#brooch viper

[imafrealinrainbow478484]

Alright kiddies, what's it like being a boy? I personally like my genderswap form :3

Rory: I think I look cool! Aside from the short hair, I think I look rainbow-tastic!

Brooch: I think I look cool! My short hair looks cool!

Ida and Ori: WE THINK WE LOOK SEW KEWL!! ^^

[amoscontorta]

Roleplay, Undercurrents, and Rising Curtain: Sylus's POV

It really bothers me in the game that the clearly traumatic experiences MC undergoes in the canon storyline don't seem to have any consequences for MC's character development. Yes, yes, this is a self-insert gacha mobile game, blah blah. MC has PTSD from chapter 4 (you know the one), and no one can convince me otherwise, so I re-wrote the auction bits from Sylus's POV to fix this grievous oversight, because I am also firmly convinced he is a champ at handling MC's issues.

Third person POV (Sylus), second person POV (gender-neutral reader/MC) CWs: violence, murder, foul language, cursing, mentions of trauma/PTSD/panic attacks, Sylus is giddy being able to be near MC again even though MC is still mean to him

SFW if you think murder and Sylus's singing is SFW

ao3 link here

He is watching you from the shadowed doorway as you examine yourself in the mirror. He can almost see your mind tick, tick, ticking away, evaluating the quality of your costume for tonight, the slight frown on your face betraying your uncertainty that you, and he, will be able to pull tonight off and emerge on the other side in one piece.

He is used to this type of soirée, a viper’s den wrapped in velvet and silk, the veneer of civility paper-thin, where one wrong look or clumsy response can cost you your reputation, or much, much more. And as a betting man, he’d gamble that you, on the other hand, are not used to this type of gathering at all. You who are straightforward, with your fangs bared and guns blazing, the honesty palpable in your bright eyes and laughter, in your scowl and impatience and eagerness.

He steps into the light, revealing his presence to you through the mirror, and watches as you turn to him, draped in scarlet, and a pulse of satisfaction has his lips lifting. You look delicious, with your head tilted haughtily, the red jewels flashing from your neck and wrists. Your outfits match, and you’re dripping in stones and fabric the color of his eyes. He hasn’t felt this sense of satiation in a long, long time. He pins the brooch above your heart and looks into your eyes, and it doesn’t matter that even though you know the truth now, you are still looking at him with the cold unfamiliarity of someone constantly assessing the possible threat in every gesture he makes. It doesn’t matter that even though he’s helping you, you’re still treating him like the enemy, when it is everyone outside these walls who threaten you, and he is currently the only one defending the gates and preparing to shatter the siege.

None of that matters. Because you’re right here, finally. You’re allowing him to touch you, as he smooths the fabric around where he has just pinned the brooch, your heartbeat strong and steady under his palm—you’re reaching out to him, sliding your hand in his; he can’t feel your skin through your gloves but he can feel your heat at his side, in his palm. He will ensure that, with time, the look in your eyes changes when you feel him appear behind you, when your palms touch.

You say something biting to him, full of doubt, the wariness and spite palpable, and he revels in how safe you must feel with him already to extend your claws around him like this, to be reckless and treat him like an insufferable puppy that you’re forced to indulge instead of the half-feral wolf that he is to so many others. The progress from hate and fear from just a few days ago, to this snarky impatience is intoxicating, better than any gin fizz or successful wager—it’s faster than he had calculated as the blood poured from his heart and you spitefully jammed your palms into his chest in an attempt to stem the flow.

In short, Sylus is in a great mood tonight and he’s looking forward to exterminating the rest of the vermin that have been gnawing away at the foundations of his house in his long absence. And he’s going to make damn well sure that he gets to dance with you before the fireworks truly begin.

***

Things are going according to plan—he snickers, recalling that this plan is the one you accused him of not having. He will show you, in time, that he always has plans, with backup plans, and backups to the backup plans. He can forgive you for not knowing that about him yet. But you’re the only person he’s in a forgiving mood toward tonight. He has deposited you safely at the bidding room of the auction, the subtle glow of the protocores illuminating the lovely line of your haughtily upturned nose as you sauntered away from him clutching his black card, the other guests whispering in a painfully unsubtle manner behind their hands, speculating about who you are and the nature of your relationship to him. Mine, he had declared, as he handed over his proverbial wallet and told you to have fun.

As he strides down the dimly lit hall of the hotel in which the auction is being held, the deep carpet shushing his purposeful steps, he spots one of Sherman’s minions standing at attention at a closed door and can’t prevent the excitement rushing through him. He is so close to the craven idiot who dared act in his name, who sowed discord in his ranks, who hurt you so terribly and deprived you of your ‘family’, who, regardless of Sylus’s opinion of them, you clearly loved deeply. He is eager to kill two birds with one stone (apologies to Mephisto): wipe Sherman’s existential stain off this plane of existence, clean his house, avenge your loss, and be back to dance with you in a matter of minutes. The lackey finally notices him, begins lifting his wrist to speak into his earpiece, but unfortunately for him, he is little too late, as Sylus’ evol jerks him into the air by his neck—he is about to tighten it to snap the fuck’s spine in two when he hears your gorgeous voice through his own earpiece.

He pauses, suddenly anxious that something has gone wrong for you that and you’re in danger and that he’s not there, when he hears you say, “Do you mind if I use your card to buy one of these protocores?”

He shakes his head a little. Did he just hear you correctly? He might have to re-evaluate his estimation of your intelligence. He will continue to adore you even if you’re a little slow; your other qualities more than make up for any deficiencies in the intelligence department. Because why the fuck else would he hand you the equivalent of unfettered access to his bank account and tell you to have fun? Of course you can buy whatever the hell you want with it. But he knows you’re clever; the way you meet and counter his sarcasm, taunts and challenges without hesitation makes that clear. And you wouldn’t have survived for this long, risen to one of the elite teams in the Association’s ranks, if you were an imbecile. But he is busy, your sudden question made him anxious for you, and he's frothing at the mouth to get back to you to claim his dance.

“Do not bother me with such trivial matters!” he hisses into his own earpiece, and watches as the eyes of the idiot, who he still has by the throat, bulge further in response to his assailant angry-whispering into the empty hallway.

He’s about to finish this when he hears your voice again, offering an offensively low sum for the highest grade protocore this pretentious establishment has to offer.

“5 million!” he counters in a whisper-shout. He is not going to let these clowns think that your man is broke. He waits to hear your response, finally noticing that the guard he still has suspended in the air has passed out. When he hears you double the amount he had ordered you to offer, and then proceed to demand the rest of the items up for bid, Sylus laughs so hard that he momentarily loses control of his evol and the unconscious goon falls with an unceremonious, muffled thump onto the richly carpeted floor. Sylus contemplates his crumpled form for a moment, wiping the tears from his eyes. Suddenly he doesn’t have it in him to kill a guy who is probably only here for a paycheck, even if he does have atrocious taste in employers.

“You can thank my charming guest for your life tonight, if you manage to get through it alive,” he murmurs to the lump on the floor, before punching the door open with his evol-wrapped fist and striding in to find Sherman turning with a look of horror on his face as he recognizes who, precisely, was just laughing like a madman on the other side of the now ruined door.

After, once Sylus has successfully avenged himself and more importantly, you, he hums a little tune as he picks up Sherman’s detonator and saunters back to the ballroom. Maybe, if things keep going as well as they’re going now, and you like him a little better, he’ll sing it to you as a treat. Because of you, he's having so much fun.

***

And now, finally, he is going to claim his own treat before the action really begins. The utter boredom he was forced to endure while interrogating Sherman and uncovering his trite motivations is replaced by an eagerness bordering on mania to get back to his interesting little Hunter. He watches in amusement as a man sidles up to you and shows interest in your brooch, after having thoroughly shown interest in the rest of you before mustering the courage to actually speak to you.

He watches with slightly less amusement as your curiosity is piqued and you ask with your customary eagerness to learn new things, “Hightower? What’s that?” The man’s eyes light up at this apparent interest of yours, seeing an in with you and assertively requesting that you join him for the banquet dance.

Aaaand that’s enough. Sylus steps into the light and slides his hand around your waist, pulling you decisively into his side and feeling that dangerously seductive calm wash over him, as it always does, when he’s allowed to touch you. He knows it makes him weak. He does not care. His other strengths more than compensate for the crack in his armor you represent. Unlike Achilles, he knows exactly how to protect his vulnerability. His hand flexes involuntarily, fingers pressing a little too hard into your hip, until he is able to will it relaxed again.

“A Hightower is a type of gun. Just one can level this entire building,” he answers your question, fingering the detonator in his other pocket. He doesn’t need a Hightower to finish what he started tonight, and the thought translates into an the intense smugness as you frown at him for interrupting your conversation with your luckless suitor. “The brooch is a gift from me, I’m afraid,” he says smoothly, more than ready to send this guy scurrying along his way and draw your entire focus back to him, where he likes it best.

“You weren’t trying to sell it now, were you, kitten?” he goads you, just to see how you’ll respond to this blatant mischaracterization of the situation.

You don’t disappoint him: with your tight jaw belying your coy tone of voice, you run your hands  up his chest, underneath the coat draped over his shoulders, and pretend to be a spoiled, thrill seeking brat testing a sugar daddy’s patience. Finally, the insignificant obstacle standing between him and the dance he has been looking forward to all evening gets the hint and slinks back into the crowded shadows.

And finally, finally, the music begins, bodies are moving around the two of you, and you’re in his arms as he gracefully leads you through the steps of the dance. He soaks in the feeling of his arm around your waist, your hand in his, your chests brushing against each other as you sway together across the dance floor. He notices that your attention is split between expressing doubt about whether he’s telling the truth regarding knowing the aether core’s location and constantly assessing potential threats—but Sylus does not want your eyes drifting elsewhere. He smoothly draws your eyes back to his, where they belong, and ensures that the only thing you can see is him by tightening his arm around your waist, drawing you in closer, and refusing to give you a direct answer to all of your questions. He sees your little scowl, the frustration in the line of your mouth, suppresses a wince when you deliberately stomp on his foot—but he doesn’t mind. Just as he doesn’t mind that you might not believe that he’s fulfilled his part of the deal, that he knows exactly where the aether core is, and that he has his own house’s situation finally under control with Sherman’s demise. In time, you’ll learn that you can trust him. And he has all the time in the world, now that you’re finally here and not trying to kill him.

He's in such a good mood he’s floating like a feather, until you mention the protocore bombs and something changes in the expression on your face. If he hadn’t been staring at your lovely face for weeks now, from afar through Mephisto and hacked security cameras, and while you were sleeping under his roof (if you have an objection to him exploiting your proximity by watching you as you sleep when you’re right there, under his roof, then sue him), and if he wasn’t currently in the process of soaking in every microexpression flitting across your upturned face from this close as you dance together, he might have missed it. But he doesn’t miss it. And he certainly doesn’t miss the involuntary shudder that runs through your body pressed to his. He realizes in a flash of intuition that the idea of the bombs bothers you—

He watches your throat as you swallow, and the very light sheen of sweat gathering at your temples, he watches your eyes begin to dart around again, your hand flexing with what is likely the need to grab your gun from underneath the fabric of your outfit, and he realizes that you’re starting to panic. Or have a panic attack. At the thought of bombs—

Like the bomb that destroyed your family and came so close to killing you too

He has watched you for weeks, seen the way you’ve worked almost non-stop, taking on assignment after assignment with hardly any rest in between except for when you were on the brink of collapse. When you weren’t working, you were training, kilometer after kilometer on the treadmill, heavier and heavier weight sets. And when you weren’t training, you were trying to orchestrate a way to infiltrate his territory, to hunt him and the aether core down. You weren’t sleeping, and you weren’t attending counseling. You haven’t processed what happened to you at all, and no one around you has forced you to confront what you have been avoiding this whole time. The dark circles under your precious eyes, the short fuse and oh so transparent mask of a smile plastered across your lovely, exhausted face—how they just let you continue as you have been infuriates him, and only the thought that he’s here now, in your life, whether you like it or not, is the only thing that stops him from adding new names to his extermination list. He will succeed where they have failed to care for you, even if you hate him for it.

However, he takes a moment to reproach himself, as just a few hours ago he was gloating to himself that soon you’d learn that his contingency plans have contingencies, that you could trust him to think of all the variables and know how to dismantle any obstacles. Yet he has been missing something so obvious while making his calculations of how tonight would go. Of course you’d have remaining trauma from what you have survived and what has been taken from you.

He recalculates—it’s too late to change the state of play now, but instead of the fireworks he has been looking forward to unleashing into chaos, this is now going to have to be a controlled demolition.

He lifts his hand and runs his fingertips along the curve of your jaw to return your focus to him. Once your too wide eyes are locked on his, he tightens his hold around your waist again.

“Look at me. Look only at me.” He waits, and something inside of him crows in triumph as, your hands tightening on him, you follow his directions and stare into his eyes, letting him continue speaking without struggle.

“We are going to detonate the bombs now that were originally intended later for me, kitten. It’s going to be loud, and most of this place will be rubble when we’re done.”

Before you can ask the how and why, he continues. “I have the detonator. I know you’re frightened. I’m sorry this is the method that I have tonight. But keep your eyes on me, and breathe. We’ll get through this together, do you understand?”

He can sense the shift in the energy of the room, the metaflux fluctuations and the increasing violent mood of the crowd, but he will make time for this and deal with any fallout from this slight delay. He will ensure that you get through this without spiraling into a panic attack and possibly getting hurt.

“Do you understand?” he asks again. And that same satisfaction, the sense of calm, that only you seem to be able to give him floods through him as you take a shuddering breath and nod, ever so slightly, eyes never leaving his.

He lets his fingers drift down your face, takes your hand in his and slips both of them into his pocket, pulling you even closer, your cheek coming to rest against his chest. He guides your hand around the detonator in his pocket, squeezing your hand gently in reassurance. “We’ll do this together. You’re in control,” he murmurs, eyes scanning the crowd now, having utter faith that you will have the courage to press the button despite the dread that must be filling you right now.

And you, with your cheek pressed against his warm chest, his steady heartbeat drowning out all the other sounds, including the ringing in your ears, your own thundering heartbeat, flashes of memory, a door closing, Caleb’s last words to you—you close your eyes and press, and the world explodes around the two of you. But you’re breathing, and Sylus is still holding you tight, and you’re alive, and you’ll deal with the terror threatening to drown you after you’ve gotten what you came for.

After you take one deep, slow breath, you reach for your gun, shove Sylus to the side and shoot the wanderer that was about to stab him in the back.

[theavianlady]

...tw? Tw.

TW: Gore, Blood, Injury, uh...Pain and Sadness-

@psychologicalwarclaire

Ha ha! Tis I! I was the anon!

(Cue dramatic exclamations of disbelief)

Ahem. Tis the anniversary of Spider's Web with Strings Attached, and I wanted to make something! Go and read the fic if you haven't already; it's incredible.

Lots of ramblings and other versions under the cut (if anyone wants to see any other parts with or without different lighting and stuff that I didn't include, just let me know; I'm happy to share).

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This is the first (almost) completely original thing I've drawn digitally! Poses are really hard for me, so I'm super proud of this. No tracing, only references!

...so. Many. References.

Except for the bricks, which I'm not counting, because bricks are scary. And the chains. I used a brush. Chains are scary too.

I started July 28th, and then spent almost 40 hours across various canvases planning, experimenting, and actually working on this. Not including research. It took me absolutely forever, but I regret nothing.

Except for the fact that I spent over 6 hours just shading bricks. I didn't even draw them! I took a pattern for the grooves from google and filled it with black, (rotated and edited for some variance in their cells), and then did the red lighting and some shadows you can't even really see. For 6 hours.

I tried to draw their spider brooches many times, but I could not get them to look right (especially from a side angle), so I gave up. Let's all just pretend they're there until I come back later. Eventually. Maybe. Oh, and Leo's chains. At the time of posting, I really just want to get this up and posted, so they're not shaded, but again, I might do it later.

I wanted to have this set when they're both in their separate cells, right after Viper was, uh...in the cell with Leo. So, Donnie is all stitched up and healing, while Leo is...not doing great (not certain about the timeline, because I'm paranoid about everything, so it's probably fine). But, I wanted to convey what happened to Donnie, so I drew that weird glowing spine thing to indicate some kind of mystic healing something. I don't even know.

It didn't turn out as well as I wanted it too, but I'm probably biased. Because there was so much gore on Leo's side, Donnie's looked boring. I couldn't figure out how to do the lighting. The values could be better. It could do with more time spent on the shadows. Etc, etc. I'm a perfectionist.

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Uh, in order of posting, behold!

1. Big version.

2. Big version without lighting (except on the bricks) or Japanese characters.

3. Close up of magic spine representation thing because I'm proud of it.

4. Close up of gore-covered-Leo because I'm also proud of that. I have never drawn such...messy gore before.

Fun fact, the group of layers all of that was on is called "Bad Stuff".

5. Close up of Donnie's shell stitches without the spine thing, because I worked hard on those. It was also pretty tricky, because I couldn't find any references for large stitched wounds. Only open ones. If anyone knows any good places for references like that, t'would be greatly appreciated.

Also, they don't usually stitch puncture wounds, because it could trap infection, but I feel like with something so large and deep as dragon teeth it would be necessary? So I tried to include those.

But also, would they just stitch the skin in such deep wounds? Is there still a gaping hole under the skin? Do they also stitch muscles with the dissolvable sutures or something? I'm like, going to go to med-school just so I can draw more accurate wounds and stitches and stuff.

6. Close up of Leo without the gore because he's pretty and I'm really proud of the plastron. And the right forearm armour piece. I couldn't get the other ones to look as nice, much to my dismay.

The Japanese characters write out to Omae wa hitoribocchi da, which translates to You are alone. I think. Google Translate says it's You are all alone, but translation services that I trust slightly more, like Reverso.net and ChatGPT (the most reliable of sources, I know) just say You are alone.

Omae is the equivalent of anata, for those familiar with Anata wa hitori janai. They both mean you, but omae is more...condescending, from what I can tell. Informal and rough, often used to express disdain or superiority.

Wa indicates that anata or omae are the subject of the sentence.

Hitori is present in both, meaning alone, though from what I can see, hitoribocchi is more...desolate and painful. It's a more emotional term for being alone.

Janai kind of means is not, or are not, while da is just like...closing the sentence. A firm, declarative ending particle.

I tried to paste the actual Japanese characters from different translation services (I am not fighting with using a keyboard from another language), but Tumblr wouldn't let me. Boo. So, you can all suffer with my English-Japanese. Also, don't trust anything I say. I'm learning Japanese on Duolingo, but I've only just started and it gets way more complicated. So, pretty much anything I just said could be wrong. I just did a lot of research.

If anyone does speak Japanese, and knows a better way to convey this, please tell me. I crave knowledge and accuracy.

I should get like, a personal human translator. No AI or program can truly understand a language like its people. Especially comparing Japanese and English. From what I've learned, there are a lot of words that could be translated many ways, depending on exact feel. It's complicated, and I'm scared to get farther into Duolingo's course.

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I also just discovered yesterday that today is also the anniversary of the Rise Movie, so yay! Happy Anniversary to the movie that literally changed my life. And Curly, you're awesome. It's authors like you keeping this fandom alive, so thank you!

[psychologicalwarclaire]

IM HERE!!! Here’s my fab art!! Hope you like it!!

(No one steal pls I worked hard on it :’)

NOTHING can describe how much I ADORE these, okay?! They're just so perfect!!

The spider brooches are so cool, Viper is terrifying (as she should be!), Donnie. Ohmigosh Donnie. aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA like, okay, when I wrote the scene it was painful enough for me to do, but to see it happen; to see the fist that looks so much like Raph's actually collide with Donnie's beautiful mind... man that HURTS. Don't even get me started on Leo. His EYES. His TERRIFIED, HORRIFIED EYES. And the blood is so well done, splattered perfectly, absolutely haunting. I'm also a huge fan of traditional art, so impressive job for getting such bright colors to come through! Fantastic background, as well!

Seriously, thank you so much! I adore any and all Spider's Web art!

[adlerboi]

[OC PRESENTATION]

First Name: Elyana

Name: Unknown

Nickname: Viper

Place of Birth: Gondor

Race: Human

Height: 170cm

Eyes: Blue

Hair color: Brown

Specificity: Scar on the shoulder due to an arrow. Scars on the back

Horse: Brown

When she was 14, her parents sent her away from her town to protect her. Elyana is taken in by the last Rangers of the North. She was trained to be one of them to watch over and protect Middle-earth. Elyana has the ability to move silently and discreetly, a strong point against her enemies. She has double blades and throwing knives for stealth. Her biggest weakness is the bow, she can't use it.

She always wears her cape and hood so as not to show her identity, no more of that, a scarf hides the bottom of her face. Few people have seen her face and hair.

Interested in different languages and patois, she wanted to learn them. Elyana befriended Aragorn and taught her Elvish.

To keep a memory of her parents, Elyana wears a ring from her mother, and a brooch from her father that she hangs on her cape.

[bajistadiamond]

Yuu and the Magical Power of Songs

Yuu Singer, 🎶💎Ramshackle💎🎶 (Once Upon a December)

Yuu felt… nostalgic.

The holidays were approaching, his favorite time of the year. And although Twisted Wonderland had different ways of celebrating Christmas and New Year according to each country or kingdom, in the end it was the same feeling of union and love.

It had been a couple of days since Azul, the Leech twins, Kalim and he saved Jamil from her OverBlot.

Like Kalim, he also forgave Jamil for everything he did. Also, Jamil was one of two people he fell in love with in his time on TW. He didn't hold a grudge for what he did.

For Yuu the whole situation was the fault of the Asim and the Viper, although there was something for him in that situation. Every time he saw Kalim and Jalim he could see something hovering over them and he didn't talk about his magic.

Putting that aside, Yuu decided to take a walk through the halls of NRC.

Grim, Ace and Deuce stayed in his bedroom and Kalim was throwing a big dinner party with Jamil to celebrate the holidays.

He was considering whether to go to Scarabia or accept the invitation of M.D. in Diasomnia.

If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to celebrate. He didn't remember what his family was on Earth and the comments about what the boys enjoyed doing at festivities with his relatives didn't help either.

As he walked, he came across a large ebony door and, seized by his curiosity, he entered the room without realizing that he was being followed...

Lilia was a fae who had lived and been through a lot in her lifetime.

But he had never seen someone like Yuu. He had met others with "the voice of the gods" and many humans as well, but never someone from another world.

There were theories of other worlds or universes, but all of that remained just ideas or fantasy until Yuu somehow arrived in Twisted Wonderland.

That's why he was curious about the young man and whenever he could, he kept an eye on him to make sure he was safe. You never know what could happen.

That was the reason why he secretly followed him through the corridors of NRC; Several of the castle's rooms were unused and who knows what dangerous objects might be in them.

It pained him to see Yuu's aura full of sadness, so similar to Malleus's when it was the holidays… it was sad that even as royalty he didn't get party invitations on such dates.

Lilia almost loses sight of Yuu thinking that. Luckily, Yuu entered a room that the fae knew.

A room filled with antique vases and gilt-framed landscape paintings; all completely harmless.

Yuu was amazed, because even with the dust and cobwebs the room was beautiful and the decoration exquisite.

Then… he was shocked when he saw something, which he never thought he would see again.

On a table, there was a small golden circular box adorned with blue and purple gems, whith drawings of white bears and birds. The strange thing was that he recognized the box; In his family there had been an identical box that passed from generation to generation. And it seemed that it was the one of his family and not a similar one.

"Maybe he came here like me?" Yuu thought before opening the box… there were a couple of things that highlighted a golden brooch with diamonds.

When Yuu saw it, he felt the magic surrounding him strongly. As they had explained to him, sometimes his magical gift took over his mind and that's what happened.

Magic was sensitive, so Yuu relied on magic before starting to chant…

~ Dancing bears, painted wings ~

~ Things I almost remember ~

Yuu went through a door that connected to another room, it was a huge living room. Yuu guessed it was a ballroom because of the crystal chandeliers and stained glass windows. As he continued to sing, something in his mind cleared up and he began to remember.

Lilia followed the young man in silence, mesmerized by his melodious voice and the magic that was happening around him.

In the center of the double staircase leading to the drawing room was a large gilt frame with a faded painting. When Yuu looked at him the paint suddenly cleared up and revealing a family sitting on a white bench. A 37-year-old woman with brown hair, green eyes and fair complexion stood on the left; a 40-year-old man with white hair, hazel eyes, and a dark complexion sat on the right; the center of them was him... Yuu's father and mother.

~ And a song someone sings ~

~ Once upon a December ~

The image of the box then changed. Now you could see his beloved parents, his gossipy uncles, his funny aunts, his beloved cousins, his grandfather and also the silhouette that Yuu thought was his grandmother, since she died before his birth. .

Lilia looked at the painting with a bittersweet feeling; he was glad that Yuu got to see his family for the time, but the fae he was sad that he couldn't be in person.

~ Someone holds me safe and warm ~

Yuu hugged himself with tears in his eyes as more and more memories that until a few minutes ago had been blocked in his mind.

~ Horses prance through a silver storm ~

The magic could be seen in beautiful silver wisps and brilliant sparkles throughout the room.

~ Figures dancing gracefully ~

~ Across my memory ~

Yuu moved his hands up, as if praying to a deity and instantly the entire room came to life. Literally, people she met in her world dressed in nobles began to descend into the hall while dancing elegantly.

The place was clean, the chandeliers lit, the columns had vines with forget-me-not flowers, and the stained glass windows alternated in different colors; the whole place was magical.

A stunned Lilia stood in the center of the double staircase as Yuu made his way down to the dance floor.

~ Someone holds me safe and warm ~

Yuu couldn't believe it, all his neighbors and friends were there. He also saw his relatives and even he could see ancestors that he only knew from photos. Although he wondered where his parents were, since he couldn't see them.

Lilia felt as some magic erupted behind him; she looked at the painting in amazement when Yuu's parents came out…Then another person came out of the painting and Lilia was speechless when she saw it. A woman he came to know, a woman who despite being kidnapped from her family and her fiancé fought as she could, a woman who was pronounced dead when the kingdom in which she was held captive was turned to ashes.

"Nabila... ". He said in a whisper. Yuu's parents and the older woman, the matriarch of the family, came down the stairs.

~ Horses prance through a silver storm ~

Yuu's cousins and friends approached him; everyone was smiling and dancing around him. Then one of her older cousins placed a gold necklace on him to match the brooch that was still in his hand.

~ Figures dancing gracefully ~

~ Across my memory ~

Yuu twirled with his arms outstretched as he danced… his outfit changed to a beautiful blue outfit with black embroidery and lace, short puffy sleeves, and a crown sparkling with diamonds, amethysts, and sapphires.

~ Far away, long ago ~

A man that Yuu once had a crush on came to him with a bow and he with a bright smile accepted his hand to dance a waltz.

~ Glowing dim as an ember ~

Then a woman took over the waltz, she was one of Yuu's cousins. He couldn't contain her tears of happiness when he saw her.

~ Things my heart used to know ~

Nabila, an older woman with dark skin, red eyes and white hair, gracefully and calmly approached the center of the dance floor. Lilia could only compare the woman's poise to that of the queen he worked for.

~ Things it yearns to remember ~

Yuu looked at the older woman in confusion; He looked at her parents for help, but they just smiled at him with a wink.

Nabila then began to sing the same song before leading the young man into another, slower waltz. The boy remembered at that moment who the woman was, his great-grandmother.

~ And a song someone sings ~

Nabila's ghost had a sad smile as she looked at her great-grandson… then when they finished the waltz she caressed his cheeks and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

Yuu saw the last memory of his past before TW…a fire, in the apartment building where all of his family lived. He saw himself running through the smoke-filled halls, calling out names and then the memory ends when he saw his reflection in an oval mirror... the mirror of darkness.

Yuu knelt before his great grandmother and the rest of his family. He didn't know how he could keep singing without being interrupted by sobs.

~ Once upon a December ~

Lilia saw Nabila look at him and gestured for her to comfort her great-grandson before disappearing with the rest of the people. The one with black and pink hair was not going to deny that request, his father's heart was screaming at him to pamper Yuu.

Yuu was crying because of what happened, he already remembered how he got to Twsited Wonderland, but he didn't want to believe that he lost his family. The young man felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up; Lilia was there kneeling next to him.

Yuu hugged him for comfort. The fae accepted the hug with gusto. "Yeah, yeah." She told him stroking his head. "Everything will be fine Yuu." The white-haired young man wanted to believe him. "I hope my family is okay." Yuu told him in a whisper. Lilia nodded. "They sure are." Said the fae without knowing that this saddened the boy. And in that moment he wanted with all the strength of him while he had the image of his whole family in his mind. "I wish they were here". In a brilliant flash the costume and the decoration of the room disappeared.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the mirror of darkness came to life upon feeling the desire of a young man with a heart of gold. Without hesitation, he searched again for the world Yuu was born into. She realized that the first time he couldn't find Earth because Yuu's soul was from a descendant of TW and he didn't look any further; It didn't take long for him to find New York City…everything was standing still. The mirror smiled and connecting with his equal in the world supposedly without magic, he searched for everyone in the building. And in a flash of light he teleported them to Twisted Wonderland...

Meanwhile, in a remote forest in TW several people showed up. Everyone was confused by where they were, as a woman and a man searched through the crowd. "Yuu, where are you?!".

Yuu's father and mother

Note: Nabila: means 'the one who is noble and intelligent'.

Happy Holidays...

[uncivilcivilservice]

- If you could have any wild animal in the world without having to worry about it hurting you or you being inhumane to it, what would you want as a pet? - What era of fashion history would you unironically wear in your everyday life? Menswear or women's clothes?

1. Omg the possibilities there are endless... in the past minute my brain has ran through the possibilities of capybara, komodo dragon, cheetah, king cobra, gaboon viper, quokka, whale shark...

There are too many cool as fuck animals in this world for me to choose

2. So, I have long been possessed with the ancestral human urge to just wear a giant blanket/sheet with a belt or brooch, and if I could get away with wearing some modern version of the Scottish earasaid I absolutely would

I also love 18th century embroidered clothing. I really think we lost our way with mens fashion in the 19th century. "Ohhh men's clothing should be plain and practical and not decorative" that is the devil speaking, leg men show off their slutty calves and wear pretty flowers embroidered in colourful and metallic threads again you cowards

[theofficersacademy]

April is here! And so is spring, officially!

Housekeeping

Current Month in TOA: Red Wolf Moon

Our mission board this season is for the Golden Deer! Take a look at the new tasks here. Don't forget that mission tasks require at least one partner affiliated with the Golden Deer House to take up.

Please remember to delete your thread titles posts after you've saved them to your drafts. Thank you!

RP is a cooperative activity, at its finest when all participating parties are working together. To this end, we'd like to put out a reminder that it is common courtesy to check your prospective partner's pinned post or muse dossier before RPing with them. This helps toward being on the same page when threading together.

As a reminder for April Fool's: - Please tag any posts made for April Fool's with #TOAaprilfools so that they can be differentiated from regular posts and/or blacklisted. April Fool's posts will not count for class mastery or IC requirements for the month - Please do not change your blog's URL. Descriptions and display pictures are OK to change - Please do not RP as another muse. April Fool's jokes are limited to versions of your own muse or objects/animals related to your muse (things that you would ordinarily have free reign to write headcanons about) - Please do not make jokes centered on content that could potentially be offensive. This includes using words from another language or concepts from another culture as a punchline

We also have a new feedback poll for the month of April! Most of these questions are specific to this year’s Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Did you enjoy the 3v3 format? How can it be improved? Let us know!

A Reminder re. Activity

We've been receiving a lot of requests or reserves for second or third muses lately, many of which we've had to turn down. Per TOA rules: " When taking on an additional muse, the mun should also have demonstrated strong levels of activity well past the minimum on existing muses, as well as high engagement with the rest of the group. As a general rule of thumb, over a three month span we expect 6 thread replies a month on one muse if applying for a second muse, and 9 thread replies a month across two muses if applying for a third muse. " The above should be carefully considered so as to avoid disappointment when applying for another muse. If you've a history of poor activity upon being granted an additional muse, requirements may be even more stringent. The key is consistent, continued activity.

Other

April Mun Birthdays: Kanoesa (14th), Cecil (15th), Emily (18th), Ree (23rd)

April Muse Birthdays: Tharja (2nd), Marni (4th), Maria (5th), Linus (6th), Diamant (6th), Hector (7th), Miranda (8th), Sakura (9th), Clair (9th), Tormod (12th), Mareeta (15th), Erk (19th), Lucina (20th), Niles (22nd), Leanne (25th), Duessel (26th), Tibarn (29th)

First-year mun anniversaries this month: Viper (1st), Sekhmet (15th)

Third-year mun anniversaries this month: Leon (25th)

First-year muse anniversaries this month: Arval (1st), Sain (9th), Caspar (13th), Altena (18th), Nel (19th), Rafal (20th), Veyle (20th), Céline (29th)

Second-year muse anniversaries this month: Hector (17th)

Muses who have been in the group for a solid year will also be granted an Academy Brooch to put in their inventory. It doesn’t do anything. It just lets others know your character has been around the block. These characters are also granted a new opportunity to change houses if they wish to do so.

- The House Leaders

[yanteetle]

Hello, ik you missed me, who doesn’t! Anyways

It has occurred to me, by my friends consistency of bringing up the matter of “buff angwun”

Here is what they say:

(Since i am having difficulty taking ss’s

I’ll just play it out)

Discord-

Friend: yo, angwun is like buff. Hear me out, she carries aqua, viper, kiba, penny and Paris, Mika and muzu all the time. She fucking throws boulders of cement, she can stand off against Raph by a huge amount. AND, she’s always moving, she’s always on missions for muzu and is literally the tank of the group. She has to be buff. Some way.”

Me: “I hear you my people. I shall make it canon”

Friend: “finally bitch.”

-

Luv them anyways

Enjoy angwun flexing

A ask will be sent in later on talking abt that was argued amongst my friends on why angwun can’t have children even tho she really wants them. No she is fertile.

Tune in next time ;D

And here I was thinking I'd get to see mutant Angwun all buffed up and flexy 😔😔🙏 OH WAIT I FORGOT CLOAKING BROOCHES EXIST BUT I MAY BE WRONG THOUGH- either way ur so real for that thank you for blessing my overloaded inbox with your goodies whilst I was gone 😭🙏🙏

[mytoothfairyposhmark]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Green Enamel Rhinestone Snake Brooch Pin Jewelled With Rhinestone Crystals.

[keepitnuclear]

MY COURIER OC Frankie (Lacrimosa)

Name: Frankie (later Lacrimosa

Nickname: Fran, Francis, Lacri

Age: 28yrs old

Height: 5’1”

Weight: 110 lbs

Eyes: Hazel-Green

Hair: Blonde

Sexuality: Bisexual

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Tribal

Languages: English/Latin

Physical trait: Strawberry blonde hair, half shaved from brain surgery, later grown out asymetrical, one unfamilair/unknown origin tribal tattoo wrapping around right wrist, heavily frackled skin from sun damage, missing left canine tooth, heavy black eyeliner.

Clothing: armored vault suit half worn with arms tied around the waist, mojave express courier backpack, red bandana on her head, pip boy on the left wrist. Later: crimson toga tied with gold rope, worn sandals, gold ivy crown, bull brooch on right shoulder. Mark of caesar around neck.

Weapons: Balisong and Brass Knuckles, 10 mm used mostly for pistol whipping. Later: Saturnite powerfirst, no more no less.

Weaknesses: chewing gum, young geckos and Vulpes Inculta

Poor skills: perception and smiling.

Affiliations: Unknown tribe/ Caesars Legion

Former Affiliations: Unkown tribe/ Ncr/ Mojave Express

Enemies: Vipers/Raiders, Great Khans, Rose of Sharon for some reason, Vulpes Inculta (for lover reasons)

Neutral: Everyone except General Oliver

Likes: Chewing gum, ED-E, yellow, young geckos, fist fights, and the will of Mars.

Dislikes: Drunks, Drugs (recovering addict), Cazadors, Legate Lanius, plasma wepons (ouchie) and Benny Gecko.

Personality: Spiteful yet fair, firey yet calculated, sarcastic and witty, confident but only externally, romatic and hopelessly devoted.

Favorite food: Apples, mashed potatos, pre-war junk only in secret

Favorite beverage: Nuka Cola (with vodka as a little treat)

[imafrealinrainbow478484]

Twisted Playhouse Daycare Update!!!

Hey everyone Admin Superstar here! Or should I say….

Admin Starburst!

Now I may be wondering why I look different, that’s because I have turned into a boy due to a potion unfortunately there’s been an accident with a potion I’ve been making, so now me and the future in this Playhouse Daycare has become their opposite gender 😅

Since the kids are now genderswapped! You may refer to them as these names!

Rosado Rosehearts

Aaron Trappola

Darren Spade

Cole Diamond

Trevor Clover

Aaren Trappola-Spade

Leroy Kingscholar

Rory Bucchi

Jason Howl

Zuko Ashengrotto

Jacqui Leech

Jacquelyn Leech

Finn Leech

Florence Leech

Sunburst Al-Asim

Brooch Viper

Victor Schöenheit

Mania Felmier

Liliac Vanrouge

Sorren Zigvolt

Chesse Pinka

Noah Leblanche

Cosmo Viper

Marinette

(Riley, Ida and Ori, Malef and Silk's named will remain the same due to sounding androgynous, and Lyrain shall stay the same due to being gender fluid)

Currently Yuu and Iris are working on an antidote so please feel free to help them!

(Credit to @rotten-ap0ll0 and @saneriddlefan67 for help with some of these names!)

[lizzisimss]

Teens of Uptown 2:

Body: [artichuckles] CrookedNosePreset, miiko - sophie-body-preset-v2, ANGISSI_FEMALE_LIPSPRESET_N1-12, nesurii_lightitup-highlight, Simbience_HauteSkinblend, Pralinesims - UltimateEyebrowCollection_MaxisMatch, PYXIS - ToTheBone_Nosemasks, PS - Eyes_N157, Simbience - Kissed_Freckles MERGED

Make-up: Dyoreos – Be Bright Blush, JH Cosmetics - Eyeliner 98, JH Cosmetics - Eyeshadow 112, JH Cosmetics - Eyeshadow 121, JH Cosmetics - Eyeshadow 129,  [ d r e a m g i r l ] 3 D_l a s h e s_V5, Pralinesims_Nails_Female_N27_SugarMilk, Pralinesims - UltimateEyelinerCollection, [Kijiko] - eyelash_version2, Pralinesims - UltimateLipstickCollection, CSxDSxOxT - DearSolar_Queen_Blush, CSxDSxOxT - DearSolar_Sakura_Blush, [crypticsim] - crystal gloss, [greenllamas] - Jordan Highlighter, dfj-kellyhb5 - Lustrous Gloss, RemusSirion - eyeshadow_56_Myxa, RemusSirion - Lipstick_244-Mediator

Accessories: [Liliili] - Earring Collection, Pralinesims - UltimateEarringCollection, Pralinesims - UltimateNecklaceCollection_Female, [Liliili] - EA-Earrings Collection 3, jwofles - emmy-pearl-hoops

Everyday: ImVikai - Lana Hair, PLBSims - Dimple Sweater v1 & v2, serenity - Wide Pants, serenity - Elphie Pump

Formal: clumsyalien - Nova Hair , [RIMINGS] GUCCI Brooch & Suit Jacket Set, [vikaixgreenllamas]BluebellPants, Madlen Furaha Shoes

Sports: ImVikai - Lana Hair, [Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla] - Delles Hoodie Dress,  NuGGUKyuHatCarharttBeanie

Sleep: [greenllamas] - SCREAM_Casey_Hair, CLUMSYALIEN [BEA TOP], serenity - SH Shorts, [Jius-] - HouseSlippers01

Party: [hs] – TV World Hair, [ d r e a m g i r l ] l a c e_u p_c a m i_t o p, [amelylina] - Raven jeans

Swimwear: ImVikai - Carmen Hair, [sudal] - Summer Vacation collab Swim suit F, MarigoldFShoesChunkySandal

Warm Weather: [hs] – Viper Hair, [RIMINGS] CHANEL Belt off-shoulder Dress, FY - Bow flats N1

Cold Weather: ImVikai - Lana Hair [amelylina] - Welma jacket, plbsims - naughty skirt, Dyoreos – Carnival Boots, [IDAVALLEN] - WILLOW TIGHTS SET, [RIMINGS] CHANEL Brooch Beret

[terrence-silver]

Since it is Mother's Day today in some countries do you think Terry would do anything special for it if him and beloved had children?

Of course --- he instructs and lines up his children like well-trained little snakeys and he has each and every one hand beloved a supposedly hand-made present. Which, of course, a line-up of exclusively commissioned exclusive Cartier diamonds, keys to a new Porsche, bejewelled ruby roses, gloves made from the finest import lace and silk, a coveted Graff emerald brooch shaped like an ouroboros viper are hardly hand-made innocent children's crafts. But, look at those sweet (slightly manipulative) smiles! Beloved can't say no to their own kids, can they? Beloved won't say no.❤️

[psychologicalwarclaire]

Asking some writers/artists I follow:

Is there anything in your fic/comic that you as the author know about, but won't end up in the actual story?

There is. a lot.

Spoilers for Spider's Web With Strings Attached (and a really long rant) below the cut

When she took Donnie's mask after Heinous Green bashed his head in, she kept it in her vault in case she needed to perform some sort of magic that required his DNA some day.

Big Mama never intended for Donnie to die.

That being said, she still recorded and sold copies of Donnie's death. It's her most sold recording ever.

Viper requested to fight Leo. Big Mama only agreed if she kept him alive and able to fight.

Like she got the orb that she captured all of New York in from Draxum, Big Mama got the spider brooches from Draxum many years ago. She only had two; she was lying about the other two for Raph and Mikey.

Before he knew where the twins were, Mikey kept having visions of them fighting people and getting hurt. He thought they were just nightmares.

Heinous Green was in the arena because Big Mama often partners with the Hidden City police. Criminals can work of time by serving the community. In this case, they serve the community by providing entertainment Roman Coliseum style.

Big Mama's family introduced arena fights to the humans.

There was going to be a fight where Tyrian fought a scorpion and writhed with agonizing poison for a chapter, but I forgot about it until it was too late to add it -_-

Raph and Mikey's arena names would have been Rouge and Terracotta.

Big Mama was panicking the majority of the fic. Because she kidnapped them very illegally, she had to manage their food, housing, medical care, and fight arrangements herself so none of the people who normally do that (legally) would get suspicious. Honestly, Big Mama didn't expect them to become SO well loved, and then worried about keeping audience interest by putting the twins in harder fights, but not killing off her greatest assets. She, like everyone else, thought that Leo would snap first. When Donnie snapped first and proved to be a very effective killer, some of the audience grew worried about what was happening behind the scenes and raised questions Big Mama couldn't answer. Panicking, she set up the death bracket, hoping that becoming the champion would turn public opinion of Tyrian positive again. She miscalculated, and Donnie died. She also didn't intend for Leo to get mixed up in the bracket. A LOT of people lost a LOT of money, and her stocks dropped. At that point, it became less about business and money making and much more about getting revenge via torture. By the time she offered Astros the 'out' that was one final fight, she was stressed out of her mind with upholding her reputation. Had Leo been in his right mind, he would have seen how much she was unraveling.

Todd turned his non profit lemonade into a fundraiser to find the twins back when they were first missing. There were a LOT of posters and Big Mama had a FIELD DAY trying to take them all down.

Mikey and Raph tried for DAYS to get the trackers back online, but it never worked.

After hearing that Donnie had died, Hypno, Warren, Meat Sweats, and Repo got together and made the Hamatos a gift basket.

April is failing most of her classes right now.

At some point during the recovery arc, Donnie snuck out to secretly turn every blinking red light in the Lair green. You know exactly why.

Raph was wrong when he said crime had been way down since the invasion. Casey Jr had been handling it without anyone knowing. The Purple Dragons hate him a lot now.

Draxum learned slang words from school, but April taught him what they meant

[dreadfutures]

It's Friday!! For dadwc? "Dueling with swords, and slowly cutting off bits of the enemy’s clothes." from the Scarlet Pimpernel list for Elvhenan AU Ixchel and Glory?

For @dadrunkwriting:

Pairing: Ixchel vs. Glory, Ixchel/Dirthamen implied

Rating: T?? A hint of M?

-:-:-

When the former general first challenged Ixchel for the perceived insult, Dirthamen's mind had scoured the wildest realms of possibility for some excuse to interrupt them. But he had been the one to write these laws, and he was forced to concede that he would not be able to intervene unless Glory were about to break the terms of their duel.

He cannot decide now if he is more relieved or infuriated to recognize that Glory has no intention of breaking the rules. For all that Ixchel has trained her body in his court against Deceit, she is no match for one of the most ancient Elvhen. And though Glory knows this truth well enough, Dirthamen has realized that they intend to draw out the woman's humiliation for the onlookers as long as possible.

Andruil's Chosen weaves the Dreaming around themselves so blatantly that Dirthamen knows it is purposeful. They confound the waking eye with their movements but do not hide from other senses—senses they know perfectly well that Ixchel does not possess. Any other opponent would snatch Glory from the liminal spaces in which they hide and throw them down with ease, but Ixchel is left almost paralyzed as fleeting glimpses of Glory surround her, just out of reach.

Every time that Glory appears, it lashes out like a viper. Scales have, in fact, sprouted across Glory's cheeks, and in their smile Dirthamen sees fangs like he has not seen in many centuries. In both hands Glory wields blades of violent dreams made real; with their twin swords, Glory had won entire swaths of the West for the Empire. The blood of thousands had fed the yellow flames of their magic, but now it seemed that, while Glory had set the terms of the duel as first blood, they would cut at everything—except for Ixchel's flesh.

First, Glory's blades cut through the strap of Ixchel's satchel, spilling books and notes all around their impromptu battlefield. Then, while Ixchel still retains the naive hope that she might catch her adversary with her own bodied hands, Glory targets the most difficult prizes: they cut through the ribbon that holds Ixchel's braid, but they do not break even a single strand of hair with their humming blade; they cut the petals from the flower tucked behind her ear, one by one, until there is nothing but a stem left to fall to the ground; a brooch sings through the air as it flies, to become lost in the grass, and without it, Ixchel's cloak pools at her feet; next is the tasseled rope that bound her waist, and the padded fabric beneath it.

Glory's laughter echoes through the halls as Ixchel realizes the futility of her struggle, and as Dirthamen sees her scarred face settle into a flushed scowl, he finds his own face aflame with sympathetic discomfort. Glory is slowly disrobing Ixchel in front of all those who have shown her kindness here, in Vir Dirthara, and in doing so, what should be a place of comfort and welcome to her becomes something that will bear echoes of shame for time to come. And there is nothing to be done about it, for Glory had been careful to set the parameters of their duel. Dirthamen is resolved to investigate the sequence of events that have led to this moment, for he is already convinced that they might have been orchestrated by Glory to achieve this humiliation. But for now, all Dirthamen can do is watch.

Next, Glory splits the seam of Ixchel's trousers up one leg, then the other, until they fall away. Ixchel takes one step to free herself of the ruined garment, her expression hard and impassive beneath the redness of her cheeks, and she continues to stand still and wait for Glory to finish with her. Glory cuts the tasseled rope that bound Ixchel's waist, then the padded fabric that lay beneath, and now Ixchel is in nothing but her long tunic and the support she wears beneath it.

Glory cuts that away in pieces. They expose Ixchel's brutally burned arm from where it is usually hidden beneath her long sleeves, and there are a few gasps from the onlooking Spirits and Elves who see now the way this young elf's body has been marked. More than a few of them sweep their attention momentarily to him in their alarm, concern for Ixchel's safety in his care apparent, but before he can react to their doubts—their fears—Glory has left Ixchel bare in the air.

She stands proudly, despite the titter of horror and worry and fear her long-healed-but-not-erased wounds has garnered, and tosses her hair over her shoulder. The glossy brown locks slither free entirely of their knots and coils and cascade down her back, leaving her body fully exposed to Glory's finishing blow.

This is not how Dirthamen has wished to witness her full form. He did not want to come to know the intimacy of her scars and brands in a place without tenderness, without care. He did not want to add further humiliation to what undoubtedly were marks of trauma. He has wanted to appreciate the beauty of her body beneath them, to know how the fullness of her breasts felt in his hands, to map the flex and flow of her musculature in the shaking of her legs around him—but all such thoughts are poison now as he watches her stand naked in the storm of Glory's attention.

Andruil's Chosen bursts from their cloak of the Dreaming and aims to draw blood this time, Dirthamen is sure of it. He starts on reflex, healing magic drawn to hands that are ready to catch his treasured mystery if she were to fall—

But then the unthinkable happens.

Ixchel's hair swishes, and she pivots on one heel to let Glory's first blade cut through the air where she had stood. In the split-second before Glory can turn their second blade upon her, Ixchel has snapped her hips back into her original position, with one key difference: she has raised her knee to avoid Glory's thrusting sword, and she drives her knee straight into Glory's nose.

Glory can do nothing to arrest their momentum in that moment, and the strength of their blow works against them now. Their face plows into the hard bone of Ixchel's knee, and bright red bursts forth everywhere upon impact.

Silence falls in Vir Dirthara. The ambient hum of eluvians and memory and magic can be heard loudly in the absence of breath, or thought, and the air is thick with shock—most of all, Dirthamen's own.

His heart is in his throat, threatening to burst from him and rush to reunite with Ixchel before any further harm can come to her. He follows its urging immediately, sweeping his own cloak of feathers and shadow from his shoulders to wrap her in its safe embrace. His arm bands across her chest protectively as he pulls her toward him, and away from Glory, who yet remains suspended in a moment of complete surprise and growing fury.

There is nothing on the floor that cannot be replaced, Dirthamen decides, and without waiting a moment longer, he bends air and time around himself and his charge and spirits them away from prying eyes.