#sebastian rights revoked...

[vigilskeep]

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BRING VARRIC TO LEGACY?

[solsticesailor]

My posts may dwindle because of everything going on (I'm in America) but for now take some art. Please stay safe out there. I love you my same 4 people that like every post I make

[superconductivebean]

#1216: addition to the #1215

so, about the exchange between aesop and julia:

@mrs-sharp

julia says to aesop, after rescuing highwing and feeling unwell after being up for 24+ hours, that she's someone he could've been

aesop gets petty and grunts, she was someone he used to be

julia was offended, aesop was offended by the exchange followed, eleazar was unhappy to see his grandkids fight, julia got in detention until the end of november (aesop realised he did stupid and turned that detention into teaching her some additional potions and dada ; by an extension, everyone became Very Confused at what has she done to get on his nerves to deserve that much of detention time)

[dizzypossum]

I will finish this one first

Nyon trying to pat Nyen after trying to fight Sebastian

knife rights revoked to Nyen

And small Nana on back

[cicidarkarts]

Blood Defied - 5: The Forbidden Forest

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“I heard Painter is going out with Gaunt,” said the hushed whispers at the back of the library.

Credence pushed forward, willing her slowing legs to move. The voices became clearer. 

“The Muggle-born? Is she insane?” “Right? It’s like she doesn’t know anything about the House of Gaunt.” "I'm half-blood and even I'm terrified of that family." "She's going to—"

The gossip stopped as soon as she entered the study area. Everyone who had been huddled and talking hurried to their books and continued studying as if nothing happened. Walking through the aisle to the shelf she needed, she felt their burning stares upon her back. She snatched her book—Rearing Young Thestrals—and turned to leave. More eyes shot toward their papers. Credence rushed past the tables again, her head low, then whipped around the corner. 

Whispers continued as she went. She just wanted to get back to her common room and ignore all the gossip. When she reached the door, someone else opened it from the other side. Sebastian entered with a quill clamped between his lips and a roll of parchment under his arm. He smiled and took the quill with his now-freed hand. 

"Hey, Credence! Good to see you." "Yeah. You, too." "It's funny we should run into each other. Walk with me a second, could you?"

She followed him as he headed toward the east side of the library.

"I just came here to do a little research," he said. "What about you?" "I'm looking into thestral rearing now that our newborn is stronger. What research are you doing?" "I'm, uh, looking into magical maladies caused by dark magic. See, the thing is…" 

He turned the corner near the Restricted Section. Facing her and lowering his voice, he whispered, 

"That sort of thing is only in the Restricted Section. I hear Professor Howin gave you a key to get in so you could research endangered beasts." "Sebastian, no," she whispered back. "I know where you're going with this and you're gonna get us both in serious trouble." "It's only for a few minutes. We're in, we're out. No harm." "No harm? If I have my key revoked and get banned from the Restricted Section for this, I won't be able to study properly." "We won't get caught, I promise." "Sebastian…"

His eyes widened, thick brows knitted, and pink lips pursed as he tried to look as pathetic as possible. If he performed any better, she was sure a tear or two could slip out. 

"Please, Cree? It's to help Anne get well."

She frowned, observing that cute freckled face and those big brown eyes. If there was anything she could've done for her brother to keep him alive, she would've taken the plunge. She simply couldn't say no. To avoid trouble, she and Sebastian came up with a (possibly) foolproof method. Sebastian used his Disillusionment charm to hide beside Credence as she casually headed for the Restricted Section. Her sweaty fingers slipped off her key at first, dropping it deeper into her enchanted satchel before she retrieved it again. She opened the gate and locked it behind her.

Once in the basement, he undid his charm and headed straight for the dark arts section. Credence went to her own section, figuring she could take the chance to answer a burning question. The books on rare and endangered creatures, how to breed beasts, and other such research were kept locked away. She slid her fingers over the alphabetical titles. Endangered Beasts of the Americas, Husbandry by Beast—skip, skip, skip—

There. Serpents: Facts and Myths. She picked it up and scanned through the table of contents.

"Find what you were looking for?" Sebastian asked from across the room.  "Looks like it. You?" "Hard to say. I think I need to grab a few."

They met up in the middle of the room, her book in hand and a stack in his arms. She opened her satchel and he stuck the books inside. 

"That's an awesome enchantment," he said. “You’ll have to teach it to me sometime.” "Let's hurry before someone else shows up."

And she led him out with no incidents. By the time they exited the library, her racing heart finally slowed. Sebastian stopped his charm in the entryway before stepping out into Central Hall, looking unmussed. He grinned at her as she piled the books in his arms. 

"You only have two weeks with these," she said. "That's when I gotta get my key renewed and if any of the Professors notice that those books are attached to my key, we're both gonna get caught." "I got it, I got it," he said. "Thanks so much, Cree. I won't get either of us in trouble, I promise."

She watched for a moment as Sebastian walked away, wondering if letting him have those books was a good idea. The darkness in his eyes that day on the beach made her shudder. 

That weekend, she traveled to Hogsmeade in search of an unusual ingredient. Jane, while stronger, still struggled to put on weight. According to her thestral rearing book, if she could find the bloated fungal cap she could use it, lavender, and moonstone as an appetite stimulant to convince Jane to nurse more often. So she searched around various shops, only to find nothing.

Since she'd walked about and chatted with shopkeepers for a couple of hours, she headed into the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Inside the rustic inn were plenty of her colleagues, and people she didn't know at all. She had a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. 

"Wandering Hogsmeade at this time of day?" asked a flamboyant voice near the fireplace. "Where is your usual accomplice, hmmm?" "Mind your business, you little coxcomb."

She whirled around so fast the moment she recognized Ominis' voice. He was speaking with a portrait of a man dressed in old extravagant clothes. It was a far cry from Ominis’ casual long-sleeved shirt and open vest combination. The painting scoffed.

"So extremely rude! I'm just trying to keep you and your freckle-faced thug of a friend out of trouble." "Keep bad-mouthing Sebastian and I'll set your portrait on fire." "You wouldn't dare!" "Would you like to find out?"

The portrait went quiet. Ominis turned toward the entrance with his wand out. He seemed to be leaving, but Credence called,

"Hey, Ominis!" He grinned and followed her voice. "Hello, Cree. Enjoying your day at Hogsmeade?" "I guess so. Just trying to find a bloated fungal cap, mostly. For Jane." He took a stool beside her. "Have you tried Dogweed and Deathcap?" "I haven't. I don't even know where that is." Ominis shook his head. "You could've asked me to help you." "I know. I have problems asking for help." "Well, when you've finished your drink, I'm going to forcibly lead you there so we can figure this out."

Sure enough, the moment she was done, Ominis got up and walked with her. She followed him through the cobble streets and up a set of stairs toward the plaza for Honeydukes.

“It’s only a little ways off the bridge to our left,” he said. "You know this place well.”  "I've been coming here for years. It's a bit lively, but I enjoy shops like Honeydukes and Steepley and Sons. Well worth enduring the relentless noise."

She had to agree about the noise. But as they crossed the aforementioned mossy bridge, the sounds of Hogsmeade died down in favor of birdsong and grasshoppers. They traveled up a hill and toward a ratty little hovel nestled into the rocky cliff, all while chatting about their subjects, his violin playing, and her luck with Jane and the other thestrals.

When they entered the shop, the owner greeted them. She was an older witch with primped hair, green flowery clothes and brimmed hat, and a kindly smile. Credence inquired about the caps.

"Bloated fungal cap, you say? It just so happens that I don't have any. But I know where you can find some, if you're brave enough." "That depends," said Credence. "Where are we talking, exactly?" "The Forbidden Forest, my dear. Shouldn’t be too difficult for such a young witch—not with a strong, capable wizard by your side." She glanced at Ominis, smirking. "What do you say, Mr. Savior? Would you protect a sweet, innocent, delicate witch if she needed to go to the Forbidden Forest?" "Of course I would. If you find one of those, do let me know." She nudged him with her elbow.

The shopkeeper wrote down the directions to the mushrooms and sent Credence and Ominis on their way. Outside, Ominis expressed his worry. 

He said, "I know I put on a good show in there—" "Amazing acting." "Thank you. But I do have to press the dangerousness of our situation. Have you ever been in that forest? It's crawling with thornback spiders, dugbogs, dark wizards, and some say even werewolves." "It doesn't matter to me. I swore that I would protect Jane, and if this is what I have to do to ensure her survival, then it's what I'll do." "You're a brave witch, Cree." "You don't have to go if you don’t want to." "If you're in, then I'm in. We need to watch each other's backs." "The blind guy is gonna watch my back?" "You know what I mean."

She giggled, unbothered by the idea of going into the Forbidden Forest. Having been in wars made danger seem less dangerous. Still, as they followed the directions, she kept an eye out for any possible threats.

"According to these directions," she said, "they're only a short way into the forest, near a glowing pond. Makes sense, the book did say they're a marshy fungus." "Sounds like we've got trouble approaching."

Credence couldn't hear the commotion, but she felt the vibrations under her feet and in the air. Before them, on the path they needed to take, was a thick web next to a sign that said Beware of Spiders. 

"Spiders freak me out," said Credence, shuddering. Ominis grabbed her hand and gently squeezed. "I'm here. We can do this, for Jane."

Her heart fluttered at his touch. His hand felt large against hers, not calloused but not soft, either. Certainly less sweaty… She observed his face, those seven lovely beauty marks, and his confident, regal smile. She laced their fingers. With their wands at the ready, they headed down the path.

Within, spiders scurried all along the dirt walls of the sunken path, scuttling in and out of deep tree roots. Some hung from webs along the bough. The moment one noticed them, it seemed all did, and the spiders converged upon her and Ominis.

"Confringo!" he shouted, setting a few ablaze in one shot. "Descendo!" Credence cried, slamming one down from a great height.

When a spider spit its venom at them, Credence felt her Protego burst forth on its own accord. The huge shield kept both her and Ominis safe, leaving Ominis free to cast a strong Diffindo. Several spiders fell to his prowess. Credence cast a Confringo of her own, and that sent the rest of the spiders scattering. She and Ominis waited—Ominis listening and Credence feeling. The vibrations scurried farther away before fading out.

Ominis tugged on her hand and they kept walking. Just beyond the spider path was the emerald green pool indicated on the map. Mossy trees overlooked the small lake. Fireflies made their homes comfortably around the water, floating above the lake and dipping down for a drink. A small herd of deer drank on the other side.

"This has gotta be it," Credence said, making the deer leap away. "Smells very marshy here." "Yeah. It's gorgeous."

They split up to search the perimeter. On the side near a dark cave, Credence found them: a cluster of brown mushrooms with large, cracked tops. She collected them, leaving a little leftover stem for them to propagate once more.

By the time they had finished, Credence and Ominis had several jars full of the stuff between them, and they filled her satchel to the brim.

"Useful satchel," said Ominis, taking her hand again. "You'll have to teach me that enchantment sometime." "You and Sebastian. He saw me stack a bunch of his books in here the other day and was floored." "Books?" he asked as they headed back. "Yeah, we picked up some in the library the other day." "What was he doing in the library?" That seemed like a strange question, but she answered honestly. "He wanted to get into the Restricted Section." Ominis' hand tightened on hers. "Hm, did he now? And you…?" "I, uh— I let him come with me. He picked up some books and promised he wouldn't get me into trouble." "That's not what worries me. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you didn't get into trouble, but…" "I understand, Ominis. It was dark arts books and I'm worried about him, too. I mean, just the idea of running into some of Ranrok's loyalists last month had him practically foaming at the mouth. It was… scary." Ominis nodded solemnly. "Yes, he's got quite a vendetta against goblins after what they did to Anne. He told me that the only reason he didn't go looking for a fight was because of you. Thank you for that, Cree. He really doesn't know when to quit." “I’m sorry, Ominis. Now that I see how anxious you are about it, I feel just awful that I let Sebastian talk me into letting him in the Restricted Section. But when he said it was for Anne, it just reminded me so much of my brother. I’d give anything to have him back so I knew Sebastian would—...” “It’s okay, Cree. Please don’t beat yourself up, you didn’t know. Sebastian has a way of being able to sway people. I’m going to have a talk with him when I see him next.”

Then, silence… She chewed her lip, rolling it all over in her mind. Her imagination saw Sebastian’s dark eyes growing ever darker as he read over those damned books. But she also saw his faceless sister coughing and gasping for life the same way her brother had before he collapsed. Her own eyes reflected in Sebastian’s now—

Ominis’ thumb ran gingerly along hers, shaking her out of her thoughts. She noticed then how hard she gripped his hand, her fingers between his practically choking the life out of them. When she glanced down, she saw his fingers were a bit red, and her knuckles were white. She relaxed her grip.

“Sorry,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. Are you all right?" "Yeah, I think so. Just unpleasant memories. I need to think about Jane, though. Once I get these mushrooms back, I have to start on her potion." "I think it'll work out for her. She's in capable hands." "Oh, stop, you're making me blush." He chuckled. "I wish I could see that. I bet you look adorable when you blush."

Okay, now she was truly blushing. Her warm cheeks urged her to look away from him, but even in the growing darkness of the forest, she was struck by the sight of his cheeks turning pink as well. Was he teasing? Were her eyes playing tricks due to the hope that he wasn't messing with her?

By the time they reached the end of the Forbidden Forest, and thus the light of the pathway from the enchanted lanterns, his face was its normal pale complexion. They traveled hand-in-hand up the pathway toward the castle, conversations turning lighter as they discussed their coming week’s classes. Even this late at night, Credence wanted to go to the beasts classroom to get started on her potion for Jane. So at the fountain in the courtyard, they said their goodbyes.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” she said. “You really helped out with those spiders.” He smiled. “It was no problem. Don’t hesitate to ask me for help next time.”

She bit her lip at his gorgeous smile. Rumors and unfounded worries be damned. People didn’t know what they were talking about. Everything she knew thus far about Ominis told her that he was a kind and gentle soul. Leaning in, she pecked a kiss on his cheek. The surprise and sudden deep red of his cheeks were almost as beautiful as his smile had been.

“Goodnight, Ominis.” “Goodnight, Cree.”

He sounded so lost in reverie, his expression changing to that of a dreamy, relaxed calm. She committed his contentment to memory as they split off for the evening.

[onegianthotmess]

This is me.

I’ve said these things to them.

Sebastian is very mad at me for what I asked Comte and almost revoked my affection rights for the month.

Things MC has definitely said at some point

" Thou should shut the fuck up if thou dost not wish to catch mine own hands" (to Will)

"Be gone, whore!" (to Arthur while she does a cross with her fingers)

"You know, the only reason I'm not killing you is because it'd make Vincent sad, and people would murder me if I made Vincent sad" (to Theo)

"Comte... are you familiar with the term 'sugar daddy'...?" (to Comte)

"You know, sometimes the answer is to not be a little bitch" (to Mozart)

"There's a famous phrase from my time, it's: 'more espresso less depresso', you should try that" (to Dazai)

"You're too hot to have only green flag, so what is it?" (to Leonardo)

"Stop smiling, I'm trying to stay mad" (to Vincent)

"I don't believe in science, it's way to complicated" (to Isaac to annoy him)

[fledglingmaster]

Must be a ghost

We've been dealing with flickering lights a lot the past few days. Now normally I would chalk that up to electrical issues, in fact I know in one room there is something wrong with the bulb or connection. But it is also happening to battery operated items, batteries are various brands and ages. Also, I've had a couple other people that have used the one room. They turn on the light and it will flicker at most five times right after it's turned on and then will be fine. I turn on the light and it will flicker more times to begin with and after a few minutes it will start strobing. It was strobing so fast and so much the other day that it triggered a horrible migraine. It hasn't strobed for anyone else. Mentally I go, "I wonder if it's me." A logical conclusion, it's a bulb that needs to be replaced plus my own electrical energy frizzing things out. Then Bleu goes, "or it could be the dead guy in the hallway."

*Sigh* Excuse me, what dead guy?! Apparently, the night of the bad storm there was an entity in the hallway. This was weeks ago, and Bleu only recently mentions it to me. He said he ignored it, which was honestly probably the best thing he could do. I asked what it looked like. He said he got a strong male impression. It was around six feet tall and had broad shoulders. I wonder who it was and if they are still around. It could have been my cousin. He has visited before at least once. Part of me hopes it was Sebastian checking in. But I also know the dead just like showing up around me. After the serval incident I was worried I'd get flooded with spirits wanting help. Thankfully they have been respecting my boundaries. That was a special case, my services aren't open. Though...I really hope it wasn't someone who died that night that needed help moving on. I asked Bleu where he was and what he did after spotting the spirit. Bleu tells me the figure popped up right in front of him as in inches away while he was walking around the house searching for more battery-operated light sources. He was insulted when I asked if he was sure it wasn't our shadow. He said it moved while the light source and he stayed still. It was also solid appearing, as if someone that was flesh and blood was standing in front of him in a full black-out bodysuit. I had to check. People mistake things all the time, I wasn't personally doubting him. I go, "So, after that you what, turned around and ignored it?" Because it's Bleu of course not...he walked into the spirit! I'm sorry, what?! That seems extremely rude, and I told Bleu that. His response, "It was in the way, if anything it jump scared me and that was rude. I'm not going to walk around something that I can go through." I think it would be very unsettling to have someone walk through them. What if it was a rando ghost that didn't even know that they are dead yet! *Banging head against the wall*

So, whoever that was could be around still. Or it could be completely unrelated. I haven't had any sightings so far. There was a male voice that we both heard. Also could be unrelated. I hope it is unrelated, because it didn't seem nice. It would rather not have some attachment to something/someone. It's the very reason why I have not opened my services to the dead yet. I am not prepared and I would prefer to have a mentor that could help me.

Side note to Bleu, I'm revoking one of your kin. Very disappointed. I'm joking. But how are you so clueless?

[aroolarill]

i started rereading black butler again!! i was looking at the tags abt baldroy's past, tho i think some takes on how natives were also awful need to be handled with a bit more light in order to provide context to the time period.

dont forget that the native americans were colonized, their culture and rights to their own homeland forcibly revoked from white colonizers. it didn't matter how benevolent other white farmers were to the native americans, the trauma of losing your right to live by your own life will never be cured by the exception. the native americans were expected to live by colonial ideals and traditions, standards that were completely unfair and non beneficial to the marginalized community. with how their people has been exploited for hundreds of years, in various degrees of crimes against humanity, why wouldn't they react violently?

the violence between natives and colonizers brought a shitload of casualties on both sides. losses were prominent on both sides. there were unspeakable murders on both sides, and obviously baldroy was a victim of this war. again, keep in mind the period this was set in, and keep in mind how wars are mistakenly "educated" to the people as a simple black and white matter. baldroy, in his grief, blamed the entire native community.

i personally think that toboso clearly showed baldroy's dark side. the war against native americans will always be bad, and baldroy had willingly participated in the war and fed into his hate. it wasn't just natives he killed, it was anyone who came into his path that he deemed as a threat. his humanity was basically burned with every conflict he joined, and it didn't help that he always came out alive in every fight, while his fellow soldiers always died.

toboso showed how monstrous baldroy was as a soldier, it wasn't meant to only fully sympathize with him; it showed a very flawed person in a traumatized individual. and while baldroy will never forgive those who killed his family, he grew to understand why they did. he started to recognize his white privilege was at the native americans' own expense, and that war wasn't as simple as he thought. again, he still couldn't forgive those who killed his wife and child, and that's obviously valid.

in meeting sebastian, baldroy was forced to grow out of his small bubble. the latter still thought the responsibility of cooking and cleaning was merely a woman's job, and sebastian had to call him out for his (ironic for the time period) outdated notion.

it's heavily implied that baldroy had a background of carrying a very backwards view of gender roles and racism. he's what you'd expect of a white american in his time period. however, with his admittance to the phantomhive household coupled with his post war guilt, his beliefs and "traditions" were constantly challenged.

you've got an asian maid whos clumsy as shit, but the best sniper with an owl-like vision he knows. you've got a teenager of a gardener who accidentally destroys plants, but is the best shield and brute force of all servants. then theres the japanese ex butler who's served the phantomhive family at every angle, and even the current butler (although not known hes a demon) who does EVERYTHING what both men and women are expected to do. sebastian especially is seen as a super progressive adult man of their period.

tldr i love baldroy bc u get to explore his very flawed character, and sebastian that practically bullied progressiveness into baldroy by going "i can change him", AND HE FUCKING DID.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

the last princess (1)

(put under cut for length, mention of abuse, slavery)

“You look like something’s on your mind.”  The voice jolted Sebastian out of his thoughts.  Augustine had ventured over from the Last Stand’s order counter. 

“Everything alright?”

“Just...”  Sebastian trailed off.  “That hubbub we saw this morning over by Journey’s End.”  Earlier in the day, the city guards had blockaded off several streets and a house in the residential district.  As far as the gunbreaker could imagine, it was probably still sealed off.

“What was that about?”  Augustine came over, adjusting his gauntlets.  “I heard some of the wait staff gossiping--apparently something about buried bodies in someone’s yard?”

“Nionaut Trigelle.”  Sebastian answered.

“Beg pardon?”

“Nionaut Trigelle.  That was his home.  Was a respected theoretician and advisor.  But it turned out in his spare time, he would kidnap people and use them for medical experiments.  Nobody knew, and he still would have been killing had he not ended up being dragged into a scandal involving a member of the Forum.”  Sebastian shifted his weight against the railing. 

“It was...”  Oh gods.  It’d been five years since he’d left his home--wow, that was certainly a mental jolt.  Pushing that to the side, Sebastian combed his memories.

“I want to say it was a decade ago.  Maybe a little over.  The Forum member was Astrid DeGlass.”  Augustine frowned, that name sounded vaguely familair.  He kept listening as Sebastian continued.

“An investigator had found evidence that Trigelle had been a buyer in a slave-ring that had gotten busted by the Yellowjackets in Limsa.  They came here, notified the authorities, provided evidence, and Trigelle’s citizenship was revoked so he could be extradited to stand trial for his crimes.  Only when they went to arrest him, they found him unconscious and covered in the blood of his would-have-been latest victim, who turned out to be Astrid Deglass’s teenage granddaughter.”

“Merciful Halone.”  Augustine breathed.

“The investigators followed a trail footprints, right to the nearby cliff’s edge.  They found scraps of bloody clothing on the rocks below--the girl fell to her death trying to escape, and her body washed out to sea.  When he came to, Trigelle claimed that the granddaughter had attacked him, and he had been defending himself.  But that fell apart very quickly when the truth came out--the granddaughter had been sold to him.”  A dark look came over the gunbreaker’s face.

“DeGlass?”  Horror was in Augustine’s tone.

“No.  Her son and his current wife.”  Augustine moved to stretch his arms out on the railing, and Sebastian gave a polite nod to a passing waitress.

“You know an awful lot about this.”  He commented.

“It was all everyone could talk about for at least two moons.  I had a student at the time who moonlit as a maid for the patrol-house the investigation was being run out of.  Not to mention it’s a black mark on the town the granddaughter grew up in.”

“What happened?”

“DeGlass’s granddaughter was the result of her son’s first marriage.  The wife died, she’d been ill for a long time.  The husband married again soon after, this time to his deceased wife’s nurse.”  Sebastian caught the look Augustine shot him.

“Was the husband rich?”

“Considerably.”  Came the answer.  “A while later, DeGlass’s son died.  However, his daughter got everything, while the stepmother was listed as trustee of the estate until she gained her majority.  You can probably guess what happened next.”

“Stepmother makes daughter’s life a living hell until she gives up the fortune.”  Augustine murmured.  Sebastian nodded.

“She went on a smear campaign.  Told anyone who’d listen, including Astrid, that the child was unstable, a problem, rude...you name it, she spouted it.  Pulled her out of public schooling and supposedly had private tutors.”  The gunbreaker shook his head. 

“The reality was, she forced the child to become the scullery maid.  Cook, clean, kept her isolated, abused her verbally and physically.  And nobody--including Astrid, ever knew.  Never saw her, never looked into it.  All those years, and nobody was aware.  Trigelle got involved because apparently the wife decided to use him as a threat to make the daughter sign over her inheritance.”

“But not an actual threat.”  Merciful Halone, he’d had it bad as a child, but Augustine couldn’t even begin to imagine what the lost granddaughter had gone through.

“When it all came to light, DeGlass was...unmerciful.”  And that was putting it mildly, Sebastian thought.  “Rumor had it she put out a hit on both Trigelle and her daughter-in-law.  The wife got smart and fled, but they found Trigelle--or rather his head down to his waist--strung up in Scholar’s Harbor. His arms and legs were missing.”

“Are you certain this happened here or in Limsa?!”  Then again, academic types could be extremely violent, Augustine thought.  Sharlayan probably had a very good chance at rivaling--maybe even topping the arcanists of Limsa for potential physical harm.  Then a thought occurred to him.

“Wait.  I know where I remember that name from now.”  He said.  “DeGlass--they were the ones who covered our food bill here!”  By unanimous vote among the Scions, the Last Stand had been their source of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks during their stays on the island.  And given the absolutely obscene amount of food that he, Riven, Reinhardt, Mathye and Sebastian needed due to their abilities, covering a meal ticket was no small feat.

“Astrid.”  Sebastian confirmed.  “She still holds her seat and is a major opponent of the Bibliothec faction.  In fact...”  He paused, tilting his head in thought.

“I’ve seen her name come up too.  Not for the food, but for the bodyguards we had when we first returned from Ultima Thule.”  He said slowly.  His memory was still slightly hazy, but Sebastian could recall that there had been armed guards stationed in and around the wing of the infirmary he and the others had been recovering in.

“I remember them too. I thought it strange, but then I remembered Riven had past...experiences with Sevestre.” Augustine added.

“But she’s not told anyone about what happened.”  Sebastian countered.  His brow furrowed.  “Which means DeGlass was protecting us on her own--and it makes sense.  Our actions have certainly set the Fourm on a potential path to interact more with the star--possibly even repeal their idea of non-intervention completely.”

“Which runs counter to the Bibliothecs and probably explains why Sevestre has been a slow-burn pain in our collective arse recently whenever we’re back.”  Augustine frowned. 

“Do you think we’re being dragged into a power play of some sort?”

“Maybe.”  Sebastian mused.  “It doesn’t help that the Scions are technically ‘disbanded’.  For all the world knows, we’re just a group of adventurers right now with no ties, open to hire.”  He sighed. 

“Something to discuss with Riven.”  Augustine agreed.  He looked out at the harbor, the blue water and the statue of Thaliak.

“I hope that granddaughter’s happy, wherever she is now.”  He said.  “Maybe she got a chance to be reborn, and is safe and loved.”

[peachy-panic]

Only Temporary: Sebastian Tate

Hello. I was completely blown away by the positive response I got on the first piece of Jaime’s story (title under construction). Thank you to everyone who had a kind word to say about it! You made me really happy I made the mildly frightening choice to post.

In the interest of acclimating to the no-rules, freedom-to-post-out-of-order structure of this community, I wanted to introduce a new piece of the puzzle this time, with a new character that will come into play later.

Also, this piece goes into a little bit of the details, but for frame of reference on the BBU-adjacent thing: this story takes place in a not-so-distant future of the BBU, where WRU has undergone some changes. I look forward to exploring this world building more as I go.

Anyway, I’m rambling again. Thanks for reading. Here it is:

WARNINGS: General BBU warnings, talk of institutionalized slavery, classism, and general terribleness of large corporations. Referenced past homophobia and rough parental relationships, briefly implied/referenced non-con.

When Sebastian reflects on the day he graduated from med school, a sort of emptiness is the memory that first bobs to the surface. Among the cheers and camera flashes in the crowd, white coats and proud smiles, what Sebastian recalls most vividly from that day is looking out into the sea of parents and families and people there to support their loved ones on one of the biggest days of their lives, and not seeing a single person that had come for him.

What should have been one of the happiest moments of his life had been quickly overshadowed by the sinking feeling that none of it mattered as much as it would have if he had someone to share it with. Like there was something so fundamentally wrong with his life, that even something as objectively good and right and decent as becoming a doctor could be dulled over into a feeling of nothingness.

Perhaps, he thinks in hindsight, that moment had been foreshadowing for the following months ahead of him.

Watching rejection after rejection pour in from his top residency programs had felt like nothing short of his own personalized nightmare. He had spent several nights in a row on the phone with Alex, his undergrad roommate and only friend, clamoring back from the edge of many a panic attack, spiraling into all-out existential dread about the future and the past and what all of it meant for him if he couldn’t land an internship, let alone a real job out of school. To his credit, Alex never gave up hope in his friend. Or at least, he did a decent job hiding it if he did. Which was probably exactly what Sebastian needed to get through that particularly dark time in his life, and a good reminder of what a solid friend he had. Even if it was a party of two.

Unfortunately, Sebastian did not have the same faith in himself.

He was able to keep up some facade of optimism as his top five were picked off one by one. Telling himself, despite his devastation, that they were a pretty far reach, anyway. Even with good academic standing, it was famously no walk in the park to land yourself at John Hopkins or Mayo as a first-year. He even maintained a brave face as his first few safety programs reached capacity and moved forward without his name on the roster.

It wasn’t until he received his final rejection letter from some internal medicine place in Bumfuck, Idaho that he felt himself slip into dangerous territory. Sebastian knew himself well enough to know his own depressive patterns by then, and he knew it was only exponential decay from there.

Rock bottom came, as it did, in the wee hours of the night, after a full bottle of wine. Alone in his small apartment, surrounded by half-packed boxes with no destination, Sebastian found himself sprawled out on the floor with his laptop hot against his thighs. He couldn’t have explained why he opted for a privacy browser, but something about it allowed him to justify the words that he typed into the search bar.

It was a new low, and one he had sworn to himself he would never stoop to. Yet there he was.

He gave himself a moment to reconsider, to back out of what was undoubtedly a morally-gray train wreck waiting to happen as his thumb hovered over the enter key. And then the alcohol decided to override his moral compass.

Facility Care is the open secret of the medical profession. It comes with its fair share of stigma, and rightfully so, but it is notoriously easy to break into and pays a decent wage.

There are two types of people who end up stooping to that kind of employment. More often than not, it consists of doctors and nurses who had their licenses revoked or suspended somewhere along the line and needed a way back in. As far as Sebastian understood, they aren’t terribly ridgid about the particulars of each circumstance. After all, in the eyes of the law, the patients they would be treating are a price tag away from being entirely expendable.

The other percentage of Facility Care workers, and the reason Sebastian found himself staring at his too-bright computer screen with a sinking feeling of dread that night, are young medical graduates who find themselves in a tough spot. It isn’t difficult to spell out the logic behind that one when you open the WRU CAREERS tab on the home page and see the bright white words printed across the top of the screen:

LOAN FORGIVENESS.

It is shamelessly predatory and aggressively capitalistic, but Sebastian supposes that particular exploitation is pretty far down on the list of transgressions for an institution of legalized slavery. A few broke and hopeless medical students were hardly going to keep the Powers That Be up at night when they were able to rest easy under the weight of hundreds of thousands of stolen lives.

The whole thing is part of the massive PR overhaul the company did a few years back. In a world that was slowly inching toward civil activism and with the accessibility of platforms like social media to hold them accountable, WRU had to adapt to survive. Adaptation, in this case, took the form of changing the barest of minimums in order to keep themselves above board — to the public eye, anyway. Anyone who dares to take a closer look at the policy changes can see that it’s bullshit.

Changing ownership conditions to a rent-by-contract basis isn’t the humanitarian move they try to paint it as. In the end, it probably just equals out to more money in the company’s pocket when they can get more return on their “investments,” and a larger chance of exploitation for the people being moved around.

Getting rid of the Romantic division is an entirely meaningless gesture when they are still loaning out human beings with no legal rights and the inability to say “no.”

And offering an open job market with good wages and healthcare options to lower class individuals is a pretty convenient way to mute the backlash.

Essentially, you can tie a system of slavery and abuse up in a bow and make it pretty on the outside, but at the end of the day, it’s still fucking slavery.

Not that he has any room to criticize now. Now that he’s one of them.

In the end, Seb tries to justify his decision a few different ways. He is, after all, more or less a young man alone in the world. The odds are stacked against him and have been for a while. With only his own two legs to stand on, the only force stronger than his internal ambition is his instinct for survival, and he’s been running on those fumes for longer than he can count.

He had lasted less than two months under his parents’ roof after he came out of the closet at eighteen. It wasn’t exactly a surprise for anyone involved; Sebastian’s parents had known about (and subsequently bottled) his… urges… since he was in high school. Probably before that, if he is being honest with himself. And Sebastian, for his part, had spent the better part of his teenage years mentally preparing for the inevitable. He can recall long, late nights he had spent crying into his pillow and the perfectly-scripted ‘coming out’ speeches he recited to his mirror when he was one-hundred percent sure his parents were asleep.

Of course, none of the preparation had been anywhere near adequate when he actually found himself wilting beneath the heat of his father’s glare, the weight of his mother’s grief.

But. He had recovered. That is the point he tries to remember when the memories sting fresh beneath his skin, even all these years later. He has more-than proven himself to be a survivor. He has worked harder than anyone he knows for every scholarship, every grant, every dollar to put himself through school. Sacrificed nights out and real relationships for night shifts at shitty diners and long weekends cramming for exams. It hadn’t been easy, but he considers it the price he had to pay for his independence. For freedom, to live the life as the person he is meant to be, despite his unfortunate odds. He spent years telling himself it would be worth it. That one day, his hard work would pay off.

He can’t stop now.

Sebastian doesn’t have the luxury of taking time off to reroute when his navigation has gone amiss. He is walking the precarious line of rapidly accruing interest and student loans and a dwindling savings account, and there is no safety net below him.

Beggars can’t be choosers, and as it turns out, beggars sometimes have to compromise their moral integrity in order to survive.

It’s only temporary.

That is the mantra that gets him through the (half-drunken) application process and the (disturbingly lax) interview process. It is a job. One job. In the medical field, though the details are up for debate, and it is real-life money for rent and food and a savings that will hopefully be sizable enough to get him where he really wanted to be. Which is… really, anywhere else.

He can do ‘temporary.’ And perhaps, some misguided part of him thinks he can do some genuine good from the inside, too. ‘Be the change you want to see’ and all that.

It is a far jump from the floor of his apartment, sloshed and exhausted and desperate, to the cold, sharp reality of walking into his place of employment on his first day of work. Ironically, it feels a lot like an echo of the emptiness from his graduation day.

‘Sterile’ doesn’t quite cover it. ‘Sterile’ is the expectation of any well-respected medical establishment, but the inside of the facility walls has been wiped clean of far more than bacteria and germs. It is completely devoid of humanity. The long corridors that connect the medical wing to the general ward are windowless and dimly lit by flickering fluorescent panels that had make his head pound for the entirety of his first week.

He is given an office, though it is a term he, himself, might use loosely, as it is more akin to what was probably a storage closet before the old prison had been converted into the state’s training headquarters. It leaves him just enough space for a small desk and two chairs. On his first day, he asks if it is okay to bring in some personal items to spruce the place up. The older, balding doctor who had been assigned to show him around merely shrugs, and Sebastian decides to take that as a yes.

The small, pink-framed photo of a six-year-old Sebastian Tate in his grandfather’s white coat and an old-school stethoscope around his neck is hardly enough to make the place cozy from the corner of his desk, but it’s a good enough reminder of why he has to make this work.

‘It’s only temporary.’

‘Be the change you want to see.’

He will do his best.

[munstysmind]

CELEBRATING - Maddison - Shorts and Extras

WARNING/S: Mentions of legal stuff, fire

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE USED IN ANY CAPACITY

Divider by @firefly-graphics

MAIN MASTERLIST

MADDISON MASTERLIST

MADDISON SHORTS AND EXTRAS MASTERLIST

please let me know if you would like to be added to a tag list

"What's do you wanna do for dinner?" Maddie asks Sebastian as they walk through the door. It’s been a long day full of legal crap.

She'd had a very important victory though. The DA's office has officially decided to go ahead with her case to trial.

"I'm not really in the mood to cook tonight" he tells her laying down on the couch.

"You're always cooking. I can cook something" she says opening the fridge to see what they have that she can use to throw something together.

"No fucking way" he almost yells, quickly siting up.

"Hey!" she yells, throwing a grape at him at him

"Your cooking privileges have been revoked"

"What, why?"

"Because last time you cooked you almost set the kitchen on fire"

"I did not"

"You did... and you burnt the rice"

"God you're dramatic" she says rolling her eyes at him. It wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be.

"Maddie the pan was on fire" he reminds her. He really liked that pan too.

"It wasn't that bad"

"I had to use the fire extinguisher"

"Hey, it's not my fault the meat was full of fat, you're the one who brought it"

"You are not cooking Maddison"

"Than what are we doing for dinner?" she whines as she sits next to him. She’s starting to get really hungry, and tired. She’a about 20 minutes away from becoming a hangry gremlin.

"What if we ordered in from that Chinese place you love?" he suggests, making her perk right up. 

"The one with the honey chicken?" she asks excitedly. She’s obsessed with the honey chicken they do. It comes with these little crispy noodles too, so good.

"Yeah"

"Yes!"

"And we're going to open a bottle of wine"

"Why wine?"

"Because we are celebrating"

"I guess we are aren't we?"

"You guess?! He's getting what he deserves. He's going to be held accountable for when he did to you"

She looks at her best friend and can’t help but smile. He’s as happy about it going to trial as she is, maybe even more.

He’d been there for all of it, from the very start. She doesn’t know where she’d be without him, his love and support.

She owes him everything. He saved her life that night. It’s something she will never forget.

TAGLIST

@aussieez

@littleone65

[headmasterfpjones]

Stonewall Prep is proud to announce the official claim of Sebastian Smythe and his submissive, Elliott Anderson. Effective immediately, both parties will be moved to a Penthouse Suite. Sebastian is now responsible for his submissive completely.

The submissive can no longer be placed under random orders from any other Dominant. Additionally, if any issues occur from the submissive, the offended party must consult with the Dominant to determine the next step in rectifying the situation. The Dominant may choose to allow a punishment to occur as they see fit regarding the infraction. The Headmasters reserve the right to revoke the claim or put it on suspension should the claimed parties not hold themselves to the standards expected of a legal claim.

Congratulations and good luck to you both.

@elliottanderson-gabriel @dom-bastiansmythe

[superconductivebean]

#1215: uhhhh, julia-related

just after i yapped about my hogwarts inquiries project i had self-combusted into Strong Feelz about a scene that happens after the high keep mainquest (sharp was Very Not Happy about what julia and natty did for the exactly the same reasons matilda wouldn't be)

ok so that project is pivotal to the julia's story development because what essentially im doing is drawing the timeline of the canon events. i was only able to plot until the end of october. that second trial's date falls on oct 31st isnt really important here but events prior absolutely do

so far i was able to guess aka establish to myself that the excursion to Feldcroft occurs on oct 25th, 1890. it's saturday and it was this day's evening.

after mc and sebastian were teleported back to undercoft, it would be around dinner of the oct 25th, and at the same night they had astronomy class (so the High Keep quest takes place on the oct 26th).

for whatever reason, sebastian doesn't attend the class, and so doesn't natty.

tags for the delulu gang: @myokk @espressoristretto-patronum @theladyofshalott1989 @thriftstorebabayaga @catohphm @infernalrusalka

i suspect sebastian got his arse kicked given he's absolutely useless during the loyalist fight at the ruins of isidora's home. so he decided to skip the class (to then have ominis an earful about ancient magic thus pestering him about the scriptorium i suppose; remember: sebastian thinks of ancient magic —of an innate ability— as of an archaic form of wielding magic, not as of its own thing like being a seer or talking to snakes or being able to naturally morph like tonks).

but natty also doesnt attend the class. natty was sneaking away from hogwarts to get to the falbarton castle in time.

suffice it to say, by entering the class, mc was up since the morning (and on their way to feldcroft, raced imelda! if to add to this day's events another one), perhaps had lunch on the way to feldcroft, but then was out and about until midnight and likely skipped dinner.

then, professor shah urged everyone to go stargazing outside the class, in the surrounding wilderness.

which means outings aren't prohibited at night but may be limited.*

the student's right can be revoked by the headmistress, matilda weasley, if she suspects they'd get themselves in danger. it nearly happened —or happened, i forgot ;-; — to adelaide oaks when she expressed the concern about her uncle who's gone missing lately and wanted to search for him, alone. perhaps this is why both natty and fig advise mc not to tell a soul about what they're up to. or matilda will be like, uh huh huh

after the brief and permitted and absolutely encouraged stroll with amit ends, mc hurries to the falbarton castle hungry, tired and perhaps, very sleepy.

mc doesnt get to sleep the rest of the night though, as they and natty escaped harlow and returned to hogwarts by morn. crucial thing to note here: end of october means longer nights. when mc and natty are back, it wouldn't be around 4 or 5am. it will be around 7. hence natty noted people could see them through the windows; hogwarts would have had first breakfast goers by that time i think?

then, mc has fig to visit and sebastian's beef with ominis to sort out. sleep-deprived and unhinged, mc goes into scriptorium and gets arse roasted by crucio as if they weren't hit and tired enough the previous day lmao poor mc learns magic the most agonising of ways (and gets called Learning-The-Bare-Minimum by sharp anyway LMAO but honestly that man was able to swing the troll with an one hit too so He Has The Authority in this and his sharp criticism is rather warranted and im not sorry for that pun)

anyway, thought id share

[ao3feed-wrightworth]

What Do You Think of Me?

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3bhVzev

by rainingbluegold

The past two months since his father’s arrest hadn’t included the recovery he was hoping for, even though he’d been trying to get better. But the shape of his face and the small strand of hair that curled above the rest had seemed alien to him as he’d stared at himself in the mirror earlier on. Sebastian didn’t see himself; he only saw his Pops glaring back at him.

Words: 1188, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Ichijou Mikumo | Kay Faraday, Ichiyanagi Yumihiko | Sebastian Debeste

Relationships: Ichijou Mikumo | Kay Faraday & Ichiyanagi Yumihiko | Sebastian Debeste, narumitsu if you do a handstand and squint extremely hard

Additional Tags: written for a secret santa, Hurt/Comfort, this is my petition to revoke blaise debeste’s rights, Post-Gyakuten Kenji 2 | Ace Attorney Investigations 2, Gyakuten Kenji 2 | Ace Attorney Investigations 2 Spoilers, watching the steel samurai is a coping mechanism because i said so

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3bhVzev

[greentrickster]

I like to think that Sebastian also visits Simon in jail. Like pretty well from the moment he's arrested. Simon doesn't always want to talk, and probably actively tries to push him away, but I think Sebastian still visits him. Klavier probably does too, but Sebastian is going to have a ruined reputation from the jump so it doesn't matter what people think of him visiting a criminal.

Oh he absolutely does! Klavier not so much, because Kristoph advises him against it and he trusts his brother (because canon is painful like that), but he sends messages and stuff with Sebastian.

You’re also right about Simon pushing them away, though, because there’s no way he’s dragging his friends down with him. The first few times Sebastian visits he probably tries to push him away verbally, then just doesn’t say anything, and finally refuses to see them anymore (pretty sure he can do that). That or he starts causing problems to get his visitor privileges revoked. By the time AA:DD rolls around, they probably haven’t seen each other for a few years.

Thanks for the ask!

[gunmetalarchived]

for @i-am-hamishwatsonholmes WHO IS GOING TO GET MEME RIGHTS REVOKED [ goodbye ] for my muse kissing and/or hugging your muse goodbye ft: @epiitaphs

This was going to get easier. Everyone said how time could be a great healer, and how resilient kids were. The issue was Alex just had no idea how hard this whole thing was going to be. It was painful enough seeing him at every pick up and drop off without the way Finn reacted to her just making it so much worse.

Alex unbuckled her seatbelt with a sigh, turning from the front seat. A weekend out with Sebastian was intended to make this easier. It was supposed to feel a bit like a holiday, seeing the horses and getting some time with grandad that was few and far between. He also acted like a good buffer for them, letting Alex avoid the hard questions about when she was going to be home. Finn had so man question.

Mummy, why aren’t you sleeping at home? Mummy, why is daddy angry at you? Mummy, will you be home for my birthday? Mummy, someone in the playground said their mummy and daddy don’t live together, what’s going on?

She was still so small. No doubt in time it would be water off a ducks back. The problem was that her eyes looked so much like Hamish’s that it was fresh hurt every time Alex let her down. Not to mention when Finn was frustrated, and angry. She was smart enough to be spiteful in her own way. Alex looked at her daughter in silence for a few moments.

   “ Honey, do I get a hug goodbye?”

   “ I don’t want to.”

She had spent so many years instilling the courage in her kid to say no. Alex didn’t want her to be in an environment of forced hugs and politeness, But in that second, it was the straw that broke the camels back. Alex had to pull away, biting down hard on her bottom lip to stop her eyes from watering. Wow. This must have been how Seb felt, in that moment when braiding hair and acting like a human climbing frame came to a sudden stop. Alex was on the outside now. And it was oh too soon.

Alex bit her lip, harder. She closed her eyes tight, opening them with a forceful breath. 

  “ O-okay then. Just um- remember to tell your dad about next week, yeah?”