#also i love the idea of magical corruption (in a sense) and rui is easy to torment so.

[egret-orchids]

i thought you'd be better than this | pjsk fantasy au oneshot

^inspiration art by @/gamurin although i did crop the image to make it more header-y

word count: 657

cw: blood, fighting, injury

Mafuyu skids to a halt, boots sliding across the marble of the derelict throne room’s floor. They narrow their eyes, frowning as they wipe the trickle of steadily drying blood from their broken nose off of their face. They growl under their breath, lifting their sword in front of their face, ready to block the next attack, ignoring the twinge of pain from their broken rib; they'd been slammed into the wall early on in the fight. “Must you really push yourself so hard, General?” the sorcerer mocks from somewhere above; he’s likely standing on the balcony overlooking the main court, yet Mafuyu can’t see him. The bastard’s masking the noise of his movement with muffling spells.

They leap to the right as a blast of crimson light slams into the floor where they were just standing. They force a cruel laugh. “You ought to focus on your attacks, not stealth. That’s your problem- you waste energy on masking your sound, yet it drains you, doesn’t it?” they say, almost as if they’re simply discussing the weather, not sparring for some probably fictitious title that would take them from mere soldiers to the honour that the top ranking possible for the Imperial Soldiers bestowed. Or Rui thinks that's what they're sparring over. Mafuyu’s half-brother is a fool. Stubborn and extremely powerful, yes, but an illogical fool who would achieve his goals rather than making sure his health doesn’t suffer any more than it already is. Has he not noticed the Yoisaki emblem embroidered on their uniform? It was a recent thing, but...

Rui doesn't reply, simply reappearing in front of Mafuyu and shoving them onto the ground. They glare up at him as he places one of his feet of their dominant arm and presses his weight onto it, rendering both that arm and their sword useless until he moves. "I always knew you were weak, brother," Rui croons, a devilish smirk on his face, golden-brown eyes alight with mirth, "but never this weak. You're stronger than me, skilled with both magic and the art of the sword, yet I can easily overpower you with a simple attack. Strange, isn't it? I thought you'd be better than this."

Mafuyu scoffs. "I'm not weak. You've done something to your power, haven't you? Amplified it." they reply quietly. Rui's magic, when visible, always gave off a violet glow. Only the Emperor's mages' spells were crimson, and that was through the dark magic they were permitted to use. Sorcerers like Rui aren't physically strong or mentally stable enough to- using it could be deadly. Rui opens his mouth to reply, only to stagger backwards as harsh coughs wrack his body. Mafuyu jumps up, but doesn't attack at first. But then instinct takes over when Rui stops, a thin line of blood trickling from his lips. They take the opportunity to press their sword against his throat, cutting deep. Rui freezes, before grinning and summoning an orb of that deadly crimson light. "Really going to kill me, brother?" he mocks. Mafuyu doesn't reply, ignoring the lump in their throat. Slowly, they pull their sword away, ignoring the tug of disgust in the stomach when they take in the slit along Rui's throat. They swallow, sheathing their sword. "No. I'm meant to teach you a lesson, Rui. I'm not on your side." they mutter.

Rui stops, the crimson orb fading. His eyes shift to Mafuyu's uniform, widening in recognition when he sees the carnation emblem of the Yoisaki kingdom, mumbling a soft "Oh..." before finally stumbling away, face pale. Mafuyu turns on their heel, rushing away.

They are already out of the throne room when Rui Kamishiro, sorcerer for the Emperor, best of his year, famed across the entire empire for being damn-near invincible, collapses to the floor.

Pity they don't notice the gunslinger and his shy assistant sneaking into the room, the greenish glow of a healing spell on his fingertips.

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Sass you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Cassandra Burke 

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Sass, we’re so happy to see you return to the group! The development you’ve brought to Cassandra from her starting skeleton is amazing, and the passion you have for writing her is obvious in every part of your application. Your writing samples do a wonderful job of explaining Cassandra’s current position in the overall plot and exploring the way she’s been changed by the effects of the war, and we can’t wait to see what you do with her next! 

*Your faceclaim change to Nina Dobrev has been accepted

application beneath the cut ( tw: PTSD, trauma, abuse, assault, knives, death )

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Hey, I’m Sass, twenty-four years old and from the GMT+1 timezone.

ACTIVITY

Oh, probably a 6-7/10. To be honest I do have days on which I can’t be online at all, because I do have a full-time job nowadays and other commitments, but I do intend to dedicate enough time to Cassandra to develop her further and fully push her into all the drama, all the good stuff.

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Originally through the first admin and I’ve been a member ever since (well, with a two month hiatus?)

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Probably with Fred Weasley. As a twin I’m constantly with my twin brother and I’m fiercely protective of him. Also I feel like out of us I’m the one who speaks first and I’m also more outgoing than my brother.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I’m just glad to be back, y’all.

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Cassandra –  From the Greek name Κασσανδρα (Kassandra), derived from possibly κεκασμαι (kekasmai) “to excel, to shine” and ανηρ (aner) “man” (genitive ανδρος). In Greek myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century. Morrigan –  Derived from Irish Mór Ríoghain meaning “great queen”. In Irish myth she was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow. Burke –  Derived from Middle English burk meaning “fort or fortified town”. It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William FitzAdelm de Burgo.

BIRTHDAY / STAR SIGN

Novermber 5th 1957 – SCORPIO -- One of the most sensitive signs in the zodiac, Scorpio women feel their emotions intensely, though they may not always express them overtly. A water-ruled sign, Scorpio is symbolized by the submerged depths, like the pure waters flowing through an underground cave. But you may not see the currents or waves rippling through her facial expressions – much of what a Scorpio woman feels, she won’t always express overtly. Scorpios rule over the occult sciences, and the true meaning of the word “occult” is “hidden” – hence, the Scorpionic tendency toward secrecy and inscrutability. Only the most determined (and respectful) will be granted permission to explore the secret caverns within the heart of a Scorpio woman.

OCCUPATION

She used to be the co-owner of Borgin & Burkes, but is currently a neutral spy mostly affiliated with the Order of the Phoenix (but then again they threw her out, so it’s to being completely neutral again) I’d describe her as almost unemployed? Considering she’s still missing.

FACE CLAIM

Nina Dobrev

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

I once described her as poison, and she is. I believe every character who’d been with her received their dose of poison and only some managed to find an antidote. It’s not meant in a seductive way, not entirely, but more or less like real poison. Everything she touches gets corrupted, even the most innocent minds, and it’s pretty obvious that she’s a master manipulator and someone who looks out for herself, most importantly. She’d been a Death Eater, a seductress, a liar, a fiancee, a friend, daughter, enemy – anything you can think of, but all she wants to be is a free woman, alive and happy. It’s the old tale of having a strong, flawed character, who has been through hell and survived, who promised herself to change the world for the better, who loved and spent days remembering her happiest moments before being thrown to the wolves again. I remember describing her as this cunning, calculating Femme Fatale with only selfish intentions, but she has grown and learned from her mistakes. She’s almost altruistic nowadays, at least when it comes to her friends.

This war and everything else is something she’d lived with, one of the few who actively lived through the horrors of war – but she has no regrets whatsoever. In fact, Cassandra feels like it’s her main goal to not only be free, but to help end this war. I just love her so much y’all.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

She’s experienced both in love and sex – and some might even say she’s one of the best. Cassandra’s biromantic/sexual and goes by she/her pronouns as a cis female.

For ships, well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I think I can’t really comment on that since a lot has changed over the past few months, so I’m not sure where new plots and ideas will lead to.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER

I have everything on my blog

Graphics, other stuff I made

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“Easy. A spell that changes your personality permanently. Effective to hide or be someone else for a day, you know? In times like these it’s pretty effective and safe to just be a Muggle for a day or two.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“I’d say Orion Black since he’s experienced enough and would most likely survive on his own as well, so I’m not at all concerned. And as an object I’d probably choose a Portkey, just to make sure we’d find our way out immediately.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Love. Always love – a bloody nightmare, I tell you.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I lived my life in vain, not really accomplishing anything.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

Well, she did got captured. She wasn’t happy about being captured I can tell you all that much, also she wasn’t happy about being thrown out of the Order castle because others couldn’t warm up to her. She’s not really mad, but more or less frustrated. She did change and she’s not a Death Eater anymore, but there’s just no trust between the Order and Cassandra even though she did reveal her memories to Amos and the gang hoping it would make them trust her more. It worked on some, but not enough.

WRITING SAMPLE

1. – I AM RUINATION

April 4th 1979

trigger warnings: PTSD, trauma, abuse, assault, knives, death

“I am ruination,” her voice was merely a whisper, but the psychologist in front of her heard everything, every breath she took in their little zone, those four walls which were covered in a light grey, almost white tone. “How so, Miss Burke. Mrs. Rookwood?” he slowly tried to make sense out of her words, but he failed to understand her, as he should. “Burke, of course. I never actually married him. I couldn’t – not anymore,” Mr. Seymour, her psychologist, shook his head and gestured towards her engagement ring, which she still wore, polished everyday and kept clean over the past months. “A facade, that’s all,” she even wore Evan’s engagement ring, just because she loved the gem set between gold too much to ever take off the ring, at least for now. They were cruel reminders of what she’d endured, who she had to face in order to be free. She thoroughly pushed her thumb against her other hand, aggressively massaged the back of her hand to numb herself. “I never really cared if they were engagement rings or not – It’s already fucked up to know I have two,” she closed her eyes. “I wear them because they show me who I could’ve been if I hadn’t found the strength to follow my heart. I started to believe I had to follow my family’s path, that I have to believe in their lies, that I couldn’t be more than what they’d planned for me.” Cassandra took a deep sigh and she felt her throat contracting, resulting in her barely being able to breathe properly. “They judged me all my life and I let them. I thought I was a monster,” Cassandra watched Mr. Seymour and she realized, rather quickly, that she had to make him forget once they were done. “And you thought no one would understand? A typical case in Pureblood families. You felt like nobody would even dare to help you even if you’d have asked for it. But no one’s alone in this world, I hope you realize that.”

“But I’m ruination,” Cassandra muttered, gulping and shaking her head. “Everyone deserves to be saved, even if they believe they’re doomed. This isn’t the end, Miss Burke,” he was quickly cut off by Cass, who had now raised her voice slightly. “I have lead men to their death, I’ve risked the lives of the people that I love because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I endured immeasurable amounts of pain in return, just to keep them save. I still hear myself screaming, the Cruciatus curse running through my veins and I could never tell anyone about it, because it hurts so much, he broke me. I don’t want to live in pain – and I would’ve rather died than endure just one more second of the curse.” she breathed heavily. Mr. Seymour’s eyes widened in shock at how direct she was, something he hadn’t guessed from someone like her, especially not in front of an official psychologist for the Ministry. “The pain you’ve endured doesn’t define who you are and especially doesn’t mean you’re ruination. Others are, Miss Burke,” Cassandra tried to drown out her own screams, which were repeatedly resurfacing in her head. “The pain has shaped me to who I am now. The pain made me stronger.” “Yes, good.”

“I killed so many Halfbloods, Muggleborns and Purebloods, I lost count. I lured so many men to their deaths, that sometimes I feel like I’ve killed ten in a week, enemies, politicians, Muggles – for the sake of you-know-who and for the sake of my family. I sometimes wonder if Evan’s punishment was justified. He was right, you know? I’m currently playing my games, I haven’t leaned a thing. Nothing. I have scars to prove what I’ve endured, but I wonder if anything changed around me, except me.”

“You pity yourself – the hardships you’ve endured weigh you down. You need hope, love – you’re still here, you still breathe, that’s worth something.” Cassandra shook her head and chuckled slightly. “Do you honestly think those things will be my salvation? They’ve made me who I am in the first place. It’s the pain I cannot stand on its own, the memories. The sacrifices I’ve made until now have made me stronger, but I fear his judgement.” “Whose judgement?” “Amos. Amos Diggory?” He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “He has all my memories. He’ll see myself growing up, being formed into an obedient wife and Death Eater, how I’ve killed someone for the first time and how proud my father was. I never wanted to be such a problem, but I am. I have so much information stored as memories, but there’s also the pain and the darkness within he’ll finally see – and I don’t want to lose him, even if he said he’ll stay, those memories do not define who I am today.”

She took a deep breath. “He’ll see the pain, the love, the lust, everything. There’s so much you will never know, but he will. And I care more about his opinion than about yours.” Mr. Seymour leaned into his chair, slightly distancing himself from her, as if he tried to calm her down with that. “Do you know why I am here?” “Because they want to find out if I’m worth being pardoned. If my memories classify as worthy enough as exchange for my freedom?” “Precisely.” a quill next to his head wrote down every word they spoke, every stop, everything that could potentially be of use later on. As thoughts mixed inside of her head, Cassandra’s eyes fixed on different objects in the room, but never stayed there for too long as anxiety kicked in every few seconds. “And why are you here?” “Because I want to be free.” “There are few rules you need to keep in mind, but first – I’d like to enter your mind, so that I get a general understanding of what happened. You are not making any sense at the moment and I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed with my diagnosis – PTSD, illusions, Insomnia, nightmares and Bipolar Two Disorder, self-destructive behavior and thoughts. There’s a lot to consider, If we could only talk about the consequences and the severity–”severity? “I’m a murderess, Mr. Seymour, maybe I deserve everything that has had happened and maybe my broken relationships and fickle heart are just a result of who I  was – they are a part of me. Maybe I deserve to feel empty, to be too broken to be loved. Maybe the person who did love me broke me in the end.” “You do not realize how toxic your mind will become if you do not let people in completely.” “Do you not listen?” she yelled at him, stood up and she could hot tears running down her cheeks. “I did and now I feel powerless, because I know they’ll only see a monster, the person I do not wish to be. I destroy everything and everyone I touch,” her hands shook as her fingertips reached for her mouth.

“I’ve lost my friends, my family, everything – on one day, because I was too afraid to talk to them, because I couldn’t bear the idea of working for him, of being a puppet. I’m not a puppet. I’m a puppeteer and I guide those around me  to their deaths, right? And I try, so hard, to be better, to move on. But I can’t handle the pain. I just want the pain to be gone. I want to be enough, just once. I’m just a woman, I was never enough for my father, nor for my friends. I let everyone down, I lie and fake a smile just so that they still see me as confident. I stopped being confident and happy the day I lost him. And I left parts of myself in others, hoping they’ll love and care for them and one day return them to me with theirs attached. They never did. I am nothing in their eyes. Just a wanton,” she quoted Evan on this and looked down onto her engagement ring. Panic filled her heart, but she was stopped by Mr. Seymour, who’d grabbed her hand and entered her mind, now facing every memory she ever had as she let him in and his spell. He saw her childhood, her teenager years, the way she loved Caradoc and lost him the day she’d agreed to follow her family’s path, her Dark Mark, Borgin & Burkes, her engagement to Evan and her near death experience – the way she loved Amos and how she tried to protect everyone from Evan, their hands around her throat, the lack of control, the knife slashing through her skin, her screams, the pain which she endured from the Cruciatus curse – everything at once. He immediately sat down again, clenching his jaw and looking up towards her. “And I just want to feel normal, but I will never be, which is why everything’s so bloody complicated. I’m a disaster. And I don’t want to ruin everything I have right now. Because one day I will, and they’ll leave the second they see my real face, find out I’m a monster.”

Cassandra brushed away the tears from her cheeks and shook her head. “I control others just because I can’t control myself. I wonder if I’m still a monster, if I’ll never change, but I want to. I want to change, please – I just don’t know where to start. I feel like I can’t move, I can’t breathe. And I just want to stop drowning and breathe, survive. I have people who protect me. Orion, Caradoc, Amos, Rodolphus, Charity, Benjy, —- but I want to be strong on my own! I used to be stronger, independent, a lot less afraid.”

Mr. Seymour relaxed, as if he hadn’t just seen an entire life playing in front of his eyes, the trauma, the pain, the joy, the love – as if nothing of it really mattered. “You consider yourself to be a monster, but you haven’t killed me yet. How’s that? That’s because you know I’ll help you. The first step to becoming better is seeking help, reach out to others. You are healing, you have friends and people that love you for who you are - - you just have to open your eyes, Miss Burke. And if you survive through the pain and prove yourself, then you’re the strongest person I know.”

“No,” Cassandra replied, recovering from her panic attack. “I am strongest when I know what I want – and right now I just want to be free and happy.” she whispered, her grip tightening around her wand. A blue light took away all his memories from the past hours and she ignited the quill, which was still writing every word – and every paper lit on fire. “and I know I don’t have to conquer my monsters, I just have to keep them on a leash, because they’ll never see another version of me, the one that’s suffering and alone – I will remain standing, strong and proud. They will never suspect the cracks if no one knows about them besides one, the one I love – and if I still feel… love, then how bad of a monster can I be?”

2. – BRAVE NEW WORLD

Ministry of Magic, Cassandra Burke’s secret Wizengamot trial, the dungeons Date: April 13th 1979

Wind blew through her hair as she entered the hidden passage through the Ministry, a hood loosely falling over her face as she was abruptly grabbed away from the sun and into the dark tunnels. She kept on walking, didn’t really know which step to take next – maybe she didn’t want to know. Arriving at the Wizengamot, a place her parents warned her about, the Dark Lord had warned her about, as well, now looked even more frightening than everything she’d dreamed of. A few wizards were placed on a podium, watching down on her, judging, making comments, whispering and shaking their head. One of the Aurors moved closer, and the former Death Eater immediately thought of Caradoc, who could’ve been here with her, who could’ve been the one to pull the hood away. With dark brown hair now falling behind her shoulders, Cassandra looked around freely, saw Dumbledore, judges, Bartemius Crouch Snr. and not many others, actually. In fact, she wondered why there wasn’t an entire courtroom filled with judges just waiting to drag her all the way to Azkaban. In total, however, she counted eight people. Eight to determine her innocence or her guilt. Others were judged from twenty or more, so what exactly happened in between then and now? Oh, she knew what happened, but didn’t dare to speak of him.

“The trial may begin,” Dumbledore spoke, his voice louder than ever, well, except the last time she’d heard him speak in Hogwarts. Before the trial could even begin properly, she was pushed down on the seat behind her and her hands were wrapped with a silken, glowing substance – a binding spell. While the Aurors removed her wand and went on with their procedures, Bartemius Crouch Snr. stood up, reading a script. “Cassandra Morrigan Burke, daughter of Aurora and Cormac Burke, stand accused of murder, assault, arson, theft, using unforgivable spells and high treason on many occasions. These crimes are, and will be, punished with a life-sentence in Azkaban. As a known member of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his army of dark wizards, you’re an enemy of the Ministry of Magic and therefore judged as an enemy of this court. How do you plead?”

Cassandra sighed, her breath shaky and her eyes searching for something or someone to focus on. Nothing, no one. “Guilty.” after confessing, however, her heart sped up, but her eyes weren’t trying to focus anymore. She kept staring towards Dumbledore, hoping her memories would have an effect. “You choose to help him all on your own. You didn’t care, you regret nothing. Even though your mouth’s moving, your lips are shaking, you’re not sorry at all,” Bartemius started. “You cast your first unforgivable curse at the age of sixteen as you killed your first victim for the Dark Lord.” he looked like a raging old man, incapable of keeping his temper in check, even before Dumbledore, who was in charge. Did Amos keep her memories? She started to shake in fear, but as Dumbledore spoke, she immediately froze. “It does seem like we’re making false assumptions. Our accusations are not too far off, in fact, they’re identical with what I’ve seen,” Dumbledore held the vial between his index and little finger, shaking her tears slightly, almost delicately. “I bear witness her accusations are all true, but she’s here to strike a deal.” Cassandra’s eyes closed in relief. This wasn’t the end, not yet, at least. “Immunity, a symbolic death if you will, in exchange for all information granted in this vial. The Order wishes the Ministry would accept or consider her offer.”

“I offered my memories for a reason. I want to be free,” she pleaded, but Bartemius already tried to silence her. “Silence!”

“I didn’t just offer my past, but several memories of Death Eater meetings and faces. Vast knowledge of dark magic acquired through training and my family’s history in that field. Tom Riddle worked for my grandfather.” “I said silence! You did kill Darius Shafiq, have you not? You lured him into a trap on November 2nd 1978, didn’t you? You assassinated Clara Wilson, a hit-witch, who worked for the Ministry, after she’d been tasked with the killing of an ally of yours, of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

“Darius was a Death Eater,” she then said, calmly. “I killed him because the Dark Lord knew he’d break.” Bartemius abruptly lost his voice and looked at Dumbledore, confused. She nodded towards the vial. “Everything you need to know’s contained in there. My entire life, my misdemeanors, my knowledge and relationships. I request you to have a look and judge for yourself. I’m willing to share them with you as I did with my link to the Order and Ministry before this trial.” She didn’t want to mention Amos directly. They’d find out sooner or later.

One week later

“Cassandra Morrigan Burke. You’ve been found guilty on all charges. Upon viewing your memories the Wizengamot decided to pardon your crimes and erase all evidence of this trial. Your memories will be stored to further the Ministry’s attempt in finding Death Eaters and stopping the war. Under oath we’ve agreed to never use your name outside of this court. You will be considered missing, if not dead after today. All your relatives will be told of your disappearance and your possible death in times of war. You’re free to leave.”