#7 = Black Rat Snake

[shadowkira]

When in doubt... I like animals and the woods more than I like people.

[conkreetmonkey]

Splatoon 3 is wild because imagine if you were living in Japan due to a recent economic and cultural boom, and suddenly a space shuttle with a mutant house-sized T-rex riding it suddenly burst from the center of Mt. Fuji and disappeared into space without explanation, and all you ever find out about what the fuck that was about is that Zuckerburg mysteriously disappeared the same day and was never seen again, but still "officially" ran Meta through an open secret Queen-Elizabeth-being-in-good-health gaslighting campaign, and everybody kind of suspected he may have been connected but never figured out anything conclusive.

Also the T-rex is now orbiting the earth in the fetal position like the guy from Jojo, and there are rumors of a substance that, if touched, turns you into a half-dinosaur monster. Nobody understands any of this but Meta employees just keep going to work and pretending Zuck still exists. The same 12 prerecorded voicelines constantly squak from the PA system.

Oddly, the statue in front of Meta HQ of a T-rex eating a human changes overnight into one of a giant human eating a tiny T-rex. Nobody noticed the switch, despite the statue being in a constantly bustling area. It happened shortly after the shuttle incident.

Jack Black's tiny clone, Lil' Jack, now wears a headset at all times and has been acting really shady since the incident. Also they're both hyperintelligent, immortal velociraptors found in an ancient cryogenic chamber who spend their days judging college football and eating the legally harvested flesh of hillbillies. Lil' Jack is probably plotting to kill Big Jack, but Big Jack doesn't seem to care, growing fat and lazy, sleeping on public benches in a bed of throw pillows. Also, he's very open about the fact that, as a velociraptor, humans look delicious, but he hasn't actually eaten anybody aside from the aforementioned hillbillies because he's civil.

Everyone is just expected to move on with their lives after this. This is normal to you.

The local art school was recently attacked by giant sea serpents, which were actually hideously bioengineered hillbillies, fulfilling a biblical doomsday prophecy, and they were driven back by Meta's army of minimum wage, part time child soldiers armed with warcrimey jury-rigged weaponry. The sea serpents had giant frying pans grafted into their mouths, which launched primitive tactical nukes made by filling garbage bags with their explosive blood. They still exist, and occasionally defend their comrades, but spend most of their time in the deep sea.

The local homeless emo twink everyone's attracted to is a closet millionaire who sells bootleg clothing in exchange for live rats, which he messily devours behind closed doors. He's also 8 feet tall and British and only has one eye.

North Korean refugees now flood the western world, after a greasy 14 year old hipster, under the guidance of Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, beat Kim Jong Un in a mech battle, and the EDM remix of the Japanese national anthem they performed caused like half the soldiers to immediately realize North Korea sucks ass and defect. One of these individuals, 7 foot tall hypergenius, becomes a newscaster alongside a nepo baby rapper with dwarfism who likes to eat entire jars of mayo, and also they're a popular band. Also also, they may or may not be gay. Almost the entire population is gay, so this isn't a huge deal.

The new local newscasters are a famous Japanese lion tamer, an Indian girl with a bloodline trait allowing her to control snakes, and a Brazillian man the size of a smart car who exclusively communicates via grunts.

Gods, souls and zombies are objectively real, and you're effectively immortal because real-life respawning was invented a while ago. It works like a Keurig, but with mucus instead of coffee. Submersion in water kills you.

A good deal of the population is a hivemind. They pretend to be individuals for no reason.

Almost all men are now femboys.

Despite all this, you still have to go to work at 9 tomorrow.

[pandoras-spell-box]

I think signs from the Gods are such a funny thing for me, because the signs I get from some of them completely contradict who I am.

The day that I realized Lord Apollon wanted to work with me it was supposed to be a thunder storm, an 80% chance. But when I woke up it was bright and sunny, the sunlight blasting through my window despite my black out curtains. Birds were chirping and I could feel the warmth, the smell of flowers starting to bloom.

Thing is, I hate the sunlight. I live in the middle of the desert, even if it's the dead of winter it never seems to go below 30°F, and even at that low the sun is so bright. I get overstimulated and uncomfortable in the heat and would honestly prefer if it was snowing 24/7.

I know the reasons I resonate with Lord Apollon. I'm very artistic, I play the flute, the piano, the ukulele, I'm a choir kid at heart. I love nature. I have a special interest in snakes, I absolutely lose my mind over cows, mice/rats, wolves, foxes. I would love to learn archery and have always been interested in it.

Signs don't always show why they want to work with you, I suppose is my point.

[mossy-chaos]

These are all of the codes I could find in the Book of Bill!

The order is decoded message-page-type of cipher

Spoilers under the cut (for those of you who decode yourselves):

Black and white-back of the cover jacket-authors cipher

Even his lies are lies-inside the front cover-theraprism cipher

Praise the fallen angle-first actual page-Cipheric (this is the only time Cipheric is used for some reason)

Olaf was here-same-rune (not sure what this is a reference to)

Remember us-same-Bill's cipher

Let him in and break the seal between what's fiction and what's real-books new master-Bill's cipher

The Axolotl thinks he's won but Ciphers games have just begun-handprint page-color cipher

Irregular-fake covers(very top)-color cipher

The one who writes the codes-about me-Caeser cipher

Glotto/slotheny-Magazine cover(7 new sins)-Bill's cipher (I love the new sins lol)

Not a phase-Stanford pines here(on the goth moth)-Authors cipher-love the jack skellington reference (if thats what that is lol)

Warning/Folding this card may/result in crossovers-the universe is a hollogram-rune (Maybe that's how we finally get an owl house/gravity falls crossover)

My optometrist never saw it coming-What is a human-Theraprism

Paper is book skin/Shave your grandma-Skin-Bill's cipher

Love pain-Bill's tattoo knuckles-Same

Lies-How to trick everyone into loving you-same

Regrowing limbs is Axy's art/but can he regrow a ripped out heart-How to cheat death-Bill's cipher (he must really be mad at the Axolotl)

Eye doctor of a different kind/who wants to make his patient blind-silly straws-caesar

The doctor says/three sips a day/will make the visions/go away-Same

Fussy eater/baby Billy/wouldn't drink/unless it's silly-same (love how this implies that he only drank out of silly straws)

Mason-Embarrassing memories-Bill's cipher (love seeing Dipper's real name again)

Booberry-the meaning of life(popsicle stick)-Bill's cipher

One eyed king-the early years-theraprism

Suck it-The good times(liscense plate)-Caesar

Can warp narrativity/protect fourth walls-Alert from time baby-A1Z26

Lone survivor of the Euclidean massacre-Rune (I wonder what happened during that event and what that event actually is)

Tantrum-Bill's Cipher

Which henchmaniac ratted me out-The shaman-Theraprism (I find this one funny)

Titans blood-the dark ages(Wizards hat)-Rune (Love the owl house reference here)

Suck it Merlin-Never trust a wizard-Rune

Daryll-Cipherstitions(lobster lord of the deep)-Theraprism (love how that's his name)

Curse Wittebane-Witchcraft-Rune

It's all made up-America(the dollar)-Caesar

Countries aren't-Bill's cipher

Rubberhose-Animation-A1Z26

Bill cipher-top secret file-Same

Six fingered freak-Lost in the woods-authors cipher

Stanley would have made her laugh-same (he just rolled better charisma dude)

If lost return to Bill-my muse and me-Theraprism (love how he said this means wise one and also more billford hehe)

Forget the past-A voice from the past page 2-Bill's cipher (this implies that Bill wants Ford to forget Stanley so he won't get in the way)

Hopefully F's gloves will hide what Cipher has done to my hands-I was wrong about everything page 2-Author's Cipher (I love this one <3)

Ouroboros-Wakey wakey here's a snakey (on the snake)-Bill's Cipher (I guess this is the snakes name?)

Miss you-try to forget (on window)-bro's secret code

Have I been too harsh all along?-Should I contact S-Bro's secret code

Hotxolotl-Dimensional authority call transcript (on the sauce packet)-Bill's cipher

I can write codes too it's not that hard!-Dipper's page-Bill's cipher (he do be flexing his intelligence there)

(What a buncha) Love ya bro-Stanley's letter-Bro's secret code (love how this shows that they both still remember the code they made up as kids)

Just fit in (repeated)-SSSSTANNNNLEEEYY-Rune

Holy mackerel-color cipher

AXOLOTLLOTAXOLOTLLOTLAXLOTLAXLOTLAXOLOTLLOTLAXLOTLAXLOTLAXOLOTLLOTLAXLOTLAXLO-Theraprism

Wellwellwellbeing-message from the theraprism-A1Z26

Spheremonger, Eternalor, Bill cipher, The Logicube, Paingorious, Jessica, Shadorg, Mr Silly, The beast-recent inpatient names-Theraprism (the hallucination dog is still creepy lol)

Justice for Scrimbles/Remember Grembley-inside Back cover-Theraprism/Rune (JUSTICE FOR SCRIMBLES!!!!)

Those are all of the codes that are in this book! (Or at least that I could find lol)

[silliestgal]

Heathers Headcanons !

Heather Chandler

She used to be ginger but bleached and dyed her hair blonde because people made fun of her hair color, she has to redye her roots frequently.

Her hair is a wavy-curly but not too curly.

She's around 5'5 or 5'6' but wears heels to make herself taller and she wears shoulder pads to appear much bigger than she really is

I think she is tannish-pale not too pale but pale to an extent, she has freckles on her face and arms but covers them up with long sleeves and make up.

She's an only child and even though she was rich was always bored or lonely due to other kids being scared to approach her.

She isn't a gym rat but does diet on and off and workouts out via cardio (things like jogging for 45 minutes or going the treadmill) and some light ab exercises with light weight training to maintain slim and fit.

She's only slightly above average in academic's but usually makes the nerds do her work because she doesn't like studying or doing homework + she'd think people would call her a nerd if she tried doing better

She has hunters eyes / hj

Heather Duke

She has black hair and straight naturally due to her genetics and she has brown eyes (and mono lids of course). She is 5'4 not that tall, her mary janes make her barely 5'5'.

She was born in South Korea but her parents immigrated to America when she was really young and couldn't remember anything. But her parents made sure she learned how to speak Korean fluently and about her cultural.

She is really smart, loves to read but keeps most of reading time private because people would think she's a nerd and Chandler would tease her for it.

She smokes but not too often due to it's health risks and such, same with drinking she only does it at parties or when she really has hit rock bottom in her life.

She either owns a pet reptile like a snake or a arachnid (I.G. a tarantula.)

Her favorite color is red but she can't have anything that's red or has red on it because it's Heather Chandler's color. I feel like she secretly likes pinks too.

She over-exercises due to her bulimia and her need for control over something (in this scenario her body). She overexercises to purge, sometimes takes laxatives but usually uses the old sticking the finger in your mouth trick to kick in her gag reflex. She doesn't use her jeep to get to school if the other girls don't need a ride to school to be able to exercise even more (via walking).

Heather McNamara

She is 5'8 and her heels make her a bit taller (she is the tallest heather), she has a sleeper build, and dirty blonde curly-wavy hair.

She's chipped her tooth after an accident during cheer practice.

She has pet parrots! Budgies, she wanted a white dog like a maltese or bichon frise but she still loves her budgies nonetheless

She jogs around the neighborhood every morning (she doesn't like waking up early but does it to continue her daily jogs) and goes to the gym 5 out of 7 times a week, and obviously has cheer practice on top of that.

She loves going to the beach or anything that requires physical activity really, basketball, soccer, skateboarding, swimming etc

She's scared of spiders and 'creepy' looking animals.

She tries to always eat protein filled foods and good carbs/fats but she loves junkfood too much and cheats on her 'diet' everyday atleast once!

She binge watches romance movies like The Notebook and other cheesy movies

Not that smart but not stupid either she's just your average joe in academics and trying her best to maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher as a student-athelete.

NO VERONICA HEADCANONS IM SORRYY

[katyspersonal]

I played more SOTE today!! I have mixed feelings because today just happened to be pure RAGE because of my awful skill issue.. but at the same time I feel so ALIVE xD (two parter)

1) So first of all, I got back to Specimen Storehouse to finish whatever was that business with Ansbach and Freyja! She gave an interesting dialogue about how yeah honor and shit but what Radahn would actually like is to live so he could wage war forever 💀 Definitely the character of all time gghguj

2) So I decided to explore a little more of that Church District below before I continue to seek my way to upper area! Turned out that Tree Spirit did NOT die due to a bug..... but it did now. XD

And dropped edgy (literally) sorcery lol

3) NEW NAMED CHARACTER!!!!!!!

Yeah, I've been noticing that this area has Fire Knights with another variant of the head piece! I even had an idea to grind these guys for it, but I just felt as thought it'd be pointless. And I was right! This mask dropped from non-respawning enemy! So yeah, the fire zombies raising in this area were given lore, I was pleased by such amount to detail yet again 🤔

4) So I kept looking for the way back in the Storehouse, but took the turn I did NOT try to take, and ended up in that weird golden-black area on the map that has been making me curious for a while!

5) ....ъ_ъ So, I was running around, surprised by how empty it was, and even questioned whether it was pointless sort of? So I decided to just check the giant flower and.. ..... oh my fuuUCKING God.

6) So it was another time where I kept howling about how awful/unfair/hard/etc this battle was and wanted to quit except I didn't! You see, at first I was playing as usual, and the stage 2 was a surprise. But the LEVEL of my skill issue started to show up at its finest here, because I absolutely could not dodge its briars attacks and I barely managed to heal in time!

I had to die MANY times, learning from my mistakes and just trials what to do and slowly adapting.. You see, it SHOULD have been obvious that hitting the "face" was the most effective, but nope! I only figured many attempts later! Just as how """pointless""" critical hit before phase transition was not pointless at all! At least I learned to 1) block strike attack and roll magic attack 2) that I can't use magic so it'd be better to place all 14 flasks at Crimson 3) figured to summon mimic in a creative way; since it gets summoned in the equipment I had at THE moment of summon but AI can't be trusted with blocking normally, I summoned it while two-handing the weapon so it hits stronger and then got my shield back XD

7) .........

I swear, sometimes I regret not being able to stream, because y'all should have seen my reaction when it turned out that this enemy had THREE stages, not two...... :')

8) I actually died just just JUST the very last moment ;-; I screenshotted it, it is on PS for now, it was SOOO infuriating. I can't even explain how I resisted the urge to scream and throw my controller because that required inhumane willpower. But hell if I didn't feel ALIVE at that moment xD

9) AND I KILLED IT EVENTUALLY FGFGCGGB

^ Got genuinely surprised by this drop!

10) I came back at Storehouse, FINALLY, and THIS TRAITOR @val-of-the-north IS NO LONGER MY FRIEND!!!!1

I asked him about this symbol being here since as I said earlier, I assumed that the reoccurring symbol with a fire and a circle on flags and such found here and there represented Messmer and Rellana; an impression I've got because I first saw it in her castle!

....but then Val, this RAT, casually said that it is actually likely another symbol of Messmer: snakes rather than fire. And of course. God of course it makes much more sense. It is all over this Storehouse. Yes we found a shield Rellana used for the ritual to prove loyalty to the Erdtree once here, but the overlapping circles straight up coil like snakes. And yet you TRAITOR never corrected me when I wrongly assumed that the symbol of fire + two circles overlapping meant Messmer and Rellana being allies. Goddamit STOP LETTING ME LOOK STUPID ON PUBLIC *bonks you with the newspaper*

11) So after some running and collecting (got a golden spell that some Fire Knights use), I've found my way out and first ran into some really strong knight that used GRAVITY MAGIC! I attempted to fight him but like, no. Nope. So I left him for later, and Val recommended me to use 'O, Mother' gesture to finally open the secret passage to where I was actually looking.

12) And hoooo boy... I already suspected where this was going because even on the map there were depictions of Golden leaves (on the Finger Ruins) part.

It was THE spoilered area itself!

13) What instantly struck me was that I could SWEAR it had to be the exact same flowers as on the painting of 'healthy' Midra Manse. I did not have a good image as I hit it early by a mistake, so I asked Val to fetch me the image, annnnd....

Look, sure, it could simply be blue curtains and obviously just a 'normal' flora of this realm, so of course it still exists in THE one place Messmer didn't burn, but dead everywhere else. (Here because of Frenzy + no sunlight). But also Hornsent Inquisitors did bully Midra and his followers (which did lead to Frenzied Flame business), and Ymir mentioned something about Marika's roots being placed in madness? Who the hell knows anymore...

14) NOOOOO WAY, WHEN YOU GET TO THIS POINT, A FRAGMENT OF THEME OF MARIKA/RADAGON STARTS PLAYING ;-;

THE IMPACT

15) Definitely visiting this place by myself felt more impactful than simply reading/watching this part of the lore..

16) I got SO angry at the Tree Sentinel though that for the first time EVER I decided to try and fight while on Torrent! And it was so effective that it gave me an idea to not follow further today but go and get that boss' ass from earlier like this! Which was the start of a big waste of time, but perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.. -_-

(Will share in the next post because Tumblr doesn't respect the way I choose to share screenshots for the girls ( @heraldofcrow ))

[houseofpendragons]

The Sand Snakes

[Most characters cut; those who remained were changed to some extent]

Obara Sand - Prince Oberyn’s first born; A prickly, hot-tempered woman, long legged, calloused hands, rat brown hair tied up in a knot, and nearing 30. When her father came for her in Oldtown he threw down a spear and told her to pick her weapon, to which she chose the spear, leaving her prostitute mother behind whom not long after drank herself to death

Nymeria Sand “Lady Nym” - She is 25, slim and slender, with long jet black hair usually pulled back in a braid, which pronounces her widows peak. Her mother was a Volantene highborn woman of the noblest blood. Whilst Nym stole all the beauty from Obara she was no less deadly and has been described as vengeful

Tyene Sand - Born from a Septa, she is described as having golden hair, deep blue eyes, dimples that bloom on her cheeks when she smiles, fair of skin, and her voice is both gentle and sweet. Though her hands were not calloused as with Obara, they were just as deadly due to her adeptness for poisons. She and Princess Arianne Martell are as close as sisters, having grown up together, and even bedded the same man together whom took their maidenheads

Sarella Sand “Alleras the Sphinx” - The daughter of the Summer Islander Captain of the Feathered Kiss. She has light brown skin and an insatiable curiosity which strikes up a love for Oldtown in her. It is theorized that she is currently in the Citadel disguised as Alleras the Sphinx (Alleras is Sarella spelled backwards, both characters are half Dornish and half Southern Islander) studying to become a Maester

Elia Sand “Lady Lance/El” - The oldest child of The Red Viper and Ellaria Sand, named after her late aunt Princess Elia Martell. She has her father’s eyes and also wears her hair in a braid. She and Obella are described as worshiping their elder sisters, such as they are worshipped by their younger sisters. Her weapon of choice is without question a lance

Obella Sand - the second daughter of the Prince and his long time paramour, she is described as a terror in the pools of the Water Garden, and is currently a Cupbearer to the Castellan of Sunspear, Manfrey Martell

Dorea Sand - She, like most of her siblings, share the shape of her fathers eyes and is named after her Uncle and the Prince of Sunspear and Dorne, Doran Martell

Loreza Sand “Loree” - The youngest child has just turned 7 and is accompanying her mother Ellaria to Hellholt, which is the seat of Lord Harmen Uller, her grandfather

[blueraineshadows]

Blood Bound Part 7

Sebastian Sallow 🔺️ F!MC 🔺️ Leander Prewett

Whilst Sebastian falls even deeper into darkness, MC heads into the Ministry for the return of her wand. Drowning in her own struggles, faces from the past offer glimpses of light in the darkness as she gravitates even closer towards her Auror.

14.7k words. Tags: NSFW / Violence / dark magic / torture / physical injury and self harm / murder / mental health struggles / sexual tension / angst

Chapter Master List and Ao3

Taglist at the end

Seven: Full Dark, Hints of Stars

Sebastian 

Night was settling over London, shadows deepening in the twists and turns of Knockturn Alley, and the clientele in The Black Rose pub were just getting started. It was the place to go when one wanted to escape reality for a while, losing oneself within the alcohol and the boys and ladies of the night. The bar room was a heated, rowdy crowd, raucous laughter driving Sebastian into the calmer and more private area at the rear of the pub, seated in a quiet corner whilst those in Rookwood’s inner circle sat around the large table and played their cards. 

Sebastian twirled his whiskey glass in his hand, the amber liquid shimmering in the glow of the lamp light, the burn of it on his tongue from the few sips he had taken tempting him to drain the fiery brew and scorch out the gloom that settled around him like a familiar cloak. Brooding over his run-in with Anne, he couldn’t shake that old fiend loneliness, his chest aching with the need to feel like he belonged somewhere. It curled and coiled like a snake, waiting to strike at him, tearing him up until the call of the whiskey or the fighting pit won out.

Where was she? Where was MC?

Nobody had seen her, no sightings by those he had asked, and none of the members of the gang had heard any whispers where she was concerned. It was like she had vanished as soon as she had stepped out of that cold fortress, and Prewett had disappeared with her. Skulking around outside the Ministry in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Auror had turned up nothing. Another visit to Weasley proved fruitless, and Andrew Larson was annoyingly close-lipped, merely promising to pass on another message and nothing more.

Someone had to know where she had gone.

Pulled from his moping thoughts by the sounds of a struggle outside the door, he turned his head in that direction as some of the gang members began to stand. The door burst open, Marvolo dragging a whimpering man in with him, Rookwood strolling in behind them, his blue eyes like chips of ice. Sebastian fought the urge to sneer in disdain at the theatrical stroll that Rookwood cut as he crossed the room, seating himself in a chair next to Carrow who was taunting the young, male whore he favoured. 

All attention was on Marvolo as he shoved the trembling man to the floor, brushing off his black velvet waistcoat as if it had been tainted by the poor wretch, the harsh lines of his face frozen in a look of hatred as he stood menacingly over him.

“Behold, ladies and gentlemen, we have discovered a rather nasty little rat in our midst,” Rookwood said, gesturing towards the man on the floor. Sebastian sat up for a closer look, his eyes narrowing. “This rat has been whispering in the ears of our good friend, Auror Harrington. Now, what do we think about this?”

Sebastian put down his glass and stood, stepping forward slowly. He recognised the name of that Auror. He had seen it written in the visitors ledger at Azkaban next to MC’s prisoner number, and he had seen the man himself down in the pits with Prewett. As his boots drew closer towards where the man had got onto his hands and knees, Sebastian slid his wand from his holster. He recognised the man as one of Rookwood’s messenger runners. He would have known details regarding the prison break, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he had blabbed the news to the Auror.

The tip of his wand touched under the man’s chin, making him flinch, his eyes reluctantly looking upwards at Sebastian’s face. “You told them we were going to get her out, didn’t you? You let me go into Azkaban knowing that Aurors would be aware of it.”

“N-no, no,” he protested feebly, shaking his head as tears flooded his eyes. “I didn’t tell them that.”

“You told them something, though, didn’t you little rat?” Marvolo hissed, swinging a foot to kick at the bloke’s side, sending him sprawling to the floor again. “Dirty rats who squeal get punished. How should we punish you, hmm? Perhaps we could remove your tongue so that you can’t spread secrets anymore.”

Sebastian felt the shadows closing in. All the darkness that he tried to fight back began to curl around him with welcoming arms, pushing inwards and making him quiver with anticipation. His fingers flexed slowly around his wand, and he shifted his gaze towards Marvolo, who met his eyes with a cold smirk.

“He almost dropped you in it, Sallow. He told the Aurors about the prison break. It probably led to them moving our little witch out of our reach,” he said, his words dripping with icy malice. “Hurt him.”

Staring down at the rat, his shadows beginning to smother him, Sebastian raised his wand arm, the darkness blooming in his eyes as he aimed. They had taken MC away because of him. It was his fault. The words were like a whispering mantra, twisting through his head as he summoned the desire needed to do what had to be done. Cold calm slid over him and his eyes narrowed, his intent so fierce that he barely registered the look of horror on the rat’s face as he flicked his wrist, the end of his wand blistering with red.

“Crucio!”

The screams that filled the room seemed to echo off the walls, a horrifying sound that made shivers travel down Sebastian’s spine, like fingernails down a blackboard but a million times louder. The coldness and terror of Azkaban seemed to flow through his veins, the image of the old hag spitting and screaming on the stone floor filling his head as the man writhed on the floor before him in a cruel mimicry. That coldness seeped slowly towards his heart, the thud of its life force filling his ears as darkness claimed him for its own. He felt the pull of it, the urge to intensify the pain inflicted as the yearning filled him to see MC’s face.

For her. He would do anything for her. Even this.

His hand twisted, and the screams became broken, high-pitched sounds that had the others in the room wincing and turning away, but Sebastian kept steady. He couldn’t seem to let it go, all the turmoil trapped behind his ribs, channelling down his arm and through the end of his wand in a scorching blast of red.

“Enough,” Marvolo said firmly, his hand grabbing at Sebastian’s wrist, his fingers cold and hard. He met Sebastian’s eyes, his glare dark and glittering with warning, jarring Sebastian out of his trance. “Enough.”

Blinking, the black fog clearing a little, Sebastian looked down at the man on the floor, breathing harshly at the sight of the blood coming from his nose and mouth. Shocked, he relinquished the spell, his hands shaking as he took a step back and rubbed a hand over his face. The realisation that he had almost lost himself there for a moment made him shudder. Casting a glance around the room, he realised that everyone was staring at him, there was fear in the depths of the eyes of a few, but Rookwood was watching him with a cold curiosity that made him grit his teeth and straighten his spine.

“It might be worth those present noting not to cross you, Sallow,” Rookwood said silkily, rising to his feet. “That was quite the performance.”

Sebastian remained silent, but a few others in the room exchanged looks and stepped back. Breathing heavily through his nose, Sebastian kept his feet planted despite the wobbly feeling in his legs. Rookwood turned his gaze towards Marvolo and gave a subtle nod.

Marvolo calmly took out his wand and aimed at the twitching, garbled mess of a man on the floor. The poor bastard had pissed himself, his fingers in the shape of claws as he tried to gather himself against the pain riddled agony his body had endured. Sebastian felt the first glimmers of shame sink through him and expected death to erupt from Marvolo’s wand as the final blow. But, he was wrong.

“Magicus Extractio,” Marvolo uttered, his voice frigid calm as wisps of silvery white swirled from his wand and made for the man’s chest.

The room became utterly silent as the man arched up off the floor, the agony on his face almost too much to bear as Sebastian felt horrified realisation slam into his mind.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

Six years ago, he had persuaded Ominis to open the Scriptorium below Hogwarts, a day he would never forget. In doing so, he had laid hands on a most valuable spellbook. A grimoire written by the hand of Slytherin himself. Delighted and hungry to devour the secrets of such a man, Sebastian had spent hours poring over that book, committing to memory some of the darkest words to have been inked that he had ever seen. 

With fascinated horror, he fixed his eyes on Marvolo, the cold mask of his face eerie from the glow of his spell casting. Marvolo had Slytherin’s blood in his veins. Like Ominis, he was a descendant of that most clever but dark souled man. Clearly, it was more than blood that had been passed down through his lineage. The grim satisfaction on Marvolo’s face made Sebastian swallow hard as strands of light began to be extracted from the man on the floor.

It was as Sebastian had suspected. The incantation had been exactly the spell he had remembered, and he was frozen still with the horror that Marvolo dared cast it. This was a fate worse than death for a witch or wizard, to have one’s magic syphoned from their bodies, robbed of their abilities and their birthright by the casting of a most dreadful spell.

The man could do nothing but struggle feebly like a rag doll as his magic left his body, gathering above him in a swirl of golden light, the threads of it glittering and shimmering with such beauty in the room. Sebastian felt the burn of tears in his eyes, his horror turning to bitter grief as he imagined such a thing being done to him. It was unbearable to even imagine, and yet he did nothing. He stood there and watched as a wizard was robbed of something so personal and precious.

“It worked,” Rookwood said with awe, moving closer to stare at the beauty of the magic, reaching out a hand towards it. “Now, all we need to find out is how to absorb it.”

Sebastian stared in shock. “Absorb it?”

His words may have been breathless, but Rookwood heard him well enough. He turned sly eyes Sebastian’s way. “Of course,” he said softly. “It would be a shame to waste such power. Don’t you agree?”

“We don’t know the spellwork for that part yet,” Marvolo said, shrugging. “But, we will. For now, sadly, this one is useless.”

With a flick of his wrist, he cast towards the shimmering magic swirls, and they engulfed into flame, burning away quickly until nothing was left. Gone. 

Sinking back down to the floor, the man looked wasted, drained and empty, his eyes glassy as he stared unblinking up at the ceiling. Rookwood frowned down at him and nudged him with a polished boot. “Oh dear, it would appear our little rat is dead,” he said, without a sliver of remorse to his tone. He turned to one of the men standing nearby. “Get rid of him, will you? I’d rather not have him stinking up the place.”

Rookwood and Marvolo were both cold bastards, their indifference almost harsher than the brutal acts they performed. Watching the essence of the man's magic evaporating into flames had been gut churning enough, but it made bile burn in Sebastian’s throat as he wondered what Rookwood had meant about absorbing it. 

Sebastian began to back up, rubbing his forehead as he tried to process what he had just witnessed, his heart thudding so hard behind his ribs that he was fighting for his breaths. Turning his back on Rookwood and Marvolo, he heard the scramble as the deceased man was hoisted from the room, no doubt headed out to become a cadaver for the Body Snatchers who loitered at the far end of Knockturn Alley. Grabbing up the glass he had put down before, he threw back the contents, wincing at the burn of the whiskey as it went down. 

Killing a man would be kinder. To extract his magic was quite another. The violation of it had left Sebastian speechless, and he felt as though the water level had enclosed over his head. He was drowning in darkness, his eyes wide and unseeing as he tried to get hold of himself. 

Unable to bear the enclosed grimness of the room a moment longer, he headed for the door, slamming it open and striding with purpose down the hallway. He vaguely heard his name being hollered after him, but he kept walking. He didn't even know where he was headed, and when he found himself in a shadowed alleyway, the brick dark and the air foul, he stopped. Bracing a hand against the rough brick, he bent forward and retched, losing the contents of his stomach as shameful guilt slammed him from all sides. 

He hadn't even asked the man's name. He had wrought such pain on him, blamed him for MC being missing, and then stood by as Marvolo sucked his magical ability from him. The savageness of such acts had been too much, and the man had lost his life, the ultimate sacrifice unwillingly given. 

Eyes burning, a whimper left Sebastian’s lips as he shrugged his left arm from his jacket and unbuttoned his cuff, yanking up the sleeve of his shirt to expose a tally of black lines on his inner forearm. The first tear escaped his eye as he fumbled for his wand, and he sniffed it back, gritting his teeth as he aimed to scorch one more black line in the tally. 

He groaned, his breath hissing through his gritted teeth at the sting of it, but he berated himself for being such a coward. This pain was nothing compared to what he had inflicted on that poor soul. Once the new black line had been added, he stared at the marks on the inside of his forearm, stark against the paleness of his skin. He may not have dealt the final death blow, but he had played a part in that back there. It was worthy of the added reminder.

His count of lives stolen was growing, and he fought back the burn of more tears, too scared to imagine how many more lines he may need to add before his revenge was done. It was always said that the first one was the worst, but he carried the guilt of every single one.

Pulling down his shirt sleeve and straightening his jacket, Sebastian wiped the dampness from his cheek, the shadows draping him in a darkness he feared he would walk in forever.

This couldn't be all there was. He had never meant for things to get this bad. He had never meant to go this far. He was losing himself day by day. He closed his eyes and thought of Anne, imagining her looking well, her skin glowing with health and happiness. He thought of MC, her smile, the way her eyes used to twinkle when she met his gaze, the fire in her soul when she fought at his side.

Oh, how he ached for both of his girls. This was all for them. 

He took the blood amulet locket from his pocket, his thumb caressing the joined blood of the pact, the ruby red stone still managing to shimmer in the utter dark of the alley. He brought it to his mouth, closing his eyes as he pressed his lips to it in a kiss, clinging on to the bond it represented to try and ease the gaping hole of dark in his chest. 

Looking upwards, he tried to seek out the glimmer of the stars, but as usual, the smog of London obliterated such beauty. He was down amongst the scum and filth of the city. How he longed to be out of it, but where would he go? Back to that empty, cold house in Scotland? There was nothing for him there. Only memories that ripped at his insides. No, he needed to be here. He needed to find MC and finish Rookwood. He needed to cure his sister. 

Straightening up, he turned back for the main path. The night wasn’t over yet. There was still work to be done. 

MC

The bustle of witches and wizards passing her by as they arrived and exited the Ministry was a cacophony of noise that seemed unbearably loud after the desolate silence of the beach house. MC felt the now familiar tightening of apprehension as she watched all manner of people about their business, unconsciously taking a closer step towards Leander, who walked along beside her. Unperturbed by the crowds, he walked with confidence, even nodding his greetings to some as they made their way past many Floo network fireplaces. 

After so long in solitude, it was going to take some time getting used to being around so many people. 

Not one to let her insecurities show, MC set her face into one of careful neutrality and walked onwards, the effects of the speedy Floo Travel giving her legs a wobbly sensation. Looking up and around, MC's gaze took in the grandeur that was the Ministry Atrium, glossy tiles and polished wood floor, a curved arch of a ceiling lending it a feel similar to the style of the new Underground train stations. It was her first time in this part of the Ministry, and she took the opportunity to soak up everything that she had missed out on when they had hauled her to the prisoner holding bay in the depths of the establishment. This world of magic still had the power to amaze and awe a person.

Today, she arrived as a visitor. Still accompanied by an Auror, but here for a more positive reason than the arrest of murder. Today, Leander had brought her here to return her wand into her possession. The hunger and anticipation to hold it in her hand gave her the strength to hold back her anxiety at being so exposed in public, to be reunited with her wand would surely mean to feel whole again.

Pausing by the Fountain of Magical Brethren, she took a moment to listen to the spray of the water, the droplets shimmering on the gold of the statues. The one of the centaur reminded her of the time she had spoken to those who lived in the Forbidden Forest. It led her thoughts towards Poppy, the girl who had joined her on more than one adventure to protect beasts. Wondering where Poppy was now, MC wrapped her arms about herself, conscious of the curious stares fixed on her from those who had taken notice of her presence. 

She had seen the article in The Daily Prophet announcing her release into the world, her prisoner photograph printed for all to see. A murderer, free to walk the streets. There was no outright hostility on the faces turned her way, but none of them bore smiles either. No doubt those she had once called friends would be the same way, blank and indifferent towards a girl they thought they had known, but she no longer fit into their lives.

A light touch to her elbow made her look up, Leander’s soft gaze unfailing as he nodded towards a security desk. “I need to check you in as a visitor, and then we can go down to the basement level to collect your wand. Are you alright?” 

Taking a steadying breath, MC nodded and let him escort her towards the desk, his touch at her elbow so light it was barely there. Sliding a sideways glance up at him, her gaze lingered over the neatly combed hair and close shaved skin, his mouth invitingly soft as he smiled at the witch behind the desk. Ever since the kiss they had shared in his kitchen, he had been so achingly polite, courteous, and kind. 

It had been what she had wanted, what she had asked for, and he was respecting her wishes. He was a true gentleman, acting cordially and respectfully, despite those moments when she would catch his eyes and have the breath stolen from her lungs at what she found there. 

He would hide it quickly, turning from her, a flush spreading across his cheeks and up his neck. Despite the complications that would arise from anything developing between them, she could not help but wonder what may have been had she knocked on his bedroom door that night. 

Despite her past misdemeanours, she had the feeling that Leander felt something towards her, and whatever form those feelings took, surely it wasn't a stretch to hope that others would accept her, too. Watching him present his Auror badge to the security witch, her gaze lingered over his hands, hands that had touched her with kindness and desire, a flutter of warmth dared to kindle in her chest. 

Through the coldness of her loneliness and despair, perhaps she had nurtured some feelings for him, too. Fearing what that could mean, she hurriedly pushed those thoughts aside, not ready to examine the teases of warmth that glowed whenever she allowed her barriers to slip.

“Sign here, please.” The cool, firm voice of the security witch pulled MC from her thoughts, making her look into a pair of eyes that seemed hard and distant. “You need to sign the form to gain entry without a wand. I shall notify the Criminal Stores Office of your pending arrival.” 

Hardening her features against the obvious disapproval on the witch's face, MC picked up the quill and signed her name on the dotted line, taking pride that her hand did not shake in the process. The parchment immediately folded itself into the shape of a bird before flapping its papery wings and taking flight, soaring off and upwards to join many more swooping above their heads. 

“Let's go,” Leander said, lightly touching her elbow again. “We need to take a lift down to the basement level.” 

Crowded into the rear corner of the lift as others began to pile in, MC stood rigid, her palms sweating at the close confinement as the lift lurched into motion. Her stomach dipped as the sensation of fast movement made her wobble on her feet, her hand darting out to steady herself and finding Leander’s robe. 

He glanced downwards as her fingers curled into the fabric, the momentum of the lift pressing her against his side. Their eyes met, and she swallowed hard. “Sorry,” she mumbled. 

“Not to worry,” he said, the faint smile on his lips accompanied by a blush as his hand positioned itself at her back to help steady her. 

Even here, in a lift filled with Ministry workers who could hear and see everything, he was supporting her, refusing to let her flounder and fall. A gesture that was one of simple kindness, and yet it had the power to make her throat close with emotions too huge to deal with right now. It reminded her that he was the only anchor holding her steady as she readjusted to outside life, and it occurred to her that one day she would have to let him go. Lowering her gaze from gold flecked, brown eyes, she grit her teeth and waited for the lift to stop. 

After 3 stops, her hand was still holding tightly to his robe, and the warmth of his palm on her back was a little too comforting. The urge to lean her head against his chest had been strong, but she had remained rigidly upright. As the last remaining witch and wizard who were with them disembarked, Leander’s hand slid away.

“This is us,” he said, nodding out at a shadowed corridor she recognised. 

Reluctantly, she let go of him and followed him out into the tiled hallway, the dark green gloss of the tiles reflecting light in an eerie glow. The last time she had walked along here, she had been in chains. 

Memories crashed through her head of that day, the weight of the chains, the burn of her eyes from the tears she'd cried. Sebastian’s pleas to let her go still ringing in her ears after they had ripped her from his desperate grip. She remembered the fury of the betrayal, Anne’s lies leading her towards a sentence serving time for a murder she didn't commit. 

Her breathing quickened as the memories swamped her, her hands twisting anxiously as she tried to block the image of Anne’s face from her thoughts. How could she not hate that manipulative bitch?

The searing burn began to snake through her blood, her pact to never hurt Sebastian reminding her that to wish pain on one twin was to destroy the other. Gasping at the burn, MC put a hand to her heart as it throbbed, pausing to press her other palm to the coolness of the tiled wall. 

“What is it?” Leander asked, a look of concern creasing his brow as he turned to her. 

“This place,” she muttered through tight lips. “It's not exactly filled with fond memories.” 

“Of course,” he nodded, wincing slightly as he carefully took her elbow. “It's not much further, and we can get off this level as soon as you have your wand, I promise.” 

Breathing slowly, MC nodded and let him escort her down the hallway, their echoing footsteps joined by another set as they rounded a corner. MC gasped aloud, coming to an abrupt halt as she took in the familiar figure of Ominis with his wand held aloft so he could find his way, the tip blinking red. He, too, came to a pause when he realised they were blocking his way. 

The cool, haughty look on his face was very much how she remembered the boy, but the man cut a fine figure standing before her now. Tall, almost as tall as Leander, slim and dressed impeccably in a black suit, his blonde hair slightly shorter than she remembered, Ominis had grown to be very handsome indeed. 

“Ominis,” she said, a swell of emotion blooming behind her ribs as she remembered fond moments spent in his company. 

Ominis tilted his head, his mouth parting slightly as his sightless eyes moved quickly from side to side. He angled his wand in the direction her voice had come from. “Announce yourselves,” he said, an air of command laced through the softly spoken words. 

Leander cleared his throat, his eyes darting between her and Ominis. “Good morning, Ominis. It's Leander Prewett standing before you, along with an old friend of yours.”

Ominis raised his eyebrows, his mouth pursed in thought. “Intriguing,” he said softly, turning to fully face MC now. “Is it really you, MC?” 

“It is,” she said, her voice catching slightly as her eyes stung. Faced with a former friend, her worries clawed at her insides, the fear of being rejected needling at her as she waited. 

The moment stretched in the eerie silence of the corridor, and MC glanced towards Leander, an odd feeling shivering down her spine as she expected the backlash of the last four years to pour from Ominis’ mouth in a lecture. However, his brow smoothed into a look that could almost be described as soft, a hesitant hand reaching towards her. 

“Are you well?” He asked, his head tilting slightly.

“According to the Healer, I am as fit as a fiddle,” she said, knowing that while her body was regaining its strength, her mind was still trapped back in that cell.

Ominis stretched his hand out towards her a little more, and she looked down at it. Knowing how reluctant Ominis could be regarding physical intimacy, she hesitated before she let her fingers touch against his, the coolness of his hand immediately wrapping around hers, bringing a lump to her throat. 

“Why don’t I give you a moment to get reacquainted,” Leander said, offering MC a smile. “I will go on to the reception and get things started. You can come along and find me when you are done. Is that alright?”

Her eyes widened as she looked up at Leander. “You’re leaving me unattended?”

His smile faltered a little, a flicker of sadness appearing on his face. “MC, you’re not a prisoner anymore. You need to remember that. I won’t be far away, and Ominis can point you in the right direction if you’re unsure.”

“Of course,” Ominis said, inclining his head towards Leander. Amusement teased at his lips. “Don’t worry. I shall escort her back to your side, Prewett.”

Leander looked uncertain for a moment, a frown creasing his brow as he looked at Ominis, but with a reassuring smile towards her, he turned and walked away down the corridor. MC watched him stride away, a fist of panic lodging in her chest as he disappeared around a corner. With him out of sight, it felt like a safety net had been stripped from underneath her, and her hand gripped Ominis tightly as she swallowed hard.

“Prewett has been taking care of you,” Ominis said shrewdly, stepping closer towards her. “Are you really alright, MC? Azkaban is a terrible place. It did not wholly sit right with me what happened to you.”

The tightness in her chest stretched to snapping point, being here and speaking of such things stirring up memories she didn’t care to revisit, her features twisting with painful grief. “Not enough to stop it from happening, though. Anne lied, and nobody stopped her, not you, not even Sebastian.”

The sharp twist of bitterness at the mention of their lack of help made her release his hand, a shaky breath leaving her lips. Hating how vulnerable she felt in that moment, she backed against the wall, her hands splayed against the cold hardness of the tiles behind her as she put up the familiar mental barriers around herself. These mental wards had been a defence against the Dementors whilst incarcerated. Now, they were protecting her from the unfamiliar world outside and the emotional daggers she feared being cast in her direction. 

“I am sorry, MC,” Ominis said, bowing his head slightly. “You are right. I did nothing back then. I can only imagine the horrors you have faced, but I have sought to remedy my lack of action when I was younger. I have a seat on the Wizengamot, and when your case was presented to us for review, I voted in favour of your release.”

Her eyes took in the smartness of his suit again, trying to picture him seated in the courtroom, making judgement on a person’s crime, and realised that it wasn’t so hard to imagine. As students together, he had always been the moral compass trying to urge her and Sebastian to make better choices. She wondered if he was still close with Sebastian considering his job now.

“So, if you sit for court, you know the terms of my release?” 

“I do,” he said, one eyebrow curving upwards. “You must have agreed to them in order to be standing here. Do you think you can do it? Can you infiltrate the Ashwinders and help bring them down?”

“I will do what needs to be done. Rookwood won’t get away so easily this time,” she said, her taste for vengeance making her fingers flex. 

Ominis hummed thoughtfully, his head tilting at an almost predatory angle. “Even if that means bringing Sebastian down with him?”

The image of Sebastian in Leander’s case notes came to her, blending with the memories that she had clung so fiercely to whilst in prison, and a deep, aching longing filled her chest. Has the bond she had cherished in her protected heart been lost? Perhaps it had been too long. Maybe what they had felt when they were younger was no more than childish whims, but the thought of letting that all go felt like tearing off a chunk of herself.

“Have you seen him? Has he really aligned himself with Rookwood?” There was hope in her voice despite her efforts to remain neutral.

Ominis sighed, shaking his head with a resigned look of despair on his face, his pale, sightless eyes almost luminous in the shadowed corridor. “Sebastian is on a path of self destruction, and I honestly can’t see how he will find any kind of redemption without a small miracle. You know what he is like, stubborn and prone to fixating on his own goals regardless of the consequences. I won’t lie. I fear for him. I can only hope that you choose a better path for yourself, MC. Do not lose yourself in acts of revenge. Don’t bow down to Sebastian’s folly. That’s not what made me vote for your freedom.”

“Why did you vote for my release?”

“A second chance at life, MC. A life that uses your potential, for you are a wonderfully gifted witch,” he said, leaning forward slightly with a small smile. “Don’t waste it. The next time I read your name in the newspaper, I want it to be regarding good things. I never imagined you as the villain in your story.”

Taken back to late nights in the common room at Hogwarts when they would read and discuss the novels they had enjoyed together, MC felt a lump stick in her throat as she stared at her old friend. He had not dismissed her, or cast her aside like gutter filth. He did not paint her as a villain, but then, he did not know about the darkness that lingered inside of her. His despair for Sebastian should cloak her, too, for they shared a kindred spirit. She had nursed her thirst for revenge, and the path was already there under her feet, and she would walk it, even if she had to do it alone.

“I thank you for the chance, Ominis,” she said, her voice tinged with an edge of sadness. “I never wanted to be a villain, but sometimes one must walk through the darkness in order to do what must be done. I will fulfil the terms of my probation, but I can’t promise that my methods will meet your approval. I’m not sure I am cut out to be the hero of the story, either.”

“Just be careful, MC,” he said, his brows drawing together. He reached out his hand again, his fingers tentatively brushing against her arm before withdrawing back into the comfort of his own space. MC noted the gleam of a wedding band on his finger, her gaze curious as she studied him. A respected job in the Ministry and a wife. All signs of how life had moved on without her whilst she drifted in cold darkness. Her loneliness yawned in her chest. 

“Don’t worry about me, Ominis. I am a survivor.”

….*….

The slim, black box sat upon the table in the Criminal Stores Office, just a box with no fancy design, and yet it contained something so deeply valuable to her. MC could feel the disapproval drifting from the woman guard standing on the other side of the table, her eyes slightly narrowed as she waited for MC to open the box. Four years ago, her wand had been taken from her possession after her arrest, placed into this box, and stored away. MC had been lost without it. It felt like she had been only just becoming one with the smooth piece of wood, the contours of it becoming as familiar to her as her own hand through the use of it. 

Reaching out to remove the lid of the box, revealing her wand nestled in a soft bed, the memory of the day it had chosen her inside Ollivander’s shop flooded through her. The feeling of holding it within her grasp compared to nothing else, and as she plucked it out of the box now, her eyes burned at the feeling of it against her fingers. Smoothing her touch along the wood, she took a steadying breath, allowing the moment to sink in as she reacquainted herself with her connection to her magic.

The wand chooses the wizard, she was told, and her wand had chosen the tempest of ancient magic that slumbered in her veins. She could feel it now, pulsing with eager energy now that there was a conduit to release its power. Gripping the handle of the wand, she held it up, her ancient magic simmering and throbbing with the need to be released, but she remained steady as she gazed at the graceful twist of the pale wood. This was neither the time or the place, and she had another spell in mind to cast first. She swallowed and uttered the charm.

“Lumos!”

After so long in the darkness, the simple matter of seeking out a spark of light was enough to bring the sheen of tears to her eyes. Holding her wand up, the orb of light glowed in the office, reflecting off the pale skin of her face and making her eyes glitter like stars. With the return of her magic, she could do anything.

Villain, or hero? Ominis had urged her towards the light, but it was likely she would pull the shadows with her if she did. Whatever path she chose, it was ultimately her choice. Now, with her wand back within her grasp, her destiny was of her own making. She didn’t have to rely on others to save her. She could do that herself.

Movement at her side made her break from the reverie she held on the sphere of light, her gaze shifting towards Leander as she muttered the counter charm to put it out. Staring up at his brown eyes, she knew she had much to thank him for. The shifting feelings behind her ribs over him were enough to steal her breath sometimes. It scared her. She could admit that.

“How does it feel?” He asked, his lips curving into his familiar soft smile.

Almost smiling in return at the loaded question considering the thread of her thoughts, MC looked down at her wand in her hand, her fingers flexing as she considered her feelings. The thrum of ancient magic still begged for a release and she bit her lower lip, choosing to ignore the unfurling and simmering flame that teased at her whenever she looked too closely at him.

“It feels rather good,” she replied, a slight smirk playing on her mouth. “I also feel the urge to release some pent-up energy. I’m rather inspired to throw a few explosive spells around, you know, unleash some of the frustration at being locked up for so long.”

Her devilish eyes glanced towards the guard still standing opposite them, and the tightened expression of disapproval on her face brought out the full smirk onto MC’s lips. A familiar spark of mischievousness came to life within her, a freeing and exhilarating feeling that only charged the need to express her magic. Turning her gaze back towards Leander, she was intrigued to see a rather amused and playful smirk on his own lips.

“Plenty of time for that,” he said, and he even dropped her a wink that almost disarmed her completely. “Hold that thought.”

Leander

There was definitely something different about MC now that she had her wand returned to her. There was a spark in her eyes, a glimmer of the exciting young girl who had walked the halls of Hogwarts and turned his head when he had been an awkward teenage boy. He was still slightly awkward when it came to the opposite sex, but he was more settled in his own skin to know that she could still captivate him despite everything.

He could hardly tear his eyes away from her as they travelled in the lift together, her body pressed close as she held onto his arm, the speedy momentum of the vessel making them lean against one another whilst he held onto the strap above their heads. He couldn’t deny how good it felt to have her there, to feel her so close. It worried him that he was becoming too attached to her, and soon, she would be leaving to join the Ashwinder group. 

He marvelled at his own restraint around her, the memory of her soft lips was seared into his mind, and the hunger to seek out more of the same kept him awake. The sensible part of his mind knew it was folly to dream, and yet he couldn’t help but sneak longing glances her way. Allowing her to be so close was a dangerous game, but one he was clearly playing, seemingly unable to resist the ease of placing a polite hand against her lower back, or touching her elbow to guide her through the myriad of corridors and turns of the Ministry Headquarters.

Stepping out of the lift at level two, Leander couldn’t help the burst of pride that showed in his smile as he guided MC along the red carpeted corridor. “Welcome to the British Auror Office,” he said, holding out his hand towards the doors that opened into his department. 

“Are you sure I will be welcome here, Lee?” Her eyebrow curved upwards as they headed towards the doors. “I am a convicted Auror slayer, after all.”

“Don’t worry. We are just passing through,” he said, opening the doors and ushering her through first. “I want to ask Andrew a favour before we leave.”

Walking past the desk cubicles, curious glances were thrown their way as he led MC towards the research department. He noticed how she stiffened her spine, that cool mask of indifference slipping onto her face. Outward appearances did give her the look of a hardened woman, cold and capable of death, and he didn’t miss the disapproving frowns and curled lips of disgust as they passed some older Aurors. They didn’t know what lay beneath her hard exterior, the vulnerable and soft side of her that he had seen glimpses of over the last few weeks. He had seen her broken and lost. He had felt her fire under his hands and mouth, and he held his head up a little higher. He was not ashamed to walk beside her, and he touched his hand to her elbow in support as well as guidance as they approached the doors that they needed. 

Taking her to Andrew Larson was a hope. The possibility that he might be able to turn up information that could help seemed like a step in the right direction. Through her vulnerability, MC had made him question everything that he had read in her file. She was just a young girl, and no more than a child when she had been thrust into this world of magic, blessed with a power so far out of comprehension and with limited knowledge on how to wield it. If there had been others before her, surely there had to be buried records somewhere.

He still couldn’t put the cold-hearted killer alongside the girl he had seen and spent time with and come up with a logical match. There had to be more to all of this, and his mind wouldn’t stop rooting around for answers.

He also wanted to help her, to keep her a part of his daily life, to build a stronger connection than just being here as her probation Auror. She really was more than just a job to him, despite the fact that he did indeed have a job to do.

Andrew was at his desk, files open before him, and he looked up as they approached. His smile of greeting faltered, and his eyes widened as he stared at MC, his hand pushing nervously through his hair as he got to his feet.

“Morning, Leander. I haven’t seen you for a few days. I was beginning to wonder if you were alright,” he said, his eyes anxious as they darted between him and MC.

The last time Leander had seen Andrew, he had been planning to go down into the duelling pit. Despite sending an owl since, Leander had been rather vague in his details, not wanting to put too much into writing. He nodded and offered Andrew a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine, Andrew, honestly,” he said, glancing at MC. “We have been going over details regarding the case and making plans to move forwards. It’s one of the reasons I am here, actually. There is something you might be able to help us with.”

“Oh?” Andrew’s gaze slid reluctantly towards MC. “What can I do for you?”

“I was rather hoping that your expert eye could seek out information from the archives on MC’s behalf, as a favour to me,” he said carefully. “As you know, she can wield ancient magic, but she isn’t the first to do so. I was hoping you might find evidence of others. It’s not exactly common knowledge, and everything appears to be shrouded in mystery.”

Andrew studied MC with interest, curious despite his obvious nervousness at being in her presence. Leander hoped that by appealing to Andrew’s love of research, and it being a subject matter so intriguing, it would work in their favour. 

“You want me to open classified files and share information with…with MC?” Andrew asked, faltering on his words a little.

“With a criminal, you mean,” MC said, a cold smirk twisting her lips. She folded her arms and lifted her chin. “You can say it. There is no point trying to pretend it didn’t happen. I can promise you that any classified information you pass to me regarding my magic will remain a secret. I already have a dangerous man seeking me out because of what I can do, I definitely don’t want to encourage anyone else to do the same.”

A pink blush stained Andrew’s cheeks, and he scratched the back of his neck, shifting awkwardly. “Apologies, MC. I did not wish to offend,” he said. “I only hesitate because digging through old classified files might raise a few eyebrows if I’m not careful. The information could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Plus, I would need somewhere to start, a clue, perhaps. There are thousands upon thousands of files here in the archives, not to mention the library.”

“It would mean a lot to me if you could do this, Andrew. I would owe you one,” Leander said, a slight pleading edge to his voice.

He could feel MC’s eyes on him, knowing full well that he was going above and beyond his duty for her, and she knew it, too. He felt heat creeping into his own cheeks, but he stood firm and resolute, determined to do right by her. 

MC stepped forward, her gaze softening slightly towards Andrew. “I understand the risks,” she said, unfolding her arms, her voice losing its cold edge. “I can give you some clues on where to start from what I know already, but I would ask that whatever I tell you must remain between us. As you said yourself, this information is dangerous in the wrong hands. Can I trust you, Andrew? I hope we can trust each other.” 

The deep-rooted hunger for knowledge blazed in Andrew’s eyes. Leander had known him long enough to understand how excited he became at the prospect of learning about something new, remembering their conversations back in their school days during shared study sessions, and the times here at the Ministry working on cases together. The prospect of discovering the history behind ancient magic was surely tempting for the brilliant Ravenclaw, and his next words proved Leander’s theory.

“Alright, you have a deal,” he said, nodding. He even managed a shy smile in MC’s direction. “Tell me what you know, and I will see what I can find.”

“Brilliant. Thank you, Andrew,” Leander said, turning to look at MC. She met his eyes and returned his smile. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. “Do excuse me for a moment. I shall leave you to speak with Andrew whilst I pay a visit to my desk. I need to check on some paperwork. I won’t be long, I promise.”

Leaving them both staring awkwardly at one another, Leander hurried off towards his desk, finding it as neat as he had left it only days ago. Fiddling with his tie, he took a seat and checked his in-tray, flicking through the parchments and marking some notes in a little book he carried. 

The delicate scent of perfume found his nose, and his desk creaked as Odessa McKinnon perched herself against the edge of it, her hand placed gently near his arm, her wrist adorned with an expensive looking bracelet. Looking up at her, he was greeted with narrowed eyes and a curious smirk.

“You have decided to make an appearance, then, Prewett,” she said, her gaze travelling slowly over him. He felt heat creep up his neck and resisted the urge to adjust his collar. “Where’s your little pet? I saw her walk in with you. She is looking well, you must be taking good care of her.”

The last time he had seen Odessa had been that night in the safe house, disappearing with MC in his arms and leaving her in a fit of temper. She no longer looked vexed, but there was a glint of something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher. He sat up a bit straighter, smoothing his fingers down the front of his tie.

“Did you speak to Harrington?” He asked, deflecting her query about MC. 

Her smirk did little to hide the curiosity in her gaze. “If you are referring to the little issue of a leak, I think he is no closer to the culprit than he was when he came blustering in here the other day. If you ask me, there is probably more than one. It isn’t exactly unheard of, and when you think about it, these things work both ways. Rookwood has snitches in his own camp, divulging secrets to us. It’s obvious there will be those who return the favour.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Leander frowned. “We all swore oaths to serve and protect. How could anyone go against that? Certainly not anyone who stands for loyalty and justice.”

“Oh, sweetie, I just love how honourable you are,” she said, moving her hand to his forearm. “You are a rare soul who truly stands for honour. It is commendable and one of my favourite things about you. I mean, look how seriously you have taken the role of being MC’s probation Auror. Most wouldn’t have gone to such efforts for the likes of her. I just hope she doesn’t let you down, Leander.”

He looked down at Odessa’s hand, her fingers caressing gently against the sleeve of his jacket. She was leaning closer, smiling softly at him, and he felt warmth bloom across his cheeks.

“All MC needs to do is get us closer to Rookwood,” he said, concentrating on the case rather than anything more personally linked to MC. “If she can do that, then she will have served the terms of her probation without letting any of us down. I’m just doing my job, McKinnon.”

“And you do it so well,” she said, leaning even closer, her eyes darkening. “Now that you have returned, perhaps we can arrange that drink we spoke about.”

The sound of the gentle clearing of a throat made them both turn, Leander’s face burning even hotter when he saw MC standing there watching them with narrowed eyes. He realised just how close Odessa had leaned in towards him and shifted in his chair, his hand reaching to adjust his tie as guilt flooded through him. Odessa smirked and took her time moving away from him, her hand lingering on his arm long enough for it to draw MC’s gaze towards it, her mouth tightening slightly. He could almost see her withdrawal into herself, that spark he had noticed dimming in her eyes.

“Pardon the interruption, Auror Prewett,” MC said coolly. “I have finished my interview with the research team. I thought I would come and find you, but I can always make myself scarce if you are…otherwise occupied.” 

“Oh, no…there’s no need for that,” he said, clearing his own throat before grabbing his little notebook and holding it up. The cold formality of her tone made his heart clench. “I think I am done here.”

“You look well, prisoner 2757. Life on the outside must be agreeable to you,” Odessa said, her voice like silk against a knife edge. Leander winced, but she only smiled wider. “I’m curious to see how things work out for you.” 

MC’s eyes were hard and cold as she glared at Odessa. “I’m not usually one for cliches and old sayings, but the one about the cat and what curiosity did to it seems rather apt right now.”

Leander stood quickly and adjusted his jacket, moving towards MC, feeling the tension in the air between the two girls. Feeling rather uncomfortable, he didn’t dare touch MC, merely holding his hand out in the direction they needed to walk. “Shall we?” 

“I’ll speak to you later about that drink, Leander,” Odessa said smugly, twirling a lock of glossy hair around her finger. “Do enjoy your afternoon.” 

They left the Auror Office in silence, MC walking with her back straight and stiff, her face hard and cold. She wouldn’t look at him and barely nodded her head as he held the door open for her. He bit his lip, not sure if he should apologise, or insist that there was nothing between himself and Odessa. One could argue it was really none of her business, but they had shared that fiery kiss in his kitchen. He didn’t want her to think he was a rake, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This was new territory for him having two ladies to worry over, and he knew he had the potential to put his massive foot in it. 

“So, what now? Are we leaving?” She asked, her gaze moving around the long corridor, looking everywhere but at him. 

“I had thought of getting some supplies for lunch. We could take it down to the beach near the house, and maybe you could do some wand practice whilst we are there. Of course, if you wanted to practise alone, I would understand.” He glanced her way, trying to gauge her reaction, but she remained cool and distant.

“You keep leaving me unattended. You ought to be careful, Prewett,” she said. “Aren’t you worried I might betray you?”

Leander swallowed hard as they made a turn towards the lifts. Anxiety twisted behind his chest as he wondered if he was putting off the inevitable. She would pull away from him at some point, and maybe he ought to start accepting that. Maybe it was best to start putting the distance between them in order to prevent further confusion. It didn’t seem like an easy prospect, especially when he didn’t really want to.

“As I said earlier, MC. You are no longer a prisoner. You could walk away from me right now, and I would not be obligated to chase after you. I’ve just been trying to help you and give you the best start possible before throwing you at Rookwood’s mercy,” he said, barely keeping the disappointment from his voice. He took a steadying breath as he came to a pause before the lift, one hand grasping the handle. “I’d like to think you wouldn’t betray me, but all I can do is hope that you won’t. Either way, I’m here to help you. You can take it or leave it.”

“You mean I can just leave?” 

“If that’s what you would rather do,” he said softly, already preparing himself for her to do just that. “I can give you a time to meet me so we can exchange information as per your terms, and then you can walk away.”

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face, and he bit his lip again. He gripped the lift door handle tightly, his cheeks no doubt red from the constant blush that seemed to stain his cheeks around her company. It was hard to read her thoughts, her face still carefully blank. Pulling the door aside, he gestured for her to enter the lift. Stubbornly silent, she did so, dipping her gaze and stepping past him. 

This time, she braced herself against the wall, keeping a respectable distance between them as they lurched through the dizzying ride back towards the Atrium. He remained quiet, his teeth worrying at his lower lip as he agonised over mentioning Odessa, but people kept boarding the lift, and it wasn’t the time. He was also certain that she was going to leave, and the part of him that held a longing ache for something he could never have didn’t want to push her further away from him.

The walk through the Atrium was quiet, her shoulders still held with tension, her face pale and drawn as they neared the glow of the Floo fireplaces. She followed him towards the one they needed, and he paused, turning to give her a hesitant look. Was she going to ask to leave separately? If she did, he would have to keep his word and let her go. 

Without looking at him, her hand reached out and sought his, her cold fingers wrapping tightly around him as she moved closer. “I’m ready. Let’s go, Prewett.”

He looked down at their joined hands, something shifting behind his ribs that he was too scared to examine up close. He squeezed back firmly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he closed his eyes and pictured the rugged coastline of Cornwall, the idyllic Shell Cottage set against the heathland. She was still calling him Prewett, and her face still held that cool indifference, but she wasn’t running down the hallway away from him. She was still happy to go home with him. The relief flooded through him as he stepped forward into the green flames, and she followed, the power of the magic sucking them through the void.

Sebastian

Wincing at the burn of the whiskey as he swallowed it down, he eyed the pretty witch opposite him, his gaze travelling over a mouth he knew rather well, her lips curved into a teasing smirk as she stared back at him across the table inside the Black Rose bar. Sweet talking Luella around had been easier than he had expected, his smart mouth that had pissed her off the other day now making her eyes sparkle, seemingly placing him back in her favour.

“Another whiskey?” He asked, holding his empty glass up.

She twirled her glass on the table top and gave him a dark look through her lashes. “Perhaps we could take this one upstairs,” she murmured, her hand sliding across the scratched wood to brush her fingertips along the back of his hand. 

Sebastian felt his stomach muscles tighten, fighting the heat that stirred in his blood. It had been a while, but he wasn’t about to climb into bed with her again. He wasn’t made of stone, and of course, his body was going to react to a lovely woman offering him such pleasure, but he couldn’t. Not anymore. He withdrew his hand from the table top and out of her reach, his eyes glancing around them to see if anyone had noticed her suggestive touch.

“Do you want us to be found out?” He said, his voice hushed. “Daddy dearest will castrate me if he finds out, and I would rather keep my Crown Jewels intact.”

“You act as though you’ve already lost your precious jewels considering the lack of fun we’ve been having lately,” she huffed, leaning back in her chair. 

“Don’t sulk, darling. It doesn’t suit you,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’ll get that drink, shall I?” 

Luella watched him leave the table, his charming smile slipping from his lips as soon as he turned his back on her. It was becoming tiresome keeping up the pretence, but now that he was in this situation, he was kind of stuck with it until he could come up with a new plan.

Leaning on the bar, he rubbed his face with his hands, his eyes scratchy and tired from lack of sleep. He avoided his bed most nights, but whenever he did seek his pillow to lay his head down, restlessness stopped him from finding proper sleep. It was that, or it was the nightmares that left him sweating and trembling under his blankets chasing him from his bed. 

The sound of someone entering the bar made him turn his head, his eyes widening as the familiar shape of Ominis appeared around the door, his wand held out and blinking. Shocked to see his old friend in such a place, it was clear he was here for either Marvolo or him. Sebastian abandoned the idea of ordering another whiskey and hurried to Ominis’ side. 

“Hello, old friend,” he said quietly, his eyes scanning the bar to see who was watching and finding that most were giving them curious glances. “What are you doing here, Ominis? Everyone knows who you are.” 

Ominis looked annoyed and uncertain, and he clamped a hand around Sebastian’s arm. “Trust me, this is the last place I wish to be, but I came to find you,” he muttered. “Is there somewhere we can speak?”

“What is it? Is it Anne? Is she alright?” Panic gripped him, and he focused all his attention on Ominis.

“Anne is fine,” Ominis assured him, but his grip remained firm on his arm. “Not here. We need to leave.” 

“Come on,” Sebastian said, leading Ominis back out into the cobbled street. Walking around the corner, he glanced through the shadowed dark before Disapparating away from Knockturn Alley, where the very walls had ears that heard too much.

“Where are we?” Ominis asked as soon as they had their feet on solid ground again.

“Leicester Square, deep in Muggle territory where nobody will know us,” Sebastian said, standing close like a shield around Ominis. “Put your wand in your cane so nobody notices it.”

Ominis moved swiftly, adopting the gentleman’s cane that disguised his method of sight on Muggle streets. There was still the pinch of worry on his brow, and Sebastian was growing impatient. 

“What was so urgent that you wandered right into the viper’s nest?” 

Ominis sighed and shook his head. “I’m still not convinced that this is a good idea. I could get into trouble if I was discovered speaking out of office.”

Sebastian’s brows lifted with interest. “Out of office? Alright, you’ve got my attention. Surely, you won’t leave me hanging after that kind of statement.” 

Dressed in a fine black suit, his hair neat and his profile like classic marble under London’s gaslights, Sebastian assumed that Ominis had come from the Ministry. Knowing his role there, he waited expectantly for Ominis to speak. Ominis rubbed his hand against his chin and sighed again.

“Merlin, curse me, alright,” he said, wincing as he made the decision. “Just tell me one thing. How serious are you about bringing Rookwood down?”

“Deadly serious,” Sebastian said darkly, his heart in his mouth. “What do you know, Ominis?”

“It’s more a case of who I spoke to,” he said, his teeth catching at his lower lip. “I met her, Sebastian. MC. I spoke to her this morning.” 

Sebastian tried to draw a breath, a gasp, anything, but his lungs betrayed him. He stared at Ominis, lips parted. His hands reached to grip Ominis’ arms, holding him tightly. “Where? What did she say?”

“Let me go, you fool,” Ominis said, batting his hands away, scowling and scoffing. “She was at the Ministry this morning collecting her wand, and you were right. She was with Prewett.” 

Sebastian’s mouth became set into a grim line, his brows drawn down low. “I knew it!”

“Now, now, Sebastian. Before you get your wand all in a knot, you should be aware that Prewett has been ensuring MC receives the best care after leaving the prison. By her own mouth, she is doing well and feeling better. Prewett even left her alone with me so that we could talk. She is not his prisoner, Sebastian. The intentions are honourable.”

“Honourable? Pfft, I find that hard to believe,” Sebastian scoffed, pushing his hand through his hair. “Prewett has always had a thing for MC, and no doubt he is relishing having her so close. He lied to me when I asked him outright where she was, and I bet the smug prick was loving every minute of it. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was trying to bed her under the guise of being a good, little boy.”

Ominis arched one eyebrow, his mouth twisted with an ironic smirk. “Not everyone thinks as you do, Sebastian. You’ve spent too long rolling around in the gutter. And, even if MC did allow Prewett to court her, would that be so terrible? He is a respectable young man with good prospects. Perhaps that is just what she needs.”

Sighing in irritation, Sebastian clenched his fists and glared. “What does any of this have to do with Rookwood?”

“Ah yes, Rookwood,” Ominis said, his gaze becoming sly. “What if I told you that the Auror office plans to send a decoy into his ranks? They want to bring Rookwood down just as much as you do, and they are willing to plant a powerful weapon within the Ashwinder camp in order to do it. If it works, you could very well be brought down with them.” 

“Are you suggesting I cut my losses and get out? After all the effort I’ve put in!” Sebastian asked, incredulous. 

“No, Sebastian,” Ominis said, sighing in exasperation. “Although, that would solve a few problems if you did. No, what I am actually suggesting, and I can’t believe I’m doing so, is that you work alongside the Auror’s plans and get the best of both worlds.” 

“I’m not siding with no Auror scum,” Sebastian bristled, clenching his fists tighter. The image of Harrington dragging MC out of his arms that day sent a cold shiver down his spine. He would never forget it. Ever. 

“Technically, you wouldn’t have to,” Ominis said, tilting his head. “Think about it. You assist in bringing down Rookwood, and in doing so, you gain the protection of not being sent to Azkaban for your efforts. All you would have to do is assist with the weapon.” 

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he considered Ominis’ words. “And what is this weapon they seem so confident about?” 

Ominis smiled, a smug, knowing smile that made him look every inch the Gaunt he hated to be. “Why, it’s MC, of course. That’s why she was let out early. That’s why they want her fighting fit so they can send her into Rookwood’s ranks and cut him out from the inside.”

Sebastian felt his jaw drop, staring in disbelief as he tried to wrap his head around those words. “MC is turning spy for the Aurors?”

“After speaking with her today, she seems quite determined to succeed. She signed a contract of probation terms to seal the deal,” Ominis said, lifting his chin. “It made voting for her release all the more satisfying.” 

“You…you voted…” Sebastian huffed a shocked breath out through his mouth, his hands pressing against his forehead as he stared blindly around Leicester Square, not paying any attention to the busy pubs and music. 

“She wants revenge just as much as you do,” Ominis continued, his smirk still smug. “You know me, old friend, I may not have my sight, but I am pretty good at seeing between the lines when it comes to people. It’s not so much what she said, but how she said it. She will bring down Rookwood, and she isn’t afraid of how. She even asked after you, despite you leaving her to rot in that awful prison.”

“She did?” Sebastian’s heart leapt behind his ribs. “What did you say?”

“I told her the truth,” he said, with a little shrug, amusement tugging at his mouth. “That you're still the same degenerate running around causing trouble. I'm sure she will seek you out once she is ready. I don't think she has let go of you yet.”

“And why would she? I haven't let go of her,” Sebastian said, flares of hope thundering through his pulse points. “When she does come, I will be ready.” 

Ominis nodded, his face growing serious. “Just be careful, Sebastian. These are dangerous games at play. The only reason I am telling you all of this is because I would rather have you come out of it all alive.”

“I appreciate it, Ominis. More than you will ever know,” Sebastian said, a softer tone entering his voice. 

For the first time in a very, very long time, Sebastian felt a glimmer of hope kindle in his chest, his gaze dropping to the thin, red scar on his palm. Could it be bright enough to chase back the shadows that haunted him?

MC

The constant roar of waves filled her ears, and the sky was a canvas of deep oranges and pinks as the sun slid away for another day. The air was brisk, the sea breeze pulling at her braid as she thrust her arm towards the twilight sky yet again, her shoulders aching from the effort as her magic poured from the end of her wand in a blast of blue and white. The magic swirled and twisted, soaring up towards the sky in a writhing mass of power before splitting into a million fluttering wings. Fireflies of ancient magic danced on the breeze, drifting and dispersing across the beach. 

She had been out here for quite a while, relishing the freedom of being able to cast her spells and release the pent-up fire of her magic. With her wand in hand, she felt unstoppable, a sense of wild abandon making her cheeks flush and her adrenaline spike. Her education had been cut short, but she knew enough to be able to handle herself safely, despite the desperate tremor on the edge of her control. Ancient magic was powerful, and she kept a tenuous grip on it, heeding the memories she had witnessed in those pensieves of the witch, Isadora.

Pausing to catch her breath, MC pondered her brief conversation with Andrew Larson earlier that day and dared to hope that he managed to dig something new up from the Ministry archives. Despite his obvious nervousness in her presence, she had sensed his eagerness to discover the information, his tentative questions for her hinting at a deep curiosity. She could not deny the excitement at the prospect of hidden knowledge regarding her magic, and she knew she had Leander to thank for the chance to find it.

Leander.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she relaxed her shoulders, sitting down on the soft sand of the beach to stare out at the rolling waves of the great Atlantic Ocean. Flutters of uncertainty danced behind her ribs as she thought about Leander, her teeth catching at her lower lip as she remembered soft kisses that had quickly turned into flame, the lingering warmth left on her skin after he had touched a hand to her back or her arm. How could she ignore the way he looked at her? Oh, he tried to hide it, but it was there, and she was looking for it whenever she met his gaze, now.

There was only one way anything like that could end between them, though. Heartbreak. 

Closing her eyes, she hung her head downward, her arms balanced on her knees, her wand still firmly in her grip. Seeing him with Odessa had bothered her. It had clawed at the vulnerable scars behind her ribs, tearing at the softness she had hidden there, a softness she was developing for her Auror. Yes, hers. Because that is how she thought of him now. It had snuck up on her, caught her unawares, and now she had no choice but to look at it. 

Seeing that sly, smug woman put her hands on Leander, lean towards him like she had every right to claim him as her own, it made MC want to whip out her wand and blast the bitch across the desks of his office. Shaken by the depth of her discomfort, she had tried to keep her distance from him ever since, shocked at the clear burn of jealousy she was drowning in. She had no right, no claim. It had only been one kiss, and she had told him to stop. He owed her nothing.

And yet…

Opening her hand to reveal her palm, she looked down at the thin scar on her hand, tracing it with her finger as her eyes stung with unshed tears. Missing Sebastian had consumed her for so long, for years she had been utterly alone and lost in darkness, and she still lingered in those shadows.

Was it so terribly wrong to seek out some light?

She wanted to feel something other than empty and cold. She had stepped out of that prison, unsure of where she belonged, and she still felt like she was adrift. The only thing holding her down right now was Leander. He had held her, wiped her tears away, sheltered her…and when he had kissed her, the empty hollow behind her ribs had flooded with warmth.

Sebastian was somewhere out there, far away from here and working under Rookwood’s orders. It was in the case files Leander had shown her. He had been seen with Rookwood’s beautiful daughter, and even Ominis had said that Sebastian was on a path of self-destruction.

Had he fallen so far into darkness that he was out of her reach? She just didn’t know anymore. It scared her more than she wanted to admit that she may have lost her first love, the boy who had stolen her soul and bound it with his in blood. Now, he was a man that she feared she wouldn’t recognise. What if he was walking a path she didn’t want to follow? Perhaps Ominis was right, and she might need to make some choices for her own survival.

Alone and lost, it was tough to know where to start, but she needed to have some faith in herself. She had always been alone since she was a child, and this was no different. She had always relied on herself, and that hadn’t changed. She just needed to take the first steps.

Getting to her feet, MC trudged across the sand towards the cliff path that led back to the cottage. The sky had now darkened into a blue so deep it was almost black. The first stars of the night were blinking their brilliance, and the pale moon had shown her face. Lost in her own head, she didn’t see Leander until she was upon him, jolting at the sight of him leaning against the stone wall that surrounded the cottage garden with a glass in his hand. She gasped and put a hand to her chest.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, smiling softly.

“I didn’t see you there, I was…I was miles away,” she said, biting her lip and dipping her gaze. She had hardly spoken to him all afternoon, wrapped up in her own petty jealousy over Odessa. She eyed him through her lashes, fiddling with her wand before gesturing towards his glass. “A tipple before bedtime, is it?”

He tilted the glass slightly as he glanced at it, nodding. “It’s my father’s firewhiskey. There was a bottle in the kitchen cupboard. I thought it might help me sleep. Would you like one? I can pour you a glass.”

MC wrinkled her nose as she moved closer towards him, her earlier frostiness with him melting away. “I was never really one for whiskey,” she said, shrugging. “Maybe I could try a sip.”

“Sure, here,” he said, holding out the glass towards her.

She took a small sip, the liquid coating her tongue with spicy heat. Her eyes watered, and she coughed as it went down her throat, the burn tingling all the way to her stomach. Leander chuckled and took back the glass as she shook her head. “Nope, still not for me,” she said.

“Fair enough. I can make you some tea if you’d prefer that,” he offered.

She shook her head and moved to lean against the wall beside him. “I’m fine, thank you. I will take some water up to bed with me.”

“That was quite the show you put on down there,” he said. “Do you feel better now?”

“You were watching me?” She looked up at him as he nodded, brushing back strands of hair caught on the sea breeze. His hair was slightly dishevelled, and she wondered what it would be like to brush back his hair with her fingers. She was grateful for the cover of darkness as she blushed at the thought.

“It feels good to be able to cast magic again,” she said, looking down at her wand. “After discovering that I was a witch and beginning to learn about my magic, I felt quite lost without it.”

“I’m sure I would be at a loss without mine,” Leander said. “I’m glad you feel better. What with your wand back in your possession and your strength returning, I am sure you are almost ready to leave. How do you feel about all that?”

Gazing ahead at the darkened ocean, she slipped her wand away and sighed softly, feeling oddly exposed and vulnerable there under the stars with him. “Lonely,” she said, her voice low and tinged with sadness.

His silence made her turn her head to look up at him, the look in his eyes making that cavern in her chest twist with longing. 

“You’re not alone,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m here, remember? I will make sure that you will always be able to find me, no matter what happens.”

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she studied his face. That warmth was right there, and all she had to do was reach for it.

“What about McKinnon?”

He straightened, placing his glass down on top of the wall behind him, his face serious. He shook his head, his hand reaching for her, and then hesitating. “What you saw earlier, it was nothing. She flirts like that with everyone. There is nothing more than professional camaraderie between myself and Odessa. I would never…”

“Don’t…” She said, her voice cracking. She put her hand gently over his mouth to stop him, knowing that if he said too much, it might push them even further across a line that was already blurring so quickly.

His eyes burned with words left unsaid, his lips parted against her fingers, the warmth of his breath against her skin sending shivers through her. Her hand shifted against his mouth, her fingers lightly caressing against the soft, fullness of his lips. His breaths quickened, and she felt her pulse come alive. He was so warm, so soft. The temptation was crippling, but she would only hurt him in the end.

His long fingers curled about her wrist, holding her hand against his mouth as his lips pressed soft kisses against her fingertips, holding her gaze as he mouthed along towards her palm to press a firmer kiss there. She opened her mouth to speak, to stop him, but she wasn’t pulling away, and words failed her as he closed his eyes and pressed a lingering kiss against the pulse point at her wrist. He had to feel it against his mouth. He had to feel the rush and flutter of her blood as he held his lips against her like that. 

He lifted his head slowly, opening his eyes as he gently held her hand. “I try to hide it, but I think you know how I feel about you. I can’t explain it. You just drive me crazy. But, I’m not a fool. I know this isn’t what you want.” 

“I don’t know what I want,” she said, her honesty making her breathless. “I’m just this lost girl without a clue, and I’m so numb, Leander. It’s like I’m hollow, empty, and you deserve so much more than that.”

He looked pained, biting his lip as he looked out to sea, shaking his head as if trying to deny the truth. Reaching for her, she found herself pressed against the warmth of his chest, her cheek nuzzled against the soft wool of his jumper as he stroked her hair. To be held like she was fragile should have brought forward the stubbornness and pride she used as shields against emotional vulnerability, but she found herself clinging to him instead. The pressure of his embrace eased the ache in her chest, and she closed her eyes, savouring the feel of him, breathing in his scent and allowing warmth to seep through to her bones.

What harm could it do to borrow some of that unfailing stability he had? Just for a moment.

They stood there for a while in each other's arms, not speaking, and she felt the gentle press of his lips against her head a few times. She let him, her body so starved of human contact that she thought it might cause her pain to let go, but the air was growing chillier, and she shivered against the breeze. 

Reluctantly, she stepped from his embrace as he suggested they go indoors. They went about closing things down for the night, putting out the fire and drawing the curtains. When she moved for the stairs, she paused and turned towards him, placing her hand against his cheek with a soft smile.

“Goodnight,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe to press a kiss on his cheek that was dangerously close to his mouth. 

He didn’t seek more. He merely bid her goodnight back, his eyes full of all the things they had left unsaid.

….*….

Her fingers slid down the old wood of the bedroom door, nerves fluttering behind her ribs as she once again found herself standing in the hallway outside Leander’s bedroom in the middle of the night. She had to stop this. Loitering outside his room was madness, and this was the third night she had found herself here, debating the idea of knocking and crossing into unchartered territory. Tonight, she felt the hunger with a sharpness that made her ache, sleep eluding her as she went over every detail of the day in her mind. 

That kiss goodnight had left her wanting, his mouth so close, and yet not close enough. Standing there in just her nightgown, she shivered, so tired of being cold and empty. His arms felt too good wrapped around her, his chest the ideal place to rest her head…

Her sigh came out as a pained moan, and she brought her hand to her mouth, stifling the noise as she hesitated outside his door. She stared at the handle, her fingers reaching for it. This was crazy. It was inappropriate behaviour for a young lady to do such a thing.

The door clicked off the latch and swung inwards, her bare feet slipping quietly across the floorboards as she entered the darkened room. Closing the door gently behind her, MC turned and glanced around the bedroom. It was neat and tidy, clothes folded on a chair and shoes sat neatly to one side. The double bed claimed the centre, the blankets covering Leander as he slept. He had not moved, the soft sounds of his breathing filling the space. She should leave. She was invading his privacy.

Ignoring the sensible side of her mind, she moved closer towards the bed, pale moonlight highlighting the shape of Leander. Pausing, she took a moment to study him at rest, his hair falling haphazardly onto the white pillow. Her hand moved with a will of its own, her fingers sliding into soft strands of copper hair in a tentative caress. He stirred, his head shifting against the pillow, and then his eyes blinked slowly open.

“Sorry,” she whispered, withdrawing her hand. “It’s only me.”

Rubbing his eye, Leander pushed himself up onto an elbow, a frown creasing his brow. “MC…are you alright?”

“I can’t sleep,” she said, biting her lip. He was wearing a striped sleep shirt, and she would bet her last possession that he was wearing matching trousers beneath his blankets. He shifted to sit up, his hand grabbing the edge of the blanket.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No,” she said firmly, putting her hand over his to stop him from throwing the blanket back and getting up. He met her gaze, slightly confused and sleep dazed. Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. “Don’t get up. I…I was wondering…”

Her throat seemed to close up, words not forming as she stared at him. He looked so soft and sleepy, and yet the curve of his mouth and the defined line of his jaw were drawing her gaze, making her imagine things far more fiery and urgent. She eyed the strength of his neck, the width of his shoulders, his open collar revealing his throat, and a glimpse of chest. Fire curled within her, her hands desperate to reach out and find warmth. 

She could see the question in his eyes, but instead of speaking, she lifted her hand and traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. Leaning forward, she admired the full pout of his mouth before pressing her own against it, claiming a soft but determined kiss as her fingers pushed deeply into his hair and gripped. Leander didn’t move at first, perhaps surprised, but he didn’t stop her as she pressed more kisses against his mouth. The emptiness in her chest bloomed with fire, spreading outwards and filling her with something real, something that wasn’t dark or a heavy weight dragging her down.

“MC,” he whispered between kisses, his lips responding through heavier breaths. “Are you sure…this is…what you want?”

Inside, she felt like she had been losing everything human about herself, lost in shadow and sadness with no way out. Somehow, Leander had slipped through the cracks of her shattered soul, and his light was seeping through her, waking her up and making her feel like there was hope. She ached to feel that in the physical sense, her skin tingling in anticipation of his touch, the desire to feel his palms sliding over her flesh making her certain that this was exactly what she needed right now.

Cupping his face, her mouth reluctant to leave the plush softness of his, she brushed her lips against him, sighing softly, her body giving in to its demands. “Yes,” she breathed, sliding her tongue out to swipe it across his lower lip as she met his eyes.

Strong hands gripped her waist, and she moaned into his mouth as he pulled her down onto the bed with him, their kiss deepening until she was adrift on a wave of flickering flames. She had given in to temptation and was now lost in the feel of his hands and his mouth, her curves pressed close against the hardness of his body. As he cupped her hips, urging her against him, her nightgown sliding up her thighs, she knew there would be no turning back this time.

To be continued...

Tagging: @evaslytherpuff @eternalremorse @writing-intheundercroft @marketfreshfics @loving-him-was-red13 @slytherin-paramour @sevprince-91

[jess-the-reckless]

Today, in scenes that I can't get out of my head until I write them, an answer to anyone who was wondering what became of the 'interminable beige thing' (hat tip to Vivian Stanshall) that Aziraphale was knitting in The Lady Gardener. Happy to say chapter 7 will have some further continuity with The Lady Gardener when you find out who Aziraphale is meeting in London.

(Obviously yes, I know - I have to finish chapter 6 yet, but I'm getting there.)

Crowley – in a little black thing so tiny it was barely a nightie at all – lay stretched out on the huge hotel bed. She wore her rude sleep mask, and a pair of chunky-knit black and red socks, chunky because Aziraphale had still been working with the thicker yarn, and hadn’t quite got the hang of purl at the time. Aziraphale had attempted knitting back in her Dowling days, mostly as a sort of displacement activity when her anxiety got the better of her. The result had been an interminable beige thing that she had eventually sewed up along the long edge in the hope that she might find some stuffing somewhere, and recycle it as a draft excluder. She hadn’t, of course, because one cold winter night she’d come down to turn off the Christmas tree lights and found Crowley making use of it. She had never told Crowley this, or that the beige thing was now known only to her as a snosy (snake cosy) but she always kept it within slithering distance in winter.

“There you are,” said Aziraphale, kicking off her shoes. “When did you get in?”

“About half an hour ago, I think.”

“Well, you look very comfy.”

“I am,” said Crowley, without lifting the sleep mask. “Ah, this is more like I thought retirement would be like. Nice to get into the city for a bit. Back to the simple bucolic delights of petrol fumes, rat infestations, and knife crime.”

“I know, dear. The country is a lot louder than I thought it would be. And considerably more violent. Perhaps we made a mistake in moving there?”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Jamil, Idia: Desires so Deep

Ignore me getting a late start on this new birthday series 💀 (Got busy with irl stuff!!)

Oddly enough, the vignettes don’t mention Jamil’s birthday at all; they’re at the National Art Museum in the Land of Dawning to celebrate its 100th anniversary. It seems this new series (Platinum Jacket) will have vignettes with more focus on how the boys relate to and what they think about important historical figures in Twisted Wonderland!

… Also, the fact that the book 7 part 5 update came out a few days before Jamil’s birthday… and then his vignettes go and show a Maleficent painting in them… Yeah 😭 but what’s even funnier to me is that Idia calls Jamil a chuunibyou WHich iS SO ACCURATE, THANK YoU fOR CALLinG HIS ASS OuT, KING 🙏 What is Jamil doing in that sussy Groovy if not being a chunni…

A Tale as Old as Time.

Contained within a shining platinum frame was an illustration of a starry scene. A man in a fine white turban crowned by a single violet plume. A woman, perched on a balcony, in a refreshing blue-green, a jasmine flower set into her long, dark braid.

They stared longingly into each other’s eyes, conveying an emotion not spoken aloud. No words were needed for what they had: a love so tender it made the night weep. The stars into glittering tears sliding down the face of darkness.

Standing before the painting of the happy couple, Jamil folded his arms and frowned.

… Can feelings truly defy social status?

"A street rat marrying a princess… Hah."

His fingers curled to fists, digging into the pristine white fabric of his suit. Jamil's expression remained neutral, no hint of the bitterness brewing within. He was a master of leashing it.

What nonsense. I doubt their happiness lasted long. The difference in their standing is far too vast to be bridged.

Jamil lowered his gaze and looked away.

Adjacent to the loving pair was a spindly man with a curled goatee. His crimson and black headdress resembled the flared hood of a desert viper—a look iconic to the Sorcerer of the Sands. He gleefully clasped a golden oil lamp in his long, bony fingers. A remarkable achievement, an item he had been searching his entire life for.

Now, here was a great man. Someone who had slaved away and earned his reputation, climbed in social ranks on merit alone. The Sorcerer of the Sands would die a highly accomplished man, advisor to a sultan, renown scholar mage, and seeker of truth.

The very symbol of Scarabia’s spirit of deliberation.

"Jamil-shi?"

The voice was soft and nervous, like that of a specter not yet parted from this world. A faint blue glow fell upon the Sorcerer of the Sands.

Jamil turned, releasing a sigh when he realized who had appeared beside him. "... Oh. It's you, Idia-senpai."

"Eeep!" His upperclassman jumped at the mention of his name. He clung to the doorway, and anxiety evident on his pale face.

"Well? Don't let my presence deter you from appreciating the artwork."

"N-No, that's okay!! It was getting to be too crowded in the main hall, so I wanted to dip and take a breather somewhere quiet to let my stamina recharge... b-but that's completely pointless if other people are still around!"

"You won't even notice me. I not a snake—I don't bite," Jamil insisted flatly. Not unless I want to. "You look suspicious lurking in the doorframe. You may as well come in."

Left with no other choice, Idia awkwardly shuffled into the exhibit.

He positioned himself a good distance away from Jamil, not saying so much as a word as he stared at an ornate figure of a broad-bodied ape. Its lips were twisted into a grotesquely wide smile.

Nestled in the monkey’s palms was a massive red jewel, glistening even in the scarce light. Idia's own terrified reflection bounced back at him in the gem’s many facets.

"Can't believe I got dragged out for this," the third year grumbled under his breath. "I-I wanted to go to that pop-up Sled Over Heels collab cafe with the walk-in museum... Instead I have to be here and gawk at the same pictures I've seen over and over again in magic history textbooks... Aaah, it totally doesn't compare at all to cute anime girls pouring all their passion into the artful sport of sledding!"

Some small, fragmented part of Jamil grimaced at the disrespect, try as he might to close off his ears, to not engage. No good ever comes of provoking a stubborn mule, he chided himself.

But the devil on his left shoulder pounced.

"Idia-senpai," Jamil spoke carefully, a slight edge to his voice. It made the hairs on the back of Idia's neck stand at attention. "Are you not a fan of this style of artwork? Or is it the subject matter you find distasteful?"

His upperclassmen startled. Horrified as the realization that Jamil had heard his every complaint, the tips of his flaming hair colored pink.

"W-Well... I'm not exactly a buff for this kind of thing," Idia stuttered. "It's ancient history. Been there, don’t that. Th-There's really no point in being on that grind cycle if it all just amounts to the same ending anyway. That's basically all history is, anyway."

Jamil bristled—though he took care to not let it show. "I beg to differ. The story of the Sorcerer of the Sands defies such paltry notions. He struggled much in his life, even served under a carefree, incompetent sultan that barely listened to a work he said.”

I know what that’s like.

“Jamil…!”

A smile he thoroughly detested flashed in his mind. So big and pearly and irritating as he offered him his hand.

“Let’s start over. We can be rivals… but we can be friends too.”

But that boy was a fool.

Feelings can’t trump social status. Not then, not now. Not ever.

“And yet it was thanks to his contributions that he is remembered today as one of the greatest men to have ever lived. The Sorcerer of the Sands was able to break free and live as he desired. He acquired the Genie of the Lamp and phenomenal cosmic power. He decided his own destiny.”

"Uweh, sounds like he's your kami-oshi, Jamil-shi... I guess it makes sense though, since you and the Sorcerer of the Sands are the same character archetype and everything. Chunnibyous gotta stick together and all…”

"… What is that supposed to mean?" Jamil planted his hands on his hips. He didn’t understand all of Idia’s slang, but he also wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

Idia's eyes—wide and anxious—cut away from him. “I-It’s nothing important…”

“Then why are you hiding it?”

“B-Because you’re definitely the type who would hold a grudge if anyone pisses you off!!”

“How rude. I’m offended that you think so lowly of me.” Jamil allowed himself a little smirk. “I’ll have you know that I won’t stop there. In fact, I’ll enact a vengeance plot so excruciatingly humiliating that you won’t ever be able to face the light of day comfortably again.”

“S-See?! That’s what I meant!! Y-You’re a certified chuunibyou!!”

“Whatever that means, I assure you that I’m not. Is it so wrong to look back on history and to appreciate how far we’ve come since?”

“Th-That’s…”

Jamil found himself returning to the painting of the Sorcerer with the lamp. He was almost drawn to it, lulled into a hypnotic trance. An item that could make all of his hopes come true…

“Let me ask you this: if you could have any wish granted, what would that wish be?”

“E-Eh?! Any wish…” Idia fiddled with the glittering buttons on his suit. He nibbled on his lower lip, a darkness having swept up what little color there was left to him. “I-I can’t say it, but… more than anything, there’s someone I want to say goodbye to.”

“I see. A fond farewell.”

Letting go.

Jamil’s chest tightened.

In a distant memory, flowers of fire lit up the night. He had been dancing then, hair and fabric flying as he spun and spun and spun. When had he last felt so free? His wings unbound, the sky as his limits.

“As for myself, what I wish for most of all is…”

He glanced back at the painting of the two lovers. Star-crossed, against a star-streaked sky. Adventure calling, liberation beckoning.

A look most malicious graced his careful controlled features. Lips in a lopsided smirk, eyes like daggers, glinting sinisterly in the dark. Concealed weapons rising to the surface.

“… to be well-connected with people who may prove useful in attaining my dreams. Yes, that’s it. Useful.”

[bettyshoweduptotheparty]

Speaking of Look What You Made Me Do: A MV Analysis (NOT mine)

Write up of original analysis by fists_on_up on TikTok

I need a writeup of this amazing analysis of the LWYMMD song and music video on my blog, but please note it's not mine.

Author mentions that the two verses are about two different things. Verse 1: Kanye and the Snakegate situation ('tilted stage/ the role you made me play of the fool/ no I don't like you')

There is a chandelier on the floor in the bathtub scene. The author interprets this as a reference to Phantom of the Opera, where a falling chandelier is a warning of revenge

During the first chorus, Taylor sits on the throne in front of snakes. Look what you made me do -> become the queen of snakes

Verse 2: 'Kingdom keys, locked me out and through a feast' -> This is not about snakegate. It's about a different vendetta. She's mad about being locked away from something/someone. In the video she is in a golden cage during this scene. She's wearing Karma orange and eating lobster, but there is also a rat on the table, so it's only fake luxury. The cage is surrounded by 7 men dressed in black guarding her.

The interpretation is that these are her public 'boyfriends' protecting her straight girl image, and, as such, she is not in fact in control of her career, hence the golden cage. The Karma orange suit symbolizes the album/collective music she was never allowed to release because it would have destroyed her image. The author also concludes that because this situation and snakegate are both dealt with in this song, that one was potentially orchestrated to cause the other, much like the masters heist was conveniently timed to foil her coming out plans in 2019.

The next scene is the heist scene, where Taylor is shown with 4 women wearing cat masks. This is in direct contrast to the men around the cage, as the women are helping her in the mission, as opposed to keeping her trapped. The door in the vault is also orange, another reference to music that was locked away because she couldn't release it. She is shown with 4 women in both this scene, and the 'dykes on bikes' scene immediately afterwards. The author interprets this as representing the 4 women who actually inspired her music (rather than the men who get credited with it publicly).

The next scene is a real underappreciated gem, it happens really quickly, so you can easily miss it, but Taylor is picturing herself as the leader of this group of women, called the CAT 🐱 MAGNET 🧲 SQUAD. I'm afraid I'll get censored if I spell it out, but you get the idea. (damn, Taylor!!😉)

With how many lesbian references there are in these second verse scenes, I would have to agree that it seems likely that the second verse is about being kept closeted, and she's being incredibly blunt here out of spite.

Next, we move on to a scene that cuts between two things happening during the chorus: 1. Taylor performing with 8 men in I❤TS Hiddleswift shirts, and 2. Taylor cutting the wings of a plane off with a chainsaw. So, what the previous two situations described in the verses made her do, is add an 8th guy to the line up of 'boyfriends' and ground the plane that was meant to be TS6 (as written on the plane). In contrast to the men around the cage that were holding her captive though, Taylor is performing with these guys, they are working for her. So, instead of just being at the mercy of her captivity, she is taking whatever small amount of charge that she can have over this situation. I would also add, as the author has pointed out the fallen chandelier in a previous scene as a warning of revenge, the scene with the 8 men also has three massive chandeliers handing from the ceiling.

The author concludes that the video confirms the Karma album theory (though we didn't have the name at the time) that was scrapped in favour of reputation. And I have to say, it's pretty convincing. But I'd make one amendment, I think because the TS6 plane gets sprayed over to be reputation, it's not an entirely different plane, some of the songs are in fact on reputation, in some form or another. Maybe with some lyric changes, the plane is inoperable after all. And in order to release an album with such heartfelt love songs, it would make sense that she needed to present a 'long term boyfriend' to the public that those songs could be attributed to.

She also says that it very much seems like the story of vengeance that's told here isn't over yet, and Taylor did once say that it would be years, if not decades before this whole music video would make sense to all of her fans. And Karma orange has certainly made a few appearances lately, so could reputation (Taylor's version) finally make way for its big sister Karma? And will it fly this time?

[droolfang]

venus fangs oc masterpost

gonna try and list my characters for y'all, will update as need be!! by no means comprehensive.

SETTING: Worth Her Weight In Gold (WHWIG)

planned fantasy novella full of wg/tf/tg shenanigans. Mostly the adventures of Amandine (a 7 foot tall draconic princess who is "worth her weight in gold" and thus fattened magically by would be ransomers) and her retainer Olivier (a transgender mommydom in the form of a nervous beanpole gentleman)

Character: Amandine

she/her, bratty princess, sometimes a dragon

Character: Olivier

he/she? depending on context. Amandine's nervous retainer

Character: Elizar

he/him, mercenary who kidnapped Amandine for ransom

Character: Daire

he/she? depending on context. kink wizard hired by Elizar to fatten Amandine

SETTING: southern fried slasher verse

characters i have with my partner based in the nebulous american south who kill and eat people

Character: Elvis

he/him, bartender and serial killing vampire

Character: Mitch

she/her, vindictive slasher tranny

SETTING: grizzoli's

series of erotic short stories involving the members of the vampiric grizzoli's circus as they hunt magical artifacts and fuck nasty

Character: Antoni

he/him, but maybe she/her??? prettyboy vampire bottom

Character: Dolby

she/her, tgirl hired muscle

Character: Mel

she/her, vampire apex predator

SETTING: d seas

pirate shenanigans w my partner

Character: Sargasso

she/her, dark magic pirate mob boss

Character: Grimleash

she/her, sargasso's left hand, bsdm pirate, tgirl with the strap representation

Character: Juno

he/him, demigod of the sun, hedonist and egotist

Character: Bax

he/she, closeted trans girl and all around backstabbing slut rogue

Character: Hound

he/him, Bax's brother, put-upon noble warrior who has just been fired

Character: Invicta

she/her, bax and hounds overbearing mother, pirate warlord

SETTING: science

mad scientist shenanigans with my partner

Character: Esme

she/her, body-mod snake woman, loves unethical experiments

Character: Ivar

he/him, stoner tboy lab assistant who oozes black ichor

Character: Mandel

all pronouns, bug who's happy to be here

SETTING: gothic fantasy

gothic fantasy shenanigans with my partner

Character: Desmond

he/him, vampire saint who keeps a woman in a cage

Character: Labrador

she/her, dream demon and noblewoman

OTHERS

Character: Marlow

she/her, govt assassin with superpowers

Character: Sable

she/her, office feedee

Character: Mordere

she/her, rat eating vampire lord

Character: Lillith

she/her, ancient vampire businesswoman

Character: Prim

she/her, lilliths familiar and airhead

Character: Vervaine

they/them, partyslut toxic alien

Character: Hugo

he/him, galactic fugitive with a body horror parasite

Character: Sagitta

he/him, alien warlord

Character: Frolick

she/her, frivolous chimera

Character: Cowsona

she/her.... my sona.... sometimes a dragon, or even a mouse

[zalrb]

Anon-Requested Love Island USA Review - Episode 2 (out of, like, 7 million)

"WHY DID SHE PICK ME?" because you're on a reality show and they need a villain, Rob, or the snake who controls you, use your head.

"I'm with Coye. He's 6'8." LMAO why does she say that like it's his profession?

Coye: Oh, I am NOT worried about these two dudes. All the other men: well you wouldn't be, would you?

"They can bring HERCULES in this motherfucker", Coye, Hercules probably has a personality outside of his height, shut up.

Seeing him humbled would be fun ngl.

Rob is just sitting there having a full out existential crisis

and it's HILARIOUS.

When did rizz become synonymous with obnoxiousness?

LMAO all of you - except Rob, I guess- were about to risk it all for Liv, you can't get pissy when your ladies will do the same for the other AI-generated looking men.

Connor's eyes freak me out.

"So tell me now, if it's a no." "Well, it's not a no." Really, Rob because you look like you hate her.

"I really wouldn't choose someone if I didn't think something was there" you would for the plot. It's literally the point of you.

Rob: If I take three deep breaths then I will forget all about Leah.

Btw, I think Kendall looks like an Aaron and I have to remind myself that his name is Kendall, which means, inevitably, there will be a time where I say Aaron and I mean Kendall.

"I thought it was a little mean." I'm sorry that the person who came into the show to stir shit up stirred shit up.

"Yo bro, did you get that [shirt] extra small??" Aaron (actually Aaron) you were READY for Liv to pick you, shut UP.

"Sir, you're 5'5 sit the fuck down." I love how tall men really have no personalities outside of their height. It is amazing.

Why are they acting as if going to the gym is a novelty amongst this group of people? "No way, you're a gym rat too?" OBVIOUSLY???

Kaylor's voice is just ... a lot.

"I didn't expect us to have so much in common." The gym and sushi?

Hakeem gets on my goddamm NERVES. Him and Kendall. Trying way too hard to seem like they're not trying too hard.

"Oh you work out everyday?" "Yeah, I, like, love working out." Another unique connection.

Kaylor: Connor is husband material. I have decided this after one conversation.

"You look like you've never had a carb in your life." "I have carbs ALL the time. I just had *a* cookie." Alright.

The two endangered species blondes are bonding!

Hakeem: Are you naked? *pulls covers to see more clearly* I mean, do you want him to be?

I just feel like one season of Love Island has to have a pair of the ladies or a pair of the guys pairing off and fucking up the whole thing.

"What kind of women do you usually go for?" Hakeem: NON-BLACK WOMEN.

Rob: "I'm going to make avocado toast for both of my girlfriends. This is a good idea, right?" Kendall: .... .... ... ... .... .... .... ............ ...... it's a GOOD idea. L M A O. He wants the drama.

Rob: It's just .... nice, though... Kendall: Oh yeah, sure. Sure.

"I want to be completely honest with both of you going forward."

Me:

But will you be?

Rob: I like animals Liv: Boring. I sometimes like to be the centre of attention. Rob: Ew. You like Ed Sheeran?? Basic. Liv: Who even is this artist you listen to? Lmao.

I swear to god, every time Hakeem speaks I'm forwarding.

Can you bench me? NO YOU CAN'T. Lmao, nice. I've done that. "Oh, you can't pick me up, please" *acts surprised when I am indeed picked up*

STUPID, BLOODY MR. MUSCLES OVER HERE DOING PRESS-UPS WITH MY FUTURE WIFE. a) this is hilarious b) She wasn't your future wife when you thought you had a chance with Liv.

ROFL Rob is STRESSED

Obviously, I haven't kissed her ... outside of the challenge. Kordell looks like he needs a juice box and a packed lunch and should be sent off to daycare. Why are you here with these grown people?

"Should I step in?" "STEP IN." "Uh...." "It's not gonna kill you to go step in." "Is that a dick thing to do." "GET YOUR ASS UP." Lmao the men are always the instigators. Messy ass bitches.

I don't know how anyone can trust Connor with those eyes.

It took Rob way too long to talk to Leah.

"We have absolutely nothing in common. It was flirty but it wasn't, like, spark-y" sure, did you have that conversation with Liv, though? Mr. Honesty?

When I give you the signal, meet me at the dock. L M A O. OK, Mr. Honesty.

"It's, like, a little mini date?" You went to the other side of the villa and sat on a bench, please.

I trust Rob. BRAVE.

OK it's done.

[numetaljackdog]

Top 100 favorite albums as of March 2023 (full list under cut)

1. Radiohead - Amnesiac

2. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (Bonus Edition)

3. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama (Deluxe Edition)

4. Black Dresses - Forget Your Own Face

5. 100 gecs - 10000 gecs

6. Laura Les - i just dont wanna name it anything with "beach" in the title

7. 100 gecs - 1000 gecs

8. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (Deluxe Edition)

9. Linkin Park - Meteora

10. Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns

11. System of a Down - Toxicity

12. Radiohead - Kid A

13. Toby Fox - UNDERTALE Soundtrack

14. Linkin Park - Reanimation

15. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade / Living with Ghosts (The 10th Anniversary Edition)

16. Radiohead - OK Computer

17. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

18. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight (Deluxe Version)

19. 100 gecs - 100 gecs

20. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

21. Laura Les - hello kitty skates to the fuckin CEMETARY

22. Torres - Silver Tongue

23. Left At London - t.i.a.p.f.y.h.

24. Nirvana - Nevermind (Deluxe Edition)

25. food house, Gupi & Fraxiom - Food House

26. Chevelle - Wonder What's Next (Expanded Edition)

27. Tallah - Matriphagy

28. Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony

29. Motionless in White - Creatures (Deluxe Edition)

30. Limp Bizkit - Significant Other (Explicit Version)

31. Limp Bizkit - Three Dollar Bill, Y'all $

32. Ada Rook - UGLY DEATH NO REDEMPTION ANGEL CURSE I LOVE YOU

33. Laura Jane Grace - Stay Alive

34. Jethro Tull - Aqualung

35. Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia

36. BACKxWASH - HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING

37. Bayside - Interrobang

38. Black Dresses - Forever In Your Heart

39. Three Days Grace - One-X

40. Sophie - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

41. 100 gecs - Snake Eyes

42. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory EP

43. Kittie - Spit

44. BACKxWASH - I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES

45. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

46. Toby Fox - Deltarune Chapter 2 (Original Game Soundtrack)

47. Chongo - Mad Rat Monday

48. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

49. Motionless in White - Infamous (Deluxe Edition)

50. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls (Expanded Edition)

51. Talking Heads - Remain In Light (Deluxe Version)

52. My Chemical Romance - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

53. Spineshank - The Height of Callousness [Special Edition]

54. The Used - The Used

55. Linkin Park - Live in Texas

56. Baroness - Yellow & Green

57. Death Grips - The Money Store

58. Nirvana - In Utero - 20th Anniversary Remaster

59. Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!

60. Radiohead - In Rainbows

61. Bring Me the Horizon - There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret

62. Three Days Grace - Human

63. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

64. Limp Bizkit - The Unquestionable Truth (Pt. 1)

65. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (2018 Remaster)

66. Bring Me the Horizon - POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR

67. Bring Me the Horizon - That's The Spirit

68. Go! Child - Coffee And Ramen

69. Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

70. We Are The Union - Ordinary Life

71. Chevelle - This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)

72. Evanescence - Fallen

73. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

74. Jamie Paige - Bittersweet

75. Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor

76. Nirvana - Bleach

77. For the Likes of You - Withered

78. Bring Me the Horizon - Suicide Season Cut Up!

79. Lena Raine - Celeste (Original Soundtrack)

80. Holy Grail - Ride The Void

81. Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny

82. a-ha - Scoundrel Days

83. Demon Hunter - Storm the Gates of Hell

84. Black Flag - Damaged

85. Masakazu Sugimori - Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney OST

86. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

87. Alexisonfire - Crisis

88. Various Artists - Queen of the Damned

89. Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks

90. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill

91. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits

92. Architects - Holy Hell

93. Laura Les - REMIXES 2017

94. Linkin Park - Living Things

95. brian david gilbert - songs with videos without videos

96. Frost Children - SPIRAL

97. Parkway Drive - Horizons

98. Limp Bizkit - Gold Cobra (Deluxe)

99. Various Artists - Phineas and Ferb

100. Vanilla Ice - Hard To Swallow

[blck-drgn]

I slowly crawl out of my rat hole and drag Pie. The post is dedicated to those who say that she is young. SHE'S PENSIONED, BRING THE SCOOP AND BROOM A woman is 52-56 years old, what do you need from her haha? х) (For those who don’t know, it’s just a joke about age. I hear too often that Piper is very young or looks young :D)

SO HERE I’ve already made posts 100,500 times where I mentioned some rock band, and FD in general (it’s especially clear in the post with Viola), whose music I listen to 24/7, with extremely rare interruptions to third-party songs. Let me just say - Ghost. Anyone interested in what it is and why they listen to it will Google it. If you ask me to tell you about this group, some internal jokes of the fans, jokes of the musicians and the vocalist, and the whole plot of the group as a whole, spare your nerves, I will paint such a canvas for you. Four people got caught in the attack, I feel sorry for them, AHHA bullshit.

I was wildly pushed to create my own aushka, and to weave a couple of characters into this theme, that I couldn’t resist and this snake came out, a malachite snake. Since I decided to really get into this FD (that’s why one of my nicknames is Rat x)), I wrote down a few of my heads, and VERY BRIEFLY the plot of my characters. So far, only Piper has been distributed, so this is as brief as possible:

Since this is a headcanon and there is no title “Emeritus Mama” in the original or in real life, it will be here. Since the vocalist is referred to as "Emeritus Papa" in the Ghost fandom, the women in her line will be Emeritus Mama. Piper became Emeritus Mama I because before her, the title of Emeritus Mama Nihil (Nihil - designation 0 in Roman numerals) was held by her mother. Piper, like the original band, performs with a rock band. Unlike her mother and sisters (I will only take sisters for now, because I divided the groups by gender), her makeup refers to the skull of a snake. You can see her without paint on her face, but it’s extremely rare. Early in the morning or late at night, if she was in her chambers. But usually she puts on makeup and only then leaves her room. Before taking on the title of Emeritus Mama, Piper was a cardinal and wore a more simplified version of her makeup - an all-white face, outlined in black for her eyes and lips. Like the original, her musicians are ghouls, who obey her in the same way, helping to perform on stage, playing live music (I will show the ghouls much later, I have to draw them and their outfits). Ghouls are literally children in adult bodies, so on stage they can go crazy or get too close to the audience, but magical chains keep them from attacking, because in addition to childish pampering, they are wild and very dangerous creatures. I don’t have the outfit with me yet, I wanted to post today, but like the ghouls, it will appear a little later in two versions. Returning to the topic of song genre. Once upon a time, I was asked about her voice, whether there is anything similar among actors or musicians. Yes - In This Moment. Maria Brink's voice suits her and her type of characters perfectly. However, Brink's voice in real life does not suit her, because unlike the musical voice, it is sweet and not as rough and hoarse as Piper's should be. Therefore, if you imagine Pie’s voice, then rely on Brink’s songs.

That's all I can tell you for now. When I can get started and finish her outfits and ghouls, I'll be sure to post the story as well.

Also, I want to remind you that English is not my native language. I could easily make mistakes or incorrectly label the character's title as “Emeritus Mama”, because I cannot know exactly what this title would sound like in English and correctly. Thanks for reading! Also, I will be grateful if the fandom accepts me without aggression. I joined it not so long ago, only in November 2023, and I would really like to develop my headcanons and history. I will be grateful if there is no aggression towards me. If something doesn’t suit you, please just don’t read, but there’s no need to create scandals out of the blue. Let's be people, not animals, everyone has the right to imagination. And I want to say, there will also be headcanons on paps and ghouls at some point. I won’t promise a big asset from me just yet, because real life is too pressing, and posting posts with just text is boring and unacceptable for me. I just HAVE to attach art to them!

I will also publish my works only under two tags, so as not to be an eyesore to those who want to read posts about the fandom, and not some third-party projects, like mine! These are: ghost band art and blck drgn ghost (my personal tag, so as not to really clutter up other people's viewing of original content!)

Thank you! I love everyone💙💜

[squeakyfir]

The Love from a Skeleton [Jack Skellington X Reader]

Plot: Halloween... The time of year you absolutely hate. Not because of the ghouls and monsters, you enjoyed that kind of thing, it's because of trick or treaters. They get free candy and whine and complain to their parents if they didn't get what they expected, which is the whole bowl of candy. Anyways, since you don't celebrate that holiday, you decide to go for a late stroll through the woods on the hiking trail. While walking, your whole life changes. And I mean that literally... Everything started to change drastically until you find trees with holiday symbols on it. One of them being a Jack-o-lantern. Being curious, you enter through the door and discover a world that would represent a children's book written by Stephen King. But the leader of this place was a king. Not just any king... A pumpkin king. His name is Jack Skellington. He's a very tall and slender skeleton with a pinstripe suit, a black cat bow tie and ghost dog named Zero. He discovers you and welcomes you to Halloween town until he can figure out how to send you home. But this place is perfect! No taxes to pay No drama And no more loneliness Jack believes that your hideous. But don't worry, hideous in the Halloween town definition means... Beautiful. Enjoy! *I do not own the Nightmare before Christmas. All rights belong to Tim Burton and Disney™*

Chapter 7

Previous ~ Next

Some time went by and Jack was still pressing forward with his plan. Even the citizens of Halloween town were just as determined as Jack because they were making monster toys, they changed the countdown clock from it being to Halloween to Christmas and they were even changing the appearance of Halloween town. Jack didn't have a sewing machine for you to borrow so you had to borrow Dr. Finklesteins and when you got to his laboratory, he was ten times more creepier than when you last saw him.

Anyways, Jack had set up an individual work area for you. Making Jacks santa suit was more difficult than you thought. When you had to take measurements of his body, you had to keep double checking every single time when you were sewing to make sure you didn't mess up. As you were sewing, you heard the people of Halloween town were making music and were about to start singing.

Again... Man, these monsters sure do love singing.

This time x2

Making Christmas x4

Is so fine

It's ours this time

And won't the cildren be surprised

It's ours this time

The other monster children were smashing and cutting the heads off of toys. The witches were making what looked like stew but then that fish monster popped out of the pot which meant it was disgusting.

Making Christmas x3

Time to give them something fun

They'll talk about for years to come

Let's have a cheer from everyone

It's time to party

The vampires were making toys as well. They were currently putting the finishing touches on a duck but it had sharp teeth, bloody bullet holes and was on a skateboard. What? The worst part is that it sang a verse from the song.

Making Christmas x2

Snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice

With spiders legs and pretty bows

It's ours this time

Three monsters were carving the face of a demonic Mickey mouse with sharp teeth, a suit and it was super creepy.

All together, that and this

With all our tircks we're

Making Christmastime

"Here comes jack" said the werewolf. You looked to the gates of his house and saw him and he looked surprised and happy. He spoke in song with happiness and was ecstatic about all of this.

I don't believe what's happening to me

My hopes

My dreams

My fantasies

Hee, hee, hee, hee

Jack then walks over to a monster who had one of the musicians in a pillory as he was making a hat out of a rat.

Won't they be impressed

I am a genius

See how I transform the old rat Into a most delightful hat

Jack appeared next to him and offered his suggestion.

Hmm, my compliments from me to you

On this your most intriguing hat

Consider though this substitute

A bat in place of this old rat

Jack then went over to the monster whose skin was constantly melting and very sticky.

Huh! No, no, no, now that's all wrong

This thing will never make a present

It's been dead for much too long

Try something fresher, something pleasant

Try again, don't give up

All of the monsters then went back to singing.

All together

That and this

With all our tricks

We're making Christmastime

With everything happening in Halloween town, it made you think of what was happening in Christmas town. You could picture the elves making or sewing toys or stuffed animals. They were also probably making gingerbread cookies and stuffing the stockings. You could also picture them cleaning the sleigh and putting all the toys in the sleigh. You brought out of your thoughts by more singing from the monsters.

This time x2

Making Christmas x2

La, la, la

It's almost here

And we can't wait

So ring the bells and celebrate

'Cause when the full moon starts to climb

We'll all sing out

Jack then finished off the song by singing...

It's Christmastime

Hee, hee, hee

Then out of nowhere, three skeleton reindeer appeared behind Jack and it this whole thing was getting worse and worse.

More time went by until Christmas was tomorrow. Jack was currently having you do the final stiches on his Santa outfit. "You don't look like yourself, Jack. Not at all" you said as you were stitching the sleeve if his outfit as he was wearing it. "Isn't that wonderful! It couldn't be more wonderful"!

You stopped stitching and pulled down the picture of his drawing of him in a Santa outfit and flipped it over to show him as who he truly was. The pumpkin king. "But your the pumpkin king"! He took the picture from you and snapped it into two on his knee. "Not anymore! I feel so much better now"!

You sighed and continued to stitch and talk. "Jack, I know you think that something's missing-"

You were cut off from talking when you accidentally poked the tip of his bony finger with the needle. "Ow"!

"Sorry"!

"It's alright, (Y/n). But you're right. Something is missing. But what? I've got the beard, the coat, the boots, the-"

Jack was cut off when the three monster children, Lock, Shock and Barrel, came back after being gone for some time with a walking bathtub and the same giant sack they used when they brought the Easter bunny here. "Jack! Jack! This time we bagged him" they all said simultaneously. "This time we really did"!

"He sure is big, Jack"!

"And heavy"! Lock and Shock then opened the sack and out popped Santas head as he said, "Let me out"! Everyone gasped in shock, and so did you. You were always told he wasn't real. How? "Sandy Claws... In person", said Jack as he then proceeded to take a hold of Santas hand, "What a pleasure to meet you"! As Jack was shaking his hand, he noticed his hand. You saw it too and it was small. You never would've guessed that. "Wh-why you have hands! You don't have claws at all"! Santa lifted his hat from his eyes and stared in horror of what he saw. The monsters and horrendous atmosphere. "Where am I"?

"Surprised aren't you" asked Jack, "You don't need to have another worry about Christmas this year"! Santa was so confused and couldn't find the right words to speak. "Consider this a vacation, Sandy. A reward. It's your turn to take an easy"!

"But there must be some mistake" Santa protested.

"See that he's comfortable" said Jack. Lock and Shock were about to close the sack again until Jack stopped them. "Just a second"! You were hoping that Jack had finally come to his senses but... No. "Of course! That's what I'm missing"! Jack had taken Santas hat off of him and placed it on his skull. "Thanks".

Santa kept trying to protest but the three monster children tied the sack back up and started to leave. Jack was practicing his Santa laugh and this was getting way worse and worse. Especially for Santa. You quickly followed after the children and stopped near the gate when you heard them say, "Where are we taking him"?

"Where"?

"To Oogie Boogie of course! There isn't anywhere in the whole world more comfortable than that! And Jack said to make him comfortable, didn't he"?

"Yes he did" said Shock and Barrel.

"Haven't you heard of peace on earth? And good will toward men"?

"No" the three monster children said devilishly. They laughed and cackled as they took Santa away. You wanted to follow them but you then heard Jack call out to you. You quickly ran back to the fountain and saw him looking worried but he then look relaxed and relieved when he saw you. "There you are! I was starting to worry where you were".

"Sorry Jack".

"Don't apologize, my dear. Now, why don't you go return Dr. Finklesteins sewing machine to him. You've completed the suit and it fits me perfectly"!

"Sure. I'll be back" you said. As you retrieved the machine, you started to head to Dr. Finklesteins laboratory. The machine was a bit heavy but luckily his laboratory was only a short distance. You opened the door and headed up the long spiral staircase. When you reached the top, you heard Dr. Finklesteins voice call out, "Hello? Who is there"? You looked over and saw him wheel over to you. "Ah! (Y/n), was it? How can I help you"?

"Hi doctor. I'm here to return your sewing machine".

"Right. Go ahead and put it back in the room it was in. You know, you can keep it if want".

"Thank you again for the offer, but as I've said already, I do not wish to keep it". He sighed and said, "Very well. The room is over there". He then wheeled off and you went to the large room and put the machine on the table. You decided to look around the room and saw a cabinet. Being curious, you opened it up and saw jars that some of then read as "Nightshade", "Frogs breath" and "Fog juice".

Wait a second... Fog juice???

That sounded very intriguing so you snatched it and closed the cabinet. You quickly left the laboratory and went back to Jack. But you had a question that's been bothering you for some time.

Who's Oogie Boogie?

That's a very odd name but considering all the other names you've heard while you were here didn't really surprise you. But your curiosity was to big to resist. You had to know.

You had to...