#riddle’s mother

[windblume-wishes]

Game of Thorns - A Twisted Wonderland Story

Every rose has its thorns, and with every stab one will bleed bright crimson from that thorns very touch. Riddle is no different, he is a rose with many thorns, but who's not to say even the rose himself will be stabbed brutally with his own protective thorns.

Chapter 4: Learning to Love Yourself

When Riddle awoke the next morning he looked about to see he was all alone in the infirmary, his private room completely devoid of his parents and all that remained was him and a few of his belongings. He remembered that the headmaster told his parents that they could stay in the nearby hotel in Port Town as the private infirmary room was a bit tight to hold three people for the nights they were to stay. Riddle looked to the nightstand and noticed a note written by his mother that was being held in the plush paws of his bunny Alice.

Picking up the letter, he silently read it;

Good morning, Riddle,

By the time you read this we, your father and I will be taking our rest in the Oceanview Hotel in town. I hope our absence will not put you into any discomfort, however, if it does, we are a phone call away- that is why we allowed you a cell phone remember? You are a brilliant boy so I assume you already know that, seeing as you are our son and you inherited our brilliance naturally.

Before we left, the nurse informed us that you are doing splendidly and will make a swift recovery in due time, you are still expected to study and work hard even in recovery though! But, please rest and try not to strain yourself. Also, a young lad named Deuce came by the infirmary with your books so I placed them atop the table under the window.

The nurse also provided you with a counseling session schedule, that can be found with your books- honestly, such a thing being handed to you should be seen as an insult! But, as a medical professional I should look at this as an opportunity for you, an opportunity for you to grow mentally. Mental growth will help you tremendously with your education and life so do take this as a learning opportunity.

Lastly, I was informed that this plush “friend” of yours is named Alice, charming when considering that is your Great, Great, Grandmother’s name. I entrusted this letter to her, your rabbit friend, so I hope this letter finds you well. I know this may come as a surprise to you, son, but I too had a beloved plush rabbit- mine was named Mary-Ann after one of the rabbits in grandmother Alice’s tale. I’m sure she’s tucked away somewhere safely in the basement.

Please don’t hesitate to call your father and I if you need us, Riddle.

Love,

Mum

Riddle placed the letter on his lap, tears flowing from his pale eyes as he reached for his bunny, hugging her to his chest and allowing himself to cry freely as he read the ending over and over. “Love, Mum” spoke volumes to him- did that truly mean that he was loved? genuinely loved and appreciated by his mother?

‘Tell me, mother, am I genuinely loved or am I simply a trophy child that you wish to display? I do not know anymore… please, mummy… tell me, tell me that I am REALLY loved and not just a porcelain doll atop a shelf…’

Riddle pushed himself against his headboard, shifting his knees so his head could rest atop them, Alice Bunny still pressed against his chest as he sobbed heavily into her soft plush head. Everything hurt, his heart ached and throbbed like he was being squeezed and stabbed by harsh and unforgiving thorns. He felt like his tears were no longer tears of salt water but of blood, the swelling under his eyes and atop his cheeks were from poisonous thorns and not from his tears. Riddle, despite his mother’s letter and unusually kind words. His sobs, while loud, were surprised by the toy’s plush body, however, some sound did emerge and was heard by the last person Riddle thought he’d see.

A knock sounded at the door but through his cries, Riddle did not hear the knocking thus leaving the individual to enter on their own. Riddle looked up the second the door opened, trying to hide his crying by quickly drying his eyes- the sight of the fearsome Heartslabyul Housewarden wailing like an infant would not be a good look to continue sporting. Riddle then remembered that he had his bunny with him, he then attempted to hide her under the covers but without him realizing it, her floppy ear hung out.

“Riddle?” Came Vil’s smooth voice laced heavily with concern, allowing himself into the room and taking a seat on the chair by the bed. “No need to hide the tears, I already know and completely understand. Your tears, while causing your poor skin to puff, are completely valid given your circumstances.”

“V-Vil, I’m sorry you must see me l-like this…” Riddle hiccuped, still drying his eyes with his nightgown’s sleeve. “W-what brings you here…?”

Sighing with a small smile, Vil took out a clean handkerchief and began to lightly wipe away Riddle’s tears. “You missed a housewarden meeting, that’s all, and before you go into a tangent as to why it’s utterly unacceptable to miss an important meeting Trey already informed me of your situation and word travels fast in this school so I knew. Your health should come first and thus I made certain that I come here immediately after the meeting to see how you are doing as well as hand you the information from the meeting.”

Riddle sniffled and nodded, his hand unconsciously grabbing his bunny’s plush paw in an attempt of comfort and to prevent him from bawling in front of Vil, his senior.

“Riddle, come now, I can see you are a rather poor actor at trying to hide your need to cry, you need not keep all that bottled up- you have gone through, to put it frankly, hell.” Vil reached forward, placing his hands atop Riddle’s shoulders, gripping them firmly. “There is no putting it lightly, you went through something so traumatic that it clearly shook you to your core. Let it out. I cannot begin to tell you how awful bottling up your emotions is for your skin! The stress alone will cause a young, bright, and definitely attractive face like yours to wrinkle and sag! So let everything out.”

Vil then reached down, carefully pulling the plush rabbit out from where Riddle attempted to hide her but failed to and handed her to his underclassman. Riddle blushed the second Vil held up Alice, mortified that now Vil knew of his plush friend. Vil only chuckled softly as he handed the small Housewarden the plush, earning a small huff from the younger.

“You do not need to be so embarrassed, I see many in my dorm with plush creatures of their own. I have a few myself, you know. Now, let’s get those emotions out before we move onto some skincare, hm?”

Riddle nodded, bringing Alice Bunny closer, burying his face into her fluff and sobbing violently. His body wracked with his sobs, stunning Vil at the utter intensity. Vil figured that he had pent up emotions but never imagined something so intense, as if on instinct, Vil reached forward and pulled Riddle into a hug. Whispering comforts and encouraging words with gentle rubs on his fragile back as he shook.

Vil felt it immediately, Riddle was dramatically thin, he could feel bone- something was beyond wrong and Vil felt that asking the younger boy what was truly happening would be a terrible idea given how unstable he was. One wrong move and he would likely shatter like glass hitting pavement.

‘Riddle, what the devil has happened to you?! This… I can feel your bones, you are lacking muscle- just what has happened?! Riddle Rosehearts, the young man who follows rules and routines to absolute perfection neglecting his health for whatever reason this is?! Preposterous! I may not know much about him, but I know who to ask if Riddle is too shy to speak up… Clover, you best tell me everything so I might offer my assistance in nutrition!’

Riddle calmed down after an hour, swollen and clearly exhausted from his cries. Vil never once let go until Riddle had regained his breath and at least took a few sips of water for his strained throat.

“Feel better now?” Vil whispered softly, helping Riddle sit up on his bed. The younger nodded with a small hiccup, staring down at his feet in what seemed to be embarrassment. “Good, now I want you to quickly take a warm bath- but not too quickly, you need to make sure you are properly washed so you feel fresh and clean. Once done I will help you with your skincare. Do not try and weasel your way out of this, Rosehearts, you need a personal care day.”

Riddle stood up, took a neatly folded oversized nightshirt and underwear, making his way into the bathroom to freshen up. He slid off the nightshirt and stared at himself in the mirror. Skin and bone, scarred, battered and bruised… gaping holes from thorns with blood oozing from their puncture wounds. He saw a pool of crimson at his feet, soaking his petite toes and covering the floor of the bathroom.

Battered and bruised.

Tattered and torn.

Bloody and beaten.

Unclean and unsightly…

Broken….

Riddle felt sick, he clutched his hand over his mouth and fell to his knees with a thud, gasping for air as he felt his vision go black, body to ice, and sickness flooding over him.

Oh sevens, he was going to be ill…

A knock on the door sounded, Vil must have heard everything and was getting worried. Leaving Riddle with no time to get up and regain his composure, Vil bursted in and bent down to the height of the smaller housewarden.

“Riddle?! What happened?! Oh sevens look at you! Do you need me to contact someone?! Get a doctor in here?!”

Riddle stared up at the elder and shook his head. “N-no… I’m fine… I just… I just slipped. Clumsy me…”

Vil clearly could see through his lies and helped the younger boy up, steadying him and leading him to sit atop the bench against the wall.

“No, you are clearly not fine so do not dare lie to me, Riddle Rosehearts. I understand you have been through plenty as it is and you are uneasy but you are in no condition to be alone. Do not dare tell me you simply slipped, I heard everything.” Vil firmly gripped Riddle’s shoulders, staring into his eyes with a stare that clearly meant not to test him. “Now, I will stay right here with you so you do not injure yourself further. Besides, I need you better as I miss your presence in our Housewarden meetings. You seem to be the only sane one in the room half the time.”

Riddle was too stunned to speak, he could only nod in reply. Vil smiled warmly, accepting that nod as a satisfactory reply, he stood up and turned the bathtub water on, adding bath salts known for calming effects and soothing skin as well as bath oils to ease tension.

“Now, I added bath salts of eucalyptus and spearmint, they have calming effects to the body and the mind as well as eucalyptus oils to the bath so you can let that soak into your skin. Both are from Felicity Cosmetics, a brand I trust fully so you needn’t worry about quality.”

“M-Mummy- I mean mother used to use that when I got sick… it smelled nice…” Riddle mumbled with a smile, remembering that was the one time his mother genuinely retracted her thorns and cared for him and loved him. Though she never rocked him in her arms when he was ill or sung to him, all he needed was her gentle hands caressing his face and hair as he sat in the bathtub trying to bring his fever down.

“Then your mother has a great taste for bath salts and oils, the same brand I suspect?” Riddle nodded with a smile. “Thought so, brilliant woman indeed.”

“Mum is a skilled doctor back home, best in town in fact, she always recommends this brand when children or even adults get seasonal colds and flus…. She always says that for a swift recovery mint and eucalyptus will be your best bet.” Taking the rest of his clothes off he carefully stepped into the bathtub and let himself relax. “She was right, it always feels great and smells lovely…”

Pouring a bit of the matching shampoo into his hands, Vil began to work on Riddle’s hair, making sure to get everywhere. “In that case, I will leave you with this set here, new set from my personal stash so no need to pay me back- only payment I require from you is perhaps a visit to Heartslabyul for tea as it is no secret your dorm has the best tea in the school.”

Riddle laughed a bit, it was indeed true that his dorm had the finest tea in the school- much of it coming directly from the Queendom of Roses which was known for its tea culture. The dorm’s students all had a loving for tea whether it be hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened, infused with fruit or not- it was always there and ready for any occasion.

“Indeed, I dare say Trey prepares tea the best out of everyone in the dorm- you have been over before, I’m sure you have sampled his Shamrock Isle blend which is known for its strength yet exquisite taste, yes?”

Vil nodded, remembering how delicious that tea was and how it was likely enough to cause a new addiction if not careful. “That I have, strong, yes, but it was definitely a good tea. Trey tells me you fancy milk teas and the occasional Earl Grey, yes?”

‘Earl Grey… yes, when was the last time I had that?’ Riddle thought to himself, ‘When I get better, perhaps I can ask Trey to brew make some for the make-up unbirthday party’

“Yes, I do quite fancy those teas, though, I am open to more options to broaden my palate.” Riddle let out a soft chuckle, practically melting from Vil’s soothing hands tending to his hair. “Have you any suggestions in terms of tea, Vil?”

Vil thought for a moment, he based what tea he would drink on specific health benefits and occasions. Chamomile and lavender fit sleep perfectly, mint was best for focusing on studying and calming nerves, hibiscus was excellent for the heart, and ginger was for illness. Basing tea flavours and types was crucial to him as it had to fit the occasion and fill a specific role.

“Hmm, well I suppose if you are unwell, ginger tea is the best solution- post workout, cardio to be exact, do hibiscus tea…” Vil replied with a slight shrug, “I can already imagine you drinking a warm cup of chamomile before bed so I suppose you do not need that as a suggestion.”

Riddle nodded, taking mental notes to every bit of Vil’s words. If Vil Schoenheit himself recommended a specific product, diet, or even brand, it usually was a perfect choice and received incredible results and praises from many.

“I would also recommend apple tea for lowering cholesterol levels. It contains high amounts of magnesium, potassium, vitamin C and sodium, all of which can help build strong bones- which you need after this ordeal.” Riddle nodded in reply, bending forward to allow Vil to pour water over his head and rinse out all the shampoo and conditioner remnants.

‘Drink tea based on health… As much as he sounds like my mother I know he is right. Vil’s students are always in incredible health and shape thanks to his dedication to nutrition- perhaps listening to him will do me good…’

Riddle let out a sleepy yawn, the scents of the bath salts, oils, and hair products began to make him sleepy, the warm water wrapped around his beaten and tired body cradled him, inviting him to sleep. He knew he had to keep awake for a bit longer, he wished to soak in as much of this experience as possible. It was not every day one could be pampered and cared for so tenderly by the Vil Schoenheit.

“Oh~? Falling asleep on me, Rosehearts? Fufufu~ come now, if this is making you sleepy then it looks like my hard work is paying off.”

“N-no actually I was merely yawning!” Riddle let out a sleepy pout, failing to hide everything miserably as his acting skills were rather poor.

Rolling his eyes, Vil sighed and helped Riddle out of the bath and into a soft, fluffy towel. “Denial will not get you anywhere, your acting skills need work, you know?”

“I- You! Hmph! I suppose I should get some rest… but only after a face mask…” Riddle sighed, letting out another yawn as he buttoned up his oversized nightshirt. “I will admit, I never imagined you of all people would help me out during this ordeal, Vil.”

Vil looked up from folding the towel and smiled understandingly, “Of course I would help you out, when I heard about what happened I knew I had to offer assistance somehow. I even spoke with Trey as you know, he even asked if I could help you in recovery as he knows that I have a few tricks up my sleeves.”

Vil hung the towel up and sighed, facing Riddle with a face that clearly meant worry. “And because I was worried about you, it may come as a surprise to you but everyone in the Housewarden meeting today expressed worry for you. Even Leona, who let’s face it, rarely ever cares for anyone but himself. While Malleus was not in attendance as per usual, Lilia offered his own assistance if ever needed. Malleus spoke with Trey and myself and offered to grant you a blessing of good health if you need it.”

‘I worried people…? Night Raven College is notorious for having people who only care about themselves and a specific quality that the Mirror of Darkness desires… I have caused a lot of trouble… Tell me mummy, what rule is there to make all this go away…? To make everyone know I am sorry?’

“I-I’m… I’m s-sorry! I-I did not mean to cause t-trouble!” Riddle let out some small sobs, trying his hardest to stop them, using his sleeve to wipe them away. “I caused so much t-trouble… I just want all this pain to g-go away!”

Vil bent down and hugged Riddle tight, not daring to let him go. He needed to know he was not alone, that no one was going to hurt him, that no thorns were to stab his flesh.

“Riddle, let’s pause the skincare routine for now, I think it is best you get some sleep. Remember that you are not a burden, that you are important, and that you need not care about troubling anyone. Just put your health first. Mental and physical. If you need someone to talk to I’m here, so are Trey and Cater. I do not know the full reason for your Overblot but whatever it was had to have been rough, so definitely take some time to focus on you.”

Vil pulled away from Riddle and led him to his bed, noticing how Riddle was barely responding to his words as his eyes dropped and his normally proud steps became sleepy shuffles on the wooden floor. The elder boy chuckled softly, helping the younger into bed and tucking him in. Immediately Riddle fell asleep and his body curled into a loose fetal position as an arm grabbed Alice Bunny out of habit. Vil then grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down a letter to Riddle for when he woke up as well as instructions on skincare.

“Sweet dreams, Riddle… Please regain your strength soon.”

________

Vil exited the room quietly only to come face to face with Mrs. Rosehearts who boasted a rather cranky face. He kept his composure, refusing to let this woman get the better of him and dare to give him attitude.

“Ma’am? Do you need something?” He asked politely, refusing to let his voice be laced with anger or frustration. He played the kind act, not letting his true emotions show.

She glared into his eyes as if to detect any trace of insincerity but was clearly failing against Vil’s world renowned acting skills. “Who are you and just what do you think you are going near my son?!”

“Firstly, I am Vil Schoenheit, Pomefiore Housewarden and third year. Secondly, I was simply paying him a visit. As his senior and fellow housewarden I took the opportunity to see how his recovery was and offer my assistance in skincare and healing techniques.” Vil replied smoothly and calmly.

Cora sighed, allowing her guard to be down seeing as the young man had no ill intent towards her son. “I see, I expect you used eucalyptus and spearmint for his bath and possibly lotion? I can smell its calming scent from you so I assume you used such.”

Vil nodded, impressed by the woman’s straightforwardness and attentiveness. “Indeed, I used the very bath salts and oils you used, Riddle confirmed the brand was the very one you recommend to your patients. I must say, to hear you recommend Felicity Cosmetics was quite the interesting information.”

Cora huffed with a smirk, the very smirk her son would give when he felt cocky or proud of himself. A smirk all at Night Raven knew well because of the amount of times the crimson haired Housewarden flashed it after taking the head of an imbecile rule breaker.

“Oh? Well I suppose one in my position can only recommend the beat of the best. I would not want my patients to have anything less than top notch quality of product to ensure health and wellness. Health is of the highest priority, I’m sure one in your profession can understand, Mr. Schoenheit.” She stated as a matter of factly, adding a small huff at the end as if to emphasize her point.

“Crystal clear, ma’am. I know health and beauty go hand in hand.”

“Indeed, good day to you, Mr. Schoenheit… and thank you for looking after my son…”

Before Vil could reply she was already in the bedroom likely sitting at her boy’s side as he slept. He stood there for a second and listened to her mumbling softly to a sleeping Riddle.

“I almost lost you once, I cannot lose you again…”

Vil shuddered at those words as he walked off, knowing he had to speak with Trey immediately over what he just heard.

��Clover, I believe it is time you and I had a long conversation about Riddle… this whole situation has me sick to my stomach with worry…’

[cheekinpermission]

Riddle Rosehearts does not approve of potty mouths >:(

You're here! | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | Pt. 6 | Final

[tarta-tart]

:(((((

[starry-bi-sky]

finally giving fem danyal her own au and fulfilling my 'danny is an animal whisperer' agenda at the same time: mother of monsters danyal 2.0

i say "2.0" because TECHNICALLY 'mother of monsters danyal' is an au I made back in June for Dark fem!Danyal (who I promptly named Layal). However, I haven't posted much for her yet, and I like the "mother of monsters" premise too much to leave it only to Layal. Plus Danyal in that au was going to become the mother of monsters anyway, just with significantly less world domination and mass extinction.

'Animal whisperer' Danny has been something I've been thinking about since my latest DP 'wolfpack au' post and it's! So fun to think about, and who no better to assign the idea to than Danyal Al Ghul? Who comes from a family infamously known for their love of animals and nature?

Fem Danyal is just purely self-indulgent. *gestures wildly at her* i just lomvb,,, her,,,, I've only really mentioned her in context of the 'Things in Threes' au/my first Danyal al Ghul au with the facial scar, but she's!!! I love her. She deserves her own au <33

So kill three birds with one stone! Make a post about it.

Anyways, Danny has a large lair. Similar to cult leader danyal, her lair is a giant mountain region resembling nanda parbat with a big temple/palace-like area built into the mountain. It's large, it's overflowing with natural flora, with its own mini-floating islands hovering over some areas, and it's also completely empty.

Danny takes one look at her lair upon first meeting, -- noting that it looked relatively smaller from the outside -- and promptly, with the elegance of an Al Ghul, goes "What the hell??" Because yes, while she does enjoy her own solitude and privacy, this is a bit ridiculous.

For heaven's sake, there's even a massive lake in there! What's she going to do with all this space? Can she make it any smaller? Why is it so big in the first place? This looks borderline like one of the mega-islands!

She finds out later that apparently, the amount of ectoplasm a ghost has can have an effect on the size of their lair. And since she has such a large core, her lair reflects that. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, it's bigger on the inside so it doesn't take up "too much space" on the outside. Don't worry about it too much.

Danyal isn't totally opposed to having such a large lair, she's just... a bit baffled by it. It feels like so much wasted space is all. All this flora and no fauna to enjoy it with. It's practically eerie.

She decorates her temple-palace area, transforming rooms to match her needs as she sees fit. In the center of the inner gardens is a massive tree that she likes to climb, with twisting, winding branches. Sam and Tucker have honorary rooms, even if they can't safely leave the specter speeder for long periods of time, even with proper safety equipment. So does Jazz. Ali (Dani) has one too, but he can actually use that one, and Danny brought him to her lair so he could decorate it himself.

She has a personal garden, but for the most part she lets the flora exist as it is. Too much space to cultivate it en masse anyways.

Skip to a few weeks later, on her next visit to Clockwork. She developed a habit of going to see him semi-regularly just because. She enjoys his wisdom, and he has a lot of stories to tell, and when he's not being the cryptic and esoteric timekeeper, he's a bit goofy.

(pushing my dadwork agenda here,,, i think Danny deserves to go 'hey, Lord Clockwork, do you want me to buy you something' while she's at walmart, only to receive a singular glowing sticky note that says 'cucumber gatorade'.)

(She insists on referring to him with his proper titles even for the most mundane of things because it's proper, but Clockwork sees a future where she eventually calls him "Cee" and by all things in existence is he determined to get there. Anyways,,,)

On her next visit to Clockwork, just as she is about to leave, Clockwork stops her and goes; "Ah, I have something for you. Hold out your hands."

Danny does as such, and Clockwork doesn't give out things often, so her curiosity has spiked to the highest levels. He turns away from her for a moment, using his staff to summon whatever it is he needs, and when he turns around.

He drops a fish into her hands. Granted, a fish in a small glass tank. But a fish nonetheless. A small one, roughly about the size of her finger, with a blue-black, eel-shaped body and four sets of glowing eyes. She can see thin, almost translucent, but spiny fins down its back and the start of bioluminescent markings. It's swimming around in circles in its small container.

"Lord Clockwork." Danyal says all too calmly.

"Yes, Danyal?"

"What is this?"

"That is an adolescent leviathan, Danyal." She’s transfixed onto the tank, but she doesn’t need to see Clockwork’s face to hear the smile he’s stifling.

The myriad of emotions that runs through her all at once threatens to overwhelm her, and she can’t tell if the feelings are negative or positive. So she carefully closes her eyes to breathe in through her nose.

“Clockwork.”

“Ah, I see you’ve dropped formalities.”

She ignores that.

“Why have you given me an adolescent leviathan?”

She's expecting the trickster to look amused when she opens her eyes. Instead, he just looks endeared. "I know you're fond of animals," he says, "and you always look amazed when you come across an animal of the realms. So I thought you might enjoy taking care of the young beast, it's mother is dead so it has no one to care for it."

Oh.

"But, if you don't like it," Clockwork's hands reach out for the tank, "I can simply take it back--"

Danyal shifts the tank out from his reach and hugs it possessively. "I never said that. How do I care for it?"

And so clockwork gives her a list, and when Danyal returns to her lair, she sets up a large tank in her room for the leviathan to swim in -- it's much too small for the lake right now, she thinks. She'll feel better if it's somewhere she can find it. She names him Suhā.

Suhā grows quickly, and by the end of the mortal month she transforms one of the rooms into a large pond for him to swim around in. He's a very loyal beast, recognizing her as it's mother of some kind. Danyal takes great care ensuring that her beastie gets quality care, and Suhā swims to the surface to see her when he senses her in the room.

It spirals from there. Somehow, Pandora catches wind that Clockwork gave her a leviathan, and so the next time Danyal visits the Greater Athens, she gives her a baby chimera. It's eyes are still sealed shut, Danyal can't bring herself to say no. She names the little beastie Firas.

Frostbite hears about it too, and not to be outdone, gives her an animal she's never even heard of. Infinite-realms born, apparently. A fox-like creature with two small horns like an impala, four eyes, and tall legs. The name isn't something she's quite sure how to write down, and she's positive that her friends won't be able to comprehend it. She names her Eira.

Getting the three of them used to each other was... interesting. Suhā tried to eat Firas when Danyal first introduced the two, and they've hated each other ever since. Firas and Eira are seemingly getting along. Her island already feels full enough with the three of them on it.

Of course, that's not the end of it. With her luck, she begins stumbling across other monsters. Realms-borne or otherwise. An injured hydra in the Grecian islands that, through lots of trial and error, Danyal is able to rehabilitate and heal. It routinely comes to visit her afterwards.

A griffin with a broken wing that she moves permanently to the island that likes to keep to itself, but tends to come down when she's near. It gets along best with Firas.

A panther-like monster from the Shades Woods that had six legs and three tails, with ends that reminded her of a venus flytrap. It stuck around the heavy foliage and she can only make out where it was when she saw its golden eyes reflect.

She befriends a young indrik with its leg injured, and much like the hydra it follows her back to her island, and stays there in the mountains. It comes out when she's alone, much like her other beasts.

She receives two more leviathan -- one from clockwork, and one she finds herself while exploring the deeper and darker recesses of the Ghost Zone. It was huddled against the carcass of its mother, and she managed to befriend and get close enough to it to bring it back to her island. Suhā is fully grown by then, with a head bigger than Danyal herself and he still likes to stick her head out of the water for nuzzles when she's near.

He's not very happy with his new siblings, but he's not trying to eat them when she's not looking. So she calls it a win in her book.

And it's not just large beasts either; smaller animals begin popping up when she's not looking. Bird-like creatures and small mammals, and she swears she saw a doe (or something resembling a doe) grazing in the forest while she was walking by.

She takes back with her a lone snake egg once, and it grows so big it wraps around her island and sleeps with its massive head on the mountain beside the temple, like some smaller breed of Jörmungandr.

And on and on it goes. Some of the beasts she comes across never step foot onto her island, some of them follow her back, while others she has to carry back. Not all of the ones that follow her stay, and Danny rehabilitates the injured and releases them when they're fully healed.

It's hectic, and busy, and frankly she loves it. Some of her rehabilitated beasts return to visit her, or to have their children somewhere on the island, or whatever it is they need to do.

She becomes a bit infamous for it. She goes to visit Dorathea once, and as she's walking through the streets she can hear some of the denizens whispering while she walks past.

"Is that her?"

"Her highness' friend? Yes--"

"--that's the one--"

"--Mother of monsters--"

Danny's not sure how to feel about that.

Although, she can't say she's opposed.

Danyal Al Ghul, Mother of monsters, raiser of beasts. It has a nice ring to it.

[probablybadrpgideas]

Swear Words By Fantasy Language

Common: hit your thumb really hard and see!

Dwarvish: Dwarves don’t have any swear words. Rather, a Dwarf must show their craftsmanship by combining non-swear words in a vulgar way. You’ve not been truly offended until a dwarf calls you a house-painting-horse-bargainer.

Elves: Elvish has exactly one swear word, and each elf can only use it once in their life. If uttered it kills all plant life in 300ft and everything capable of hearing must make a wisdom saving throw or disintegrate on the spot.

Giant: Giant contains such swearwords as “double fuck”, which is like normal fuck but twice as big.

Gnomish: Gnomish uses things like “tax returns” and “fiscal responsibility” as swear words. Mentioning your accountant will have you thrown out of respectable gnomish society

Goblin: Honestly, it’s easier to list the words in goblin that aren’t swear words.

Halfling: Halfling has incredibly harsh swear words, to the surprise of everyone when this pastoral little man toddling around a farm and eating muffins calls you a motherfucking shithead cockface

Draconic: Draconic swear words translate to things like “gosh darn it” and “oh heckers” but, to be fair, they come off as more serious when roared at you while you’re on fire.

Orcish: Orcish contains no swear words. Don’t assume based on stereotypes.

[myokk]

Hi! I'm still feral for these two, would you mind giving us some art of them in their later years together!?

Hello angel!!!!

Sorry it’s taken so long to respond🫶🫶 but I wanted to draw some new art for this ask💓

We have: Sebastian and Eloise trying out their new fancy camera with a selfie, pictures of them with their daughter, and finally…idk I just always felt like this drawing is when they’re a bit older💓

I want to take this ask as an opportunity as well to talk a little about how I imagine their future (I have no chill & you can ignore this and just enjoy the art if you want😇).

I am a COMPLETE pantser - I never know how a chapter’s going to end when I start writing it (I always just have a few scenes I know I need to include to keep the plot moving forward). Although I have different *big* scenes I’m always writing towards, and themes/plot elements I’m always foreshadowing (shout out to @elliecutte for catching *almost* all of my hints and appreciating my general no chill😆), IM STILL NOT 100% SURE HOW I WILL END THINGS !!! 😳 I have a lot of endings I see as possible, and I think soon it will become more clear to me what will work the best💓

HAPPY ENDING:

Eloise and Sebastian become Unspeakables. I have a LOT of thoughts on this profession that could be its OWN post, and I feel like Unspeakables are generally specialized in one or two departments, but as their interests/research change they also change.

Eloise becomes an Unspeakable in the Mind and Death departments, with the occasional foray into Time. Her ancient magic is connected with all of these things (my version of AM is NOT like the game) & the Department of Mysteries is one of the only places that gives her any useful information about these things. Plus she thinks too much (it IS her hobby after all😆💓) and is very introverted so a hermit job like this is a perfect fit.

Sebastian becomes an Unspeakable as well, but I feel like it takes him a long time to specialize in anything, if he ever does. I just feel like becoming an Unspeakable is the adult equivalent of sneaking into the Restricted Section🥹🫶

They grow old together (I won’t explain TOO much) & have a lovely little family🥹 at least one daughter that they both dote on. Sebastian had an amazing childhood (idyllic until it wasn’t), and wants to give his daughter the same, and Eloise works hard to make sure their daughter feels the love that she never had growing up🥺

When Sirius is burned off the family tree, Eloise and Sebastian take him in🥹🫶 (they’re like 100 years old but WIZARDS LIVE LONGER…) The same happened to her all those years ago, and she wants him to know that his whole family hasn’t abandoned him.

Eloise LOVED her nieces - Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa - when they were younger, but as Voldemort becomes more powerful & people realize WHAT he’s doing, she has to separate herself from them. Her heart breaks seeing Bellatrix go mad, and seeing Narcissa engaged to a Malfoy out of obligation😔 (iykyk)

I haven’t thought any more about happy ending but I think it’s fun to think about how their future story might weave in with the actual canon events, ESPECIALLY since Eloise is a Black🥹💓

SAD ENDING:

After Sebastian gets his hands on Slytherin’s relic, it really starts to consume him and makes him even MORE obsessive than his natural tendencies - I imagine it similarly “talking” to him like Slytherin’s locket/horcrux did in Deathly Hallows (😳)

Eloise is deathly afraid of the changes she’s seeing in Sebastian and steals it from him (he would never willingly give it to her ESPECIALLY if it starts to feel like a precious item to him)

BUT the relic triggers the latent Black Family Madness in her - the madness that afflicts almost every woman in her family since…🤭 - and she herself starts to lose touch with reality. Her body and soul are already destroying themselves between the curse and the ancient magic inside of her, and the relic is what triggers it in her.

Sebastian becomes an Unspeakable, focusing on the Mind, in a desperate attempt to find a cure for his Eloise🥺

He never gives up his research, and sometimes when he comes home she is lucid and they talk about his research - otherwise, he just loves and takes care of her.

(He’s never successful in finding a way to reverse what he feels he caused in the first place - his ambition and single-mindedness is, to him, the reason why all of this happened)

Honestly who knows if I end their story either of these ways😌 I just love thinking of AUs and different endings and I have a few others I’ve considered as well!!! And whatever endings I don’t write will be immortalized on this blog and in my art as well🙏

[wookiecookiesfactory]

What is Motherhood but making sure your baby doesnt become a killer?

[merakiui]

not poor you-tsum getting piled on the moment she shows up in front of the others. don't worry, i'm sure they're all just playing a fun game with her! she sure is squeaking a whole lot, though...

>_< poor you-tsum, returning to your arms looking so disheveled after playing with the other tsums for so long! They’re all so rough! Riddle tries to brag that his tsum would never participate in such things, but then he finds out his tsum was one of the first to jump on your tsum and now he’s absolutely mortified. The tsum does not reflect his inner thoughts; please believe him!!!! orz

Or you’re studying with the Octavinelle trio while your tsums play together. You don’t understand why they’re wrestling with each other, but all it takes are knowing smiles exchanged amongst the trio and you’ve suddenly got a bad feeling…

Napping alongside Leona while your tsums are busy playing. By this point, you’re almost certain they’re doing more than just playing. ^^;; if you comment on it, Leona cracks one eye open to look at them before smirking and saying, “Maybe we ought to copy their example. Seems fun.” Slow, sloppy, sleepy sex with our favorite lion prince hehe!!!! <3

[shockwave-of-the-sith]

Like Mother like Daughter. Delphini is blessed with her Mother’s Beauty and with her Father’s Power!!!

But she’s also cursed with their Rage!

[carry-on-my-wayward-butt]

You do it by getting up and forcing yourself to do it, because unfortunately the world keeps moving even if you're tired or burnt out or depressed. The world does not care, so unfortunately you have to get up and do the dishes and clean the house and go to work and the more you dwell on the "not wanting to" the more you'll never get up and just get it done. Working 90 hours a week to survive isn't fun, but it's not anyone else's problem I've made the choices that make it a necessity. Getting up early on my day off to walk my dog ideal but it's not her fault I adopted her. Putting gas in my car, going to the store, cleaning the litter box, making time to shower and clean is just, life? Complaining about it doesn't help anyone. Either do it or don't, but don't make it everyone else's problem.

I can’t quite articulate why rn because I’m sleepy but this is like. An insufferable take.

Not the “life just keeps going forward” part but the part where you seem tangibly bothered by somebody complaining. the part where you gloss over the question posed in the post and proceed to fully demonstrate the exact phenomena I’m talking about with mildly out of touch gen x-ers. The part where you come off as personally victimized by the complaints I’m kind of just ranting about in my virtual front yard (a la ‘making it [your] problem’) What are you imagining that makes it your problem? What IS the problem? And why have you adopted it as your own? I certainly didn’t hand it to you.

[toorumlk]

just to clarify before I follow cause your art is rad

are you a "thanks for the character concepts and vague world outline, we'll take it fron here" fan of Harry potter? or a J.K neutral/supporter?

thank you so much anon!

my work tends to be pretty aligned (and by pretty i mean like 98%) with canon and you’ll find me praising and engaging seriously with canon a lot.

i fully condemn jkr’s transphobia and gender crit NONSENSE. i truly disagree and hate her politics now but i think when she was writing the original 7 books, she had a good head on her shoulders. i read the books for the first time just this past year in my early 20s and man i’ve become a canonpilled book purist if there ever was one and i love these damn books/characters/world *shakes fist to the sky* so maybe this veers me more toward jkr neutral?

i can’t say definitively because i have and will continue to have complicated feelings about this but it’s up to you to decide!

[archetypal-archivist]

Riddle x Yuu - Secret Garden

In which there's an enchanted place in Riddle's backyard where the edges of two worlds blur together. In the walled garden that resides there, Riddle meets Yuu.

( @yuri-is-online I blame you for this.)

Thought: Consider a Riddle/Yuu story with Secret Garden elements. A very young Riddle whose mother decides he needs time outside at least a few times a week so she sends him out into their gardens to do his homework. Riddle enjoys the sun well enough, the weeks flow more gently, a honey-slow, sun-sweet pace. Then one summer day when it's just a little too hot to be outside for long, one of his work sheets catches on the wind and blows away.

Riddle chases it and ends up in the rose maze, eventually stumbling into a place where there are walls and a gate, almost fully overgrown in thick red blooms. Riddle is curious and the shade of the overgrown garden looks inviting, so he slips past the gate to do his work at the picnic table he can just make out inside. Only, when he steps through, there's another child sitting at the table- Yuu.

At first it's all accusations and competition, then Riddle tries to make Yuu go away with magic and that flips the conversation on its head because Yuu is very convinced that magic isn't real. Riddle can hear his mother calling (Yuu can hear it too) and tells Yuu to come back tomorrow, he'll prove magic is real. And despite a brief scolding from his mother, Riddle is indeed able to come back tomorrow, bringing with him some of his textbooks.

Yuu comes back too, only they have a few books of their own on technology. Riddle is astounded by the illustrations of planes, the way metal wraps over wooden framework, the precise mathematics that go into the elegant curve of the propeller. Yuu is astonished by the production of flame from thought, flowers from incantation. How incredible it would be, to have coal-less stoves and fields of wheat springing up on demand!

Both very convinced, Riddle and Yuu spend weeks getting to know each other and participating in cultural exchange. Helping each other with their homework makes it go twice as quickly, though they often have to take breaks to explain some concept or another, such as health potions and quinine.

Yuu and Riddle also experiment with the magic of the walled garden, insisting on the scientific method as two kids understand it to try and figure out the rules. They bring different toys/objects into the garden, try standing at the gate and yelling for attention, Riddle even sneaks his broom in to see if there's a vertical limit. What they discover is that anything brought into the garden will stay, and things can travel outside the walls, but their respective yelling is only heard in their respective worlds (Riddle's mother got worried but only heard her son's voice) and once Riddle flew up past a certain point, he could no longer see Yuu. They just flickered from view, vanishing in a blink, which freaked Riddle out so much he immediately flew back down and crushed Yuu into a hug.

Riddle asks Yuu about him maybe traveling back to their world to visit as he really wants to see the planes they speak of so fondly, but both are hesitant because they aren't sure of what it would do to him. Yuu and Riddle make do with playing make believe, tying fake wings to Riddle's broom and Riddle taking them up, careful of the vertical limit.

Yuu, wistful, wants to fly freely, not having to worry about speed or limited space, but both are too cautious to actually do anything risky. At last, they conclude that things can be brought into the garden but nothing from the other world can fully travel out of it to the opposite realm. Only when Yuu and Riddle are in the garden together can they see each other.

Then Chenya and Trey meet Riddle and Riddle's world expands that much more. He knows plenty about the world beyond his own and he feels so grown up compared to his new friends, but there's still so much he doesn't know and Riddle takes to learning about tag and tarts and playtime with aplomb. He tries to introduce them to stuff from beyond their world, like fizzy lemonade (he uses a minor air spell to 'carbonate' it, give him a break, he's, like, nine) and matchbox cars. They don't really get it though and Riddle realizes many times over that his life is very, very different from everyone else's.

Between his mother's rules and Yuu, no one else is like Riddle at all. It suddenly feels very isolating, and not one to be helpless, Riddle drags Chenya and Trey to the secret garden. Yuu is there and introductions go well enough but it's clear that Trey and Chenya don't really believe the duo, thinking it's the pair playing pretend. Both are very annoyed by this and it's the only interaction the quartet have before Riddle's mother catches Riddle at the Clover bakery.

House arrest in effect, Riddle feels terrible being inside, so used to the freedom of fresh air and sunshine, doing his homework at his own pace with a companion to help him. Now he's trapped under his mother's attention and it's stifling. It's a whole three months before he's allowed to do his work outside again and his broom is still confiscated (the wings long torn off), but he'll take it.

Riddle beelines for the walled garden only to find a small white rose bush, a pile of letters, and no Yuu. He feels torn over doing his work or reading the letters first and he eventually decides on work, tense and anxious the whole time. A couple hours later- still no Yuu. Riddle reads the letters and tries not to cry.

Apparently, Yuu had thought something had happened when he didn't come back for over a week and had taken to writing him letters so he'd remain up to date with their daily life. They call him their friend, too, starting each with 'to my dear friend Riddle' and ending with sincere wishes for his happiness and safety. The pleas for his safety grow more desperate with each letter and it's revealed that political tensions in Yuu's world are growing. It's leery enough at home, they want him and his world to be okay too. The white rose bushes were apparently from their own world, a gift since his last name was Rosehearts and something to remember them with.

Riddle is deeply touched and also deeply fed up with his mother so he resolves to wait for Yuu so they can spend time together again. The hours slip past until it's early evening but Riddle is too stubborn to give up. As the first stars creep over the horizon, Yuu finally appears, letter in hand. They burst into tears at the sight of him and Riddle finds himself crying too, running to hug his friend, work forgotten.

Riddle asks Yuu again if he can travel to their world with them in a fit of impulse but Yuu denies him. They explain sorrowfully that in a few days, they'll be going away to boarding school as it's unsafe where they currently live. However, they have a few days- they can make the most of them. Yuu's eyes burn with resolve and they run through the gate, coming back with an old canvas tent and a bunch of water, snacks, and books.

The duo camp out in the secret garden for two days, Riddle so caught up in enjoying the time and committing every bit of it to memory that he forgets his mother entirely. Indeed, it's the least stressed he's been in a while. At the dawning of the third day, Riddle hears his mother calling for him, genuine panic in her voice, and he realizes he has to go. He begs Yuu to be safe, Yuu asks the same of him, and neither can fully commit to the promise, Riddle grimly aware that his mother is going to be furious with him.

He plucks a white rose off the bush to tuck into his lapel, a last bit of armor to remind him he's got people in his corner, and leaves the garden, refusing to look back. (Unbeknownst to him, it stays visible, having become 'part of him', a facet of who he is). Quietly he walks up to his mother, face as blank as he can make it, and when she sees him, she goes white with panic. She grabs Riddle's hands and he looks too: in the cradle of her fingers, his own are nearly transparent.

The next hour is a flurry of activity, Riddle's mother sitting him in front of a mirror in the library as she frantically researches what could have happened to her son. Sure she's pissed at him but this takes precedence. Riddle stares at his reflection, fearful and awestruck, and realizes that this is likely the result of eating so much food not from his world.

Outside the boundaries of the garden, you can't see or hear things from the other world. Having eaten nothing but food from Yuu's realm for a few days, his cells have started to assimilate more materials from that world than his own. (The water is the real culprit, the replacement rate is faster there). As such, bits of him have gone translucent, no longer visible to Twisted Wonderland.

It scares Riddle a little but this mess seems to scare his mother more. She does come across an 'answer', one that makes sense to Riddle's world. Borrowing from Snufkin and the Moomin Trolls- unloved, unwanted children will eventually turn invisible, trying to be unseen and unheard so they can be good, good enough to be loved. This isn't the case at all, Riddle is indeed loved a lot even if it's been demonstrated in a damaging way, but it's the only thing that makes sense to Riddle's mother and so it must be true.

Riddle's mother apologizes to Riddle and asks him outright if he's happy. Riddle... Isn't certain what to do with this information. It feels like a scam; he could ask for his freedom in this moment and have it granted, could ask for Chenya and Trey, ask for tarts at supper and hugs at breakfast, and surely he'd get them. In the same measure though, his mother is laboring under a falsehood, to ask anything now would be to take advantage. And really, can he truly say he has been unhappy under his mother's rule? Perhaps not always happy, but certainly not miserable.

Riddle- compromises. He doesn't tell her the truth, nor does he tell her of how oppressive she can be. He merely tells her that yes, he's happy, but he wishes he could fly again. As expected, she grants this and actually pulls back some on her harshness, being quicker to praise. As expected, the invisibility fades.

However, she micromanages him even harder in trying to make Riddle feel loved, her attention on him almost always. Anything he shows interest in, he gets classes on, and Riddle learns not to show his interest in too many things at once or else he gets overwhelmed with work.

The only breaks he gets are tending to his personal garden, during flight (constrained though it is to the manor grounds) and horseback riding. The garden is where he tends to the roses he cultivates from the seeds he took from Yuu's bush, and fed on Twisted Wonderland soil and water, they bloom visibly for all to see. As for flying, it reminds him of his flights with Yuu and their shared dream to share the sky together; Yuu in the cockpit of their own plane, him on his broom. They'd wanted to race, once...

Now, horseback is the only way he can get that same rush, able to go as far and as fast as his mount allows. It feels like freedom and Riddle falls in love with the sport. In the back of his mind though, Riddle always wonders how Yuu is doing; if they're safe, if they're happy. If they're alive.

In this way years pass and though Riddle changes, it's not enough. He goes to NRC with a potted white rose in his hands, a broom in his baggage, and a flower on his lapel, and he still becomes house warden in a week. Trey greets him warmly, though he admits to barely recalling Yuu, thinking them an imaginary friend of Riddle's. This puts a little distance between Trey and Riddle, but it's just one more straw in the mountain of awkward that makes up Riddle's tyrant tendencies and Trey's guilt complex.

Second year rolls around and the night before his departure for NRC, Riddle enters the secret garden in a fit of nostalgia. To his surprise, Yuu is there, on their knees and sobbing. He immediately runs and sweeps them into a hug, frantically checking them over for injuries, which only makes them sob harder. It takes a while for them both to calm down and once they do, Yuu wants nothing to do with explaining themself, only wanting to hear of Riddle's exploits.

Riddle hesitantly tells them, then insists on having Yuu's story. In fits and start and more tears, they do manage to tell it; their world is at war and they aren't safe. Their boarding school had been far from the action, but not far enough, and now the bombers are bearing down on them. They'd panicked when the sirens went off and are now hiding here, hoping that the magic of the garden will keep them safe.

Horrified, Riddle questions them but Yuu has no answers. The whys of war, the usage of planes for fighting, Yuu hadn't cared to learn and Riddle can't blame them. At last, Riddle asks Yuu if they're scared, and Yuu explains they're terrified, Riddle asks further if they're scared of planes now.

Yuu says no, calms down, and begins to explain that flying is *theirs*. A plane of their own, under their own control, affecting only themself and free of all others? They want that, they want to *fly*. It's their dream. Planes are only evil when people use the gift of flight to hurt others.

Mentally, Riddle makes the connection between Yuu's thoughts on planes and his own rules- wonderful when he makes his own rules and follows them, the problem comes when he uses the power of rules on others in a way that hurts them. It's almost an idle thought and one quickly pushed aside when Yuu goes still in his arms, oddly placid. They sit up, smile at him, then very quietly ask him to leave.

Riddle can hardly believe what he's hearing and Yuu repeats themself, asking Riddle to go home. Riddle furiously points out that Yuu is under bomb threat still and Yuu explains that's exactly why he has to go, go *now*, before it's too late. Things from their worlds can still enter the garden, don't you see? If the garden is struck, the bomb would kill them both. Riddle needs to *leave*!

Riddle's heart cracks in two as an icy sickness takes hold of his gut, making him swallow back tears. He hates this, really and truly, and in desperation he asks Yuu to come with him, already knowing it's futile. If Yuu were to come with, they'd be invisible, unheard, and while perhaps feeding them food from Twisted Wonderland would help, there's no guarantee they'd be solid enough for that to work. How was a ghost supposed to eat a sandwich? Were ghost sandwiches a thing?

Yuu gently pushes Riddle away and momentum drives Riddle to his feet, backing away a few steps. Yuu stands too, and turns towards the gate, looking back at Riddle with a teary smile and a nod. Riddle shakily nods back, silent, and they both turn to go.

Just as Riddle is about to step through the gate into his world, he hears a dull roar of what Yuu had described to be sound of a plane overhead. He closes his eyes tight, pushes on, and the sound cuts out as he leaves the garden. It's silent but for the birds in the trees. A minute passes. Two. It's all Riddle can do to keep from passing out, his knees locked to keep him standing. Time passes and eventually Riddle can bring himself to open his eyes, turning to look at the garden behind him. He doesn't see Yuu there, knows he wouldn't anyway, not without stepping into the garden proper, and he can't bring himself to do that yet.

With the ease of long practice, Riddle turns and walks back home, certain enough of the path that even in his grief he's sure in his steps. He... Keeps his eyes closed, for most of the trip; Yuu's smile lingers in his mind.

Leaving for NRC after is an awful affair but one Riddle drags himself through regardless. Grief and exhaustion war for dominance in his heart and most of that transmutates into anger, his temper fraying faster than ever before. Even his mother is a little shocked by how quick he is to snap, as Riddle had done just that over the toast at breakfast.

Riddle's heart only cracks further when he finds himself a ghost in his own body come his arrival at school, collaring people left and right on impulse when Riddle knows he knows better. There's something particularly awful about falling into old habits that you know are damaging, but being unable to stop yourself at the same time. Here, Riddle knows he's hurting his dorm mates, he just can't bring himself to care.

Indeed, it's all he can do to keep from burning the Yuu who emerges from the coffin during the NRC sorting ceremony. At first he'd thought it was his Yuu, they'd looked identical in all ways, but this Yuu didn't recognize him. (And, his mind whispers treasonously, his Yuu is dead.)

As such, Riddle can't bring himself to believe that they are the same person as his friend, and he slides further into grief and rage, intent on ignoring the situation. Canon proceeds apace, only Riddle keeps up with the white roses left to him by Yuu, magic keeping his desk plant in bloom so that a new flower can grace his lapel every day. He tries to keep the sorrow from his face, his eyes firmly away from the familiar stranger who looks so much like his Yuu.

When Riddle overblots, white rose on his chest, the last surge of magic he does as a finishing move has the flower taking up the magic. It explodes outwards, sending tendrils of white roses in all directions, students scattering in their wake. Vines crawl up the walls, dig into the ground, and bind Riddle to the earth so that Trey and the others can get the last blow in.

As the overblot monster disappears, Riddle slumps to his knees and Yuu catches him, memories rising up to meet them both. See, Yuu had woken up in Twisted Wonderland with no memories save for a vague nostalgia. Now seeing so much of their life through Riddle's eyes and hearing about their life before NRC, their mind begins to recall their past and Yuu remembers themself, and more important to the moment, Riddle. The two friends burst into tears and Yuu apologizes for forgetting while Riddle sobs about being so cruel, for not meaning a lick of it and how sorry he is.

This, of course, alarms everyone around them, and the pair are promptly bundled off to the nurse's office, something a bit tricky as Riddle refuses to let Yuu go. Both fall fast asleep, exhausted from the day's events, and only awaken when the moon is high in the sky and everyone else is long gone.

The rose on Riddle's lapel is the first thing Yuu sees as they blink awake, the petals edged in fine silver from the light of the moon outside their window. The smell is pleasantly sweet, bringing to mind the bush they'd given to Riddle so long ago. Was this a flower from that same bush?

Yuu's heart squeezes at the thought and they hesitantly reach to touch the bloom, then move to press their hand to the space above Riddle's heart. Tilting their head up, they're surprised to see Riddle looking at them, something terrible and grieving in his eyes. Emptily, Riddle tells Yuu that he thought they were dead. Yuu chokes back a sob and quietly admits that they think they were; they're still not sure how they ended up in Twisted Wonderland.

Riddle nods as if expecting such an answer, then gently gathers up Yuu's hands in his own, holding them, unable to meet their gaze as he recaps his life for the past many years. Yuu ends up weeping at the realization that Riddle had adopted their fondness for flight as his own, as well as how stifled Riddle has been all these years. How much their friend has suffered in their absence! And then, their arrival with no memories? Is it any wonder that Riddle overblotted?

Through their tears, Yuu fiercely tells Riddle that he's forgiven and more than that, he's free now. He can act however he wishes! Riddle's own cheeks are wet as he points out that Yuu is too- forgiven for dying, for leaving him, because it was never something either of them could control. He's just so, so glad they're back.

And- and now they can do all the things they'd wanted to do together! Try new foods, visit the places in Riddle's books, they can even fly for real! Yuu's face lights up at that and Riddle finds himself smiling too, heart full up on love and joy at the thought of flying with his friend. He tries to get up, ready to go grab his broom right that moment, but his ribs twinge and he falls back into bed with a groan. Only, he falls on top of Yuu, who wraps their arms around him on instinct.

This brings a brilliant flush to both their faces and Yuu shakily jokes that perhaps they should get some sleep. They feel more than see Riddle nod and Yuu shoves their face into Riddle's hair, suddenly realizing that their childhood friend had grown up. Riddle was so much bigger in their arms now but the scent of his shampoo is the same... Yuu flushes again, brighter.

(Riddle was still awfully handsome, too.)

Time passes, the duo heal, and while neither explain to anyone their bond, everyone can see that Yuu and Riddle are deeply connected in some way. The white roses that'd sprung up from Riddle's overblot had proven themselves impossible to remove so Heartslabyul had simply incorporated them, weaving the vines into the rest of the garden to make a seamless whole.

And, on the day of Riddle's apology Unbirthday, Riddle grabs his broom, Yuu's hand, and smiles for real for the first time in far too long. It feels like flying when Yuu and his new friends smile back, and when he kicks off into the sky, Yuu's arms around his waist, he never wants to come back down.

[the-mothering-doctor]

I would like to address the recent slander of my good name.

It is utterly ridiculous that there are rumors going around about me having a court date or being an abusive mother

It's even worse that I am no longer allowed to step foot on my precious son's campus to check in on him.

I've only been able to see my baby boy if I sneak past all of the teachers and janitors so that I won't be roughly tossed out the gates like some trespasser.

How cruel is that? A mother being separated from her own son! It's despicable.

[coquetteriddle]

and if i said tomarry

[iamnmbr3]

Given that the Malfoys disdain the Weaseleys not just for their politics (i.e. being "blood traitors") but also for their relative lack of wealth, I cannot imagine that penniless Tom Riddle would have been greeted too warmly by the monied purebloods in Slytherin even if they knew he could speak Parseltongue.

And I don't think that even if his Gaunt lineage had been known from the start it would actually have helped him that much. I doubt the Gaunts were viewed as too respectable given their state of utter poverty.

[karmicpunishment]

the conflict in me between wanting the funny option for ace's dream (ace as the dormhead) vs the emotional option (ace dreaming about the prefect staying in twisted wonderland)