#hphm cardverse

[ariparri]

Undeserving

HPHM Cardverse Masterlist | Blog Masterlist

The Hogwarts Mystery Cardverse is an AU that takes place in a fantasy land called Cinderhaven. There are five regions, four of them representing a suit of cards; Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds. The final region representing the Jokers.

Here it is, finally! Rakepick's backstory and motive! I kept this one short since I didn’t plan to make her backstory too long, just a good enough description on why she’s the way she is. To put things simply, she’s mad because the newer official role holders are all younger than her and some were literally handed their positions on silver platters while she worked her damn butt off to get her position.

In the illustrious Country of Spades, where work flowed like the rivers and power lay in the hands of a select few, Patricia Rakepick was born into the esteemed House of Rakepick. From her earliest years, she was immersed in a world of privilege and expectation, the weight of her family's legacy pressing down upon her young shoulders like a suffocating cloak.

Raised within the imposing walls of her family's estate, Patricia's childhood was marked with rigorous education and training. Her parents, stern and unyielding, demanded nothing short of perfection from their daughter, instilling in her a relentless drive for excellence that burned bright within her.

But it was in the hallowed halls of the military academy that Patricia truly found her calling. She excelled in her studies, displaying an insatiable hunger for knowledge and a keen intellect that set her apart from her peers. Improving her skills in combat and strategy, driven by a burning desire to prove herself worthy of her family's legacy.

As she ascended through the ranks, Patricia's ambition knew no bounds. She set her sights on the coveted position of Ace of Spades, the highest rank in the country’s military hierarchy, a title reserved for only the most skilled commanders. Her prowess on the battlefield became legendary, her name whispered in awe and fear by those who knew of her exploits. But even as she carved out her place among the country’s elite soldiers, a shadow of resentment lingered in her heart.

Unlike Patricia Rakepick, who had clawed her way to the top through sheer force and will, Duncan Ashe had been handed his position on a silver platter, his ascent to becoming the next Jack of Spades was swift and seemingly effortless. Under the watchful eye of his mentor, Ulrich Scheller, the mastermind behind the country’s intricate web of finances and policies, Duncan had risen through the ranks with alarming speed, his youth and charm masking a cunning intellect that belied his years.

Even as he was still attending university, Duncan's influence within Ulrich's cabinet was already felt far and wide. His reports and recommendations were eagerly awaited by those in power, his insights and analysis proving invaluable in guiding the country through troubled times.

As Duncan was appointed the new Jack of Spades, another figure emerged from the shadows: Coby McQuaid, the king who never truly sought the crown. Coby's ascension to the throne was a twist of fate orchestrated by his closest friend and confidant, Duncan Ashe. Coby McQuaid never envisioned himself wearing the crown. His days were filled with adventure and laughter, not with the weighty responsibilities of rulership. Despite his initial reservations, Coby embraced his newfound position with characteristic optimism. He may not have been well-versed in the intricacies of governance, but he possessed a deep love for his people and a genuine desire to see them thrive.

As Patricia Rakepick's thirst for power intensified, so too did the darkness that lurked within her soul. Fueled by resentment and driven by ambition, she became a formidable force to be reckoned with in the Country of Spades. Overhearing the conversation between King Coby and Duncan about the possibility of adding Veruca McQuaid, Coby's sister, to the council only served to stoke the flames of Patricia's anger. In her eyes, it was yet another example of undeserving individuals being handed positions of power without earning them.

Determined to prove herself superior to Coby and Duncan, Patricia's ambition twisted into something darker and more insidious. She became ruthless and cunning, willing to cross any line to achieve her goals, no matter the cost. With each passing day, Patricia's thirst for power grew, consuming her from within like a relentless hunger. She manipulated events and people with calculated precision, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

But as she climbed the ladder of success, leaving a path of devastation in her wake, Patricia's grip on reality began to slip. The lines between right and wrong blurred, and she found herself teetering on the edge of madness. Yet, even as the darkness threatened to consume her, Patricia remained determined to claim her rightful place among the elite of Spades. For in a country where power was the ultimate currency and ambition the driving force behind every action, she would stop at nothing to emerge victorious.

As Patricia Rakepick's fame as a war hero grew, so did her influence within the Country of Spades. Leveraging her reputation and military prowess, she capitalized on the dissatisfaction brewing among the people regarding King Coby's laid-back nature and perceived ineffectiveness as a ruler.

With a shrewd understanding of political maneuvering, Patricia exploited Coby's relaxed style of governance as a potent weapon against him. She paid off news reporters to spread gossip about Coby's extravagant spending habits, painting him as out of touch with the needs of the common folk. The whispers of discontent among the council members and the general populace provided fertile ground for Patricia to sow seeds of dissent. As she positioned herself as a strong and decisive leader, contrasting sharply with Coby's perceived weaknesses, she garnered widespread support among the disillusioned masses.

Patricia's promise of swift and decisive action resonated with many, particularly those who longed for a return to old-school traditions and values. Veterans, in particular, rallied behind her banner, viewing her as a champion of stability and order in a time of uncertainty. Under Patricia's leadership, she demanded absolute loyalty from her supporters, particularly from her military forces. Those who dared to question her authority or stray from her path were swiftly dealt with, sent off to the metaphorical "gulag" as a warning to others.

While some embraced Coby’s vision for the future of Spades, others clung stubbornly to the past, resisting change and viewing Coby's carefree demeanor as a sign of weakness. Yet, as the winds of political upheaval swept through the country, it became increasingly clear that the days of Coby's reign were numbered, and the era of Patricia Rakepick's iron-fisted rule was on the horizon.

#hphm cardverse #ariparri #patricia rakepick #hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #coby mcquaid #duncan Ashe

[carewyncromwell]

"You want a ride to fame? I've got the fastest route! What's it gonna be? Are you in or out?"

x~x~x~x

HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri // Rakepick's outfit // Duncan's outfit // the more "court-worthy" outfit Duncan eventually bought for Jacob

x~x~x~x

The day Jacob Cromwell first arrived at the palace of Spades, he earned more than a few skeptical side-eyes. It was hard not to judge Jacob poorly, when he strolled inside dressed in clothes more appropriate to working in a mechanic's shop than in one of the most powerful royal courts in Cinderhaven. His black slacks and white shirt were clean and his boots were polished, yes, but he'd rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and the lone pop of color in Jacob's outfit -- his red suspenders -- were far too informal for such a setting. And yet Jacob walked with his head held high, almost arrogantly so, and went straight to work in his new workshop just down the hall from the office of his boss, the also very recently installed Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe.

One of those most skeptical of Jacob -- at least at first -- was the Ace of Spades, Patricia Rakepick. She had been the one hold-out in selecting Duncan as Ulrich Scheller's replacement, citing his young age and subsequent lack of experience as rationale, but she'd ultimately been overruled. Not only did the King of Spades, Oskar Doyle, support Duncan's promotion, but the Queen of Spades had agreed with it too, before her tragic death. Even Ulrich Scheller himself was steadfast about Duncan being the one to take his old position.

"Mr. Ashe may be young, but he has discerning judgment -- far better than even I had at his age," the former Jack had said. "I've always valued his counsel as my subordinate, and I think the Court of Spades will come to appreciate that very same counsel once he takes my place."

Rakepick was not convinced. And, to be fair, it was hard for her not to feel some resentment at how seemingly easily it had been for Duncan Ashe to climb the ranks of power, while still fresh out of university. Perhaps it was dumb luck or the fact that Duncan was a young man with a good sense of dress from a reasonably well-respected family -- a more objective source might also have pointed out that Duncan was a far more likable person than Rakepick. Even despite his brusqueness, he could be witty and funny and yet also dedicated, down-to-earth, hard-working, and supportive. Duncan chased his ambitions with laser-precision, and yet he also never failed to take helpful input from the people around him. His pride was never so inflated that he couldn't take constructive criticism or admit when he was wrong, nor was it an obstacle to him making iron-clad friendships that gave him people in his corner who stuck with him solely out of sincere enjoyment for his company.

Rakepick's critical view of Duncan Ashe, however, completely justified her initial suspicion of Jacob Cromwell. This suspicion quickly flickered out, though, when she made a point to stop by the Jack's stooge's new workshop.

It was still quite early that morning — most of the King’s, Jack’s and Ace’s staffs had only just started their work for the day -- and yet that oddly chipper new "favorite" of the Jack of Spades' was already hard at work. He’d arrived a good half hour before his scheduled shift and used that extra time to hang up the blueprints for the couple dozen projects he'd already hashed out to show "Ashe" when he arrived later that morning. Then, at his formal start time, Jacob set about testing out his new power-saw (which the curly-haired young man had fanboyed over when he first saw it) to cut out a metal skeleton for his blimp prototype while also making some alterations to the blueprint on his desk.

By the time Rakepick dropped in, she found Jacob in the midst of a short "break" in his work, which entailed him adjusting the screws on a device set up under his desk.

Because Jacob was so preoccupied with what he was doing, he didn't get a good look at who had entered. And because he was so used to being an overworked part-time mechanic, cook, and librarian, his first instinct was not to stop what he was doing, introduce himself to the person, and ask how he could help them, but to greet the stranger cheerfully without even looking up from his work.

"Hey there! Come on in and look around if you’d like — I’ll be right with you!"

Rakepick cocked her eyebrows at the young man largely obscured under the desk, tightening the screws on what looked like the foot pedal of an old sewing machine. With a roll of her eyes, the Ace looked around — only to be startled by the prototype hanging over her head.

It resembled — for lack of a better term — a small mechanical dragon, with its “head” and “limbs” cut into halves hanging from separate wires. The wings were crafted out of aluminum, carved wood, and fabric, and the “body” was a balloon with multiple model stairways attached to it and aluminum “legs” hanging off of them and cut open to show off rooms on the inside. Even the head (adorned with two thick lightning rods as horns) was cut down the middle to show off a miniature cockpit on the inside.

Rakepick actually raised her gloved hand to shift the head around, her eyes widening with interest upon the intricately designed interior. It even had a miniature control panel with what looked like tiny fuses. When she tapped at one of the levers inside the model, two spotlights appeared out of the dragon’s mouth, casting a light down onto the multiple blueprints laid out on the desk.

"It’s a modified blimp," said Jacob’s voice from under the desk. "Those mouth lights would be hydroelectric-powered, via collected rainwater -- I originally thought of using solar power, but too much concentrated heat could run a risk of the thing catching fire, since the blimp itself would use hydrogen...much less rare alternative to helium…"

Rakepick raised her eyebrows. "Hydroelectric power, you say?"

Didn’t Duncan Ashe bring up something once about hydroelectric power in one of his meetings with Ulrich Scheller…?

"Yeah!" said Jacob cheerfully, still not looking up. "I brought it up to Ashe a while ago, shifting our main source of power away from coal and toward hydroelectric -- and he thinks it’d be a great way to save money for other projects. Plus water's much less hazardous to work with…though if coal can be mined more safely, I reckon it could still be used, just in smaller amounts…still need to make a prototype or two for that project…"

Then this person was where Duncan Ashe stole that idea from. Rakepick pursed her lips. It seemed this new Jack really was good at getting credit not rightfully owed him.

"But hey, there's only so much time in a day!" Jacob laughed to himself. "Only sent my letters of resignation in yesterday morning — didn't really have time to get all these ideas out of my head, before that…"

Rakepick glanced around. By her count, she could see five unfinished blueprints hung up on the wall, one more and several printed graphs on the work bench next to an old phonograph, and what looked like a row of small plant boxes with thermometers stuck in each one.

"…You did all this just in one day?" she asked.

"In half a day, a night, and some of this morning. But yeah."

This boy works hard, thought Rakepick.

"Though a few ideas I'd been ruminating on for a while, beforehand," Jacob pressed on. "I just hope it's enough…I've never worked as any kind of advisor before. Don't really know how much my work will be commission-based and how much will be free-lance…"

Rakepick crossed her arms, considering the young man's spade-gloved hands under the desk testing out the little sewing machine wheel he'd attached to the leg of his desk. Only when he turned it did Rakepick realize it was attached to the phonograph on the desk, and the wheel turning also made the crank handle rotate.

"I think that depends on whether that project on your desk is something the Jack commissioned," said Rakepick, "or if you came up with it for him by yourself."

Jacob laughed. "Oh, this? Nah, this is just a personal project...I wanted to use it back at the mechanic shop, originally, but I didn't have proper room for it...Wyn, my sister Carewyn, she let me keep it in pieces under our window, until I could figure out where to put it -- "

Once Jacob had finished his adjustments, he got up off the floor at last, sat down in his chair in front of the blueprint, and pressed the foot pedal. The pedal made the wheel rotate, which subsequently turned the crank on the phonograph so that it could play the record set on it.

"When the red, red robin comes bob-bob-bobbin' along...along... There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song..."

Jacob's almond-shaped blue eyes lit up in delight seeing his invention working right, and he cheerfully sing along to the next few lines.

"Wake up -- wake up, you sleepy head! Get up -- get up, get out of bed! Cheer up -- cheer up, the sun is red! Live, love, laugh, and be happy..."

Rakepick's eyes trailed over the modified phonograph, along the careful metal-work attaching the disparate pieces and the screws securing them to the work bench. All this effort and inventiveness, for something this boy wasn't intending to get any reward for from his employer...

Rakepick's lips curled up in a very slight smirk. She had to admit -- she was impressed.

Still pedaling away to play the song on the record, Jacob finally looked up at the person who'd entered his workshop with a smile. That smile dimmed, though, when he realized just who he was talking to.

"Oh," said Jacob, startled. His foot stopped pedaling as his eyes flitted quickly to the sword at Rakepick's side and the stylized silver-white pauldrons on her shoulders. "Uh...you with the military or something?"

Rakepick smirked. "'Or something.' Patricia Rakepick -- Ace of Spades. And you'd be Jacob Cromwell, of course."

"Uh -- yeah." Jacob looked sheepish.

Rakepick's smirk widened a bit. "You seem surprised to see me."

"Sorry -- I didn't think anyone outside of Ashe's people would be interested in any of this," said Jacob, sounding slightly abashed as he crossed one leg across his lap. "I mean, this stuff's really more for interior projects -- nothing that fancy..."

"You sell yourself short, Master Cromwell," said Rakepick. She once again indicated the prototype of the blimp hanging from the ceiling. "Frankly I'd say with a brain like yours, you could make a rather fine Jack yourself, some day."

Jacob's blue eyes went very wide. Then, almost immediately, his expression gained a much darker look -- one that swept through offense and disgust so thoroughly that it was close to revulsion.

"Uh -- no," he said incredibly bluntly. "Ashe is the Jack."

"I never said he wasn't," said Rakepick, "merely that you're more than qualified for such a position. More qualified than many candidates I could envision as Jack...or King, for that matter..."

"I wouldn't want the post, in any case," Jacob cut her off. "I'm not here to do Ashe's job, or the King's."

So this boy had no ambition in that direction? That was reassuring, to Rakepick.

"Good to hear it," said the Ace, before she added a bit more lowly, "...Though it occurs to me that may be why you were brought here in the first place."

Jacob's eyebrows furrowed. Rakepick folded her arms behind her back as she considered him.

"Mr. Ashe brought up your ideas to the rest of court, long before your arrival," she said grimly. "He's glided to where he is partly on the back of your creativity -- is it so surprising that he'd want to keep leeching off of your efforts and use them to earn further prestige for himself?"

Rakepick's eyes narrowed a bit.

"Your talents are far too impressive for you not to get full credit for them, Master Cromwell. I can think of quite a few projects outside of the Jack's domain that could use a mind like yours -- ones that would pay very well and offer further rewards, for your efforts."

Jacob, however, had already closed himself off visibly -- he slouched back in his chair and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing.

"No offense, Madam Ace, but I'm not here for money or 'prestige' or whatever. I don't give a damn about politics -- I'm here because I want to do something useful, not prance around like a show horse, schmoozing with people. The only power I care about is the power in my brain and in my own two hands -- and I intend to use them to work really hard and make things that solve real problems. I want to help Ashe and the Country of Spades, however I can."

Rakepick's brows raised. This boy wasn't interested in financial reward either? A truly rare breed, to find at court.

"...That's quite noble of you, Master Cromwell," she said, and she meant it. "And it's for that reason that my offer still stands. If you wish so much to be of use, your talent and creativity would be incredibly useful, in giving the army the means to protect the Country of Spades. Your blimp prototype, for instance -- I imagine it could be a perfect flagship, with some minor alterations and a proper set of guns -- "

"Guns?" Jacob repeated, appalled. "Madam, the blimp of that prototype is full of hydrogen. Anything using gunpowder could risk setting the whole thing ablaze. That flying machine is strictly meant for long-distance transport, to reduce travel time and be more resilient to bad weather..."

"A very good idea, when our King has to travel frequently to other parts of Cinderhaven."

The stylishly dressed Jack of Spades had materialized seemingly out of nowhere and walked up behind Jacob's chair, bringing his hand onto his subordinate's shoulder. Jacob looked up at him, and his expression immediately brightened.

"Ashe!"

"I'm flattered that you approve of my staff appointments, Madam Ace," said Duncan, though his voice betrayed a notable edge, "but as you might've noticed, Jacob has quite a few projects already in the works for his place here, working for me. I'm afraid any commissions you might wish to offer him will have to wait."

Rakepick pursed her lips. She got the feeling that Duncan had overheard a lot more of her and Jacob's conversation than he would've admitted -- he was more than clever enough to eavesdrop for important information before making himself known.

"Perhaps," she granted. She turned on her heel, but paused long enough to shoot a cold smile over her shoulder at Duncan. "But don't hoard him away all for yourself, Mr. Ashe. A young man of talent like Master Cromwell could change the world, so long as he has the freedom to chase his own success."

Duncan clenched his jaw as the Ace strolled off.

"Don't hoard him away" -- you dodgy geebag, if you even think of trying to snatch Jacob up for yourself -- !

"What a weird woman."

Duncan looked at Jacob, startled, to see the man frowning very deeply at Rakepick's retreating back.

"She acts like she's complimenting you, and then she says things that make absolutely no sense," Jacob muttered irritably. "'So long as he has the freedom to chase his own success' -- as if I somehow don't? And insinuating that I'm here to do your job...I'm a technology guy, I'm not here to waste time kissing up to people..."

"Good to know you think I'm wasting time," Duncan said very dryly.

Jacob looked sideswiped. "Huh? What, no -- I didn't say that! I said it'd be a waste of time for me to do that..."

"Of course it would -- I'm already doing it," Duncan cut him off smoothly with a wry smile.

His smile then faded as his face grew more serious.

"...Jacob...what Rakepick said...it's not true, not a bit of it. Of course, yes, I did share your ideas at court -- but I did not take credit for them...I told the former Jack they were yours. And I didn't want you here so you could do my work for me or make me look better. I wanted you here because...well, your ideas are useful, and I..."

I want you around. I want you around all the time, not just at that old tavern every Tuesday and Thursday...

Duncan swallowed, his dark eyes flitting down to Jacob's lips and back up into his blue eyes.

"...I do...want you to succeed. I want your work to be appreciated. All of it -- whether it's for me or not."

Jacob grinned. It made his blue eyes sparkle, even though his face lacked any light of revelation about the unspoken sentiment in Duncan's posture.

"I know, Ashe," he said. "And that's all I want, really, to know my work means something. Sure, the paycheck's great -- " he gave a cheekier grin, " -- makes it easier for me to support myself, Wyn, and Mum, you know...but I took the job because you wanted my help, needed my help. And well, you know me...I like to help people. Especially the ones I care about."

Duncan tried very hard to bite back the flush rising in his cheeks. Somehow Jacob completely missed it, though, because his focus was drawn to the blueprint he'd left on his desk.

"Speaking of which!" he said brightly. He snatched up the blueprint and held it up for Duncan to see. "I sketched out a concept for a new hydroelectric generator, for your upcoming meeting with the King of Spades! I suggested several dimension sizes, since I wasn't sure how big the boiler here is, but I thought the palace would be a good place to test its efficiency and ability to heat multiple levels..."

Duncan looked it over and nodded in approval.

"Not bad," he said, and his lips unfurled in a more mischievous smile. "I think the King and the rest of the court will be very impressed with it, and you, when you accompany me to the meeting."

Jacob was taken aback. "Wha -- ? You want me to -- ?"

"Yes -- but only after I take you shopping for some new clothes. I'm not introducing you to Oskar Doyle in red suspenders."

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm cardverse #cardverse au #jacob cromwell #patricia rakepick #duncan ashe #my art #art #my writing #fanfiction #lololol while drawing that one extra jacashe drawing under the cut I was listening to kaci battaglia's crazy possessive #and it felt SO much like an inner monologue for duncan seeing rakepick trying to recruit his -boyfriend- subordinate #'call my man again and I'mma F*** you up!' XDDD #also for the record duncan that IS the nicest outfit jacob has at this particular time in his life #lane even cleaned his clothes specially so they'd be spotless ;~; #jacob wanted to wear the red suspenders because red's his favorite color and carewyn supported him because color is good! #jacob did end up really liking what duncan picked out and bought for him though :') #oh yes! and all allusions to the previous king and queen of spades are inspired by lore developed by ari about them <3 #red red robin is a fun parallel because in hphm canon carewyn's animagus form is a robin #whereas carewyn listens to a lot of songs about bluebirds in this canon when lane calls jacob her 'blue jay' in most canons

[catohphm]

Letters of Blossoming Bonds

Welcome to another entry in the Cardverse AU, created by @ariparri. This story follows a discussion I had with my friend @dat-silvers-girl. It explains the beginnings of Cato and Sarahi’s friendship in the Cardverse as pen pals and how it evolved through their letters to each other. This story also has a brief mention of the Jack of Clubs who belongs to @helenadurazzo. Sarahi belong to @dat-silvers-girl. It was so much fun to brainstorm and write this. I hope you all enjoy!

Also tagging @akikocho​, @nerdyliv​ and @carewyncromwell​

As Cato accustomed to his duties as the Ace of Clubs, he accepted that paper was a central part of the job. Filling out orders, communicating with his lower officers and organizing troops, supplies and munitions were conducted in documentation by written word. Information flowed up and down the chain of command. Everyone in the military was part of it. From the Ace at the top, the officers in between and the many soldiers out and about, each member played a small, yet integral role in keeping the country safe from all threats, foreign and domestic. 

Besides the military, Cato also had authority over legal and judicial matters in his position. He worked in close coordination with his childhood friend and partner, the Jack of Clubs Helena Durazzo @helenadurazzo to draft laws and address national matters, benefitting the best interests of their people, their nation and Cinderhaven as a whole. Warrants, affidavits, case files and other records were handled, with the Ace overseeing many law enforcement investigations over his career. While he had officers below him that helped in carrying out his duties, the Ace had the final approval over many matters that hit his desk. From there, they would be passed up to the Jack and finally His Majesty, King Orion Amari of Clubs.

Fortunately, Cato’s desk was in front of a big bay window that afforded him a panoramic view of the landscape. It sat in his study accessible from his bedroom on the second floor, at the top long end of the Ace’s residence. It had a smaller view than the balcony but it beat having no view at all. Sometimes the Ace would look up from his work to smile and admire the nature outside. That was on sunny days. When it rained, the sound of a billion drops hitting the woodwork kept him at ease as he went through each paper. 

Sometimes among the official correspondence he’d receive each day, there would be small envelopes containing letters from friends and family. The work-related materials came in folders, scrolled parchments and sealed pouches. Cato could tell from which country personal letters were from by the wax symbols that kept the envelopes closed. Those from home bore the mark of the Clubs. But he would also see sleeves with hearts, diamonds and spades, too.

He kept contact with his friends in other kingdoms by writing. Early on into his career, he started receiving letters from someone in the Kingdom of Hearts he never wrote to before - Sarahi Silvers. Cato had knew of the Silvers name from his parents who often went to the Passion Ball up in Hearts. They were friends with a few members of the Hearts’ royal household. Last time he heard, one of the children of the Silvers family had dropped out of college at the bemusement of her mother but found work as part of the help at the royal household. 

In the first few letters Cato and Sarahi exchanged, she explained that she enjoyed tending after the greenery and flowers around the palace over her usual chores as a maid. In his mind, he questioned how she got ahold of him in writing. She kept busy around the Castle of Hearts throughout her day and catching up with the news wasn’t a priority. Cato recognized from the letters that Sarahi was unaware that he was the Ace of Clubs. He debated whether he should volunteer that to her but decided against it. The young leader knew that in such a high place on the latter some common people would find him intimidating, and he resonated with Sarahi’s situation.

She became the royal house’s gardener and befriended the animals around the castle proper. Sarahi often worked alone, but seldom felt lonely because the rabbits and other adorable ones were always there to keep her company as people came and went. Cato also lived on his own in his house in Clubs, surrounded by nature. He enjoyed looking outside from the balcony, watching the birds fly by and the wildlife mill around. Deer with their young, ducklings following the mama duck, and squirrels playing in the trees. These little signs of life made him smile too. The Ace was in touch with nature just as Sarahi was. Since they were kids, nature was among their greatest passions, and they found pleasure in it by their own means. Cato was a curious lad and loved to travel, see more of nature and learn about the cultures of other kingdoms. While work now limited how much he could go out, he still longed to see his friends and reminisce with them. 

Cato and Sarahi were penpals - they shared the aforementioned thoughts with each other through the mail coming to and fro between the Land of Clubs and the Kingdom of Hearts. Sometimes she would ask him about the animals in his country. Growing up in Clubs, Cato was quite knowledgeable on that subject. He explained to his penpal what the local fauna were, how they moved, how they ate, and how they got along with other animals. The Ace was also curious about the animals in hearts, and he would ask Sarahi about them, sharing her curiosity. In fact the Ace and the gardener were also united by the sentiment of leaving their comfort zone to see the world once in a while. 

Alongside animals, Sarahi of course was interested in the other aspects of Clubs as a land too - the towns, the people, the scenery and the history. Until she was comfortable, Cato made a point when he entertained these topics to leave out anything to do with his work. He was still happy to mention King Orion in his letters, but he didn’t dare refer to him as His Majesty to play it safe. A running joke that the two penpals enjoyed was finding out what the King of Clubs thought of a particular animal. After all, it was common knowledge that he was the most level-headed, chillest lad out there. 

With the drama that led to Sarahi becoming the castle gardener for the Hearts’ royal house, she found comfort in writing to Cato. He was someone connected through her family’s social network that she could trust and wouldn’t judge her. Their conversations started out with them discussing their respective kingdoms and her appointment. Cato wanted to tell Sarahi about his life as the Ace of Clubs but he’d have to wait. He was fine with this though, because they wouldn’t be exchanging letters if he shared that first thing. Sarahi didn’t know Cato well when they started writing to each other. She was also quite the anxious sort, and would’ve been scared off if she learned that her new penpal was the Ace of Clubs of all folks.

When considering that, Cato felt it was best to leave his job out of his letters with Sarahi for the moment and be himself. He knew that the impressions of a leading figure like an Ace did not agree with his personality and how he interacted with people. He thought that she was friendly, curious and compassionate like himself, and he had a lot of respect for her as the Hearts palace gardener. Tending to the natural scenery of the palace was a very important job because the royal grounds represented the best of the Kingdom of Hearts and left a strong impression on visitors from all around. The army that Cato led was representative of Clubs and its inhabitants' stewardship and loyalty to their nation and what it stood for. Of course, it was very different in size and scope to tending after the gardens around the Castle of Hearts. But the spirit was universal - Cato cared a lot for his troops and made sure they were well-trained, fed and in good morale. Sarahi made sure the flowers and animals around the Hearts royal proper were happy, healthy and beaming full of life. Their motivations came from love and loyalty. It was these values that helped get their nations through the hardship of the civil war in Spades and beyond. 

However, while letters can do so much, nothing can conquer the magic or emotion of face-to-face contact with fellow human beings. Cato hopes that one day, he and Sarahi can meet in person and catch up with one another. For all his life he grew up in the natural beauty of the Land of Clubs. He has been out of the kingdom a couple times before but a new chapter of life is in store for him - new beginnings. Things have changed. Cato can only imagine how different the gardens at the Castle of Hearts look since the last time he has been there with Sarahi working on them. Finding peace in nature also helps Cato cope with the stresses of the political climate with Spades under Rakepick’s dictatorship and the risk she poses to Clubs and other kingdoms. Seeing is believing, and he looks forward to the moment when he can catch the train up to Hearts to meet his pen pal and take in the sights, smells and sounds of the gardens that Sarahi has put much of her energy into nurturing. 

#cardverse au #hphm cardverse #cardverse #hphm cardverse au #sarahi silvers #cato reese #helena durazzo #orion amari

[dat-silvers-girl]

They did eventually go on that ice cream date.

Happy Valentine's Day! 💕

Cardverse AU by @ariparri!

#cardverse au #hphm cardverse #cardverse #sarahi silvers #barnaby lee #sarnaby #barnaby x sarahi #hphm mc #hogwarts mystery mc #hogwarts mystery barnaby lee #hphm barnaby #hogwarts mystery barnaby #hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery

[akikocho]

This is my contribution to the HPHM Cardverse AU that is created by @ariparri. Thank you for letting me join hehe.

Without further ado, I'm going to introduce you to the King of Diamonds...

𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

The second son of Bruce and Mabel Avery who were known to be close to the previous King and Queen of Diamonds. Malachi is the younger twin brother of Maya, has an older brother named Jacob Bennett and a little sister named Marigold. As a child, he and his two sisters are often being treated as nothing by their father as he's more focused on his older brother Jacob Bennett as he was chosen to be the next King of Diamonds. His mother is the opposite, Mabel wouldn't let her other children be treated as the forgotten members of the Avery household and would often spend her time teaching her children basic education and other things that they need to learn, especially topics related to business and money making.

Years later, Jacob Bennett ran away from home as he is fed up with his father's "education" and being a King isn't in his dream of becoming to be and telling his feelings to a letter that he left for them before he ran away. This led to an argument between Bruce and Mabel and immediately went for a divorce. Mabel left the Diamond Empire and lives at The Country of Spades bringing Maya and Marigold with her as Bruce kept Malachi as he planned to make him as Jacob's replacement. Malachi couldn't bear to be separated from his sisters Maya and Marigold as they were his very close family members but he believes that one day he'll see her and Marigold again. Malachi also gained hatred towards Jacob for running away and leaving is responsibilities. But after his studies under his father's supervision, he started to realize that being a King of Diamonds will be the only way to be away from his dad.

Another years had passed and the years Malachi endured his father's nonstop teaching, he met Penny Haywood the soon to be Queen of Diamonds before the two became the official monarchs. The two became friends very fast due to their same interest in making the Empire better and some other things that are personal for them to tell to others. The two became the King and Queen of Diamonds months later. Malachi and Penny ruled the Empire as what they wanted to be. The people in the Diamond Empire adored them. Both seen by people as the light and purity of the Empire.

Malachi knows about the Civil War and he knows about Rakepick's tyranny. Rakepick wrote a letter to him stating a sponsorship for the war against the people who rebel against her. Rakepick knew about the Empire's wealth and planned to take advantage of it. The Former Ace of Spades threatened the lad by mentioning his twin sister Maya and older brother Jacob were imprisoned for being against her ruling. Malachi gained suspicion on Rakepick's letter and decided to give her the sponsorship she needed and also anonymously gave the same amount to Veruca McQuaid's rebellion group which she hesitantly accepted the offer.

After the war, Malachi reunited with his siblings as they went back from The Country of Spades to Diamond Empire. He also confronted Jacob non stop which led to them having peace with each other. He and Penny are still actively ruling the Empire and enjoying its lively atmosphere.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲:

• Malachi is known to be kind, caring, friendly, charming, flamboyant, intelligent and creative. He is good at engaging conversations between people and creatures.

• Very well loved by old women in the Empire due to his positive traits that earned him the title as "The Grandson-in-law candidate". (Based on Kaeya from Genshin impact haha)

• He is also very strategic. Always has planned strategies on how to improve someone's business and wealth.

• After he became King, he removed himself from his father's life and won't be able to see him nor interact with him. Due to that, he suddenly felt the feeling of freedom and relaxation.

• He made his twin sister Maya as the Duchess of Avery Manor. (Since I don't think being a Princess would suit her so yeah lol).

• Good friends with the King and Queen of Hearts. He also would like to meet rulers of the other regions one day.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Nauxnsuxns finally finished it. It looks rushed tbh T^T. And it's my first time making a moodboard and I think I suck at making one :'D. Also pls do tell me if I made Veruca too OOC or have some things that I missed or did something wrong in the story :')

Maya and possibly Jacob's information will be posted by morning (it's 12 am in my country XD)

#hphm cardverse #hphm cardverse au #hogwarts mystery #hphm #malachi brett avery #king of diamonds #i tried hahaha

[st4rryyaeris]

!Cardverse Lisette WIP

Shskjdkdjfkffj idk what I should do 4 the BG. The Lineart turned out better than I expected though(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

The dress is inspired by a certain manga I'm currently reading :3 I'll elaborate when I actually finish the drawing!!

Cardverse AU belongs to @ariparri

#hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #lisette liang #hphm oc #hphm cardverse

[helenadurazzo]

Lightening Up

It has been about a month since I wrote a story about Erina (Erika x Helena) however I must admit, this might just be the favorite piece I have written for them. This tells the story of one of Erika and Helena waltzing together at the Passion Ball, hosted by the Kingdom of Hearts. While not their first interaction, it was their first meaningful conversation together that did not involve their respective kingdoms or occupations

This story is also apart of the HPHM Cardverse AU made by @ariparri

As the personal guard to the Jack of Spades, Erika had gotten used to attending a number of events hosted by the leaders of not just the Kingdom of Spades, but the others as well. It was certainly a wonderful opportunity that she would never had dreamed of when she was younger. However, here she was now, attending the ball with a variety of Spades officials, making it the first event Spades had attended in forever.

Ever since she had officially become the Jack’s personal guard, she had gotten to know her, and her quirks better. In Erika’s opinion, Rowan was quite an unpredictable and easily excitable person who was always ready to get herself invested in a new experience. When they had first arrived at the passion ball, Rowan seemed quickly amazed by her new surroundings always seemingly finding something new to notice in the ballroom.

It had certainly been a spectacular evening. For the majority of the night Rowan, Bill, and Queen Veruca engaged themselves in a conversation with the officials of Hearts, mostly discussing possible solutions to the problems caused by the Civil War. She had even watched as Queen Veruca danced with the Diego, the King of Hearts. They practically owned the dance floor as one of the few couples still there once the tango music began to play. Erika had scene multiple impressive feats of dancing however the way the Queen of Spades and the King of Hearts dramatically glided across the dance floor topped everything else she had seen that night.

However by now, their conversation started to fade and Erika accompanied Rowan as she continued looking around at the various people in attendance. Pointing out other officials as she spotted them among the crowd, some were having their own discussions, others were out on the dance floor.

Yet there was one individual that seemed to capture Erika’s attention and refused to let go. She had seen her before due to the officials of Clubs helping with the war effort. The woman, who was only slightly younger than her, had her long dark blue hair running down to the midsection of her back like a river. Despite it currently being during the cold season of winter, her outfit emulated the beauty of spring, hosting multiple shades of greens, pinks, and purple, while also incorporating a floral design on both her dress and her mask. Erika herself wasn’t quite sure how she didn’t notice her earlier but supposed that either she hadn’t been on the dance floor or Erika herself had been focused on performing her duties as the personal guard of the Jack of Spades.

Rowan seemed to eventually take notice and correctly identify whom Erika was looking at, “Starring at the Jack of Clubs again? Can you just say something to her already?” She requested, seemingly tired to Erika’s stalling.

Erika blushed with embarrassment at the Jack’s comment, trying to claim otherwise, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Don’t deny it.” Rowan insisted with a mischievous smile, “It’s obvious you fancy her.”

“Is it really?” Erika sighed, trying to get what she felt was a light blush off her face. She didn’t have time to fall in love, not when there was so much work to do. Yet her head and heart were once again at war, trying to gain influence.

“If you don’t go talk to her, I’ll make you.” Rowan playfully threatened.

“You don’t scare me.” Erika replied with a smirk. “Besides, it is my job to protect you, can’t slack on the job, you know?”

“Just go already.” Rowan insisted, “After all, there is no danger here and besides I can defend myself if necessary, live your life, the Passion Ball only comes around once a year.” She added, before wandering off in another direction before Erika had the change to argue with her.

Rather than chasing after her, Erika felt herself being drawn closer towards the Jack of Clubs. In her head she tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t sound awkward. She usually had a better control over herself, being a force to be reckoned with. During her training to be a part of the Spades military, she had proved she was a formidable force which was certainly a key part in her being appointed as Rowan’s bodyguard. Yet now, it seemed like that version of her was no where to be found anywhere in the ballroom.

“Erika!” Helena Durazzo, more formally known as The Jack of Clubs, gently called out with a smile, “I didn’t know you were here tonight. Then again, considering you tend to go wherever Rowan goes. Speaking of her, where is she?”

“She is talking about some important matters with the Ace of Spades.” Erika professionally informed her with what seemed to be an appropriate excuse.

“Well when she is done I’d wish to speak with her.” Helena requested, “She is always such a curious spirit and I want to see if she has anymore reading suggestions since her previous ones have never disappointed me.”

“Good, good.” Erika replied, trying to sort through her own flustered thoughts as she attempted to say something that wasn’t gibberish.

The music changed from a more upbeat song similar to the tango music Erika had heard earlier, to a much slower song that consisted of elegant piano playing. Erika looked towards the source of the music then turned back to Helena. She noticed the Jack of Clubs gently swaying to the music in a relatively unnoticeable fashion to anyone further away from her, seeming to even hum along with each note that echoed through the ballroom.

“I remember my father teaching my brother how to play this melody on piano when I was a kid.” Helena revealed. “As much of a free spirit my brother is, it is ironic that he gravitated more to piano lessons than I ever did.”

“That sounds nice…” Erika remarked gently. She didn’t have any siblings of her own, only a few cousins who were pretty much all older than her. However, despite many members of the Rath family ranking high in the military, there wasn’t really other family occupational tradition, at least that she was aware of. Because of this, her childhood consisted of training with her older cousins and learning about the military. While there was occasionally music and more playful activities in the Rath home, it was very few and far between.

Suddenly, Erika noticed the Jack of Clubs extend her hand to her, “May I have this dance?”

“I’m sorry.” Erika apologized, “But I don’t dance.”

“Oh really now?” Helena replied with a playful smirk. “Here, why don’t I teach you how to do a ballroom dance that fits perfectly with this tune. You seem stiff and should get the chance to let loose even if it’s just for one night.”

Erika hesitated at first but tried her best not to display it in her facial expressions and movements. However, she kept interpreting the words Rowan told her. She was typically also very focused on work and always preferred taking combat lessons than dance lessons. The Passion Ball was one of the few events where people from all four kingdoms could go are have a good time. It would be back to business as usual in kingdom of Spades the next day, so it truly made sense to seize the moment.

“Well, in that case.” Erika said as he took Helena’s hand. “I’d be happy to dance with you.”

“Wonderful!” Erika watched as Helena smiled delightfully as she proceeded to lead her towards the dance floor. She eventually stopped in an area away from the majority of the dancers, most likely leaving room for error in the case of misplaced steps, without causing a scene

Helena assisted Erika in placing her hands in the right positions, finishing with placing her left hand on Erika’s right shoulder. “My mother taught both me and brother how to waltz.” The Jack of Clubs informed her, “It’s actually quite simple once you know the basic steps, just follow my lead.”

“First I will step forward with my left foot and you will step backward with your right foot.” Helena instructed, doing the motions with Erika once she explained them. “Next I’ll step to my right with my right foot, and you’ll step to your left with your left foot. Then I’ll step back with my right foot, and you step forward with your left. Finally, I’ll step to my left with my left foot, and you’ll step to your right with your right foot.”

“There you go!” Helena supportively cheered. “Now just keep doing it, one, two, three.” She repeated, following the beat the music, “one, two, three, one, two, three, one two, three.”

It went relatively smoothly from there. However, Erika certainly had a handful of times where she made some incorrect steps and ended up stepping on the Jack of Clubs’ lavender high heels. Surprisingly, Erika noticed that her dance partner never winced in pain or attempted to correct her, and would instead chuckle with a smile on her face as if it was a carefree joke. There were even sometimes when the Jack of Clubs would return the favor by stepping on the toe of Erika’s own shoe with a mischievous grin.

“Looks like I still have a lot to learn as well.” Helena chuckled as they continued to waltz. However, Erika still failed to decipher if the Jack was doing it on purpose or not to make her feel better, at this point though, it didn’t matter.

“You are still much more talented than me.” Erika admitted. “You waltz so gracefully” before adding, “about ninety five perfect of the time that is.”

Helena chuckled. “Are you sure this is your first time? You certainly need some more practice, but I know plenty of people who could never have waltzed so elegantly on their first attempt.”

“Are you trying to flatter me?” Erika asked.

“Perhaps” Helena answered with a smile, “Is there anything wrong with that?”

“I suppose there isn’t.” Erika blushed, just as the current waltz song finished playing and switched to another genre of dance. She turned to Helena once they got away from the new group of dancers, still with their hands grasped warmly, “I have to thank you for such an enchanted evening.”

“It wouldn’t have been so enchanting if you had not been here.” Helena spoke gently as she got closer to Erika, resting her head on her shoulder as they made it to the wall of the ballroom, where very few people were at that moment.

“Thank you.” Erika replied with a warm smile, feeing the same way, then sighed, “I suppose I better go check in on the Ace of Spades.”

“If you must.” Helena agreed as she stood up more formally and straight. “You know? you should come visit the Kingdom of Clubs at some point for something other than discussing the aftermath of the civil war, we have some wonderful events hosted there around the year.”

“What’s your favorite?” Erika asked with warm, genuine interest.

“I’ve heard of that before.” Erika recalled. If she did so correctly and if the same could be said about the books she read and the people she heard about it from. The derby consisted of two teams trying to gain points by flying through floating jewels. She was sure the descriptions and pictures of the event did not do it justice. “If I get the chance to attend, I hope to watch it with you.”

“I’d be honored.” Helena smiled as Erika herself nodded as charmingly as she could, before bidding her farewells and walking back towards when she assumed the officials of Spades were.

As she walked away Erika took a few sneakily glances at the Jack of Clubs who had seemed to have already found herself in a conversation with who she recognized was the Ace of Clubs. Even though Helena didn’t seem to notice her glances, Erika still admired how genuine she seemed. Compared to her own tough personality,

the Jack seemed to have a much more easy time expressing her emotions, something that Erika would have envied if she hadn’t taken a liking to her. However, her dreamily stroll nearly ended with her knocking over the Jack of Spades, thankfully she managed to stop herself just before she did just that to avoid embarrassment, partially because of Rowan’s quick comment that caught her attention.

“So how was it?” her Jack eagerly asked. “I watched your waltz with Andre, he took note of your and the Jack of Clubs’ beauty, particularly in your outfits. However, he did mention that your waltzing was a little bit awkward.

Erika knew full well she would never know how Andre was capable of even noticing the smallest movements. However that was a mystery she wasn’t invested in solving tonight. “It was wonderful.” She replied, to answer Rowan’s initial question. “Absolutely wonderful.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #harry potter hogwarts mystery #helena durazzo #erika rath #hogwarts mystery mc #hphm cardverse #rowan khanna #erina #passion ball

[lifeofkaze]

The Joker and the King - Part 1

THE DAUGHTER OF THE SUN

A/N: This story is Part 1/2 of my contribution to the HPHM Cardverse AU by @ariparri You can find the second part of this story here.

All the realm had gathered at the Court of Clubs. The throne room was brimming with people, representatives of all four kingdoms sitting at the long tables, decked with plates of polished wood, crystal goblets, and clear carafes of the finest flowery wines. The vines climbing the half-open walls of Orion's court blocked out the star-bright night outside, the orbs of light hidden in the leafwork casting their soft, golden glow over the high-ceilinged room instead. 

The hall was seldomly as crowded as it was today. The only space where people could have possibly moved about without bumping into each other was in the middle of the room, where the tables and benches had been cleared to create a wide, unobstructed space. It was set apart from the rest by a ring of braziers on the ground, their flickering flames a stark contrast to the soft light pervading the courtroom. 

Orion wasn't sure which of his advisors had come up with the idea of calling in the circus for the Great Gathering of the Four, or if the Jokers' presence in the capital had been by fate's design alone, but judging by the gaping faces of his guests it had been a fortunate turn of events, indeed. 

Tearing his eyes away from the watching crowd, he returned his gaze to what was happening inside the circus ring. A young woman was moving through it, stocky in build and dressed in nothing but a leather vest covering her upper chest and blood-red, puffy trousers. Her dark hair, the ends of which were dyed a vivid blue, clung to her forehead with sweat as she spun her torches around herself, weaving a web of fiery trails around her. She danced to the rhythm of a drum and fiddle, played by someone Orion couldn't spot. With every beat she set her feet anew, spun this way or that, a fresh fountain of fire rising into the air whenever she brought the torches to her mouth. 

Applause branded as the fire-dancer extinguished her torches by swallowing one after the other. She bowed and made way for another woman - so small and scrawny that Orion thought her to be a girl for a moment - stepping into the ring, a lithe, orange tiger by her side. She stood directly in front of the giant cat and raised her hand, locking eyes with the beast, and their dance began.

Orion watched the show, more entertained than he had been doing idle small talk with the envoy of the Kingdom of Hearts when something drew his attention. There, by the side of the circus ring, something gold was gleaming through the half-light. He looked for the cause of the reflection, and when he saw it flash across the room again, he found the source to be a woman covered in a long brown coat. She was watching the girl with the tiger intently, shifting her weight from side to side. As she did so, the light caught in her hair and made it glitter, as everything about her seemed to glow. Orion couldn't make out what was causing the golden gleam from a distance. Curious, he leaned sideways on his throne to where his right-hand man - the Jack of Clubs - was sitting. 

"The lady standing by the Spades delegation", he said quietly, "the one with the dark coat. Who is she?"

The Jack of Clubs drew her brows together as she searched the crowd until she saw who Orion meant. What had been a curious look before turned into one of dismissiveness.

"I don't know, Your Grace," she shrugged, clearly not further interested. "She looks to be one of the Jokers." 

Orion made a thoughtful sound. "I wonder what her act will be."

"Let's find out," the Jack of Club smiled. Before Orion could stop her, she beckoned to the guards, who nodded and made their way towards the woman at once. A murmur went through the crowd as they exchanged words with her. After a short discussion, she followed them, albeit reluctantly, to the dais where Orion and his staff were sat. A man fell into step behind them, his red vest precious but worn. His dark hair was receding and his beard streaked with silver, yet the look in his eyes made him out to be someone who was used to commanding respect. 

"Ethan Parkin of the Great Carnival, Residents of Jokers, Director of the Circus of the Sun," the guard announced as the odd pair climbed the steps to the dais. He glanced at the golden girl, visibly unsure as whom to announce her, and she made no move to help him. She kept her head bowed, her coat still drawn tightly around her, her eyes fixed to the ground. 

The Jack of Club waited until those who had watched the dais turned their attention on the girl and her tiger again, but Orion noticed the whispers and furtive glances directed their way. He wished his advisor would have waited until the end of the show, but it couldn't be helped now. 

"Greetings, Master Parkin, most skilled of Jokers," Orion said to the older man, who looked back at him with self-assertive eyes. "It is my pleasure to host you and your marvellous company at my court tonight."

"The pleasure is ours, Your Grace," Ethan Parkin replied and inclined his head just enough for it not to be considered an insult. "I hope you find my troupe to your liking?"

"I have never seen better," Orion smiled and meant it. His eyes settled on the woman at the director's side. "Are you part of what's yet to come, my lady?"

The woman still didn't look up, and a sound almost like a scoff escaped her lips. Ethan Parkin looked almost tired as he laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, but the expression was gone as soon as he began to speak in a well-practised manner.

"May I introduce you to the jewel of our circus, the shining wonder and light of our show," he made a dramatic pause, "the Daughter of the Sun."

Still smiling, he squeezed his protégée's shoulder, and she slowly raised her head. Up close, it became evident what had caused the glow from across the room. Her hair, which was the colour of dark fir honey, was covered in gold dust, as well as her brow, the bridge of her nose, her cheekbones, even her lips were speckled with the glittering golden powder. The sleeves of her coat had fallen back to reveal tanned underarms around which gleaming golden cuffs, fashioned to look like blazing suns, were wound. 

"Your Grace," she said, her voice giving away nothing of what she was thinking. Her eyes rose to meet Orion's, and he found them to be a striking blue, as vivid as the sea on a summer noon. In them, there was no trace of the reverence or even fear people not used to royalty usually displayed upon meeting a king. There was a derisive spark in them, a look of disregard and haughtiness that Orion knew from people who had seen the ugly side of nobility once too often. 

"Daughter of the Sun, is it?" one of Orion's lesser advisors asked, an amused ring to his voice. "Pray, tell us. What does your little dance consist of, girl?"

The woman's glittering eyebrows rose fractionally. Her eyes flicked to the circus director, who looked at her sternly, and she bowed her head.

"My lord would know hadn't he called me here."

The noble's mouth opened in outrage, and Orion could only just hide his smirk. Down in the circus ring, the girl and her tiger had made way for a group of jugglers. They were doing their best to entertain the crowd, but it was obvious that this wasn't the course the show had been meant to take. 

"The king wanted to meet you," the Jack of Club said sharply, as if that was both explanation and justification enough. Not heeding her, the woman's eyes settled on Orion.

"He has met me now. If you'll excuse me," she added, dropping into a courtesy that couldn't be more overdone had she tried, "I believe my lords asked for a little dance." 

Not heeding the exasperated look of the circus director, the woman straightened and walked away, down the dais and straight into the crowd. Her posture had changed, making her walk differently from before. Her presence had a natural command about it, drawing eyes and making the people part for her like waves before the hull of a ship. A drum rose from somewhere in the room, its sound deep and rhythmic, perfectly aligned with each of her steps. 

Upon reaching the ring of braziers, she let her hand drop from her coat, shedding it like skin as she walked into the light. Now Orion saw why they called her Daughter of the Sun. 

Her costume was the same as the other artists' - a vest that revealed too little to be disreputable but enough to draw the eye and flowy trousers that allowed for movement. But where the others had opted for bright but simple colours, the fabric of her clothes shimmered in the brightest gold, glittering and sparkling as she walked to the centre of the ring. Fixed to her arm cuffs were wispy veils of a sheer fabric, which connected to golden spangles set upon her shoulders. Her feet were bare, but golden bangles adorned them as well; he knew it was impossible, but Orion thought he could hear them faintly ringing as she knelt on the ground. She bowed her head, and her hair fell like a shimmery curtain in front of her face. 

The speed of the drums increased and the music rose, the sound of the fiddle dramatically low as something descended from the canopy of branches above - a hoop, Orion realised. When it was close to the woman's head, she looked up and extended her hand, the light refracting from her powdered skin as she closed her fingers around its curve. The music swelled and she flexed her muscles, and Orion thought that there was a satisfied smirk on her face as she was pulled from the ground and up into the air in a sudden movement to the gasps and claps of the crowd.

The hoop rose while she climbed to perch in it, high and higher still. It began swaying as she bent her body in angles that seemed too unnatural to be true, and would have any ordinary man's spine had he attempted to do the same. The hoop began to move in unison with her, soon swinging in big circles around the perimeter of the ring. The woman inside it spun, and dropped, and climbed, and turned around it, all in time with the lively melody and the commanding sound of the drum. Her costume, hair and skin glittered and sparkled, the light coming from both ground and ceiling flashing off her and making the sheer veils trailing behind her look like incandescent sheets of sunlight. 

There was a squeal of both terror and delight as the hoop suddenly dropped, but the Daughter of the Sun remained unfazed as she bent through it, hooking her ankles around the metal and hanging from it upside down. As she passed the royal dais, Orion saw a look of concentration on her face, mixed with a sheer, unbridled joy as she soared through the air. Her body was strong and her movements well-practised as she slowly drove her hoop towards the centre again. She curled herself into a ball in its midst, suspended only by the strength of her arms. The hoop began to spin faster and faster until she looked like an orbit of golden light casting her rays into Orion's throne room. 

As the music reached its height, she let go and jumped to the ground, where she landed gracefully on her feet and knees, rising with her arms stretched over her head and a winning smile, bathing in the thunderous applause of her spectators. The nobles were still hollering when the members of the Circus of the Sun gathered and bowed in the direction of each table with their hands joined together. The Daughter of the Sun drew her cloak back around her, and Orion felt like the light had dimmed just for the sheen of her costume being veiled again. 

After the props and braziers had been disposed of, the Jokers stood at the far end of the hall, where wine and food had been laid out for them. The people of the Great Carnival might have chosen to lead a life away from the Four Kingdoms, but they were a part of the realm, nonetheless. 

As soon as he could, Orion excused himself from the conversation the King and Queen of Hearts were having with the Queen of Diamonds and made his way across the room. The people he passed bowed respectfully and Orion inclined his head in their direction, but he wasn't really paying attention. His focus was set on the Jokers' table. Once he had reached it, he put on what he hoped was his most open and sincere smile. 

"I'm glad to see that tales of your craft were neither exaggerated nor embellished," he told the Jokers, who shared confused looks upon the King of Clubs' presence among them. "Having you gracing my halls tonight has been the utmost honour."

"The honour was yours, Your Grace," Ethan Parkin said with a smile, raising his crystal goblet in Orion's direction. "To your health."

"And to yours." 

When they had drunk, the artists slowly turned back to their conversations. Orion drifted through them towards the edge of the group, where the fire-eater and the girl with the tiger stood with the one he had been looking for. 

The Daughter of the Sun drew her brows together as he approached the three of them. Contrary to most people, she neither bowed nor curtsied, instead crossing her arms in front of her chest. Ignoring their sudden silence, Orion inclined his head by way of greeting and smiled.

"I see why they attribute you to the source of light and life. Your performance was every bit as beautiful as your name would suggest." 

"Thank you, but you don't know my name," she replied and not a word more. 

"May I have the honour of learning it, then?"

"You may not."

A confused frown flickered across Orion's face. "If I have upset you in any way…" 

The Daughter of the Sun shook her head, gold dust falling from her hair. "You haven't."

"Then what's the matter?"

"The matter is," she said pointedly, "that talking to you bores me. I generally prefer not to be bored." 

Astounded by her bluntness, Orion tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry I cannot seem to hold your interest."

"And yet, here you are, still talking." 

Somewhere beyond his confusion, Orion had to admit that her abrasiveness had something intriguing, almost refreshing, even. It had been a long time since anyone had dared speak to him like this. 

"May I ask you for the reason for your disdain, my lady?"

The sound she made was dismissive, to put it mildly. "Spare me the pretentious talk. I don't care for kings and their like."

There was a bitterness in her voice that surprised Orion. "Not every man is alike, it goes for man and king alike." 

"So you're no mere man then?" she said and looked him up and down. "The way I see it, you're not better than the rest of them. You disrupted our show for the simple reason that you fancied talking to me. Tell yourself you're just like us, but you don't think twice about what happens after you snap your fingers. We have to be at your beck and call, and if they're not, there's always your thugs to ensure everyone is well at heel, are they not?"

She jerked her head at Orion's Royal Guard, who were standing behind him at a discreet distance. She was becoming increasingly angry, her eyes flashing as she spoke, but somehow, Orion had the notion that it wasn't actually him she was getting so riled up about. 

"I know nothing of the way of the Jokers," he said placatively when she paused to take a breath. "The Free Folk are a mystery, but knowledge is the flower of our minds, and I'm always eager to learn."

"We had our reasons to choose the Joker's life, and for each of us, it's a different one," the Daughter of the Sun said coolly. "Our secrets belong to no one but ourselves, and it's not your place to command them from us."

"With all due respect, that's not what I -"

"With all due respect, I don't like to be told what to do. Your agency over us ended when our show did, so if you don't mind," she said and dropped into a curtsey that was so overdone it would have made Orion laugh had he not been so dumbstruck, "I'm not interested in talking to you anymore." 

She rose, plucked the wine goblet from his hands, turned away, and marched from the Hall of Clubs with her grinning friends, leaving behind a trail of golden dust dancing in the air.  

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #quidditch #orion amari #lizzie jameson #hphm cardverse #cardverse au

[the-al-chemist]

I am so in love with the originality and incredibly detailed worldbuilding of @ariparri’s Cardverse AU.

I’d love to work on a story for it sometime, but until I have the time to do so, I’ve done a doodle - with a bit of a twist. Behold, my first go at digital art!

Cardverse Artemis - Joker and Tiger-Tamer.

Featuring Fergus the Tiger.

#artemis hexley #cardverse au #hphm mc #al doodles #hp hogwarts mystery

[oneirataxia-girl]

⇝ STORY/ART EXCHANGE -- First "I Love You"

my part of the story/art exchange with the talented and gorgeous @ariparri!! she requested the first "i love you" between her oc Veruca McQuaid and a character from the video game hogwarts mystery Diego Caplan and she gave the green light for me to share this with y'all!! thank you again for doing this trade with me ari!! if you ever need another fic for dieruca just hmu, i'll do it free of charge <33

It was another one of their usual dates -- not that anything with Diego Caplan could be considered usual, but sometimes, Veruca McQuaid appreciated the familiarity of a red carnation and the stunning smile of her charming handsome man more than any surprise said handsome man could cook up in his clever head.

By sometimes, she meant all the time. Just like how her head rested on Diego’s shoulder, tilted up to watch the stars in their never-ending dance, and how in her hair tucked a carnation the color of her cheeks when a certain someone’s charm got too much to handle.

There was a quietness to the couple, a quietness that didn’t need to be interrupted with awkward chuckles and attempts at conversation. Even without sneaking a peek, some part of Veruca knew that Diego was more interested in the light in her eyes than that of the skies, but she kept her gaze on the night sky still, green eyes trained on the cold white glow above, waiting for him to open his mouth.

“Veruca?” Softly uttered, a barely-there ask of her name.

Green eyes left the skies and onto the brown-haired boy beside her.  

Coughing, Diego’s fingers tucked a lock of raven-black hair behind Veruca’s ear. An odd expression was etched on his face, a mix of adoration (that was something she saw in her own face when Diego was around), happiness (that too, was often mirrored by her), worry (wait, what?), and something else she wasn’t sure of.

His hand hadn’t left her face yet, Veruca felt her head lean into his warm palm like a reflex, something she knew to do without having to even think about it; and met brown eyes with her green.

That mix of emotions was still there on his face, unguarded and wide-eyed and smiling softly. Diego’s palm squeezed her cheek for a second more, then left her face at the same time as the odd look faded from his face.

She finally found her voice, “Did you want something?” 

Her question must’ve been a knife, slicing through the quietness blanketing them, because Diego huffed out a small “heh” of amusement and shook his head quickly.

--------------------

The second time that the look struck was when Veruca sat across from him in a tight-packed cafe, sipping coffee in painted floral china and watching another couple a few tables away from them showing off their abilities of not needing to breathe.

“How long do you think they’ll last?” she smiled at that, placing her cup on its glod-framed plate.

Tapping her cheek in thought, Veruca’s eyes flitted away from the kissing couple,  “Five minutes,” her smile widened at the boy whose face held a cheshire cat grin that echoed her own, “what’s your guess?”

Light bounced off Diego’s brown hair as he shook it, “Why would I think about that when you’re here with me?”

Warmth bloomed over her cheeks, heat creeping up her forehead and down her neck. Veruca sipped her tea in reply, hoping that the teacup could hide the lower part of her face -- judging by the smirk that spread over Diego’s face though, it didn’t work.

They were back in Hogsmeade for a date of sorts -- more accurately, Veruca was just back to drop off something for Dumbledore, and her boyfriend, ever the charming suiter, pulled out his puppy eyes and asked for a pre-duel date. 

He then linked their arms together and Apparated the both of them to the little town outside Hogwarts before Veruca could even ask what was on his agenda for this little date.

With a smiling sigh, Veruca finished her tea and pressed the heel of her other hand to her cheek, hoping that her hand would chase away the warmth from her face. The crampedness of the little shop didn’t do her any favors; being a weekend, the day brought couples from the school down to Madame Puddifoot’s for a heated cup of tea (and a heated makeout session, but that was neither here nor there). She wasn’t particularly enamored by the frilly pink-washed shop, but since this was a “stroll down the memory lane”, as Diego called the way he held her hand while they tracked down old haunts and memories, she’d agreed to stop in the cafe; after all, they did come here for one of their first -- Veruca wasn’t sure what to call that time when Diego successfully discovered her favorite flower then took her for a walk in the woods and a cup of tea in Madame Puddifoot’s. 

A clink of china tugged her back to the lacy tablecloth in front of her. Green eyes glanced up just in time to see that same odd look from their picnic date night reappear in Diego’s chocolate-colored eyes: the mix of happiness, adoration, and worry (she still had no idea why that would show up; was Diego planning a surprise for her and didn’t want her to find out?), and the something she couldn’t read.

Veruca brought her teacup down silently; reaching for Diego’s hand, she wrapped her fingers around his with no problem. The action seemed to tug the boy from his thoughts back to the bustling reality, and he swapped his smirk for a softer, gentler smile.

“Did you know you look really pretty in that outfit?” Came the question before Veruca could ask one of her own.

She glanced down at her clothes: it was her usual attire of a purple top and a floral dress, with the addition of the coat and gloves she would don while doing her job; hardly anything unusual about it, not to mention “really pretty”.

Looking back up, Diego held a red carnation in his hand. Sqeezing hers in the hand that was still interlaced with her fingers, he leaned over to tuck it behind her ear.

“But now you look fantastic.”

--------------------

Veruca circled Diego, noting how his body pulled taut in anticipation for her to make a move; she knew her posture mirrored his, her heartbeat crescendoing as she went over the spells she aimed to use in her head once more.

He struck first -- she dodged the bolt of red light, casting her own charm in retaliation.

Multicolored flashes lit the room as she blocked, dodged, and fired spells. A strand of her hair came loose from her messy bun and blocked her vision; she moved to bat it away.

That second of carelessness was all it took.

“Flipendo!”

A grunt escaped her lips as Veruca was knocked off her feet.

A wand barely scraped the skin of her throat.

Silence.

“And that, my dear, is why you should tie your hair tighter.”

Diego stood above her, ready to help her up.

She grabbed his hand readily, pushing the rogue strands of her dark hair back, “I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

That got a chuckle out of her boyfriend, and he tugged her to the bench outside of the dueling ring.

Sitting down and popping open the cap to her bottle, Veruca gave Diego a quick once-over: it wasn’t obvious, but he was just a little bit nervous. The dueling season had arrived once more, and another match for him was coming soon; she had no doubts about Diego’s capabilities as a duelist -- in fact, Veruca felt sorry for the poor person who was about to get their pride demolished and their ego bruised -- but she knew that apprehension went hand-in-hand with anticipation, and she also knew that the best thing to do when Diego was nervous was to --

“Hey!” His voice held no real malice as Veruca nudged the crook of his neck with the top of her head, “What’s this for?”

Mouth twitching upwards at the smile in his voice, she replied, “It’s bad to think so hard, Caplan; you might die of overheating.”

“Ah,” he laughed, “but that’d require me to not overheat at the sight of you.”

Veruca hid her rapidly heating face by poking Diego’s middle with a soft finger.

At this rate, she would be the one to die of overheating.

He only laughed louder and moved Veruca away from his neck; eyes twinkling, he pressed a chaste kiss on her burning forehead and leaned back on the drab green of the bench. Veruca’s forehead creased lightly as she watched his eyes fixate themselves on something that wasn’t there, the furrows deepening when he showed no sign of pulling himself from the bubble of his presumably-uneasy thoughts.

It wasn’t out of the blue for Diego to be nervous, but it never got easier for Veruca to watch him go into these anxiety-induced bubbles; it was like they were separated by an invisible barrier, one that not even reducto could bring down. 

The only thing she could do to help when he got stuck like this was to be here, at his side with his hand in hers, pushing his shoulder-length hair back when it dropped in front of his eyes, to just be a presence that he could lean into, for him to know that he wasn’t alone and that someone just knew that he was going to do well no matter the opponent he was to face.

So, she stayed like that, a quiet pillar of support that Diego could lean on. Veruca was never good with words, but she didn’t need them to let him know that she was there, that she was the shoulder he could lay his head on without eyes to judge him.

After a while, a weight lifted himself from her shoulder.

Veruca turned to meet the eyes of Diego Caplan, eyes the color of coffee and chocolate and the soil that they planted the carnation seeds they’d gotten in, eyes that swirled with a quiet adoration that she was sure he could see in hers as well.

There were some other emotions in those brown eyes too; Veruca wasn’t in the mood to decipher them though.

Veruca was never one for lovey-dovey “It was like the sun came out of the clouds when he smiled”s or “his smile was like an angel actually came down from the heavens”s, but watching Diego’s face slowly grow more animated was actually as if the rain stopped and the gray clouds were chased off by marshmallow-white clouds, and she emotions could only brighten as he did.

And she only beamed brighter when Diego offered her a carnation transfigured from a stray pleat from the rug in the dueling circle, his own grin cheerier than before.

Standing up, Veruca offered her hand to him, “Think you’re ready for another match?”

His hand wrapped itself around hers.

“I’d like nothing more, my dear.”

--------------------

Pushing yet another stray lock of her behind her ear, Veruca wondered if she should take up Diego’s advice and ditch the messy bun look -- it was getting irritating to have to brush her hair away every time she made a sudden movement or two.

She probably won’t be changing her hairstyle anytime soon, but it never hurt to browse through some possible options. 

But, that was something for another time; right now, Veruca needed to complete the scene she’d set out to create before Diego found her. So she placed the plate of grapes and cherries down on the checkered tablecloth and moved the pair of wine glasses to make sure that they wouldn’t fall and potentially smash into myriads of tiny little pieces.

Pulling out the wine from the basket she brought, Veruca smiled at the label wrapped around the bottle: a bottle from Limmiani wine products, just like the rose wine they drank when they had -- 

Was it foolish to blush when one was thinking of their first kiss? Veruca was pretty sure it was at least some degree of lame while she fanned herself with her free hand to cool herself down, setting the bottle of wine down and moving on to the loaves of bread and cheeses she stowed in the wicker basket.

The occasion? A celebration, one to celebrate Diego’s win against his opponent in the dueling match. She’d already started preparing this morning when Diego pressed a quick kiss to her cheek for luck and hurried off to do some last-minute preparation, but when Tonks gave her the go-ahead to set out the picnic, she let out a breath of relief that her boyfriend had won yet again and hurried to Westside Park to set up everything.

With a sigh, Veruca sat back on her heels, darting eyes making sure that not a single thing was out of place. It would never do to have spilled wine or food or anything just as disastrous, and she aimed to do everything in her power to prevent it. 

A wave of her wand and yellow flickers danced on the walls and floors of the pavilion as orbs of light floated up obediently and settled in various places, illuminating a little circle around the picnic.

“Just like stars,” A voice remarked, one that Veruca turned around immediately at, “Is this the reason you were busy, my dear?”

Diego must’ve changed before he came here, exchanging his dueling outfit for a sleeker, more elegant look that brought out all his best features more than his usual clothes. Veruca threw a hasty glance up at the glowing spheres, sighed a soundless sigh of relief when none of the shining globes seemed to be one second from implosion, then nodded at her boyfriend.

“Do you like it?”

Laughs escaped Diego as he tried to touch one of the orbs with the bouquet of carnations he had in hand, only for it to float even higher, spinning in place as if jeering at his inability to fly like it could, “Like it?” He asked, crossing the gazebo to scoop Veruca in his arms, much to her surprised laughs, “I love it! Just as much as I love you --”

Green eyes widened.

Brown eyes did too, after a second that was crawled for more like a year.

Slowly, Veruca was set down on her feet, Diego’s face now showing that mix of emotions once more, Veruca wasn’t sure if the world suddenly got its noise turned off or if was it just her ears blocking everything but Diego’s words.

And the worry in that look made sense -- Diego didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable or feel pressured to say it back.

“-- And you don’t have to say it back, just so you know; take as much time as you need to --”

“Yeah,” Veruca found herself interrupting, nodding her head (her face was probably the same color as the red cherries on the picnic blanket), “Should we continue?”

“Yeah,” 

Green eyes met brown, “Yeah.”

They sat on the checkered blanket and Veruca opened the bottle of wine, pouring out a generous portion for both of them. Meanwhile, Diego popped a few cherries into his mouth.

He took his glass with a quiet “thank you” and a small flash of his white teeth. She responded with her own little smile, reaching for a grape herself.

There was a quietness to them, not a completely comfortable one, but it wasn’t completely uncomfortable either. It felt less like a serene bubble and more like a hamster ball, like the stillness between them was a snowball on the top of a mountain, ready to start rolling at the smallest movement.

“Look!” 

Veruca peered in the direction Diego pointed.

It was a butterfly, blue wings the color of a sunny sky, weaving through the spheres of light Veruca made, up and up towards the star-speckled sky.

Stars.

Millions of them were scattered throughout the blackness, twinkling like tiny jewels on a ballgown; Veruca didn’t think she remembered another time when the skies were like this.

It was beautiful. 

“--, right?”

Green eyes turned to meet brown once more, but the brown of Diego’s eyes was fixed on the tango of the stars; the corners of Veruca’s mouth turned up a little bit.

“Yeah,” She leaned her head on his shoulder, “it is beautiful.”

The snowball melted, leaving only a sphere of peace around her and Diego. 

Her head shifted as Diego moved, “I meant it, you know.”

Veruca’s head moved to look up at him with questioning eyes.

He smiled at her inquiring gaze, moving to wrap an arm around her shoulders, “About you taking your time. You don’t have to say it right now, or tomorrow, or even ever; just say it when you’re ready, Veruca.”

She couldn’t help it -- surging up to press a kiss on Diego’s lips, then pressing her forehead to his.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

--------------------

Morning rays seeped through the woven threads of the kitchen curtains, soft rays creeping across the room as Veruca took a sip of her coffee, hair still down and mussed from sleep.

The smell of pancakes filled the room, Diego must’ve finished making a batch of them.

“Berries on your pancakes?” He asked, already adding them to a plate.

“Yes please,” Murmured Veruca, frowning at the empty mug in her hand.

Standing up, she moved towards the coffee pot, grabbing another mug from the little mug tree on the counter. Hands gently moving Diego so that she could get to the machine, Veruca found herself smiling at seven am when her boyfriend pressed a quick peck on her forehead.

And she would’ve gotten assaulted by a flurry of even more kisses too, had she not nudged his head away from her and back to the two plates of pancakes on the kitchen counter, “Just trying to get some coffee here.”

“Actually, it’s over there,” Diego chuckled as that quip earn him a soft punch to the arm, “But thanks for getting some for me, my dear.”

“Who says anything about you getting some coffee?”

“I’m pretty sure that Gambat doesn’t need coffee to be cheeky, unlike someone else I know.”

Veruca huffed in mock anger, then finally found her way to the savior of mornings, the coffee machine.

Pouring the drink and adding the creamers and sugars were second nature to her at this point, she didn’t need to think as she stirred the coffee and made her way back to the kitchen table -- so no, she didn’t need to think about the coffees, but rather, Veruca was thinking about something else.

Some part of her thought that the blue butterfly from the night when Diego actually said those three words out loud -- it was an improvement that she could think of that without her face betraying her beating heart -- should’ve been one that she recognized, that she should’ve known what that butterfly meant.

She had no idea what that butterfly meant.

Veruca’s hands placed her mug in front of herself, the other in front of Diego, who said a quick word of thanks as he put down the pancakes on the dining table. 

But she did have an idea about something else.

Those three little words -- so much meaning in so simple a sentence -- even the very marrow of Veruca’s magic knew that she felt the same way; her new leopard patronus, the silvery animal that gave her so much surprise when it appeared, could definitely attest to that. But to say that out loud --

“Are you okay, my dear?”

A vase of carnations decorated the kitchen, a vase of flowers that she didn’t even know were her favorite until Diego showed it to her; flowers that he always took the time to get for her because he knew it would make her happy.

“Yeah,” She heard herself say, “I’m just hungry.”

She was here with Diego, he was Veruca’s pillar, and she was his, all because he didn’t stop pursuing her even when she was a complete douche to him.

Three little words.

“Hey, Diego?” 

“Hm?”

One huge meaning.

“I love you.”

Silence.

Another beat.

Was it just the blood rushing through her ears or was everything holding its breath, too?

“You love me?”

She thinks she feels the table exhale like she did.

Veruca glanced up into Diego’s eyes, brown meeting green, and nodded.

Outside the window, the sun completely rid itself of its sleepiness as Diego grinned a smile so wide that it stretched ear-to-ear like he was a kid on Christmas day, “Say it again?”

And Veruca knew she was the same, “I love you.”

“Again?”

She laughed, a merry sound that gave even the berries on her pancakes more color than ever, “I love you!”

Somehow somewhere sometime between the giggles and “I love you”s, Veruca found herself trapped in Diego’s arms again.

Brown and green eyes met each other halfway through, and she touched her forehead on his.

“I love you,” It was a whisper this time, a breath that blew the bubble of serenity around them.

Diego’s eyes held no worry as he combed a flyaway strand of raven-black hair from Veruca’s face, “I love you too.”

#writing for dieruca will probably be the only hp crumbs from me adakas #and maybe cardverse hphm but thats it #alvita's writing #ari my beloved

[ariparri]

Was originally making hairstyle concepts for Charlie's Cardverse design but then I got carried away and started thinking “Oh maybe this can be good for Post Hogwarts Charlie!” And I ended up making more than what I originally planned.

I’m definitely loving the bun hairstyles but I do love the bottom left. The bottom right and middle one looked good in my head but I wasn’t able to execute it well.

Also, facial hair makes these hairstyles look better in my opinion.

Now I don’t know if I want to use any of these in the Cardverse design which was literally the whole point of making these concept designs! (c" ತ,_ತ)

I feel like I drew a red haired Sebastian in the third image on the bottom left

#ariparri #charlie weasley #hphm cardverse #post hogwarts #hphm #hphm charlie #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery

[carewyncromwell]

"Who knew that I would be So unexpectedly, undeniably happier, Sitting with you right here, right here next to me?"

x~x~x~x

HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri // Jacob's outfit // Duncan's outfit (plus a coat and sash)

x~x~x~x

The Best Ideas Jacob Cromwell's Ever Come Up With

(according to the "Counselor" of Spades, Duncan Ashe)

A new variation of steam-powered engine powered by a combination of hydroelectric and solar energy. (This would be tested successfully both on the royal zepplin and to power the entire palace and its surrounding buildings, cutting the overall cost of energy production in the Country of Spades by a good twenty percent.)

Several new vaccines, many of which adapted into oral supplements so as to make it easier to vaccinate small children. (Jacob specifically wanted to make something that people who are afraid of needles would be able to take safely, as his little sister Carewyn got very teary as a toddler, when getting her first shots.)

Mecha suits specifically designed to protect coal miners in treacherous underground conditions. (This idea would sadly be "co-opted" by the Tyrant of Spades Patricia Rakepick and repurposed into weapons of war. Fortunately the Joker called the "Escape Artist" destroyed every last one of them before they could be used to attack other parts of Cinderhaven.)

"We could just lock old Madam Ace in her office for a night. Then maybe you could force the army to cut their spending." (Sadly this idea, however tempting and amusing it might've been, was one Duncan couldn't go along with.)

A close-to-unbreakable puzzle lock, perfect for small drawers or boxes. (Jacob put this on Duncan's desk as a belated birthday gift, after he suspected Rakepick was sending spies around to try to rifle through his papers. The Spades technological expert took it upon himself to take out ten different books on locking mechanism and even consult with a locksmith for two weeks when constructing it, and it's thanks to this undertaking that Jacob became very, very proficient at picking locks himself.)

A record player that could be powered through pressing a pedal, rather than being plugged in with electricity. (Jacob put this on the desk in his workshop so that he could play music with his foot, while working on other projects. Duncan actually gifted Jacob several records to play on it, including Sitting on Top of the World, which is one of his favorite songs.)

"Let me come with you, Ashe. Rakepick's stooges will think twice about messing with you, if I'm there." (They didn't, at first. Fortunately Jacob ended up shutting up one particularly mouthy bloke, after he had the audacity to suggest Duncan only ever tapped people for positions at court if he was sleeping with them. Clearly a mean-spirited, untrue dig at his BFF Coby and both obvious and oblivious OTL Jacob. Jacob punched the guy so hard in the face that he nursed a bruised jaw for a solid three weeks. After that, no one dared say a single bad word about Duncan in Jacob's earshot.)

A prototype of a dirigible shaped like a dragon, powered by both wind and hydroelectric power, which uses giant wings to steer. (This also was eyed by Rakepick as something that she could modify into a weapon of war. Fortunately none of her subordinates were sharp enough to figure out how to give such an "air dragon" the ability to breathe fire without damaging the modified prototypes.)

A set of sparkling silver cuff links that, when the sides are squeezed, expanded into very sharp hatpins. (Inspired by the hatpins women sometimes wore in their hats for self-defense, Jacob made these as yet another birthday gift for Duncan, with the idea of them being helpful for self-defense. Duncan personally found them a little gaudy, but wore them anyway.)

"Come on, Ashe...you sing the next line!" (The night that Jacob finally encouraged Duncan to come over to the Cromwell house for dinner, he encouraged Duncan to sing along with him and Carewyn the way they always did, whenever they rode the trolley home together. Duncan actually did hold his own incredibly well alongside the two trained singers, and soon he, Carewyn, and Jacob were all singing together. It was one of the few times in Duncan's life -- alongside his times with Veruca and Coby -- that Duncan felt the way he imagined other people felt, with their families.)

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #cardverse au #hphm cardverse #duncan ashe #jacob cromwell #my art #damn it I'm still not done giving love to these two #I have yet ANOTHER sketch of them in progress in my sketchbook XDD #specifically them with carewyn pre-hearts #<33 #this cover is SO pretty btw!! #I like the original too but this girl's voice is just *chef's kiss* #also yes jacob's clothes are in the same color palette as duncan's #duncan totes picked them out for jacob yes but jacob does like them #fashion-dumb idiot he may be #but hey his boyfr -- I mean *boss* picked them out for him <3 #the 'boss' thing is honestly part of what made duncan hold back on coming onto jacob too hard #along with his own pride and fear of rejection #I mean come on it's not exactly good optics if you're dating your subordinate

[catohphm]

Okay so to get organized a bit, I'm gonna group up my Cardverse story ideas.

One group is going to be about Cato's experiences and life as an Ace. Another will be covering his relationships with various characters. The third will elaborate on his relationship with Penny.

Most likely today after work I'm going to put together fic about Cato and Sarahi's friendship in the AU cause I was in a discussion with @dat-silvers-girl about them this morning. I'm excited to pen it and share it! 😁

Thanks for all the input guys! I appreciate it!☺️

#cardverse #hphm cardverse au #cardverse au #hphm cardverse

[dat-silvers-girl]

Sarahi: "So when I made this dress, I completely forgot that I didn't actually have anyone to help me fasten it in the back, so uh..."

Chiara: "Did you just need help putting your dress on?"

Sarahi: "...yes please..."

AKA Sarahi made this dress to wear for the Passion Ball but needed help putting it on. Chiara was the only one available to ask. She did not mind.

The Cardverse AU exists thanks to @ariparri!

#backgrounds go brrrrr #Sarahi's dress for the Passion Ball #Cardverse is fun to make stuff for :D #hey do you think Barnaby would like the dress? #cardverse au #hphm cardverse #sarahi silvers #little heart sarahi #hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #hogwarts mystery mc #forgive the purple #i like purple #and imma make stuff purple

[akikocho]

Finally! The last contribution of the HPHM Cardverse AU made by @ariparri

This contribution is however rushed and a bit confusing but I did my best xD

Anyways, meet the Runaway Candidate...

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

Jacob Bennett Avery is the first son of Bruce and Mabel Avery. He was born as the candidate for being the next King of Diamonds. As Jacob Bennett grew up, he spent all his time being under Bruce's care. Bruce would often force him to study both etiquette, self defense and academics, any things that's needed for a King. Jacob Bennett would sometimes sneak out of his study room to hangout with his younger siblings. He is very fascinated in treasure hunting as he always reads books related to it as a form of coping mechanism.

When the day of his coming of age almost arrived, Jacob Bennett planned his escape and prepared the things he needed for his freedom. He also wrote a letter to his family, a letter filled with his true feelings, his realization of him not being suitable as the King of Diamonds and an apology for his mother and siblings for running away from home and swore he would never get back to the Avery Manor as it is his fate. His escape made his family devastated, Bruce and Mabel had an argument and eventually got into a divorce. The people in Diamond Empire knew about his escape and earned the title; "The Runaway Candidate". This embarrassed Bruce and decided to use his second son Malachi as Jacob Bennett's replacement.

Jacob Bennett didn't go too far during his escape. He stayed in the Diamond Empire as he lived in the streets. He became an anonymous bandit, stealing everything he finds interesting (mainly food and treasures) and would sometimes be seen leaping through the rooftops of everyone's houses and was feared by people. He met Olivia Green during one of his "hunting season" in which he stole the gal's prized possession but he immediately got confronted by her (mainly just her smacking him with her satchel or something). He returned the object he stole from her and she left with an angry look on her face. The interaction made Jacob fall in love with her. This made Jacob watch her secretly but still made Olivia notice his presence. The activity continued till Olivia decided to confront him, again. They became friends after a lot of confrontations and hangouts.

A year later, Jacob heard a rumor from the vendors that his mother and sisters went to the Country of Spades after divorcing his father. This made Jacob plan to travel towards the Country of Spades to see them. When he arrived, he got into trouble right away after he stole something that was meant for Patricia Rakepick, the former Ace of Spades and the current ruler during that time. He was brought to Rakepick and she decided that Jacob would be put to prison for both stealing and offending the queen. He stayed in prison for months and met his sister Maya who got dragged by the knights towards her cell. The two escaped together with the help of the Escape Artist (Jacob Cromwell by @carewyncromwell sorry for tagging you :'D). Jacob, Maya and their sister Marigold escaped from the Country of Spades and went back to Diamond Empire. Upon his return, he was confronted by his brother and the current King of Diamonds, Malachi and the siblings reunited.

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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭:

• Just like his siblings, Jacob is kind, friendly, charming and intelligent. He can also be foolish and impatient.

• Jacob became a traveling treasure hunter for the Diamond Empire and also became a knight of the Empire, not a high ranking knight. He was offered by Malachi to be the Duke of Avery Manor but he refused.

• He's shy around women. When confronted by Olivia he would just be quiet. But after he and the gal became friends, he felt comfortable interacting with her.

• He is still called as the "Runaway Candidate" not by the people in the Diamond Empire, but also from the people in other regions.

• He is also a strategic person like his brother Malachi.

• He likes giving gifts especially to Olivia. He would give her red and yellow roses as a sign of love and friendship. He also accept (and assumes) that the gal didn't like him back but all his focus is their closeness as she was his very first friend aside his siblings.

• He's currently staying at the Joker's domain for a treasure hunt.

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I just realized that his description is very long that the other contributions haha.

Finally done with my contributions! I could finally rest and maybe start some ideas for this au related to my children :))

#hphm cardverse #hphm cardverse au #hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hphm au #jacob bennett avery #maya bell avery #malachi brett avery #jacob cromwell #patricia rakepick #let's just say Jacob is a lovesick dumbass for Olivia xD #also imagine he got smacked by Malachi during the confrontation #aside from runaway candidate he is also called as benny as a teasing weapon #still suck at making mood boards #in my lore he likes Olivia... gotta do the same in this au as well haha

[thatravenpuffwitch]

Hi Erin! How are you? I've been having so much fun working on the HPHM Cardverse AU with another friend and mutual, ariparri. Cato is Ace of Clubs in that AU and there is a lot of inspiration that I have for it!

Hey Cato! Happy Halloween! I’m doing okay, thanks for asking. I have heard about this AU and it seems pretty cool. AUs are so great for inspiration and I’m glad you’re having fun!