#devorak siblings

[mossy-petrichor]

The shipwrecked siblings.

[redcasper]

Does anyone else like the "troupe" of siblings? Like one's taller and the other's shorter, one's a ball of energy while the other's subdued, one's younger and the other's older and they would rip the skin off their back for the other. and most importantly... They're parentless [Bonus point if they were homeless for a while and/or adopted by someone] Cuz I'm seeing a small pattern-

I just rly like finding lil tropes and patterns in the media I intake it's so fun :)) So don't mind me too much

[me connecting all the things I like via tropes and minor things that makes no sense to anyone but my myself]

[sandbees]

More Siblings! Brainrot

Yuno's Perspective

Yuno left to Vesuvia to set up shop and earn money for their family (mainly to support their siblings)

Their parents are dead :(

Yuno would send letters with money to Yuki and Yuu

When Yuno died due to the plauge, they stopped sending letters, causing a lot of concern with the two younger siblings.

By this point, Yuki was the breadwinner of the house, though both of the siblings would be transported to other worlds

Each of the siblings follows the main canon, if only some slight variations.

Mainly, with Yuno, they defeat the devil and ends up becoming friends with all the characters (Lucio isn't banished or whatever. He does step down as king and becomes Nadia's general tho)

Ok anyways Yuno didn't remember their siblings at all after they revived

Since they never mentioned their siblings often, Asra and Julian do not mention Yuki or Yuu to them

Only because Scout guided Yuno back to some of their old childhood memories did Yuno remember.

Yuno went on a journey to find their siblings again, only to find out that they had mysteriously dissapeared

Yuno is freaking out, unsure if they had left due to Yuno disappearing or if they had fallen victim to the Red Plauge

They're devastated, returning back to Vesuvia with a heavy heart.

When they do return, they focus on helping Nadia with improving the Vesuvia, traveling with Portia and Asra and establishing diplomatic relations, training with Lucio, helping the public with Julian, and going back to Muriel's ancestral home to tend to the graves

Then, one day, when Yuno is traveling, Scout appears. Curiously, Scout looks excited, tugging Yuno. They follow, unsure as to where the excited pup was guiding them.

Then, they come onto an empty field, standing on a rock. Confused, Yuno looked down, and saw their two siblings.

Cue a very tearful reunion between the siblings.

"Where were you??" "I died." "YOU WHAT?"

Yuki and Yuu were shocked to hear that Yuno had died due to the plague, but was later revived. Their siblings were disheartened to hear that they did not remember the two of them, however they are glad that Yuno went to look for them once they did remember

Now, Yuki and Yuu explain what they have been up to.

Yuno is shocked that they ended up in different worlds. Which is odd, but magic exists anything can really happpen.

They're about to throw hands with Crowley. How dare he leave their precious sibling in some run down building!? Did he even offer them food and water?

Yuno also feels terrible, wishing that they taught Yuu some simple magic spells that would've helped them during their time at NRC

Nearly dies of a heart attack after hearing how many times Yuu has almost died. Overblots? Hardly know 'em. Absolutely horrified at Twisted Wonderland's magic system

Yuki was in hell. Yuki was in hell.

Yuno's going to pull up to hell and beat up Belphegor for actually murdering Yuki. Even if they are alive.

Yuno is happy that Yuki knows magic, and is willing to teach Yuki more (Mostly self defense magic for...reasons)

Now Yuno wants to meet Yuki and Yuu's friends/found family and make sure that they're being treated with the love that they themselves couldn't give them.

[broccoli-broc]

[gamerbot-22]

Arcana LIs Tending to Red Plague Trauma Flashbacks (Part 2: Julian & Muriel)

Part two to the following request by @dameschnee123!

Feel like we need to ramp up the angst so when you can piggybacking off of my last request, M6 when MC has a horrible flare up ft. a lengthy bout of high fever + memories/hallucinations of being burned at the Lazaret. For a lil fluff the first thing they do when the fever breaks is call for the M6.

I would also like to thank @starry-eyed-wolf for giving me the motivation to get this wrapped up finally!

DNI

C & TWs include:

All: Angst, sad/bittersweet endings at best, discussion of trauma/traumatic events. Julian: Hallucinations, mild descriptions of the feeling of burning alive Muriel: Anxiety

Part 1 | Part 3 (WIP)

🩸 Julian (x)

"HERE! I’M HERE!”

The shop rattles as Julian stumbles in through a back window, nearly falling flat on his face when his foot catches on the windowsill. Malak crows in alarm, soaring in over the doctor's head and flying in circles around the interior of the shop. His heavy black wings shake hanging gems and bundles of herbs. The air fills with the smell of the distressed herbs and the dry screams of the raven.

Any other night, Malak would have perched himself on the skull on one of the back shelves. Julian would have a glass jar full of soup in one arm, a smile on his face, ready to share dinner and a few stories with you. Now, both creatures are full of fear.

Julian staggers to his feet, accidentally slamming the window behind him shut just a tad too hard, causing the frame to rattle in place once more. "MC!" He calls into the shop, dashing through the curtains of the back room he stumbled in from and into the main room of the first floor. "Be quiet, Malak!" He scolds, half-heartedly swiping at his companion as he continues his restless flight around the room. "MC!"

Malak squawks once more before landing on the counter, hopping from side to side and restlessly shifting his wings against his back. Once he settles, it's oddly quiet. There's no sign of life aside from the gently swinging wares that Malak had bumped into earlier. Julian stands at the foot of the stairs, a hand on the banister as he looks up. He doesn't realize that he's holding his breath until he hears the wooden floor above him creak. "MC?" He calls, much softer this time but still tinged with worry.

Upstairs something crashes and the doctor shifts back into high gear, quickly ascending the stairs with his coat flowing behind him like a heavy shadow. Malak follows after, cawing once he reaches the top of the stairs and zips in through your open bedroom door ahead of Julian.

"Stay back!" You yell as Julian rounds the corner after Malak, stopping the doctor dead in his tracks. You're propped up against the bedframe, breathing ragged and panicked, and face red and wet with sweat. In one arm you wield Asra's old traveling staff, aiming it right at Julian's heart. Your grip is shaky, like your arms could give out at any moment and send you crumpling to the floor. "Don't touch me!"

Julian raises his hands in defense and takes half a step back from you. "Won't! I won't! I'm over here." He assures you quickly, speaking against the growing lump in his throat.

Malak settles on the end of the traveling staff, folding his wings and staring down his beak at you. The sight of him sends a jolt of fear up your back and you drop the staff, shrieking and falling backwards onto the floor. The raven quickly takes flight before he can hit the floor and crows in panic, flying into yet another fit of going in circles around the room.

"HEY. You quit flying around this instant!" Julian hisses, raising his hands towards the ceiling and swatting at Malak a few times. The bird's cawing mixes with your panicked screams and Julian's heartbeat throbbing in his ears; it's all unbearable. After a few futile attempts Julian manages to land a light but firm hit to the side of Malak's wing, disrupting the bird mid-flap and finally getting the message across that Malak needed to leave.

The distressed cawing quiets as Malak makes an exit, soaring out to the hall and down the stairs. Julian doesn't even stop to think of whatever might be happening now that his companion's fit moved to the shop, all he can focus on is you, laying flat on the floor of your bedroom, struggling to find the strength to prop yourself up.

"MC, please, hold still," His voice is still shaky with annoyance, but his tone is vastly more serious. His coat trails behind him when he kneels beside your head and it takes every ounce of restraint to not just pick you up. You very clearly did not want to be touched, and he wasn't about to distress you any further unless it was completely necessary. "What's happening, what do you see?"

"Stay back," you wheeze. The fight still rages in your chest, but your body doesn't follow through on your effort to get up and run away from the shadow looming over your side. You were used to the doctors in their blood stained white frocks, their sickly-sweet or macabre monotone voices, and their horrible tools you saw them brandish at both you and other patients. Was this a new doctor? A change in staff? Something entirely worse? "Please don't take me downstairs..." You plead against the hot tears welling in your eyes.

Julian's heart sinks at your tone. He balls both hands into fists and rest them on the floor beside his hips and rocks backs away from your face. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to, MC," The doctor says firmly, trying to keep it together. The last thing you need now is to have him openly panicking, too.

"What are you seeing, MC?" The shadow's voice echoes in your head, making your head throb like a beating drum. Tears are freely falling down your face now. Your body feels like it's on fire and your vision is res and blurred at the edges.

"A s-shadow..." You rasp, trying to roll onto your side away from Julian.

"Hey hey hey!" Julian carefully takes you by the shoulder and you twist against him, whimpering as two big tears roll down your cheeks. "I know, but you shouldn't move," Julian orders and slightly tightens his his grip.

The gears in the doctor's head are turning at double speed, trying to sort out how he's going to help you. "Where's the shadow?"

"Y...You."

Ok, so you're hallucinating. "Is the shadow scaring you?"

"Yes..." Your body shakes as you cough. Slowly you start to curl into yourself, trembling hands clutching at your clothes to simulate a tighter space.

"Hey, I don't want to scare you," Julian drops the Big Doctor voice and sits upright, still gently holding your shoulder. "I'm not scary, I just want to help you."

You don't respond outside of a miserable whimper. The beating in your skull is getting louder and the reverb feels like it's spreading out to the rest of your skeleton, shaking you down to your marrow. It all hurts so much.

He wants to ask you more questions but you're clearly in no shape to speak now. Carefully and quietly, Julian unfastens his coat and lets it fall to the floor behind him, then sets to work removing his heavy gloves. "You're sweating a lot. Are you warm? You can just nod."

Julian watches you closely as you tilt your head up and down slowly. "Can I touch you? I promise it won't hurt you. Nod if yes."

Another soft nod follows. Julian sighs in relief and pulls off one of his gloves, holding it in his other hand so he can reach for you. Portia always told him he had the coldest hands, and he wasn't about to leave you like this, so maybe this would help you to cool off while you regained your strength.

You flinch against the shadow's fingers when they touch the back of your neck. It's cold, freezing even, compared to the burning heat that threatens to consume your entire body. "Does this help?" The shadow asks behind you. It's voice sounds familiar now, but your head still hurts too much to think about it. "Yes," you respond through grit teeth.

"I can cool you off more if you come with me," Julian assures you, not moving an inch from his spot on the floor. You seem to be responding better to him now, so he feels more confident in suggesting further relief. "I can get you some cold water we can put on your forehead, and there's medicine I can give you downstairs."

Instantly the heat comes searing back, frying the ends of your nerves and threatening to roast you from the inside out. With a panicked sob you try to scramble away from the formerly comforting shadow. "N-No! Not downstairs! You can't make me!"

Julian stares in surprise for a second before scrambling to his feet. "Hey, hey! I won't make you go anywhere!" He insists, once again stifling the urge to just pick you up and hold you. "You just need your medicine, please--"

"Whatever medicine is downstairs you can keep to yourself..." Your words drip with a venom so potent it almost stops Julian's heart completely.

Your heart sinks as you look over your shoulder and find the shadow's shoulder slumped, the hand it had pressed to your neck half extended towards your crumpled shape on the floor. An unknown guilt constricts your throat alongside the smoke that rises from your stomach and you wish desperately you could take back what you said.

Both Julian and you stay in place, frozen stock stiff and silent as death. The weight of your words hangs like a sword over your heads, and it feels like an eternity before Julian finds the ability to speak.

"I know you're confused," he speaks slowly, cautiously stepping close to you, "and very scared. Very very scared." Julian kneels once more, keeping his ungloved hand outstretched to you. "But whatever you're seeing isn't real, MC. I'm here and I want to help you."

You tremble against the side of the bed on the floor, one arm thrown over the top of the mattress and clutching at the blanket. The fearful beating in your chest starts to slow to a more reasonable pace as the shadow in front of you speaks. As it speaks you swear the voice becomes more and more familiar.

"There's nothing downstairs that will hurt you. And if anything tries, I'll be there with you." Julian gently touches his fingertips to your trembling hand. You aren't as hot as you were earlier, and his shoulders relax in relief. "Please, MC, let me help you."

The uncomfortable warmth living in your hands retreats against the shadow's cold touch. Your head throbs once or twice more before seemingly relaxing, clearing the edges of your vision. Everything still seems strange still, a little otherworldly, maybe, but the fear starts to leave as the shadow fully takes your hand in its own.

"Y-You promise it's safe?"

"On my life, MC." Julian gently takes your other arm and lifts you to your feet, propping you against his chest before your legs can give out and send you back to the floor. "Come on, I'll keep you safe."

The two of you quietly move from your bedroom to the hall to the staircase. Julian's sure grip and comforting promises of safety keep you steady as you travel down the stairs. By the time you reach the landing, your headache is almost completely gone and your body doesn't feel like it's cooking from the inside out anymore.

"You sit here, I left my bag in the back room." The shadow helps you settle onto a cushion near one of the shop windows. He presses his bare hand to your forehead, feeling out any remnant of the fever. "Seems almost normal now, but you should still take some medicine. I'll just be a second."

The shadow turns away with a flourish, the image of a black coat coming through clearly in your eyes. A little stunned, you rub your eyes and look towards the doorway to the back room, but all you catch is a boot sliding between the shutting curtains. You look over the room and slowly start to recognize the familiar sights and smells of your shop. On the shelf behind the counter sits Malak, having long since calmed down from his panicking from earlier. If Malak is here, then...

"Julian?" Your voice is strained but loud enough to get his attention. The doctor's tired face pokes out from behind the curtains and he lifts his arm, showing off the cloth bag of medicine he's started to take with him everywhere.

"Right here, my love," he smiles. You see that his eyes are a little watery as he strides back over to you, easily producing a small vial of an orange-ish medicine from his bag.

"What happened?"

"It was just a bad flare up," his assurance seems a little flimsy as he kneels beside you on the ground. Without breaking eye contact with you he opens the glass vial with a satisfying pop! "Open, please, this'll help kill that fever."

You take the medicine from Julian and down the dose in one swig. Your whole body shudders against the artificial taste and you involuntarily stick your tongue out like a child.

"It's awful, I know," Julian chuckles, taking the empty bottle from you and dropping it back in the bag.

"Ilya, I'm so sorry," you sigh, leaning against his chest. You feel his torso stiffen under you, no doubt his face red with a blush at the sudden contact. "I said that awful thing to you... and I almost hit you with the staff..."

Julian freezes, pondering what to say. Truly he's at a loss for words to comfort you. Finally he just wraps his arms around you, holding you as close as he can manage, letting your warm body settle against his. "It's alright, MC, it's alright..." You can feel his chest puff up a little before he continues "It wouldn't be the first time I was threatened with a staff, after all. Doubt it will be the last. Did I ever tell you that story, MC? About the marauders I met outside of Firent?"

You chuckle against his neck, "No I don't think you have." The adrenaline wearing off from that whole experience has left you completely wiped, and a story would definitely help your descent into a comforting sleep. "Tell me about it, would you?"

"It would be my pleasure, love."

🐻 Muriel (x)

You had been getting progressively worse for the last few days. It wasn't anything new to either you or Muriel, but you could tell by the way he stood just a little closer to you than normal and gave you a little extra soup every evening that he was worried. He always stayed close to the hut, making sure your window was open and he and Inanna were in earshot at all times and every day or so he would tell you how the neighbors were doing.

Today was actually a very eventful day for the neighbors, as the latest round of chicks had just hatched. After the chicks had some time to get acclimated to the world around them and rested with their mothers and a few handfuls of feed as a bribe, Muriel gathers a few chicks together in his hands and brings them back to the hut.

The man is brimming with excitement. You've always taken an interest in the neighbors (even if it was a little annoying when you first insisted on helping feed them,) and seeing the newest additions to the family was sure to lift your spirits.

Muriel carefully cradles the chicks in his hands, speaking softly to them about how nice you are and how happy you're going to be to see them as he shoulders the door open. As soon as the heavy wood gives way and creaks inward, Muriel is greeted by Inanna shoving her face against his arm, jostling him so hard he almost drops the chicks.

"Inanna..!" He quickly raises his hands away from the wolf, sheltering the chicks against his chest. Inanna wasn't the type to jump on anyone, least of all him, without reason. Instantly Muriel begins to worry. He didn't hear you say hello when he opened the door, and the fire in the fireplace sounds like it's gone out since he started it earlier that morning.

Inanna snuffs against Muriel's arm, a low whine rumbling in her throat, then steps away and trots over to your bedside. Muriel's shoulders drop when he turns to see you. Your face is drenched in sweat, tears leaking from beneath your eyelids and hands clutching at the fur blanket so tightly you could pull the fur out. Your chest heaves with each shallow breath, the occasional groan of pain a dry creak that barely makes its way past your lips.

Quickly Muriel follows Inanna to you, still holding the chicks in his hands. He frantically looks around for where he can put them before settling on putting them in a hand-carved wooden bowl on the shelf above you. Once they're all in he sits beside you, carefully sliding one arm under your neck and lifting you up to lean against him. Your face is burning hot against his chest and hands, but he doesn't let you go. Inanna leaps up onto the mattress and lays across your legs and hips, putting as much weight as she can manage on you to try to steady your breathing.

"MC?" Muriel asks softly against your head. He carefully brushes your hair out of your face and wipes the sweat off your forehead with his calloused fingers. "Hey, MC, wake up." His voice begins to shake.

You stir against him and Inanna, a dry rasp the only thing that escapes you. "Stay there, Inanna," Muriel sets you back down against the pillows. You could talk just fine when he left for the chickens earlier. Had you been yelling for him? Or were you just dehydrated from a flare up? Muriel couldn't decide which was worse while he hurriedly checks his shelves beside the fireplace for the medicine he's been making for the past month or so. In his search, a few pieces of earthenware get jostled from their spot, with one bowl sliding all the way off the shelf and crashing to the floor, shattering on impact. The hermit curses under his breath before kicking the fragments away. He can clean it up later.

Finally, hidden behind several other jars of herbs and home-made salves, Muriel finds the little jar of cooling salve sitting pristinely at the back of the shelf. He snatches it quickly and in just two strides he's back by you and Inanna.

The wolf is laying entirely over your legs, her head resting on your stomach now to try to spread out the weight. Her yellow eyes are focused on your face and nothing else, and she hardly acknowledges Muriel outside of a slight wag of her bushy tail.

Muriel carefully opens the glass jar, immediately getting hit with the strong smell of peppermint and ginger. Inanna huffs from her spot on top of you but doesn't move. "I know, Inanna, but it should help." Normally he would've gotten some kind of tool to help apply the thick salve in the jar, but he wasted enough time already trying to find the thing. He knows you probably can't hear him, but he still gives you a small warning before applying the medicine to your cheeks and forehead.

You flinch away from Muriel's touch at first, but it doesn't stop his effort. He just waits until you settle again before trying again, going as long as you'll let him before turning away again. It feels like it takes hours before he's finished spreading the salve across your skin.

Muriel sits on the floor beside you, setting the salve aside and resting his chin on the mattress by your shoulder. Inanna shifts her weight slightly, occasionally wagging her tail or huffing to keep herself awake and aware. At the very least the medicine seems to keep your fever down, as you aren't sweating as much.

For a while the three of you stay in place, totally silent until a soft peeping from the shelf above you reminds Muriel of the chicks he brought specifically for you to see. With a grumble Muriel stands upright and reaches for the bowl he put the chicks in, taking care as he leans over you and Inanna. Only one of the three chicks is awake with the other two curled up close at the bottom of the bowl. "I suppose you three want to go back to Mama, don't you?"

"I'll be right back, MC," he touches your shoulder shyly before stepping back outside, carrying the chicks carefully in his arms. Muriel's head is clouded with thought as he makes his way to the neighbors' nest. He knows the path so well he can navigate the uneven terrain perfectly while he thinks of you back at the hut, throat strained and hands tight with pain. Inanna is with you, yes, and he trusts her with everything, but he still worries that something might happen more while he's out.

This will be the last time he leaves the hut for a while, he decides. There's plenty of food in storage and anything else he needs he can get on the way back from delivering the chicks. Speaking of, he pushes through the underbrush of the forest and arrives just before sundown to the chickens' little haven in the wood. He kneels near one of the nests, gently rubbing the chicks' backs before laying his hands flat on the ground and letting them back to their mother. The experienced hen barely lifts herself to let them squirm under her feathers to join their siblings, clucking softly as the last one manages to squeeze in.

"See you," Muriel nods before rising back to his feet and turning back towards his home. Occasionally he stops to gather a few herbs and wild vegetables, but in he end he only returns with maybe a handful of vegetation total.

He pushes through the door once more, this time it opens much easier. Inanna's ears perk up in acknowledgement as Muriel arrives, but she otherwise remains still, her eyes still fixed squarely on your face. At least your breathing has seemed to steady while he was out.

Muriel set all the herbs away in the sacks he keeps in the corner for food and finally gathers up the shattered pieces of clay from earlier and sets them carefully on his workbench. The container should be easy enough to fix, and it's not like he has plans to go anywhere else for a while. It'd be a nice project to work on while you all wait for the flare up to subside.

After everything is set in its place, Muriel just sort of stands in the middle of the hut, shifting his gaze between you and Inanna. Inanna just stares back at him occasionally, her mouth settled squarely in an almost puppy-like begging face as she looks between her two humans.

Minutes of silence pass and are only interrupted when Muriel's stomach growls with the ferocity of a caged tiger. It would be amusing if it wasn't suddenly so uncomfortable. He should probably make some food... Maybe the smell will help ease whatever is on your mind as you rest. The hermit turns back to the fireplace, re-lighting the wood that's already there and adding more kindling to it. The pot hanging over the new fire is empty, ready for a whole new stew from last time.

Inanna likes lamb the most out of all the meet Muriel has already, and he had some carrots and potatoes, so that's the obvious choice. Also probably the easiest. Alright, that'll be what's for dinner.

It's quiet as Muriel prepares everything. Inanna doesn't huff or whine while everything is cut and seasoned, having fallen asleep by the time Muriel made his decision for dinner. The only sound in the entire hut is Inanna's occasional snore, you turning against her weight, and the stew bubbling once Muriel has it over the fire.

As the thick soup cooks, Muriel sits back down beside you, this time pulling the chair from his worktable over so he's not just sitting on the floor. He gently rubs Inanna's head, waking her up from her heavy slumber. Her ears perk up and she looks sideways at her companion, a concerned whine squeaking past her jaws. "I know, Inanna," Muriel sighs, smoothing her coarse dark fur. "They'll be alright. I think you're helping a lot."

Her tail wags softly with a half-hearted pride and fixes her eyes back on you. Your breathing has steadied and your sweat seemed to have lightened up. Muriel quietly thanked Asra for his help with making the salve.

"Do you want some stew?" Muriel asks no one in particular once he smells the spices in the pot. Inanna carefully lifts her head, tilting it in interest when Muriel gets up and shuffles over to the fire. As he readies three bowls for serving, his mind starts to wander. You had been quiet since he gave you the medicine and Inanna got settled on top of you. One side of his brain was calmly reassuring him, drawing the conclusion that whatever was upsetting you earlier had past, and now you were just getting some well deserved rest. The other side, however, was starting to settle into full panic mode. What if he somehow made it worse with that medicine? Was the smell too much for you? Is Inanna too heavy? Did you call for him while he was gone and he wasn't there to comfort you? Were you ever going to wake up?

Muriel freezes in place by the fire, just staring into the flames while he tried to make sense of his thoughts. He didn't even realize how much it was hurting his eyes until he felt Inanna press her cold nose into his hand, shaking him free. "Thanks, Inanna," he breathes, setting the half-full bowl of stew in his hands on the floor for his friend. "I'll watch MC for now." She licks his hand once before turning to her dinner, immediately going for the biggest chunk of lamb.

He's barely made two steps towards you before you toss in your sleep, taking the first deep breath of consciousness. "Muriel...?"

"'M right here." He sounds a little more frantic than he means to as he slides across the dirt floor to be right by your side. Inanna disregards her food entirely and trots over beside Muriel, shoving her cold nose right against your cheek and huffing affectionately.

"Oh--" you groan, gently pushing Inanna out of your personal space, "Hello to you, too, Inanna." You push against the mattress and sit upright, Inanna and Muriel watching you closely the entire motion. "What happened?"

Muriel's breath hitches. "I... I don't know. I wasn't here." His heart lodges in his throat and he tries to fight back a few tears, "I wasn't here but I should have been. I gave you some medicine and Inanna watched you for a while but I don't... I don't know what happened."

Your eyes widen with surprise, maybe a little guilt, too. You don't remember much from past this morning when Muriel went to check traps and visit the chickens. The only thing you can piece together from then and now is the weight of what must have been Inanna on your chest and a cool feeling on your face and neck. That was probably the medicine Muriel was talking about.

"Hey, it's alright." You rest your hand over Muriel's. A few tears run down his scared face and onto your knuckles when he takes your hand in his and squeezes. "I'm glad you were here when I woke up."

"M-Me, too." He breathes, more tears welling up in his eyes.

You both sit in heavy silence for a moment before Inanna takes it upon herself to break it. She puts her front paws on the chair Muriel is sitting in and licks the side of his face, wiping away tears but leaving some wolf slobber behind in the process.

"Aw, Inanna," you laugh, letting go of Muriel's hands so he can wipe the thick spit off of his face.

The wolf barks once, unashamed of her actions, before turning tail and walking back to her bowl of stew. Once Muriel is finished cleaning himself off, a tight chuckle escapes him. "I don't suppose you're hungry after that big nap."

"Are you kidding? I'm starving."

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

After reading your full headcanons for MC being M6's lost sibling, i keep thinking about what the M6's parents/remaining family would do. I imagine that suddenly finding out that the child you thought was either dead or disappeared popping back into your life would be a bit of a shock for anyone.

(Slacker anon, once again :3c)

The Arcana Mini-HCs: M6's parents when MC is their long-lost child

It's formatted a little differently, but here! ^.^

Mazelinka (the lost Devorak sibling): horror. she only saw two children on the beach that bleak day, and never thought to ask if there was a third or go looking for you when Julian mentioned your existence. her first instinct is to hold you and apologize and thank whatever kept you alive for reuniting you with your family

Aisha & Salim (the lost Asra sibling): more crying, and a fair amount of guilt from the circumstances of losing you. Like they did with Asra, they'll go out of their way to tell you how much they love you and want to be in your life while giving you as much space as possible to initiate what you're comfortable with. they make you so much tea -

The entire Satrinava clan (the lost Nadia sibling): much like their response to being allowed in Nadia's life again, it's a combination of excitement to make up for lost time and gratitude for a second chance. each of them keeps saying they should hang out one at a time so as not to overwhelm you, but they each refuse to leave your side. get ready for lots of noisy, excited, intensely loving family time

Khamgalai (the lost Muriel sibling): relieved that you two found each other after all the tribe members were scattered and eager to tell you all about your loving origins. you both have space with her whenever you visit, but she really encourages you two to stick together and be each other's family in your own lives. tells you about your parents

Morga: she's ... unsure of herself, to say the least, and she doesn't like being unsure. not only does she blame herself for failing to raise Lucio the way she wanted to, she blames herself for failing to protect you from his mistakes. she ends up finding her peace in knowing that you two have reconnected on better terms and tries to do the same

[laughsinfandom]

Younger Adopted MC {M6 Headcanons + Mini Fic!}

“Hey I hope you are well, do you do plutonic fics like a teen mc who's kinda like a sibling to the main 6?”

Hello! Hopefully this is close to what you asked for… I’ve caught a cold from a friend of mine and it’s hitting me right in the gut so I’m sorry if some of these seem a bit off…

T-T

Thank you so much for requesting though! ❤️

==============================

Asra

He often saw you about in the market place, after discovering your rather unique take on magic and interest in it. He decided to take you under his wing.

After awhile you both grew closer.

He kept an eye on you, gave you housing and food.

While you both practiced magic you’d attempt to toss small magical jolts towards Asra. Which resulted in a small, of course playful fight.

He would always win.

When you hurt yourself practicing magic he’d always attempt to heal it, if it went beyond his abilities he’d take you to whoever he could.

(Usually Julian but sometimes he’d rather just do it himself.)

~~~~

“You know, you could just ASK to use my deck right?”

He had caught me, Tarot deck in hand. I grumble an apology as he looks at me. Giving him a huff I gently place the deck into his hand.

“I just wanted to see..” At my words he chuckles, a large smile now on his face.

“Again, you could have asked! Come on, I’ll show you.”

You perk up at his comment. “Wait really??” He gets a happy little pep in his step as he walks over to his usual spot at the table, he gestures for me to come with.

I happily hop out of my chair and walk over.

“I’ll even teach you how to use it properly, how’s that sound?”

🎭 Julian & Portia 🐈

You had taken an interest in medical work which landed you right in the clinic of a Dr. Devorak.

You followed him around as an understudy and he just enjoyed your company.

He slowly opened up and started to treat you much like his own sibling Portia.

Speaking of her—

Portia would often come by the clinic to drop off some goods or just to say hey to Julian, which you always loved to see her but you two also became really close

You would both giggle to each other and poke small jabs at Julian while he was scrunched away in his office

One day he walked in on you both laughing and he asked what it was about, you both still to this day have refused to tell him he had a rather interesting hole in his trousers.

The three of you would hang out and get into some trouble when the time was right-

Since Portia worked at the palace it was sort of easy to get in and out unnoticed, You and Julian would constantly attempt to scare Portia while she ran around the palace doing small errands for the Countess.

Which she hated.

You and Portia on the other hand would rearrange Julian’s lovely Leech collection.

Slowly start adding more and more small SHINY random objects within his office.

Malak would go bonkers

You and Portia would run as soon as you heard both Julian and the Bird start cawing at each other.

——————

“Okay… one…two…threeeeee…NOW”

You and Portia Jumped out of the small closet within the Doctors office, both of you putting on your best scary face as the Lanky gentleman in front of you scrambled out of his chair, a loud scratchy scream vibrated the walls.

As he registered who was standing in front of him now he straightened out and put on a rather stern face.

“You two need to knock it off. One day i’ll-“

You cut him off with a laugh. “I’ll finally have to put my pirate combative skills to use!” His face went unchanged as you continued to mock him. Both you and Portia quickly fall to the floor attempting to catch whatever air you could back into your lungs.

Hearing footsteps coming towards you both you quickly look up to see Julian’s arms outstretched with sprawled out fingers, a very wicked grin on his features.

“That’s it.”

Portia gets the right idea first and quickly jumps up and books it out the office door, a loud “SORRY” can be heard as she runs away.

“Oh-“

🐺 Muriel

Inanna was the first one to sniff you out, and once she got your scent there was no running

Muriel followed close beyond

They found you all curled up and cold in the forest

Inanna being absolutely fascinated with you

Muriel not so much

Inanna managed to convince him to bring you home and get you out of the rain

While you made a quick recovery you managed to worm your way into this mans brain

As the days went past you began shuffling around his hut, whatever you could find to entertain yourself was enough

You managed to make a small fort out of the furs he had and Inanna fell in love.

He would come home from collecting things out in the forest and he would be stumped to find you both curled into each other in the small fuzzy fort

You would almost constantly find some way to mess with Muriel, whether it be misplacing his whittling tools or hiding away somewhere in the hut to only be sniffed out by Inanna.

———————

“Inanna Hush!” You whispered to the wolf, her tail only wagged faster and faster, a small happy yip falling from her mouth.

You were currently hiding away in the hut, underneath a pile of Fur. Muriel had been out all day and you wanted to play a small prank on him when he got home.

But Inanna was giving away your spot.

You heard loud heavy footsteps just outside the hut door and in a quick move of desperation you grab Inanna and pull her into the pile of furs with you.

“(Y/N)… Inanna?” Muriel low voice can be heard just barely against the furs. You felt Inanna tail begin to move against your leg and you quickly go to grab it, as you did so she licked your face.

You giggle as she continues to lick away at your face but your stomach sinks when the furs are pulled away from you.

Muriel stands before you, Furs in hand and a rather confused look on his face.

“What… are you two doing?”

Inanna jumps away and happily rubs against Muriels leg, another happy yip falling from her.

“Well… Ya see…I was supposed to scare you but, Inanna had different plans…” You huff.

👑 Nadia

You had been working as a palace worker for a while now, Nadia had taken a special interest in you-

She would often call upon you for small things, or even just to chat

The other palace workers were getting a bit jealous-

You seemed to be one of her favorites.

After a while she started treating you like a sibling-

Older sister dotting after their youngest sibling-

She would call you around the palace and ask for your assistance with personal matters or just to have tea with you

Your tea talks consisted of speaking about nobles, talking about new fashion that began popping up around the region-

Girl stuff

———————

“Now darling you HAVE to try on this outfit it will be perfect for the dance!” Nadia handed you a rather beautiful ball gown, but with the large smile on her face you just chuckled.

She whipped back around and began rummaging through a small jeweled box, when you turn to place the out on the small chair next you, you heard a muffled laugh fall from the countess.

“Now with THIS, you’ll look absolutely stunning!” She turns around with a small dainty necklace, a very large grin plastered to her face.

“Nadia, are you sure?” At your question she nods and quickly turns you around to hook the necklace around you.

Knock Knock

Both you and Nadia turn to look at the door, the countess straightens up and she walks over. When she peaks her head out you laugh a bit as you catch sight of a rather large tea pot settled upon a tray.

When she grabs the tray and sends the servant away she happily walks back over and hands you a cup.

“Now let’s talk, These guests will have the most-“

“Horrendous haircuts?” You giggle at Nadia’s face. Her hand goes to cover her mouth as you see her attempt to hold back laughter.

“Well, yes actually.”

You both erupt into laughter.

🐐Lucio

The count had almost ignored you entirely at first.

When you managed to befriend his dogs however, he became rather interested.

He began to follow you around as you busied yourself around the palace

He would ask you to clean his pictures

Maybe go polish one of his statues

For behind who he was you always seemed to be so sassy towards him

“You know, I could have you executed..?”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well that’s a shame, if I die then there’ll be no one else to willingly polish your statues anymore.”

“I-“

You Just grew on him

He would almost always come to you and complain about his day or talk about people and you just listened

You would make fun of him sometimes for his rather bratty attitude and he would always attempt to fight you for it.

For all his talk though he never did actually fight you.

———————

“And THEN He had the NERVE to call me a-“

“Bratty child?”

“YES” Lucio’s voice reverberated off the walls of the room you were in, you were attempting to clean out this old novelty room but it was hard with the count constantly moving things and tossing and turning on the floor.

Much like a child.

“When are you gonna be done?”

“As soon as I’m done.”

Lucio groaned at your response and he sat up from the floor, you turn to look at him and you see him begin to look at the room rather intently.

“What’s the matter…?” You asked.

“This room needs more pictures of me.. or more so A picture of me.”

You couldn’t help but groan at his comment. But he was kind of right, almost every room in the palace had something that either looked like him or gave off his energy so this room was rather unique in the … non-lucio items that decorated its walls.

[alpacahat67]

hypermobility devorak siblings except portia is “check out how far back i can bend my thumb haha” hypermobile and julian is chronic pain “hey i just sprained my ankle again” hypermobile

[vodyaniks]

You know how the Devorak siblings pronounce eachothers name's a bit different (as well as Mazelinka i think??)

Like Ilya- Ilyushka, Portia - Pasha

I made a list of how i would do the same with some other Arcana names

Nadia- Naden'ka, Nadyusha,

Asra- Asrik(??)

Portia- Pashen'ka, Pavlik (kinda sounds like a bird name)

Ilya- Ilyusha, Ilyushka,

Muriel- Murochka, Murzik (a common cat name that means purr)

Lucio- Luchik (sounds like the word sunshine), Lusya

Valdemar- marchik, martik, Vladya, Vladik, Vladyusha

Valerius- Valera, Valerchik, Valya

Volta- Volya, Voltyusha

Faust- Faustyusha, faustik

Malak- Malchik(??? Literally means lil boy)

[mossy-petrichor]

Hot take: familial dynamics are much more fun to explore than the main ship/x reader

[sweetestlittledarling]

Our First Kiss

Rating: PG

Pairing: Julian x Sparrow (Female Apprentice)

Part of @monthly-challenge 2024 | First Kiss

Summary: There are many first kisses, but a true first kiss is special

(Side note: this takes place in my own head Cannon of three sibling apprentices, so it mixes a bits of Julian's, Asra's and Muriel's story line all together. Trust me it's been a hell of a time working it out, but this takes place after Julian's and near the end of Muriel's. Enjoy lol)

Julian realized very quickly that Sparrow was indeed a very good choice for an assistant. She was quick to learn things and even quicker to get things done. With those steely gray eyes, she mastered ever task he set her to do, quickly and efficiently. Also, her handwriting was impeccable compared to his, though as a doctor he assumed that came with the territory. He also noticed other little things about her as well. The way she hummed as she worked, filling the clinic with sound rather than silence. The way she would tuck stray hair behind her ear as she leaned over the desk. The way she would name the leeches to make them a little more tolerable to work with or how she petted Brundle as she read through research books, the old dog happily leaning into the touch.

              Jealous of the dog Ilya? a voice inside his head asked, sounding a little like Pascha. He shook the thought away and tried to focus on his writing, though he felt his heart beat a little faster.

              One evening as they were returning from a house call, Sparrow asked a very surprising question: “Doctor Devorak, what do you plan to do after you cure the plague?”

              Julian paused, not sure how to answer for a moment. “I am not sure,” he said truthfully as he hung up his plague mask carefully, “I would think probably continue being a doctor.”

              “Is that all?” Sparrow asked, watching him from where she leaned against her desk.

              “As I said I’m not sure,” Julain admitted, waving his hand a moment as he looked to find the words. “I don’t like to think about he future especially since the here and now needs the most attention.” He paused again looking at her in earnest. “Why? What are you going to do?”

              “I was thinking of traveling,” Sparrow said, her voice hopeful, “maybe see the world outside of the city for a bit. I love my home, don’t get me wrong, but I have never really seen it anywhere else. I would love to take a boat and sail to a sunny island somewhere.” Her eyes seem distant as she stares off into space, as if she can see the island right there in front of her. But then she sighed as she shook her head. “I’m sorry doctor, these are silly questions. I just figured if I had hopes for the future then maybe all this effort on finding a cure might not seem so- “Futile’ was the word on both of their minds though neither spoke it.

              Julian nodded. “I suppose it is nice to hope though don’t let it make you lose focus. Our duty is to our patients and daydreaming won’t bring us any closer to a cure.”

              “Yes doctor, “Sparrow said, looking as if she was turning back to the papers on her desk. Julian also turned back to work but then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up, about to ask if she needed something when he found her lips on his. Now the clinic was not very big, and it was not unusual for them to bump into each other, though they had worked out many a system for this not to happen as often. But this was deliberate, it was intentional, it was…gentle and warm. His eyes grew wide for a moment not knowing what to do, his heart suddenly racing. Kiss her back you fool, his inner voice told him. But before he could respond, Sparrow was already pulling away, her face beat read from blush and her eyes wide.

              “I am so sorry...I…” she stuttered. She then grabbed her bag off the chair and rushed out the door. Julian rushed to follow, making it to the door in time to see her retreating form disappearing into the darkness. For a moment he just stood there watching where she had gone. Then he touched a hand to his lips, feeling warmth there. For a moment he pictured a beach somewhere and pretty Sparrow, smiling at him…

              A distraction, a new voice in his mind supplied, all this is a distraction to your goal doctor! If you loose focus now so many people will die… A new image sprung to mind, Sparrow’s pretty gray eyes dyed red like blood and Julian shuddered. No, he had to focus. He would find the cure. He would find…

              “She’s gone!”

              Julian opened his eyes again. What day was it? It was a clear day, but the red haze made it a little more difficult to tell lately. He was at his door still, but something was different. Instead of three it was one. Lark, Sparrow’s twin, the youngest brother and he was clearly angry. Julian blinked tiredness from his eyes. He hadn’t slept in what felt like years. “What are you yelling about?” he asked, somewhat rudely though in his state he didn’t much care.

              “Sparrow! She’s gone! They’ve taken her and Robin to the Lazaret!”

              Julian’s heart stopped. The world stopped. Everything stopped in that instant. “What?” It wasn’t so much a word out of Julian’s mouth as a painful breath.

              Lark grit his teeth and actually growled. “My brother and sister are gone and it’s your fault! You and your stupid cure! If my sister had been home, then she would have been safe instead she was here with you! She’s dead because of you!”

              Julain felt pain as his fingers dug into the door frame. His mind was empty. His mouth didn’t work as all he did was stand there…Imagining a dark-haired young lady with determined gray eyes, who tucked her hair behind her ear and hummed little tunes to pass the time. He imagined the same young girl on the beach who laughed sweetly and kissed him…. No! How had he not known she’d been sick? Had he known he would have…No! NO!

              “Julian?”

              Julian awoke with a start. As his mind came back to him, he remembered where he was. He was in camp in the woods, just outside of Muriel’s home, in the tent he shared with…He blinked his tired eyes as he felt a gentle hand run through his hair and he when he looked up, he found the gray eyes he had come to adore so much. Julian melted under her touch, savoring the calm he felt just being in her presence.

              “Are you alright love?” Sparrow asked, voice quiet. “It sounded like you were having a nightmare.”

              “I was, in a way.” Julian sighed as he moved closer, gently resting his forehead against the nape of her neck. “I was just remembering the first time you kissed me.”

              “The first time I kissed you, you mean at Malinka’s apartment?”

              Julian shook his head. “No, back when you were my assistant.”

              “Oh,” Sparrow said suddenly catching on. “You mean…” There was no need to finish the sentence as they both knew what he meant. Sparrow lowered herself a little more, so that she was eye level with Julian, one hand still playing with his hair while the other held one hand in hers. She rested their hands against her chest and gave him a gentle smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”

              “There is nothing really to tell,” Julian said, resting his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “One day you kissed me, though I always regretted not kissing your back.”

              “Hmmm, I think that makes sense,” Sparrow mused, “I was thinking about thing and how I felt when I first met you. When I saw your face without the mask that night in the shop, I felt like I knew you and my heart skipped a beat. I think I realize now that before I might have had a crush on you.”

              Julian laughed a little. “Couldn’t resist my charms even then huh?”

              “Yeah, but I don’t think it would have worked out back then.”

              Julian opened his eyes, looking curious. “You don’t think so?”

              “Well for one I think I was too young and naïve,” Sparrow answered. “I didn’t really know you outside of the hero worship I probably felt watching you work. Plus, I feel that it might have been a little inappropriate given that you were my boss at the time.”

              “Always my dear pragmatic Sparrow,” Julian sighed, though a sexy grin creeping along his lips, “but the thought of the handsome doctor and sexy assistant does get the mind going now doesn’t it.”

              Sparrow giggled as she brought the back of her hand to her forehead in dramatic faction. “Oh doctor, not in front of the leeches.” They both broke down into a fit of giggles after that one, Julian wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. They fit so well together, her arms wrapping around his neck pulling him for a kiss. As they broke apart again Sparrow rested her head on his chest, his face resting in her hair breathing in. “You know,” Sparrow said, “I don’t think that was our first true kiss. I mean you didn’t kiss me back and, in all honesty, though that person was me, they are gone now. I can’t even remember who they were even though I’m sure they were very similar.”

              “Yes, very similar,” Julian breathed, “but I agree, we are no longer those people. So, then our first kiss would have been in Malika’s apartment?”

              Sparrow shook her head. “No, while we did kiss, I think it was more out of lustful desire, which is nice, but I like to think our first true kiss was much later. I think our true first kiss was right before you went down into the dungeon, through the bars of grate.”

              “And why that particular moment?” Julian asked, a little bit surprised.

              “Well, seeing you so frightened, feeling how you clutched my hand and held me like we would never see each other again, made me realize that I was scared to.” Sparrow pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “I was scared for you because I loved you. I loved you so much and just wanted to protect you, to keep you safe, to have that future with you. And when we kissed, I knew whatever was down below, whatever came next, I wanted to face it with you just like now and just like always.”

              Julian could say that again the world came to a stop, though for a much different reason than before. Looking into Sparrow’s beautiful eyes he found the same determined girl he had seen that night on his doorstep but now he could also see the love of the wonderful woman he had come to treasure over their adventure. With one hand he tucked a stray hair behind her ear and leaned in for another deep kiss. He felt her hand grab hold of his hair as they came together again and again. “I love you,” he breathed once they had broken apart, though faces remaining very close.

              “I love you too,” she breathed back.

              Julian grinned. “I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing that.”

              “Good,” Sparrow said, grinning herself, “because I plan to say it a lot more for a very long time.”

[krenenbaker]

I just realized that if I were with either of the Devoraks, considering my eye colour and hair colour, it would likely end up as a "Siblings or Dating" situation...

[eatember]

I have a dumb Arcana headcanon (spoilers)

So I'm pretty sure on Julian's route, it says something about one of the grandmas that raised him and Portia being a princess? I feel like this was Lilinka?

(I literally can't find receipts of this anywhere on the wiki so I might have made this part up.)

Here's the thing. In Slavic culture, names like Ilya, Mazelinka and Lilinka aren't like...proper given names. Just like Julian, you have a proper name and then a nickname your family and friends call you, like Ilya.

So Mazelinka is probably not her actual name. She's probably like a Madelina, Milena or something similar. Which would mean Lilinka is also not a proper name, but maybe a family name given by the Devoracks, or possibly Mazelinka herself? Lilinka might be a Lily, or at least it would be funny if she was.

Most Slavic names have specific nickname equivalents*. (or multiple equivalents)

For example the nickname for Alexander/Alexandra is Sasha, Maria is Masha, etc. You can also add a suffixes like -enka, -inka, -shka etc. It acts like a term of endearment. So instead of calling someone "dear" you might say "Ilyashka" in place of Ilya. Or Sashka in place of Sasha.

I might be wrong, but I think you would have to make up a nickname for the name Lily, it doesn't seem to have a traditional family name. I don't think it was a common Slavic name, in history.

The evidence isn't super solid, but I don't think Lilinka is from the same culture as the Devoracks and possibly Mazelinka.

Ok here's where I'm getting into my conspiracy lol.

Not only does Julian end up knowing Nazali, a Satrinava sibling, but Mazelinka ends up knowing Nahara, another Satrinava. Portia is also hired to work for Nadia despite (seemingly) having no experience or background. Coincidence? I think not!

What if Lily was a Satrinava?

Nazarin, Nadia's mother, seems to be where Nadia's family gets their titles and name from. So Nazarin's siblings would all be princesses and princes.

Keeping everyone's age in mind, Lily could probably be a sister of Nazarin.

The Satrinavas would have known Mazelinka as an auntie. And they would have probably known the Devoraks as extended, adopted family.

I would also just like to suggest, although it doesn't prove anything, that Lily is said to be an English name. But the flower isn't native to England or Europe. It's from the Middle East.

Disclaimer: I'm not Slavic myself, so my explanations might be a little clumsy. ^^' Feel free to correct.

*I think Ilya is usually a nickname for Elijah? Idk what's up with that.

[claudia-nomusaabara]

@maakaniart Thank you again for working with me again on the third Devorak-Abara daughter/sibling, Lishka!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: M6 as unhinged childhood stories

~ all of these stories are from my childhood with two younger siblings. And yes, the most embarrassing ones here were me. Good luck guessing which >:3 - brainrot ~

- all instances are set when said children were still with their families. In Muriel's case that is unfortunately an alternate universe. The Devorak siblings have shorter stories because there is bonus content of both of them at the end -

Julian (eight years old, with three year old Portia)

He can't sleep

Which is when he has his first unfortunate thought: I'm as awake now as I am during the day. I get to play during the day. What's stopping me from playing now?

So he gets up and starts to quietly play with a toy or two

Which wakes Portia up

"Ilya, what are you doing?"

It's not her fault that he can't sleep. She doesn't need to suffer too

"Go back to sleep Pasha, since you're able to."

Portia doesn't like being left out. She gets up and dumps out every toy in the room so they can play together

Julian goes ahead and lights the lantern, because why not

He thinks they should prepare a nice surprise for when his parents wake up

"Pasha, let's make a circus for them!"

"Okay! I'll practice my running!"

Readers, be advised: neither of them had seen a circus before. It was briefly mentioned in one or two picture books

Julian remembers descriptions of confetti at parades. He decides to make his own out of his school notebooks. He doesn't need them anyway

He briefly pauses to fashion himself a cape from a blanket. He's the leader, because he's the oldest, and circus leaders have capes

Having cut ten full pages of paper into very small pieces, he wants to see what it looks like when they float down from the sky

This is the scene that their poor parents open the door to:

Pasha, feverishly running laps around the room, dodging scattered toys with Olympian dexterity, as Ilya poses grandly on a chair dragged to the center of the chaos, tossing tiny scraps of paper in the air with dramatic flourishes of his cape as he shrieks "Confetti! Confetti!" at the top of his little lungs

Asra: (2 1/2 years old)

Asra doesn't care for discomfort. They will do almost anything to avoid pain of any kind

He doesn't like pooping. He gets dehydrated easily because normal water isn't exciting enough to remember to drink, and the resulting constipation makes pooping unpleasant

Being a generally easy-going toddler, it's surprising how fixated they can get once they decide they will or won't do something

He has decided that he is not going to poop

They frequently get the urge to do so, which leads to them doing all sorts of funny hops and poses to try to keep it in

Aisha and Salim aren't fools. They know what's going on with their two-year-old

"Asra? Do you need the lavatory, my baby?"

Cue a very strained smile on a tiny face glowing with effort: "Nope! I'm just dancing. I just felt like dancing. I'm only dancing."

Eventually it becomes clear that he's not going to give in. Aisha and Salim make the mistake of assuming that it'll happen one way or another. They underestimate him

After a full twelve days passes with no success at convincing them to poop, they take them to the doctor with the concern that their baby couldn't poop now even if they wanted to

The doctor is very sympathetic

Unfortunately, he only has adult-strength laxatives available

The doctor tells Aisha and Salim to give Asra a quarter of the suggested dosage. They give him his first tiny spoonful and go home for an afternoon nap

Asra is no fool. They know there is something mysterious and powerful in the large bottle they only got an intriguing taste of

He's usually pretty docile and sleepy around nap time, but the thought of it is driving him to distraction, so he decides to investigate while his unsuspecting parents doze

When Aisha and Salim wake up an hour later, the tightly sealed bottle previously hidden in the back of the cabinet is in the middle of the table, open, on its side, and completely empty

Salim turns to Aisha and tells her, "this is about to be either the scariest, or the funniest afternoon of our lives."

Over the course of the next three and a half hours, Salim follows a frantically energetic, deeply confused, and extremely frustrated Asra around the house, cleaning up little pile after little pile

Aisha still doesn't know why neither of them thought of putting him back in diapers for that afternoon

Nadia: (2 1/2 years old)

She developed her fashion sense at a very young age

She would run through the halls of the Prakran royal residence, wearing one (1) article of clothing at a time, asking every older sister she encountered "Does this match?"

"Match what? You're not wearing anything else."

Cue a patronizing sigh: "But does it match?"

"... Yes?"

This would continue for the better part of the morning

She would change outfits a minimum of four times a day, usually closer to seven or eight:

One for breakfast. One for after breakfast. One for lunch. One for schoolwork. One for playtime. One for evening. One for dinner. One for after dinner. One for bedtime

Speaking of bedtime, Nadia wasn't particularly fond of lying quietly in the dark until she fell asleep. It was boring

Every night for months, this was her cue to roll out of bed, toddle over to the shelves and chest that held her clothes, and do some fashion planning for the day ahead

One by one she would unfold and lift out a piece of clothing, briefly scrutinizing it before declaring "this doesn't match" and throwing it over her shoulder without a second glance

Her sisters knew what she was doing - every night it would be five minutes of quiet before they'd hear her imperious little voice floating through the darkness:

"This doesn't match. This doesn't match. This doesn't match. This doesn't match. This doesn't match ..."

And every morning her maids would nearly tear their hair out with frustration at the prospect of collecting dozens of tiny clothes off of the floor, refolding, and organizing them back in their places

Bonus scene:

Nadia: *walks into the pantry*

Nazali: *caught with a piece of stolen cake halfway in their mouth*

Nadia: Did Baba say you could have cake?

Nazali: I'll give you some of mine if you promise not to tell

Nadia: Okay

Nazali: *hands her the bigger half of their stolen slice*

Nadia: *eats the whole thing in three seconds*

Nadia: *stares Nazali dead in the eyes*

Nadia, sprinting out of the pantry: BABAAA! NAZALI'S EATING CAKE AND THEY TOLD ME NOT TO TELL YOUUU!!!

Muriel: (seven years old)

He loves his parents. He wants to do something nice for them

He decides to make them breakfast in bed

He doesn't tell anyone about his plans

He wakes himself up two hours before his parents and heads into the kitchen

Has he cooked breakfast before? No, but he's seen his parents do it often enough to know the process

He has a menu planned: tea, oats, and eggs

He decides to make the tea first. He doesn't like how tea always burns his tongue when he drinks it. Grown-ups always make it too hot. So he plops two teabags in some mugs and adds some room temperature water. He leaves them to soak

He knows it can take a while for oats to cook. He takes several fistfuls and puts them in a small pot. He thinks there's supposed to be milk too, so he adds plenty of that. He puts it on the fire and moves on to the next stage

Omelets are his comfort zone. He's made them before with his parent's help. He knows how to crack and scramble the eggs and roll them around in the pan

However, he likes his omelets without anything in them. His parents like to add all kinds of things, like vegetables. And spices.

His logic is as follows: Grown-ups like unpleasant things in their omelets. Therefore, to make omelets they will like, he must find unpleasant things to put in them

He finds a forgotten hunk of very old, very dry, very sour, slightly moldy cheddar, and a jar of whole cloves

He can't find a grater

He breaks the chunk in half and drops one in the middle of each omelet

The omelets are yellow and perfectly cooked, with a rubbery disc of old melted cheese in the middle and dark spots of clove throughout. It smells even more unpleasant than he hoped. He's very proud

The oats have been boiling this whole time, but he never saw them thicken because he never stirred them. When the surface of the milk finally boils down to the oats at the bottom, he removes them from the heat

He drops the pot

He reflexively bops the falling pot like a volleyball, hitting it so quickly that it doesn't burn him, and watches in awe as it sails through the air and lands on the other side of the kitchen

When he goes to pick it up the oats haven't even budged

Muriel's parents wake up to a tray containing rock solid burnt oats, water with teabag essence, and clove and cheese omelets

He sits at the foot of their bed and watches them excitedly, never tearing his gaze away, until they both clear their plates of all their food

They politely decline his offer of seconds. He assumes it's because he already used up all the cheese

Portia: (three years old)

It's no secret that she likes anything sweet

Desserts, candy, pastries, you name it. If it has sugar, she loves it

Her older brother Ilya likes sweets too. She loves her older brother Ilya

Her older brother Ilya loves her too. Her older brother Ilya doesn't like sweets as much as he loves her. If she asks with a cute enough face, he'll give her his share most of the time

Which is why it is perfectly acceptable for her to go ahead and eat both portions whenever someone gives her something sweet and tells her that "this piece is for your brother."

Her parents begin to wonder why she's having sugar crashes so often

Her older brother Ilya is beginning to wonder why he never gets nice snacks any more

She does a good job of staying under the radar, eating her piece where the adults can see her and then using the moment she slips through a door or hallway to scarf down her brother's

She flies a little too close to the sun one day

Some nice merchant friends drop by, bearing a massive box of chocolate as a gift to the family, and make the mistake of leaving it out on the table

While they visit and chatter, she pulls the whole tray out of the box and leaves it closed on the table while she makes off with the goods

With his parent's blessing, Ilya goes to enjoy a piece after the friends leave and discovers the empty box

Portia does not respond when they call her name

Ilya does some amateur sleuthing by following the trail of chocolate wrappers through every corner of the boat

He finally finds Portia by staying very quiet in the hold, until he hears the rustling of a wrapper being opened behind a stack of crates

The stomachache she develops from half a pound of chocolate puts her off of sweets for a while

In her agony she confesses to stealing all of Ilya's desserts and he refuses to play with her for the rest of the afternoon

Lucio: (two years old)

Lucio likes attention. Lucio likes his mother's attention

Unfortunately, his mother spends most of the day busy, and he doesn't like the severity of his punishments when he does something bad enough to get her attention while she's busy

He waits until she's home in the evening to get her attention

One of the small ways Morga indulges him is by giving him a few minutes of time when she puts him to bed. She'll smooth the hair out of his eyes, press a peck to his forehead, and tuck him into his furs

Which is why he'll wait all of two minutes before getting back out of bed and slowly, impudently, walking to the side of the hall lit by the hearth fires

As soon as he's caught, he'll turn tail and make a mad dash for his bed, taking a flying leap onto the pallet and assuming the ostrich position with his head buried in the furs and his rump pointed at the ceiling

And every time, Morga will chase him back, give a few perfunctory swats to his bold little behind, and tuck him back in bed

Rinse and repeat

The other clansmen think it's hilarious. They'll take seats around the fire that give them a clear view of the darkened end of the hall, watching for a little blond head to come bobbling into the light

It becomes a game. As soon as he passes a certain piece of flooring, they'll yell out in chorus: "Montag's out of bed!" and the chase will begin

Until one evening, when the clansmen wonder what would happen if he was able to get farther than that piece of flooring

He makes it to the flooring. He pauses. He scoots a little further. Nothing happens.

He takes one more step, plants his feet, and with all the strength of his tiny lungs, he yells -

"MONTAG! OUTA! BEEDDD!!!"

It was shortly after this development that Morga only tucked him in once a night. After a few cranky days of keeping himself awake trying to get in trouble, Lucio gave it up

Devorak sibling's double trouble (AU in which the Old Testament exists and their parents teach it to them)

Ilya and Pasha's parents receive a letter from Tasya with the following story about her daughter Lishka:

Lishka's favorite stuffed animal is a sheep. Its name is Lambie

Lishka dreams of having a "real, live pet Lambie" to play with every day. Unfortunately, that's not in the cards for her

Some friends of theirs let them stay at their house while the ship is docked. To celebrate the get together, the family plans a feast for the last day of the visit

The traditional dish they wish to serve is roast mutton. As they do not have a refrigerator, they purchase a live sheep and keep it in their yard until the festivities

Lishka loves the sheep. She calls it her "real, live pet Lambie" and plays with it every day. She makes flower crowns for it. She gives it lots of hugs

Tasya and the hosts tell Lishka that "this lambie is just visiting for a bit, and then it's going home."

They schedule the butcher to come while Lishka's on an outing. They clean up all the evidence. They forget about the horns

Lishka comes back from playing in the yard, sobbing, a bloody horn in each hand as she tearfully informs her mother that "my real, live pet Lambie's gone!"

Tasya and the Devorak parents think it's darkly hilarious. Ilya and Pasha feel deeply for Lishka's loss

Over lunch, Ilya asks Pasha who she's going to marry when she grows up. Pasha responds with, "I'm going to marry you!"

Ilya says, "you can't do that. It's not allowed."

"Oh."

"So which of the sailors are you going to marry when you grow up?"

"I don't know." The three-ear-old looks down at her half-finished lunch and she shrugs. "All of them, I guess."

Ilya gasps and drops his fork. "You can't do that! That's commit adultery!"

Pasha freezes, eyes wide with horror. Ilya continues:

"And do you know what commit adultery means?"

Pasha slowly shakes her. Ilya thunders on, adopting the attitude of an angry preacher he saw in a town square once

"It means do adultery. And do you know, what do adultery means?"

Pasha shudders and shakes her head again, hanging on her brother's words like gospel

It is at this moment that their silently amused mother remembers that their father had told them an abridged version of David and Bathsheba's story that morning

Ilya takes a deep breath and continues his sermon like it's the world's worst horror story:

"Do adultery would be like if you had one real live pet Lambie, and you loved it like it was your own baby. And Do Adultery is like if someone came over, and Papa didn't want to feed them any of his own sheep, so he took your real live pet Lambie and he killed it and he fed it to the guests."

Silence. Ilya resumes his meal. Pasha stares blankly at the opposite wall, contemplating the mysteries of death. Their mother's shoulders shake with suppressed laughter

Finally, Pasha clears her throat and sweetly sings a funeral dirge for the dear departed Lambie, making a grave mispronounciation at the end:

"Lishka had a little lamb ... its feast was white as snow."

(A/N: the only proof I have that all of this really happened is that you can't make this kind of stuff up)

[dove-da-birb]

forrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hm last one you spoke about?

*just spoke about fictional crushes for 90 minutes with my sibling*

*just posted about Rook*

... *spins a wheel*

Fuck it, Julian Devorak (going back to 2017? here)

Karma

Some weird 'could be real, but need some tangible proof' type for the both of us. Julian sees it more for himself, whereas I would love to see it on some people (that have done wrong).

Sweet Nothing

Definitely takes some time for us to TRULY open up to each other but then yeah, ride or die (Ilya, do NOT take that literally). Once though we fully trust each other? YOU, you are my safe person.

Mastermind

ME! I NEED A PLAN! Ilya is good at coming up with something on the spot (theatre kid), but yeah, I'm the person holding the map.