#the dandelion wars

[hermitcraft-8]

The Dandelion Wars, Chapter One

The child was found behind Jacey Likeel’s tavern, spitting and howling and clawing for dear life.

She was small, and young, probably only 12 years old, with a nest of hair and a strange wardrobe that consisted of rough belted trousers that didn’t even reach her knees and a massive roughly woven sweater that hung around her like a sack. She had a scar on her upper lip and a pair of sharp black eyes that seemed to assess the whole situation in a breath. And her conclusion? It was fighting time.

Of course, the onlookers got the head wizard, Laudine, as fast as they could manage, as soon as she left her meeting, and pulled her down to the docks to look at the child. She was, after all, in charge of the country’s defense, and while no one really viewed this child as a threat, it couldn’t really hurt to be sure.

“Is she hurt?” Laudine asked, as she floated down the street, her long blue silk dress flowing around her. “Can you tell?”

“She won’t let anyone get close enough to tell, M’Light,” One of the cobblers said, apologetically. “We’re really not sure what to do.

Her lips pressed together in a thin, sharp line.

She knew, of course, why she was the one fetched, and not her brothers. Jeynu would never in a million years take this seriously, no doubt making it some sort of joke, before brushing off the child and leaving it to fend for itself once more, while Delmonico would just scare the poor thing, but it still made her bitter to have been reduced to “responsible motherly one” for the hundredth time.

The child was huddled behind a pile of barrels, teeth bared at anyone in sight, and that didn’t change when she saw Laudine.

That was a first, the wizard had to admit- for her whole 32 years of life, never before had she ever been treated as a physical threat, without an ounce of respect.

“Hello, dear,” She said, trying to channel her absolute best kind leader voice. Around her, the crowd murmured in approval. “What’s the matter?”

“Fuck off,” The child muttered, and everyone balked. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Laudine blinked, hard, before bursting into laughter. Uncomfortably, the crowd chuckled along.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I- oh,” The wizard took a second to wipe her eyes. “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t know and I don’t give a damn,” The girl snapped. “You could be Neve Campbelle for all I care.”

“I’m Laudine,” Laudine said. “I’m the head wizard of the Triacrona.”

The girl paused in her snarling at that, blinking up at her. “The fucking what of the where?”

“Hm?”

“Wizards aren’t real.”

At that, it was Laudine’s turn to be rendered speechless, blinking at the girl uselessly. “I’m sorry?”

“Wizards aren’t real, you stupid fuck,” She repeated, slower. “Just because you dress up like it’s Halloween doesn’t make you a wizard.”

Laudine frowned. “I think… I think you should come with me. Where are you from?”

“Nunya.”

“Where?”

“Nunya business.” The girl said, looking strangely proud of herself.

Laudine exhaled, trying very hard not to lose her temper. This was probably just a lost little girl with a very strange sense of humor. Once this was all resolved, she’d go home, and have a nice long bath, and read a book or two on moths or butterflies. And maybe blow something up.

“Come on, honey, let’s get you to the manor,” She said, trying very hard to smile. It seemed to work if the second wave of content murmurs to sweep the crowd meant anything. Yes, no one could say Laudine wasn’t good at her job, that was for sure. “Come on.”

“What if I don’t?”

Laudine sighed, pinching the ridge of her nose. “Then I’ll have the guards throw you into a dungeon. How about that?”

Of course, the guards wouldn’t really throw her into a dungeon- she was obviously under 20, the legal age to be considered an adult, and Laudine wasn’t sure the people would like that all that much, especially considering their reaction to that rather empty threat, but still, it seemed to work, as the girl only hesitated a moment longer before standing.

She was incredibly small, probably only coming up to Laudine’s hip. Maybe that was normal for a child her age. Maybe not. She was stick thin too, reminding the wizard a bit of herself as a child. Her nest of hair was a similar shiny black, as well, although Laudine wasn’t she’d ever had it quite that tangled in her life.

That’s where the similarities ended.

While Laudine had dark brown skin and a proud nose, the girl had pale skin and a flat bridge, little slanted eyes with nubby lashes. She vaguely, Laudine thought, reminded one of a cat, or perhaps a fae dog.

“What’s your name?” Laudine asked.

“I’m not supposed to give my name to strangers.”

Laudine snorted. “I’m very clearly not a Fae Friend, you have nothing to worry about.”

The girl squinted at her. “What?”

“What’s your name?”

“...Millie.”

“I’m Laudine,” Laudine said, thoroughly unable to remember if she’d already said that. “Head wizard.”

“This is so weird,” Millie muttered. “Wizard named Lardy, why not?”

“Laudine.” Laudine corrected.

“That’s what I said.”

She squinted. “Where are you from, Millie?”

“New York.”

“Where?”

“It’s in another time,” Millie waved a hand. “You wouldn’t know it.”

Laudine stared at her for a beat before turning and walking. After a second, she heard the girl’s shoes flap against the ground behind her.

“Hey, Lardy, where are we going?”

“The manor,” Laudine gritted out. She was really looking forward to blowing something up when she got home. “I’m taking you to meet the other two Crowns.”

“The what?”

“My brothers. The King and The Head of Architecture.”

“Oh,” Millie fell silent for a few glorious moments, before sniffing loudly. “If your brother is the King, why aren’t you princess?”

“Because I’m a wizard. You can’t be a wizard and a princess,” Laudine sighed. “That’s just not how it works.”

“Why?”

Laudine didn’t respond.

The walk wasn’t a particularly long one, but fortunately, the hills and scenery were enough to wear Millie into silence for the rest of the walk. Laudine was seriously starting to suspect this was a farm kid who’d never been to the capitol, if her shocked expression at the fire fruit trees was anything to go off of. She probably had never seen faelora.

By the time they’d reached the manor at the top of the hill the city was built on, Millie was breathing hard, her little round face red. Laudine felt a moment of guilt, but it faded as soon as Millie’s face wrinkled in disgust.

“That’s such a lame castle.”

“It’s not a castle,” Laudine sighed. “It’s a manor. Our castle is elsewhere.”

“That’s stupid.”

Laudine rolled her eyes, nodding to the guards at the front gates, who let her in.

The manor’s front courtyard was a beautiful affair, with community gardens and a small pond with a bridge going over it, but Millie seemed unimpressed, huffing under her breath as she followed Laudine to the front doors.

“Herrady,” Laudine called to the butler. “Can you fetch my brothers? Tell them we have a young guest who claims to be from another time.”

“The future,” Millie piped up. “Way in the future.”

Herrady raised an eyebrow, but turned curtly and marched off.

Millie sat down on the tile floor.

“Oh, stand up,” Laudine sighed. “Or sit on a chair.”

“I don’t want to,” Millie whined, laying down now. “It’s soooo hot outside and the floor is so cool.”

“It’s not hot out,” Laudine said, stooping to grab the girl’s arm. “You’re wearing a sweater.”

“Yeah, but it’s also hot,” Millie grumbled, wrenching her arm away. “Leave me alone.”

“Millie.”

“Lardy.”

Laudine snarled, leaning down to grab at her again, but Millie twisted away, wiggling, wormlike, on the floor, her shoes squeaking maddeningly on the floor. Laudine let out an irritated cry, and Millie laughed, leading her on a chase around the floor, Laudine stooping and swinging her arms like some sort of ape, trying to catch the girl, only to be closely evaded.

Finally, Laudine’s temper snapped, and she pulled out her staff.

“Woah, Lady, chill.”

She whirled, glaring up the stairs at her brothers, who stood on the top landing, watching in amusement.

The siblings certainly looked similar to a certain extent. They had the same warm skin tone, the same black hair and eyes. They were all tall, all with perfect posture. That’s where the similarities ended.

Jeynu wore architect’s robes, simple and warm colored, layers on layers and belts on buckles. His head was shaved short, his goatee neatly trimmed. A smile danced on his face, his eyes sharp and amused, he looked perfectly at home in the calm manor, looked just as at ease as he always did.

Delmonico, however, was larger than his siblings, not only in height, but in weight. His hair, like Laudine’s, was long and wavy, but unlike hers, it flowed free around his shoulders. He wore his kingly robes, all white and red, all trimmed in seal fur and gold. Tattoos of bones plastered every joint, a skull across his face. He was watching the affair with a wide smile, clearly ready to laugh at any moment.

“Lady, you can’t fireball the kid,” Jeynu said, amused. “That’s not okay.”

At that, Delmonico let out a laugh, a raspy, rough chortle.

Millie stood, eyes wide and caught on the king’s face.

“I can see your bones,” She breathed. “That’s crazy.”

“It’s just a tattoo,” Laudine sighed. “It’s not his real bones.”

“It could be real,” Delmonico shrugged. “Who knows.”

While Jeynu and Laudine had soft, sweet voices, and spoke with eloquence and grace, Delmonico almost spat every word, stumbling over the sounds, cutting himself off at the end of every sentence like he meant to say more. His siblings were used to it, as were most of the staff, but that didn’t mean that this rude little child would have the same respect.

And she didn’t.

“You talk weird.”

“You look weird.” Delmonico said, immediately.

Her jaw dropped, and then, to Laudine’s surprise, she lit up. “Fuck yeah, you’re cool, big man! What’s your name?”

“Delmonico,” Delmonico announced proudly. “I happen to be King of this fine Kingdom.”

“What kingdom is that, England?”

“Triacrona.”

“I told you that,” Laudine muttered. “Like an hour ago.”

“I forgot,” She shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t know where that is.”

“Are you sure you’re from a different time?” Jeynu asked. “Or a different world?”

“I don’t know. You guys have magic, right? We don’t.”

“You don’t have magic?” Jeynu asked, incredulously. “How does that work?”

“I don’t know, it just does,” Millie said defensively. “How the hell should I know?”

“How old are you, anyways?” Laudine asked.

“12.”

“And how’d you get here with no magic?”

“I don’t know, me and my little brother were walking home, and then suddenly I was here.”

“Hm,” Laudine gave her brothers a look. “Right.”

“I believe you,” Delmonico said, not very helpfully. “I bet you really are from another world.”

“Del,” Laudine said, wearily. “Don’t-”

“No, I do too,” Jeynu said. “I remember hearing something about this happening before. Supposedly we all descended from people who fell through cracks in the other world and ended up here, or something.”

“I’ve literally never heard of that,” Laudine said, thinly. “Is this another fae tale?”

“No, this one came from a book.”

“And was the book written by a fae?”

Jeynu stared at her.

“Right.”

“So… you guys are going to help me find my brother and get home, right?”

“Right,” Jeynu smiled. “And until then, you can live here, with us, as an official ward of the state.”

Laudine was starting to think it was very much a mistake on her part to bring the girl here.

[esmp-i]

laudine with song 80 please

(i found. her name.)

ive had this song stuck in my head for days now.

[yunogf]

okay which jaehyun picture are you putting in ur locket mines this one

[hanzajesthanza]

love that regis was resentful of cahir for being nilfgaardian at first. he didn’t even know anything about what he did to ciri or that geralt even hated him, he was just old enough and wise enough to disrespect the empire and military. “i can excuse drinking human blood but i draw the line at acts of imperialist aggression.”

i like this because a lot of interpretations of regis’ character (… blood and wine dlc 🥴) set him apart from society as an external judge of human folly and foolishness. like hmmmm… you mourtæls…. 🧐🍷 so dividèd by youer prejudicês…

and don’t get me wrong, regis is indeed the “let’s all kumbaya” type, but something as simple and subtle as his little snide remark about cahir’s surname and almost undetectable accent when he meets him betrays his absolute integration with northern society and strong ties to life in dillingen, and his inner prejudices resulting from that, which are absolutely. say it with me. human

[rexscanonwife]

idk if someone's made this kind of post before, but draw your angstiest ships like this ☝️☝️☝️

[fisherrprince]

recoils as if shot and then jerks back up on hands and knees blood pouring from my nose. khux au mom uses the dandelions and foretellers to summon primals. dande fervor = foreteller (minus luxu) primals ++ fear = darkness primal possessing ven

[dandelionsandderivatives]

Continuing the trend of introducing my roommate to movies: she's never seen Star Wars, so tonight we're holding a watch party!

Any suggestions on things I should mention, or good snacks to eat while watching star wars for the first time?

[ode-2-joy]

none of you are gonna remember this guy and i don't blame you.

[nopynopa]

Anakin: I don’t like sand

Obi wan: But it isn’t sand! This is a field of dandelions🌼

[zapphic-zel]

“You look beautiful,” Dorcas tells her earnestly. “How could you not?”

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” Marlene laughs, wiping her face quickly. She throws the used cloth into the bowl with the other.

“No, only telling the truth,” Dorcas admits with a smile, then adds, “It can be flirting if you want it to be.”

Marlene leans across and kisses Dorcas again. Dorcas relaxes into it, smiling even as their lips press together. They fall back onto Marlene’s mattress, Marlene on top.

[anonymousdandelion]

Imagine living in a world where people did not bargain with two-year-olds

[hermitcraft-8]

ok the basic premise is that two kids (12 and 10) fall out of time in the 1990s and end up in a fantasy world, and have to get out, while avoiding the war. there's only going to be six rulers, three on either side of the war. three of them are human, the other three are fae.

[esmp-i]

day one of @yeehawgust was gather the posse. im not going to draw these three the whole month i just wanted to draw them. as cowboys. yk.

[image description: a digital drawing of laudine, jeynu and delmonico. laudine is a thin woman with a bun and a bow. she's wearing a cowboy shirt and a bolo tie. jeynu is a thin man with a buzzcut and goatee. he's wearing a cowboy shirt, bandana and hat. delmonico is a large man in a southern belle style dress with a feather head dress in his updo hair. he has a skull tattooed on his face. end id]

[veveisveryuncool]

@trainerbob23 breaking up your ask!! all of em will be addressed in due time but for now i wanna focus on the dandelion + dreamy gear ones :]]

💌 (Love Letter) - How easy are they to befriend? Are they more of a social butterfly or a lone wolf?

dandelion is VERY easy to befriend! it's not uncommon for them to walk up to a group of people and insert themself into the conversation easily. zero hesitation when it comes to making friends, but keeping them is more of a struggle. it's mostly up to the other person to maintain that friendship, setting up hangouts and conversations and such. dandelion has a hard time knowing when to follow-up with people, and will often forget that friendship requires actively seeking out the other person, and it's not that they're against it! they'll just probably forget unless expressly asked—

🐛 (Caterpillar) - What are your OC’s greatest fears, and why? How do they act or react when they’re afraid?

large scale changes and separation from community and familiar routines!!

being a native dreamlander through and through, dandelion doesn't like having their blissful peace being ripped away. they rely a lot on the support of those they care about and familiar routines, so getting warped to the Forgotten Land was probably the hardest challenge to face. getting zapped to a completely new place! away from their mentors! being captured by the Beast Pack?!

despite their crippling fears of the unknown, dandelion put on a brave face (chanting "it'llbeokay" over and over again) and let their optimism overpower their fears. now, even when separated from their home in dreamland, they've embraced that change and maybe, some changes aren't all that bad :]

🕰️ (Clock) - What would a Dreamy Gear version of them look like? What sort of accessories would they have? What kind of role do they play?

you've asked this one for all of them, so i went ahead and gave all my OC's a dreamy gear makeover :DD

hopefully my notes are sufficient! floriography and old astronomy, my main inspirations for these guys, are both very victorian-era adjacent already, so the hardest part was pulling off that steampunk aspect!

[starlightwayfinder]

I cannot recommend Dandelion Seeds by CoriShadowfang (@corishadowfang) enough. Dandelion Seeds is a retelling of Union Cross that focuses on the perspective of the five Union leaders, expanding their stories, origins, and relationships. It is also an amazing journey into the world of Daybreak Town, and what everyday life there would be like! (Please remember to bring tissues; it’s incredibly heartfelt 💖)

[uschi-the-listener]

I'd rather be a dandelion

than a rose

I don't need to be fed

I find my own fertile soil

My best friends are little children

They make chains of me

I am persistent

And legion

No thorns here.

The bees are my family of choice

I'm glad to share my pollen

Careful who you call a weed

There are more of me than of you

.