#hphm cardverse au

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[helenadurazzo]

The Tragedy of Reality

If you remember from the bio I made for Helena as the Jack of Clubs for the Cardverse AU by @ariparri you’ll remember that I mentioned how Helena’s mother originally lived near the Clubs/Spades border before traveling to the capital to accompany her sister. Here is the story about the breakup she had with her boyfriend at the time, Garrett Tremblay.

~~~

“Yeah…” Olivia replied, not looking at him in the eyes, instead, her gaze was focused on the setting sun.

“What’s going on?” He suddenly asked.

Olivia almost jumped from the startling question. “What do you mean Garrett?”

“You’ve been acting strange all day.” He explained to her, “It isn’t like you, if something is bothering you I can fix it, I just need to know.”

“Fine…” she agreed reluctantly, still refusing to look at him directly. “My parents want me to travel to the capital and accompany my sister before she begins her military training.”

“So…you’re leaving?” Garrett quickly pieced together. “Why do your parents even want you to go anyway? Your family has plenty of money to send a servant in your place.”

“They just don’t want her to go alone I suppose.” Or this was all just a scheme of her parents to get her to marry a wealthy man fit to the family’s expectations, although she kept her second theory to herself.

“It still is ridiculous, she is not going to have you or even a servant holding her hand through her military trainings, what is your father thinking?” Garrett attempted to figure out.

“You’ve never met my father.” Olivia reminded him. “His mind is like a dark, impenetrable forest, almost impossible to analyze.” Olivia sighed. “I’ve learned to just do as he says and go from there.”

“Regardless that is no way to live.” Garrett argued. “You can’t keep allowing your father to control you like a puppet, you need to be free.”

“My family may be one of the richest in this area of the kingdom but that doesn’t change anything about my life.” Olivia noted. “I’ve never been free, at least not to the extent you and other ordinary people are. I’d give anything to live a simpler, less demanding life.”

“You have the option now.” Garrett attempted to remind her. “You are being presented with two paths. One has been traveled by so many before you, and the other has rarely been walked on to the point where it is overgrown. It is up to you, not your father or your mother or anyone else, but you to decide which path to take.”

“What are you trying to say?” Olivia asked, confused by his metaphor.

“All I am trying to say is that you are not required to obey your father’s commands, you never were. He has his own life to live and shouldn’t use his solely to control yours. You can come here instead and live with me, I’m sure my family would be okay with it, I could even teach you the daily farm activities me and my siblings do each day, what do you say?”

Olivia had to admit it sounded very tempting. She always enjoyed sneaking outside of her home’s walls to explore the nearby farms, being particularly drawn to the Tremblay Family Farm. Mainly because it always seem to grow the ripest and best crops imaginable. However, Olivia could only manage to get a single word out as a response.

“No.”

“If it is what you want then so be it.” Garrett reluctantly agreed.

“You know how it is!” Olivia tried to remind him. “As much as we want to publicly be together at the end of the day we are still a part of different social classes, your family might not mind it, but if mine found out I’d never hear the end of it.”

“What about Cynthia?” Garrett asked. “I know I haven’t met her either but from what you’ve said she doesn’t seem like the type to leave you in the dust.”

“She is unpredictable, even if I did come here, I couldn’t leave her in the dark forever.” Olivia admitted. “And if she finds out she might tell my parents and it would only go bad from there.” Olivia said as she looked into Garrett’s gray eyes for a final time. “I better be going now, I’m not sure if I’ll see you again… but perhaps someday.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #Olivia Hearst #Garrett Tremblay #hphm cardverse #cardverse au

[oneirataxia-girl]

⇝ DRABBLE -- The Faeries In The Woods

this is the first piece of writing i've done in MONTHS, @ariparri the cardverse au has me in a chokehold and this is the product of annoyed & tired alvita doing everything she can to get her mind off schoolwork, ended up writing the first draft in one day (???! i am astonished by this too) and uh yeah, it's rough it's not my usual style but hey, my writing skills are basically the equivalent of sandpaper in terms of roughness so it's definitely going to be bad no matter what lol quick author's note before we get started though: for those who've known me since my hphm phase, you might recognize the "faeries in the woods" as the arcane-zheng family who i criminally ignored in favor of building the alvina/talbott ship (yes i am aware that it was a mistake), but while the basic setup of the fae family is still the same, they all have completely different names which i hope i'll be able to introduce to you guys in a later piece; this is more like "setting the vibe" word vomit than anything tbh. but hope you guys enjoy!!

You're a child, barely able to run without stumbling once or twice; you've met the kids on either side of your house and the ones a little further away too, and you've all got the thirst for information your parents say is natural for a Club to have.

The forest has been off limits ever since you remember, but that doesn't stop you from running with your playmates to the clearing barely a one-minute walk in the woods, nor does it prevent the answering frenzy your parents were in to get you back to the village.

"Don't ever go near the place!" Your papa yells at you, "If the fairies --"

Your mama makes a noise you can't understand, and Papa stops talking in favor of trapping you in a big bear hug. You giggle and wrap your own arms around him too, and you forget all about the silver stars staring at you from the edge of the clearing.

You're older now, knobbly knees decorated with scrapes and bruises from your frequent meetings with the stony ground; your friends are older too, and you all start to wonder why the forest is always shrouded in the dark, even when the sun shines high in the noon sky.

Ma cuffs you on the head for asking, but you keep at it, chipping away at her resolve and Pa's in search of an answer.

Eventually, Pa tells you that all will be revealed when you're eleven.

Eleven? You're barely half past the age of eight! It's going to be ages until you learn anything about the forest.

Pa and Ma are always telling you to fight in your chase for knowledge, and this is something to learn, no? So in order to find your explanations, you gather your best friends and pool your wits together to pursue the thing your family and kingdom puts so much importance on: answers.

Your merry troop marches on the pebble-lined path into the forest as soon as your best friend and a boy you don't like come up with a plan.

You come out of the forest drenched in red; some of it yours, most of it from the barely-breathing boy being rushed to the medical building.

You're not a kid anymore now, scrapes long faded into light scars; not all of your friends are older, and you wonder if the one that is gone was taken away by the faeries.

Faeries, not fairies, because you know now that the things lurking in the trees aren't sparkling-winged fairies ready to grant you a wish, but monsters with silver eyes and teeth stained crimson with the blood of their victims. Pa tells you this while Ma rolls up her left sleeve for the first time in your memory to show you the scars she got from the fae family -- probably the mother of the current set of spawn, she tells you.

"How do you know?" You ask her, leaning your head on her lap.

Ma lifts her arm, the raised skin of the healed wound darker than the rest of her skin, "No animal has claws that can do this kind of damage, Darling."

Your forehead wrinkles as you take in this information, and presently you ask whether it could be a weapon.

Pa shakes his head this time.

"If it was a person, they would've been found soon after they went into the forest," He tells you.

"Maybe they're very sneaky," You argue, "Or maybe they always get in and out from the Spades' side of the woods."

But even as you speak the words, you know that they were just that: words.

No human has stayed in the forest for over a day and survived. The longest surviving one was Ma, trapped in a bog for about sixteen hours on a forage for herbs.

Pa pulls aside later to tell you that when they found her, she was muttering about silver-eyed fae and how they gave her a "message to deliver."

She doesn't remember any of that.

You're tying your bootlaces by yourself now, mentally cataloging the plants you're supposed to provide to help make the prototype for a new distress signal; your friends have all grown up as well, some of them left the village for bigger things and some stayed behind with you, none of them are willing to go back to the forest without a weapon by their side anymore.

Can't fault them, you're the same, too.

The only stars you see are the ones in the night sky, fiery balls of gas that live light years away from the small village on this side of the Clubs-Spades border, and you're forcibly reminded of a time when silver stars plague your head.

You shake said head before you stand up to walk towards the academic buildings. The doctors said it'd get better in time, but sometimes you feel like it's only getting worse.

As you kick away stones in your trot, you bump into a girl -- short and thin, with a mane of dark hair that reaches her waist, she turns around and you take note of the dark shades hiding her eyes and the shaky step she takes to get away from you.

A green cape covers most of her top half and you frown when you notice that both the green fabric and the dark tights she wears are ripped. Did she run away from home? Why was she wearing dark glasses?

"Irene!" Comes a call, you turn to see a older guy with the same dark glasses stride towards the girl. His clothes were also worn, and you catch a few sympathetic glances thrown their way by some of your fellow villagers.

Not from the village, that much was clear. Maybe they were running away from Spades, you hear that they're in terrible turmoil and its people are leaving in whatever way possible.

All hearsay though, no evidence has ever come by to confirm this.

The guy throws an arm around the girl and you notice that he has the same twig-like frame, barely a head taller than the girl; he has the same messy hair though, and he barely spares you a glance before dragging his sister away.

You watch their backs retreat, and you notice that their feet don't make a sound on the gravel ground.

You shrug your shoulders and continue on your way, pebbles crunching underfoot as you walk.

Perhaps the refugee rumors are true after all.

You're finally allowed to drink in the open now, grin wide as you accept your first glass of beer from your ma and act as if you aren't used to the bitter taste linger after you swallow; your friends cheer and clap you on your back, even the ones that went to the big cities, for everyone still alive had come back to celebrate your birthday. You clink your glass with a shy smile at one of your best friends and tip your head back to chug the rest of the beer in one go.

Pa gives you a suspicious look. You try coughing to pretend that it didn't go down like water. It doesn't seem to work, but he only brings a finger to his lips and turns away.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

Second, third, and fourth mugs of beer come and go; you toss jokes and barbs at your friends and shrug off their laughing sneers. Conversation flows like your drinks and it eventually follows dirt-strewn trails to the shadowy woods just a few steps from the village borders.

"You remember the faeries our parents used to scare us with?" One of your friend asks, cheeks ruddy from the alcohol.

They've come back from the city just for your birthday, so you bite your lip and stifle the urge to correct their mistake.

Another one of your friends does it for you, this one having lived in the house a five-minute walk from yours for their whole life; it sparks a debate whether there is anything in the forest other than the typical trees that make one lose all sense of direction and odd creatures.

Silver stars blink on the very edge of your vision. You turn around and see nothing but yellow light bathing your party. You turn back and ignore the feeling of something watching you.

Feelings -- such fickle things, you muse, making think there hid things when there are none. No wonder why your kingdom stresses the importance of logic and reasoning.

A fist punches your shoulder, it's your best friend, smile as lopsided as the day you two met, "What do you think? You reckon faeries live there?"

The rest of the chatter dies, eyes waiting for your answer expectantly.

Licking your lips, you hesitate to give an answer. You still recall the silver stars bursting in your head and the wails of your friends, but they seem sharper than they should be, and the stars now just seem like normal migraine-induced sights.

The window allows you to look out at the forest. It's as dark and gloomy as always, not a lick of life shakes its leaves.

Then, your mug crashes onto the floor.

Three -- no, four -- figures emerge from the depths of the woods, three of them with silver stars for eyes; the last one to emerge stands still while the six silver stars blink in unison, the only one to have the faint outline of their silhouette be the only thing separating them from the night.

You hear an exhale close to your ear and you realize that everyone has piled up behind you. It's your ma, she has a hand on your shoulder and you spot the scars running down her arm when your turn your head to look at her.

Her grip on your shoulder tightens and her face goes pale. Whirling your head back to the clear glass, you see six silver eyes pointing directly at you.

A drum starts pounding in your head, so you close your eyes for a fraction of a second to shush it. You open your eyes to meet a sea of black outside your window.

Nothing was left of the four creatures, not even a crunch of a footstep.

A beat.

"What," Someone finally says, "Was that?"

You want to say it was the faeries, but those are anything but fae.

You're woken up by the sound of shouting now, and you leap out of bed when the iron tang of blood assaults your nose.

Bootlaces untied, you run out to carnage: you think someone screams when you see Ma lying on the floor motionless, and you follow the direction of the scars on her arm to see Pa.

Their fingers just barely brush each others'.

Your throat burns a white-hot pain and you crumple to the floor and you crawl to the window to see bodies on the gravel ground. You slide down and close your eyes and beg for this to be just a beer-induced nightmare.

A resounding boom shakes your eardrums and your stomach drops further when you register where the sound came from:

The distress signal. The one you helped to make.

Shouts turn to cries and whimpers and gasps, and then even those are cut off. You glance at Grandma's door and decide you don't want to open it.

Nothing disturbs the gravel path before the front gate squeaks open. You press yourself closer to the wall.

Moonlight bleeds into the room as the front door clicks open, you wonder whether you'll be able to make a run for it.

"Swear I could hear a heartbeat in here."

"Don't these --" You watch as someone seemingly nudges your ma's top half -- "have a kid? You two saw them before, right?"

You think you would remember seeing monsters with silver eyes --

oh.

You did see them before, they just weren't dumb enough to show their eyes.

A cry leaves you as the collar of your jacket yanks you up. Six silver eyes blink at you.

"Sorry," No flash of fangs glitter from the speaker's mouth, "Blame your friend for this."

You struggle and claw at the vice grip on your collar tightening.

You sputter as you suddenly drop to the ground. You think you see white lights and you wonder if you've joined your family as shouts grow near.

Something is shoved in your mouth and you want to wail as the bitter taste of the thing infects your mouth.

A blinding glare shoots through every opening your home has. The three creatures hiss and crouch down to escape the light. They start talking, and you work on getting the foul-tasting thing out of your mouth.

A growl jerks you from your endeavor. You see the smallest of the three standing.

"It's the only way." One of the other two states simply.

The small one scoffs and the light turns her dark hair into a rippling waterfall, "Don't tell me you think we can't take a couple more humans out."

The other speaker turns her head to look at you -- silver stars framed by wide eyes, no flash of teeth when she opens her mouth to say -- "There's only going to be more of them the longer we stay."

"So we should all go!"

"Too dangerous," It's the guy, the one who dragged his younger sister away that time you bumped into her. She's the one they're convincing to do something.

You don't catch the rest of the conversation, your eyes are getting heavier by the second, everything's gone out of focus...

The last thing you hear is a chilling howl, and the last thing you see is Ma offering her scarred arm for you to grab.

#not proofread whole so its probably messy #but i just wanted to get it out #also irene is NOT one of the faerie siblings' names!! #“you” simply heard it wrong lol #pls feel free to clown with me in this for i fear there is no sign of me stopping #and i don't even have a face claim for any of them yet 😭 #alvita’s writing

[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!

[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

[catohphm]

@carewyncromwell @dat-silvers-girl @ariparri @helenadurazzo @nerdyliv @akikocho and others - I'm wondering if any of you all have any suggestions for ways me could add onto Cardverse with more material? Perhaps some writing ideas or prompts could get the wheels turning. I also want to write more of our OCs interacting 😄

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

[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.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

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.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

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

[akikocho]

ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴡ ɪɴ ᴍʏ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴅᴠᴇʀsᴇ ᴀᴜ (ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʙʏ @ariparri ). ɪ'ᴠᴇ sᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴅᴀʏs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪᴅᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴀʏᴀ's ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴜʜᴜ.

ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ғᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴅᴏ, ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 10 ᴏғ ᴅɪᴀᴍᴏɴᴅs: ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴜᴄʜᴇss ᴏғ ᴀᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ

𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

The first daughter of Bruce and Mabel Avery. The older twin sister of the King of Diamonds, Malachi, the younger sister of Jacob Bennett and the older sister of Marigold. Growing up being treated as nothing by Bruce, Maya grew a hidden hatred towards him. She's very close with her siblings, especially her twin Malachi. Maya gained knowledge thanks to her mother Mabel who taught her and her siblings the things they needed to learn. As a child, she's into creating machinery and hoped she would become an inventor once she grew up.

Years had passed, Maya and her family were devastated after they knew Jacob had run away from home due to their father's harsh education towards him. Maya's parents fought and eventually got into a divorce. She along with her younger sister Marigold were taken by their mother to move away from the Diamond Empire to the Country of Spades, leaving her twin brother Malachi behind as Jacob's replacement. Just like her twin, she was sad and lonely without her other half but a hint of hope inside her telling her that they will see each other again. Maya studied at the University in the Country of Spades where she learned etiquette and self defense. After her studies, Maya became a journalist and also had a part time job as an inventor's assistant.

As the former Ace of Spades Patricia Rakepick took over the Country of Spades, Maya had an instinct that she needed to do something to stop her. She joined the rebellion that was led by Veruca MCquaid, the King of Spades' sister. During the revolution, Maya wrote an article in every newspaper release about how Rakepick is a ruler that needs to be taken down. Rakepick knew about it and got offended by her "lies". She was sent to prison, where during her imprisonment she met her older brother Jacob who ran away for years in the same cell she's in. Rakepick wants the both of them to be put to death but after knowing that they're related to the King of Diamonds and decides to cease her plan. Both Maya and Jacob escaped from prison not long after that. She was not present at the fall of Rakepick as the ruler of Spades as she along with her brother Jacob and her sister Marigold came back to Diamond Empire and reunited with her twin brother Malachi. Months later, she became the Duchess of Avery Manor.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲:

• Maya is known for her wits, charm, good personality and creativity. Many of the journalists in Country of Spades wants to work with her but turned them down as she plans to quit due to her decision of coming back to her hometown.

• She has a lot of hidden anger towards her father and her brother Jacob to the point she only drinks her feelings out. (Yes, she's an alcoholic in this au xD)

• In the middle of her year of studying at the academy of Country of Spades, her mother died from sickness and became the guardian of her younger sister Marigold.

• She likes to wear male's clothing when she needs to. Especially when it's an outfit for horse riding or/and sleepwear.

• Loves to go to museums. She met Bill Weasley during her visits and they became friends.

• Maya's good with weapons. She loves to use the bow and arrow. Bill taught her how to use a gun once and Maya told him she prefers something other than a gun which earns an awkward laugh from the lad.

• She quit being a journalist but still remains as the inventor's assistant which she travels to the Country of Spades when she's needed.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

2/3 ᴄᴏɴᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛɪᴏɴs ᴀʀᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ! ɴᴇxᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜɴᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴊᴀᴄᴏʙ ʙᴇɴɴᴇᴛᴛ ᴀᴠᴇʀʏ.

ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴅ ɴᴏᴡ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴅʏ ɪs ɪᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ғᴏʀ sᴛᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴀ sᴘᴏᴛ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ᴍᴏsǫᴜɪᴛᴏᴇs 😭

ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴡɪғɪ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ɪᴛ ʟᴏʟ

#hphm cardverse #hphm cardverse au #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm au #maya bell avery #I suck at making moodboards #I'm itching all over but worth it xD #okay good night haha

[catohphm]

Hogwarts Mystery Cardverse AU: Ace of Clubs Bio - Cato Reese

The Cardverse AU and it’s storyline was created by my friend and mutual @ariparri. Veruca McQuaid belongs to her. Helena, Alessandro and Olivia Durazzo belong to @helenadurazzo.

Cato Reese was born to an affluent family in the Land of Clubs. His father Wilfred worked for the government, while his mother Reilly was a researcher. She studied and wrote books on plants that could be used for medicine and healing. Cato also had an older brother named Alexander.

Because of her job, she became friends with another researcher named Olivia before her son was born. Olivia later got married to Alessandro, a man from another upper-class family. They had a daughter named Helena @helenadurazzo. Cato and Helena would grow up as childhood friends and bond closer as they got older.

Both of his parents encouraged him to learn and do well in school. He became interested in and talented at many subjects in his studies. History, geography, government and science, among others. Cato also developed hobbies with exploring and nature. He was a curious boy that in time would come to learn a lot about his homeland and the other kingdoms.

When Cato was growing up, the Land of Clubs was a nation that preferred to stay neutral and involve itself in the affairs of others. The military was responsible for protecting the people from crime. As a boy, Cato admired their dedication to their mission. He wanted to join the service and do his part to keep his community safe. 

He realized the vulnerability that the Clubs had when he became a teenager. An enemy might take advantage of the country's neutrality as an easy target and launch an invasion through it. This had a chance at putting the other kingdoms in danger. This realization would further cement his goal of becoming Ace of Clubs, the commander of the nation's army.

After graduating school, Cato enrolled at a military academy that trained new officers for the service. His friend Helena went to college to study for her goal of becoming the Jack, the King's advisor. While they attended different schools as young adults, they would keep in contact during their studies. They got along over their similar mindsets and what they wanted for their country.

Over his time in the academy Cato's leadership style would develop. As Ace, he wanted to put the people first while making sure that the army would be in good shape should an invasion ever happen. He was never the type to go picking fights, but understood that if one wants peace, they should also be prepared for war.

A few years later, he graduated and got an officer's commission. Cato would rise up the ranks and become Ace of Clubs. After, he would start by making sure that his army was well-trained and the troops were in good health. He had training exercises carried out in the woods for practice. Soldiers honed their skills in various forms of combat, physical activity, as well as battle strategy and tactics. Meditation was encouraged as a way to raise morale and spirits. 

As he was also responsible for carrying out and enforcing Laws in the Land of Clubs, he took steps in ensuring that his force was effective at fighting crime. Investigation, negotiation and handling of suspects were priorities. He also emphasized on the military working with the citizens in investigating crime. The people of Clubs knew their land and they would pool their knowledge and skills to track criminals hiding in the forest.

Cato was already Ace of Clubs for a time when turmoil struck the neighboring Country of Spades to the north. The state had fallen to a coup and was now being ruled by a dictatorship led by Patricia Rakepick. She cut off trade and relations with the other kingdoms. However, the original leadership of the Spades managed to escape and sought help from their neighbors. By this time, Orion Amari had become King of Clubs. Before the crisis, Orion was already good friends with Veruca McQuaid @ariparri, the Queen of Spades. Orion agreed to help Veruca. He would have the border between their countries be monitored by the Clubs army led by Cato. Cato's forces would keep an eye out for any invaders that would try to attack or sneak past the border.

When faced with the crisis, Cato had to make a decision. His people still preferred neutrality but there was the risk that Rakepick would try to invade the other kingdoms through the Land of Clubs, which concerned the other kingdoms. The border between the Spades and the Hearts was lined with mountains, which no army could cross. Cato was loyal to the people, the King and his good close friend Helena, the Jack. Ultimately, he decided to take measures to ensure that the Clubs army would be prepared for any escalation in the tense political situation. Cato said "If you want peace, be prepared for war."

#hphm cardverse au #cardverse au #hphm cardverse #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #hogwarts mystery mc #cato reese #veruca mcquaid #orion amari #helena durazzo

[catohphm]

Do I want to make Cardverse content? Absolutely yes? Do I have the motivation or inspiration at the moment? Nope! Currently I’m just reading, appreciating and commentating on what new content my mutuals @carewyncromwell, @dat-silvers-girl, @helenadurazzo, @ariparri, @akikocho, @nerdyliv and others put up from time to time. 

I’d never scrap Cardverse!Cato. Not in a million years. I mean I never thought of it but that’s to show I’m already way too deep into this AU to back out haha thanks you all for bringing me in!

#cardverse au #hphm cardverse #hphm cardverse au

[catohphm]

A significant real life influence for Cato as Ace of Clubs in my friend @ariparri‘s Cardverse AU is a US county sheriff who shows the mugshots of arrested criminals in jail and shames them live on TV during press conferences.

If anyone causes trouble in the Land of Clubs, Cato will make sure that the criminals are locked up. He takes the safety of the kingdom and it's people very seriously. The tendency for the Clubs folks to be neutral in affairs and adept in intellectual disciplines he sees as no excuse for scumbags to think they can have their way with them and trample over his home and neighbors. 

#hphm cardverse #hphm cardverse au #cardverse au #cardverse #cato reese