and stops. oh and ♡ this ♡

forehead touches and kisses are Sacred btw

i think clothes are a love language to them at this point, they love dressing each other and matching! also they have a habit of fixing each other up and usually don’t think about it, but sometimes alastor will leave something like his bowtie crooked on purpose just so she’ll reach up and fix it

they love singing together or to each other, my sona’s a bit shy about it even if it’s in private but when he asks her to sing for him she can’t refuse (psst listen to ♥️ this ♥️ trust me)

did y’all know i love dad jokes. ‘cause alastor does and he loves that he can tell the same joke over and over again and i’ll still laugh as hard as before no matter how much i try holding it in 😔 bonus points if i tell him a few jokes of my own tho and he’ll laugh obnoxiously right back gdsGDSKS

oK THAT’S ALL I CAN THINK OF FOR NOW there’s probably More i could list here but... .. .....this is already big enough as it is lmao

[cartooncadet666]

A friend at school gave me a theory on why Specter is still seen in the Nether Realm even if Betrayus didn't want him to come back. And... in the Suicidal AU and the Fate AU, I decided to make Specter an old friend of Betrayus, which could lead with the 'second chance' theory.

So here's an excerpt of the 'backstory': Specter and Betrayus actually went to Maze High when they were teenagers. Betrayus just so happened to get bullied at the time, even if he didn't really care, and Specter decided to defend him. The suave ghost we know was known as the son of a powerful and rich malewife/girlboss couple, so he intimidated the bullies fast. Specter was one of the first friends Betrayus ever had, and Betrayus was Specter's first crush in a long time.

In the Nether Region, which wasn't a firey hellhole in modern time but instead a freezing forest like atmosphere, there was the original ghost gang (me and my friends' ghost-sonas) Usa, Rice, and Jex, they made a whole friend group together, but when Betrayus turned away, they would either threaten Specter if he ever hurt the white Pac-Worlder to kill him (mostly Usa) or tease him about the feelings he has for him. (mostly Rice)

Around the time Aurora disappeared, and when Dr. Buttocks went missing, Betrayus stopped talking to him for a while, and it kind of stopped their relationship. However, one day, someone- no one knows who they are- threatened Specter to murder a few targets or they would put his friends on the line, so he did it with the help of Earthquake and Hawk, what he didn't know was while he was trying to protect them and Betrayus, those two worked with that same person, and they wanted Betrayus dead, in return, they would've got the money they needed along with Specter's entire will. Here's a little drama:

"How could you..?" Specter had tears in his eyes.

"Sorry man, we needed that money... It was either you guys or us. " Hawk only sighed, the bloody knife still in hand.

"HOW F*CKING COULD YOU?! I SAVED YOU FROM THAT ALCOHOLIC MANIAC AND THIS-" He hissed from the pain. "THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! I TRUSTED YOU TWO!"

"WELL THEN YOU MADE THE WRONG CHOICE! You weren't going to help me or Hawk either way Boltz. " Earthquake sent venom when she said his last name. "You just did this so your precious blank face would never see hell."

"I wanted you to be safe as well..." Tears finally falling down his face.

"Just finish him off Hawk, we don't need any more obstacles." Earthquake said in a cold, emotionless manner.

"Earthy, he's still-"

"FINISH HIM OFF! I DON'T CARE WHO HE WAS! JUST KILL HIM!" She screeched.

"... Hawk... You don't have to do it... Think about high school..." Specter protested.

"Shut up Boltz. Hawk if we don't kill those two we'll be dead." Earthquake stared intensely at her partner.

"...Hawk please, it won't be worth it..."

"I said shut up!"

With a single tear dropping to the floor, a single bullet was fired, and Specter's body dropped dead.

Hawk and Earthquake couldn't kill Betrayus since he was executed. And they both were killed by Skeebo when they tried taking him hostage. Specter and Betrayus made up in the meantime, and they got together, having both Cisco and Xyro, the entirety of Specter's backstory is that he was betrayed by his bestest friends, but he got his highschool crush in the end.

I have a tolerance for Specter now, Spectrayus I don't mind the ship, but it did remind me of the phase of 'shipping Slappy with a Male Oc' that I don't want to get reminded of. But now, it's okay 👍

[morguemaw]

QUICK info dump something cool you might want to tell us about your OCs please! Because I want to be happy by making you happy by giving me an info dump!

rguh guh RU RUGHRU!!! I HAVE !! I AHVE i have.. i hvae some... I will start with my Skele OCs then under the cut go to my non UTMV ocs :) Zemuf; Zemuf was originally a vent sona. He didnt have a head because at the time i didnt want to give him one, i was very distant with the community and i was just kinda.. Scared to be back. A artist in the community traumatized me heavily, so i didnt want Zemuf to have a face. Well, overtime i just decided to give him one, and i just kinda fell inlove with him after!! Zemuf canonly does have a BF named Orca, but there is like.. 2? other non-canon crack ships, one is Zemuf x Skele Rot(another OC of mine), then one which was the original ship was Zemuf x Geno (sometimes + Reaper ), this was bc of a ask a anon made that Geno and Zemuf would be good friends xD Imp, Aka Mailboy; Imp was one of my first few new UTMV ocs i made! He is kinda chocolate themed, and is the UTMV Mailboy, he delivers letters to every AU out there!! He is seemingly dating a certain funky fresh boi owned by my brother 👀 Trick is another OC of mine.. But he doesnt have a ref yet :( It also reminds me of a dump of OCs i did once; they were a bunch of skele babies and i gotta find them since they contain a ref of another OC of mine named King who i miss D:

Cinder(fursona)- Cinder is one of my characters that i just really really fucking love. His backstory is that he was sacrificed into a volcano to the god within, but the God gave Cinder a offer to relive as a form of immortal to take care of the place he would be located into. He agrees, and was then .. frozen? into the hardened lava rock, like hundreds of years later he was found by another character named Icy, who belongs to my wife, and they trained together at a school. The plot twist is that Icy too is a form of immortal being, these beings are called Champions, Icy being one of the first ones after he left the school, but Cinder remained for abit, and when he got out Icy was retiring/retired, after Cinder became the new top Champion, he became Icy's guardian basically, which got them closer! Cinder has any power regarding Volcanos, which is alot, like Fire, Magma, Smoke, Explosions even, and in those rare cases of lightening coming from the Volcano's smoke :) Now we get into the stages of OCs of mine that i just wanna talk about/bring up because i just adore them

Rot; Rot is a albino shark, he is mostly white and pink and was one of my favorite characters i have adopted thus far. He is my PFP actually!! He has slim to no lore other then when he was young his fins were taken to make Shark fin Soup, aka my last ditch effort reasoning to why he only has 2 shark fins HAHA Wish; Wish was a custom i got by a designer i adore, he was in my 3008 animation meme, i love him and if Gutsy wasnt my everything (sona, persona, whatever ) i can def see him or Rot taking that place :) Spiggy; Spiggy is a spider boi of mine, though he looks nothing like one so i love that abt him!! He doesnt have too much of anything on him, other then i love him alot :D

[rhaaclaws]

What is your opinion on Khada Jhin League of Legends bestie

JHIN MY WORSTIE JHIN

favorite thing about them

Absolutely lovelove love his character design it's honestly perfect. Everything ties into the number 4 and especially the opera mask is gorgeous to me. I like how you can see him and just get the character yaknow? A very theatrical appearance and you can just tell something is Wrong. Another fav thing abt him is that the corpses actually do look like that. Like how horrifying would it be to see someone's chest cavity open up while sprouting a bleeding golden flower?

least favorite thing about them

Honestly the face reveal. I feel like not knowing what he looks like is one of the most important parts of his character because his deal is that he can never be found out. Like I think face reveals can be done in very tasteful ways [like Diavolo] but having his entire face leaked because someone forgot to put a censor bar really sucks. Even the version from the comic book where just the eyes were censored it's like we're not meant to see it.

favorite line

I have multiple but:

"Behind every mask... is another mask." [its so goofy] "I am the singer without a voice. The dancer without legs." "I live for the applause, you will die for it." [did you know this references Lady Gaga's 'Applause'? of course he's a gaga fan] "The stars are my eyes, and one by one, I must blind them." [Beautiful] "Oceans of formless time open before me and they whisper, Jhin, we are your true face."

brOTP

I need him in prison but the fact that he's a fan of Sona is really funny imo

OTP

I feel like Jhin is a character that is better off without shipping for. Many reasons but the idea of him having something going on with Zed is very good [only in very specific ways that's like. You two are awful for each other keep at it] . I also think him and Pyke would be good but in enemies to lovers but they're still enemies like 'i wont hesitate to kill you but I think it'd be better if we killed people together' way. My old friend actually has a playlist for it and it bangs https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0hCuFrSlCpVGYu2oN1sAx4?si=5a6c0938b5fa4ec3

My friend has a jhin/draven thing going on and honestly its really funny so it gets a pass

nOTP

tbh anyone for the same reason that he's a character who's better off and more interesting without shipping. I specifically really hate him and Nami though I legit have no idea where it came a thing but I keep seeing it pop up and its so ???????????? tf yall on about. I also really don't like him and kayn

random headcanon

I like to keep the mystery so I don't really have a headcanon for him but! I think it'd be fun if he listened to prog rock. Also, he'd have a fucking field day with Mista

unpopular opinion

I really dislike it when people draw him without a mask. Put that shit back on. x100 if they make him into an attractive anime man who looks 20. He literally looks like some guy and he's about to be 40 I promise you he doesn't look like that

song I associate with them

King Crimson - Starless [You just have to listen to it to get it I can't explain it] Depeche Mode - Sweetest Perfection [That mystical vibe from this + the obsession with the perfection] Vessel - Red Sex [The theatrics of this song is just. Augjghhjh it fits Jhin so perfectly, especially since it has no lyrics] Orville Peck - Hope to Die [Specifically High Noon Jhin but. Slay] Talking Heads - Psycho Killer [Specifically from that quote where he says "I get nervous before every performance, but I need that feeling."] Mother Mother - Born In A Flash [Ok listen yeah yeah I knowww it's mother mother but like, it reminds me of how he has 'no past' until he started killing people and becoming known as 'The Golden Demon'. It's like this identity was born in a flash]

favorite picture of them

The dark cosmic splash art has to be one of my favorites of all time. Everything about it is just. So perfect and beautiful.

[theheartsmistakes]

The Last Night Part XXIII

Parts I-XXII:

Here is Part I

Here is Part II

Here is Part III

Here is Part IV

Here is Part V

Here is Part VI

Here is Part VII

Here is Part VIII

Here is Part IX

Here is Part X

Here is Part XI

Here is Part XII

Part XIII

Part XIV

Part XV

Part XVI

Part XVII

Part XVIII

Part XIX

Part XX

Part XXI

Part XXII

XXIII.

Alastair watched his sister play with her dolls on the rug in the sitting room from the second to last step on the landing. A safe distance away from the fire, her small voice filled the room with color that it sorely lacked. Since their father’s return from wherever it was he had been for the past year, their furniture (what furniture they had) started to disappear.

Cordelia, being only eight hardly noticed. Not when her father’s attention became more of a pressing matter, but Alastair being ten years old and having been the one to mind the estate after their staff stopped showing up and Sona fell into another one her deep depressions, he began to notice.

And he could only suspect one person responsible.

After being satisfied that Cordelia was out of ear range, Alastair turned and jogged up the stairs two at a time. He noted the sconces on the walls were missing along with the bulbs except for one left unprotected and obnoxiously bright without a cover. The rug that ran along the hallway was gone as well leaving the floor bare so that every footstep and noise could be heard. Alastair took a deep breath through his nose and steadied himself.

He’d secretly hoped that his mother would be the one to address the issue, but she hardly seemed to notice the missing things, or if she did, she didn’t feel the need to mention it. The house grew colder and colder by the minute despite his father's enormous presence to fill it.

A part of him chastised himself for not being more elated about his father’s return. The rest of his family members seemed to be, but because of his illusive absence for the past year with no explanation about where he’d gone and the stink of alcohol lingering on his vest, something deep in Alastair’s chest froze towards his father.

Others may be warmed by his false promises and elaborate stories, but he knew the truth. Call it a gift of his, he could see past the pretense his father shoveled in front of everyone to hide his sins.

When he reached the oak door at the end of the hall, with a shaking fist, he knocked.

At first no sound came, so he knocked again; louder this time.

A shuffle could be heard inside. Glass shattering against the floor followed by a string of cursing.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, father,” said Alastair. “I need to speak with you.”

“What’s this about?”

Alastair placed a hand on the handle. “May I come in?”

“Is this important?”

“It is,” said Alastair lifting his jaw.

“Very well,” said his father.

Alastair turned the knob and pushed his way inside. The bitter, sweet smell of freshly spilt whiskey hit him and burned his eyes. He resisted the urge to cover his nose with a handkerchief.

His father wobbled on his hands and knees attempting to clean up a spill with his pocket cloth, but moving as if he were on a very unsteady ship. Red rimmed eyes looked up at Alastair and a grin curved around his father’s face.

“What is it?” He slurred as he fell backwards against the wingback chair that happened to be the only piece of furniture in the room beside the beverage cart sitting beside the window. “Am I late for supper?”

“It’s nearly noon, father,” said Alastair. “I’m here because it appears that our household items have gone missing.”

“Missing?” Elias squinted up at his son.

“Yes.” Alastair rolled his eyes. “As in gone.”

“Like what?”

“My writing desk, Cordelia’s doll house,” said Alastair. “Mum’s good China, the Tehran crafted weapons, the silver, and where’s the furniture that used to be in this room?”

“Alastair—“

“If you’re pawning our household items to support your drinking then—“ It wasn’t a question of if, nor was it an accusation. Alastair knew the truth, he knew even if he didn’t want to believe it.

“Then what?” asked Elias. “Go on, boy, finish your sentence.”

“You’ll not take one more thing from this house,” said Alastair.

Elias scoffed and attempted to push himself up from the floor when his hand landed on a piece of glass. Elias hissed and fell backwards again onto the floor. “Bloody hell!” He held his hand up, dripping now with fresh blood. “Don’t just stand there. Get me something to stench this with.”

Alastair sighed and walked across the room to the beverage cart. A towel hung from the silver handle, stained with spilt alcohol, Alastair grabbed it and brought it over to his father.

“Where is your steele?” asked Elias as he ripped the towel from Alastair’s hand.

“I don’t have one with me,” said the boy.

“What kind of Shadowhunter doesn’t carry around his steele?”

“I’m nearly ten, father,” reminded Alastair. “I’m hardly a Shadowhunter yet. I can go find yours if you’d like.”

Elias took the towel away from his hand and examined the wound in his palm. “No, don’t trouble yourself. You’ve clearly more pressing matters to attend to. Have you spoken to your mother about these missing items?”

“I haven’t wanted to trouble her—“

“Only me?” asked Elias. “I suppose I deserve that.” He got slowly and unsteadily to his feet. When he stepped backwards a few steps, Alastair had to stop himself from reaching out towards him. He looked like a toddler learning to walk for the first time.

The question dangled on Alastair’s tongue as he watched his father pitch forward and back like an aged ship on angry seas: why did he insist on drinking? When did he become a drunk? Alastair, honestly, couldn’t remember. There’d been a time when sobriety found him for a few months and then he’d be back on the streets again. Alastair was seven years old the first time he picked him up from the porch steps when he passed out before he’d made it inside. The first time, he’d thought it kind of comical, by the third time that week, he found it frightening. And now, he wanted to ask his father why. Why weren’t they enough for him? What was his father chasing that could be found or forgotten at the bottom of a bottle?

Alastair feared he might never know.

     _ _ _

The pocket watch ticked inside Alastair’s palm where he sat on the sofa in the drawing room waiting for Cordelia and Lucie to enter through the door. It was five past three; the time they were supposed to return. Questionably, James hadn’t returned either. Alastair knew he should have trusted his instincts over his sister’s word, but he’d allowed himself to feel marginally guilty about upsetting Cordelia.

How could she not understand he was simply trying to do what was best for her? She clearly wasn’t thinking straight— and to be honest she never had when it came to the Herondale boy. It would be over his dead body that he’d ever see James hand-in-hand with his sister.

No, not even then.

Alastair shoved his watch back into his pocket, stood from the chair retrieving his jacket from the arm, and marched towards the door.

“Oh,” said a voice behind him. “Are you leaving too?”

Alastair turned to find Thomas descending the stairs in his full fighting gear. His soft brown hair was combed back away from his face and curling slightly behind his ears. His scarred hands were adjusting the straps across his broad chest that just barely fit across him. Alastair swallowed and quickly averted his eyes to his shoes and then the front door.

With a strange pitch in his voice, Alastair said, “I hadn’t realized you were here.”

“I came with my parents to meet the Herondales,” said Thomas tucking in the extra bit of leather left at the end of his strap. “I thought Christopher, Matthew, and James would be here, but it appears I am at a loss. Miss communication.”

“James is with Matthew on patrol,” said Alastair. “At least that’s what I was told.”

Thomas looked off to the side. “Then I’m sure that’s the truth of it. Where are you headed?”

“I’m supposed to meet my sister at the other Lightwood’s estate,” said Alastair. “She’s running a bit behind so I figured I’d spare her the trouble and catch her there.”

“I’m on my way there as well,” said Thomas. “Would you mind if I joined you?”

Surprised, all words evaporated from Alastair’s mind. When he managed to find them again, a bright color had emerged in his cheeks. “Are you quite sure. I don’t mind finding my own way there.”

“That’s ridiculous,” said Thomas reaching for the door knob. “We’re going in the same direction, not on an outing together, there’s no reason for us to take two separate carriages to the same destination.” Thomas opened the door and without waiting for Alastair to respond, he walked out onto the front steps.

Still slightly shocked, Alastair combed a hand through his hair, picked up his cane, and followed.

“What plans do you and Cordelia have today?” Thomas asked from atop the bench seat of his parent’s carriage.

Alastair, who’d chosen to remain quiet despite the kindness being extended to him, focused on the main road as he answered. “I’m not sure. She mentioned something about going to a park.” He was quite certain that was all that was going on between them. Perhaps his parents conjured him into being kind to the injured, isolated, and troubled Carstairs boy. Perhaps this was some sort of revenge and Thomas had alternative plans of dropping him into the Thames.

“It’s a lovely day for the park—“

“What are you doing?”

Thomas’s eyebrow jumped. “Excuse me?”

“This?” Alastair motioned between them. “This show of uncharacteristic kindness. I can tell it’s not genuine. Who put you up to this?”

Thomas sighed and straightened his shoulders. “I felt badly for the way I spoke to you the other day.”

Alastair had to fight to keep the shock from his face. “You felt bad? Thomas, you have nothing to feel badly about.”

“Perhaps,” said Thomas, “but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how unfair I was being towards you. Do not misunderstand me, this is not me granting you pardon for what you did, but rather an understanding.”

“Why?”

“Because when you created those lies about my father,” said Thomas, “I created lies for him, or what I thought were lies to help repair some of his reputation. My father, who is an upstanding citizen by most regards, and truly a wonderful father, and I was making up all kinds of lies to protect him even though I knew the rumors about him were lies— even though I believed him. I can’t imagine if the rumors were actually true.”

He didn’t have to say it. Alastair had long since learned to read between the lines of what someone was saying to him.

“I don’t need you to feel sorry for me,” said Alastair shortly.

“I don’t feel sorry for you,” said Thomas, never removing his eyes from the road, “and I don’t pity you. I’m merely saying that I understand. In a way, I understand.”

With the wind brushing against his face, Alastair felt a weight of sorts brush off of him.

“I am sorry for what I’ve done to your family and Matthew’s,” said Alastair. “I’ve been minding my father’s reputation since I was a boy.”

“Why did you do it?” asked Thomas. “I know why I fought for my father’s reputation, but yours was an actual alcoholic.”

Alastair bristled. “Alcoholic or not, he is still my father.”

“I’m sorry if I offended—“

“You didn’t offend,” said Alastair. “I suppose I fought so hard to protect him for so long that I simply forgot how to not to. I’d been able to keep up a pretense about my father that at the first sign of trouble, my instinct was to defend him, and the only way I knew how to do that was to put the spotlight onto someone else. If I’m being honest, it wasn’t him I was trying to protect.”

“Yourself?” asked Thomas, as he steered the horse down an empty brick paved street.

“Cordelia,” said Alastair. “I was trying to protect Cordelia. She grew up believing that our father was someone to be admired. She held him on the same pedestal that the Herondale children held their father. I made sure that she never knew about his… illness.”

“Does she know now?”

“She does,” said Alastair. “I couldn’t protect her forever.”

“No,” said Thomas, drawing the horse to a stop at the brick pathway leading to a white gated entrance to a garden. “I suppose you can’t.”

Alastair looked up at the beautiful ivy crested veranda and tried to remember what had caused him to go fetch Cordelia in such a hast. Surely, she was all right with Lucie and if she was in fact with James, perhaps it was high time that she started worrying about her own mistakes. And if she needed him, he would surely be there for her.

“Perhaps I’ll wait here,” said Alastair. “While you go fetch Christopher.”

From the ground now, Thomas looked up at Alastair as he tied the horse to a post. “Would you like me to get Cordelia for you?”

“No,” said Alastair, adjusting his coat. “I shouldn’t trouble her. She’ll return when—“

Before he could finish his sentence, a high pitched scream came from inside the house. Thomas and Alastair both looked in the direction of which it had come and then back at each other.

“Cordelia,” said Alastair as he swung himself down from the driver’s bench as Thomas drew a steele from the strap on his shoulder and whispered its name to it. It burst to light in his hand, accenting his face in a halo of light.

The two men stalked up to the open front door: Alastair at the front, with Thomas trailing closely behind him, both of them scanning their surroundings.

Upon entering the house, it didn’t appear that anything was out of place through the kitchen. There was no sign of a scuffle or demon activity. Even though he didn’t know him all that well, Alastair wouldn’t put it past the odd glasses wearing one to release a demon during one of his poorly executed experiments.

They inched through the kitchen into the short hallway that went through to the sitting room. Attached to the room was a staircase and from the second floor, they could hear an exchanging of voices.

Alastair broke for the stairs at a run with Thomas close behind him. He followed the direction the voices were coming from and turned to the left, stopping at a door that was partially opened. He was seconds from storming it, when Thomas grabbed him by the coat tail and wretched him back.

“Wait,” said Thomas and stepped in front of him, “listen.”

“I wouldn’t try it if I were you,” said a second voice laced with ill intention and centuries of old lies. “Not unless you want me to start breaking bones in their bodies starting with the smallest.”

Thomas grabbed Alastair’s arm and mouthed a name. “Belial.”

Suddenly, the door slammed in front of Alastair and he heard the faint sound of the lock.

“We don’t have much time. I have a very short window back into my realm and we’ll need to be going now. That is if you want your friends to live.”

“Lucie,” said a male voice that Alastair could not recognize. “Don’t go with him. I’m not meant to be here. I’m not meant to be alive.”

“How rude,” said Belial. “Do you have any idea how hard your mother and sister worked to bring you back to life. The least you could do is be more grateful.”

“If I go with you.” The voice was clearly Lucie’s and if Lucie was in there then so would Cordelia. “If I agree to do what you ask, you’ll promise to leave them alone?”

“You have my word,” said a second voice laced with ill intention and century old lies.

Thomas glanced at Alastair and pointed at the medieval spear hanging on the wall in the hallway. Alastair reached up and pulled it carefully from it’s hooks as Thomas took several steps back, picked his foot up, and kicked their way through the lock with his heel in a single, impressive stomp. As Thomas reached for Lucie, pulling her away from the mysterious figure in the center of the room, Alastair threw the spear with every ounce of his might.

He watched it spiral through the air, quick as an arrow, and then stop mere inches from Belial’s chest. A wicked grin curled around the handsome face, as the spear evaporated and then reappeared faster then Alastair could blink.

It was warm, that was the first thing he thought about. Warmth spreading across his back and his chest. His eyes searched the room for Cordelia, but he couldn’t find her face amongst the ones he could not recognize. Everyone stared at him, the pale haired girl Grace and a dark haired boy sitting beside her looked on at him terrified. His eyes drifted to his left where Thomas held Lucie tightly in his arms both gaped at him horrified. He tried to say something, but his lungs had stopped expanding. When he looked down at his chest, he could see where the warmth had come from. The end of the spear protruded from his chest.

“Alastair!” Thomas yelled.

“Go,” he said, as rust flavored saliva dripped from between his lips. “Go now.”

“Release the girl,” said Belial, with his arms crossed and a rather bored expression on his face, “and the boy lives.”

Thomas’s grip on Lucie faltered just slightly.

“Don’t,” said Alastair. “He’s lying.”

“Let me go, Thomas,” said Lucie. “Let me go. He won’t let him die, he won’t if it means he can have me.”

“Listen to the girl, Thomas,” said Belial. “Save your friend and sacrifice the other or lose both.”

Alastair could see the turmoil in Thomas’s gritted teeth and reddened face, still his hands were white knuckled around Lucie. He wouldn’t let her go. Not unless—

Lucie brought her head forward and swung it back against Thomas’s sternum. With a quick maneuver of her feet, she twisted under his grip and shoved him off balance into the wall.

“Let them go,” said Lucie, her hair loose from it’s braid now and falling around her face giving her the appearance of a mad woman. “Let him live and I’ll go with you.”

Belial grinned and with a slight nod of his head, he and Lucie blinked from the room like a flash of lightning. Alastair was released from the spear in the wall and fell crumpled to the ground on his knees. His hands went to his chest to feel for the wound, but while the blood and hole in his shirt were still there, the wound and weapon were not.

A/N: Hope I redeemed myself just a little bit. Next update comes out 12/20

[evilblot]

For the ship bingo: Pete/Trudy (back at you :D), Phantom Blot/Makandra (from the Darkenblot saga), Basil Blackspot/Candy (the girl from the Estate a Green Pond).

Sorry for the late reply, also you owe me a new pair of kneecaps for these asks sjsjskakkaka

Pete and Trudy

God I love them. SO. MU C H.

Especially Trudy, and if I didn't like and respect their relationship so much, I'd probably be shipping my sona with her sksksksk <//3

Anyway, I completely agree with the analysis you made for my ask, I just want to add that one, I gotta reread the Cronache dalla Frontiera because I remember absolutely nothing about it aside from that cute robot dude sjsksk, and two I don't really enjoy when they (as in the Topolino writers) keep recycling Pete as Mickey's love rival when it comes to conquering Minnie's heart in all their stories, even the ones with Trudy's involved (unless it adds more layers or some nice dynamics to their established relationship but even if so I'm picky).

I mean, do y'all need a rival for the new and exciting rodent love intrigues? Mortimer is right here, so come get yo nasty rat boi and leave piccioncini alone.

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

PB and Makandra

Have you ever seen a dog trying to eat a lemon? That's me while attempting to write a coherent reply without frothing at the mouth too much sjsksk

Despite understanding what the casual reader may see between these two, I only see a partnership that's nothing more than blind fanaticism.

Makandra has the zealot mentality, as in she's ready to sacrifice everything to favor the Blot who, in her eyes is the "Supreme". A master, and fundamentally her owner, and despite the apparent respect and concern he seems to have for her, she's nothing but a disposable pawn he won't hesitate destroying the moment she's no longer useful to him, and while she appears to share the same ideals, I'm actually convinced he manipulated her (as well as many others) to believe so, but that's p much it. She's here to help him, not to make a difference in the grand scheme of things he and Nemo are working on.

I know y'all see a man and a woman with a significant height difference working well together and go wild, but nah lads. Maybe they fuck sometimes, between working on a prototype and whatnot, but I can't really imagine them building an actual relationship together, nope.

This is the hill I decided to die on and y'all can't change my mind.

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

Basil and Candy

Of all the questionable ships I've came across in Goofy Reporter (both fanon AND canon), this is the only one that doesn't make me cringe. Also keep Agatha Christie's fursona away from me before I sink my teeth in her jugular and start chewing until there's nothing left to bite.

I'm a sucker for the childhood friends growing up together, falling in the love but then having to leave to follow their own path only to meet and rediscover how the feelings they had are still as strong as they were back in the old days. Also Basil needs someone to remind him there is more to it than vile money, someone who makes him rediscover his humanity and mostly that childhood innocence he had to bury under layers of cynicism and coldness to survive in the unforgiving world he was thrown into, and Candy sure does fit the role.

Maybe I'm projecting a wee bit too much, but still that's my opinion ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[tellywoodtrash]

khkt 31.08.19 lb

disclaimer: i quite dislike mahaepisodes. they're too long and stuffed with the drama of like 4 normal episodes, and thus are absolutely exhausting for me to watch at a go. i like my desi show episodes 22 minutes tops, thanks. so i'm kinda grumpy even before starting this.  

———————————————————————

sona it's nice of you to pay for the day for gita and all, but i still don't get how you just sent a person working on the show to some random house to go do decor there....

oh boy. mhatre murdered his sweet wife. god, i had hoped he'd never darken our doorway again.

so nethra just came in here with this terrible news for some "i told you so"-ing? kinda disturbing.

you know when someone's like "best part hai ki tumhara koi lena dena nahi hai........" that it's going to have hella lotsa lena dena with the person here.

lol nethra is a little too optimistic about the law and order in our country, no?

these police officers are not as imposing as they think they are.

i just realised that this is a fake book. coz first off, 10th standard has just one combined textbook for all the three sciences. secondly, majaaal hai jo ncert textbooks are this glossy and attractive and spur students to have even the sliiiiiiiiiightest urge to study from them. #cbseSurvivor #dontAsk #stillNotOverTheTrauma

dr. surgeon approves of efforts put in. dude, don't you know highlighting is the easiest way to waste time and make it look like you're studying when you’re not??? god he must have been one of those sach mein padhaai karne waala types.

DOST/DOCTOR/FAKE BOYFRIEND CAN IDENTIFY BAD MOOD. ASKSJADLAKS HONESTLY ROHIT.

lmaooooooooooo yeah right, mr. death is just a flat line to me. ek patient coma mein chali gayi and you can't handle it, baaaat karte ho.

OK YOU'RE TAKING YOUR FAKE BOYFRIEND DUTIES A LITTLE TOO SRSLY, MATE. THIS IS SOME REAL BOYFRIEND SHIT.

yaaaaaaaaaas, she asked him about raima. and he has some nonsense gyaan that he doesn't really believe. sir, you are simply having a good couple of days coz you're suppressing your real issues with this drama. please go to a real therapist, work on your issues, and genuinely move the fuck on.

her jamaofying rob on him. tooooooooo cute. i love it.

sona musing about what state their relationship will be in when they finish this drama and if they'll still be as close has me so surprised. she has the most sorted head on her shoulders i have ever seen on a character in tellywood. i keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she keeps pleasantly surprising me!!!!!!!!

idhar the sippy matriarchs are hellbent on acquiring sonakshi as bahu. whether she or rohit want it or not.

omfg. this one's screaming. we had a good few weeks without it and i'd forgotten how unpleasant it was.

this twit just wants the gossip on what sona di did ~this time~. god.

akash toh idhar bhi aa dhamka to snoop on decor. uncle, aapko aaj kal kaam pe nahi jaana kya?

at least he seems to like sona, which.... small mercies.

ughhhhhhhhhhh pariiiiiiii i hate you. you're such a troublemaker. also i know you're just using this as an excuse to call rohan. ugh ugh ugh UGH.

poor tanya. i feel such rage on her behalf, i swear to god.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THESE THREE ARE THE WORST. NOTHING GOOD COMES OF IT WHEN THEY COMBINE THEIR AWFULNESS.

lmaooooooooooooooooooooo rohan's lameass line didn't work on pari. i love it.

oh my god, i hate pari so much.

ok kuch zyaaaaaaada hi buildup.

still can't take this paplu-taplu cop duo seriously.

also this guy’s shoddy pagdi is annoying me. there was literally no need to make him a sikh if you ppl couldn’t do it right.

hahahahahahaha.

oh god ishqbaaaz trauma coming back. *clutches chest*

arre waah, nishi ko "tacky serial actress" ka decor pasand aa gaya?

lol ajit ko idhar kahin pe khada kar do. he's already in the floral theme.

i agree with rohit. it's all too fucking much.

wow nishi defending it to rohit!

i hope this level-headedness of hers comes up again in other situations re: sona too.

i mean, i don't love the look (i like her in simpler stuff like what she did for teejri, than so done up) but i am fully here for rohit's reaction!

haaye what a confidence boost!

snort.

vimmi ke liye toh tyohaar sonakshi ka bday hoga. (guess rohit will join in too from this year....)

lmao rohit pushing pesky little brother away, and him springing right back.

i honestly love ajit the most. cutest little bean ever.

"vimmiji, aapne agar ek baar aur PARVATIJI kaha, toh main aapko PARVATIJI ke yaahan kaam karne bhej doonga."

oh god, sona singing the shirali tune of everyone getting coordinated outfits and theme and all.

"real life mein log kapde repeat kar sakte hain!" and yet, we rarely see YOU in the same outfit more than once?

"jaisa hai tumhara hai." uh no thnx, apna defective maal iske matthe daalne ki koshish mat karo!

god i love these two together.

yeh kya bakwaas music hai????

ma'am, he's a doctor. who cuts into ppl. he needs to look..... not insane. can't have him looking like he's dressed by shirali.

ohhhhhhhhh boy.

he likes this music? really?

good. lord.

OH GOD I AM DYING OF MICHMICHIIIIIIII. OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES IDIOTSSSSSSS.

lmaoooooo, why is he covering his chest?!?!?!?!!

also, don’t think i didn’t see you sneak a look at the goods, sona. i mean, good for you, at least you know what you gotta work with.

nice legs, rohit.

arre sona, khareedne se pehle packaging kholke dekhna kitno ke naseeb mein hota hai? in your own words, “appreciate karne ke bajay kitkit kar rahe ho”????

"AUR KOI TOH NAHI HAI KAMRE MEIN?????" lmaooooooo

oh god.

hein? this ain't no coordinated colours? everyone wearing kuch bhi. there's no match between decor, outfits, each other.... god it's like i'm tripping on acid.

lol aa gaya na line pe.

but also, i'd make this face at pehla waala nazaara. but i realize sab meri tarah awwal number ke tharki nahi hai.

same, mom, same.

..... what is the point of akash's character, really???

fuckerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

oh god. naach gaana. oh lordddddd. like a michmichi punch to my gut.

nononononononono, fwding.

cute.

look at this one basking, all smiley. YOU BEST NOT LET THIS GIRL GO, ROHIT, I SWEAR TO GOD.

OH THANK GOD IMAGINATION THA. PHEWWWWWWW.

i ship this sismance.

panditji se kyun pooch rahe ho? as if his opinion is the one you want rn.

6/10. snort. pehle toh 10/10 tha (esp. without the clothes) but this akad got you -4.

oh boy, who this loud punjabi woman?

lmao i fully relate with nishi.

yeah, nishi's phadda with her is justified.

abbe oh tum dono ke mooh mein dahi jam gayi hai kya? you gonna let her talk to nishi like that??? YK? PUT YO MOM ON A LEASH PLS.

yeah, nishi is 100% right. fuck this saas.

uh hi naren, you're the worst and seem to know nothing about women. this is why your son hates you.

oh boy, more naach gaana. whyyyyyyyyyy????????

lol sona underestimating sippy boys ka dance. sis you just saw one of them. maybe the others are good?

"bedroom mein toh mera dance dekh ke bohut mazza aaya tha....." ASKLDJFDSLKFJLDSKFJLDSKJFLKSDFJ

ROHIT MAY I REMIND YOU, YOU ARE PRETENDING!!!!!!!!! YOU REALLY NEED TO FUCKING STOP.

ohohohohoho challenge.

yk is like FUCK YEAH MY TIME HAS COME, MERE ANDAR KE KALAKAAAAAR KO MAUKA MIL RAHA HAI!!!!!!

abbbbbbe yaaaaaaaar, achche mood ka sayanaaaash karne yeh bhi aa gayi.

after that medical nonsense, i almost welcome the naach gaana.

also sona, there's exactly one doctor sippy boy here. you shoulda been more careful when issuing challenge. marketing types don't give a fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. builders and chefs toh are almost certainly on drugs.

yeah cute and all, but i'm fwding.

awwwwwwwwww yisssssssssssssssssssssss.

oh god, a perfect storm in a teacup situation brewing.

fuckkkkkkkkkk, look at them look at each other with those heart eyes.

ouff too much drama. this why i don't like mahaepisodes.

great. rohit getting called away to attend to raima. NOT GOOD NOT GOOD NOT GOOOOOOOD.

oh godddddddd, let her go, abhi ke abhi haar chadhaana hai aap logon ko???? rohit's not even here!!!

nishi's face. poor thing. this is not her evening.

yk's mom has her nazar on it. pls stay in your lane, aunty.

ok that's huge and tacky and what outfits will it even go with.

yeah i'd be quite hairaan-pareshaan too, if saddled with this monstrosity.

"CRITI HOME" lol what a dumb name.

there is more than just one person in the world in a coma, rohit.

OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHITTTTTTTTTT.

nishi's evening is finally looking up. she needed this win, and frankly, i'm kinda glad she got it.

no no no no don't go to see the patient now, there's a critical case at home, go handle thaaaat.

oh god, yelling yelling, so much yelling.

ajit in the bg having oh shit oh shit oh shittttttt moment.

THANK GOD. THAAAAAAAANK GOD.

behen ab toh tu uth hi jaa.

pls god stop yelling. i can't take this shit.

this nishi's saas is also one hungry-for-drama types.

oh no. this is not good.

oh goddddddddddddddddd, suman pls.

lmao nishi.

bless tanya and pooja who look so upset.

and then there's this idiot, jiske thopde pe tharak ke alaava koi expression nahi aata.

oh daaaaaaaaaaaamn, suman rastogi, you are way more masterful than you look.

i'm back to feeling really bad for nishi again. poori family ke saamne bhaanda phod diya.

but also, do i see a little bit of respect in her eyes for suman and the way she played it?????

lol standard desi mom "tu ghar toh chal" warning.

oh god pair choone waala drama mat karo pls.

sigh. poor nishi.

itni jaldi waapas pohunch gaya? aaj nahi hai mumbai ki sadko pe traffic????

oh god shaadi tak baat pohunch gayi hai.

never been this glad to see the police appear.

ok cannot handle thisssssssssss level of drama with the music and closeups. it's grating on my nerves. i’ll need to sleep all of tomorrow to handle this exhaustion.

———————————————————————

kasme vaade toh bade kar rahe ho, but let's see how they hold up after raima wakes up.

oooooooooh i am very interested in this new dynamic!

oh thank god, rohit finally finds out about mhatre. i hope he'll tell nishi and she'll come over on to #teamSona

[chantillyxlacey]

Do you have any OCs? Because if so you should do the character ask thing for a OC of your choice! If not, how about rattman from Portal!

I’ll do Faith Arbor– my MSA ghostsona/OC that I really need to do something with (and finally finish her updated design oops; her living form is done but not her ghost one yet)

1: sexuality headcanon

It’s not really a headcanon bc she’s mine, but she’s a lesbian!

2: otp

I went and accidentally gave myself #feelings about her and her fiancee Sophia Thalassis– who is part of her backstory from before Faith died back in the 90s :’> at least I have an au where Faith isn’t a ghost where they can be cute together

3: brotp

With Arthur! Almost literally lol, when she first met him when he was a kid, he reminded her of her little brother and she still relates to him in a big-sisterly way even though technically they’re the same age now lol

4: notp

I mean, I never would want her shipped with any guy, but especially not Arthur, for reasons related to the aforementioned sibling dynamic

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

She fucking loses her mind over Breath of the Wild when she gets the chance to play it– the last Zelda game she’d gotten to play was from before the series had even made the leap to 3d

6: favorite line from this character

I don’t really have any specific lines for her oops

7: one way in which I relate to this character

UHHHH A lot of ways, given that she’s a sona/almost a self-insert, but slightly to the left

her affinity for the sea, her backstory, her taste in media, her terminal case of being a Huge Gay, etc

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

my old art of her :’>

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

she is a soft cinnamon bun :>

[rosywrites]

Beyond the Depths, Chapter 3

Title: Beyond the Depths (Merman Jhin AU) Chapter 3: Rising Bubbles Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

[AO3]

Word count: 5,109

“Make sure to use the seashell porcelain set for Lady Lux. You know she loves using that one whenever she comes over,” Sona reminded one of the maids. She leaned over to a butler overseeing the tea room, signing, “I will be going to the merman. Chances are the Crownguards have caught wind of him and will want to see him. Please let me know once they’ve arrived.”

She rushed down the hall towards the tank room, catching the merman’s attention.

“Well, aren’t you in a hurry, little wannabe songstress,” he said. He noted her different outfit from her usual blue dress. There was some class to it.

She shot him a glare at the insult. “Not much time to talk, spiderhands. There are guests coming over; most likely, they’ve heard about me keeping a merman in the household.”

The merman snorted. “I don’t think you’ve come here just to tell me to be on my best behavior now, have you?”

“Sarcasm aside,” she emphasized, “if they ask me to show you, I can’t exactly refuse. This is a family that’s practically next to royalty, and I—”

The door then cracked open to reveal the butler from earlier. “Lady Buvelle, the Crownguards have arrived. They are waiting in the guest room.

Sona audibly sighed in hesitance and signed a ‘thank you’ to the butler. “I need to go. Just keep what I said in mind. Please.” She made her way to the guest room towards the entrance, expecting all four of the Crownguards waiting inside.

But unexpectedly, only Lady Augatha and Lady Lux were seated inside.

“Oh my. I was expecting the entire family to grace my household so I prepared even Sir Pieter and Garen’s portions as well,” she signed.

“No, Lady Buvelle, it is only us two. You know how those two are,” Augatha nonchalantly remarked. “Rather…” She glanced over to Lux, who caught the look she was giving her.

“Well, we’ve been wanting to visit you since… the incident. Well, after the funeral.” Lux smiled sheepishly. “It must have been a difficult time for you, Sona. We also wanted to check on how you were doing.”

She gave a small smile. “I humbly thank you for attending my mother’s funeral and thinking of my well-being.” She bowed her head. “But I have been doing well.” She gestured outside the hall. “Shall we have some tea then?”

“Oh! Yes, please!” Lux readily stood up, despite the warning cough from her mother.

Sona giggled and guided them through the mansion. “How has your family been faring? The usual?”

“As always,” Augatha responded with a chuckle. “My son never refuses an opportunity to train. And my husband isn’t one for tea, so he always insists that we go instead.”

“But our family’s happy as usual!” Lux exclaimed. “I also made a new friend recently! He’s such a sleepyhead, it takes me forever to get him to wake up properly. Ouch!” She rubbed her arm, where her mother nudged her a little too hard for a warning.

Perhaps a touchy subject.

After settling down and discussing over some tea and treats, Lux suddenly perked up and put her teacup down with a clink. “Oh! Sona! I heard a rumor that you found some creature that you’re now taking care of?”

Sona’s fingers twitched.

“Luxanna!” Augatha called out.

Sona held out a hand to reassure Augatha that it was alright. “Yes.”

Lux’s eyes darted back and forth, as if she didn’t want the maids or butlers to hear. “I would love to see it! I’ve yet to hear what kind of creature it was.”

“Luxanna…” Augatha’s tone had a tinge of anger underlying her words.

She feigned a chuckle at Lux’s enthusiasm. “If Lady Crownguard can allow it, I suppose I can show you.” Her fingers gripped the handle of her teacup a little too tightly at her own statement.

Augatha cleared her throat. “Well… I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested.”

There it was. Sona gripped the teacup tighter and sipped the last of it to calm her nerves. She had to decide.

Lady Augatha was a noblewoman of Demacia, just like her own mother was. There was no doubt word would spread behind closed doors. If word of the merman got out, more people of the noble houses would try to come see the merman under the guise of a simple house visit.

More nobles would mean other citizens would hear of it as well.

As a model example of Demacia, Sona would have to be transparent about this. She would gain more attention than necessary, and she didn’t intend the merman to become some sort of entertainment piece. In fact, the merman might even resort to killing again. It might end up with his own demise.

She smiled as she proceeded to set her cup down.

If she didn’t show them the merman, the rumor may spread faster from the mystery of a noble of Demacia keeping a creature secret. That wasn’t what a model example of Demacia would do. That mystery may turn into suspicion. It may attract collectors or even attempts to break in to steal the merman for gods know what.

Worst case scenario, her innate magic is revealed to the public, resulting in exile. Thus, her own mother’s name would be tarnished in the eyes of Demacia. But no matter what, the merman would most likely be sold off or killed.

She decided what was the best route the moment the cup clinked against the plate.

“In that case, I can show you. But I would like both of you to swear not to talk about the merman to others. He was found injured, and I planned to release him quietly once he has recovered.” She stood up from her chair to bow in courtesy. “I do not wish the merman to be used as entertainment or in any way, you see, even if it’s just for simple house visits.”

“We understand, Lady Buvelle. You have our word as the House of Crownguard that we will keep this situation mum.”

“I thank you kindly, Lady Crownguard.” Though she still had doubts. “Then, I shall personally escort you.” She nodded to the maids who were on standby to clean up whenever they were ready. She guided them down the hall, making sure to hide her tense hands from their sight.

She overheard Lux’s excited whispers about finally seeing a creature of the sea that wasn’t just plain fish and Augatha shushing Lux. Sona let out an inaudible sigh to keep her composure. When they arrived, Sona peeked in to see the merman sitting on the rock and looking up at the sky.

The merman met her gaze, and she shot him a cautious look. He grunted and continued sunbathing.

Allowing the Crownguards entry, she closely followed behind them as they approached the tank. Lux eagerly stepped up to the glass, her nose almost touching it as she looked closer. Augatha kept her distance, as if to observe the merman for the time being.

“Oh wow, a merman! I’ve never seen one before, just in storybooks!” She pressed her nose against the glass. “The scales are so shimmery… like little lights.” Augatha coughed, to which Lux laughed off.

“Hm,” the merman hummed in amusement. It seemed the golden girl had a secret of her own.

“I’ve never seen one up closer before,” Augatha said. “Though I certainly didn’t think they look like this.”

At the comment, the merman’s eyes jumped to Augatha without turning his head. It didn’t look like he was looking at her, but Sona knew he was. She gulped. She then saw the subtle movement in his eyes that indicated he was now looking at her.

She held her hands together to her abdomen and shook her head at the merman. Her eyes were almost begging, with a firm determination, not to do anything.

He looked down for a moment and then looked back up at the sky.

Sona let out the breath she held in for what seemed like forever. She immediately feigned her happy smile when Augatha turned to her.

“How long do you think you’ll be keeping him here? One of the wounds seem rather terrible.” Lux squinted past the distortion of the glass, spotting a bit of scar tissue peeking out from the bandages.

The merman’s eyes turned to Sona again.

Their eyes met and lingered. Whatever Sona said, he will most likely hold her to it. So what was going to be her answer?

“Hopefully soon.”

 After the Crownguards left, Sona returned to the tank room alone. She was facing the door as she shut it, not sure what she can say to the merman after that.

“When you shook your head at me earlier,” the merman started to catch her attention. He paused to wait for her response.

“What about it?”

“Your eyes looked similar to those of someone who had something to lose and didn’t want to lose it.” The merman swam to the glass. “I would know,” he said with a hint of amusement, “I’ve seen it plenty.”

Sona was silent. She walked towards the tank, gazed at the merman, and leaned her head against the glass.

“What did you even have left to lose?”

She closed her eyes and thought. What was going on in her mind in that moment? Just what did she have to lose? When she opened her eyes again, she spoke the words from her heart. “My mother’s name. But I couldn’t risk losing you either.”

Recently, Sona discovered that the merman really wasn’t as he seemed to be. Despite his previous murderous intents and grand way of talking, his true manner of speech was more polite, sometimes reserved. But that was mostly when she was referring to information about him. He didn’t like to talk about himself much.

When Sona entered the tank room, the merman nodded his head at her. “What business does Lady Buvelle have with me today?”

She squinted her eyes with a suspecting smile. “You’re in a good mood.”

“A merman can’t have a good day?”

She rolled her eyes. “For you, it’s strange enough.” She plopped down with her back against the glass, strumming her etwahl. It was soothing to her mind.

The merman clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. “Broad.”

“Scarecrow,” she insulted back.

Though less frequent by now, another nightmare of the sea haunted her last night. The merman wasn’t involved in this one, but the sea just seemed… menacing. It trapped her, choked her, held her in its grasp until she couldn’t breathe anymore. She couldn’t get much sleep. She didn’t exactly want to show the merman that she probably had bags under her eyes either.

The merman swam towards Sona, his looming shadow alerting her of his approaching presence. He turned his ears towards the glass as he tried to listen to her playing the strings. His brows furrowed.

“You’re tired today.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re not playing as loud as you usually do.” He sank a little lower to Sona’s height. “Nightmares?”

“How could you tell?” she said in disbelief.

“You look like how I did back when I had them.” He watched her head lull in defeat, unable to help but feel like he should do something. “Was it me?” he asked.

Sona’s head then straightened up at his question. “It was.”

Had it been about a month ago, he would’ve felt triumph against her. Back when they both spewed angry words of hatred at each other at any given moment. But now, he felt guilt, like he should do something. Just like how she tried to figure out the cause behind his ‘compulsions’, as they agreed to call it.

“But you weren’t in it. You haven’t been in it for a while. It was just… the ocean.”

“You’re afraid of the ocean,” he confirmed.

“I’ve never really been great with traveling in the ocean anyway. I always got seasick.” She then stopped playing as she curled up. “But I’ve never been afraid of it until… you know.”

Until he tore it all up. Of course, he could never forget that. That’s how he even ended up in here, after all. He looked up at the lid of his tank, where the platform for the maids and butlers to stand on was. He had an idea to make use of it, but…

The merman gazed at the back of Sona’s head. “Do you want to try overcoming that fear?”

She slightly turned, hesitant, but ended up turning all the way to face him. Her lips parted as if to say something.

A knock on the door interrupted her. “Lady Buvelle, the doctors are here to change the merman’s bandages. May we come in?”

Sona rose without another word to the merman. She strummed a chord in response to let the doctors in and followed behind them this time.

As they climbed up the stairs to the platform, the merman slowly swam up to the top. The group approached cautiously, seeing the merman coming up on his own. The maid glanced at Sona in concern, to which Sona nodded to keep going. They made it to the top of the platform, where the merman patiently waited with his head poked out of the water.

A moment of awkward silence passed between them.

The merman glanced at Sona briefly before using his own arms to climb out of the tank and seating himself on the edge. Everyone hurried towards the edge of the platform at the merman’s sudden actions. After what he had done, they had every right to to be frightened.

Sona was the first to take a step and crouch before the merman. He smelled of the ocean, which made her chest tighten just a little bit. But she brushed it aside.

“L-Lady Buvelle, it might be dangerous.”

“Nonsense,” she signed. “He can’t do much.” She rubbed at a corner of a patch and peeled it off. The inflamed skin was practically all healed now, save for one or two places near the pierced wound. “Come on. I can’t do this alone, you know.”

“Yes, my lady.” One by one, the doctors and maids gathered behind the merman to change the bandages.

Once they started assessing his condition, Sona’s eyes were glued to the wound she made with the plankwood. It had scabbed over, but the wound was deep. Even with the scab, the wound was still a little concave. Her hand reached out to the small of his back as she examined it.

The merman flinched from the unexpected touch, sending several people scurrying back a few steps. “Ah, my apologies. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Does it hurt?” a doctor asked.

“Hm, not when touched. Though I have to limit my movement or the scabs may open.”

The doctor scribbled some notes on his clipboard before continuing to ask him more questions about his physical state. The rest of the time passed by without any incident.

 Sona stepped outside for some fresh air, descending down the steps to Buvelle shores. She lingered in the sand for a few moments before walking along the beach.

Looking at the beach, she didn’t have any reaction to it. The sea was beautiful as always. But when it came to the water…

She approached the line where the waves last washed up on shore. The waves were gentle on the sand, slowly washing up and back into the sea. She stepped on the wet sand, shivering from how cold it was. And so, she waited. She waited for the next wave to wash over her feet.

There was a lull between the waves, one of the waves just barely touching the tips of her toes and then another reaching up to her ankles. At first, the water was cool. But then the cold started to bite at her feet, then slowly constricting her legs to the point of feeling numb, freezing her in place. The salty smell of the ocean was starting to overpower her. Slight panic coursed through her in short bursts as she tried to move.

She tore her feet away from the water and took a few steps back into the warm sand.

This was the extent of her fear, she confirmed.

Not as bad as she thought it’d be, but… this was troubling.

The next time she visited the merman, the merman raised a brow at her actions. Rather than taking her usual seat by the bottom of the tank, she ascended the stairs to the platform instead. However, she didn’t lift the lid.

“What’s with the change of pace, if I may ask?”

“Take it as a new perspective.”

“So, you looking down on me will be the new arrangement here, hm?”

“Haha. Very funny.” She sat down on the platform, gazing into the depths of the tank. “I’m just… testing something.” She focused on the movement of the water, trying to see something within the blue. But she sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead and combing her back with her fingers.

It was no use. She wasn’t fazed by water in a tank or a tub. Only the ocean. Was it the scent of the salt in the breeze? The sound of the waves crashing against rock? The icy bite of seawater? Or perhaps a combination?

The merman watched her contemplate, guessing that she was doing something related to her fear of the ocean.

“Do you still want to try overcoming that fear?”

Sona glanced at the merman, blinking in confusion.

He pointed at the tank lid. “I have an idea, but…” he trailed off. She’d have to take it out. He saw every scenario she could think of flash before her eyes. He waited patiently.

After all, she still might have been a little afraid of him. There was always that slim chance that he could take her down easily and kill her.

But…

“What do you plan to do when I open the lid?”

“Simple things. Have you soak your feet in the water. Your hand would work just as well.” He determined the height of the platform to her proportions. “With the amount of salt in here, it should smell just like the ocean. It should be just as cold too.”

Oh, how frustrated she felt when he hit the mark of her fear.

But… it was worth a try, she supposed.

“Fine, but no funny business, wise guy.”

“After all this time? I’m sure you can stop me whenever you’d like, witch.”

Ignoring that comment, Sona took a deep breath and opened the lid. Immediately, the smell of salt took her senses. She felt her chest tighten again like last time. Now that she was aware, it was difficult to ignore. But at least she could fight against it.

The merman extended his hand out of the water. “Do you want to try your hand?”

Sona stared at the merman’s hand in hesitance. But just this once, she wanted to try. She wanted to see. She placed her hand in his, slightly afraid that he might trap her in his grasp and drag her under.

Instead, he slowly lowered his hand into the water, not once making an attempt to grab her hand or wrist. He submerged her hand into the water, bringing his hand back to his side and letting her choose to do the rest. He observed her swishing her hand in the water while determining if she can go further in.

She submerged her hand past her wrist, the water almost reaching her elbow. That was far as she can reach.

“I don’t feel much when it’s just my hand. Though, it is colder than I expected.”

“Hm, not much of a reaction with just your hand…” He sank half his head into the water to think before coming back up. “How about soaking your feet and legs next?”

Sona proceeded to lift her hand out of the water. “Oh, I—”

“Lady Buvelle, what are you doing?!” A maid burst into the room in a panic, having peeked into the room to check for Sona’s whereabouts.

Surprised by the sudden outburst, Sona lost her grip against the platform. She tried to catch herself, but her hand was slippery from the water. From her loss of balance, her body teetered over the edge.

And she fell in.

“Lady Buvelle!” the maid’s voice became muffled at her name when her body sank into the water.

It was cold. It was salty. It was loud. Her breaths turned into a stream of bubbles as she struggled to reorient herself and swim up to the surface. But all she saw were blue and bubbles. The water felt like vines constricting around her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.

Then, a hand grabbed her waist, and she felt herself moving in the water. Next thing she knew, she could breathe again and was thrown back onto the platform. She curled up and shivered from the cold.

“Lady Buvelle!” The maid ran up the steps. She hesitantly eyed the merman who was hunched over the platform next to Sona. When he looked at her, she lowered her head. “Please wait, I’ll bring some blankets.” She rushed back down and out the door.

The merman huffed a sigh as he looked at Sona’s shivering figure. “You know, when I said ‘simple things’, I didn’t mean ‘dive in headfirst’ as your next step.” Her lack of response to his quip felt concerning. “Are you alright?”

Sona covered her ears with her hands to shake off the uneasy feeling and voices in her head. “Just… give me a minute.” It was mostly in her head, and that was the worst possible place for the trauma to act up. Thinking through such loud voices proved difficult.

Music started filtering into her head like a light sweeping the shadows away. It was a lullaby, one that her mother had taught her when she first started learning songs on her etwahl. It all happened within a few moments.

“A little better?” he asked as she sat up.

“Cold, but better.” She stayed silent for a moment before raising her shoulders towards him. “Thank you… for saving me.”

The merman’s head perked up at her words. “You’re… welcome.”

The words felt a little awkward to both, still lingering on the tip of their tongues like a foreign language. No sarcasm, bitterness, or scorn. Just gratitude.

They averted their eyes and waited in silence until the maid came with blankets and another maid. After wrapping her up, the other maid ushered Sona upstairs to her room for a warm bath.

“Hm.” The merman stared at the closed door before turning to the maid who brought in the blankets. “Will you put the lid back on the tank? I think your Lady would appreciate it if you did.”

The maid looked hesitant, standing there with a puzzled expression and wondering if she should comply or not. “I can, but only if you’re at the other side of the tank, please.” As if this manor needed another bloody murder at the hands of this merman.

Without another word, he compliantly swam to the other side of the tank. He made no movements to dash towards the already-suspecting maid and stayed where he was.

The maid was about to slip the lid back into place, but then she stopped. “Excuse me?” she called out. “I’m sure Lady Buvelle has already said this, but… thank you for carrying her out of the water. I wouldn’t have known what to do, if it wasn’t for you.”

At this, he only nodded in response.

“It’s almost odd,” Sona started, “how just putting my feet in the water is enough for chills to go down my spine. And it’s not the cold water.” Her feet glued themselves to the wall of the tank as they soaked in the salt water. “It’s not that bad, but I would say it’s worse than putting my hand in.”

“But you’re doing better than the first time.” Sona narrowed her eyes at him, to which he raised his claws in mock resignation. “I meant the first time you soaked your feet in, not when you slipped and dove headfirst into the tank.”

Sona rolled her eyes and kicked water at him. “You long-tailed freak.”

He stifled a chuckle as he turned his head away from the splash. “How dare you splash me, a merman, you hussy.” Recently, he was advised to exercise now that he recovered enough to do more activities. Not too strenuous, swimming across the tank at a faster speed and twisting around felt more comfortable.

A smile tried to break through Sona’s offended frown, but she held it back into a smirk instead. “Mermans need water, don’t they? Your head’s been out of the tank for a while, maybe the oxygen is getting to you now.”

The merman huffed out a sound like laughter. “Sure.” He sprayed a small stream of water at Sona in revenge.

“Hey!”

He only smirked and shrugged as she grabbed the nearby towel to dry herself. “Do you think you’ll ever be able to swim in ocean? That is, if you’ve been able to.”

Sona threw the towel aside as she turned back to the merman. “Maybe. I know how to swim, but overcoming this fear will most likely take some time.” She looked at the serenity of the water, the ripples that slowly emanated from the merman’s surfaced head. “Most likely after I release you too.”

His eyes darted to her. “Release me?”

“You can’t live in a tank forever, you know, no matter how much you clearly want to.” She chuckled at his miffed expression. “But in all seriousness, I planned to release you eventually. No one who is not meant to stay in one place should be trapped, especially not a merman.” She lightly swung her feet back and forth against the glass. “Or at least, from what I’ve read, merpeople can lose their life by staying in a small space for so long.”

The merman then looked up at the ceiling window, where a cloud lazily floated by in the sky. “You call this tank a small space? It can easily fit a shark in here.”

“But even a shark can’t keep swimming in circles in the same places, right?”

“Ha, did you just call me a shark?”

“If you want me to, then sure.”

After some silence, the merman asked, “When do you plan to release me?”

Sona blinked, a small smile at her lips. “Whenever the doctor gives me the OK, that you’re fully and properly recovered.” She then frowned. “I wonder what you’ll do once you’re released. Where you will go. What you’ll be doing.”

“Probably not what I used to do,” he replied. “You’ve rendered that part of me useless and almost nonexistent. Though, I do wonder what I will do in the future. Killing was all I did before, but now…” He paused to give it a thought. “I’m not sure what I can do, and it’s been putting me at a loss.”

“Traveling?” Sona suggested on a whim.

“Perhaps. I’ve always been around Ionia, but I’ve only traveled to Zaun once or twice. I never liked that place. It’s tawdry and reeks of toxins. The people there are just as same. Demacia was my next stop, but well… this entire mess happened.”

“Funny. I was coming from Piltover and Zaun that day.” She relaxed into her posture as she remembered their departure from Zaun. “They’re all interesting people, if you ask me. They’re all determined and diligent in their work.”

He grunted in disgust as he started swimming in circles. “Please.”

Sona continued her usual session of soaking her feet in the water. She had been progressing much better in the past few days that it almost seemed easy now. Of course, the merman had been joining her each time. Though, this time, he ascended on to the platform with his tail hanging over the edge. It was a little odd, even for him, but he claimed it was an experiment.

“Have you always been around Ionia? Like, you were born there?”

The merman splashed his tail in the water in thought. “I’ve been in Ionia for most of my life, so I can assume I was born in Ionia.”

“Hm, does that mean your people also speak Ionian, or do you have your own language?”

He smirked. “We do have our own language. But it’s definitely not something humans can simply comprehend.” He tapped the bottom of his lip. “How do I put it… Many humans have compared it to just gurgling in the water, and they’re wrong. I believe our language is rather sophisticated, because our language has an incredible range of sounds and words.”

“Do you all speak the same language, no matter where you were born?”

“Not really. Just like the surface, all merpeople have their own languages. But even then, it’s still compared to fish gurgles in the water. Though, we do have a common tongue to speak anyone from anywhere.”

“I see…” she said. “You must have a name though, right?”

The merman rolled his eyes and snorted in amusement. “So that’s what you were trying to get at.”

Sona smiled proudly. “Congratulations, you’ve figured out my ulterior motive.”

“As I’ve said about our language before, my name isn’t something you can pronounce properly.”

“I suppose that’s fair. Do you have a name you would use in the surface then?”

“Hmmm, I’ve never given it much thought.” The merman swung his tailfin against the glass. “I suppose the closest to my name is… Jhin. Yes, Khada Jhin.”

“Am I allowed to call you that?”

“If you stop insulting me at every opportunity you have.”

“Oh, boo, what a shame,” she replied sarcastically. “But I suppose, as a noblewoman of Demacia, I can grant you that wish, along with calling me Sona instead of Lady Buvelle.”

“Somehow that makes me feel more insulted than anything you’ve ever thrown at me so far.”

The two squinted at each other for a second before turning away to laugh.

“So… Jhin, right?”

“And… Sona?”

It still felt strange after all, calling each other by their proper names without a shred of hatred or anger like they used to. They’ve become familiar with their presences by now that they could share long conversations and even jokes.

But this felt like a whole other hurdle to go over.

[avicebro]

Hello Pollux! Can you explain your OTP tags?

This is something people want? Lol okay:

This includes League of Legends and Fate.

Fate:

otp: be my queen | richard/ayaka

reference to the fact that richard is continuously trying to get ayaka to be his master. since they are master/servant and i like them romantically it turns from “be my master” to “be my queen”. a good otp 10/10 narita when will you ever.

otp: avenger and ruler | edmond dantes/amakusa shirou 

i hope this is obvious. it’s an avenger and a ruler. demonstrates the fact that they’re polar opposites but still good as a ship.

otp: dragon slayers | siegfried/saint george

reference to how they work really well together in defeating wyverns in fate/grand order. may include kojiro if i find some siegfried/kojiro art i like.

otp: thief and executioner | robin hood/charles henri sanson

i like these two, especially in the salem chapter. the ship name is reference to their roles: one is a thief, one is an executioner. i was also thinking of giving them a title like “the new fruk” cause that’s basically what they are lol.

otp: im a self insert | guda/fgo character

any art of a guda and a fate grand order character. mainly avicebron and dantes because that’s who i ship myself with. more characters may join eventually but im very gay.

otp: casters of opposing factions | avicebron/william shakespeare

in apocrypha they’re the casters for the opposing factions. in fate grand order they seem to keep this dislike for each other.

otp: a new isolde | tristan/melt

ok i haven’t seen the full ccc event yet but basically tristan compares melt to isolde so yeah she’s a new isolde for him. i don’t like how fate writes her name (isseult?) so we’re going with this spelling.

otp: i’ll make you tsar | kadoc/anastasia

this is kadoc’s plan in lostbelt, to make her tsar of the lostbelt. that doesn’t really happen though but they’re in love okay?????

otp: hate at first sight | kirei/kiritsugu

i was tempted to call them “beautiful ties” as a pun on their names but decided against it. hate at first sight because that’s what happened. get along you two.

otp: president and princess | rin/issei

their roles at school. proud captain of the rissei ship. i will love this ship by myself if i have to.

otp: like cats and dogs | gilgamesh/cu chulainn

this is because of ip. go through her gilcu tag. i swear you’ll come out a different person. gilcu is a good ship. they’re a cat and a dog.

otp: i hate everything you stand for | hansa/jester

hansa and jester both hate each other because of who they are. jester despises those from the church, hansa hates dead apostles. they’re fun.

otp: l’auteur malfaisant | edmond dantes/dumas

this is just what dantes calls him, “the wicked author” but in french. love these two so fucking much. if you want me to be happy just mention eddumas.

otp: beast like me | caren/angra mainyu

in hollow ataraxia, it’s stated that they are both beasts: caren for being born “out of wedlock” and angra mainyu because he’s all the evils of the world. they are both beasts by birth, and must deal with the sins from being called a beast. also a big otp.

otp: sad a lot | tristan/lancelot

i was originally calling this ship “tristalot” which sounds like “triste a lot” which is french for “sad a lot”.

otp: up until this moment my wish was being granted | medea/souichirou

OTP TO RULE ALL OTPS. god i love these two. it’s a reference to what medea says in UBW when she dies. man i love these two so much.

otp: the jewel resting near my heart | rin/shirou

reference to the pendent rin gives shirou. may include rin/archer i’m not sure yet.

otp: let’s destroy the world! | kirei/gilgamesh

wow this is late on the list lol. the ship name is what they wanna do. kirei route when nasu.

otp: on the defense | hector/alter cu chulainn

both of them are known for being defensive characters, both in playstyle and in personality. they’re old, tired men let them nap.

otp: i may not always be by your side | issei/shirou

this is a line issei tells shirou in prillya. love these guys a lot. especially with rin.

otp: sword and sheath | saber/shirou

that’s what they are. saber is the sword and shirou is the sheath. no sexual jokes please. like them romantically and as friends.

otp: my wish is for her to live | medusa/sakura

purple girlfriends. love them. love heaven’s feel. reference to a line medusa tells shirou.

otp: my superman | sakura/shirou

OTP TO RULE ALL OTPS. the best ship in stay night with kuzucaster. i love heaven’s feel so much. they were what got me into drawing. i love them so much. reference to the superman scene in HF.

otp: two too pretty boys | diarmuid/gilgamesh

this is 100% because they are attractive guys. that is it. the ship name shows this.

otp: you cursed me | emiya alter/kiara

don’t @ me i like these two. emiya alter an alter because of kiara, hence the ship name.

otp: you were literally made for me | gilgamesh/enkidu

I DON’T HATE THIS SHIP WHY WOULD I TAG AND REBLOG IT SO MUCH IF I HATED THIS SHIP? I simply stated that I am tired of seeing it so much in the f/sf tags. I do like these two shhh. name is a reference to the fact that kidu was made for gil.

otp: lance to the heart and you’re to blame | kirei/cu chulainn

hello i love kotoyari. reference to the UBW ending. feb 14 isn’t valentines day it’s kotoyari day.

otp: your dream is mine | kiritsugu/irisviel

i can’t talk about this ship without crying just know i love them. iri wishes for his dream to come true.

otp: i wanted a saber anyways | rin/saber

just gals being pals you know . and originally rin wanted a saber.

otp: the woman was a saint | kirei/claudia

im not crying you’re crying. a line in the VN.

otp: you remind me of someone | paracelsus/phantom

no this isn’t just because they’re pretty boys lol. like the idea of them being good friends who help each other when the other goes berserk. 

otp: dancing with the devil | mephistopheles/paracelsus

there’s a lot of cool/interesting ship art between these two that’s really cool and i love. love the idea of them adopting jack. 

otp: fist of the north star to the heart | saint martha/sasaki kojiro

just wait until the summer event. love how koji has joined the dragon slayer’s group. hope he enjoys his new friends. you have to fight her at one point for koji’s development. it’s a joke about how her np is a fist of the north star joke.

otp: calm desert nights | nitocris/scheherazade 

reference to lalalack’s ‘desert beauty’ piece. they spend those nights in the desert exchanging stories, calming each other down. 

otp: how about we put it to the test? | li shuwen/beowulf

what beowulf says to li shuwen before they start their fight. they like to beat each other up and it’s great. 

otp: beat up a pretty face | beowulf/fionn mac cumhaill

who has the pretty face is up to you. reference to how fionn looks ephemeral in the beofionn art.

otp: a king and his knight | diarmuid/fionn

it’s their roles. yeah i know fionn “killed” him it’s fun. 

my chivalrous knight | diarmuid/saber

who is the knight and who is chivalrous? up to you!

otp: blue knights | cu chulainn/saber

only two people ship this there’s only two posts i wanna die

a queen and her knight | saber/irisviel

based on when saber acts as her knight (aka all of fate/zero) in f/z. doesn’t have otp cause i’m lazy. 

ot3: church trio | gilgamesh/kirei/cu chulainn

they live in the church lol.

ot3: we could have had it alllllll | sieg/jeanne d’arc/astolfo

based on the fact that apocrypha could have easily juggled the three of these into an ot3 but nope.

ot3: my two friends | gilgamesh/enkidu/kirei

there is only 1 piece of fanart in this tag but it’s a very good piece of fanart

ot3: this could have worked really well tbqh | kirei/gilgamesh/tokiomi

team archer could have been good if kirei didn’t get his dick sucked by gilgamesh.

ot3: princess president and prince | rin/issei/shirou

their roles - i think shirou should be a prince. i just really love rissei and shissei so why not combine them into an ot3 y/y?

group tag: aesthetic of death | gilles de rais, uryuu ryuunosuke, jeanne alter, prelati

i love these guys a lot okay? a lot of gilles/ryu because canon otp. was supposed to be art of death because of ryuunosuke's CE but it was mistranslated and i'm too lazy to change it!

group tag: equipe francaise | d’eon, marie, mozart, sanson 

they are cute but this tag is pushed by my thirst for mozart. the tag means “french team” which is basically what they are right?

brotp: my retainer | waver velvet/alexander the great

im sorry i can’t ship this romantically but they are cute together!

brotp: troy's defense | penthesilea, hektor

these two are good bros who break pots together and will rip achilles' open

League of Legends:

otp: spin to win | katarina/garen

this is about gameplay. garen is known for his e, which is a spin. the joke “spin to win” comes from that ability. since katarina also has a spin, spin to win works for these two.

otp: drasona | draven/sona

it’s just their ship name lol.

otp: takes two to tango | evelynn/twisted fate

reference to the twisted fate and evelynn shared tango skins. such a good ship. i love them and twisted fate/graves. league of legends please do something with these two i stg.

otp: partners in crime | twisted fate/graves

man this is the best lol ship man i wish lol would do anything with this ship that would be great i love my gay men. and they’re working together again! nice!

otp: the sun shines for you | leona/pantheon

i don’t know what lol is doing with these two if if they’re actually gonna be together and i love diana/leona too but i’ve always had a soft spot for these two. also? a great bot lane if you can stomp early. 

otp: it’s called art | jinx/jhin

to be honest i just think these two would be hilarious. let them just do whatever they want in piltover. 

otp: collecting souls | thresh/kalista

aesthetic and also a great botlane. i just love kalista tbh. ghost wife. 

otp: trying to keep the balance | shen/zed

wow the first otp for league of legends. good shit guys hope you guys get more content soon. 

If a ship you know I like is not on this list it’s probably just tagged as the ship name! I’m probably going to go through and create tags for each ship like these as I think of them. If you have suggestions for ship names let me know! 

[ladybuvelle]

Who is your OTP, sonamun?

// The short answer: I don’t have one.

The long answer: I don’t have one because I think OTPs, in the context of a roleplaying community, are poisonous and damaging.

I’m 32. I’ve been roleplaying for well over a decade on various media and mediums, and in all sorts of environments (message boards, DMs, MMOs, virtual chat programs, and now Tumblr). The concept of an “OTP” is new to me since coming to Tumblr, but the pattern of behavior is the same no matter what you call it.

I have ships I like. I have pairings I really like and would love to explore with someone, or at the very least draw and write for time to time for my own enjoyment. But I would never say “this is my OTP” because... a lot of reasons.

One of the first people I reached out to here in the community had what I like to call a “hard OTP”. Despite developing things with them and being consistent, I was very quickly put in my place and reminded that my muse didn’t matter whenever their waifu was online - even if said ‘waifu’ didn’t know them that well yet, or they were barely in the first stages of developing anything together compared to what I had going with them. All there had to be was a blog with that specific muse who was willing to RP that ship. I, nor Sona, mattered. Even though we’d written wonderful things together and generally worked well off each other and our muses got along. It went from excitement at meeting someone new who wrote well, to feeling like I was being humored, to just plain being left behind.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. I’ve met plenty of other people where the same or a similar circumstance plays out. I’ve met people who inspired and encouraged me to start up an AU, draw shippy/sexy artwork, write drabbles and stories and long-winded sonnets over the pairing and how into it I was - only, again, for the other half of their hard pairing to show up, and suddenly nothing I said or did mattered. Their ideal muse was found. Whether or not the person actually playing said muse was portraying it the way they wanted them to is another story entirely. Don’t even get me started on abusive roleplaying relationships or general bad etiquette.

They’d drop threads with me just when things got to a point of real character development, almost as if they were too much of a coward to actually explore an interesting dynamic for their muse beyond the fantasy pairing they had in their head. That’s why I call it a “hard OTP” - because these sort of people only want that pairing and won’t even let themselves explore the potential of something else. Even if the potential is obviously there.

Of course, having a hard OTP and still letting someone ship with you can be just as bad, if not worse. I’ve actually seen blogs on my dash openly acknowledge “Yeah, this pairing really isn’t what I’d like, I prefer A x B, but eh! You know.”

RP relationships aren’t real. That’s extremely important to remember, and for some people it’s far too easy to get sucked into the emotional headspace and misplace your own real feelings. I know, I’ve been there. But no one deserves to be treated like they’re on a date with someone who’s acting like they’re in an open relationship with their (imaginary) partner and all they wanna do is have good conversation, fuck and bail - and oh yeah, they never mention the ‘open relationship’ part to you til after.

And don’t get me wrong! If you have a ship you really like and you’re really dedicated to and it just makes you so so happy well then good for you, man. My beef is how things like that can affect other people and how people with hard-set OTPs can treat potential roleplay partners. Everyone’s entitled to the right to not be interested in a ship or in someone’s advances. I’m certainly not suggesting that “weh it’s unfair because I’m interested in them but they’re not interested in ME”. That’s not it at all. And prior consent doesn’t equal future consent either. People are allowed to change their minds if they don’t feel right about something. But the problem is, from my experience, in like 99% of these instances the other person just dips in then bails. They promise they’re still interested. They promise they’ve just been busy. They swear it’s not personal and that they just have a bad memory, etc, etc, etc.

I can take a hint, kid. I’m not new. Just say you don’t care for it and move on. 

So yeah! Not really into the whole concept of a one true pairing! Everyone is going to play their chosen muse differently anyway. One Yasuo is going to be vastly different or subtly different to another. They’re going to have slightly different beliefs and personalities and quirks. For me to say “Oh man Sona x Yasuo is my OTP” feels really irresponsible when I look at it that way, because god damn let me tell you, I have met some absolutely terrible Yasuo blogs. Not naming names. I’ve met plenty of terrible blogs in general, really. That’s par for any community.

Personal chemistry will always trump any ideal OTP situation in my book.

[rosymiz]

Like A Rose, Epilogue

Title: Like A Rose By: ArisuChanSenpai (Visit my blog for AO3 link!) Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

An insignia of a white mask with four roses blooming from the corner and the words “Lost in Reverie” were painted on a wooden sign outside a theater. The streets were quiet and almost empty except for the faint music and singing that came from inside the building. It was a full house, rows and rows of seats taken by mesmerized fans leaning in their seats during the denouement of the story.

A man dressed in a black suit with a crimson cape adorned with gold stood on the stage, reaching out to the skies for an answer to his forbidden love. His voice boomed to the sound of trickling strings in the theater. Suddenly, the spotlight flickered off as he began to dance in silence.

Soft gasps came from the audience when the female lead gracefully walked onstage, her voice ringing loud and true as she professed her love for the man she wished to marry—a knight of a humble backgrounds—not another man of aristocracy who simply wanted her for power and influence. The spotlight then blinked off, the stage now dark.

This time, a spotlight flashed at the side of the stage, where a woman dressed in a sky blue dress that twinkled in the light like her golden instrument stood and continued a soft melody before the lights faded back on the stage. She let a chord resound before the darkness drowned her figure.

The story was reaching its end, and the audience desperately wanted to see their leads get together and elope like they wanted to.

However, the man sang of the truth. He couldn’t be with her, for he was only her knight. Nothing more, no matter how much they wished to the stars above to grant their love. The queen would never accept the marriage between a princess and a knight. He then sang a lullaby that spoke of another world where there were no laws to keep them apart.

The princess sang with him melancholically in a harmony that reflected her acceptance of the truth.

Quiet sobs were heard from the audience as the princess and knight parted ways to revert back to what they were before their love changed them: a princess and her devoted knight. They couldn’t be together. It just wasn’t possible in this world. But they wanted the other to be happy, asking each other to move on but to be true to their heart. The lights faded to dark after the knight kneeled before the princess and presented a rose to vow his dedication to her happiness, that he was her ally, her friend.

A moment of soft sobs broke out from the audience before the woman in sky blue appeared again with a happier melody. The stage lights shined on the princess, happily strolling in the rose garden with her arms linked with another man’s. She smiled as she sang of her fulfilling marriage with a man who treated her with respect and sought for the betterment of her people. Behind her followed the trusted knight of the princess now dressed in a white suit and black tie with his crimson cape pooling around his feet.

The princess turned to her knight and plucked a rose for him, thanking him for his dedication to her and her happiness. She asked him, “Where is your light? Your own happiness? Surely, you’ve finally found the rose your heart desires.”

There was a look of apparent confusion on the musician’s face as she continued to play the song. This wasn’t part of the script. Yet the princess’ words matched the melody of the song.

The knight smiled as he held the rose up to him. “I have, indeed. She is a woman of beauty and grace, a woman who I’ve dedicated my love to for years, a woman who helped me know silence, a woman I love like a rose glistening with dew in the early morning sun.” The light dimmed as a single spotlight shined on the knight. The princess and her husband began to sing in harmony to the music. “My love. My muse. Sona Buvelle.”

The woman in sky blue froze, her aqua locks bouncing as she jerked her head to the knight. Her love. She watched Jhin approach her as he unbuttoned the crimson cape and left it to fall behind his steps. Her lip quivered as he tucked the rose behind her ear and cupped her face.

Slowly, other cast members walked out onto the stage, all singing in harmony to what Sona would have been playing for the final act. Members in the audience were slowly standing up in realization of what was happening with gasps and murmurs of excitement.

“I couldn’t have come this far without you and your support. You are my love, my muse. No matter what, you stood by me and believed in me when things have turned for the worst. I am more than willing to do the same whenever your silence engulfs you like my darkness once did.” He kneeled on one knee, pulling out a crimson box from the pocket of his suit. “Now, I want to move on to the next act of our story. I would like to stay by your side until the end of time, darling.”

Tears surfaced from Sona’s glassy eyes as she gasped when Jhin opened the box to a beautifully crafted ring of sterling silver and a rose quartz glimmering under the light.

“Will you marry me, Sona Buvelle?”

Sona choked out a sob as she nodded in pure joy. She desperately tried to hold back her tears as Jhin slid the ring onto her finger. She cried into Jhin’s shoulder when he pulled her into an embrace. She was so, so happy.

The audience cheered and squealed to see Sona accept the proposal. Everyone stood up to applaud this special moment, ecstatic that they were able to see this proposal in-person.

But it wasn’t as special as it was to the two lovers who held each other lovingly, tuning out the sound of the audience and the cast members to their hearts beating in a symphony.

“What’s the surprise?” Sona signed.

“We’re almost there, darling.” Jhin was holding his hands over Sona’s eyes as he guided her up a small hill after their performance. “I was planning on coming here as soon as the opera ended yesterday, but we got held up by everyone congratulating us.” He chuckled. “Fortunately, sunrise makes this place just as beautiful.”

When they came to a stop, she let Jhin slowly uncover her eyes to reveal the very grove they first met in. Time only enhanced the scenic view of the cherry blossoms that now bloomed like a forest. The rising sun colored the trees in beautiful colors of red, orange, and yellow to their pink hue.

Sona breathed out in speechlessness, emitting a light huff of white from her lips. The grove looked more beautiful than she remembered it to be.

Jhin smiled at her surprised face. “There’s a reason why I wanted to have my next opera in this city. While the capital is more grand, this city holds more meaning to me than every other city of Ionia.” He pressed his lips against Sona’s cold cheek. “Because it’s where I met you.”

Without a word, Sona began to play the tune of their first performance together. It was the song she made in their time in the grove and performed at the capital several years ago. Letting her magic spill from her fingers onto the strings, Sona watched the fallen petals dance to the rhythm of her song around them.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and watched in awe. This song held something special to them both. It simply reminded them of the times they sat in the clearing listening to Sona’s music and talk to each other with a growing comfort between them. To others, it may not have been the most memorable. But to them, it was everything. Everything that lead up to this moment.

The music stopped, and the petals that were dancing in the air now gently floated back down. Jhin chuckled as he brushed loose petals out of Sona’s hair. “Have I ever told you why I like roses so much?”

Sona tilted her head in curiosity. “No, you haven’t.”

“Roses make everything beautiful, whether the petals are sprinkled on a stage or a whole bouquet adorning a display. Not even the morning dew can tarnish it. But you must take good care of a rose, or it will wilt. I like the precise and dedicated care so that it will eventually bloom with a beauty that can’t be compared.” He gazed into Sona’s eyes with bliss bubbling inside him like butterflies.

“Am I supposed to be the ‘rose your heart desires’?” Sona teased.

Jhin huffed in laughter. “Oh yes, but it’s much more than that.”

“Then what?”

“Everything we’ve done up until now, starting from this grove to the finale at the capital city and now to this… It just reminds me of the very reason why I like roses.” He embraced Sona from behind and watched the sunrise together with her. “My heart will always bloom for you…”

“And my heart will always bloom for you…”

Like a rose.

A/N: NOW we're at the end of this story! I thank you all for reading the story I wrote (out of spite, originally, but then it took over my life), and I don't know how to express the gratitude I feel towards the positive feedback for this! I appreciate each and every comment--even the “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME”--I received thus far, as it only motivated me to keep writing and see where it takes me.

However, I cannot thank my best friend @bekkodraws / @bekkomi enough for supporting me through a rough patch and then helping me write this story as I gained my motivation and inspiration back to draw and write again. I honestly couldn't have gone through with this story without her and her dragging me into the abyss that is JhinSona-- Love ya, my dude!

Anyways! Thank you all so much for sticking by this story! I hope you enjoyed the fluffy ride ;)

My next work for JhinSona will be a series of drabbles, so please look forward to it! It contains drabbles of different AUs (including original universe, of course) but all centered on one theme. I hope you will enjoy my next work! Thank you so much for being a part of this experience! <3

[theheartsmistakes]

The Last Night Part XVIII

(A/N at the end)

Parts I-XVII:

Here is Part I

Here is Part II

Here is Part III

Here is Part IV

Here is Part V

Here is Part VI

Here is Part VII

Here is Part VIII

Here is Part IX

Here is Part X

Here is Part XI

Here is Part XII

Part XIII

Part XIV

Part XV

Part XVI

Part XVII

.XVIII.

“Oh for Raziel’s sake,” said Cordelia to James, both of them out of breath after escaping out of the Institute’s staff quarters to avoid a run in with any number of visitors coming and going out of the Institute. James led Cordelia into the back gardens; through the thick overgrown hedges to the back of the barn where the rumbling and sputtering of an automobile sat spilling out black smoke from a pipe behind one of the four wheels. Lucie stood with her fists planted on her hips while Matthew lay half inside of the exposed engine that reminded Cordelia of the inside of a clock with a number of gears and parts moving at once to give the machine life. Cordelia brushed some leaves from her hair and said, “He really does have an automobile.”

James grinned with a smudge of dirt across his cheek. “What did you expect?”

“In all honesty, I’m not sure what I expected,” said Cordelia, just as the car omitted another wheezing cough and cloud of black smoke. “Is it safe?”

“Most of the time.” James raised a dark eyebrow.

Cordelia was not reassured. “What does it run on?”

“Matthew’s sheer will and determination, apparently,” said James and started towards the car again. He looked behind them to be sure no one had seen or followed. The last thing Cordelia’s mother needed was to see her injured daughter climb into an unreliable, unbelievably loud automobile after being in a magically induced coma for the past week healing from demon poisoning— amongst other things she could not remember— with the man she’d ruined her reputation for. She recalled the hope in her mother’s eyes at seeing James and her standing together in the sitting room, even if Lucie and Matthew were not far away. And after seeing James’s wrists free of Grace’s bracelet, she couldn’t deny the small, however incessant, pang in her chest that admitted she might harbor some hope herself. He hadn’t made any admissions of his affections for her that lead beyond friendship and camaraderie, but unless she was terribly mistaken, there had been a look in his eyes when he walked into the Institute and found her standing there with Lucie that went beyond relief.

But she’d been so very wrong before. Perhaps Grace asked for the bracelet back again after the incident in her bedroom. It was entirely a possibility; one that made Cordelia burn red. If that was the case, she possessed half the mind to find Grace Blackthorn and hit her over the head with a flower vase for not seeing what stood in front of her, offering his love and devotion freely, while she toyed with his emotions like a petulant child unable to make a decision at an ice cream parlor.

She turned to James just as a lofty wind picked up and blew the thick tendrils of dark hair away from his face. She recalled what it felt like to run her fingers through his hair, the texture like fine silk and color deeper than onyx. The smell of sandalwood and fighting leather gripped her senses. How she ever thought leaving London would erase or ease her feelings for James Herondale, she wasn’t sure. It would take so much more than time and distance to eradicate him from her mind.

“Brave Cordelia,” teased James with a smirk. “Are you afraid of an automobile?”

“I was not aware I gave the impression of being afraid,” said Cordelia, adjusting her stance.

“You have a look.”

“A look?” She scoffed. “I’m a lady. We have a plethora of looks that could mean a number of things, all at once, and have nothing to do with what we appear to be looking at at the moment.”

James’s grin softened. “What are you thinking about then? If not the tragic death of four Shadowhunters that have met their end in a fiery accident. If it’s not too bold of me to ask.”

“It is,” said Cordelia, but smiled despite herself for James knew she didn’t concern herself with the proper and improper rules of society. Much to her mother’s chagrin, she’d always led herself with more sensibility than sense.

“You must forgive me then,” said James. “I will keep my assumptions of what a lady thinks to myself.”

“But you so often get it wrong!” laughed Cordelia. “However will you survive in society?”

“I have Matthew to guide me,” he said, just as Matthew released a string of profanity inside the engine of the car; several of which insulted the integrity of his mother. James grimaced. “That was incredibly poor timing.”

“Or was it perfect timing?” Cordelia nudged him with her shoulder. “It is a wonder you two have survived this long.”

She felt James look over at her, but kept her attention on Lucie as her friend climbed behind the wheel of the automobile and grumbled while following Matthew’s instructions on which pedal to press and release with her foot and how to move the long gear shift. She reminded Cordelia of one of the suffragettes that her mother both despised and admired on the covers of the mundane news articles. Women dressed in trousers riding around on bicycles and learning to drive automobiles.

“What of the children?” cried Sona as she threw the article in the trash.

Do they not have fathers? wondered Cordelia to herself, but did not dare upset her mother further or she’d risk having her entire day ruined with a lesson on proper, respectable women in society— even Shadowhunter society. One could come home covered head to toe in demon ichor, but to sit on a bicycle or drive an automobile was entirely out of the question.

“You’ll have to assist me then,” said James. “Lest my assumptions continue to be incorrect.”

“I have no doubts that they will,” said Cordelia just as the car lurched forward with Matthew still half inside. Lucie screamed, but managed to stop the car again, which sent Matthew’s dangling legs into the air.

“Are you trying to kill me?” He yelled as his pale head of hair emerged from the car’s engine.

“We’d better go,” said James.

Cordelia agreed. “It would appear so.”

“The beast moved, did it not,” said Lucie, her grip white around the steering wheel. “Was that not the objective?”

“Not while head first in the engine,” said Matthew as he combed sweat and hair away from his face and walked around to the driver’s side of the car. “Slide over before you damage him beyond repair.”

“Him?” said Cordelia as she and James approached the squabbling pair. “I know ships are usually given the pronoun she. Is this not a type of ship?”

“Cordelia meet Algernon,” said Matthew as he adjusted his driver’s gloves.

“Algernon,” said Cordelia and looked to James. “As in?”

“Do not get him started,” said James as he climbed onto the bench behind the driver’s side and made room for Cordelia beside him.

“Where to?” asked Lucie. “Do make it someplace sweet, Matthew, not the local pub.”

“I know a place,” said Matthew and cleaned a smudge off the glass shield in front of him with his elbow. “Everyone set? Cordelia, are you comfortable?”

While the plush leather seats were rather comfortable, she suspected that was not what he meant. “Let us finally settle the debate of which is the better form of travel.”

“Hold tight to your coronet’s, ladies,” said Matthew as he forced the stubborn gear shift down and pressed his foot to a pedal. The car lurched forward sending Cordelia gripping the front bench with her hand. James sequentially did the same when his hand covered the top of hers. He didn’t remove it right away, whether to give off the impression that he had done it on purpose or because he simply didn’t want to, Cordelia wasn’t sure, but she found herself glad for it.  

Matthew drove them through the city until the buildings and cobblestone roads transformed into countryside with rolling green hills and tiny cottages with smoke drifting out of the chimneys and acres of sheep that would bleat and scatter whenever the car would cough. Cordelia watched out the window as the landscape changed again and she could see the faint blue line of the ocean in the distance.

“What do you think?” James leaned into her, his mouth brushed against the crown of her ear so that she could hear him over the sound of the engine and the wind. The small touch sent goose flesh across her shoulders down her arms.

“It’s really not so different from a carriage,” said Cordelia, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. “It does seem to be a bit of a faster form of travel and more efficient than readying horses and carriage.” They hit a bump in the rough dirt road that shot Cordelia into the air and back onto the bench nearly careening into James that had her clutching her still tender ribs.

James took notice of this and pulled himself forward from the bench in front of him to tell Matthew to slow down.

“Don’t worry yourself,” said Cordelia, still clutching her waist and bursting in a fit of laughter. “I’m fine. Honest.”

“Your brother will both have my head if I don’t return you in better form than when we left,” said James as the car shifted to a slower gear.

“Are you afraid of my brother?” laughed Cordelia. “He has a bad leg now, so I’m sure you can take him on. Besides, it’s my mother you should be worried about. I can manage Alastair, but my mother will have both of our heads if I return injured.”

“Your mother adores me,” said James, as he rested his arm on the back of the bench behind Cordelia and turned on his hip so he could face her.

“Quite confident of that, aren’t you?” said Cordelia, aware of each time the car jostled her shoulder into James’s chest. “Oh, but she wait until she learns the truth.”

Cordelia meant it to be teasing and hadn’t thought about the implications of her statement before she said it, but it didn’t take long after when James removed his arm from behind Cordelia and turned to face forward again. His expression turned solemn and thoughtful as he looked to the horizon where the sky and the sea split in two different shades of blue in a clean even brush stroke.

It took her a moment to realize what had caused him to withdraw and felt instantly dreadful. “James,” she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“It is still I who should be apologizing to you, Cordelia,” said James, and his eyes met hers with a sincerity that stole her breath and made her want to look away. “What I did— there is no excuse or explanation—“

“You needn’t say anything else,” said Cordelia, holding his gaze. “It is forgiven.”

Matthew parked the car on the side of the road as close to the shore as he could manage without getting the wheels stuck in the sand, but they still had quite a ways to walk to get to the water.

James offered Cordelia his hand as she exited the car and then his arm as they trudged up the sand dunes and through the thin bursts of green shrubs towards the sound of the waves breaking against the shore. Noisy seabirds squabbled on the breeze around them. Lucie and Matthew walked a ways ahead; a blue diamond shaped kite with a white ribbon tail flew over Lucie’s shoulder as she walked.

Cordelia held tight to James’s arm as she managed to uneven terrain in impractical shoes. She wished she had her training boots on rather than the laced boots her mother chose for her. His hand rested on his stomach, drawing her attention back to the vacancy of his wrist.

It seemed a personal thing to inquire, but she’d told him a bit of her truth in the weapon’s room, but he hadn’t had the chance to tell her his.

“It’s not my business to ask,” said Cordelia, gathering her courage. “But what happened between you and Grace? You’re no longer wearing her bracelet.”

James looked down at his bare wrist. “You noticed that, did you?”

She nodded. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I understand.”

“The water is just over this way,” yelled Lucie over her shoulder from the top of a sand dune. Pieces of her hair came loose and floated around her face in the breeze. “Oh, it’s absolutely beautiful, Cordelia. You’ll love it.”

James started up the hill, helping Cordelia along the way, except when both of their feet sunk into the sand. “It occurred to me that night, after you left, that I couldn’t wear the bracelet with the same intentions as I had done before.” He climbed up a few feet and turned around to offer Cordelia his hands. She took them and let him pull her up until she was beside him.

“When I left you were still madly in love with Grace Blackthorn,” said Cordelia, careful to watch her footing and not look at James.

“Possibly,” said James, “but she was not in love with me. I’m not even sure that she liked me to be honest.”

“Impossible,” said Cordelia, helping James this time as they both approached the top of the dune. “You’re very likable.”

James grinned. “I’m pleased you think so.”

They reached the top of the dune. Cordelia looked out at the endless miles of water and Lucie ran down the beach with the kite behind her while Matthew held the line; their shoes abandoned on the dry sand. Cordelia took a deep breath of the salted air.

The last time she’d seen the ocean she was just a young girl on one of their family trips to London. Her mother never did care for the sand everywhere and the wind, but her father loved the ocean. He loved it so much in fact that whenever they had the chance to go, he’d bring along a bijou glass vial and fill it to the cork stopper with sand and water to take back with them as a souvenir. He had all kinds of souvenirs like those glass vials in his office at their home and a story for each one. She never understood why until now. Some moments needed more than just a memory to remember them by. Some moments needed a tangible thing so that one can look at it and be instantly teleported back.

“So you removed the bracelet? Why?” Cordelia asked, her eyes locked on the kite that Lucie managed to finally get airborne. She felt James’s gaze on her, but willed herself to not return the look in fear that it would reveal something of herself that she was not yet ready or willing to reveal to James— not until she knew more.

How she wished she could reach into his mind, to know his innermost thoughts. It seemed an awfully violation of one’s privacy that she wouldn’t want to inflict upon anyone, but even now James kept the truth tucked away.

Before James could answer, Matthew appeared beside them. His mane of wild golden hair, usually perfectly coiffed was now wind thrown away from his face. His cheeks were bright pink with the crisp wind and bits of sand stuck to his skin like freckles.

“You should come fly the kite with us” said Matthew. “The water is bloody freezing, but you grow accustomed to it after a few minutes. Lucie is trying to manipulate me into looking for seashells.”

“James was just telling me about the bracelet,” said Cordelia.

“Oh that wretched cursed thing,” said Matthew. “Can you believe it, Cordelia? The entire time it was the bracelet forcing James to be in love with Grace through some kind of spell. Bloody brilliant that you’re finally rid of it.”

James grimaced as Cordelia gasped. “I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”

Matthew looked between the two of them, and promptly turned forward again, dusted the sand from his trousers and pointed at Lucie. “I’m just going to see if Lucie needs help with the kite. It can be quite temperamental, and she has such delicate hands.”

James began to explain, but Cordelia already started down the side of the dune towards the beach. Careful not to jostle her tender ribs too much as she slid down the loose sand. James said her name, but she was too angry to stop and listen. And how was she to know if he were telling her the truth anyway or just some version of it that he manipulated to be suitable. And why, after everything Grace had done would he still be lying to protect her?  

She resisted the urge to pick up a handful of sand and throw it at him.  

On the beach, his hand encased her arm, slowing her enough that he could get in front of her. “Please, let me explain.”

Cordelia crossed her arms across her chest. “How will I know you’re telling me the truth or just some lie you’ve conjured to protect her?”

“I wasn’t trying to protect her,” said James with a desperation unlike himself.

Cordelia scoffed and made a feeble attempt to move around him. But James was too fast. He side stepped back into her path and moved a step closer. “I was protecting myself. When you left that night, I wanted to rip that bracelet off of my wrist and throw it into the fire. I wanted to run after you and beg you to stay. But I was still blindly in love with Grace and I didn’t want to hurt you anymore than I already had. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be in love with two people. I still don’t. And I thought I was being selfish asking you to stay, but I think internally my head and my heart were battling Grace’s spell. Fighting to reveal the truth to me, but I wasn’t strong enough to take it off myself. I wasn’t strong enough to go after you. And I will forever be ashamed of that, Cordelia, I will never forgive myself for the pain I caused you. I didn’t want the bracelet to be just an excuse for what I’d done. I wanted to earn your forgiveness myself. Instead, I just seem to keep making a mess of things.”

The shadow of a smile lifted Cordelia’s mouth. “It truly is a wonder that you have survived this long.”

James took a step closer. “I meant what I said that night you left… I don’t want to lose you. Now that I have you back, I am trying to do everything I can to convince you to stay.”

The wind had moved the clouds back in, blocking the warmth of the sun, and the first drops of rain fell around and on them. Yet a warmth filled Cordelia as his words registered in her mind. He wanted her to stay. He was no longer tied to Grace Blackthorn and he wanted her to stay.

“Cordelia! James!” Lucie cried from up the beach. “Come on! Mathew won’t let us get into his car wet!”

Cordelia looked from Lucie back to James. She closed the space between them, her hands braced against his chest as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. His skin was warm against her lips and she felt him stiffen and shutter underneath her palms. The rain on his skin brought out the scent of sandalwood and his fighting leathers.

His hands held her waist.  

“Thank you,” she said. James’s cheeks had colored. “For being honest with me about everything. I would very much like to stay and help defeat Belial in whatever way that I can.”

“And after?”

“In the event that we survive and he does not successfully possess… anyone,” Cordelia shrugged. “Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it.”

The sky seemed to open up around them, pouring down rain and shaking the ground with a distant thunder.

James opened his jacket with the audible snap of buckles. He swung it over his head and moved to invite Cordelia underneath with him as they ran back to the car where Matthew and Lucie were waiting with the cloth hood pulled up.

The rain followed them back into London. The inside of the car filled with laughter and conversation and song from Matthew who seemed to only remember a fraction of the lyrics in which James would help guide him back onto the right track. Cordelia’s cheeks and ribs hurt from the incessant laughter as the automobile wheezed and coughed into the back of the Institute.

Lucie ran in first, her boots splashing through the mud and puddles before she disappeared through the staff entrance door.

James exited the vehicle before Cordelia and held his jacket over her head. They both said their goodbyes to Matthew and ran through the downpour towards the house, James’s jacket doing little to stop them both from being drenched.

Once safely out of the way of the automobile, Matthew drove away into the night. They reached the small porch outside the entrance door but before they went inside Cordelia asked the question that had been bothering her since his confession on the beach.

“Why?” She asked, even though she’d thoroughly convinced herself of the answer, she wanted to hear it from him.

Rain drops slid down his face and coated his thick, dark eyelashes together. His eyes narrowed at her sudden outburst. “Why what?”

“Why do you want me to stay?” Her breath swirled around them in the cold, London night. She began to shake from the cold. “And if you tell me it’s because you feel guilty and have this great need to repay some favor to my family, I—”

James closed the diminutive space between them.

His mouth touched hers. A small tender kiss to start. Then another kiss, a little higher up. She stilled from her shaking. He pressed another kiss near her jaw while her fingers slid down to his chest to feel his heart pounding against his leathers.

She scooted closer to him until they were pressed against each other as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between her lips and twining it with hers. The taste of him... she moaned. In response to her, he immediately wrapped his arms around her, pressing her fully against him.

Cordelia slid her hands over his shoulders and up into his hair and tugged on it. He gave a low groan of approval and his tongue pushed back, pressing into her mouth and plundering it. His hands began to slide over her curves, caressing them possessively.

Cordelia could feel her heart begin pounding and gasped against his mouth as he continued to kiss her. He nipped at her lips. She felt...golden. She’d been longing for him for so many months. Dreaming of kissing him again. She never let herself believe that it could actually be real.

A flood of light covered them both as the door was wretched open.

Cordelia, still enveloped in James’s arms, turned and blinked in confusion at the silhouette standing in the doorway.

“I’ll kindly advise you to step away from my sister,” said Alastair with disdain and reached out to pull Cordelia inside.

(A/N: Good evening! It is 11:30pm, so as long as I post in the next half hour, I will have met my deadline. I am sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it. I had a ton of fun on this chapter. Especially the second half when things get a little bit spicy. I hope you guys enjoy reading it. As always please give it some love, reblog for others to read, and comments are always read and appreciated. Please be safe out there, stay healthy, and I’ll see you all 10/18 for the next update. It’s 11:45, I made it!)