#c: iolanthe

[black-quartz-sphinx-judge-my-vow]

Iolanthe, Queen of the Golden Beryl Palace

Pinch me I’m in love.

Third in characters, who I decided I would love based solely on their art, the others being 1st Place Gleaming Genisis, and The Lunar who's name escapes me. No one ever remembers 2nd place :(. Well if you judge enough books by their covers, eventually the writer will do service to their artist.

Is it a coincidence that I'm in love with both of the big bad fae characters? I dunno, but I'm happy we're here.

So first things first. Apparently when The Scarlet Empress activated the swordofcreation.net it covered the land in iron needles, to burn and kill all of the fae. Um.... freaking baller! That's so cool! I was always told she just nuked the world, which was always highly disappointing, and inconsistent with the setting. I much prefer the idea that the swordofcreation.net can just produce whatever world ending weapon you need for that particular instant. Iron needles to cover the earth? You got it. Nuclear Armageddon? No problem! A media ecosystem specifically designed to radicalize it's viewers, and turn them into facists? We're on it.

Iolanthe is a Fae Prince who managed to hide her people under ground in the southwest of The Enchanted Isle, and there she has ruled for three hundred years. Now that the Empress is gone, she looks to build and army, and finish the crusade she started centuries ago.

And sure it's upsetting that one of her intimacies is pretty much "The South Will Rise Again.", and yes she's probably not vaccinated, and maybe I let her borrow $500 dollars to pay for her ex's bail money, but I love her!

Her gown is sewn from the vows of her subjects, um very cool. Especially since it gives her 16 Soak and 7 Hardness. She's covered in gold and jewels, and has a hearthstone the size of an egg. She carries no weapons because her words alone, can kill a man. Yes please.

I'm a real sucker for the vain queen archetype, and I think Iolanthe fulfills her role perfectly. Her defining Intimacy is "No one will contest my beauty and power." which has got to be a rough way to live your life. If no one can contest your power... you're just going to keep fighting until you're dead, basically. Sad. Her more interesting intimacy is that she views The Golden Beryl Palace as her pet... so like... is it alive? I personally think her having a huge crystal elemental that she uses as a palace, is awesome.

Furthermore she's got a whole host of minions and secrets she's collected during her years of exile. It's interesting to note that she knows the locations of ancient exalted burial sites, not just solar! Soooo that's really interesting right? Entire complexes dedicated to the exalted built during their war with the primordial? I'd do it. Arlington Cemetary for legions of Dragonblooded soilers. She's also made deals with the mountainfolk, stupid sexy house Iselsi, and proto-humans. So you can take this to mean things like neanderthals/ troglodytes typical underdark stuff. Or you could go the way of Adam Kadmon, which is basically Adam of The Bible before he was put into a physical and earthly vessel, essentially perfect humans. We imagine these proto-humans were found in caves, but what if Iolanthe just found vaults created by the primordial for some of their experiments? These humans were a little too powerful for what they had planned for Creation, so they hid them away and worked on teaching humans how to fart and be racist. They give you lots of chances to make her a big bad in your game, including an excuse for giving her a big bloated army.

During Earthquakes her people will rise out of the ground, and drag people down into their crystal lair, either turning them into food, or she'll just step on them until they're so in love they'll fight for her. Which includes equipping them with flawless fae weapons and armor.

Her stats are superhuman, some of the best/the best in the book. I don't know nothing about previous editions. But I did hear that when Fae was a player choice, their whole thing is that their stats could go beyond 5, so it's cool that her own stats reflect that. With a 7 in Apperance and charisma, and a 6 in Stamina.

One of her charms let's her use your own intimacies against you, when she uses her voice to kill you, she can talk about your intimacies and reduces your soak, hardness, and cover bonus by and amount equal to your intimacy, Sick! An attack wich already, by itself does 15 dice of damage. Her ultimate attack is that she does an attack against your character's resolve, and for every extra success, she reduces your willpower by 1, if it goes to zero, you either get a defining derangement, or are polymorphed... FOREVER!

For defense she has a charm that just let's her ignore, any defense negating abilities you have. (I.e she effortlessly grabs the attack, that literally says unblockable between her fingers like it's nothing. But the even cooler/ way dumber charm, makes it so if an attack kills her, you discover that you've been fighting an illusion. A nearby combatant throws off their disguise revealing that they were Iolthane the entire time! Then she resets to base Initiative, hilarious.

She has Intimacy overriding charm, but her really interesting charm, allows her to grant a character supernatural dedication on a quest she's given then. This not only gives them a number of bonus dice to all of their actions equal to the intimacy she used to manipulate them, it also gives them Intimacyx2 Mutations to help with the question. Perferct PERfect PERFECT! for those character's who your team has eclipsed, coming back for their miniboss fight at the end of the campaign!

She also makes it harder to resist her, playing with your intimacies, making it cost up to THREE willpower to resist her temptations.

Okay, a little extra reading did in fact reveal that The Golden Beryl Palace, is an elemental. A Gemlord, who was once a prince among the earth elementals. It's a mile wild elemental that the fae live in. It's memory has been erased, and all the remains is it's loyalty to Iolanthe, kind of sad actually. He can sense the nature of anything inside of him, and also has instant telecommunication with Iolanthe, so good luck getting away with anything while inside the palace. Oh, wait, you're solars.

Rating: 10/10 long-ass nails, drumming bordely on her fainting couch. Absolutely marvelous, great work, very pushed. I have no idea why she was paired with Siluris, both writeups were so good, and had so much content. Definitely one of the better packages of the group. Love her! I'm already thinking about introducing her in my Dragonblooded campaign.

Misc. Golden Beryls are basically just Yellow Saphires/ Emeralds. They're found in Namibia, Madagascar, and Brazil. You can see them in her Jewlery, anklet, necklace, and big ass ring.

If you squint her name looks like Lolth, and her people are basically the Drow. I dunno, I thought that was funny.

Iolanthe, is also a Gilbert and Sulivan Opera, about the fairy Iolanthe who arranged all the fairies' music and dance, but was banished for the crime of loving a mortal.

Hooks:

1. The name Iolanthe has been scrubbed from the records of man. All but forgotten, to the realm. Only the people of the south, the lands she scoured before coming to the blessed isle remember her name. When they speak of it, they talk as if referring to some primordial terror, abomination, or even natural disaster. They only know that whole valleys of civilization were wiped away by the Iolanthe, and now on The Blessed Isles, those who claim to see the future, shudder and convulse, the only thing to escape their lips is madness, and a single name: Iolanthe.

2. When the civil war breaks out, the relatively empty Southwest is neglected and forgotten, it's the backyard, of a Great House, and not very contested. Until practically overnight, that house falls into ruin as Iolanthe rises from The Southwest to claim their lands. With monsters, and hordes of fanatical follower, the great houses must now contend with yet another hopeful for the throne. Iolanthe only ever feared one woman, and now that's she's gone, she'll bring ruin to The Scarlet Empresses' legacy. Revenge for the humiliation she's endured for three centuries.

3. Iolanthe has had enough of hiding beneath the earth. She now seeks to park her home on the tallest point in creation. Like King Kong The Golden Beryl Palace emerges from the earth, and begins to climb to the top of The Imperial Mountain. From her perch upon the word, she will speak and all of creation will hear her. First she will make them all love her, and shout their praise in a single voice. Then she will drive them mad, and then once nothing is left of civilization, culture, or meaning, she will simply ask creation to stop.

4.Iolanthe is nearly unstopable, her powers are too immense, too deadly, too dangerous. However, no matter how many victories she scores against he players, it's never enough. She must always live with the fact that she wasn't able to beat The Scarlet Empress. The players can use this to distract her from her mission of world domination, or maybe this thought occurs to Iolanthe if she's already won, for some sort of post-loss campaign, but nothing she's done has any meaning if she did it without besting The Scarlet Empress. She must find her, and beat her to prove that Iolanthe's beauty and power is uncontested. Once the players have convinced her of this, she drops everything, world domination, her armies, and schemes and pours everything she has into finding her rival. Buying the players enough time to figure out a way to destroy her. Maybe Iolanthe actually helps the players goals, if they're truly set on finding The Scarlet Empress.

5. Iolanthe either as herself or as maybe a kindly witch, or other friendly lass asks the players for help, in completing a quest. A quest that happens to fit perfectly into their intimacies. Unforunately for them as soon as they accept Iolanthe rips off her disguise and reveals her true form, but her bewitching charms make it so they can't help but zealously pursue the quest they agreed to go on. Furthermore Iolanthe grants them mutations based to help with their quest, and bonus die on all their actions. The quest is in their interest, destorying a Dragonblooded army or something like that. The players find their mutations quite useful, and they're more powerful than ever serving her... They may be tempted to stay on her side, and even if they're not, she'll provide that temptation for them.

[melancholy-lute]

The Lord Chancellor + Iolanthe

Thank you!

Iolanthe Headcanon A:  realistic

Although not religious by human standards, she got married in church (after much discussion with her fiancé, hoping that a marriage contracted according to human law would be outside the power of fairy law).

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

She knows all the frogs in that stream personally.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

So you know how fairies live on love? When she was in exile, her love for her son kept her alive.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own

She spends time in the mortal world (in disguise) as a songwriter. If some popular songs seem to glitter with fairy dust, that's why!

the Lord Chancellor Headcanon A:  realistic

Post-canon, he spends a couple weeks reviewing all fairy law with the Fairy Queen in the interests of justice.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

He writes songs on scratch paper when in court. "When I went to the bar" didn't say anything about avoiding multitasking!

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

By the time of canon, Tolloller and Mountararat are the only two people who know that he used to believe in fairies. It's hard to believe that immortal beings exist when the only one you knew died.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own

In a modern AU, he used to do mock trial when he was a kid. He's unsurprised by an 11-year-old lawyer because he himself was one!

(Headcanon meme here)

[mythandral]

Mythandral Raas

B A S I C S

Name: Mythandral Raas

Nickname(s): Myth, Captain (former fishing crew, or to tease)

Age: 27 - ARR, 37 - EW (including 5 and a bit extra years from the First)

Nameday: 22nd Sun, 5th Astral Moon

Race: Duskwight Elezen

Gender: Male, but occassionally some other things

Orientation: Gay

Profession: Former fisherman, current machinist and Hydaelyn's Special Guy

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: Long and grey, and getting longer as time goes on. Naturally wavy, but turns into an unhappy-looking mess without good care. It's pulled back into a bun when he's at work, but otherwise he wears it down, perhaps with a braid keeping it away from his eyes.

Eyes: Gold, and with a glow ever since a bad case of light poisoning. However, it's subtle most of the time - a faint glow in the dark.

Skin: Dark blue-grey. His hands are calloused from working on and around boats growing up.

Tattoos/scars: For tattoos, he has a knotted rope around his right wrist, an anchor on his left calf, and a compass on his right ankle.

For scars, he has an old cut on his face (from getting caught by a snapped rope), vast light scarring across his chest that looks like a crack in glass, and a large scar on his right elbow from a very nasty break.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Lucianne Raas, former Gridanian conjurer, now a community healer. Athwyn Raas, carpenter turned shipwright.

Siblings: Iolanthe Raas, storybook author

Grandparents: I've not got as far grandparents, but his paternal great-grandpa was a sea wolf Roe, hence the unusual names for the men in his family.

In-laws and Other: He got married to Stephanivien midway through 6.0, but that was mainly to avoid Count Haillenarte from resorting to an arranged match to try and marry off his heir. They both wear their rings, though. He's also in a relationship with Joda as of the end of Endwalker.

Pets: No animal pets... but he does have a robot (and he adores his Queen).

S K I L L S

Abilities: His echo grants glimpses of unnatural perception, which combined with his training to operate with limited vision (as part of his hometown's style of combat dance) grants him uncanny sharpness in combat. Combined with a cool head and steady hand, he's a brilliant marksman.

Outside of combat, he's a competent & detail focused engineer with a background in traditional crafting (goldsmith/blacksmith).

Hobbies: he's a tinkerer at heart and it's how he spends most of his free time. He's also very enthusiastic about his hometown and its traditions and involves these in his crafting.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Calm, gentle steadfastness.

Most Negative Trait: He thinks he is both invincible and right and gets so, so close to getting himself killed as a result (more than once).

L I K E S

Colors: Deep red, black, gold

Smells: Workshops - solder, wood shavings, forge fire. The sea. Gunpowder.

Textures: Rope, worked metal, sea-worn wood, warm skin.

Drinks: Sugary black coffee, mulled cider - anything sweet, really.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: probably tried a cigarette once and didn't like it, didn't care to try again.

Drinks: Socially. When drinking, he holds his alcohol well - or appears to, but is often drunker than people realise.

Drugs: would do milder stuff casually if offered by a friend, not something he seeks out.

Mount Issuance: Perfectly competant chocobo rider, though he usually favours airships/ship ships when he can, or a mount of a more mechanical nature.

Been Arrested: no. He's not much of a troublemaker himself but takes advantage of the fact he usually comes across as the responsible, reasonable one to authority figures to get his friends out of trouble.

Tagged by @elf-simp, thank you!

Tagging @azure-dragonsinger, @tallbluelady & @abyssalmermaiden - and anyone else who wishes to!

[tsrdfs]

Personal preference A（Ruddigore、The grand duke、the yeomen of the guard） B（the gondoliers、iolanthe、princess ida） C（patience、The Mikado、Trial by Jury、Utopia, Limited） D（The Sorcerer、The Pirates of Penzance、Hms Pinafore）

[amos-depulso]

where: The Three Broomsticks when: February 12, 1978, Hogsmeade Weekend who: Amos Diggory and Iolanthe Fleury ( @iolanthefleury​ )

A cacophony of laughter and conversations accompanied by the sweet percussions of silverware and glass hitting wood greeted Amos as he entered  The Three Broomsticks. With his gloved hands tucked in his pockets, he walked past groups of friends, past lovers and lovers-to-be, before he sat down at a bar stool meant for usuals who wined and dined without company. Because that was how Amos was spending the weekend before Valentines. On Valentines Day too, most likely. Alone.

And Amos was at The Three Broomsticks to toast to that fact.

Was he mourning? Was he celebrating? Signs pointed to the previous as he raised a finger towards the waitress, “A pint, please,” without his usual kind smile. He thought that this year’s Valentines would be different but he had no luck with his romantic life so far. The most he has gotten so far that year was just stolen kissed at parties and one-night trysts.

Not to mention that he hasn’t talked to Isobel for a while now. The last time they really talked was when she helped patch him after he and Brenton connected fists. Now, he was left to his own devices wondering what his fellow Hufflepuff might be thinking at that very moment.

[natalieironside]

If Eris Iolanthe evil why Eris Iolanthe hot???? like, oooh, covered in blood and tearing apart reality, her cloak of flesh blowing in winds not of this world???? tell me more

We are not immune to Hot Evil Lady

I really need to work on Acheron some more b/c Eris Iolanthe is prolly the most cartoonishly evil villain I've come up with to date

[ladylike-foxes]

Books I Read in 2021

An incomplete list of general recommendations, in no particular order (certainly not chronological), of literature and poetry that I found entertaining, edifying, or impactful.

Note: Unlike last year, I tried not to include anything I listed last year, (though I have definitely reread at least once a fair amount of what I've listed here.)

Fiction:

For the Wolf - Hannah Whiten

The Last Graduate - Naomi Novik

Green Rider - Kristen Britain

First Rider's Call - Kristen Britain

The High King's Tomb - Kristen Britain

Blackveil - Kristen Britain

Mirror Sight - Kristen Britain

Firebrand - Kristen Britain

Winterlight - Kristen Britain

Fairy Godmother - Mercedes Lackey

Night's Master - Tanith Lee

Death's Master - Tanith Lee

Within These Wicked Walls - Lauren Blackwood

Vespertine - Margaret Rodgerson

Inker and Crown - Megan O'Russel

Ember and Stone - Megan O'Russel

Mountain and Ash - Megan O'Russel

Ice and Sky - Megan O'Russel

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden - Catherynne Valente

The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice - Catherynne Valente

House of Salt & Sorrow - Erin A. Craig

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison

The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner

Thick as Thieves - Megan Whalen Turner

House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland

The Magician's Guild - Trudi Canavan

The Novice - Trudi Canavan

The High Lord - Trudi Canavan

Even the Darkest Stars  - Heather Fawcett

Thief in the Castle - Beatrice B. Morgan

Mage in the Undercity - Beatrice B. Morgan

Dreams in the Snow - Beatrice B. Morgan

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Dance of Thieves - Mary E. Pearson

Vow of Thieves - Mary E. Pearson

The Queen's Rising - Rebecca Ross

The Queen's Resistance - Rebecca Ross

Dreams Lie Beneath - Rebecca Ross

A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston

Nemesis - Anna Banks

Ally - Anna Banks

We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faizal

We Free the Stars - Hafsah Faizal

Disenchanted - Brianna Sugalski

The Child Thief - Brom

The Prison Healer - Lynette Noni

The Gilded Cage - Lynette Noni

Crown of Coral and Pearl - Mara Rutherford

Kingdom of Sea and Stone  - Mara Rutherford

Small Favors  - Erin A. Craig

The Shadow in the Glass - JJA Harwood

A Face Like Glass - Frances Hardinge

The Phantom Forest - Liz Kerin

The Harp of Kings - Juliet Marillier

A Dance with Fate - Juliet Marillier

Silver in the Wood - Emily Tesh

Drowned Country - Emily Tesh

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

Shimmer and Burn - Mary Taranta

Splendor and Spark - Mary Taranta

Nonfiction:

Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths - Helen Morales

On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears - Stephen T. Asma

The Lore of the Forest - Alexander Porteous

Ecce Homo: The Male-Body-in-Pain as Redemptive Figure - Kent L. Brintnall

The Inner Scar: The Mysticism of George Bastille - Andrew Hussey

Trauma and Transcendence: Suffering and the Limits of Theory - Eric Boynton & Peter Capretto

Symbolic Exchange and Death - Jean Baudrillard

Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology - Jess Zimmerman

Poetry & Short Stories:

A Hunger - Lucie Brock-Broido

The Midnight Court & Other Poems - tr. Frank O'Conner

Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri - Arthur Sullivan

Men in the Off Hours - Anne Carson

Swallow: Poems - Miranda Field

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado

Choking Back the Devil - Donna Lynch

The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning - Maggie Nelson

Tonight I'm Someone Else - Chelsea Hodson

When My Brother Was An Aztec - Natalie Diaz

Some Say The Lark - Jennifer Chang

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems - Joy Hario

Open Letter to Quiet Light - Francesca Lia Block

Fox: Poems 1998-2000 - Adrienne Rich

Obit: Poems - Victoria Chang

[staggbones]

Important!

Please support this creator! They need money for a carpal tunnel surgery and theyre only 22!! REBLOGS OVER LIKES FOLKS

[heliotropiclair]

Iolanthe - Guardian and Founder

An elder, loving, soft-hearted guardian dragon Iolanthe and her mate are the founders of the small, but mighty, Nebulous Clan in the Tangled Woods. Although she is fond of tricks, and games, she is also very, very fond of trick or treating. She believes that it is good to be playful and fun but also nurturing and kind. A balance is important in all things. No one really knows where Iolanthe and her mate originally come from. If they even have parents or if they sprung from the Tangled Woods itself like some faery spirit. And although the founders Iolanthe and Yayauhqui have no children of their own. Instead they have adopted Amka and Aleth as their daughters.

artwork (c) Flight Rising

[jackswest]

this is a work in progress but! if anyone has any other/further suggestions or discussion points, i am totally down for that

[twowritingdisasters]

Take Me There (Take Me Home): Arthur

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Don’t catch me don’t catch me please don’t catch me--

Arthur darts in and out of the legs of his father’s employees, heart pounding with terror as he chances a glance over his shoulder. Maybe he shouldn’t have run from his tutors--I’m gonna get punished so badly later, they’re gonna hurt me, please don’t hurt me--but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to handle being stuck in that room, too scared to do anything but listen and try not to mess up, too scared to be anything but perfect. He dives into a cubicle as his math tutor’s voice echoes down the hall-- “Young Master Pendragon”, they say, as if he’s master of anything, and he tucks his legs to his chest with an involuntary whimper. He clutches the small notepad and pencil he managed to get against himself, pressing himself into a corner as he curls beneath a desk, shifting behind a chair to hide better. 

His tutor’s shoes clack on the impeccably clean floor, passing him by, and he stiffens, biting down hard on his palm to stifle another whimper of fear. Please don’t find me please please don’t find me please--! “Young Master Pendragon, if you don’t come out...” There’s a sigh, before they change tactics. “If you come out now, you won’t be in trouble, I promise.”

Liar, liarliarliar leave me alone I don’t wanna learn taxes and economics I wanna draw please... He bites down even harder to keep himself from making noise, fighting back a shudder as his teeth manage to break the skin. The sound of shoes on polished hardwood fades out, and he dares to close his eyes--only to open them as the sharp, clear sound of heels draws closer, terror washing over him anew. A woman, probably, and he watches a pair of sleek, elegant black heels pause in front of where he’s hiding next to someone he recognizes as one of Father’s assistants; his tongue starts to taste of iron, the icky tang familiar to him now, and he feels like crying. 

“What’s all the ruckus about?” The voice is unfamiliar, warm and soothing, like honey and sunshine and things he only gets if he’s very very good, very very obedient. There’s a scary edge to it, though, and he feels tears well up as he tucks his legs closer to his chest. 

“Ah, Ms. Ljon!” someone responds, their voice dripping false cheeriness. “So good to see you! Mr. Pendragon’s meeting with you won’t be hindered, I assure you.” He recognizes that voice, it’s one of his father’s aides, Miss Iolanthe--one of the nicer ones, who sometimes doesn’t tell Father when he’s been bad. Still, running from lessons and work is Really Really Bad and she’d have to report to Father and then he’d be locked up and hurt and thrown out and no one would ever love him and--

The choked whimper escapes him before he can stop it, and he clamps his hands over his mouth in horror, shaking. The first voice--Ms. Ljon?--doesn’t react, though, simply shifts her stance as the aide’s shoes shift toward the desk. “That’s not what I asked.” The scary edge is definitely there now. “I wanted to know why Uther’s right-hand man is parading through the halls calling for a ‘young master’, and why the fuck there’s a frightened child hiding underneath this table--and most importantly, why the hell no one seems phased by it.”

Arthur’s lip wobbles--this Ljon person is scary, and once she finds out how bad he’s been she’s gonna bring him to Father and Father would punish him in front of everyone again--and he bursts into silent tears, crying quietly. The aide stammers something, but Ljon must do something, because he sees her feet move and a noise like a wildcat’s snarl comes from her, and the aide tells her everything, just how bad he is, how many times he’s been punished, how willful and disobedient he is. His entire body shudders as she says helplessly, “I try to keep him safe as much as possible--but Mr. Pendragon’s other aides and the tutors he hires, they all believe the same stuff. It’s like they want to break him so they can mold him into the perfect heir, the stuff I’ve seen some of them do, it’s--”

“And this happens in front of his employees?” Horror chases away the scariness in Ms. Ljon’s voice. “They know, and they haven’t called--they haven’t done shit?”

“You think people haven’t tried?” The aide’s voice shakes as she speaks and Arthur trembles at it, trembles at the fury there. It might not be addressed toward him, but it’s still terrifying when grown-ups get mad. “Mr. Pendragon is highly respected and incredibly wealthy. People have tried to break contract, to involve the police, but he buys them off, them and the lawyers, and ruins the lives of anyone who tries to stop him. He could beat the poor thing in court and no one would say a word because of how powerful he is.”

“I want to see Uther.”

“Ms. Ljon--”

The growl that comes from the woman is petrifying, and Arthur sobs aloud as the aide, similarly frightened, spins on her heel and hurries off. A sigh follows, the woman slipping off her heels--and she sits, and he gets his first good look at her. Her eyes are bright gold, her hair sleek and black, a scarlet tattoo inscribed on her pale neck. Father said that only delinquents and hooligans got tattoos, but the aide had said that he wanted to meet with this lady, which means that he either doesn’t know or doesn’t care. He knows the light in her eyes--anger, rage, hurthurthurt--but her lips are curving into a gentle smile. “Hi, baby,” she whispers, and her voice doesn’t have that angry, frightening edge anymore. “My name’s Merlin.”

He stares at her, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he hiccups, before shaking his head, bringing his hands up to cover his eyes. “N-o-o-o-o...”

That angry light flashes in her eyes again--he can tell without even looking--but the honey-warm tones of her voice don’t change. “I’m not going to hurt you, darling, I promise. I’m just going to stay here with you until you feel a little better okay?” Despite himself, he peeks through his fingers at her. She’s still smiling gently, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him. She’s not yelling or hitting or pinching or grabbing, she’s just...watching.

He nods. Her smile widens a bit at that, soft and warm. “Can you tell me your name, darling?”

Name. He’s “Young Master Pendragon” to the tutors and aides, “Sir” to the workers, “brat” or “boy” or “Heir” to his father. He doesn’t want to be any of those, has wanted to be anything but those for so very long. All he wants to be... “A-Arthur,” he whispers, his voice trembling and making the words shake too. 

Her eyes soften, the light in them almost tender, and he lowers his hands slowly, sets his notebook down. Merlin’s eyes dart to it and she tilts her head at him. “Do you want to tell me what that’s for?”

If she finds out she’ll take it drawing is bad drawing is useless not allowed-- He shakes his head wildly, a soft “uh-uh” escaping him as he scrubs at his eyes. She makes a sympathetic noise, soft and warm. “Okay, baby, you don’t have to. Can I give you a hug?”

A...what? He’s been hugged, of course, but just for cameras, and it was always too tight and a little frightening. Merlin’s gaze is warm, though, and she’s not standing to try and make him quiet or forcing him to do anything, so he shifts a little closer. She pats the ground encouragingly, and bit by bit, Arthur finds himself inching close enough for her to reach. He lets her loop an arm around his shoulders, steadying him as he trembles violently before pulling him against her side. The warmth feels...good, and he huddles against her side, feeling safe for the first time in ages.

Then his father storms in and it all comes crashing down.

Father is a big man, with wide shoulders and sharp eyes that always seem like knives, piercing whatever he decides to turn his gaze upon. Terror washes up and over Arthur as his sharp eyes flick to him and then back. “What is the meaning of this, Merlin?” His voice is That Voice, low and pleasant like he always makes it right before he hurts him, and Arthur whimpers, pulling free of Merlin’s grasp. He inches back toward the safety of the desk, but Father’s gaze pins him in place and he shudders, bringing his hand toward his mouth subconsciously to bite down on his palm. Good boys don’t cry in front of their betters, after all, and bad ones get punished and Arthur doesn’t want to get punished again. 

Merlin stands, all slinky and graceful like a wildcat, and despite the fact that she’s shorter than Father, she seems bigger--the first person he’s met who doesn’t bow her head or move away from him. “I was hoping you could tell me, Uther.” Her voice is equally low and pleasant. “Miss Iolanthe was kind enough to inform me of your actions toward a six-year-old.” She began to circle him, her eyes drifting to Arthur’s own. 

“I am a believer in corporal punishment, yes, but I have never--”

“Shut. Up.” And Merlin halts in front of him, her teeth bared in a snarl. “Emotional manipulation, psychological manipulation, neglect, public humiliation, and enough physical punishments that he’d rather hurt himself than draw or write or do whatever it is he wants to do with that notebook. People treat their pets better than this, and here you are, abusing your own son freely in your own. Damn. Office.” He watches in awe as Father opens his mouth, only to be cut off by Merlin’s hand. “Don’t. As if that wasn’t enough, you’re teaching him how to manage a company at six fucking years old. Six. He doesn’t even have a decade’s worth of life on him yet and you’re pushing this shit like it’s the end of the fucking world if he doesn’t learn how to balance a checkbook, physically fucking abusing him if he messes up.”

Father’s eyes glint with rage, as they always do when he perceives a challenge. “It’s not abuse if will make him and the company stronger.”

At that, Merlin laughs, and Arthur stares at her in shock. “Stronger. Yeah, right--I’ve seen what abuse--and that’s exactly what it is, you delusional nutbag--can do to someone. I see the traces of physical abuse every day in my sons, verbal abuse in my daughter and child. And yes, they’re resilient and strong, but kids aren’t like swords. They don’t get stronger when you shove them through the fire, they burn, because they’re flesh and blood and too young to know that you’re a complete and utter FUCKWIT!”

Father snarls at her and he bites down harder, the iron tang of blood filling his mouth again as he shuffles backwards. “Even if all this was true--” It is, Arthur thinks, wants to say, but the pressure of that terrifying gaze is too much-- “you have no proof.”

“She has my testimony.” Miss Iolanthe’s voice trembles, but when Arthur whips around to look at her, her eyes are bright with anger. “I’ve watched you hurt that child since he could walk. No more.”

“No more,” one of the employees calls in agreement, another echoing the sentiment, and Arthur stares in blatant shock as nearly the entire floor starts chanting together, slowly and raggedly at first before speeding up. “No more no more no more no more--”

Father growls as Merlin lifts her chin, the light in her golden eyes smug. “What do you want, Ljon?”

“No more no more no more no more--”

“Don’t you get it, you imbecile?” He stares at her in awe as she steps closer, her eyes flashing. “It’s not about what I want. It’s about what he wants.” Abruptly she turns, and he flinches back in surprise as she kneels in front of him, extending her hands. “I can get you out of here,” she tells him softly. “I can get you away from him--from them. Permanently.”

“Arthur, I forbid it!”

“No more no more no more no more--”

The look in her eyes is warm, hopeful, trusting, and he hesitantly takes her hand, flinching as Father roars in protest. Merlin smiles, warm and gentle and bright, bringing his attention away from the angry monster of a man behind her and back to those kind eyes. “What do you say, baby?”

“Don’t you dare,” Father hisses. “Arthur--”

But Arthur doesn’t want to be like Father and he doesn’t want to be strong and he just wants to feel better than this, so he nods. “Y-yes,” he chokes out, and she smiles, and--

A hand clenches around his arm, pulling him violently back, and his father’s voice hisses in his ear, something about how bad he’s been and how ungrateful he is, how dare he--and the painful grip suddenly vanishes with a shocked yell. It takes him a moment to realize that he’s screaming, wails of terror coming from his throat. In front of him, Merlin draws her fist back before shaking it out, teeth bared. “If you’d let him go, I would’ve let you sign over custody quietly and fairly,” she says, and her voice is back to low and pleasant. “But I’m glad you didn’t, because now I have an excuse to tear you to shreds.”

She picks him up despite his sobs, strokes the back of his head gently before kissing away the tears. “I’ll see you in court,” she purrs to Uther Pendragon, satisfaction dripping from her voice at the sight of the steadily-forming bruise on his face. 

The destruction of Uther Pendragon is a court spectacle talked about for months afterward. Merlin’s accusations revealed a host of corrupt dealings, harassment charges, bribes--nearly everything a person could think of when it came to the words “corrupt CEO”. Still, the Ljon family ignored it all as Uther’s world came crumbling down, their eyes fixed on the sweet violet-eyed boy with a sunbeam smile.

“Arthur, careful you don’t get crayon on the rug,” Merlin admonishes; her youngest son looks up at her and beams shyly, the picture he’s been steadily coloring balanced on a lap-desk in front of him. Already he looks healthier, happier, a new light in his eyes and a bouncy cheeriness to him that hadn’t been there before. Next to him, Meliodas gives her a thumbs-up, flipping through shows on Netflix before settling on Big Hero Six; the others had all taken to Arthur immediately, adoring the boy as much as she and Escanor did and doting on him utterly. He’s latched onto the rest of them as well, slotting into their family with the greatest of ease.

Arthur Ljon.

She likes the sound of that.

[lit-hp]

As Littwink Tagged by the wonderful @darklordtomarry ! 1.Nicknames?- irl: Clarion or Cleopatra / online: Lit or Blobby 2.Gender?- Female 3.Star sign?- Scropio 4.Height?- 5 foot 8 inches. 5.Time?- 11:38 pm 6.Birthday?- November 14 7.Fav bands?- Muse is the biggest one. I cant think of any else. 8. Fav solo artist?- Parov Stelar? 9. Song stuck in my head?- Rescue Aid Society ( R-E-S. C-U-E. Rescue Aid Society~) 10. Last movie watched?- The Rescuers (where the song came from) 11. Last show watched?- Can't say; Don't watch TV. The last episode lengthed thing I watched was Markiplier's videos on YouTube. 12. Why’d you create your blog?- Somewhere to put all of my HP things. 13. What do you post?- On this blog, HPLV fic recs plus generic HP universe stuff. 14. Last thing you googled?- the Wiggenweld Potion. (I know right? How HP) 15. Any other blogs?- Yasss. My other fandom blogs are in my intro, but I have a non fandom one: blobs-are-not-alone. 16. Do you get askes?- rarely. 17. Why’d you choose your URL?- It's a bit random tbh. And cheesy too. But it's a compound of a "little wink". How silly is that? 18. Following?- around 220 20. Fav color?- ehhh. Idk. Red? 21. avg hours of sleep?- sporadic tbh. I'd say 8 though. 22. lucky number?- 17 23. Instruments?- piano mainly. But I can play most orchestral string instruments. 24. What am i wearing?- spaghetti straps and shorts (it's hot and I'm in bed) 25. How many blankets do you sleep with?- One. But I have 3 on my bed. 26. Dream job?- lunch lady? Idk, I don't dream big. I'm planning on becoming a philosophy/psychology professor though. 27. there’s no 27… so funfact! : I find new fandoms by hp crossovers. The Potterverse is huge! 28. Fav food?- I love onion rings! 29. Nationality?- Asian American 30. Fav song now? I've been obsessively listening to Old Doll from Mad Father. I tag @erised-selddir , @iolanthe-crybaby , @fairygirl34-vvarela , @sylirian-sinclaire , @cuppacrazy and anyone else! Really! I'd love to get to know you all!

[queen-zoe-kissane]

1, 6, 12, 49 for lily, Zoe, alby and maybe iolanthe

Respectively? I’m gonna go with respectively b/c i can, fell free to ask again b/c this is all in good fun

1: What does their bedroom look like? - Lily

Very pink, her donna is a light pink and a lot of her draws and appliances are various shades, the walls are painted white, she has a set of shelves with various gifts and beloved toys on it. she keeps it mostly clean but her study desk is a mess of pens and paper and books that are ‘perfectly organised’ and ‘in the right places, dad’

6: Eating habits and sample daily menu - Zoe

Zoe is pretty routine with her eating, very organised but she doesn't really count calories, she doesn’t snack much either. Typically she’ll have a small breakfast of toast and a cup of tea, a wrap or roll for lunch, a mid afternoon cup of coffee which she ANZAC Biscuits into and then dinner which alternates on who cooks.

12: Favorite book genre? - Alby

He likes Sci Fi/Fantasy books, specifically he really likes really long ongoing series like the Riftwar Cycle, Discworld and such. 

49: Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not? - Iolanthe

To a point. I see Iolanthe as having a very strong self preservation instinct, which is supported by the text. She is ambitious and i would not be surprised if she has a big Xanatos Gambit in the works. That being said, I feel like she would be willing to accept death if she saw it as the only option in a given situation. 

[jackswest]

some cute and wonderful f/f pairings in matthew reilly!verse (obviously some of these require AUs)

iolanthe and zoe! 

iolanthe being attracted to zoe (and jack tbh, ultimate power bisexual iolanthe) and finding excuses to “accidentally” run into her

zoe’s still very distrustful but begins to see that there’s more to iolanthe than betrayal and seduction 

the sexual tension between them manifests itself in snarkiness and dislike but then they have sex and become badass gfs

mother and libby:

the ultimate power team

mother calling libby “chickadee” and libby grinning everytime, the rest of the team affectionately rolling their eyes.

libby being the one to kill the spiders anytime there’s one in the house.

mother and ralph, featuring: 

ralph as a girl truckie whose parents just liked the name ralph! 

ralph as a trans woman! 

ralph as a demi-girl who definitely has kinship with the experience of being a woman, but appreciates the fluidity of gender

libby and veronique 

when they meet, libby’s not even sure if veronique likes her because she’s so reserved

veronique refuses to open up to anyone because of her past

one night, she breaks down and confesses everything to libby, terrified she’s going to shy away from her now because she’s a contract killer, and that’s not something people want around

libby sticking around anyway, developing a fierce love for the french woman, and eventually, it’s reciprocated

holly swain, kirsty hensleigh and lily west

they all meet at university

lily’s studying languages and philosophy

holly’s studying to be a trauma surgeon

kirsty’s studying theoretical maths and physics

imagine a love triangle but it results in a beautiful polyamorous relationship between three brilliant woman

lily and holly bond over conspiracy theories about aliens and ancient mankind

kirsty screams internally b/c she is tired™