#ok anyways back to learning how to become a blacksmith

[sunflowerdaisybee]

I didn’t see anywhere that you requests were closed, so could we get a part 2 of the zombie apocalypse au? Maybe like a few years later

-fruity anon

Ok uh two things, one requests actually are closed and if it’s not findable in my bio usually my most recent post will tell you but it’s ok, I actually really enjoyed writing this anyways :]

Number two, would you guys like to see more of this? Is there any characters you’d like to see? Would you prefer if reader ended up with someone or if they stayed single forever? Just a few questions about where you guys would like to see this go as I have a lot of fun writing for it but have no idea where to take the story myself so :]

Summary: You’re first meeting with your new family had been rough, but you find that things are much nicer a few years in the future

Pairing: P!SBI & P!Benchtrio X Reader

Pronouns: None used/gender neutral

[A/n]: This is a part two of Zombies so if you haven’t read that, I recommend reading it first

It had been a few years since you had joined the small, found family that you now belonged to. The zombies hadn’t completely disappeared, but the numbers had dwindled significantly. Resources that were previously low in number or unavailable had become accessible again.

A few things had changed in the small community your family had built for itself. Techno had started keeping dogs and training them to attack and hunt, Wilbur had nearly mastered explosives, Tommy had started leaving more on expeditions, flying out on his own in search of people or supplies. Tubbo started to build new homes, making room for any new survivors that Tommy comes across, Ranboo had started farming, growing crops as long as possible to ensure that there would be food for everyone, Michael had grown into a fine young man and had taken up treating the injured, his quiet nature limiting him to certain tasks, Phil had taken up teaching the new members how to fight properly and had become the leader of sorts, and you, well you often worked as the community blacksmith. You would fix, clean, sharpen, or even make weapons and tools for your family and the growing number of people in your community. There weren’t many jobs available at the time and despite not knowing much when you started, you had plenty of time to learn.

“Hey (Y/n), are you busy right now?” Your thoughts were quickly shoved to the back of your head as you looked at the person before you. He was a younger man, around the age of Tubbo and Tommy, though he never seemed to hang around them much.

“Ah, Purpled! What can I do for ya?” You set down the ax you had been cleaning and walked towards the front of your area, greeting Purpled with a friendly smile.

“Oh uhm, my ax broke when I was out chopping trees earlier.” He placed said ax onto the small table you had set up, and the damage was clear.

“Hm, I don’t know if I’ll be able to fix it, but I can certainly try. Worst case, I have to make you a new one. How soon will you need it?” Examining the tool, you considered the possibilities, debating what would be easiest and what would be quickest.

“I’ve finished my lot for the day, so tomorrow morning by the latest. Does that work for you?” With your nod of confirmation, Purpled left with a thank you, ensuring he’d be back tomorrow to collect his tool.

The boy had always been a mystery to you. He was roughly the same age as Tommy and Tubbo, yet kept more so to himself. His strength was clear, hence his task of chopping wood, and yet he preferred to not fight. Purpled had also run into a group of other community members prior to them all living here, but had a splitting off with them. There were also very few people he talked to and the only one he seemed to spend any real time with was a man named Ponk.

“You really shouldn’t think so much when you’re working, you’ll lose a finger or two that way.” The words, followed by a light chuckle, had you turning away from your work, mentally cursing yourself for being caught in your thoughts again.

“I’m plenty careful with my work, trust me. Plus aren't explosives just as dangerous?” You poked back at Wilbur, a smile and light laugh echoing back in a manner similar to his.

“They’re only dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.” Wilbur gave a pointed look before setting a few things down on your table, the same one Purpled had placed the ax on just moments prior. It was two plates of food and two glasses of water, lunch for you and him.

“You’re eating with me today?”

“Yeah, Techno and Phil are busy, Tubbo and Ranboo are eating together and Tommy’s run off again.” Wilbur pulled out two chairs as you set down the tools you were holding and wiped any remaining dirt off your hands.

“He’s not really running off, he’s just out on expeditions. If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have nearly as many people living around here as we do now. Plus I think he likes to get out, get away from everyone and forget what kind of crazy world we live in for a while, ya know?” Wilbur only hummed, having already stuffed his mouth full of food.

“All these years and you still eat like Tommy’s trying to steal from you.” Shaking your head and sitting down, you took a moment to drink from your water before eating. The chat between you two was minimal and nothing of importance, mostly talk about new arrivals and how your respective works had been going.

“So, anyone catch your eye lately?” You looked at Wilbur with a suspicious but confused look.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh c’mon, we aren’t five, you know what I mean. Is there anyone you like?” Wilbur watched as you took a moment to think, actually considering the question before answering.

“I’m actually not sure, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to interact with a lot of people, I’m typically tied down with my work I suppose. What about you?” You watched Wilbur sit back defeated, clearly having expected your answer.

“There’s someone but I’m not sure if it’s worth pursuing ya know?” You just nodded, finishing off the last bits of food on your plate before setting it aside. The two of you continued to chat for a few minutes before Wilbur had to leave, taking the dishes with him as he left to his explosives, leaving you alone with your tools and thoughts once more.

Was there anyone who had caught your eye? You had given Wilbur an honest answer but something still bothered you. How could you have let yourself become so buried in your work? Perhaps a day off wouldn’t hurt, it would give you time to really meet people and take in all that your community had become. After all, most of your information and social interaction had come from what Wilbur tells you during lunch, or from people coming by in regards to their tools.

“I have to have this ax done for tomorrow, but other than that I don’t think I’ve got anything to do. Maybe I’ll take tomorrow off, even if it’s only a few hours.”

Taglist: (if you want to be tagged on posts just let me know which posts, you can reach out via message or ask! :])

#dsmp x reader #dsmp x you #dsmp fanfiction #dsmp x Y/N #dsmp x male reader #dsmp x gender neutral reader #mcyt fanfiction #mcyt x male reader #mcyt x reader #mcyt x y/n #mcyt x you #mcyt x gender neutral reader #dream smp fanfiction #dream smp x reader #dream smp x y/n #dream smp x male reader #dream smp x gender neutral reader #dream smp x you #p!SBI x male reader #p!SBI x gender neutral reader #p!SBI x you #p!SBI x y/n #p!SBI x reader #p!bench trio x you #p!bench trio x reader #p!bench trio x y/n #p!bench trio x male reader #p!bench trio x gender neutral reader #x reader #x male reader

[h0neypiez]

bitches see ONE EPISODE of forged in fire and wanna become blacksmiths

im bitches

#goose.txt #I WANNA MAKE SWORD...... MELD METAL TO SHAPES #I WANNA OWN SWORDS OF COOL #but i an very weak.... could never become a blacksmith with THESE guns *insert image of my weakass arms* #ok anyways back to learning how to become a blacksmith

[the-most-slytherin-hufflepuff]

Open your eyes (Prologue)

This story started out as a Merlin AU with the SW character and then went completely off the rails. I hope you enjoy it. Credit for the charsacters goes to @lumosinlove. 

@waltzintherain @clearsuitcasecookienerd hope this lives up to your expectations <3. 

Masterlist

Remus stood in shock, staring at the center of the square as the crowd thinned around him. The king had just killed someone, and these people were acting like nothing happened. He shook his head, as if to dislodge the image of the axe falling down from his mind. He knew that the laws on sorcery were nothing short of ridiculous in the kingdom of Slytherin, but he hadn’t expected to find himself witnessing an execution less than an hour into arriving. 

He walked towards one of the guards nearest to him. “Hey”, he tried to sound like he hadn’t just witnessed one of his own get murdered, “do you know where I can find the physician's chambers?”

The guard pointed to the entrance to his left, “up those steps, it's the first door to your left.”

“Thank you.” 

Remus went up the steps, trying to forget the execution he had just witnessed. He stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. He reminded himself that Minerva was his mother’s friend, she knew about everything, it would be fine. 

He pushed the door open, only to discover an empty room, well not empty, the room was filled with herbs and vials and medicine, but there was no one there. He walked in, hovering awkwardly in between a table and the patient cot. 

He heard footsteps approach from outside before someone opened the door. “Hey Minnie do you- oh hi”. 

Remus blinked slowly when he saw the newcomer. He was tall with broad shoulders, black hair and sharp grey eyes. It took Remus a second to remember he was supposed to answer. “Hi” 

“You’re not Minnie”, the stranger said, confused.

“Astute observation”, Remus retorted, tone dripping with sarcasm.  

The stranger blinked at him, mouth slightly open in what appeared to be shock. “You can’t talk to me like that”, he said after shaking off his confusion. 

“Oh, really”, Remus said, “and, do tell, why not”. 

“Because.” 

“Saying because and pointing at yourself isn’t an answer.” Remus sounded amused. 

“I could have you thrown in the dungeons for that”. The other man didn’t sound offended, more teasing than anything else. 

Remus cocked an eyebrow at him. Stood in front of him was who he now recognized as Slytherin’s prince and heir to the throne. He had heard of Sirius Black in passing. He maybe came up in conversation once or twice, but Remus had never met him. People said he was the spitting image of Orion, but seeing him now Remus couldn’t help but notice how unlike his father he looked. Orion looked cold and distant, even the few glimpses that Remus had gotten of the king were enough for him to notice how above it all Orion thought he was. 

“I would like to see you try” 

Sirius barked out a laugh, “You have to be the most moronic person I have ever met. Challenging the prince in such a fashion” 

Remus smirked. “Well to throw me in a dungeon you’d have to catch me first.” 

“You think I can’t catch what’s right in front of me?” 

Remus pretended to think about it. He knew the prince wouldn’t be able to catch him. He had years of practice from running away from Finn and Thomas. “Maybe if what was in front of you wasn’t me”, he made a pause to give the prince an exaggerated look. “Maybe then you could catch it.” Whatever Sirius was going to retort got interrupted when a man opened the door. He was all but screaming at Sirius and he hadn't even entered the room. 

“Sirius Orion Black, get your lazy arse back to training and stop bothering Minerva.” 

“You wound me Logan.” Sirius said, putting a hand over his heart dramatically and turning to face the newcomer. “You think I, Sirius Black, would dare skip training just to annoy Minnie.”

Remus wanted to laugh. This was nothing like what he had expected from Sirius Black, Prince of Slytherin. “I have known you for less than five minutes”, both men turned to look at him, “but even I can tell you’re skipping.” Sirius gasped. If Remus thought Thomas was dramatic, this guy was worse. 

Logan laughed at Sirius’s betrayed expression. “I like you”, he said, “what’s your name.” 

“I’m Remus, Remus Lupin,”, he shook Logan’s offered hand, “and you are.” 

“Logan Tremblay, a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m sorry to interupt what is surely some form of traitorous meeting,”, Sirius didn’t sound at all sorry, “but we have to go.”

Remus sighed, letting go of Logan’s hand. “Oh, well, it was nice meeting you Logan.” 

“Likewise.” 

“Skipping training again, your highness?” A beaming smile took over Sirius’s face at the woman’s voice.

“Minnie!” 

Minerva stood in the entryway, not at all phased by the two knights that were standing in the room. Remus wondered if this happened often.

“Hello Remus”

“Wait”, Sirius said putting his hand up, “you two know each other”. 

Logan rolled his eyes, “yeah yeah, they know each other. Now let’s go”. He grabbed Sirius by the arm and dragged him out of the physician's quarters. Remus chuckled lightly, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. 

“It’s good to see you”. Minerva greeted warmly. “It’s been a few years.” 

“Last time we talked I was, what” he stopped to think about it, “5 or 6 years old?” 

Minerva nodded before adding, “your mother said you wanted to learn medicine.”

“Yes. Thought I should learn, since my heale-”. He stopped himself, he couldn’t talk about his magic so casually anymore. Minerva seemed to understand what he meant anyway. Remus would have to be careful, he was grateful that he learned to control his magic when he was younger. He couldn’t afford accidental magic here. 

“Well there isn’t much for you to do today.” Minerva’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. “You can go explore the citadel if you want.”

Remus smiled at her. “That would be nice.” He spent some time in the room Minerva had prepared for him before going out. He thought about Sirius, he seemed like a good guy, but he was still raised by a man that couldn’t even bare the mention of magic. Maybe he thought people who chose to learn it would turn evil, but he didn’t seem like the type to kill someone without reason. 

Remus wouldn’t think about it too much. Even if he ended up befriending the prince, there was no chance Remus would share his secret until he knew for certain he could trust him. After he unpacked all of his belongings and wrote a letter for his mother he headed out of his room, crashing with someone right outside his door. He managed to regain his balance easily, the other person wasn’t so lucky. He heard the sound of metal and someone hitting the floor,  muttering a curse. “Oh gods, I am so sorry” Remus offered his hand to help the person up. It was a girl, with dark curls and tan skin. 

“That’s ok, I had to fix those anyway.”

“Still”, Remus bent down to pick up the armour the girl had dropped, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you”, she said, accepting the chainmail he was handing her and putting it in the basket she had been carrying. “I’m June”

“Remus”.  He handed her a damaged gauntlet. 

“Are you new here, I don’t think I've seen you before.” 

“Is it that obvious?” Remus asked sheepishly. 

“Very”,  she said, trying to smother her giggles behind her palm. “Want me to show you around?” 

Remus nodded, “yeah that’d be great. Thank you.” 

“Great. We just have to drop these off at my house first.” 

The two of them walked in silence for a bit, passing through the citadel before heading towards the lower town. Remus was looking around trying to memorize where everything was but quickly becoming lost. June stopped in front of a small hut besides the forges and went in, probably to drop the damaged armour off. 

Remus felt only slightly dumb for not expecing June to live besides the forge. She had said she needed to fix the armour and now that he looked at her properly she didn’t look like all the other women in the lower town. She was muscular, definitely stronger than your average peasant woman. Her hands had burn marks and her fingers had thin scars, probably from accidentally cutting herself on blades. 

“Ready”, June's voice cut through his thoughts.  

“Yeah.” They began walking back towards the palace. “So, where are you taking me?”  

“The training grounds.”

 Remus just stared at her. “What?” He noticed she had something in her hand. 

“Well, you wanted a tour of the citadel, and I have to give this”, she showed him the dagger she was holding, “to sir Pascal, thought we would kill two birds with one stone and start the tour there.” 

“Can I see it”, he said pointing towards the blade. She handed it to him and he took it out of its sheath. It was a very detailed knife, it had a gladiolus flower engraved into the silver blade, and it had a small blue opal snake encrusted into the hilt. 

“Did you make this?”

She grinned at his surprised tone. “Why are  you so surprised? Didn’t think a girl could make something like that.” Remus didn’t miss the edge on her teasing tone. 

“Of course not. I don’t doubt your blacksmith abilities. It’s just that-” Remus was looking for the right words. 

“Just what?” 

“This is one of the most beautiful designs I have ever seen.”

“I can make one for you if you want”

Remus hummed in acknowledgment, handing the sheathed dagger back to her. “I’ll think about it.” When they reached the grounds they saw Sirius and Logan sparring. Logan seemed to be struggling to hold himself up as Sirius pushed down on The shorter man’s sword with his own. June whistled towards the crowd of armored knights and everyone but the two fighting men turned to look at her. A man started to walk towards her with a warm smile on his face. Remus guessed that was sir Pascal. 

“Here you go.” June said, handing him the dagger. “I hope Katie likes it. 

“I’m sure she will. Just like she loved all the other things you’ve made for her.” 

The knight turned to look at Remus and offered his hand. “Pascal Dumais, pleasure to meet you.” 

“Remus Lupin”, he said, shaking Pascal’s hand. 

“Have we met before?” The knight looked him over, as if trying to find an answer to his own question in Remus’s face. “You seem familiar.” 

“I don’t think we’ve met.” Remus managed to keep the panic from his tone, if someone here made a connection between him and his father it would end badly. “My father is a lord from Gryffindor, perhaps that’s where you see a resemblance.” 

Pascal looked at him for a second longer, then spoke. “That’s certainly a possibility.” 

“Well, I hate to be the one to break this meeting but I have to show this guy around”, June said, pointing at Remus and then at Pascal, “and you sir have to make sure Logan doesn’t get his ass beat for not knowing when to hold his tongue.”

The knight threw his head back, barking out a laugh. “The only people that could ever manage to make that boy behave are Celeste and his mother.” 

“You say that like your wife isn’t the scariest woman in this kingdom”, June said before grabbing Remus by the elbow and dragging him off to wherever was next. “Goodbye, see you later”, she said over her shoulder to a waving Pascal.  

“Where are we going to next?” 

June hummed in acknowledgement before answering, “I thought, since you’re probably going to be helping Minerva with handing out medicine, we should start with all the different castle wings.” She guided Remus through a series of elaborate corridors and showed him some of the different servant entrances, he didn’t think he would have to use those too often but if he ever needed to escape they would be useful for him to go unnoticed. She showed him the guest quarters, took him down to the kitchen, and finished in the royal chambers. 

“The big doors at the end of the hall are the King’s chambers, and these are Prince Sirius’s chambers”, she said pointing to the doors they were passing, “I would suggest you stay as far away from here as possible.” Even though her tone was even there was a teasing glint in her eyes. 

“Wow June”, said a voice from down the hall, “and here I thought we were on good terms.”

She smirked. “After what you did last week Black?”. She raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I’m capable of such forgiveness.”

Remus looked at Sirius with a questioning look, the other man was pouting. “What did you do?” Sirius answered “nothing” at the same time the June said “he ruined Katie’s surprise.” 

Sirius threw his arms up dramatically, “I already apologized for that June.”

June sighed heavily. “Give me some time to plan my revenge and then maybe I’ll forgive you.” Remus watched Sirius’s eyes widen comically, his mouth opening a closing like he couldn't find what to say to that. He suspected that threats of a night in the dungeons wouldn’t mean much to the blacksmith. Remus tried not to laugh at the entire interaction, it was almost like Sirius forgot he was the prince. It reminded Remus so much of Finn it made him feel a little homesick. 

June grabbed Remus by the wrist, not giving Sirius the chance to respond to her threat, and guided him towards an opening at the end of the corridor. He heard Sirius run to catch up with them, his steps echoing through the hallway. “Where are you taking him?”, Sirius asked once he caught up to them.  

She turned to look at him, “Regulus’s chambers. It’s the only place left apart from the library.” Sirius hummed. The three of them lapsed into a comfortable silence. They started going up a narrow winding staircase that took them to the top of one of the towers. “Ok, so, that over there”, June said whilst pointing at the double doors at the end of the small hallway, “are Regulus’s chambers. And that”, she pointed at a single door half hidden behind a tapestry with the Black Family crest, “is either a servants entrance or a way to escape if there’s an attack.” Remus nodded, if he was honest he had already half forgotten what way was what. 

“Well, I have somewhere else to be right now, but I look forward to seeing you around”, Sirius said, extending his hand for Remus to shake.

 Remus took his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Sure thing, I certainly can’t wait to see what revenge June is planning.” He let go of Sirius’s hand, ignoring the pout on his face in favor of turning to June. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.” 

June laughed, shaking her head lightly. “Will do”. The three of them went down the stairs, Sirius going to his chambers to get out of his armour and sweaty clothes from training. Remus and June continued their tour around the castle for a while longer before she brought him back to the physician’s chambers. “It was nice meeting you Remus”, she gave him a small smile. “See you around?”

Remus smiled at her, “Definitely Good night June.” 

“Good night”

Hours later, when Remus was lying down in his bed staring up at the ceiling, he thought about how that morning had gone. The image of the axe falling, the old woman threatening the king, swearing she would avenge her son. The entire thing left him feeling uneasy, there was nothing he could do now, he knew that. 

He moved so he could see out the window, he tried to find some constellations in the night sky, giving his mind something to do other than worry about vengeful sorceresses. He mapped some of his favorite constellations, trying to imagine his brother doing the same back home, the thought calmed him a bit. The last thing he saw was Sirius’s soft glow, so much brighter than the other stars, before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three years later

Sirius had just called the end of practice when he saw someone hovering along the edges of the training grounds. A girl around his age was looking around with a frustrated expression on her face. He waved at Pascal and Logan, telling them he would see them at Sir Pascal’s house and walked over to the girl. 

“Hello”, her gaze focused on him, eyes flashing briefly. “Are you looking for someone?” 

She looked at him for a moment before answering. “Yes actually. Do you know where I can find Remus Lupin?” 

“No, sorry. I haven’t seen him all day.” Her face fell slightly, the irritated look returning to her expression. “I can help you look for him though. I’m Sirius” 

Something that looked like apprehension mixed with relief crossed her expression. “I’m Heather. And thank you, for the help.” He gave her a curt nod and they began walking away from the training grounds, heading to the castle.

“Why were you looking for him in the knights training area?” Sirius asked conversationally. 

“Oh, I thought maybe he’d be there. I need to give him a letter.” 

Sirius looked at her, confused. “Why would Remus be with the knights while they’re training?” It was her turn to look confused, it only lasted for a second, her face going back to a neutral expression. She didn’t say anything, shrugging lightly. 

They lapsed into awkward silence. Sirius took her to the physician's chambers first, hoping Remus would be there so that he could get out of the uncomfortable situation. They stopped in front of the door, Sirius said his goodbyes, telling her he had somewhere else to be. Heather smiled kindly at him, nodding. After he left she faced the door and pushed it open, sighing in relief when she saw Remus reading a book on the table. She walked towards him and sat down on the stool beside the table, dropping the stachel she had been carrying on the ground soundlessly. Remus jolted when she touched his arm, the feather-light touch raising goosebumps on his skin. She giggled at his startled expression. “Hello Remus.” 

“H-Heather?” Confusion and happiness flashed across his eyes in equal measure. He pulled her in for a hug, the angle a little awkward from their position. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m just passing by”, she turned to look for something in her bag, “Finn asked me to bring this for you.” She handed Remus an envelope.

 He frowned at the golden seal. Finn never sealed his letters in gold, the color much too formal for a message between friends. He would usually use red wax, the color of Gryffindor’s banner. He opened the envelope, the golden wax crumbling and falling onto the table, and brought out a single page of writing. His eyes read over the words, the letter was unusually short and it had ink stains between words, almost like Finn had hesitated when writing them. His eyes widened mid-way through the first paragraph, a gasp escaping his lips. 

Heather watched him, making sure to mask her excitement with a carefully blank expression. When Remus finished reading he stared at the last sentence, his eyes reading it over and over again, a hundred different emotions flashing through his eyes before settling somewhere between surprise and indignation.  He turned around to look at her with a weird glint in his eye. 

“Since when is Finn getting married?”

#Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #logan tremblay #June #Heather #orion black #Open your eyes #lumosinlove

[moons-writings]

Cinderella au - aftg

Ok ok, I know that I’m supposed to be working on my vixen!neil au (and I am! It’s just taking a bit because I apparently can’t write short fics to save my life), but I just watched the live action Cinderella and I have Thoughts. 

Neil is Cinderella, because while Andrew is totally the one with the evil barely-related family, it wouldn’t make sense for Andrew to go to a ball. Also, when Neil’s mom dies, his situation becomes worse, like Cinderella.

Lola is the evil stepmother but Nathan never goes to jail or dies. There’s no stepsisters (there could be if you want the Moriyamas, but I don’t because that just adds a whole other layer that I don’t want to deal with, also we like things soft) but the rest of the inner circle fills that role of pushing Neil down

Nathan has some high rank and is affiliated with the army. He’s not a captain or general by any means but has a reputation of being lethal.

Mary was the one with the real power (maybe a countess or foreign duchess), so Nathan married up. When she died, Stuart wanted to take Neil under his wing, but Nathan didn’t want to lose hold of the one thing that tied him to power so he argued that Neil should stay with him because Lola could provide some “maternal love”. 

Neil is forced to do household chores and clean up after his father and his circle’s kills. He’s also forced to learn how to use knives to help them in the future

Bee is the queen, she is sisters with Abby, who marries Wymack

Andrew and Aaron are Bee’s kids, Kevin and Dan are Abby and Wymack’s

Wymack is part of the army, maybe the general or something. He teaches Dan the people skills while Kevin cares more about being the best swordsman

Aaron follows his aunt and becomes a healer while Andrew becomes a skilled cavalier

They all play a sport *cough exy cough* that they made up when they were little kids (and that’s why the rules are so screwed up)

Aaron wants a ball because he fell in love with a foreign princess (Katelyn) but Andrew doesn’t like her so Aaron wants Bee’s approval to trump Andrew

When he were younger, Andrew was kidnapped by Drake and he saw some human trafficking and Drake almost got to him. Renee saved him and got him to the royal guard. Andrew became an advocate for cleaning up the kingdom and became close friends with Renee

Bee adopted Andrew and Aaron when Tilda first abandoned them. Tilda tried to take one back but Bee made her realize that guilt wasn’t going to make her a good mother so Tilda left them in Bee’s care

Nicky and the twins know each other and their relation. Nicky’s parents are influential so although Bee has tried to save him, she can’t really take him away without causing a scandal, which she doesn’t think will be good for him. Instead, she suggests that he study under an ambassador. Nicky gets to travel and meet Erik, the prince of some place more powerful than Bee’s, and thus Luther’s, kingdom. Nicky is happy and lovesick and takes over as ambassador to Erik’s kingdom

ANYWAY

Aaron wants a ball

Bee says yes

Andrew is upset because Bee says everyone has to go, so he spitefully says that EVERYONE includes commoners, so now the whole freaking kingdom is invited

Bee privately thinks this is funny and that maybe it will mean that Andrew will find a nice boy

Dan thinks its hilarious and while Kevin is upset that it’ll take time away from practicing, it’s making Andrew take out his anger during practice

Invitations go out, announcements are made

Nathan decides he wants to go in order to social climb

He doesn’t want Neil to go because having a kid will make him look less serious

Neil doesn’t care but Matt, who is one of the servants (stable boy), wants to go and wants Neil to go because he wants his friend to have fun

Lola sends Neil to Allison’s dressmaking shop to order a dress

Allison has Renee over when Neil goes. Renee takes one look at Neil and sees someone who’s been hurt and needs help. Allison sees a fighter with horrendous fashion taste. Allison tells Neil she’ll make the dress only if Neil agrees to let her make a suit for him and if he’ll save the money to get something decent to eat

Neil agrees because while the suit thing might be weird, he’s not about to give up free money

Renee goes and tells Andrew because she thinks he might want to know about the corruption in the nobility

Andrew decides he wants to see this for himself so he decides to lurk around when Lola goes in for a fitting

Neil accompanies Lola because she wants to flaunt her power over him

Andrew sees Neil and is like “ooh pretty boy”

Neil sees Andrew and is Suspicious and kinda recognizes him as one of the princes

Allison sees all this and makes Andrew measure Neil for Neil’s suit

Renee laughs at Andrew’s pain

The “yes or no”s start here, but with Neil flinching away from Andrew when Andrew goes to measure Neil’s torso

Andrew is suspicious and a bit angry at what this might mean, because he saw how the trafficked kids reacted to other people and he know how he reacted the weeks and months after getting kidnapped so he knows something is up

Allison drags out Lola’s fitting as much as she can to give Andrew and Neil time to talk, as well as to give Neil time away from Lola

Andrew tells Neil to meet him in the woods if he wants to get away from his father

Neil is still suspicious but figures it couldn’t hurt, and besides, he’s definitely faster and a better fighter than some prince, right?

Neil and Lola go home and Lola complains to Nathan about how long Allison took, Nathan lets her at Neil 

They meet in the woods the next day

Andrew wants to grill Neil when he sees how hurt he is, but Neil doesn’t really want to talk, so they exchange truths

They meet a couple more times like this (the ball isn’t happening for another three weeks because it takes time for this stuff to be planned and organized)

By the second week, the rest of the royal family has noticed and elected Dan to follow Andrew because Aaron and Kevin are both annoyed at Andrew for various reasons

The day Dan follows Andrew is also the day Matt comes with Neil. Matt had followed Neil because he wants to meet this person who is making Neil happy when he isn’t with Matt

Andrew is annoyed and tells Dan to annoy someone else, so she goes and talks with Matt. Matt now wants to go the the ball too

Slowly the foxes come together, and by the week before the ball, the royal cousins have taught the others exy.

Also, as the ball has been approaching, Nathan has swung between ignoring Neil and causing immense amounts of harm

This causes the foxes to rally even more around Neil

The week leading up to the ball, Nathan was scarily calm because the royal guard has lightened up on patrols and so Nathan isn’t as worried about getting caught

Neil tells the Andrew this privately and Andrew makes a note to get Neil away from his father asap

The day of the ball, Nathan and the inner circle go. They make plans to leave at midnight.

Neil isn’t really planning on going still, but Matt shows him the suit Allison had made for him (Allison gave Matt the suit because she didn’t trust Neil not to ruin it before the ball) and Dan had sent them a carriage, so it would be a waste not to go. 

They don’t their names called because only the women and distinguished guests get to be announced

Andrew abandons Aaron when he sees Neil

Bee has already given Katelyn her stamp of approval when Katelyn was the first to arrive and she saw how lovesick both Aaron and Katelyn were

When Andrew gets to Neil, Matt leaves him to find Dan

For a solid hour everyone is happily paired off, Renee watching fondly as Allison makes snide remarks on others’ outfits, Aaron and Katelyn dancing, Matt and Dan talking, Neil and Andrew in the gardens. Kevin is talking with the daughter and apprentice of a blacksmith (Thea) and Nicky is pissing his parents off with Erik. 

Then, when Neil comes back inside with Andrew, he sees a) the time and b) Nathan

He’s not sure if Nathan’s seen him, but he tells Andrew that he’s got to go, so he runs like the speedy little fucker he is. In his haste, he leaves a shoe, because Renee and Matt annoyingly made him change into bad-for-running shoes because his shoes were too dirty

This makes Renee, Dan, and Allison the Fairy Godmother(s)

Andrew picks up his shoe and decides that when he finds Neil, he’s going to get him shoes that fit better

At home, Neil finds that the inner circle minus Lola is back. They start to beat him up, and when Nathan and Lola get home, they continue to do so. Nathan can’t cripple Neil permanently because everyone would notice, but he does break his leg and slash him up

He’s about to break the other leg when the Foxes break down the door. Kevin, Renee, Dan, and Andrew utterly ruin Nathan, and since they’re royals, they’re untouchable

Nathan and the inner circle go to jail

It turns out Aaron proposed to Katelyn at the ball, so Andrew proposes with the shoe Neil lost. Neil is confused, but elopes with Andrew.

Dan, Allison and Nicky laugh, Renee and Kevin shake their heads for different reasons and then Nicky freaks out because he wanted to throw elaborate weddings for his cousins, but now Andrew has ruined it

#aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #aaron minyard #nicky hemmick #kevin day #matt boyd #dan wilds #renee walker #allison reynolds #coach wymack #abby winfield #bee dobson #nathan and the evil inner circle #my au #cinderella au

[boethiahsboytoy]

💋 📙😊 💧💤 and 🎀 for vyr? pls and thank! -ratjester :3

Disclaimer: I wrote this on mobile so I'm sorry if the formatting is kind of weird;;

💋 How affectionate are they with their friends? Their family? Their romantic partner(s) (if they have any)? Are they more physical or emotional when it comes to displaying their affection? Why?

Vyrthaal is a VERY physically affectionate kid: if he likes you there's a 100% chance he will try to hug you whenever he sees you, hold your hand, lean against you, playfully bump into you, etc. etc (provided you're comfortable the physical touch). When he was growing up his biological parents weren't very physically affectionate with him and now that he has a loving family hes a very cuddly and touched starved person.

With his (orc) family he loves to wrestle with them and, occasionally, spar!! Orcs play wrestling and sparring etc. to show love is my favorite thing ok don't @ me. But I don't feel like Serana would be too keen on that, I think their affection would be more brief like gently bumping into each other.

With Kili he learns many ways the Falmer show affection (that I headcanon), with his favorite being touching foreheads together. He also really likes giving his partner lots and Lots of cheek and head kisses, and they're almost always holding hands with their fingers intertwined when they're traveling together or just hanging out. (Kili and Vyrthaal don't actually Start Dating until they're both around 17 but it's also Very obvious they have crushes on each other like...years before then)

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun? What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

My boy LOVES enchanting (until traveling to the Soul Cairn). He will info dump about various enchantments and the right techniques for what for HOURS if you ask him to. Even before being adopted by Marzog. After, when she teaches him blacksmithing, that becomes Another Favorite Subject and he learns everything about it that his Stronghold can teach him. One of his hobbies is embroidery, whenever he can he tries to embroider things into his friends' clothes. Mainly flowers but also things related to them or that they like !!

In his teenage years he's VERY snobbish towards Nord blacksmithing techniques. He looks down on it and claims that it's just senseless hitting hot metal with hammers. (It isn't until he grows up and matures some that he begins to understand it and respect it as it's own craft and art form).

As for things that bore him I hadn't really thought of that Too much but I DO know he doesn't like baking. It's too precise and takes Way too much time no matter What you're making he's WAY too impatient to sit around and, say, wait for his bread to rise properly (assuming he doesn't accidentally kill the yeast beforehand).

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC genrally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

I feel like this is universal for literally Every OC I've ever made but a fresh meal made with love will ALWAYS cheer him up No Matter What. It's literally one of the few things Absolutely Constant with every one of my OCs that I can think of. Even Serene, who doesn't technically need to eat, appreciates the first time Jo'safiir makes him food. So yeah, that will always cheer him up, at least a Little.

Anyways-

Vyr tries Very hard to be upbeat and positive and a ray of sunshine (pun intented) but at his core he's still a very traumatized and upset kid who doesn't know how to handle and recover from that in a healthy way. He does like to make people happy but a lot of times his happiness is very much faked.

As for what about him makes people happy, I would guess it's his upbeat and excited attitude, as well as his chaotic, silly, gremlin energy. But also his willingness to just sit quietly with someone and relax, if that's what they need. He's a very caring person all throughout his life.

💧 What is the earliest memory your OC can recall? Do they know what their first words were or remember where they took their first steps? Do they have any mementos of their childhood they’ve kept such as a stuffed toy or tiny baby clothes?

His earliest memory would be the first time his parents took him into a Dwemer city. They were nobility and it was a meeting with Dwemer leaders. He had never been anywhere Near Dwemer *anything* and even though he was really young it terrified him enough that he remembers it decades later ;;

His first Positive memory would be being carried by his biological mother and watching the sun rise together :')

The clothes that Marzog found him with is all that was left from his home. He cherishes them for the rest of his life and does everything he can to keep them well taken care of and preserved. He wishes he had more.

💤 What was your OC like as a baby, a child and as a teen? (if your OC is a teen or a child, what will they be like as an adult?). How have they changed since then? What lessons have they learned and what things about their youth do they miss the most? Do they have any general regrets?

As a baby: Very giggly and loud. A bundle of energy. Loved playing and babbled Constantly.

As a child: Excited and energetic at first, then his parents started really drilling the Quiet, Refined, Nobility BS into him and he was forced to calm down and act more cold and aloof.

As a teen: He gets his energy and excitement back !! And gets a little Rowdy, having spent so long woth his orc family. :) Definitely uhhhh Going Through It so there are days where the trauma Really hits and he's nonverbal or on edge or just....depressed and numb. But on better days he's got Big Gremlin Energy.

When he reaches adulthood he's learned how to handle and process his emotions in a healthy manner. He's obviously not Completely Healed And Healthy, but he can take care of himself emotionally. Gets good at being formal again, he Does become a professional vampire hunter so he has to be good at being calm and collected when helping people who are victims of vampire attacks and such. But he'll also always have that hyperactive gremlin vibe going on--

🎀 Do they wear a specific accessory with a special meaning behind it? What is their usual fashion sense like? What do they wear when they want to be comfortable and what do they wear when they’re going to a fancy party? Or do they just not care?

He keeps a lot of handmade things from his family on him (jewelry, daggers, knives, things like that) at all times! Normally he will wear his Ancient Falmer armor whenever he can, but he does have comfortable and sensible Traveling Armor that he wears too. When he wants to be comfy at home though he likes wearing dresses or loose shirts and pants. When he needs to be formal he'll normally just wear the Ancient Falmer armor--its that good Magical Aedric Shit so it never gets fucked up from fighting and grows with him, so it always looks beautiful and Fancy. (Someone tell this boy that armor is NOT black tie apparel PLEASE--)

Thank you!!!! 🧡

#ask #ask meme response #OC Vyrthaal #ratjester #i feel like i rambled less than if i had answered on desktop #also im sorry i cant put read mores on mobile i Will edit this super quick as soon as i post it but im sorry if anyone sees it Before then;;

[hufflepirate]

Current Vox Machina feelings: Still thinking about Grog and Ioun even though I’m several hours of content past the gang’s convo with her.

But seriously though. She explicitly says that she’s not picking Grog as her champion because he’s so uncomfortable in her realm. She apologizes for that. She says THAT’s why he’s not her champion. Which implies that unlike the others, who are for specific character reasons not appropriate champions, he could have been. Her criteria for keys is that they should be unexpected and look at the world differently than she does. Who’s to say her criteria for a champion couldn’t be related??

What I’m saying is Champion-of-Ioun Grog AU.

What I’m saying is sweet, wonderful, open Grog, who learned painstakingly to read, who constantly embraces new people, places, and situations, who so often listens well even when he pretends he isn’t or when he can’t make sense of what he hears, becoming the champion of the goddess of knowledge and going out into the world that way.

What I’m saying is I meant to write a couple short headcanons and then this ran well away from me, so now it’s under a cut.

Grog faces a different test within the library, tailored to him, and therefore with less singing and magic. His friends work too hard and too frantically, desperate to help him because he’s the dumb one and this is Ioun, only to have him finally, finally find the book when he blocks them out and trusts himself and his instincts. He hands a tiny book with no words in it to Ioun and his friends are screaming behind him as she asks if he’s sure it’s the right one, and he looks her in the eye and says, “Well, yeah! It’s supposed to be a secret, right? So of course it’s blank until you make it tell us.”

Grog doesn’t let Ioun see how much his friends’ reactions are hurting him, because it isn’t polite, and she’s a goddess, and he’s not supposed to be petty and little around her. The moment they step up to Sprigg’s house, his feelings burst out all at once and he won’t let anyone but Pike near him.

It’s not long before he feels something new. Something different. There’s a voice in his head and what feels like a soft touch in the middle of his forehead, where the third eye opened up in Ioun’s presence, and she tells him that there’s lots of ways to know things. The others will see, in time.

His voice is quiet and reverent and sad when he asks Pike about it, and she’s so happy for him that she leaps up to hug him and place a kiss into the center of his forehead, and he pulls her close and lets her calm joy settle him down and make him feel ok again.

His forgiveness comes slowly for some of the group members, but things build back, and in the mansion, he discovers that reading is a little bit easier now, though he’s no better at sitting still for it when the subject matter is boring. It’s lucky that they don’t have a lot of time for reading, just now. Not with Vecna ascended. He’s still much slower than most of the others, and he doesn’t bring up how much frustration still keeps him bored even when things are important.

Puzzles are easier to solve than they used to be, the things that used to come slowly coming faster, chasing his instincts with less of a delay. He says things and the others look surprised, but there’s a faint sense of something in his head that soothes the hurt when they look that way, and he thinks probably that’s Ioun, too. He says things he would have said before, but this time there’s a reason and he can explain it.

The first time he uses her blessing, reaching into his connection to her at the height of the rush that comes with getting his best hit in on an enemy, it’s beautiful and euphoric and the sense of what’s vulnerable to him makes his heart swell with the exultation of battle and he shouts it out to his companions with joy.

After the dust settles, he and Pike are sitting, exhausted, slumped at a table like they used to at Wilhand’s (only better because here the chairs fit him and he’s not on the floor), and he looks over at her, and she’s wearing the Dawnfather’s armor, but doesn’t belong to him, and he’s wearing Kord’s gauntlets, but has been claimed by another, and he wonders again if it was the right thing. He decides that maybe, like the twins, who were black-and-white negatives of each other, in the end, he and his own sister are meant to be different-and-the-same, and maybe it’s alright that the gods are complicated, and maybe it’s even alright that they share.

He doesn’t have the words to say to Vex. He’ll never have the words to say to Vex. He thinks that’s probably not what knowledge is for, or what it does, and the soft, pleasant, comfortable stirring in his head that always means Ioun is there doesn’t have to speak to tell him he’s right. He watches her cry and insist that there’s a way to get Vax back, and he waits for her to realize that there isn’t and come around to blinding, directionless anger. When she does, he takes her out to the forest outside of Vasselheim and they fight the biggest monster he could get a contract on and he gives her all the money from the contract even though it won’t make things better.

Ioun is mostly quiet about it, but he can feel her approval, and he begins to understand what she meant about lots of ways of knowing things. Nothing about his plan was anything like the way Percy or Scanlan knew things, but Vex looks a little better as she wipes tears out of her eyes that might be anger or sadness or pain but are probably all three. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls her into a hug, but her arms are strong around him and the fake smile she pastes on when he lets go is a little less fake than the one she left with, and that’s alright.

Tary is Tary and he’s never really known what to do with Tary, all the way, but he’s been thinking a lot about books lately, and what they’re good for and what they’re not and why so many of them are boring and turn out not to have what he wants to know in them, so he goes to see Tary anyway. He doesn’t want to write a book, but he does some thinking about Tary’s and suggests that maybe Tary’s book tell the truth instead of being like all the other adventures Tary read as a kid that made him keep saying dumb stuff and not know what to expect. He doesn’t know if Tary’s listening or not, but it feels good to say it.

Percy says they might as well set up a temple to Ioun in Whitestone for when Grog visits. And anyway, it’s about time Whitestone had a good temple to her, instead of a corrupted one. He wants to fill it with books. He wants to make it a library. Grog says they’ve got to be careful and the books should be true, and there should be people there to teach you about the things that are written about. Percy doesn’t understand what he means at first. Not until he says you learn blacksmithing by feeling it in your bones, and sometimes you learn the truth by seeing it.

The temple in Whitestone is an odd place. It has many books and many tables, which is only to be expected, but everything else is - different. Half of Percy’s books are about science, so there are machines to play with to make sense of the books, and once he’s gotten Percy thinking about it, there are lenses and prisms and magnifiers for looking at things. There’s an open porch, protected from the elements with a roof and some screening and shelves with doors that close when the rain comes with wind, but the nature books sit outside and Keyleth’s raised up a garden with as many things as she can think of in it, and he didn’t know it would be good for her to build, without Vax here, but it is. There are books about devils and demons and circles of hell, and he’s learning, slowly, how to draw well so that he can tuck better pictures into them, so people can know what they’re looking at. It’s important that books have pictures. It’s important that the pictures be true.

Percy always looks surprised at the people in Ioun’s temple. He always looks surprised when there are farmers there, and children, and housewives, but Grog isn’t, and he gets JB Trickfoot to work there, because she’s been lots of places and seen lots of things, and the next time he visits Whitestone, he’s happy to find that another librarian has shown up who’s terrible at organizing things and very good at baking and has installed a small wood-burning oven in a little alcove to explain cookbooks with, because it’s one thing to write about the details of bread and another to pick the dough up and stretch it and feel it and look at it.

Grog is getting older. Calmer. He goes into the woods and watches things. He draws them. He kills them. He draws them some more. He keeps his drawings in a tidy bundle in the bag of holding and does not call them a book.

The longer he draws, the better he is at seeing the details. The better he is at seeing them, the better he is at drawing. He still reads slowly, and his writing isn’t as steady as his drawing, but his drawings are good, and he remembers the things he drew better and better and when he goes to visit Pike and Scanlan, Pike takes careful, tidy notes about the things he tells her.

Grog and Pike don’t write a book until she gets so pregnant that she can’t leave the house as much and he’s hovering around the house waiting for his new niece or nephew to arrive and they consolidate all his drawings and all her notes, looking for something she can do indoors, and discover they already have.

Percy has to invent entirely new technology because there’s no way drawings as intricate as Grog’s could be reliably copied by hand more than once without losing the details, and the details are important because they’re the truth. Percy and Tary spend months together in Percy’s workshop, covered in ink and smoke and calling him in to forge all the large pieces of a machine he can’t quite picture until they start building it. It starts to take shape, and it takes even better shape once they add the small, delicate pieces they’ve worked on, and it makes sense when Percy calls it an Imprinting Press, but he doesn’t really understand what they’ve made, in its fullness, until a month and a half later when he’s finally allowed in the room again.

The machine stands dormant, piles and piles of plates stacked nearly up to the ceiling behind it, and Percy and Tary hand him a tidy medium-sized volume, bound in nicer leather than most of the books in the library. He opens it up to find words printed with consistent, uniform letters, even more consistent than the best scribes’ work, all the a’s looking exactly like a’s and the b’s looking exactly like b’s. The pictures are breathtaking, printed from engravings that must have taken his friends many, many hours, but they both have an eye for detail, and everything he drew is there.

His book gets its own stand in the center of Ioun’s temple, and as he places it in its spot, he gets the sense of something big happening. Something new.

Ioun’s voice in his head isn’t a voice at all. She’s been with him for years, and it doesn’t have to be a voice, hasn’t had to be a voice for a long time. It’s just a feeling. She’s proud of him. She loves him. Something is happening, and he is a champion of Ioun, and what he has built is going to stand for a long, long time.

There are children in the library and they want to know about fighting dragons again, and he lets them drag him away to the porch to tell the story for the thousandth time, roaring and stomping and acting out the fighting and all. For a moment, he sees a three-eyed figure in the doorway, out of the corner of his eye, who vanishes when he turns to look straight on. He touches her symbol, tattooed on his forearm, and smiles.

#critical role #grog #vox machina #spoilers episode 106 #grog strongjaw

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

Ok uh DND HEADCANONS aka welcome to fantasy queer eye

Ava: A tiefling paladin. Bonar Fidea ("BONER?" "Shut the fuck up Sal.") Is sworn to her mission to protect the group of travellers she's met. Especially when faced with a particular half orc,,,ahem, Bonar is intent on doing good, not for the cost of gold, but to perhaps wipe her hands of bloodshed left over from a suffocating war that she refuses to talk about....just a shame that the rest of her party doesn't agree with the motives.

Mimi: Dwarf fighter named Viet Clearwater ("'Cause she drags her enemies through the fucking mud!"). Dwarf milf -

("wait," Lace squints and Mimi grins. "How is she a milf??" "WELL. You know that thing where a woman gets out of the fire and shakes her head? That's that." Everyone waits for a moment before nodding appreativatevly.)

- who worked in a blacksmiths for many years before meeting Sal's character and ending up joining his kid onto becoming fantasy bounty hunters for a few months before meeting the others. Viet's personal mission is to get a beach day yet each plot ends up derailing her from it each and every time.

Finn: Druid Elf called Roisen-Mae Maylar who worked in fantasy Greggs before Bonar robbed them and Roisen-Mae was the one who was sent after her due to him being "the new guy". Long story short, Roisen-Mae realised he was underpaid and joined Bonar in her avenging for justice, quickly realising that "justice" was conceived of breaking into places and killing people in order to free others. Roisen-Mae kinda wishes he could go back to Fantasy Greggs but...he likes the feeling of adventure in his blood, likes helping people in such a freeing manner.

Sal: Elvish Bard named Chester. Out here playing the top hits of "I want thy love" and "I was created for loving thee." With the backups of Wulf's character. Realised that he could get more cash and that there was...fuck, there was something magic about his voice that struck the monsters and mysterious assassins often sent after the party for some reason.

("Wait so you're some sort of siren?" Pascal had begun to laugh as Sal sqwuaked in indignation. "No! Its- its magic! Shut up you solar piece of shit!")

Sure, murder wasn't was Chester was expecting. But fuck if it ain't gonna be fun (skksks ngl I'm...half wondering if Sal would let his dnd character be in love like I am with him and me being ace sksk)

Mahogany: No character since they struggle with grasping the game but they usually have someone sitting on their lap while they watch everyone play and suggest actions. Sometimes they're allowed to be monsters but often Mahogany is just there to get some cuddles.

Pascal: Orc rogue named Solgrindr The Rugged. 100% he's here to get jacked and each mission allows him to gain One Ab. His guns are huge but his heart is even huge-er and Solgrindr speaks with a fiery passion to sell his training regime and to collect a million fantasy numbers. Since. U know. Solgrindr has earned these by now.

("So you're a Chad?" Mimi squints and Pascal lifts up a hand in offense before Sal interjects. "YEAH PASCAL YOU AN INCEL?" Pascal cried a minute later. He just wanted to be ripped, was that too much to ask?)

Solgrindr is but a man of his whims and what's a bigger whim than a fiery battle and an even hotter romance? ("His sole goal is to romance Chester." Pascal says, smiling viciously when Sal chokes from across the table.) Its just a shame he hasn't been able to live up to his full power yet...

Edith: A half-orc paladin called Yanag Broifstïgnäh who is...basically a carbon copy of Edith but no one's gonna exactly argue with a 6'something Norse angel who everyone excluding Wulf and Dae, are attracted to her. Yanag fights with the same ire and power anyone else would have done to protect her party entirely. She gets a magical axe that apparently washes her into an entirely new and powerful form only once every game.

(Finn frowns, tilting his head curiously. "You made Edith into a magical girl?"

Doe blinks and for a moment, Finn shudders when his own eyes meet his. "Yeah. Is that what that's called? Coolio.")

Yanag saves and romances a woman with every town they go to, but it raises questions when she seems to deny their affections, just as its suspicious how black tar-like veins seem to spread on her the more she uses this power.

Wulf: A human ranger called Bob Greenson. Your average, typical human man who just so happens to believe in fate and adventure! He shall charm everyone and fight the good battles!

("So." Ava squinted and Edith tried to not smile. "He's playing as himself...but a human man?" Her question seemed to get a rough snort out of Edith and a slight nudge of the shoulders. "Aye, but 'tis what makes the man happy I suppose.")

Of course, Bob is on a strict mission to product review as many weapons as he possibly can for his company, Weap'n'throw, while perhaps finding a few good spots to camp out for the ol' family? How's it goin' neighbour? Sure there are some sale issues, what with everyone wanting to murder Bob, but what sales pitch doesn't come with a bit of haggling, hm? With his mighty band of sales assistants, please speak to Chester on aisle three for magical trumpets!

Adonai: Dungeon Master! It's a relief to be themselves and to still be able to interact with the games and everyone else. Doe was worried at first that they would have been left out while everyone got to be something different. They would have joined, but the idea of yet again forming a whole new identity, trying to find the balance and shifts...it sounded exhausting. They couldn't handle it.

Ava patted them and told Doe that they didn't need to be someone. They could think up the scenarios and risks and Joys. It wasn't often that they got an opportunity to take over and simply have fun with risking Mimi's life or trying to create romantic scenarios between Edith and Ava. Doe takes great pleasure in being the DM and it isn't uncommon for them to modify their body for certain campaigns.

Lace: A half-elf wizard named Elvish Presley (Everyone groans. Mahogany weeps. Edith demotes her Valkyrie ways. Sal becomes a nun.) Elvish is interested in learning all sources of magic and why their world works. Is there anything connecting them all? A reason for them being here? Elvish is determined to find out, no matter what the cost...mostly of himself though.

Whether he admits that he wouldn't allow his team to get hurt or not, that is entirely Elvish's thoughts and feelings alone. Quick! Put that healing spell away! We can't let these people know that we feel and yearn! But little does Elvish Presley know, everyone is aware that he is a giant nerd with a giant heart that weeps when Bonar rescues him from the angry orgre who's wagon dealership they ruined in a quest.

Dae: A dragonborn ranger named Torpa Armani who dreams of becoming a famous writer-

("Th-that's bas-basically what y-you do anywh-anyway." Morde squints as Wulf grins while Dae flushes and shakes his head. It's a weak argument, to hear your clone try and deny the elaborate romance novels he writes about his friends.)

-But! Sometimes you just get whisked away onto wild and heart melting adventures. Its hard to ignore how good it deeps to help other people with their problems. It seems that Torpa may just be finding out that there's more to life than romance or tragedy books for them. Especially if they seem so insistent on carrying a weapon and being willing to put their trust and faith within other people once more after being outcasted for who and what they are.

Peach: A tiefling ranger named Puddles Skipclear. Puddles was once a water nymph, but had been cursed into a more physical form that didn't allow her to touch water. She is bound to dry lands until Puddles is able to break her curse. Unfortunately, Puddles doesn't even seem to know what curse bounds her and changes her for possibly forever.

(Morde is quiet for a moment, not meeting his clone's eyes guilt makes his eyes and body dim and slouch. Dae does the same towards Mordecai and everyone tries to ignore the guilt that isn't there's suddenly shifting around the room.)

She likes the people she has chosen to travel with. They're silly and their quests don't always work out, but they're honest in helping Puddles and she wants to trust in them when they say that they will help her remove her curse. They're all rather different from her water sisters that faded away and slipped out of Puddles' too physical fingers, but she's begun to have high hopes about what this mission could mean for her along the way.

Mordecai: Orc rogue named Vecivus Brogun, who is a well renewed theft despite his size. Parties could only dream of having him upon their sides. It's easy to steal things from countless people, but it's harder to steal the secrets. Especially when such a strange party seems to hold so many of these secrets. Some of them have simple ideas and wants, but others?

Oh, there's mystery to them and contrary to what others believe about orcs, Vec is far more easily aware and shifty than most. If only the others would realise these and help him out with a few gigs...after all, is it so bad to steal from a dragon if said dragon had so many riches that he would have hardly noticed if a few went missing?

#headcanon #the leather bound angel (ava) #ocean powerhouse (mimi) #he has a heart made of cotton (finn) #he speaks of holy fates (pascal) #the living stardust (sal) #the monster of forgotten midnights (mahogany) #she was a rose with soft thorns (edith) #riding the wild winds (wulf) #he will set your fears free (lace) #diamond of the rough (dae) #dusk filled head (mordecai) #underwater garden (peach) #G OOO D THIS TOOK AN AGE

[randaccidents]

Turning Out

I am suddenly on a spree and I swear its probably cause I am back on the angst train which is bad for you guys hehe.

Shadow People AU by the glorious @mine-sara-sp

Ok, before we go into this I have to address the contents of the fic. I am delving into a very, VERY sensitive topic here, so please read the triggers and stay away if you think its too bad. The low-down is that this fic is about gender, pronouns, coming out and being misgendered. So it will be heavy.

TW: deliberate misgendering, malicious misgendering, malicious name calling

What’s the right time to come out of the closet?

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

"When are you going to tell someone?"

"About what?"

"Your preferred pronouns."

"When the time is right I suppose."

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

The first person they told had been a mistake.

Abyss had asked them to accompany another shadow to attack an Empire hold. Their power is more suited for one on one engagements, not a siege, he had said. With nothing much to do, they had agreed.

What Abyss didn't tell them was that the shadow they were accompanying was Apex. Big mistake. They had gotten into an argument very quickly, Apex unwilling to work with them.

"I don't need the help of some weak blacksmith's boy!"

They snapped.

"I'm not a boy. I'm a them!"

Silence. Then, slowly, confusedly, "Them?"

They had made a mistake, they knew, but it was too late to back out now. They straightened their back, hand behind their back searching for the tune of the sword on Apex's back. Twisting their hand into a fist, they curtly answered. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

More silence, this time dragging past what was comfortable and becoming unnerving. They shift their feet.

Then, he is laughing, a heckling noise that drives a wedge into their chest. A hand patting his chest, Apex heckled them. “Them? You want to be just like your mutt then, an animal?”

They curl in on themself at the hurtful words, cape folding upwards slightly to curl around them. “It’s my own preference, I’m not an animal.” they mutter.

The laughter cuts off abruptly, the next words spoken in a chilling tone. “Oh? You have a preference now? I thought you were an animal.”

“No! I’m not! Stop that!” they shout. The curling grin of the predator before them was the only hint of their mistake.

“If you aren’t an animal, and you aren’t a boy, then what even are you freak?”

Their wings snapped open as they growled at Apex. They did not want to deal with this anymore. Pushing down, they leapt off the ground, wheeling in the direction of their target. Stretching an arm out, they heard the whispered tremors of underground ore and pulled. They pushed further ahead as armour stands burst from the ground, tearing towards the Empire hold. Their anger and frustration sharpened to a point. They are going to tear that thing to the ground by hand until they were calm again.

And if Apex found his sword a shovel, and they were just a tad too slow in providing aid before he died, it wasn’t like they cared for him anyway.

He’ll be back once Biffa found out, bleeding hearts the hermits are.

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

“S̘̠̲h̓ͩiͦ̽̌͒nͫͮ͌y͋͋͒̃?̣̩̻”

“̣̻͉̭͌̒Y̍̑ͨ̋̊͑̇o̞͎̫̖̍ͣ͂͐u̗̱ͦ ̳̻̩̮͍̩̂̂̋̇o͚͎̅k̳͓̘̅̒̊̾̍?̯̫̓̿”

“Mph, no.”

“̲͔̯̇̅S̮̫͈͍̥͓͛̋ͅh̳͕̉i̯̠̲͎n̓̍ͤẏ̂ ͔̮͚̮̠̋̑̅͐s͙͎̭̤͎͉̀ͣ̍̅a̅ͅd̫̜̰͂͒̐͑̿͊͌.̖̗̠ͨ̈͛͗ͦ͛”

“Hey what are you two-?”

“͈̈́̿H̖̯̟̬̺̲̍͆ͪ̉͐u̖̲͇g͉͖̬͈̳ͫ.̝̣̜̣̐ͤ̈́ͪ̓ͅ”

“̻̳̗ͪH̐̄u̪̬͇̩̼̲gͣ͗̔̚!”

“... I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

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

The next person they told was a little more deliberate, but still unplanned.

Abyss had come to them for help. Killjoy won't fucking learn how to use his new power, which is annoying cause I gave it to him as a power up. You're the most advanced with your new power, so could you teach Killjoy how to start fucking using his?

At least this time they knew who it was. Again, with nothing more to occupy their time with, they agreed on the condition that Abyss was there.

What they weren't expecting was for Killjoy to be so resistant to change. Him and Abyss had arrived in the midst of an argument, Killjoy refusing the lessons even as his feet carried him forward robotically, blackened strings pulled taut.

You need to learn to use your powers.

"I'm already using all that I need."

But you can do so much more. I gave you the ability to do so much more and you're wasting it.

"I don't care. Release my legs, I don't want him to teach me I can do things myself."

I wouldn't need to do this if you just used what I gave you. At least they learned and adapted themselves to it.

"Because he never had a power! I already have one, and I've had it for longer than he has, why should I listen to that weakling of a shadow?"

Because he-

"Learnt how to use his powers like every other shadow? Please, this isn't anything too difficult."

Then you will have no problem with him teaching you.

They put their hands over their ears, eyes closed, a low whine escaping them as they tried to shut out the rest of the conversation. They didn't know why, but being called the wrong pronoun today was throwing them off. Normally it wasn't a problem, they hadn't told anyone else after all, but today it twisted something deep in their chest.

They wanted to leave, like they always did, but then a hand came down on their shoulder, a trapping presence.

Are you back with us yet?

They nodded their head, opening their eyes to look up at Abyss. There was a risk to what they were considering, but they didn't think they could do anything if the others kept referring to them wrongly. "C-could you two refer to me as 'they' please?"

Abyss' perpetual grin softened as he nodded, the action sending a spike of relief through them.

A loud scoff from behind Abyss. "And why should I do that?"

The stone in their chest sunk. They didn't want to explain their preference right now, not when they still felt like the world still felt shaky.

"Well? Speak, or do you have no reason to make this request?"

They took a deep breath. "It's my preferred pronouns. I would like it if you respected that."

The expression on Killjoy's face shifted from antagonism to confusion. "Alright, but what's wrong with being male? You are Wels' shadow, so being male like him shouldn't affect you so much."

A shiver went down their spine. They were so unprepared for this conversation, they didn't know what else to say.

Thankfully, Abyss saved them, head twisted an unnatural 180 degrees to face Killjoy. You've already said you'll respect it, so fucking stick to your word bitch.

Killjoy huffed, turning away from them. They had a sinking feeling that this was only going to last for the rest of the session before Killjoy went back to using 'he'. Abyss patted their shoulder.

Let's get this over with. Come on.

---------

They flew high above the field, breaths heavy, staring down at the many automatons they had made milling about below. At the center of the mass spun a group of items. With a sigh, they slowly lowered themselves to the ground. The dark shape of Abyss rose from the ground. Well, I did say to go harder on him. Hopefully this will convince him that he can't rely solely on his original power.

They turned away, still unfurled wings ready to lift them home. There was nothing to be said, their work was done, and they just wanted to go back home. A hand - although it felt more like a tendril - curled around their shoulders, trapping them into a conversation.

Are you alright?

They shook their head. They wanted to go home, to the people who knew about who they were, to the family that understood him. The hold on their shoulder loosened.

I’ll clean up around here. Go back home to your family. I think it would be best if you talked to Wels.

They nodded stiffly, flapping their wings harshly as they flew off.

---------

"Hey, you feeling alright? Avarice and Keloid said you were feeling bad."

"Your ideas are bad."

"Of course they are, I put myself in mortal danger whenever I make a plan. But this isn't about that, is it?"

"I'm starting to think that changing my pronouns, or or telling anyone was a bad idea."

"Does being called 'they' or 'he' feel more comfortable for you?"

"... they."

"Then changing your pronouns to 'they' is not a bad idea. Whoever told you otherwise is wrong. Who have you told so far?"

"Apex, Killjoy and Abyss."

"I think the problem is that they're assholes."

"Pfffft"

"Don't twitter at me like that, I'm not wrong. They are assholes. Is there anyone else you can think to tell who might be more supportive?"

"That's the problem; I don't know. Telling Apex and Killjoy were mistakes, I don't know who I can tell."

"Hmmm. Maybe you can try making an announcement at one of the shadow meetups?"

"What did I say about your bad ideas?"

"Hear me out. Most of the shadows there are generally nice, like Shadoc and Solo. I'm sure they'll support you."

"But Killjoy-"

"Is only one shadow. What can he do against a group?"

"Kill us all, is what. Remember how he's one of the strongest shadows?"

"Still, my point stands, there's more supportive shadows there. Just… keep it in mind as an option, ok? There's no pressure to really tell anyone."

"Alright."

-----------

It took them months to build the courage needed to speak before a crowd, much less a crowd of people they were barely acquaintances with. By then, the war was over, and they had new shadows among them. It was nerve wracking. Trying to connect and bond with Cavalier had taken up a lot of their time, but it had also given them time to think through what needed to be said.

At the next shadow meetup, one week before the day they had decided to bring Cavalier, they decided to tell everyone.

During the free discussion section, they stood up, cape fluttering. Everyone's attention was on them in an instant, caught by the movement. Their words caught in their throat. The many eyes on them already felt judgemental before they had even said anything. They dropped their hands to their sides, fingers reaching for the cape on their back. The comforting push-pull of the Vex magic in the cape pulled their attention away from their inner panicking thoughts, let them feel more comfortable about talking. They took another breath.

"Uhm." Another breath, in, out, don't think too much about it, draw yourself upright. "I would like for everyone to refer to me as 'they'. It is comfortable and feels right for me and it would be great if I am referred to by my preferred gender."

There was no long silence this time. Everyone burst into noise and confusion. The voices overlapped disconcertingly, but they could still pick out the general responses.

"You can do that?"

"Why would you want to change? There's nothing wrong."

"What's gender?"

"Isn't 'they' a little dehumanising?"

"When was gender a choice?"

The world became covered in a film of yellow. Were they crying? It didn't matter. No one really cared about them anyway. Twirling on the balls of their feet, they sprinted out of the room, leaving the voices behind. Reaching the open field beyond the building, they rolled their shoulders, cape bursting outwards into splendid blue wings, prepared to carry them away.

"Wait! Paladin!"

They threw themselves into the air, twisting to hover just out of reach, just in case, just in case. Below them was Badmin, hands held up to wave at them. “Hey, I just want to talk about what you shared! Please don’t leave!”

They sighed, blinking the yellow from their eyes. They hoped this wouldn’t be yet another terrible mistake. Hovering slightly closer to the ground, they inclined their head in invitation. Badmin stumbled over his words as he rushed to speak. “Uhm… I uh didn’t know you could do that kind of thing.” 

They hovered backwards, shoulders tensing. They didn’t know what it was, but something about that sentence was wrong, was judgemental, was calling their choice unnatural. Yet, they weren’t sure if they should leave, if they could leave this conversation yet. Badmin looked up at them, eyes widening behind his visor, rushing to finish his point. “But but but, I think its, interesting? No, wrong word, but what I mean is that I want to understand. Could you, uh, could you teach me?”

They leaned back further, uncertain if they were being tricked. No one else had wanted to understand, except maybe Abyss but he didn’t really count. They squinted at Badmin’s face, picked out uncertainty, sincerity, hope in his expression, not a trace of the maliciousness or uncaringness they had seen in the faces of the other shadows. Still, they hesitated, glancing around.

At the door to the meeting place, they found another shadow. Admin, lurking in the darkness cast by the door, face a cautious mix of curiousity and faked disinterest. They looked back down at Badmin, the shadow practically vibrating in anxious excitement.

There was not a trace of disgust in any of their faces for them.

Cautiously, still uncertain, they landed, keeping their wings unfolded. Taking a deep breath, they gave Badmin a weak smile, pitching their voice to carry across the open space. “What do you want to know?”

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

“You’re back early. How did it go?”

“I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again; Your ideas are bad.”

“I hear an ‘and’?”

“...and I found two shadows who wanted to know more about gender.”

“Wait really? Who?”

“Badmin. But Admin was trying so hard to pretend he wasn’t listening in. Speaking of which, they might come over to ask you a few things.”

“Really? Oh my gosh that’s so exciting!”

“Calm down.”

“Ok, ok, I’m just, so happy for you.”

“Mmm.”

“...Need a hug? Sounds like it was still rough for you.”

“... yes please.”

“Come here.”

#shadow people au #paladin #wels #I am so lazy to tag the rest I'm sorry #but yea this exists now #I think this is something that needs to be said #and addressed #mm nothing much to say about this #aight trigger tags time #deliberate misgendering #malicious misgendering #misgendering #malicious name calling #yep that's it #like I said earlier #this is a very serious and heavy topic #my writing

[cycat4077]

Ok, but Gendry tho.

So, Dany legitimized him and gave him Storm’s End. While I could give you an essay on how my emotions went from FUCKING FINALLY to YOU BITCH in 0-60 sec in that scene, I’ll spare you my rant.

Gendry was looking for Arya when Dany chose to do this. (He could have been partying it up but he’s madly in love with Arya and there’s no happiness for him if she ain’t around to share it with.) He had to stop his search as he was called upon. While it caught him off guard, this news made Gendry absolutely ecstatic.

Poor Gendry went all his life being a nobody. No rights, despite who he learned his father to be. He had to take the long and hard road through his upbringing and into adulthood. When he met Arya and fell in love with her (whether he knew it at the time or not) his status held him back in believing he could have any part in her life. He’s a bastard. She’s a highborn. So when Dany legitimizes him and gives him power (and a freaking castle to rule) he thinks that this is finally the break he’s been looking for. He now has a status that’s worthy of Arya’s. He can legitimately be with her and be accepted by others for it. And in his mad rush of feels and hope he goes all in without thinking about who Arya is and who she’s become. It’s not his fault. He’s not being selfish, it’s just because he loves her so much and now he’s finally given the one thing that he believed prevented them from ever being together.

Now, let’s talk proposal. It was essentially Gendry acting impulsively due to the above mentioned reasons. His pupils are blown wide. He’s head over heels. But what I also love is how Arya’s eyes are also full of love. If their pre-war shag was just a we’re-gonna-die-so-let’s-do-it type of deal, then she would be totally cold and unfeeling towards his proposal. But she’s not. She kisses him lovingly and lets him down as gently as she can saying that’s not who she is. She’s never been a lady. (She’s got Cersei’s name to cross off her list and can’t go off being domestic while there’s unfinished business.) But the thing is: she didn’t say “no”.

Ok, back to Gendry. I bet he’s face-palming reaaaal hard after that ordeal, telling himself he’s stupid for forgetting that Arya doesn’t like lady-like things. Buuuuut: He’s not at Storm’s End yet. He won’t get control of that until Dany has the throne. So, I have two theories as to how Gendry’s plot may go.

1) Dany doesn’t become queen. Gendry doesn’t get Storm’s End (despite whoever ends up on the Throne - let’s face it Cersei ain’t keeping that thing), and Gendry never actually ends up ruling anything. He just gets to be the Baratheon he deserves to be. Him and Arya find each other again and go off adventuring...? I don’t know. The point is, no Storm’s End for Gendry!

2) This idea is more fleshed out (I promise) and something I desperately want to happen. Whoever sits on the Throne at the end will keep Dany’s promise to allow Gendry to rule Storm’s End. But Gendry politely turns it down. (He doesn’t know the slightest about governing anything anyway.) He turns it down because he sees Arya and says that he doesn’t really fancy being a lord in the South because his heart belongs to someone in the North. Arya is a Stark. She’s a Northerner. She went through so much growing up but it was all so she could go back home. Gendry knows this (despite him being so caught up in the moment that he asked her to be his Lady at Storm’s End). So Gendry gives up his title (whether or not that means he gives up the Baratheon name too is another thing) in order for him to return to the North with Arya. Because if there’s one thing that Gendry knows it’s that he loves Arya and he will make that type of a sacrifice just to be with her.

And Arya loves Gendry too. We could see it in her eyes. She never cared about fancy titles and the same goes when it comes to the one she loves. Gendry’s last name and lineage don’t matter. So, I have no doubt she’ll find her way back to him. I don’t see Gendry and her ruling or governing anything. It’s really not who either of them are. Gendry grew up a blacksmith. He’s not all that proper and I think he’d have to force himself to try to be. Arya will never be a proper lady, but that doesn’t mean she has to forgo being with someone she loves. It’s just that they’ll end up living a low-key life style. Out of the limelight of all the politics and power.

Thank you for coming to my talk :)

#arya x gendry #gendrya #got spoilers #gendry baratheon #gendry waters #arya stark #mine #I go off on a whole long text post with a bunch of meta shit again #Sorry folks :) #got s8 e4

[tiredwritersworld]

You’ve Got a Friend In Me

Part 2 of my kind of Harry Potter/The Hobbit crossover about a witch who travels to Middle Earth to find the only family she has left. Part 1 here & Part 2 here 

A week came and passed, Beorn had been very kind to Elsie insisting that she sleep in his bed and she repaid his kindness with games of riddles late into the night, sweet pastries she baked and covered in honey and tales from her world that he found endlessly fascinating. They had become fast friends for which she was extremely grateful. He was a wonderful creature and she didn’t know when she might be able to return home. Musing on this she turned to Beorn who sat with his large feet dangling in the lake at the side of his peaceful home. “You are the first friend I’ve had in such a long time.” 

“As you are to me.” He replied and she smiled almost sadly resting her rather small hand over his. 

“I could accompany you.” He offered not for the first time but he’d told her of how people in his world reacted to his kind and she decided she didn’t want to risk the trouble. 

“No Beorn, I can’t risk anything happening to you. If you’ll have me back though I’ll visit again soon.” She replied and he nodded solemnly in response.  

“Be safe little one, for I shall hold you to that.” 

Elsie wrapped the brown cropped jacket around her as she stood gazing up at the mountain. This was as far as Beorn would follow, in all truth she had lamented his following her this far, he didn’t approve of all of her magic and she fully intended on apparating to the town of Bree where he had advised she begin her quest. He had told her that dwarves often passed through that way and she might gleam some information there. 

It was a days climb before she was sure he had turned back and she stopped on a ledge breathing heavily. She knew it was the lazier way to travel but she hadn’t come all the way to another world to hike halfway across it. The food he’d packed was delicious and she bit into the cinnamon bun he’d told her to save for a particularly cold night. Looking around she decided it was cold enough. Her time with the giant had been wonderful and he reminded her of home, she was determined to keep her promise to return when she learned news of her family. They were kindred spirits he had told her. 

After a short rest and filling her belly she pulled her wand from the sheath on her belt and adjusted the back pack and began to imagine the village of Bree. Beorn had described it well and she imagined the back of The Prancing Pony he’d mentioned, sure that it couldn’t be too different from the front though she daren’t apparate out in the open. She wasn’t entirely sure how this world felt about magic and she wasn’t prepared to risk finding out.  

That familiar feeling washed over her again as she felt her skin stretch and snap back into place when she appeared in the darkness hidden behind a large building. Taking a deep breath she leaned forward against the cool building and stayed that way for a moment as she adjusted to the noise and stench around her. Emerging from the side of the building she found herself in the middle of a bustling street. There were giants everywhere though they were not as tall as Beorn and she smiled fondly at that thought, despite having only seen him the previous day she suddenly found herself very far from his safety and comfort. 

“A weeks walk indeed.” She muttered to herself with a small laugh and fixed her eyes on what looked to be a blacksmith. He was her height and reminded her of her father in his looks so she quickly hurried across the muddy walkway hesitating by a wooden pillar. He brought the hammer down against the blade rhythmically and she watched on silently, thinking he hadn’t noticed her.  

“Come to gawk at the dwarf?” He asked without looking up and her brow furrowed in concern. Had she insulted him?

“No of course not...” At that his head snapped up, his eyes wide in surprised at the sound of her voice, he’d thought her to be a child before he’d seen her.  

“I’m sorry, I just, well I wondered if you could tell me where I am.” She finished and he smiled at the blush on her cheeks. 

“You do not know?” He asked resting the hammer down and she shook her head.

“You’re in the town of Bree. You’re a dwarf.” He pointed out, his gaze returning from her boot clad feet to her face. 

“Well sort of, my father was anyway. Actually I’m looking for some information on some dwarves, would you mind if I asked you some questions?” She asked and he breathed deeply wiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm.  

“I will meet with you in The Prancing Pony in an hour. I have work to finish first.” He said pointing just past her shoulder and she turned to see the tavern just as Beorn had described it. 

“Oh ok, well thank you...” She began waiting for a moment until he raised a brow at her clearly not happy to part with his name. “Sir.” She finished and turned back to the tavern feeling his eyes burning into her as she crossed the street and disappeared inside.

Tag List -

@fizzyxcustard @tschrist1 @yes-captainstark

#the hobbit #the hobbit fandom #harry potter crossover #kind of #eventual thorin x oc #thorin x oc #beorn #witchy feels #bree #tiredwritersworld #tiredwriterwrites

[fleverian]

This was something I sketched out quite a long time ago, I've been going though some old stuff I had started on but never finished, I decided to just go with whatever was already on the canvas. I had already done sketches and had the names, I don't remember how I came up with the names, I think most of them were kind of random, but I must of been planning something because I apparently named that one guy after the Greek God of Doom? (super edgy, also doesn't make much sense, because I decided all these characters live on a different planet) but anyways, I just went with what I already had and decided to make him somewhat of a villain,  I think that may have been what I was planning anyways.

So they live on a planet that's a lot bigger than Earth, there's parts of it that are way more advanced than other parts, mostly because the distance between locations is so big that most major civilizations have never interacted. In general the planet is mostly a fantasy setting, with lots of different species and races. There are many locations that are still unexplored and have not been settled.

MOROS used to be the villain, until he lost his memory(sort of cliche) I haven't completely sorted out his backstory. He came to be when some evil wizards or something were attempting some kind of spell, they were using dark magic to do some kind of generic evil wizard stuff. (ok so I decided the spell was to summon some kind of dark god or deity, to ask for power)  The spell involved a bird and some other ingredients, but it didn't go as planed and the result ended up taking the form of this little bird kid. (the god gave them power in the form of Moros who would be very powerful with magic, but the wizards didn't realize that)So basically Moros used to be a bird. The wizards used him as a servant and treated him terribly, they also used to test other spells on him throughout the years. He stopped aging around 18 and is somewhat immortal, the wizards also live for many years longer than humans, they use dark magic to prolong their lives. They kept him locked in a bird cage a lot, but he learned how to sneak out and would read all the spell books while the wizards weren't around. (they live on a small island, in a building surrounded by enchantments he can't escape from even if he escaped the cage)  He taught himself how to do magic, and became a master at it. He eventually destroyed to wizards and decided to take his revenge out on the world. He pretty much just became super edgy. He summoned all sorts of dark creatures to be his minions and went about destroying lands and such. In his downtime he would use magic disguise himself as a human teen, and hang around in human villages to internally laugh at their miserable lives. Something ends up happening while he's in this disguise (I never decided what) and he is knocked out and loses his memory. He wakes up in a village having no idea who he is. He meets up with the rest of the characters at some point and they become friends and he grows as a person. Then some drama goes down when he eventually realizes who he is. (the group of characters were actually on a journey to defeat him, some of them weren't at first but joined up with the ones who were) Then he has an identity crisis. He likes who he's grown to be, and cares about his new friends, but then has to struggle with how he used to be. As his old self he was kind of a cliche evil villain, he hated the world for causing him so much pain and only really thought about causing others as much pain as he had felt, he was just a huge edgelord. After he loses his memory he is able to change and grow as a person. He starts out shy and unsure of himself. He becomes more confident once he makes friends. He learns he knows how to do magic, and decides he wants to use it to help defeat the evil that is plaguing the world. (ironic haha)

ADMA is 19 years old and TIKKI is 18. They are orphans that live in a village that worship the sun and moon. Hundreds of years ago some sort of cosmic force or spirits of the sun and moon or some kind of magical whatever granted two people of their village powers, one of the sun and one of the moon. When they died two new people in the village were granted that power. These people would use their power to protect the village. As the years went on the cycle continued. The power is always granted to someone between the ages of 5 to 20. So a lot of the kids in the village would start training in case they ended up being the ones to receive it. If they weren't they would still be able to protect they village with their skills. Adma and Tikki grew up together in an orphanage, it was always Tikki's dream to be granted the powers of the moon(I have no idea what these powers are) She self proclaimed herself The Moon Goddess Tikki and always wears a moon necklace Adma made for her when they were kids. Even though she wanted the moon powers, she never took her training seriously and always slacked off, she didn't think a Moon Goddess should need to learn how to use her own powers. While Adma spent her time training in case she received powers, she also just wanted to protect the village. The current moon and sun power holders, were off fighting Moros's(character from the original pic) armies. The moon one was killed and Tikki ended up receiving the moon powers (and a bit of an ego) Adma is quite jealous because she was the one who put in all the hard work while Tikki just slacked off all the time. Tikki is sent off to find the current sun power holder and Adma goes with her. They eventually meet up with the other characters. The sun power holder is killed during this time and Adma inherits the sun powers. Her and Tikki have a falling out and fight a bit. But eventually make up and try to be friends again.

EDIN is 16 years old, his parents where the king and queen of a kingdom of elves. When Moros(character from the original pic) first started attacking villages, Edin was a baby, many of the elves in the kingdom fled, but his parents and their army decided to fight back. They sent Edin to a human village far away from anything that was happening, they wanted to make sure the heir to their kingdom was kept safe. The village they send him too is one they were in good relations with. He lives on a farm with his adoptive parents and siblings, he doesn't know he's a prince, he just knows his parents went to fight a war with the other elves. Years pass with no news from his parents or news about the war they were fighting. Moros's armies eventually reach his village. His family live near a mountain and there are few passage ways there that can be used to escape. His adoptive parents tell him about his parents being royalty and give him a map to where their kingdom used to be. They also give him some money his elf parents had left for him. They fight off Moros's forces long enough for the kids to escape but end up dying. Edin and his siblings escape through the mountain, and travel for a while to the next village, there they use the money to find someone with a horse and carriage to take them to the farthest village they know of. Once there his sister decides to stay there with their younger brother while Edin sets off to find out what happened to his parents.   Edin is very nervous, and easily stressed out. He had never left the village he grew up in so being out in the world terrifies him, he misses his parents and siblings, every thing that happened to him recently made him a nervous wreck. I never actually named either of his sets of parents or his siblings. His sister is very tomboyish and rebellious and is brother is a very happy and energetic kid. His elf parents left money and clothes for him to wear as he grows up with his human parents.

GINA is 14 years old, her mother is a giant and her father a human blacksmith. Giants are mostly a nomadic race, they travel from place to place, they settle in some places for maybe a few years at a time. Her parents met when her mother's tribe was settled near her father's town for a while. They fell in love and had her, a lot of the humans are a bit racist against the giants, they think of them as dumb and uncivilized (even thought it's untrue) while they tolerate them living nearby they don't like it. They don't like them hunting the animals in the area because they eat quite a bit more than humans and there are less for the humans to hunt. When it came time for the giants to continue their travels, the villagers would not allow her mother to stay, so Gina was left to be raised by her father. Her father is a skilled blacksmith and taught Gina everything he knows. He ends up dying in some kind of accident( I never decided what) and Gina leaves the village to search for her mother. She eventually runs into the other characters. Gina has a pair of enchanted gloves she made herself, she embedded them with some kind of magical firestone. They shoot out fire when she punches(but only if she wants them to, they don't activate untended) it's dangerous to be traveling alone, so she uses them to fight with. I added some more elemental stones, she has a few different bands with different elemental stones which she can switch out. She carries them in her bag. Elemental stones are magical stones that are formed during strong natural weather events and such. A lighting stone is sometimes formed when lighting strikes a tree, the magical energy during this somehow causes the stone to form or grow (i don't know just MAGIC) Fire stones sometimes form during forest fires. Water stones(really need a new name for that) are formed after a terrible flood. They are essentially just magical rocks that are the concentrated energy of those events. When refined down and combined with runes a person is able to wield them as a weapon. She has a pet named Birdy ( she named to when she was very little) She has a cheerful, good natured personality, she is kind of awkward and also very determined.

NALO is 17 years old. She comes from a tribe that is pretty much a bunch of hippies, they are all pretty chill and never seem to worry about anything. Her tribe worships some kind of goddess of peace and protection or something, they believe she protects them from harm. While there are deities and such in their world (i haven't really worked out how all of that works) this particular goddess isn't real, so she can't actually protect them form anything. I'm not actually sure how they started worshiping her. Anyways, Nalo is an inventor, she wants to make a difference in to world. She can't do magic but she does study science and magic and how they relate. (I really haven't worked out many details of her character yet, I don't even know what her goggles do, I just thought they looked cool, I haven't worked out all the details of how magic works in this world) She realizes many nearby villages are being destroyed by the forces of evil. Her village doesn't seem to be worried since they think their goddess will protect them, but she decides to set out and find help or find a way to defeat the attacking forces or protect her village. She eventually meets up with the other characters Nalo is kind of quiet, she doesn't say much unless it's about something she's really interested in, and then it's hard to get her to stop talking. She can be a bit of a know it all when it comes to something she thinks she knows a lot about. She uses her throwing knives to fight with.

RED is a robot from a huge island in the middle of nowhere. It is way more advanced than the rest of the world. The people there mostly don't interact with the rest of the world, but they do keep tabs on them. When they see the havoc Moros (character from original pic) is wrecking they decide to send out a highly advanced assassin robot to kill him. Red meets the other characters and joins them, and ends up developing self awareness and becomes friends with them. Red's cloak can change colors and camouflage itself. He can also fire lasers. His joints work kind of like magnets, I'm not really sure how they work, but a combination of magic and science or something. He can detach parts and connect them to other joints, and can move his fingers to different hands, he can connect all his arms together for super long arms, and can do the same with his legs.

The last picture                                                                                                       I mentioned in Nalo’s description that her village worshiped some sort of goddess of peace and protection or something. And while there are deities and such in their world that this particular goddess didn't exist.

This character was a powerful wizard that lived in Nalo's village over a thousand years ago, she protected their village and helped keep peace in the area. A statue was built in her honor in the center of the village, and her story and legend were passed down long after her death. But, somehow over the years the story got changed to where she was a goddess instead of a wizard and the people began to worship her. Believing worshiping this goddess will protect their village from any serious harm. But it won't because she wasn't a goddess and has been dead for hundreds of years. I haven't named her yet. There are different kinds of wizards in their world, wizards like this one, with a natural talent for magic who study and work hard to become stronger. Most people have to be born with magic to do it. Some of those who aren't use dark magic or something. (I haven't really worked out all the details of how it works.)

#my art #my ocs #oc #ocs #original characters #original character #digital art #paint tool sai #elves #fantasy #world building #wings #moon goddess #magic #wizards #robot #giant

[jcmorgenstern]

I finally watched 3x19 and I'm sorry but this was the dealbreaker for me. I tried to be openminded about the show twinning Clary to Jonathan but this episode just highlighted why that was a shit decision and 3x20 looks so anticlimactic I want to cry. Magnus had no agency in his storyline. Maia's storyline revolved around her shitperson ex. The heavenly fire was embarrassingly stupid (but blacksmith Izzy was hot af). Dark Clary and Jonathan are fucking flops. I'm out, friend.

I’m so sorry you feel that way, nonnie. If it makes you feel any better, I think everyone kind of feels like they’re clutching at scraps. And like, I feel for the individual writers because tbh they’re all like…one-shot writers under a lot of stress and pressure and are doing their best, but…the season really didn’t come together for me either, mostly for the reasons you’ve said. I don’t know what kind of constraints todd and darren were under, so I understand it’s possible a lot of stuff was going on behind the scenes we didn’t know about, but I’m kind of disappointed with how they chose to organize the season.

I have to admit, I never liked the clary/jonathan bond from the get-go, (honestly i was morose for weeks and bitched about it so much my coworkers at the lab were like SHUT THE FUCK UPPPP about your stupid tv show) mostly because it tripped off so many consent issues for me. like, tbqh, if I wanted to see a man feel entitled to a woman literally all I have to do is go outside. so if they were going to do it, I expected some MAJOR rennovations but…they really didn’t, so far. I like what Kat and Luke brought to it but….the seb/jace bond was already on Thin Fucking Ice as far as “fundamental consent issues” go, but like in canon he doesn’t really have THAT much interest in Jace (esp sexually) so like….you can dance around it in fic. but the way they’ve chosen to romanticize jonathan’s obsession and entitlement to his…sister… is….really just not very enjoyable?

And like yall. you know I enjoy a good bit of sebclace/morgencest but like….not like this, where it kind of feels the writers kiiiiind of don’t give a shit about consent at all, or didn’t really make an attempt to work it through (or really even think about it lol). This is doubled when you look at the Maia/Jordan plotline where like….ok if this was a beautifully written slice of life character study (10 episodes per season, 1.5 hours each) I could see them delving into the realism of Maia kind of getting back with Jordan only to realize he’s bad news. but like. the show is not beautifully written, they don’t have the time or space to delve into a complex issue in a meaningful way, so really it just comes across as romanticizing a shitty/abusive ex. Which…again. Not ideal.

The club scenes were fun but honestly (and yall know how little I say this), it really nailed home how fucking good the first half of COLS really was in terms of,,,,intrigue and this fun romp through Europe with these dark undertones and honestly the show felt a bit cartoonish? Like take it from someone who writes a lot of bad fanfiction….it felt like bad fanfiction. bad fanfiction with HUGE and glaring consent issues lolololololololololol

and like I’ve talked about both these things with @neenwolf a lot and…what she said and I agree with wholly is that…even if they have maia curb stomp Jordan (they won’t, he’s going to die tragically so she can suffer more), they still made her ENTIRE storyline about ….dudes, specially her shitty ex so like….no? They marketed this as “maia gets the pack and becomes alpha and shows people who’s boss” but that….never happens at all and it’s. a little embittering. (Very. embittering). and like she’s got the Good Thoughts so Nina if you wanna add more pls do

Honestly tho…re:3x20. if there’s anything I’ve learned about this show is that they SUCK at cutting trailers so like…idk. I’m expecting a little more than the trailer, but at the end of the day…3a’s finale feel VERY flat for me so I’m expecting more of the same. We know Jonathan does a villainous face-heel turn so ……it’s gonna be junk, from my point of view, and like all the other threads I enjoy are kind of shit rn so like…..can we not???

And I’ve been thinking about Magnus more and….I think my big problem there was that he wasn’t really working through his issues or even grappling with what had happened to him, he was just….kind of used as a shipping prop. and I get why it happened–they wanted to replicate the success of 2x18, but didn’t realize this is…a very different scenario and that people actually cared about what’s happening with magnus (sleeping for 15 hours? coping with alcohol? breaking down in front of alec and feeling ashamed of it? feeling so unwhole without his magic he’s willing to die to get it back?) separate from just ~m@l3c drama~ like what the narrative requires there is not shippy montages but actual character work looking at Magnus’ struggles, and at Magnus himself. and so overall it just left me with this bitter feeling that a) magnus losing his magic, his only independent plot since 1902, was all just to further the ship and b) that anyone actually thinks we WANT m@l3c drama in the year of our lord 2019. (seriously can there be just ONE chill couple in this show for ONCE).

everything about heavenly fire IS embarrassingly stupid (how the sword starts flaming right when she picks it up?? ghslkfjhghghhghghhghgghgg) but yeah blacksmith izzy was….Very Good. (I’m so proud of my honorary Iron Sister!!!) I was kind of concerned she’s smelting with liquid metal with bare skin but a) i know jack shit about the finer details of forging and b) honestly that’s probably the least of izzy’s worries writing-wise so whatever.

anyway we can go on but rest assured nonnie it’s……..Not just you who’s like “wtf lol” it’s kind of all of us at this point.

#sh critical #friend anon #crispy chat #sh spoilers #honestly............yeah #big sigh

[nehraa-asaaranda]

Companion Asaaranda

Name: Asaaranda 

Race / Class / Specialisation: Qunari Warrior Berserker and Reaver

Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stormy

Short bio: Here

What would their companion tarot card look like?

Recruitment mission: Capturing lightning

How do you get it? When you first get to Val Royeaux after your confrontation with the chantry clerics you will find a group of guards and ladies gossiping. “I told you this place had gone to the dogs” “First the Grand Duke lets that Ox set up shop in his city now (insert derogatory term fitting Inquisitor here) heretics are claiming to start an inquisition!”

A Dwarf walks past them “Talk talk talk and you people still have no idea what's going on.” She walks past them to the Herald “I'm Veronica Varen With the Silverite Smithery in Verchiel ran by Asaaranda head armorer of Verchiel. We have a business proposal for you inquisition folks.  You'll have to come by Verchiel to get in on it though. Moving house is too dangerous in this climate without a solid promise. See you lot when ya do!”

Where? Her recruitment mission takes place in Verchiel.

Description: You come into Verchiel a prosperous city under duke Gaspard. It aesthetically seems to have a heavy leaning towards military power than ornamentation. When you come to the forge you see a tall Qunari woman arguing with some Templars. As you approach you hear the woman say “I've already told you. You can pick up the commissions I've finished and have your investment back on the ones I haven't but I'm not making weapons for either side until this whole mess is cleared up.” The Templars shake their heads and walk off with a cart, a horse, and some weapons.

Where they would be in Skyhold / Haven:

At Haven, they can be found wandering between the mounts and the armory.

In Skyhold she can be found in the blacksmith. She expresses her delight at having a place for herself away from Harret's scrutiny. You can also find Lorin and Veronica wandering around there once you finish her quest.

Getting to know them: in her first couple conversations, you can get to know about her time under the Qun and why she left.

Starting Tarot: The tower- her starting card shows her facing away from a falling Qunari fortress.

Personal quests:

Quest 1: The cry of my people

Quest 2: Forged by storm

Quest 3: Roaring thunder

Small side mission: The cry of my people

Asaaranda asks you if you would be willing to help Vashoth as they are being used as scapegoats in this time full of hysteria. In this mission, you have to find and defend Vashoth being attacked by various people in Crestwood and the hinterlands.

After you get the people down to a low hp there is an option to finish them or try and reason with them. (Does not always guarantee the won't just keep taking and have to be killed anyway)

Asaaranda approves of killing them and highly approves of trying to reason with them. Companion quest: Forged by Storm Asaaranda will mention that here is a lack of sophisticated tools at her disposal and that she misses her old forge.

It will also give the option to contact her old crew through the war table which will allow you to go and visit them again reopening her recruitment area. They express interest in where she is now and say that they miss her and things aren't working the same without her even if the pay she sends home is great. You can either ask them for advice or invite them over. (If you invite them they stay here rather than in Val Royeaux and that will grant major approval)

This will unlock a mission to collect stormheart to use in a Skyhold upgrade for her that will give a larger forge and an updated lyrium forge for the tranquil to make more advanced runes.

The effects will be seen on the field. The camps will now have weapon racks and some soldiers will be equipped with enchanted weapons. (Here companions will invite themselves to Skyhold regardless) Tarot card change: her tarot changes to the star. It shows her forging on an anvil as water flows from her work into a pool.

Romance quest: Roaring thunder

Asaaranda's romance quest is opened after you have flirted with her multiple times and you have gained enough approval.

If you have flirted and managed to gain her approval she will approach you in your quarters. She’ll tell you that one of the “Bas” traditions she had encountered as she left Pa Vollen and traveled through Rivain is the lover's knot. A braided thin cord with two round knots that hold a cutting of the lover's hair intertwined. (She mentions that eyelashes are used as a substitute in case of baldness) Cut into two pieces and wrapped around the lover's wrists. The search ability will alert you of an item to be found. After searching you will find a cutting of her hair left on your bedside table.

Should you accept you will need to get gurgut webbing to create the lover's knot. And then you can invite her out, you will meet her in the Gazebo in the chantry gardens and give her the gift. Tarot card change: Courage shows her in a flowing dress walking side by side with a Tiger towards a green light with a hand reaching out.

How to get their approval: Straightforward decisions and following through, helping the needy, respecting other traditions, fighting dragons and wyverns, Siding with Briala through Gaspard or just Gaspard

How to get their disapproval: If you say you will do one thing and then do another, claiming to be the Herald, disrespecting people's beliefs and sacred grounds, Siding with Celine

Are they romanceable? Yes

Orientation: Bisexual, likes Non-binary and Female partners.

If you are smaller than her you’re cute. If she likes your personality a lot your attractive and if you can kick ass you’re hot.

Race gate: No race gate

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship/relationships with other character(s)? If so, who?

If Leliana was not romanced and is softened Asaaranda will express interest in her and there may be some rumors of courtship happening but Leliana keeps it quiet for the most part. The inquisitor has the choice to encourage and help this pairing or dissuade Asaaranda.

If those conditions are not meet or the inquisitor dissuades her, Asaaranda will begin a romance with Veronica and they will be married in trespasser.

Who are they friendly with?

Cassandra is a close friend, she finds a familiar comfort in her presence and they enjoy the same pass times (yes that includes books)

Varric’s stories become a great escape during even the most grueling of missions and she offers her own back.

Though you might not expect it Vivienne’s Wisdom on magic is greatly valued during this time as she tries to learn more on the subject but is also assured safety as she learns

She respects Blackwalls honor and dedication. She finds his presence to be warm and doesn't mind spending time with him even if just in silence. Her opinion of him does not change after revelations.

Iron Bull (conditional read below) She tries to help him learn how to be a true Tal-Vashoth and the find they have much in common through this.

Who do they dislike?

They dislike The Iron Bull until after his personal quest IF made Tal-Vashoth (then she will become good friends with him). If reaffirmed as a Qunari she refuses to speak to him and avoids him as much as she can.

Sera She doesn't understand how she thinks. If she fights for the “little people” why does that not seem to include those discriminated against like the Dalish, Mages, and those of different religions just because you don’t agree with or like them. She also finds her disrespect infuriating. It doesn't matter if you believe something different, be kind.

Solas’ way that he uses magic and thinks that his casualness should be normal sets her edge. She manages to stand him for the most part. And can be convinced to be more amicable with him.

Mages, Templars, Other?:

Asaaranda will vouch for the Templars as a stronger military force and will admit she knows little to nothing about mages but is wary of it. Regardless of choice, she will give Great approval for free allies and Disapproval for them chained.

Something to make them leave the party: An alliance with the Qun will cause a scene where she will want to leave. Her personal quest will have to be completed and you have to have extremely high approval in order to get her to say.

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your companion holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year? When Asaaranda is found she speaks mainly in Qunlat and broken common. She is eager to fight and no longer fears death but instead wants a quick and worthy end.

At the Winter Palace: Does your companion enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Asaaranda stays in the trophy room and has a few comments on people whose ornamental weapons and metal works she made. She fiercely supports Gaspard or Briala being put into power behind him. There is a dance scene with her if you are romancing her.

In the Fade: Your companion’s reaction upon entering the Fade? Archdemon’s taunt, and Inquisitor’s response? Epitaph on their grave?

Asaaranda is stoic but a bit freaked out about the place. She checks to make sure everyone is ok and immediately urges to find a way out as quickly as possible.

Asaarandar will mention that the fearlings look like ben-hassrath when the inquisitor brings up the “spiders”.

Her tombstone says “Qamek”

Trespasser: What is your companion up to two years after Corypheus’ defeat? Any special events with them over the events of Trespasser?

Asaaranda has opened a business on the outskirts of the Val Royeaux market. Her now bolstered reputation has made this possible. (More to add later if I feel like it)

Fighting Style

Asaaranda is a Reaver and a Berserker. Her attacks focus on doing as much damage as quickly as possible.

#darp #dragon age rp #headcanon #Asaaranda

[laurelsofhighever]

Unlocking the Door

Demi!Cullen, also on AO3

CW: PTSD, psychological trauma, sexual/psychological abuse, sex work. Nothing explicit but I want you guys to be ok!

Cullen is sixteen when he decides there might be something wrong with him. Not physically – like many of the other recruits at the templar training school in Bournshire, his has discovered the pleasure to be gained from discreet stimulation of the organ between his legs – but he feels a disconnect between his experiences and the way his fellow trainees talk about theirs. Who do you think of when you do it? is a question asked of him more than once, and when he blushes and shifts his feet and stutters that it’s nobody at all, the others decide he must be giddy on someone important or out of bounds. The truth is, on the rare occasion he indulges himself, it’s the base enjoyment that drives him, the anticipation of the end that gets him hard, and there is nothing more to it than that. At first, he wonders if his interests lie in another direction, but there are others at the school who do prefer the company of their own sex, and they, too, show more than enough inclination for the act itself.

Cullen decides to let them think him a prude, because the alternative is that they think him broken.

At eighteen, he catches the eye of an apprentice about his own age from across the hall at breakfast, and his stomach flutters. It’s alien, this feeling, terrifying and delightful all at once, and when he lies in his bunk, listening to the snores of the people around him he wonders if this is what they mean by desire. He wants to be close to Amell, to talk to her and maybe hold her so he can feel the warmth of her against his skin, maybe even kiss her, but his imagination falters upon trying to go further. Perhaps it is because she is a mage, and so forever beyond his reach anyway, but the darker, inward-turning part of his mind knows this is only a comforting lie.

This is why, when the Circle falls and his comrades are slain, he is not entirely surprised when the desire demon keeps him alive. He must confound it, lacking the urges other men have, and it spends hours – days, weeks? – peeling him apart, enjoying him, driving his body into raptures while his mind, frozen in place, is stripped bare of all he was, is, and hoped to be. The creature uses her image, when it suits, and finds great amusement watching him writhe, beg, melt away from pain and pleasure so intermingled he can’t tell which is which.

And still he confounds it.

They send him to Kirkwall. At first, he’s grateful for the change, though the air in the Gallows is close, its walls high, all too reminiscent of a cage. He has his own room, at least, for which he is grateful, though he knows it must be because word travelled ahead that he has trouble sleeping these days, and shouts to drive the nightmares away. He tries to keep to himself, to do his duty, to forget, but the men he is posted with these days don’t care for the dignity required of their position as templars. When it becomes clear he will not break his oath of duty just to cool his appetite – the very thought disgusts him – his unit trick him to the Blooming Rose with rumours of an apostate hiding among the clientele. When they suggest he interview one of the young ladies, privately so as not to cause alarm among the public, he, fool that he is, takes the suggestion at face value.

And young lady? Oh she is skilled indeed. He’s not the first to come to her inexperienced, or oblivious to intention, and she knows the right mixture of coyness and command to get what his friends have paid for. She knows where to find the buckles on his armour.

Afterwards, he’s not sure what it is he feels. Part of him feels used, like the demon used him for sport, because his comrades guffaw and raise their drinks to him when he emerges in perfect order from the lady’s chamber, hair tousled, but that is not quite everything. This is not the cage at Kinloch Hold. The workers at the Rose are not demons, and their custom runs on the same principles as those of a blacksmith or a tailor. Nothing is offered that is not first paid for, and it is these clear-cut boundaries that licks at the back of his skull like the song of lyrium in his mind. The next time he wakes shaking with the laughter of the demon too loud in his ears, he counts his pay and finds himself slipping along darkened streets.

He learns much in the months that follow. He does not feel desire for any of the women he beds – still does not, though the demon tried its best to plant the seed in him – but he discovers other benefits to sex that help keep the worst of his nightmares at bay. He learns the mechanics of the act – an endless study in how to pleasure and be pleasured that requires both focus and attention to detail, a twitch here or a whimper there, a dialogue of control ceded and gained, a way of distancing himself from the less beguiling aspects of the deed. In the exhaustion that follows, sleep takes him so deeply that he often does not dream at all.

Desire requires tenderness. This he realises one night as he wakes to find his partner for the evening slumbering beside him, too far away to touch. In that moment, still hazy with sleep, it strikes him as deplorable that he cannot reach for the person with whom he shared such intimacy not hours before, that his caress would be unwelcome without the chink of silver. She cares nothing for him; to her, he is a transaction. He remembers his parents, for the first time in too long, and recalls all the little touches they would share throughout the day, how they would gravitate toward one another’s space and how it leant them strength when times were hard.

It should not be like this, he thinks, then dresses, leaves his coins, and does not return.

He is not made for love. As the years pass this truth becomes easier to bear. He gains the rank of Knight-Captain, which sets him above the jibes of the rank and file, and as the problems in Kirkwall deepen, he accepts his abnormality as the Maker’s will. How else is he to remain focussed and carry out the task that has been assigned to him, if not to lay aside personal thoughts in pursuit of the greater good? Meredith whispers in his ear, she thinks him merely dedicated to his duty, and he is, but she does not know his particular suitability to be Kirkwall’s shield against the wickedness of mages. It does not nag him. It is for the best.

When the world falls apart and he flounders with the rest in the rubble of the city, he has no time to wonder at his past certainty of mind, except sometimes, at night, in bed, alone. Is there a point to fighting if you’re fighting for nothing? True, he has nothing to lose, but every day he looks and sees people protecting each other, their lovers and their families and their friends. And what, Maker, does he have? Nothing more than his crumbling faith and his need to atone for all those years spent blindly following orders. Perhaps, he thinks in his darkest hours, his peculiarity of spirit is a punishment sent by the Maker, who knew before he did himself how he would sin.

But the Seeker comes – Cassandra – and offers him a place to try and build a new world. Punishment or blessing, he thinks no more of it.

Then her. She falls out of the Fade, the Herald of Andraste who is going to save them all, and now he’s sure his inclinations must be a punishment, because the first time his eyes meet hers across the table in the vestry, something steals his breath away. He covers it with good humour, but the truth is he’s never been knocked so far out of his depth, because the lurching of his stomach is something he never thought to feel again. It’s an infatuation, he tells himself, like last time – it will pass, or the world will take it away from you. He is not made for love.

And yet, they grow closer. He yearns to touch her, to feel her warmth, make her laugh, be lost in the scent of her hair. Sometimes when his mind drifts, he imagines the taste of her lips, and it terrifies him. This doesn’t happen to him. The feeling she sparks in his chest is a wildfire, and with every smile she flashes his way it spreads, until he is all panicked edges and bright heat and desire.

Yes, he decides, when he stands with her on the battlements and lays his heart bare. This is desire. This is what his parents had and what he read about in books and thought would never come to him.

There will be more to say in the days to come, about who he is and what he wants, but as she stands with him in the open air and shares a kiss, it is enough to realise that he is in love, and that, whether by the Maker’s will or not, he was never broken. Just waiting for her to unlock the door.

#dragon age #cullen rutherford #demisexuality #aces of bioware #dragon age: origins #dragon age: inquisition #dragon age fanfic #cullen x inquisitor #my writing

[eclissy]

Buried Under the Aching Tree 1/2

Back when I was a baby and still writing a lot of DF stuff and my Hero OC stand in, I had a whole side story just about Ty’s sword, it’s name, what the details on it meant and so forth. But then I got tired, busy, and the whole thing felt over the top but, it’s October now. I redid it to de-stress a bit (and fill in the rest of the plot outline since I didn’t finish it seven years ago either. God of course it took me seven years to almost finish something).

Tbh, I reworked it so much that it’s more about Ash and Artix now.

Summary: Ash learns about his friend’’s sword, a relic passed through a million hands but never through a family. That and what it’s like to be possessed by a single feeling.

Accustomed to the Hero’s little giveaways, Ash grabbed the hilt of Ty’s sword before she could plunge it into the farmer’s chest.

“He’s not a thief anymore!” Ash yelled, having to dig his heels into the ground to keep Ty’s sword from getting stuck between the farmer’s ribs. Ty let go to make sure Ash wouldn’t hurt himself and the boy stumbled back, sword in hand.  

The farmer in question was shivering so hard, his skin was likely to peel itself off and all Ty was doing was smiling. No smile lines around her eyes; just this mechanical lifting of the corner of her mouth.

Turning to Ash, that grin shrank into a sheepish bit lip and raised shoulders.

“Did it look like I was going to hurt him?” Ty asked, an eye half closed in a wince as though Ash’s yelp had physically hit her. “Oopsie, I was only trying to scare him. I promise!”

Typically, if you were intending on hurting someone, scaring them came with the package.

“Ty…” Ash stood back, fixing a scolding glare he didn’t really know how to make. He tried to think about his mom giving him a hard telling to when he drank milk straight out of the bucket.

Shrugging and turning her hands over, Ty’s expression loosened into a scowl and her eyes rolled, coming to rest on the farmer.

“Don’t you remember this jackhole?” Ty kept the language clean for Ash. “He broke into your camp, took your gold, and your clothes so you couldn’t leave your tent for days!”

“I mean yeah, you didn’t need to remind me but yeah…” Ash muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Nervously, the farmer stepped towards the young man. He was half hiding behind his pitchfork which made his heavily scarred brutish face much less menacing than the first time he had met Ash.

“Funds are low this season so I’m awful sorry, I can’t give the gold back to you right now. But, you know where the farm is. After Spring comes back round, I’ll return what I stole,” He removed his hat. “Again, I’m awful sorry I did that to you and I really am trying to turn over a new leaf.”

“Honestly, I’m not angry at all. I’m glad things went right for you.” Ash said, genuinely thrilled that the thief had changed for the better. “Don’t worry about the gold.”

“Ash! Don’t let this guy off free!” Ty protested, more convinced that Warlic could drink a vat of melted wax and live than the farmer being completely reformed. “What he did was terrible! He needs to pay! When I found you, the crows were circling and it smelled like pee.“

“I know, I know!” Ash quickly cut her off. “But everything’s ok now. Look at that smile.”

The farmer smiled with all twelve of his green teeth.

“That’s a good guy!” It was okay, Ash hated going to the dentist too.

Brow creasing deeply, mirroring her scrunched grimace, Ty struggled to not break her arms crossing them so hard.

“If you say so.” Ty finally conceded, tilting her head to dodge the arrow shot at her.

For a stunned moment of silence, Ash gaped at Ty and the arrow stuck in the ground. He barely noticed the group of bandits doing the same thing.

Then, Ty began tapping her chin, examining the scruffy bandits that were slowly working their bravery back up. Brandishing some very pretty and very stolen axes and swords, the bandits were coming Ash and Ty’s way.

“Are these guys part of your old posse? Did they maybe come out here to rough you up for leaving?” Ty didn’t look at the man and see him nod. “Oh my god, you guys couldn’t have come at a better time,” She laughed, beginning to walk towards them unarmed. “When I’m done ripping your intestines out of your assholes and tying them together, they’re going straight into your mouths!”

Those bandits were shouting, half in a rage and half in true horror.

Ash didn’t approve of that wording but he was going to try helping first. Gripping Ty’s sword, Ash ran after the bandit that chickened out and was trying to get away.

“Stop!” Ash yelled, catching up to the fleeing bandit. He swung Ty’s sword and rolled on to the ground when it stayed stuck by his side. The blade had suddenly gotten incredibly heavy, squeezing Ash’s fingers white against the dirt. “Ow!”

Hearing Ash fumble, the bandit had returned, tapping his dagger on his palm.

“Huh,” He glanced towards where Ty was rearranging his fellow bandits’ faces some distance away between the trees. “We made it all the way into the woods. You think she can hear you scream over here?”

The point of the dagger flew towards Ash’s eye and gasping, Ash jumped up, lifting the sword with all of his might. It went over his head and he almost tumbled backwards from its weight but managed to keep his footing. The bandit didn’t hesitate making another stab at Ash’s belly.

Panicking, Ash blindly swung Ty’s sword and it smashed into the bandit’s rusty dagger, shattering into pieces.

“You little – AHG!” The bandit screamed, keeling over clutching his bleeding shin. Behind him, the farmer kept his pitch fork pointed at his once fellow thief.

Ash was busy staring at what was left of Ty’s beautiful sword scattered across the patchy ground to thank the farmer. He wanted to swallow the lump in his throat but it was too dry and any tiny movement made his stinging eyes hurt.

“Aw,” The bandit looked at him sympathetically. “It ain’t your fault.” Ash couldn’t hear him over the sound of footsteps coming up beside him.

“Huh,” Ty cast a wary gaze to the farmer though much softer than before. “I’m sad they passed out so quick. You doing okay here?”

“T-Ty…” His grip on the sword’s hilt shaking, Ash lifted his head to look at Ty who had noticed the shiny broken pieces of the sword her father had made for her. Her jaw hung open, hands held up in front of her chest. “I’m so--! I’m so so--!”

“Woah, Ash!” Ty clasped Ash’s shoulders, eyes all starry. “Did you break my sword? That’s so cool!”

The tears began to flow and Ty opened her mouth, shocked.

“Oh, no no no! You’re really cute when you cry!” Ty exclaimed, giving him a big hug. Ash’s tears were shooting out like bullets and Ty continued to pat his back. “Hey, you’re cuter when you’re happy so don’t worry! I’m not mad at all and this totally isn’t your fault.”

“I’ll bay de blacksmit.” Ash blubbered over Ty’s comforting, hugging her back.

“There’s already an appointment set up, I’ll just give Konnan a larger tip.”

Awkwardly, the farmer also began to pat Ash’s back. It earned him a thousand yard stare from Ty.

“Haha...I’ll go back to growing carrots.”

“Carrots? Ew,” Ty bit her tongue to keep herself from sticking it out. “No wonder you don’t have any gold.”

“Ty!” Ash exclaimed, starting to become and laugh a little at the situation.

Under Konnan’s hammer, the metal seemed to move on its own. The intricate embellishments of ivy and holly leaves that had been broken were weaving back together on the broad side of the blade. Ash stared in wonder, attributing it to magic.

Before Ash knew it, the sword was as good as new on the Smithy’s front counter.

“Don’t worry about the extra big tip. I don’t know, buy me some of Serenity’s scones tomorrow,” Konnan took off his gloves and attempted to wipe the soot off of his cheek, leaving a big streak. “I like working on your sword anyways. It makes me feel like I’m actually a master blacksmith.”

“You’re getting there fast,” Ty assured him, waiting for Ash to take his time looking at her sword before she sheathed it. “See Ash? Didn’t take any time at all.”

“That’s all thanks to the magic,” Konnan confirmed Ash’s theory. “I’m no mage but no sword can get fixed that fast. You need to tell me and Yulgar how this sword was forged. If all swords were like it…no wait, that’d put us out of a job.”

“Haha, I couldn’t let out the secret even if I tried. It’s an old antique my dad had remade,” Ty let her hand rest on the sword’s hilt. “We know a few of the stories it’s got under its belt but where it came from and who made it? Not sure and also not sure if that’s why it’s got the magic.”

“Oh well. I still would have liked to know. I’ve never seen this style of sword before,” Konnan rubbed his chin, smearing it with soot too. “And for such a well-made weapon, it has such a cutesy name. Fuukoo… Fuukoo shoes, or something,” He tapped the counter didn’t bring up the correct name. “I’ve got some other work to do so when that’s over, tell me a few of the stories.”

“Me too!” Ash jumped in, eager to hear what kind of heroic deeds pervious heroes had achieved with the enchanted sword. The young hero had only read about great swords with long histories in books. When he did see them, it was from afar with him jumping up and down in the hopes of catching a glimpse of it and its honored master pass through his village.

“No.” Ty said, flat out.

Konnan and Ash froze, though Konnan got back to moving a lot faster, evacuating the scene to busy himself by the tools in the back.

“Nah, that was a gut reaction,” Ty snaked her arm around Ash’s shoulder and lead him out of the shop. “I’ll tell you one while we walk back to my place.”

And she didn’t talk at all while they were in Falconreach. Ash tried to stammer a few things, a little flustered being hugged by the hero like that. Not to mention he had a kind of dumb grin; one that he couldn’t help make even when a few passerby definitely noticed the big ol tomato Ty was escorting out of time.

When they were on the well trekked path to the crossroads, Ty began to tell a tale.

“Long long ago, this sword fell into the hands of fledgling adventurer, who went from swinging sticks with his sister to leading a revolution in an empire wracked with civil war.” Ty started the story in a faux old lady voice to Ash’s amusement.

“The Emperor had already quashed the Empress and the Crown Prince’s rebellion. He had seemingly forgiven his wife and son for all transgressions but then, the Crown Prince died of illness. The Empress passed away of the same. Though he was grieving, the youngest son went to war before he began to suspect that his father had the Prince’s beloved brother and mother poisoned. He was, however, no war hero.”

“That adventurer was!” Ash cut in.

“And that adventurer started off strong, leading a small force of village folk against the Emperor’s men when they came to forcefully recruit them. His many string of victories brought him the Prince’s notice and he was honored with a sword from the royal treasury, a prize from a previous victory long passed. The Prince had stolen and put the weapon in better suited hands.”

Ash could picture it, the young man putting on armor that was shinier than any kind of gold or silver. He was kneeling in front of the crowned Prince on a wide grassy battlefield, knighted by the sword he would receive.

“On horseback, he drew his sword and pointed it at the sky as he charges into his first battle. An arrow strikes his horse’s leg and he skids over the dirt hard.”

The dream shattered and Ash was back on the path with Ty. She noticed his sinking glee but kept the same easy tone as she continued, holding her hands behind her back.

“That fall knocked the adventurer out and he was asleep as waves of his comrades died without his leadership. When he woke up in a panic, immediately rallying the army together, they kept dying because of his mistakes. As it seemed, the appointed champion knew his home woods best. These kinds of battles weren’t anything he’d ever prepared for before.”

Ash could picture that too. He thought of the same panic he had when Falconreach was on fire and his shouts were drowned out by the violence. Only, that hero must have had that fear magnified to a degree Ash couldn’t imagine anyone being able to think in.

“Luckily, the champion’s sister had come despite him asking her to stay behind where it was safe. She had fought beside him when the fight was on their turf and had snuck into the war camp to join him. Taking up a spear, she tied a banner to it and let the colours fly as she fought, grabbing her comrades’ attention and leading the battle to victory.”

Heart swelling, Ash was tossed back from the edge of a tragic end to the triumphant turn in the story.

“Saving the army and her brother was a story that gave the Crown Prince’s side morale. It swung the undecided to his side and the Prince decreed the two of them to be his champions. Together, they lead the armies until the army could only be led by one. That adventurer had no talent leading an army and one day, he disappeared.”

“What? Did he go back home?”

“In a sense, he did. All of a sudden, the Prince’s army was suffering losses and they had to retreat to the remaining champion’s home. They met her brother there in the flames he started. Jealous of his sister, the former champion had gone to the Emperor with all the information he needed to destroy the rebellion. He said as much when they reunited, having already killed his own parents to hurt his sister.”

As vivid as the bright sun that shone over Ash right now, the image in his head of the carnage was alight with fire.

The once bright and hopeful young boy was standing over his coughing sister. The heads of their friends and family were propped on stakes all around the village as it was demolished by fire and battle. In his gauntlets was the sword, more red than silver under the full moon.

‘You stole everything from me! I was the hero and you took it all away!’ Ash heard the boy’s voice when Ty quoted him.

“That was when his sword became heavy. Its weight pulled him down and it disappeared from under him, coming back when his sister plunged it into the back of his neck.”

She could have incapacitated him when the sword decided that she would be its new master. She could have taken him to face justice. In fact, she could have killed him so no one else would have been hurt.

Instead, she murdered him in cold blood, hooking the point under his skin, scraping it into his skull just for the sake of making him suffer. The sound of her brother’s messy death blocked out the chaos, veiling her in the only kind of joy she would ever feel again.

“After that, the rest of the battles were nothing special. What was special was how the remaining champion kept the head of her brother chained to her belt. With the sword, she mowed the Emperor’s army down with the vindictive forces who had too been enraged by the destruction of their previous lives. They were only the Crown Prince’s army in name. Once they made it to the Capital—“

The champion, alone with the Crown Prince, stormed the room where the man who ruined her life sat atop a great throne. To her horror, the Emperor stood with her sword held at his side. She found that her hands were empty and the Emperor spoke to her.

‘Do you know my story? The story of a boy with not a drop of blue blood? I stowed away on the pirate ship that destroyed the small fishing village where my family lived. Under the bloodied gold and silver was the sword I used to avenge my family. It slew hundreds of pirates, thousands of the worthless soldiers, and all of the idle nobles until the remaining bowed to me. But I wasn’t done. This sword stayed in my hands until all I knew was war. Country after country fell for no reason other than for the phantom slight I imagined they had committed against me. Even when I found a new family, they came to hate me and were taken by an enemy I couldn’t kill.”

The remaining Emperor’s Son had found out long before that his father had nothing to do with his mother and brother’s deaths. His war had been waged not for revenge but to save a country from a war mongering tyrant he loved dearly.

‘I could not raise my sword against my wife and son. I only waged war so a truly evil Emperor would not threaten the next Emperor’s reign with their shared blood. This sword could no longer be mine.’

The cursed sword reappeared in the champion’s grip, refusing to leave her hands when she tried to drop the horrid thing.

‘Promise me that when I die, you will do all that is within your power to sink the sword into the sea.’

Ash’s intense daydream ended as the silver blade rushed towards the Emperor and disappeared into his throat.

Blinded by the daylight, Ash shielded his eyes, distraught by how he had been absorbed into Ty’s story. The young hero, reminded of her presence and of their walk, staggered away from her and her cottage. In the midst of the daydream, he hadn’t noticed that they had already arrived.

“They couldn’t pry the sword out of the champion’s hands and she didn’t hesitate chopping them off. The new Emperor had it sunk in a sea that was so far away, it didn’t have a name yet,” Ty was finishing the story. “Probably would done it, promise or not. He was an honest and nice person. I’d say he would have thrown the sword away out of guilt.”

“He should have broken it!” Ash said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. How had he literally seen the scene in his head?

“Magic, remember? One of the reasons why the first champion started to get really good at fighting after he deserted was because of the sword,” Ty was treating the matter so nonchalantly that it was making Ash angry. “I brought it to the Smithy to fix it faster but if I had left it alone, the sword would have pieced itself back together on its own.”

And come back to Ty on its own.

“I could tell you some more stories,” Ty unsheathed the blade, holding it level. “There’s a bunch I know from before it met the first Champion and after it crawled out of the sea. This one was just one of my favorites.”

Ash shook his head, keeping his distance.

“Why would you have it? Why won’t you throw it away? That sword makes you obsessed with revenge!”

The moment that Ty took to think about her answer that was scarily short.

“I like it.” She put it simply.

Despite her behavior before; every single fight that Ash remembered how Ty had taken too far, he still couldn’t believe his ears.

“What?”

“What if after each war we have in Falconreach, Amityvale, the Sandsea, anywhere people we care about get hurt, the event ended and I was too tired to stand?” Ty asked. “What if the villains get away with it and hurt more of the people we care about? What if I let everyone in Falconreach stay hurt? What if I can’t bring them the justice they deserve? What if, what if, what if, right?” Ty tilted the blade and Ash could have sworn, the ivy and holly leaf markings swayed.

“This sword doesn’t make you obsessed with revenge. The people it chooses are already in love with revenge and it won’t let them forget it,” Ty gazed at the sword, as if at peace thanks to the idea it kept locked in her mind. “I have to make them pay.”

“That’s it,” Ash said, disgust clearing dripping from his voice. “Does saving people matter at that point? You’re in love with revenge because you want to make people suffer. Whether they did something bad or not doesn’t matter. You fight to protect the weak, to be a hero. Not to hurt people. You didn’t have to make people suffer! You do it because you like it.”

Ty lowered the sword, thinking of dropping it. Only thinking.

“You’re right, Ash. And I’m sorry,” Ty turned to him, a little less color in her cheeks. She smiled despite that. “I was just glad you can’t use the sword. And you deserve to know the reason why,” She turned to face her friend. “You’re a real hero, Ash.”

A beat passed, one where he tried to stop being mad. It was just that he was so disappointed and the heavy, foul mood grew over him like mold.

“I…Ty, I need to go.” He didn’t intend to say goodbye.

“I know.” Ty nodded, watching him walk back towards Falconreach.

Taking a detour was seriously unsafe when the sun was setting so low but Ash needed it. He didn’t think any monster would approach, hearing how heavy his stomping was.

In all honesty, he had no idea how to deal with being this kind of angry.

Ash tried comparing it with some other mishaps in the past, like when he dropped his sword on a noble’s foot and it cut the poor man. That was Ash’s own fault and he was angry at himself though.      

Perhaps it was an over exaggeration but he tried likening this to the anger that came from Falconreach being attacked yet again. Destroyed yet again. But, they were all villains. Not any of his friends.

None of Ash’s friends would make him feel this way.

“Argh,” Ash tugged at his hair, not noticing how the orange sky had gone pitch black. Only a sliver of the moon was out now. He kept walking, going nowhere near Falconreach and into parts of Surewood he didn’t recognize.

In fact, all these trees had no leaves. Kind of like in Doomwood actually.

“Since when did the grass get gray?” Ash did a bit of a hop, startled at the mist beginning to form over the forest floor as well. “I didn’t walk that far, did I?” The panic started up and Ash frantically scanned his surroundings for anything familiar or for anything out to attack him.

If this was Doomwood and not some random patch of Surewood that caught the flu, Ash figured he could take down half a zombie if he tried very hard.

In the corner of his eye, a familiar glint caught his attention and his stomach plummeted.

Blade stuck into the ground, covered in a bed of foliage was the silver sword.

Ash rushed to it, terrified at how it was out in the open. Anyone could get their hands on it and do their worst. Anyone was likely to be a necromancer, a vampire, oh gods was Drakath out here?

What about Ty?

“I can throw it away.” Ash thought out loud. An ocean couldn’t keep it trapped but it had to have taken time to escape. Ash could toss the thing into a bottomless pit, a gully, or feed it to something nasty. Then, he could go to Warlic or Artix and find a way to actually destroy the cursed sword.  

Shoulders squared in resolution, Ash trudged through the leaves. He went right up to the sword, took its gold hilt into his hand, and wrenched it from its resting place.

Blood gushed from the leaves, pulled up by the sword and splattered his shins.

Ash’s heart came to a hard stop before pounding against his ribs in sheer terror. Confused and horrified, Ash tore away at the ivy leaves, searching for anyone that could be hurt under there.

The bed was endless and the more he yanked away, the deeper it got and thorns began biting into his skin. Before he knew it, Ash had sunk into this pit, his head disappearing under the leaves.

On instinct, Ash slashed the sword through the greenery and it was as light as air. Blood pooled at his feet, draining from the vines he slashed, making the thorns glisten.

“My children were flayed,” An ivy vine wrapped around his ankle. “Who would avenge them if not I?”

“My brother accused my wife of witchcraft. She burned as I was hung,” Another voice invaded as Ash tried to cut the bindings only for his other foot to get swallowed into the gore, ankle deep. “Why was it that I had to crawl from my grave to right the wrong? Who would have avenged us otherwise?”

This was a dream. A very bad nightmare Ash was convinced he was having. He didn’t remember falling asleep but he must have and the story of that magic sword scared him so much that the thorns tearing through his armor felt real.

“A wretched King conquered my home when we showed kindness. All of my friends and family, their bones piled like trophies in the royal coffers,” A pair of hands accompanied this whisper, grabbing Ash’s hands as he attempted to remove his boot and escape. “They all had to die. All of his people. That was the only right way.”

“No!” Ash’s voice was shrill. “Let me go!” He couldn’t hear himself anymore. The couple of voices had grown to tens, to hundreds, to thousands of laughing mouths and reaching hands. The fingers that wrapped around his neck were made of steel; prosthetic limbs made for a veteran.

“Didn’t you think I had to? I had to! We have to!”

That voice was the same as the one he had imagined when Ty was telling him the story. Except, it wasn’t his imagination. The sword had long felt his mounting disappointment, and caught him in its will long before.

“Avenge their deaths.”

“For hurting me.”

“Humiliated me.”

“My future destroyed.”

Each reason was increasingly becoming frivolous; things that Ash couldn’t understand people taking lives over.

“I was the hero.” Another joined the cacophony and Ash could not escape its echo. “I wanted to be the hero. I worked so hard to be a hero. I’ve been dreaming of being a hero, a real knight for as long as I lived. She stole it from me.”

That sword fit in Ash’s hands all of a sudden. He held the sword as though it was the only thing keeping him alive. The nails digging into his lungs screamed for him to act and Ash jabbed the sword towards the source of that despicable laughter, imagining silver slicing through a neck.

“My Hero let me down.” Ash heard and it came from somewhere that was so close, it could have been inside him.

The sky was orange again, tinged with the sunset. Surewood was as green as ever and the only rotting deathly smell was stuck in the back of Ash’s nose.

Resting across his outstretched hands was his silver sword. What was left of all of the ghostly shouts was a single, wind-chime like query.

“Prithee, great champion, may I ask of you—” Ash closed his eyes and the whisper sank into his heart.

“Is revenge a science? Or is it an art?”

#Ty #Ash #Konnan sort of #dragonfable #maybe I'll post it to fanfic.net after I finish part 2 #it feels nice to take a break from studying #and doing things with Ty again #uh warning for some blood I guess #not graphic or anything like that

[the1rei]

Bloomin' Ross pt64

What is it that this mysterious being is after and what will it cost Cass and Rose? 

<<< First Post  <<Prev Post - Next Post >>

When Cass reached the scene of the battle, the guards were picking themselves up.  The Captain had finally been released from his paralysis though, by the way, he stiffly moved it hadn't completely left his body.  One of the guards sat against a wall his eyes searching the world around him paying no mind to the Captain's orders, another, a big man with a mustache sat huddled with his hands over his ears and a third, a scrawny man was held up by another guard.  "Dad, what happened here?"

"Cassandra?" The Captain looked up and seemed to notice his daughter for the first time.  Surprise and fear played across his face turning swiftly to anger as he turned stiffly toward her.  "What are you doing here?  You should be taking care of the Princess as I told you."  

"I came to help you, you clearly needed it," She snapped back gesturing to the sorry state of the guards.  

The Captain narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head.  "It's not safe; we have no idea what that thing is after."

"He wants the dog," The voice sounded like little more than a whisper, but they both heard it clearly as if he was right next to them.  Cass turned back to see the man who had his hands cupped over his ears muttering to himself.  

The Captain had barely started towards the guard by the time Cass was already in front of him, kneeling down to look him in his wide, panicked eyes and put a hand on his shoulder only to quickly withdraw it when he jumped.  "What do you mean, what dog?"  

"The one like him, the one from the underworld!  He wanted to know where it was."  The guard voice grew more panicked as he spoke and he began to shake more feverishly has he tapped a finger to the side of his head.  "He wanted to know where the dog was and he looked inside, now he knows she has the dog."  

There was a moment of confusion before the realization of what he was saying dawned on Cass, and then her face turned panicked.  The Captain had just reached her when Cass shot up and took off down the street ignoring her father's calls.  She knew where the being was going, what the underworld dog was and she had to get there first.

----

"I'm going to find out what's going on," Xavier said stepping around the counter out of the shop.  Rose trailed slightly behind him Pyrepy clutched to her chest.  They had heard all kinds of things were happening in Corona, but the stories were so wild and varied that they couldn't figure out the truth of it.  Some said the city was under attack by a monster, or a dragon, or a magician and there was no sorting out fact from fiction.  

"Are you sure, maybe you should stay and Pyrepy, and I should go, we've had some experience with strange things at least."  Rose looked up at her master worriedly, and Pyrepy barked in agreement with her sentiment.  

Xavier smiled approvingly to his apprentice, "I've seen my fair share of strangeness in my time, I'll be fine.  Let us old folks take the risk once in a while."  

Rose didn't seem set much at ease by that, but she nodded unable to deter Xavier anyway.  She watched from behind the counter as she made his way down the street towards the city gates.  Rose was too preoccupied with worry for her master to notice the tall red-skinned figure striding down from the opposite end of the street until Pyrepy's ears perked up and he barked.  

----

Cass raced through the streets dodging around people and obstacles barking at anyone who didn't move instantly, even jumping right over a few low objects that would not move quickly enough for her.  Her heart thumped wildly in her chest imagining just what something that had effortless take out a squad of guards could to a single girl, even one as capable as Rose.  

"Rose!"  Cass called as she neared the blacksmith shop, but she received no answer, and there was no one in the front part of the shop.  Jumping up, she slid over the counter and shot straight for the shop door throwing it open and calling out again.  

Rose stared at her wide-eyed and surprised on the other side of the door her hand hovering in the air like she was just about to open it.  "Cass what?"  

Rose did have time to finish her sentence as Cass pulled her into a hug.  The confusion on her face melted away as she did the same into Cass' arms.  Oh, thank goodness you're ok."  

Rose chuckled, "Of course I'm ok, why wouldn't I be?"  

Before Cass could answer the sound of a clearing throat interrupted her and Cass looked deeper into the shop to see the being standing there holding Pyrepy.  "Rose get behind me!"  

Cass practically shoved Rose behind her and drew her sword, only to have Rose's hand seize her wrist.  "Cass what are you doing?  Stop it, Phistophilus is just here to see Pyrepy."

Cass looked from Rose to the being who was standing in the back of the shop holding the puppy up to his face.  Pyrepy stubby tail was wagging wildly, and he was panting happily at this Phistophilus trying to lick him.  Cass gave Rose a questioning look.  "Pyrepy was left behind after his mother gave birth to her littler on the surface.  Phistophilus' people are very strict about maintaining order and records of everything that goes in their world.  He has been searching for Pyrepy since he learned he was missing."  

"Order?  He attacked my father and the guards!"  Cass snapped advancing on the underworlder, though her sword was in her hand she didn't brandish it threateningly just glared up at the tall red-skinned man.  

"They attacked me; I was merely acting in self-defense,"  Phistophilus spoke in a low, calm voice as Rose looked worriedly from one to the other.  

"What about the guards at the gate?" Cas challenged.  

"They asked me to identify myself," Phistophilus grinned a little and turned to look down at Cass.  "So I did so in my native tongue, as is the right of foreign dignitaries."  

"Your no dignitary, the underworld isn't a kingdom."  Cass spits through clenched teeth.  

"Correct, it is a republic nation, and I am it's representative to Corona duly recognized by my leaders and King Eadred of Corona."  Phistophilus nodded his eyes returning to Pyrepy as she spoke, the pup seemed to be delighted to see him.  

"King Eadred?" Cass stared blankly for a moment then reaffirmed her glare, "He was king six hundred years ago!"  

"Correct, he forged a contract with my people to cease interference within Corona's borders.  Borders which were extended by the addition of Saporia lands to Corona's territory, a clever move I must say."  Phistophilus smiled and frowned in turn at the brilliance of the action.  "As such, I was the only one able to come and investigate the puppy's disappearance here.  While Corona is safe from our brokers, it is not a haven for those who wish to escape the payment this one's mother was deployed to retrieve."  

Cass moved to speak again, but Phistophilus continued cutting her off, "It was the responsibility of the Royal Family, who had become aware of the puppy's presence in Corona, to contact me or at very least alert its public servants to my identity to avoid such problems.  In any event attacking a diplomatic official is against the Coronian law and as such is punishable in such circumstances as these."  

Cass still wasn't sure if he was lying or not, but the weight of his knowledge gave him an air of authority she didn't want to challenge openly.  Phistophilus seemed to grin at her hesitation and added.  "I'll let the matter pass this time and allow the King to deal punishment as he sees fit.  My interest is only in the state of this puppy."  

Cass chewed her lip and gripped her sword tightly but said nothing.  Rose instead stepped forward looking sympathetically from Cass to Phistophilus asking tentatively.  "How is Pyrepy, I've done my best with him, he seems quite happy."  

"Humph," Phistophilus gave her a distasteful look and turned her eyes back to the dog.  "He's ruined as a retrieval hound; you've let him get soft on happy emotions.  It's such a pity; the human world can be so effective at teaching a hound to be fierce and angry."

"I'm sorry," Rose apologized though she was more than a little confused as to why he was talking about Pyrepy being happy and loved would be a bad thing.

"It's a small matter, I will deal with him back in the underworld," Phistophilus tucked Pyrepy under an arm and gave the girls a slight nod, "Good day to you both," and started towards the door.  

"Wait, you're taking him."  Rose rushed to stop the tall being standing between him and the door, Pyrepy whining softly now trying to get out of Phistophilus' grasp.  "But I thought you said he was no good to you now."  

"Correct, once back in the underworld, I'll destroy the beast, and the matter will be dealt with," Phistophilus replied coldly starting to step around the girl.  

"You can't," Rose gasped her eyes brimming with tears for a moment of despair then her eyes shot to her hammer laying on her anvil and turned fierce.  "I won't let you!"  

She only managed a step before Cass grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the weapon.  Rose screamed for Cass to let her go, but Cass shook her head, "You can't fight him, Rose, ten guards couldn't stop him."  

"I'm not letting him hurt Pyrepy," Rose screamed tearing her arm free from Cass' grip.  

Cass knew then that if she didn't do something Rose could very well end up sharing the same fate as Pyrepy and if that happened either Phistophilus or Cass would follow soon afterward.  

"Leave him with us!"  Cass shouted up at Phistophilus causing both the underworlder and Rose to halt in their tracks.  

Phistophilus tuned to look appraisingly at Cass, "Nothing is free in the underworld.  If you want this tainted pup, you can have him, but you must give up something of value in return."  

"How much?"  Cass asked she and Rose had next to nothing, but maybe Rapunzel could convince her parents to pay the exorbitant price of the underworlder.

Phistophilus laughed at that and holding out his free hand conjured a massive ruby, clear as glass and perfectly cut.  Then with a squeeze of his hand crushed the gem and let the shattered pieces drop like hail to the floor.  "Material wealth means nothing to my kind; you must offer something of great value to you in exchange."  

Cass growled and trusted her sword at Phistophilus, "Here take it."  

"Cass," Rose voice caught in her throat as she watched Phistophilus take the sword from Cass.  

"Mmmm," Phistophilus grinned examining the sword.  "I very great prize indeed.  Your father's sword given to you, lovingly repaired by one whose love is unconditional.  Very well."  

Rather roughly Phistophilus released Pyrepy letting him drop to the ground with a yelp.  The puppy immediately picked himself up and raced to Rose who scooped him up into her arms.  Taking hold of one of the scrolls draped from his back Phistophilus sliced through the paper with the sword offering it and the point of the sword to Cass.  Cass watched as the underworld script was burned away and replaced by English the document was a staggering length easily twice Cass' height.  

Cass got the idea of the procedure and stabbed her thumb on to the point of the sword as she lifted the bottom of the scroll up to see the X marked line at the bottom.  "Won't you get in trouble for brokering a deal in Corona," Cass muttered though she didn't mean to say it loud enough for him to hear.  

"As I did not facilitate the deal, nor come with that intent it is not against the deal made with Eadred.  However, in signing this, you are assuming responsibility for obtaining the permission of the royalty to make this deal it all there in print.  Along with the terms of signing custody of the pup in exchange for the sword and all responsibility therein."  Phistophilus explained, Cass was just grateful she hadn't accidentally soured the deal.  She quickly pressed her thumb to the line on the contract.  When Cass pulled her thumb away, leaving a spot of blood behind that instantly twisted and thinned.   When the blood stilled, her name was written, as if in her hand, on the line of the contact.  

"Excellent, a pleasure doing business with you," Phistophilus said releasing the sword which disappeared and rolled up the contract.  As he did the scroll, he had cut the contract from lengthed back to its former length.  He handed over the rolled up contract and handed it to Cass.  "This is your copy; don't lose it.  

Cass took the scroll and winched as a pier of flames engulfed Phistophilus in a flash and then he was gone.  Rose held Pyrepy close and let her tears flow.  Cass gripped the contract tightly in her hand and didn't realize she was shaking until the sound of the guards calling her name outside shocked her back to reality.  

#tangled the series #cassandra #rose #cassandrose #pyrepy #phistophilus #contract