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jimblejamblewritings · 2 years

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yes, i’m a squib | part 30.

Summary: Y/N Black has always been a squib, to the dismay of her pureblood family. Cast out to the orphanage at a young age, she thought that was her life. Until her relative Sirius Black breaks out of Azkaban. Suddenly a letter to Hogwarts in thrusted into her hand and Y/N becomes a true part of the magical Wizarding World.

Warnings for the Series: violence, death, light smut, angst, fluff

Pairing: harry potter x black!reader, cedric diggory x black!reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

Harry woke up before you. It was involuntarily when Padfoot smacked him in the face. Harry glared at the cat who jumped off the bed, seeming very satisfied with himself. He let his eyes close again so he could just hold you. You turned in his arms, burying your face in his chest. Harry almost smiled until you whimpered in pain. He wasn’t sure whether to wake you up or not, couldn’t tell if it was your dark senses or not.

You shouldn’t have been able to smell the ocean from the Astronomy Tower but the salty spray was hard to deny as it mixed with earl grey tea. The Hallows symbol burned into the floor causing you to jump. You watched the symbol separate itself into its three pieces. The triangle disappeared, leaving the circle and the line before the circle left. The line flew at you and you ducked. Standing back up, you looked at the window before you felt yourself get pushed out the tower. The scent of lemon drops followed you.

Your eyes flew open. You looked up at Harry to see a worried face staring back at you.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.”

You grabbed your notebook from your nightstand and flipped it open to the page with the Hallows symbol and the Philosopher’s Stone symbol right next to it. Harry sat up and pulled you into his arms, making sure not to get in your way. He watched you flip to a new page and start to redraw each symbol slowly and deliberately. You flipped back and forth between the old page with the scribbles and the new page with just the two symbols.

“(Y/N), when I went to get rid of the book. I ran into Professor Trelawney trying to get in.”

“What did she want? She keeps insisting I need to at least visit her classroom, always going on about banshees being some of the best Seers.”

“That’s what she was talking about or something about that. She pulled out a card and kept muttering about disaster coming because her cards showed a lightning-struck tower an��”

“What? Harry, I just saw a tower in my sleep. A dark dream, not a normal one.”

Your quill dropped from your hand. You wiggled out of Harry’s arms. He watched you rifle through your trunks. You opened a little deck of cards.

“She gave this to me last year after Christmas… I should’ve listened to her, instead of going with everyone else.”

You threw the deck on the floor and only held the major arcana cards. Harry listened to you recite the prophecy— that he had so much to tell you about— as you pulled cards. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. One, the magician. Born to those who have thrice defied him. Three, the empress. Born as the seventh month dies. Seven, The Chariot. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. Eleven, Justice. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. Sixteen, Death. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies. Eight, Strength.

You laughed. “She repeated herself because she saw a seven and an eight. Eight comes after the seven dies.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Trelawney. She’s terrible at interpretation but her prophecies are perfect. Magician. That’s you, Harry. The empress is your mum. The chariot is… well, I don’t know but Justice is the fight between you and Voldemort. Death is fairly obvious. And Strength. You’re going to need that to stop him.”

You grabbed the tower card and looked at it. It was the Astronomy Tower, no doubt about it. You were in the tower. You smelled the ocean. You saw the Hallows. The line fell out of the tower. You smelled lemon drops. You crawled back on the bed and into Harry’s arms. He looked at the cards with you but didn’t know what he was looking for. Harry figured Trelawney was right that a banshee was one of the best types of Seer because he saw absolutely nothing. You repeated the prophecy again to yourself. You huffed.

“What else were you going to say before I cut you off? I think I need help figuring this out.”

“Dumbledore thinks he found another horcrux and asked me to join him. We’re leaving tonight to get it. Somewhere in a cave off the coast miles from Hogwarts. He says he put extra protection on Hogwarts but he’s taken off the charm that stops you from apparating at Hogwarts. He thinks we’ll need to apparate back.”

Harry felt you stiffen up underneath his hold. You knew that the horcrux must have been the sea that you smelled. Extra protection meant danger or death in the Astronomy tower and you weren’t sure which one just yet. Harry’s fingers drummed against you. You felt him shift before he sighed.

“(Y/N), Professor Trelawney couldn’t get into the Room of Requirement because someone was already there and kicked her out. She says that it was—”

“Draco. I know.”

“You do?”

“He left the hospital wing when he thought I was asleep, he told me the truth when I caught him. I know about Snape and the poisons and the cabinets.”

You tilted your head back, staring at the ceiling. Harry watched your eyes close as you sighed. Tears slipped from your eyes. Harry tried to comfort you. He murmured it was alright as his hand tried to swipe at the tears that were falling too fast for him to make any progress.

“Even when they kicked me out, Draco always found a way to send me something. A Christmas present or a birthday present. I thought when I first got here, he might act like he didn’t know me but it was like we were six again. He wouldn’t be a Death Eater by choice, I swear. Draco’s not evil. He’s not, he can’t be.”

Harry didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say. You had so much faith in your cousin that he didn’t want to ruin it. Maybe you were right, maybe Malfoy didn’t have a choice. So he wasn’t going to tell you his opinion. But he wasn’t going to give you false hope either. You finally stopped shedding enough tears for him to wipe them away. You turned your head to look at him.

“I wanted to hate you because it meant you would be wrong about Draco,” you admitted.

“I know. I’m still sorry for hurting him.”

You looked back at the mess of cards and notebooks that sat on the bed in front of you and Harry. There wasn’t time left. You knew it. Snape’s lessons failed and now you were staring at a problem that you need to answer as quickly as possible.

“I’m technically a professor, would you stay with me in the Alchemy classroom if I wrote a note?”

Harry laughed. “Of course.”

You both slowly untangled yourselves from each other. Harry left to go back to Gryffindor and change as well as grab his stuff. You gave the note to Kreacher and took all your things to the Alchemy classroom. Harry locked the door at your instruction. You had written a note on the door telling all your classes that they were dismissed. Harry watched you erase the entire chalkboard and then draw the Philosopher’s Stone symbol and the Hallows symbol just like you did in the notebook. You wrote Harry’s prophecy above them and the cards they connected to below the symbols. On the side of the board you wrote what you had seen and smelled in your dark dream. You took a step back and looked.

“I thought that the Hallows were opposite the Philosopher’s Stone. One was the highest existence of life and one was the lowest but I was wrong. They’re equal. They’re both the highest existence. Voldemort tried to get the stone to come back, probably to live forever.”

“And now he wants the Hallows to do the same?”

You nodded. “Dumbledore has you hunting horcruxes, I think I’m supposed to hunt down these. Whatever the Hallows are.”

“But why can’t he just tell you?”

“Because he doesn’t know. I don’t think he knows for sure that his plan will work. Alright, what do we know?”

“That Trelawney’s not as crazy as everyone thinks. Voldemort has horcruxes that I have to destroy. He wants the Hallows that you have to find. The Hallows have something to do with avoiding death and you had a dark dream last night.”

“Why would Dumbledore want me to find them? He normally goes to you, Ron, and Hermione. What about this means only I can fi…”

“What is it?” Harry asked.

“I’m supposed to find them, nothing about destroying them… the old man’s insane.” You dropped to search your bag for the children’s book Dumbledore gave you.

“I’m not following.”

“I’m the only banshee known, the only death omen. The Hallows are equal but different to the Philosopher’s Stone. One created an elixir that speaks to life so the other must keep you alive by speaking directly to death.”

You pointed to the story in the book and Harry leaned over to see it. He repeated the title you were pointing to, “The Tale of Three Brothers”. You raced to the board and erased the Philosopher’s Stone symbol so you could separate the Hallows into its three parts.

“I’m a death omen. I speak directly to death and in that story so do the three brothers. That’s the Hallows, Harry. The wand, the stone, the cloak… I’d be a weapon of death if I had them and now that Voldemort is connected to be, he’d be a master of it if he gets them. That’s why they wanted me to learn how to block spells.”

“Did it work?”

“I’m a squib, of course it didn’t. We have one of them.”

“The cloak,” Harry realized. “Do you think mine is the one in the story?”

“Invisibility cloaks have never lasted as long as yours and taken such a beating. It has to be.”

“So we need the wand and the stone.”

“The wand. In my dream, it almost attacked me. Voldemort must be looking for that one.” You looked at the sunlight dwindling and the clock in the classroom. “I’ll worry about this with Ron and Hermione. You have to meet Dumbledore soon. We know what we need now, that’s all that matters.”

Harry nodded. You erased the chalkboard, fearing that someone who wasn’t supposed to might accidentally see it. The two of you left the classroom— Harry going to find Dumbledore and you going to find Ron and Hermione. Your friends weren’t too hard to find. They had been in the Gryffindor common room waiting for either you or Harry since they hadn’t seen you two all day. You didn’t know what mattered enough to explain to them so you only said the basics. There was no question that all of you were going to stay up and wait for Harry to come back. You thought you smelled salt water as you sat on the couch clutching one of the throw pillows. Ron and Hermione looked up when you suddenly jumped up. Earl grey tea and lemon drops flooded your nose and you knew that you needed to go to the Astronomy Tower. You heard the word Flitwick.

“Go find Professor Flitwick and maybe McGonagall. Something bad is going to happen tonight,” you told Ron and Hermione and began running to the Astronomy Tower.

You already heard voices when you got to the Tower. From the window, you could see the Dark Mark in the sky. You saw Dumbledore and Draco facing each other. Dumbledore’s wand was on the floor— your cousin’s wand was pointed at the old man. You had seen this. The triangle, Harry’s cloak, was nowhere to be seen and you knew it meant he was there underneath it. The circle was the stone that wasn’t in the tower as far as you knew. And there was the line on the floor. The Elder Wand from the story. A wand that was in the hands of your Headmaster. You screamed. Draco dropped his wand to cover his ears and Dumbledore merely winced— poor Harry, frozen by Dumbledore’s frozen spell, suffered in place. You ran to your cousin, placing hands on his shoulders.

“Draco, Draco, please. This isn’t you.”

He grabbed at your hands, shaking his head. “The Death Eaters are already here. He’ll kill me if I don’t. He’ll kill our whole family.”

“You can’t come back from this. You will never come back if you do this. Please.”

“Go back to Hufflepuff before they get here, (Y/N). Have Kreacher take you to Grimmauld.” Malfoy removed your hands from his shoulders.

“I’ll never forgive you if you do this.”

“As long as you’re alive.”

“Draco, we can hide you and Aunt Narcissa. The Order can come back to Grimmauld. You don’t n—”

The door burst open to the tower. Your head turned to see Death Eaters with the biggest grins on their faces. The grips on their wands loosened when they saw the sight in front of them, laughing. The two at the very front began a chant congratulating Draco on cornering Dumbledore without his wand. Draco pushed you behind him as the two others entered. You recognized Fenrir Greyback whose nails and sharp teeth were dripping with blood. He laughed at the action.

“I’m not in werewolf form, Malfoy. She wouldn’t turn if I had a little bite. I’ll leave her alive like the Dark Lord promised you.”

You looked at your cousin.

“Did you trade your life for mine?” you asked in a whisper.

The others started laughing. The one who you recognized as Alecto spoke.

“You should be dead anyway. Little Malfoy said he’d do it if the Dark Lord spared you, used you alive instead. He was the closest to the old man anyway. Well done, Draco. Now finish him. Go on!”

You pulled at your cousin’s arm. Draco didn’t have to push you off. A chill ran down your spine and you turned to see Snape with his wand aimed. You screamed but it was too late as you saw the green light jet out from his wand and hit Dumbledore. The Headmaster stumbled out of the window and the scent of lemon drops faded from around you.

Chaos erupted around you. Draco grabbed you and followed Snape. Now that Dumbledore was dead, Harry was free from the frozen spell that was placed on him. He ran to follow. The boy stopped when he saw Snape head one way while Draco took you another. Harry knew your cousin would never hurt you so he took his chances and left you to be taken wherever Malfoy was taking you.

Draco was trying to force you back to Hufflepuff. He knocked on the barrels— knowing the password because you told him every year. You finally got over the shock and screamed, making him let you go. You pushed him and hit him in the chest.

“Why didn’t you let us help you? You should have told me from the beginning!”

“AND HAVE HIM KILL YOU?! Get inside… (Y/N), get inside now!”

“Whose blood did Fenrir have on him tonight?”

Draco couldn’t answer you. He didn’t know that the Order would show up when he let the Death Eaters in. He thought everything would happen quickly and quietly. He was hoping it would because he already knew he had to deal with your banshee senses.

“Kreacher!” you called. The little elf appeared. “Make sure no one sees you and Draco go home, I want no one to think he’s responsible for anything that happened tonight. Lie to everyone. I’ve got to go make sure no one else is hurt.”

You ran to the hospital wing. Most of the Order was gone, probably fighting. You could hear some of the noise outside. But you recognized the redhead laying in a hospital bed. Madame Pomfrey was tending to Bill Weasley who looked so mangled that you only knew it was him by the longer red hair and lack of Hogwarts uniform. Madame Pomfrey was rubbing the thickest and most foul smelling ointment all over Bill, telling you that charms didn’t work on werewolf bites and she didn’t know what else to do.

You shook your head fiercely as the Burrow’s scent began to grace your nose. “He needs stronger.”

The others came running in. You immediately ran to Remus and Tonks and hugged them tightly. Everyone gathered around Bill’s bed. Their only comfort was Remus telling everyone that Bill wouldn’t be a true werewolf because he wasn’t bitten on a full moon. But he wouldn’t be the same. You pulled out your wand and grabbed Harry’s hand to cover yours.

“Accio vials and aloe.”

The last of your bubble lily nectar came zooming into the hospital. You abandoned the squib project anyway for the Hallows. It only seemed right to give up the nectar for something more important— you could always collect more later. You caught the vials in your free hand and went to Bill’s side.

“Can you hear me, Bill?”

He groaned something that you couldn’t identify but was enough for you. You grabbed a rag from Madame Pomfrey and wiped off the ointment. You poured each vial into visible wounds. Fresh blood leaked out of them as they closed up. You wiped off the blood and waited.

“It still smells… everyone cover your ears.”

You turned Bill’s head and screamed in his ear. His eyes flashed open briefly and you moved back, relieved at not smelling the Burrow anymore. You turned his head back, no longer worried that his eyes were closed. Everyone stopped watching you try to tear off a piece of your aloe plant so they could listen to Harry tell them everything. You nodded when asked questions to confirm his story— silently thanking your boyfriend that he never mentioned Draco’s name. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came running in with Fleur. Mrs. Weasley was a mixture of sobs and thanking you.

“And he was going to be married,” she blubbered.

Fleur turned. “I still love him. It doesn’t matter, I will still love him!”

You stood up and handed the torn piece to Fleur. “Dab the gel over each wound, make sure it’s thick.”

She nodded and handed some to Mrs. Weasley. Both women began dabbing it all over Bill’s face. You felt your job was done and walked out of the hospital wing while the others discussed plans for Hogwarts. Students had heard the fighting. A bunch had gone outside and seen Dumbledore’s body before Flitwick had gotten a chance to move it. There was going to be a funeral and then everyone was going home. No one knew the future any more. Kids weren’t safe outside of Hogwarts but apparently they weren’t safe inside it either. Harry followed you as you went back to the Astrology Tower. You picked up Dumbledore’s wand that was still on the ground, so was your cousin’s.

“Kreacher! Give this back to Draco.”

You held the other wand— the Elder. Harry’s cloak was on the ground where it had been discarded. You kneeled down and folded it into the perfect triangle and placed the wand on top of it. Harry came up behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“That’s two of them. They’re going to bury his wand with him,” you said.

“Shouldn’t you have it? If that’s what he wanted?”

You shook your head. “Voldemort knows Dumbledore had it. Why would he care about killing him before attacking all of us? He needs it. If I take it before he gets it, he’ll just kill me. Draco disarmed Dumbledore and I disarmed him when I screamed. It’s already mine and now we have to hand it over to Voldemort. He can’t disarm me if it’s simply laying somewhere. The wand is mine now.”

“Are you sure?”

You picked up the wand and stepped away from your boyfriend. “Accio stone.”

A golden snitch flew into the tower. You shook it, hearing something inside. You didn’t know how the stone got in there but you knew it was there. You set it down on the cloak with the wand.

“A weapon of death can find another weapon… this is it. When all the horcruxes are destroyed, we use this to stop him.”

“How can we stop him if you give him the wand?”

“As long as I’m alive, it shouldn’t work for him. Not properly… I’m not going to the funeral, I can’t. Not after my d—”

Harry hugged you. “I understand. You should go home completely.”

The two of you dropped off the wand and the snitch in Dumbledore— now McGonagall’s office. Harry continued walking with you to your room. He used his magic to pack up all your stuff. You opened the smallest trunk and pulled out two mirrors. A hand mirror and a small one that would hang on the wall. You stepped on the corner of it so a shard of glass broke off. Finding a cloth, you handed the covered shard to Harry.

“I know you’re not coming back to Hogwarts next year. My dad and I used these to talk while I was at school. I can’t go with you, Hermione, and Ron. I don’t have enough magic, it would be too dangerous. I should stay here anyway. Someone has to try and keep the younger ones safe. We can still see each other this way. Take it now before I don’t have a chance to give it to you.”

Harry took the covered shard and set it on top of the empty dresser so he wouldn’t forget to take it when you left.

“I’ll see you before we go.”

“You will?”

“Bill and Fleur’s wedding,” he said with a shrug.

You chuckled and nodded. Voldemort wouldn’t get a chance to kill you if Mrs. Weasley did first because you missed her eldest son’s wedding. Harry’s hands found your waist the same as yours found his shoulders. You two just looked at each other before hugging each other tightly. The night was too sad to end it with a kiss but you both knew that you needed each other.

(Part 31)...

#harry potter x reader #harry potter fic #harry potter x black!reader

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beanswrites · 2 years

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The Arcana Scribbles Pt. 7

Julian, unbuttoning his shirt and showing of his chest: Is it hot in here?

MC: No, it's really not. It's like, really not. It's 3 C° (37 F). It's literaly snowing. You are going to get hypothermia and die. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GODS, JUST BUTTON IT UP-

#the arcana #julian devorak #the arcana scribbles series #screw your aesthetic julian you are going to FREEZE #the arcana julian

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neonacity · 2 years

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Preview: Arcane | NCT Dream

Summary: When you decided to apply for a researcher post in an elusive institute, you already had the feeling that you will be getting yourself knee-deep into something out of the ordinary. But desperate needs require desperate measures, and so you embraced the invite, despite all the alarm signals urging you to run away. What you found out was nothing you’d ever expected.

Seven boys.

Seven human deviants granted with abilities tied to the legendary Arcana Cards.

Welcome to Project Dream.

Pairing: Various Dream Members x Reader

Trigger Warnings/Themes: violence, torture, trauma, yandere themes, poly dynamics, psychological, mystery, sci-fi. The concept of the tarot or Arcana cards will be widely used throughout the series.

"You will be the doctor assigned to seven of our high-security patients. I need you to sign these papers to formalize everything."

Your gaze fell on the single piece of document shoved towards you by the elderly lady sitting across the table. She shot you a look that said she'd rather be somewhere else and you softly cleared your throat to pick up a pen to get the deal done and over with. Quickly, your gaze ran through the contents of the document, a slight frown settling between your brows as you finally realized what it was.

"This is a… liability waiver," you said slowly as you gave her a glance. She didn't seem unperturbed by the hesitation in your voice at all, instead raising a brow as she looked dead into your eyes.

"A confidentiality and liability waiver. Signing this means you agree to never share any information about the project and that you relieve the organization of any responsibilities in the event that you get injured or die while at work."

She said that in such a straightforward, nonplussed tone that you wondered just how normal it is for such situations to happen in this facility. For the hundredth time since you walked through the doors of the institute, you questioned your decision to apply for the job, especially with every second you spend there seemingly convincing you to turn into your heels and run. On the other hand, you also know that you will probably not come across such a lucrative offer again, and to be honest, you are willing to do anything at this point out of your desperation for money.

You swallowed the dry lump blocking your throat before finally gliding your pen on the blank at the foot of the page. You then pushed it back towards the woman before the ink even dried there.

"Is there—Is there anything else I need to sign?" You asked shakily as you rested your hands over your lap under the table to keep them still. The lady gave the paper one quick look before picking it up with her bony hands. For a while, she didn't say anything at all, her eyes only set on the drying scribble of your name. It took you everything to keep yourself from squirming on your seat.

And then she smiled.

"None. That's it for now. We will be processing the remainder of your work papers tomorrow. You can sign them then. For now, you can start familiarizing yourself with the project… and your future patients. Welcome onboard, Doctor. "

You silently watched as she pushed towards you a metal folder holding what seemed like a thin ream of documents inside. Your cold fingers reached out to it, your gaze set on the glaring label on its cover. Thin black letters jumped up to you like living beings, spelling out two words.

Project Dream.

The first page you flipped to told you the basics that you've also read in the original job post that caught your eyes. The researcher post will require you to work on some volunteer patients for a high-profile but highly confidential project the Institute is working on. It was the second document that gave you more information, your eyes widening as you quickly realized what the words there mean. Your head shot up towards the woman again who has now picked herself up from her seat, your signed papers safely clutched in her claw-like hands. She was just about to turn and leave when you called out to her again.

“Wait, what does this—what does ‘human deviants' mean?”

The term made her stop abruptly in her tracks. Slightly, she turned her body towards you, one part of her face washed by the lone stark fluorescent bulb lighting up the room. The rest of her features were bathed with shadows, but that didn’t stop you from making out the dead gleam in her eyes.

“It will be best to ask your patients personally. I’m sure they can’t wait to meet you.”

The ringing of the door echoed in the four walls of the room when she slammed it shut behind her. You were left staring at the spot she just left, your body temperature colder than ever. Slowly, your eyes moved towards the open file in front of you once more. Shaky fingers turned another page, your gaze landing on the faces printed there.

Seven boys with seven different sets of abilities that are beyond the capacity of a normal human. Their black and white faces stared at you from the page, their patient details glaring underneath their headshots.

Your eyes fell on the first one.

Mark Lee, 23 years old.

Patient Code: 04

Arcana ID: The Emperor / L’ Imperatore

---

FIRST CHAPTER

Taglist Status: Open

Master Taglist: @negincho, @jhornytrash, @aaasteroidsky, @huangberryyy, @marijmin, @ashkuuuu

#mark x reader #jaemin x reader #jeno x reader #haechan x reader #renjun x reader #nct dream fic #nct dream imagines #nct dream au #nct yandere #nct fic #nct au #nct yandere fic #nct suspense fic

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pseudofaux · 3 years

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Hi, Pseu! Are there any otome that you would recommend besides the ikemen series and SLBP?

YES! Though in terms of mobile, those are my big ones. I have not gotten very far in any of the Genius games (though there are a ton and their love interests are all 🥵🤸🏻‍♀️ HOTTTT... one day, 🔥 redhead hotel magnate, and 🔥 redhead vampire, and 🔥 redhead butler, one day), and haven’t tried the Shall We Date/NTT Solmare ones (Blood in Roses in the Dear Otome app has always looked so good!) to be able to give you much feedback, I’m sorry. @pickle-scribbles am I remembering correctly that you’ve played Guard Me, Sherlock! or another of the Solmare games? Could you give this anon any guidance on good Solmare otome titles?

Otherwise on mobile I did enjoy The Arcana (I just recommend being extremely cautious with its fandom or enjoying the game without it).

If you’re into console or computer titles I STRONGLY recommend:

• Nightshade (this is SUCH a good game and if you’re into the Sengoku history elements from SLBP and IkeSen it will be right up your alley; gorgeous character designs, INCREDIBLE voice acting, a pretty decent spread of love interest types, packs SRS BZNS emotional wallop) for Switch (digital only in the US but Nintendo if you are listening I WOULD buy a dozen physical copies) + Steam

• Code: Realize (start with Guardian of Rebirth, this one is steampunk with fictional characters as love interests, routes are really enjoyably different from each other and the guys are CHARMING AS HELL, if you like it there are a few “fandisc” sequels, two of which are already out in English, this game gives me embarrassing doki dokis) also for Switch + PS (PSN link is to “Bouquet of Rainbows”, which bundles Guardian of Rebirth with Future Blessings)

•Piofiore (one of the most recent English releases, it’s gorgeous and the men are 🥵 12/10s across the board [Orlok is an angel, not a man], tbh some routes are just more interesting to me than others BUT the entire game has an impressive interconnectedness, definitely goes dark/sad/gonna make you hurt in some places but IT’S GREAT) for Switch

If you’re into explicit content I cannot recommend Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome enough, there are only two love interests and it is mostly a VN sex game but also it is screamingly funny and EVERYTHING. I bought but haven’t had time to play Fxxx Me Royally! from the same company, Kalmia8. Both games are available on MangaGamer (FLML | FMR) and Steam (FLML | FMR). (MangaGamer has the H patches which you can use no matter where you buy the game from, do not let this language intimidate you because they are super easy to incorporate!)

Hope those help! Note that when you play a console game there are no tickets or daily limits like you may be used to from SLBP or the Ikemen Series. You pay upfront for the whole game and can then enjoy it at your leisure (or binge it in a week...or less) and repeat as often as you want, from whatever point in the story you make a save slot for.

#otome #mobage #fashioning little miss lonesome

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ame-fanapprentice · 4 years

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@lazyvoyager a continuation of this post, and hopefully some good hurt The idea was if Ame was a romanceable character, and Illian was mc. I’m still tossing about ideas but this would’ve been when after a series of events the only lead they have left to determine Julian’s innocence would be to travel to the lazaret. Arcana spoilers ahead :^)

The cobble grinding against his back brought him back from the spell. Illian held his hand, feeling for any burns and just as soon finding none. The furnace before him was cold and forgotten.

Ame stood in the doorway watching quietly with a distant look in his eye. Illian raised himself back up. Flashes of fire clouded his mind. Whimpering, broken words kept returning to him. “I’m sorry” Again, they rang out, in his own voice: “I’m sorry”. His heart pounded against his chest, feeling the last of the wave of heat consuming him.

“I don’t understand…”

He stood slowly, blinking between the assumed past and present. Illian licked his lips. He stepped lightly, turning to Ame hesitantly. “I don’t…did you see that?”

Ame watched the pattern of light peek through the broken roof of the lazaret. “Was that a vision?” He turned away as Illian took a determined step forward. “Did something else happen here? Who was that in the fire?”

He stopped. In a low grumble, back turned to his friend, Ame muttered “You were.”

Illian blinked. “What?” Ame’s voice grew louder, “You w-were in the furn-nace. Wh-whatever you saw, that-that was your mem-mory.”

He countered, breathing a puff of disbelief with a nervous smile. “That couldn’t have been…If I was in there, then how could I have- “

Ame turned. His face was distorted with frustration, the tears beginning to spill onto his cheeks as Ame roared “You died Illian!”

A moment of shared silence fell between them. Ame’s neck flexed, lips tightly shut as he desperately held in his sobs. He breathed. More tears began to well in his eyes, dripping off of his chin. The other tried to counter again. He tried to push away the thought, doubting it. The lost memories, those would have been from something else. He would’ve remembered death. Yet, reflected in Ame’s face, was the truth.

The world began to weigh him down. Illian wobbled, holding a now quivering hand to his mouth. Ame shook his head, croaking “we-we shouldn’t ha-have come”. Ame’s body began to tighten: arms wrapping tighter around his chest and back bending forward.

“How am I alive?” Ame spat a breath. Illian felt his throat beginning to close. “Ame, if I died then why am I here?”

Illian’s mouth began to rush, pouring his thoughts out. “Is all this even real? Is this just some twisted nightmare?” His hands fell onto Ame’s shoulders, shaking him desperately. “I couldn’t have died there must’ve- ”

Ame threw Illian off. His arms thrown into the air as he screamed “You don’t understand!”

His voice was pitched in terror, scratched raw with each outburst. “You’re dead! You’re dead! You’re supposed to be dead!”

A desperate gasp for air preceded the wail that fell from Ame’s lungs. He slid to his knees, body stiffening and shaking as the grief consumed him.

After a time, the tears come much softer. They trickle in droplets on both of their cheeks, letting the last of their rain fade into numbness. Ame’s head was pressed to Illian’s shoulder. Illian’s own rested atop the blond’s, hands held out of added comfort.

“I-I didn’t think you act-ctually died.”

Ame’s voice was hardly louder than the waves that lapped the shores of the lazaret. Broken, whispering, he turned his eyes up to Illian and continued, “When I s-saw you for-for the first time, af-after the plague, it seemed like a-a bad dream.”

“You looked like a ghost.” The dreary olive colored eyes looked down to their entwined hands. “The p-person with you, he-he looked like he was-s holding a cloud.”

“You were j-just…drifting.” “And that’s how you knew?” Illian watched some distant point in the room. Ame’s head nodded before burying himself a little further into his friend’s shoulder. “And what hap-ppened just now. Now I-”

“-but…” Illian inhaled. His face scrunched in thought, “How could you have known that unless you’ve seen it before. How did you know it was because of…that?”

“We’re walking the same path.”

“We b-both wanted to save p-people. We both found the same doctor to teach us how. W-we both were in-in over our heads.” Ame’s cheek curled with his saddened smile. “The on-nly dif-fference was I-I didn’t know when to-to quit.”

Ame paused. He lifted himself off of Illian, standing before him and offering a hand. He guided them down a hall. Vines and plants taking over the stone monument around them, brushing against their limbs the further in they went. They entered what was a closet at one point. A makeshift desk decorated in books and papers, and a bed now broken on the opposite wall. Familiar scribbles of various handwriting decorated the loose pieces of paper, if not diagrams lined the parchment.

Ame picked through the belongings. He pulled out a singular book, well worn and used, and offered it to Illian. “During the plague, mem-emories were the-the one thing that p-pushed me forward.”

Illian took the book in his hand, flipping through the pages. “And-And now, strange enough, w-we’re both mis-ssing memories.”

There were flowers, pressed and drawn. Blood and tears lined the edges of the paper. The further into the book, the weaker the ink. The words became lighter. Eventually, not even halfway through, the words stopped. Illian looked back up to his friend, who looked guiltily back down to his feet. “I made a d-deal during the plague. The me-memory was gone but-but last night, thinking of this place, it c-came back. That’s how I-I survived. That’s likely h-how you survived as well”

Illian’s heart skipped a beat. “Did you-“

“-No…no.” He shook his head reassuringly. “At least, I-I don’t think I did.”

“Then who brought me back?” Ame took his old notebook back in his hands, looking at it as if it were the last he’d ever see it. “I think I know.”

#i kinda wanna write what happens next only so i can see ame and asra argue jadsfkl #this is literally the most vocal ame has ever been about something like this in his life #also this would've been the good ending #the bad ending would've hurt more hA #the arcana #the arcana fan apprentice #other people's ocs #illian #ame #ame writing #fan apprentice #the arcana spoilers #spoilers

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kin-silver-jewel · 4 years

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Master list

decided to make a master list so you guys don’t have to go searching for what you’d like to look at.

Arcadia posts:

Commission from lesbianarcana (with a bonus of my Hawke from DA2)

Singing Arcadia

Commission from timmy-and-scribbles

line-art of doctor’s apprentice outfit and singing pic

Arcadia’s background

Arcadia dancing

Tattoo

Colored and updated tattoo

poem

first comic-stolen kiss

commission from kidgrimm

Arcadia colored stuff and sketches- one, two, three, four, five (bonus of wtnc sketch)

a fic with Arcadia and Julian by @tinymeatbigheart

Winter Ball Arcadia line art

Commission from @interuptingvolcano

comic 2- Butterfly and companion fic

Commission letter and letter #2 by apprenticeofcups

Arcadia and Julian bathscene by the soupiest artist. First place prize from her giveaway

Commission from panthemonia

Apprentice April ask 1

Commission from @weenie-the-beans

Arcadia’s signet ring design

Fanart:

Julian

Happy Doodle time sketches:

@kidgrimm :Alice

@canistheapprentice : Canis

@timmys-and-scribbles : Julianne

@aaliyah-draws : Valarie

@the-soupiest-artist : Lyra

@apprenticeofcups : Valentin

@apprentice-althaea : Althaea

@pocus-apprentice : Pocus

@lesbianarcana : Daya

@arcana-dumpsterfire : Kore-sidhe

@mountain-man-cumeth : Kara

@greyhands : Nell

@tinymeatbigheart : Orfeo

@panthemonia : Adrina

@deixisdawnbringer : Harloe

@bastart13 : Isha

Extra stuff

Dnd character

DAI short story

Lovely commission from @samusdraws of Fenris and my Hawke along with da2 one shot link. The sequel also by SamusDraws.

Persona series artwork

cat sketch

Monster Men 1 and 2

Commission that I adore from @qwiqwiaqwi of my post inquisition Hawke.

Drawing I did for @samusdraws Lir

Another monster man

Twincoves mc

My inquisitor by @resjade

my dnd character and her father commission by @miel-1411

One of my twin coves mc. Masamune

Twincoves-ish fanart

Inquisitor Branwen Lavellan by @badwolf626 really check out their work!

I’ll update the list when I have more posts and whatnot.

Update: fixed a missing link to a commission oops.

#masterlist

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arcana-madness · 5 years

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SO THESE HAVE BEEN IN MY TABLET LIKE FOR LIKE A MONTH OR SO; but ive been promoted and time have been a bit constraining so the struggle is real while learning new stuff. Some of these where finished early and some i finished today, but overall this is just three of the 10 i have haha(i got very motivated) . Tbh now that the year its approaching from when i started to play first the arcana, i wanted to draw something up with my girl Stella doing shennanigans. SO HERE WE ARE!

Firstly, Stella gifting @wingcinna Dattie a knife she probably found and got, which are a pair along with one she owns. One of the few first apprentices i saw when i came to the Arcana was Datura, i loved his slick design and for some reason fell in love on how he looks (and to know tht he will be in a game its frikking amaizing, imma love to play his route for sure) Even though i love him(forever will love Sajna more), i feel Stell and him would be friends and bond around knifes. Probably Stella will be a little gremlin and pester Dattie for sure(cue dattie poking fun at her in some way lmao), and tbh this is a also a redraw of sorts about the tiny knife shennanigans over at twitter i believe lmao. Compared to my prev Datura draws, this time I definitelly made justice, still a long way to improve, but compared to almost one year ago, This is glorious. Thank you for being one an artists that inspired me and pulled me out of my art block that i had for years, along with a couple others. I had stopped drawing cause i felt i always did the same and no matter how i tried to get out of it by working on other fandoms, i never felt it enough till the Arcana and the apprentices i watched from many artists along. Also thank you for being an amaizing Friend as well when we speak at times at Twitter about series and shennanigans, may you always work along your dreams and may you always have good health!

Now next is @timmys-and-scribbles Julianne, which is painting stella and stella is regretting ever to offer herself as a model lmao. WHERE DO I START!! Lmao, but i met her a couple months after when i started the Arcana, mostly when she started her Julianne comics on her route(and i even have saved that 100 followers cute ass pic of Julian and Julianne that i still love due how cute they look). After a bit, she made the Discord chat(Julians Butt bless) AND MUCH SHENNANIGANS HAVE ENSUED AND OMG, YOU ARE A PRECIOUS PERSON AND ILY SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FREND AND DEALING WITH MY DUMB ASS xD. But yes, Thanks you for for making that Chat, if it wasnt because of that, i wouldn’t have met amaizing persons who we enjoy the arcana and other stuff as well, being nerds together and just having fun overall. Also thank you for being always a good friend and teacher at times, having patience to explain and help others whenever you could to improve and see them thrive and tbh, i swear ill get my ass over there because reasons *squints*

AND LAST AND DEFINITELY NOT LEAST @anuprightfool MY MAN, YOU, YOU ARE A FUCKING AMAIZING AND BLESSED SUNSHINE. You have always been such a supportive person and in all honestly, i gotta thank you and say that i am blessed to have met you in this fandom. Every day is always fun to talk to you and learn stuff, wether be coffee or photography or any subject around, its always fun to hear you out. More that once i have found myself searching for something you had mentioned because something reminded me of it or someone i talked to brought the subject and i didnt felt lost at all. I thank you greatly for your friendship and i value it eternaly. I love you man! And thank you for existing and being my friend!!! Since he has a couple apprentices, I decided to work on None other than the presh tall tree that Malin is and more because i love how their interactions work together. Forever small bean will fight anyone for this tall pole, and in the end Malin will poke fun at her for it but they love her as she loves them. Protective of each other and a friendship that will last forever.(as long as Malin keeps the tiny chihuahua at times on a leash xD)

#the arcana #the arcana game #fan apprentice #stella #datura #malin #juliane #shennanigans #arc draws #this is just three of 10 #so more incoming #just slow cause work but not stopping #THANK YOU ALL #ILY #this is a lot i wrote #BUT IN ALL HONESTLY THERES SO MUCH MORE

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potentiallymrsdevorak · 5 years

Text

In Fields of Flowers (The Arcana)

Chapter Five: Tea Roses (I’ll Remember, Always)

Pairing: Julian x Nijah

Summary: Nijah has contracted the plague. How will she spend her last days? Will Julian find a cure in time?

Word Count: 4700~

Author’s Note: Long overdue but this is the final chapter in the series! I’ve really enjoyed writing it but will probably not do another series for a long time! They are a lot of work (if you know me from the last fandom I was in you would know lol). I really hope you guys enjoyed and I will still continue writing!!!

Tagging: @drunkenomnist, @rromanovv, @juliandevoraknsfw

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The first day was not as bad as she anticipated.

Sure, her body ached a little bit, but without noticing the red sclera, she would have never known she was sick.

She was quarantined right away, in the same room she has been in ever since she started treating other patients. Funny how the tables have turned, she thought as Dr. Satrinava came in to run tests on her. Her thumb rubbed against the ring that sat on her finger, twirling the band round and round in anticipation.

“You too, Nijah?”

“Seems so.”

The doctor tisked and shook their head, looking over their notes. “So it says that you saw it this morning right after you woke up. Was there something you may have done to cause the spread of the plague?”

“I took off my mask right after my last patient died.”

“Ah, I see.” Satrinava answered, scribbling frantically in their notes. Nijah knew they were silently judging her, for that was something they had taught all the apprentices not to do a long time ago. “It spreads much quicker than we anticipated…” Muttering a few key notes to themselves, they folded the paper and placed it in their pocket.

The doctor began a series of tests and treatments - some that were quick and practically painless, and some that felt horrible and lasted all day. She was forced to lather herself in animal bile, dance until her feet nearly bled, drink an herbal mixture that tasted nothing like she had imagined, and a few other things that truly made her feel even worse than before.

“Dr. Satrinava...do you think that all of this will work?” Nijah asked as she inhaled the scent of a dead rat through her nostrils. She silently applauded herself from not gagging.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try…” They said before packing up their medicinal cart. “I will be coming back with your dinner soon. Thank you for being cooperative with me today.”

“No problem...as long as the cure is found soon.”

“By the way,” they added, “as you were changing into your patient’s gown, I noticed that there was a document left in here for you.” They handed you a piece of paper, folded ever so perfectly. She knew exactly what this was.

As Dr. Satrinava exited the room, she curled up in the corner of her cot, opening the delicate piece of paper slowly. The way the ink traveled across the paper made her feel a sense of relief, and she swore his scent was embedded in the paper itself. It was as if she was in his arms all over again as her fingers trailed over every single word he had written for her eyes only.

My darling Nijah,

It pains me so much to leave your side. I would even be upset if I was only gone for a day. However, I do not know how long I will be away from you, which breaks my heart the most.

If you are reading this, it means that I am already at the palace in Vesuvia. Funny, isn’t it, that the castle was what brought us together and now it is tearing us apart? It’s a bittersweet irony that I cannot stop thinking about.

But although I cannot be with you now, I want you to know that my heart only longs for you. You’re the one I want to come home to every night, to wake up next to every morning, to spend every waking moment of every day. I can’t stop thinking about it, a life with you is the only thing I want.

One might think how I fell for you so quickly. Call it fate, call it destiny...when I first saw you in the ballroom, I knew I had found the one. You’ve been so kind, so sweet, so caring and loving to a man who doesn’t deserve anything at all...when I’m with you, Nijah, I’m home.

I promise I will marry you. I have another ring picked out so I may properly propose to you. We can take our time or we can rush things...whatever you want. I’m going to give you the life you’ve always wanted.

Wait for me. Please.

I love you,

Dr. Julian Devorak

Nijah held the paper close to her heart and clutched her swollen stomach with the other hand, the tears overflowing from her eyes. She realized she could never give him the future that he deserved.

And that made her feel worse than the plague ever could.

By the second day, her spirits were already low.

When she fell asleep the night before, she felt nothing but emptiness. She missed having Julian by her side, let alone anyone around her, and she tossed and turned in the cot until she finally drifted off to sleep. However, her mind was only filled with nightmares, waking her up after what felt like a few moments of sleep. She could feel the eye bags bulging as she woke up, not even able to be cured by a fresh breeze.

She knew that her body was aching and trembling, so much that even Dr. Satrinava was concerned. They ceased to do too many treatments that day for her sake, but still made their best attempt to give her some relief. But even the leeches weren’t enough.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not really.” Nijah eyes the parasite sucking her blood out of her. This probably isn’t good for the baby, isn’t it? “It just makes me feel a little more...drained.”

The doctor chuckled under her breath, eyes twinkling a bit as she carefully peeled off the creature. “Even at your worst, you’re still trying your best. I respect that, Nijah.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

They placed the leech back in it’s jar and prepared to leave until tomorrow. “I will have someone else bring your dinner momentarily. I think it might make you feel better than the leeches.”

As if right on cue, there was a knock on the door to the room. The door creaked as another plague mask with a plate of warm food came into view.

“Hello?”

Nijah knew that voice right away, her entire face lighting up. “Katja!” She sprung up out of her seat a little too quickly, making her knees wobble as she fell right back into her spot.

Katja rushed over to her side. “Hey, don’t hurt yourself!” She laughed as she helped Nijah get settled in. She placed a soft blanket over her legs and placed the plate in her lap.

Dr. Satrinava nodded at the two friends, a smile crossing over their features. “Then I will leave you to it, Doctor 193.” And with one last wave, she was gone for the evening.

“Nijah, Nijah...what am I going to do with you?” Katja crossed her arms over her chest. “How in all the seven hells did you catch the plague?”

“I’m not the smartest, you see,” Nijah said with a mouth full of potatoes, “and I took off my mask after my last patient died.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t want to fill it with my tears.”

“Oh, that’s right…” Katja remembered their conversation previously in the dining hall, and how Nijah’s best friend from home had to die under her care. “I guess that is valid. Didn’t think the plague would spread so quickly, huh?”

“Definitely not.” Nijah moved on to the meat, chewing it roughly. It was more tender than she was used to.

“Have you heard from Dr. Devorak since you left?” Katja wiggled her eyebrows and gave her a smug grin.

“No, but…” Nijah sighed. “He wrote me a letter that I read yesterday. And he wanted me to stay here until he came back from Vesuvia, but it seems like that will be impossible now.”

Katja’s eyebrows knit sadly, her gloved hand rubbing against Nijah’s leg. “I’m sorry, dear.”

“He wants to marry me, Katja.” She confessed, holding out her ring finger for her friend to see. “He wants to spend the rest of his life with me. And I can’t even give him that.”

Katja’s gaze trailed over to the golden band, shining in the dim light of the room. “It’s beautiful, Nijah…”

“Want to know the worst part?” She choked up, her right hand pressing her stomach. “I’m...I’m pregnant, Katja.” She squeezed her eyes shut, the vulnerability of revealing such a huge secret frightening her.

Katja’s jaw nearly came unhinged from her skull. “Nijah...when were you going to tell me?” She shuffled closer to her friend, holding her ear next to her friend’s stomach. “How far along are you?”

“I have no idea. Jul-I mean, Dr. Devorak and I have...done it many times.”

Her friend’s face twisted in confusion. “Wait a minute. Just how many times are we talking about here?”

“Well…”

And so Nijah told her the whole story, how she met Dr. Devorak as a stranger at the masquerade, how he quite figuratively (and literally) swept her off her feet. From the enchanting first night they spent together to the time he cornered her in his office, telling her to forget that there was anything even between them. How Luka had tried to kill her if she didn’t let him have her body for the night, and how Dr. Devorak saved her life. She didn’t leave out any details, any moments, any words that he may have said. She wanted Katja to know everything.

A huge weight lifted off her shoulders as she finished the story. “And then he had to leave. Just like that. And he still doesn’t know…”

“Nijah…” Katja shook her head and let her gaze cross across the floor.

“And there’s no way he’ll ever know. He’ll never be back in time...to give me the cure…”

Nijah’s eyes overflowed with tears once more, a sensation she has become quite familiar with. She was hopeless by this point. She would never see Dr. Devorak again. She would never tell him that she had been carrying his child for months. She would never get to marry him. She would never spend the rest of her life with him.

In fact, she would be lucky if she even got to take a step outside of the walls of her cell, holding her back as if she was a prisoner. Nothing could save her from this terrible fate.

Katja knew her words couldn’t help her friend this time. As Nijah cried, she held her friend close to her chest, at least trying to give her one last bit of comfort before she was gone forever.

The third day was the worst of them all.

Nijah could barely feel anything but fire burning through her body. It hurt to move, to blink, hell, it even hurt to breathe. The ring and the rest of the clothes made it feel like something was holding her underwater, not giving her any room to catch her breath. Every time she coughed, it was like she was being stabbed in her chest. The blood splatters on the floor and on her hand made it more believable, as well.

She curled up on her side in the cot, not wanting to move a muscle any longer. She was ready to leave this world.

Katja came and saw her one more time. She was surprised to see her dear friend in such a terrible state. It looked like she hadn’t eaten in days, her body was nearly skin and bones, and she looked much paler than normal. The red dots on the ground were what worried her the most

“Wh...what happened here?” She asked with a worried tone, getting down on her knees to examine the spots left all over her side of the room. “You didn’t try to...” she continued, looking at her friend’s wrists.

As if on cue, another cough racked Nijah’s body, blood spurting out of her mouth and landing right at Katja’s feet. She fell deeper into the cot, feeling defeated. She was essentially hopeless.

“Nijah…” Katja muttered, a gloved finger rubbing through the droplets, “This...we’ve never seen something like this in a patient before. Have you?”

Nijah shook her head to the best of her ability. She thought she saw Selene cough up blood, but she couldn’t remember in her state.

“This...this is the biggest breakthrough we’ve made yet!” Katja jumped up, immediately jotting down as many notes as she could. “We can take samples of your blood and run tests on them. Valdemar and Satrinava could send the data results to Dr. Devorak and it could get him closer to the cure for...for…”

Her eyes fell on her dying friend. She had never seen someone she cared for looking so malnourished, so horribly fucked over in this way. A wave of sadness crashed over her mind as she came to sit next to her on the cot.

“Ah, Nijah...I have a lot to thank you for. Not just for this. But I think you’ve made me better.” Katja took her clean gloved hand and patted her on the back. Nijah winced a bit, taking a gasp of air (that, of course, made her feel much worse).

“Ah, probably not the best thing to do right now.” Katja placed her hand in her lap, interlacing it with her other fingers. “...I mean it, though. Your kindness to me has helped me not be so bitter. Involving me in your life has made me feel like a part of something bigger than myself. I will cherish this friendship forever and ever. I’ll…” she sniffed, holding back tears. “...I’ll never forget you, Nijah.”

As she stood to leave, she opened her coat pocket and pulled out an iris. “I saw this while I was walking the grounds last night...and I think you would want it more than me.” She placed the flower in front of Nijah’s hands, giving her friend one last smile before she left her forever.

“Goodbye, Nijah. Sweet dreams.”

As she shut the door behind her, Nijah decided to follow her orders, closing her eyes as her fingers gripped the frail flower stem, hoping her dreams would be better than reality.

I’ve been in this place before, she thought.

It was the same flower field from her first time meeting Selene. The same one she saw when she spent her first night with Julian. This was her favorite place. This time, there was no cloudy red skies or thunderstorms. The flowers bloomed gracefully, the sweet fragrances flowing from their buds, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The only thing she could see was life.

And she could feel the life inside of her, Julian’s child. She looked down and saw that her belly had swollen to twice its size underneath her cropped shirt and long pink skirt. She held it tenderly, rubbing it and wondering what her baby would look like when it was finally born. Had she and Julian talked about baby names yet? She kept on imagining that she would name him Azrael, but only time would tell who they will become.

Suddenly, she heard a voice come from behind her. She was surprised to see that Selene had reincarnated herself, wearing a flowing white dress, much different than her usual attire.

“Nijah! You’re here!” She shouted, hopping through the flowers to embrace her friend. She took great care to hold the baby bump, too. For Selene, the child would be like family to her.

As Nijah squeezed her friend around the shoulders, she felt someone else’s presence behind her. “Good to see you’re okay, hun.” That voice had to be Katja, she thought as her own arms held them all together, as if they were three peas inside of a pod. Their feminine scents overwhelmed Nijah’s nose to the point where she was almost dizzy.

“It’s so good to have you all here.” Nijah smiled as her friends released her, joining hands with each of them. These women meant so much to her, and she would be forever thankful for their roles in their lives. She just hoped they knew that.

Before long, a tall figure made their way through the flower beds. Nijah, of course, knew who they were right away.

“Dr. Jules!” She shouted, joined by the giggles of the women right beside her.

As he came even closer, she could see the happiness on his face. Finally, she thought, we can have the life we have wanted for so long. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, his hands cupping her face so perfectly.

“Ah, darling. You look as beautiful as ever.” He crooned, his hands moving down to the bump in her stomach. “And Odine is looking nearly as good as her mother.”

Nijah rolled her eyes. “How are you so sure it will be a girl?”

“I’m a doctor, my dear. I know these things.”

Her knees felt weak as he flashed his signature grin. She couldn’t resist it. He had a hold on her that she could never break free from, and she was just fine with that.

He turned around on his heel, looking back at her over his shoulder. “Are you ready for your next journey to begin?”

Without hesitation, she answered, “Yes.” And together, they all moved forward through the flowers, off into the setting sun.

And in that moment, her hurting soul finally left the world.

Julian was very busy at the palace, doing his best to find a cure. It turned out that Count Lucio had contracted it himself, although unlike the rest of the city, he had managed to have it for weeks and not die. It was a medical mystery to the doctor, but a pain in the ass for his coworker.

“Sometimes, I wish he would just die already.” Asra muttered under his breath as his fingers brushed against the book spines on the shelves in the library.

Julian rolled his eyes, diving back into his work. For some reason, the magician rubbed him the wrong way. It was something about his cat-like smile making him think he was a suspicious person. His flat-out disdain for the Count was nothing but offensive to him, let alone the entire city. And the way his white hair bounced as he walked...Julian wished he could tame his curls to not have a mind on their own. He was completely jealous.

But, his mind trailed back to the woman who held his affections. He thought of her blonde, flowing hair, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, the freckles dotting her cheeks and shoulders that he secretly loved, reminding him of the stars in the sky. He thought of her voice saying his name, her laugh directed at something witty he may have said or that he may have ran into a door frame. He thought of her fingers, touching him delicately across his face, making him feel at peace once again...

A knock on the door jolted Julian’s thoughts. A servant entered the room, a scroll rolled up in his hand.

“Dr. Devorak. This was sent for you.”

“For...me?” He asked, his cheeks feeling warm. He’s never received any sort of letters before, even when he was just beginning his practice.

He thanked the servant and unrolled it right where he stood. But, as he began to read it, he slowly sunk back into his chair, similar to his smile turning into a frown.

Dear Dr. Devorak,

I hope this letter finds you well. Unfortunately, I am writing this letter to bring you terrible news. Nijah has died of the plague.

She contacted it while taking care of her best friend, Selene, who passed after you left for the palace. Nijah may not have told you...she tended to keep her burdens to herself, didn’t she? Anyways, she caught it quickly after making a fatal mistake after her friend died. Although her mistake was tragic, her symptoms have given us further research to test and send to you in hopes that it will help you find the cure.

She is in a much better place now, Dr. Devorak. She spoke of you so highly, and she is so proud of your accomplishments. She loved you so much. Her final wish was to be buried with the ring you gifted her.

I hope that you continue to work hard so we can find a cure to the plague. We will be sending more research we have found once we have finished our tests. We are all looking forward to your discoveries, Dr. Devorak.

From,

Dr. 193, Katja Kuznetsov

Julian read the letter over and over again. He wished it wasn’t true, it couldn’t be true. He had been at the palace for less than a week…

And he already lost the one thing that would make this task seem worth it.

Feeling defeated, he slumped over his desk, crumpling the letter in his hands. He felt the tears soaking into the sleeves around his forearms as his shoulders quivered from his emotions. He didn’t care if his sobs were audible or not. He didn’t care what Asra or Count Lucio or anyone thought of him.

His heart had broken completely. The love of his life was gone, because he couldn’t find the cure quickly enough. He had lost the woman who had given his life meaning. And there was no way to get her back.

Unless…

A candle flame went off in his mind. His lifted his head up to face the other man in the room, eyes and face red from his tears. “Asra.” He shouted desperately.

“Dr. De...Julian, are you okay?” Asra arrived to his side, placing a hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

“You are a magician, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I…” Julian hesitated, his voice trembling. “...I just lost someone very near and dear to me. Is there...a way to bring them back?” His vision was filled with sadness, but Asra could see a small glimmer of hope deep in the doctor’s grey eyes.

“Hmm,” Asra contemplated. “There is one way I know how. But it will take a lot of work on my end.” The magician’s hand trailed from Julian’s shoulder to his cheek bones. “What would be in it for me?”

“Oh, please! I’ll do anything you wish. Just please...save her.” Julian got down on his knees, folding his hands together and shaking them pleadingly. He was a man that wasn’t afraid to beg. Especially for the one thing he truly needed in this world.

Asra chuckled under his breath, his hand moving up to the auburn hair and pulling against it roughly, jerking the doctor’s head back. He got down on his knees, pressing a searing kiss right underneath his jawline. Julian squiremed, his face flushing. This felt so wrong, but as Asra’s teeth nipped his skin, he moaned rather loudly. It was definitely feeling so right.

The magician’s mouth drew away, curled in his signature smile. “Meet me at my shop after sunset. There are a few things we need to discuss first.”

Julian’s fingers ghosted over the mark Asra left on his skin. Did that just happen? He thought as he felt the magician’s fingers untangle from his hair. His mind was in a daze. Never before has anyone touched him in such a way. His eyes glazed over as he watched the magician stand to his feet and begin walking out the library. He shook his head, bringing him back to his senses.

“D-do you...want me to walk you home?”

Three years later…

“Wow. What a strange night.” Nijah mutters to herself as she looked out into the dark streets of Vesuvia.

First, her magical master Asra has suddenly left on a journey to another unknown world, one that he was keeping a secret from her. These trips were not unusual to her, but the fact that he was keeping it so secretive made her more suspicious than usual. She knew he was hiding something from her, but what could it be?

Then, the Countess has visited not long after he left, then requested that she move into the castle to assist with some sort of grand plan after she had read her tarot cards. She didn’t mind the countess too much, but knew that Asra would not be happy if she were to up and leave the shop for such a long time. Then again, she was the widow of the wicked Count Lucio, so she may have some evil scheme up her sleeve as well. She wasn’t sure if she could trust her.

What could happen next? She thought as she released the door, her attention turned back into the shop. It had been her home for so long. She didn’t remember how she got it, all she knew was that it was her and Asra’s home. It felt strange to her, though. She never thought she would own a magic store, let alone learn any magic from Asra. The past few years had really been an experience for her, and she felt like in a past life, she would have a calling doing something else.

Oh, dear, she thought. With all this trouble, I completely forgot to feed Gris. I must go bring her the cabbage I promised her. The thought of her manatee familiar all alone made her heart wrench. She started to make her way towards the kitchen to make her animal’s favorite snack.

Then, as the candle in her shop blew out, she froze.

The door had taken much longer for it to shut than normal.

“Strange hours for a shop to keep.”

What the…

She turns her head around, trying to see where the sound is coming from in the dark, only the light of the stars guiding her.

“...Behind you.”

Sure enough, when she turns, she sees a tall, dark figure looming against the door. He continues to speak, his voice muffled by his plague mask:

“Now, sources say that this is the witch’s lair...so who might you be?”

Nijah feels her heart racing in her chest as the masked figure comes closer and closer. What does this doctor want? She furrows her brows, concentrating on conjuring her magical powers. She twirls her fingers as she mutters a spell, a ball of water forming between her hands. She intended it to hit him right in the chest, a defense spell Asra had taught her a long time ago.

“Oh?” He laughs as he grabs her wrist with his gloves, the water between her fingers dissipating into thin air. He has her body trapped against the wall and his towering frame.

Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

What the hell is she supposed to do now?

“He’s been teaching you all his tricks? Unfortunately for you, I’ve seen them all befo-”

Reaching behind her, fingers grazing along the windowsill, she grabbed a glass bottle and smashed it on his forehead.

“Ack!”

Knocked loose by the blow, the stranger’s mask clatters to the floor. He’s bent over on the stones by her feet, trying to regain his composure. Nijah points the what’s left of the broken bottle in his direction, waiting for the moment she needed to strike again.

Nijah didn’t realize until it was too late that the bottle had been full, the water soaking his hair and the single globe amaranth lying on the floor around him. Bracing herself for the worse, she tightened her grip on the bottle as he slowly brought his head back up

Her racing heart stops cold when he lifts his bloodied gaze to hers, nearly dropping what’s left of the bottle.

“You do have guts.” He stated, his eyebrows furrowed.

She knew this man once. Everyone did. But she felt like she knew him a bit better than others might. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but she assumed she must have known him a long time ago, before her memories were lost. Maybe they were friends? Curly auburn hair, strong nose, pale skin, and those eyes…even though one of them was covered in an eyepatch, she still knew.

The band she felt on her ring finger felt much heavier than it normally did.

“Do...Doctor Jules?”

He gets to his feet once again, brushing the glass off of his coat.

“Haven’t heard that name in years...Nijah.”

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Photo Creds

Previous Chapter

Masterlist

#fuck its finally done #elle writes #the arcana #julian devorak #ilya devorak #julian devorak fanfic #nijah horvat #angst #tw: pregnancy #tw: character death

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smashpages · 6 years

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Nominees announced for the 2018 Ringo Awards

The nominees for the Ringo Awards have been announced, marking the second year for the awards program named for artist Mike Wieringo, who passed away in 2007.

While fans could participate in the nomination process, only comic book professionals can vote for the winners. The awards will be presented at Baltimore Comic-Con Sept. 29.

Congratulations to all the nominees:

Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)

Guy Delisle

Emil Ferris

Monica Gallagher

Joelle Jones

Quimchee

Jillian Tamaki

Best Writer

Jason Aaron

Neil Gaiman

Matt Kindt

Tom King

Jeff Lemire

Aline Brosh McKenna

David Pepose

Best Artist or Penciller

Gary Frank

Mitch Gerards

Chris Samnee

Stjepan Sejic

Lee Weeks

Best Inker

Jonathan Glapion

Mark McKenna

Danny Miki

Mark Morales

Scott Williams

Best Letterer

Colin Bell

Justin Birch

Todd Klein

David Rubin

John Workman

Best Colorist

Dijjo Lima

Laura Martin

Dave McCaig

Jasen Smith

Dave Stewart

Best Cover Artist

Michael Cho

Fay Dalton

Simon Fraser

Joelle Jones

David Mack

Jorge Santiago Jr.

Best Series

Batman, DC Comics

Lady Killer, Dark Horse Comics

Mister Miracle, DC Comics

Spencer & Locke, Action Lab Entertainment

Sunstone, Image Comics

Best Single Issue or Story

Batman Annual #2, DC Comics

Batman/Elmer Fudd Special, DC Comics

Doomsday Clock #1, DC Comics

I Am Groot, Marvel Comics

Mister Miracle #5, DC Comics

Best Original Graphic Novel

The Aggregate, Split Decision Comics

The Best We Could Do, Abrams ComicArts

Hostage, Drawn & Quarterly

My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Fantagraphics

Spinning, First Second

Best Anthology

Magic Bullet, D.C. Conspiracy

Mine! A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood, ComicMix

Mirror, Mirror II, 2dcloud

Overwatch: Anthology Volume 1, Dark Horse Comics

SpongeBob Comics: Treasure Chest, Harry N. Abrams

Best Humor Comic

Baking with Kafka, Drawn & Quarterly

Batman/Elmer Fudd Special, DC Comics

Boyfriend of the Dead, Line Webtoons

Giant Days, BOOM! Studios

My Giant Nerd Boyfriend, Line Webtoons

Sh*t My President Says, Top Shelf Productions

Best Comic Strip or Panel

Bloom County, Berkeley Breathed, Andrews McMeel Universal

Mutts, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate

Peanizles, www.peanizles.com/

Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis, Andrews McMeel Universal

Sarah’s Scribbles, Andrews McMeel Universal

Best Webcomic

1000, Sanford Greene (www.webtoons.com/en/action/one-thousand/list?title_no=1217&page=1)

I Love Yoo, Quimchee (www.webtoons.com/en/romance/i-love-yoo/list?title_no=986&page=1)

The Middle Age, Steve Conley (www.middleagecomic.com/)

Siren’s Lament, instantmiso (www.webtoons.com/en/romance/sirens-lament/list?title_no=632&page=1)

War Cry, Dean Haspiel (www.webtoons.com/en/super-hero/war-cry/list?title_no=1247&page=1)

Best Non-fiction Comic Work

The Best We Could Do, Abrams ComicArts

Everything is Flammable, Uncivilized Books

Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York, Bloomsbury Publishing

My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Fantagraphics

Poppies of Iraq, Drawn & Quarterly

ReDistricted, redistrictedcomics.com

Spinning, First Second

Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel

Bolivar, Archaia/BOOM! Studios

Cyko KO: A Comic Book Adventure You Can Color, Alterna Comics

DC SuperHero Girls, DC Comics

Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties, Graphix

Home Time (Book One), Top Shelf Productions

If Found��Please Return To Elise Gravel, Drawn & Quarterly

Jem and the Holograms, IDW Publishing

Pizza Tree, Arcana Comics

Red’s Planet: Friends and Foes, Harry N. Abrams

Best Presentation in Design

Jane, BOOM! Studios

Monograph by Chris Ware, Rizzoli

Monsters Vol. 1: The Marvel Monsterbus, Valiant Entertainment

My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Fantagraphics

Saga, Image Comics

Skybourne, BOOM! Studios

X-Men: Grand Design Marvel Comics

#comic books #Smash Pages #ringo awards

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itsjustinknow · 6 years

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So tomorrow begins what is essentially going to be my ten month Hell Writing Challenge.

Earlier this month I learned that some people do 100k during NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) instead of the usual 50k to give themselves more of a challenge. Which is super cool! But I didn’t think I could pull it off myself - at least, not outright. I’ve done NaNoWriMo (and won) a few times, but what I want more is to have a more consistent writing habit so I don’t just try for a project in November and then only do the occasional short thing the rest of the year (not that there’s anything wrong with this, I just miss writing).

So! Thus was born the Hell Challenge. Each month I will have a writing goal, beginning with 10k in August (which, honestly, will likely still be short things starting off because I need to finish the semi-outline thing for my longer project) and going up by that same amount each month until I hit 100k in May (it rhymes!). So September’s goal will be 20k, October will be 30k, and so on. Had I thought of it sooner, I would have started in July so I could complete NaNo like usual but, well, it works out either way.

My main project for most of this is going to be the first book (if not the first and second book really) of the Arcana series, which I’ve posted about before and really need to update the page on.

I’ve made a calendar for this. And a powerpoint. There is no stopping me. Anyways, I’ll probably be posting updates and things every now and again so all 27 or so of you can share in my suffering. I might post excerpts every now and again depending on how I feel about my writing that day, but who knows. This challenge is primarily for me to have fun and focus on building this habit so I can actually fucking write these stories. And, you know, dying in the process, because why not?

Hope you’re all having a lovely day. I’ll be scribbling in my notebook for the next few hours. And hoping this series sticks to the planned five parts and doesn’t get any more complicated than it already is.

#just thoughts #the hell challenge log #i'm calling it that now #but yep #this is my life now

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reven-niaga · 6 years

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I noticed that I never actually published those on here, I’m sorry !

I’m illustrating my story “Glass Lies” (future webcomic, wish me luck !) with the tarot theme, I hope to do all 79 cards. This will probably not be the finished version, since I may change details when I’ve done all of the High Arcanas.

I’m also preparing a post blog on my website where I will talk about each Tarot card more in detail ! But I’m a slow worker, so you know, it may be a while.

I’ll continue to post them on here as batch of 4 I guess :) I also don’t draw them in order, soooo.

So, here you have :

Gabi – The Impress

Gabi is one of my fav characters of the story I guess. I had a lot of fun drawing their outfit !

Zaïd – The Emperor

Another one of my fav characters, with Zaïd. She really fits the role of the Emperor Card, despite the fact that she’s female

Haal – The Hierophant

Haal is actually kind of the equivalent of the Pope, in the fictional world of Glass Lies. He’s the head of the local religion called “sorinisme”. He’s also really sweet and adorable, most of the time.

Thokou – The Fool

No drawing series of mine would be completed without Thokou, that little fellow finds their way in every one of my drawings and scribbles ! The role of the fool suits them perfectly though, as Glass Lies is the first story in Thokou’s timeline, and they’re pretty much inexperienced in everything when it takes place.

#tarot #illustrator on tumblr #artists on tumblr #original character #black and white #drawings #oseamune

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beanswrites · 2 years

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The Arcana Scribbles Pt. 6

Tell me who's the baddest bitch in The Arcana

And why is it Nadia

#the arcana #the arcana scribbles series #haven't done this in a while #but really isn't she???#nadia satrinava #the arcana nadia

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sunlitdivination · 6 years

Photo

major arcana → 00. le mat/the fool

“It might be so if madness were simply an evil; but there is also a madness which is a divine gift, and the source of the chiefest blessings granted to men. For prophecy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Hellas, both in public and private life, but when in their senses few or none.”

— The Second Speech of Socrates on Divine Madness and the Immortality of the Soul

The Fool is the only card of the Major Arcana to lack a number. This is wise, for the Fool has no boundary; it is freedom and pure energy, the spawning of a thousand ideas which have not yet come to pass. All paths belong to it. It represents origin, beginning and the inversion of form itself; the amor fati of Dionysian revelry, the threshold between worlds, paradox and madness.

It is the patron of prophecy, the card of ecstatic raving. It differs from the gestation and softness of the High Priestess; instead it is a shout into the void, unrestrained joyful expression and freedom from the confines of the civilized world.

Within a Reading:

When the Fool appears, it can mean several things. It is a great infuser of energy. Where is it looking? To the left, to the right? Which card is it breathing its life into? Where is the energy of the heedless Fool headed? Pay attention to the visual symbols of each deck; each Fool is different, yet precisely the same. As it is a card of beginning, it carries along the zealotry of youth wherever it may travel.

The Fool adds the spice of beginning, the palate cleansing brilliance of ginger, which burns away excess, leaving only herb on the tongue. Within certain contexts represents it can mean a series of ideas in utero, or the need for divine inspiration. Creators, take heed! Sometimes it indicates the need for reduction and regression, allowing ideas to flow from the void through scribbling, experimentation and lack of form. Spit on a page and call it art. Break vases. Write nonsense. Channel poetry from the abyss.

It can also indicate choice and personal liberation. Are they arbitrary limits being imposed on your client? There may be a need to break free. No more societal limitation, for the Fool is the trickster that exists in a state of divine paradox. The Fool teaches us that we can be both substance and absence, in growth and entropy, shining with the light of virtue and boiling in the black depths of our own shadow. Through the Fool both are ligated, healed and made new.

When the Fool is reversed or caught between cards of a higher suit, it can indicate its own opposition — blockage, limitation, mental slavery and indecision. Being trapped and restrained, the Trickster loses its ability to shift form. It becomes toothless, embittered and childish, lashing out, regressing to senseless violence and despair.

#the fool #divination #tarot #cartomancy #witchcraft #witchblr #22 days of tarot #pagan #magick #original

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metazensae · 6 years

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Tagged by @hateyourcostume

Nicknames: Izzy

Gender: cute

Star sign: Capricorn

Height: 5'6

Time: 8:02 am

Birthday: January 1st!

Favourite bands: Purity Ring, the Qemists, Pendulum, Keane, idk Kpop groups sometimes

Favourite solo artists: Michael Buble, Hyuna, G-Dragon, Imogen Heap

Song stuck in my head: Crush - Pendulum

Last movie I watched: Shape of Water - mmmmm fishman

When did I create my blog: Idk it was 2009 when I was in C o L L e G e

What do I post: whatever I want! Right now that’s Arcana stuff and gorgeous central Asian fashion, but it’s often: cats, Zeke and Emile, and other rando scribbles

Last thing I googled: bmw 1 series f20 problems

Do I have other blogs: yep but I’m shit at managing more than one at a time ahahaha

Do I get asks?: Not often, no

Why did I choose my URL: zensae means “sensei” Bc I was a young weeb and I like the letter Z (Izzy, Zeke...) Meta bc someone else stole my username on twitter so I started adding that prefix to all my other accounts.

Following blogs: that inspire me and post good art

Followers: HOW ARE 900+ PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THIS MISHMASH BLOG GOSH THANK YOU FOR LIKING MY ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favourite colours: blues, greens, purples (huge mood, Tea. I’m leaving this one)

Average hours of sleep: used to be 6, but since coming to Korea, I’m jet lagged and I sleep a good 9-11 hours since I don’t know what to do with myself

Lucky numbers: 9

What am i wearing: T-shirt and grandma pants (that my husband hates but SERIOUSLY GMAS KNOW WHATS UP THIS IS COMFORTABLE AS HELL!!)

How many blankets do i sleep with: one (1) really thick comforter

Dream job: something where I’m stable and respected ;A; id really love to make comics my actual job but it’s probably just going to be a side thing for the rest of my life. OH I KNOW - SHOE COBBLER!!!! MY LIFE GOAL!!!

Dream trip: Japan to see Ringo and Brooke!!!!!!!!!

Favourite food: samgyeopsal

Nationality: American, Korean resident tho

Favourite song right now: Tristam & Rogue - Flamewar

Tagging: idk who’s done this already but if you see it, you’re tagged!!!

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g-gulo · 6 years

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So you know that post where someone sells their soul to the devil in exchange for a friend? I was feeling inspired, and threw together what might be the first in a series of snippets set in the life of Buddy, who has no clue what he’s doing with his life and then hey, look, Satan.

Read on for a badly thought out summoning ritual

First Encounters

Carefully, Buddy aligned his old soup can full of Vimto in the centre of his arcane summoning array. Or at least, that’s what his Compendia Arcana called it: an arcane summoning array. It was meant to be drawn in pure white chalk with beeswax candles at the points and a golden chalice of mammalian blood in the centre. Buddy didn’t have those to hand, so his array was drawn with a white Crayola crayon with more crayons burning at the points and an old tin full of Vimto in the middle because he didn’t even have any red wine to use.

He sometimes wondered where Thrift Readers got their stock from, because a book on summoning the unnatural and unholy was not a common find in second hand bookshops and yet here he was, wasting Sunday evening with dark rituals. Anyone else would have asked, but the shop assistant who was also potentially the owner of Thrift Readers was a bright, cheerful and outgoing person who thus terrified Buddy intensely. May liked to talk to customers in the shop, Buddy liked to avoid this as best as possible. He knew every inch of that bookshop not just because of the sheer amount of time he’d spent in there but also due to his habit of finding empty aisles and shadowed corners to hide from its proprietor in.

Still, without internet access outside office hours, books were a good, steady source of entertainment and even more so when they included fun little diagrams to sketch out on warped floorboards for fun. And tongue-twisting quasi-latin chants to invoke over said diagrams. Buddy figured anything was better than reading The Magician’s Guild for the nth time when he’d last read it sometime the previous week.

Then the lights flickered in what could only be described as an ominous manner and Buddy felt a very vicious chill bolt up his spine. The crayon lines were melting slowly, and the smoke coming off the smouldering wax seemed to be glowing. The Vimto began boiling suddenly and the Crayola candles were already turned into tiny piles of colourful slag, leaving behind tiny floating balls of fire where their burning tips had been.

Buddy stood in front of the bizarre spectacle, completely transfixed and very much incapable of moving. Or even thinking. His hind-brain was screeching very loudly at him but the rest of his cerebrum was ignoring it in favour of an excellent impression of a gaping goldfish. An impression that endured the instant the delineated patch of his perpetually damp floorboards transformed into a gaping pit of scorching hot fire, dripping tar and noxious black smoke, and kept on going right through the moments required for that smoke to coalesce into a looming figure before him.

Thick, curling horns of char-black magma shot through with cracks of hot molten stone reached up to gouge sharp points into the moulding plaster of the ceiling, and hooves of heavy steel marred the wooden floor. The space between was filled, and Buddy’s flailing mind catalogued what filled that space in disordered snatches of observation. Broad shoulders of rusted-iron skin written over with sinuous lines of black ink that writhed under the eye and spread down and out, across the acres of bare skin on show. Equally as black is the fur on thick-set goat’s legs that on second glance appeared to not be fur, but fine, spiny scales that glinted with implicit danger. Slit eyes gazed down upon Buddy’s relatively small form with undisguised contempt, pools of dark blood in place of pupils and sclera. The horns grew above a face both classically handsome and terrifyingly harsh, and the swept-back long hair was again, more akin to delicate spines than anything you’d find on a normal person.

Buddy squeaked as the monolith of wrought fire-flesh before him moved to cross its arms before its chest.

“For what purpose do you presume to call me forth to this wretched plane?” The beastly apparition had a voice that was at once the whisper of snakeskin over supple leather and the screams of countless voices raised in a chorus of shared agony.

“Uh…” Buddy’s jaw worked soundlessly for a minute while his mind initiated an emergency reboot.

“Speak, before I lose my patience and be done with you.” Those thin eyes began to burn from within like the light of forge-warmed coals. “What do you wish to bargain for?”

Bargain? Buddy fixated on the word for a brief second before the penny dropped. Summoning, hellfire, bargains: he’d called up a demon, and now it was time to trade.

“You mean, um, what-” He swallowed nervously.

“What do you want, boy?” The demon thundered, “for what will you trade me your soul?” It cast its gaze around his tiny apartment. “Wealth? Power? Love?” The demon scoffed, waving a hand in dismissal of the trite demands of mortal man.

“A, a friend?” Buddy blurted out, still floundering in confusion. His brain was firing on all four cylinders and then some, but they weren’t firing in very good rhythm. Random snippets of thought and memory kept derailing his cognitive processes. Buddy regretted never going on the public speaking courses his college offered, he was sure he’d be better at this sort of thing if he had attended those seminars.

“A friend?” The demon echoed, and if it were at all possible, Buddy would have said it sounded slightly bewildered.

“…Yes?” Buddy squeaked.

“You, Buddy J. Jones, agree to give up your immortal soul in trade for a friend?” The demon narrowed its eyes as if unsure whether Buddy was trying to pull something over on it, or was just plain stupid.

“I think so?” It was technically a statement, but Buddy made it sound like a question.

“Sign.” The demon snapped clawed fingers and the air in front of Buddy rippled with an intense heatwave for a second before resolving itself into an ornate vellum scroll covered with sprawling archaic writings, stipulating the precise terms of the exchange being agreed to. A pen segued into existence next to the scroll and Buddy gingerly plucked it out of mid-air to scribble his name at the bottom, on the traditional dotted line. Refusing the deal never occurred to him, not with the hulking spawn of the infernal abyss glaring holes into his face.

“Done, done and thrice done,” the demon intoned, gesturing again to make the contract wink back out of reality to some unholy archive of mortal mistakes.

“Um, okay?” Buddy fumbled, entirely unsure as to what he had gotten himself into. The demon just gave a haughty sniff.

“Such a request as yours may take some time, you will be notified when the deal is fulfilled.” It informed him, before casting one last withering look at its surrounds and disappearing into the gaping hole of fire behind it in a raging torrent of fire and brimstone smoke.

#d.aardvark writes #idk #let me know if you find a typo #or have anything to say #blooddeathandmayhem

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