#even ancient magic beasts like having companions | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

florencemtrash · 9 months

Text

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Chapter Two

Azriel x Day Court Librarian Reader

Summary: Y/n's clairvoyance is a gift from the Mother, but it feels more like a curse. With the power to gain knowledge through touch alone, Y/n holes herself up in The Alcove and hopes her powers and parentage will remain a secret. But things will change after the Summer Solstice ball and a chance encounter with a certain Shadowsinger.

Warning: None :)

The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Masterlist

Masterlist of Masterlists

“The sun’s barely gone down!” Cassian grumbled, following behind Helion, Rhysand, and Feyre as they walked the cobblestone streets of the Day Court. Every block of the small city contained at least two local bookstores, one cafe that also sold books, one flower shop that also sold books, and/or a small glass box filled with - as anyone could have guessed - more books to be given away for free.

Helion chuckled, “You’re not in the Night Court any more. My people are early to bed, early to rise. Unless of course you spend a night with me.” He winked at Cassian, who had the sense to blush. Indeed the Night Court members had been shocked when the party cleared out not even two hours after the sun had slipped beneath the ground.

Aside from the small scale bookstores which housed the most popular and recently published novels, every sector of the Day Court also had between one to three athenaeum’s - elaborate buildings of ivory stone laced with filigree and windows that lit up like the glowing eyes of an ancient beast. They were the pride and joy of all Day Court members. The windows flickered and shone with the magic used to protect the volumes from the sun. Even as the neighborhood lights slowly winked out, Azriel could track the diligent minds scouring the brightly lit shelves. There was a loving madness in their hunched backs, craned necks, and squinting eyes.

As their troupe reached The Alcove, one of the smaller and cozier athenaeum’s, Azriel couldn’t help but imagine you in a similar display of passionate madness, when you forgot about the world around you and could actually relax.

The Alcove specialized in housing diaries and novels of everyday comforts - quiet, unassuming stories that could steal your heart as swiftly as the grandest tales of war and romance, but with much more discretion. Here, the knowledge pressed between pages with ink was full of warmth and subtlety. The others in your cohort had scorned you for your choice in The Alcove. Why would anyone choose such a dull place to live and work? Why not be surrounded by books on war tactics or history or religion or biology? Someplace useful and worthy of a Librarian’s gifts. But The Alcove had offered you something you’d missed since your mother’s death - a sense of home.

You sat by the bay windows overlooking the darkened street below, breathing in the crisp and cool air that snuck in through the glass. On the other side of your apartment, a similar window overlooked The Alcove’s interior. Hundreds of mahogany shelves lined the high walls of the octagonal building with its signature domed roof. Grand staircases of gold twisted their way up from the ground, connecting to walkways that gave easier access to the volumes housed higher up the walls.

It was a blessing in disguise that you’d chosen to sit on this side of your apartment. Otherwise you would have never seen the Shadowsinger watching you with careful consideration, his eyes faintly glowing like the eyes of a cat. He raised one gloved hand up at you in a wave, a solitary gesture as the rest of his companions and Helion walked towards the stairs that led up to your apartment entrance.

He saw your mouth open in a shocked oh and couldn’t help the faintest smile gracing his lips as you disappeared from view.

“Oh shit.” You sprang up from your seat, eyes madly racing over the contents of your apartment. You were in the middle of a research project on magical signatures and your living space reflected the madness in your mind. Books lay open on the floor, on the desk, on the coffee table surrounded by carefully documented notes and half-scribbled ideas in equal measure. You wouldn’t be able to clean it up in time and, quite frankly, you had no interest in disrupting the chaotic organization. Did you really care about impressing the Night Court and Helion?

The terrifying answer was, yes.

The dining room.

It rarely saw use since you were disinclined to receive guests, and had more recently been repurposed to house stacks of romance novels… best not to let anyone see those…

In the five minutes it took for Helion and the members of the Inner Circle to climb up the dozen flights of stairs, and knock on your door, you’d successfully managed to hide all the smutty romance books in your bedroom, throw a table cloth and candle on top of the dining table, put away the dried dishes that had been displaced on the kitchen countertops, and set a kettle on the stove. Was there anything more that could be done?

Helion smiled brightly when you made your appearance, keeping the door slightly ajar to keep the worst of the living room out of sight. Perhaps this would be a short visit and they wouldn’t even ask to come inside.

“Y/n!” Helion said with a grin, “I present to you the Inner Circle of the Night Court.” He gestured with a grand flourish to some of the most beautiful fae you’d ever had the honor of witnessing.

“Some of us at least.” The High Lord’s voice was liquid honey and filled with enough charisma to seduce a nun.

“The most important ones.” The Lord of Bloodshed said with a boyish grin. The faint scar on his cheek pulled back with his smile.

“I’ll let Nesta know you said that.” The High Lady had swapped out her dress for a more simple pair of black slacks and a billowing shirt that cinched in at the waist, flowing over her body like smoke on water.

“Wait, no. Feyre, I was only joking. Feyre-”

She laughed, tipping her head back while her husband and mate looked on with a tenderness in his eyes you hadn’t expected to see. It wasn’t the love that shocked you so much as the casualness of it. High Lords and Lady’s - from the limited experience you had reading about them in books - were either unreadable or such outrageous flirts they looked ready to jump into the bones of anything that could stand upright or lay down for long enough. Both methods were appropriate to hide their true feelings, but Rhysand and Feyre seemed to take another approach entirely.

Helion coughed when you made no move to introduce yourself, still shell-shocked at the caliber of guests currently at your door, “And to the Inner Circle of the Night Court, I present Y/n Y/l/n. My dear friend and one of the most talented researchers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

“We’ve heard so much about you.” Feyre said, moving forward on instinct to embrace you. She stopped immediately when she saw you flinch back, but recovered quickly, smiling brightly, “My name is Feyre, and this is my mate Rhysand,” The High Lord tipped an imaginary hat, “And his brothers, Cassian and Azriel.”

“It’s an honor to meet you.” You said politely.

“The honor is all ours.” Rhysand said. He held Feyre closer to his side, one hand ghosting close to her stomach in memory of the child that had grown there not even two years ago. “Helion told us everything you did. Our daughter is alive and well thanks to you, as is my mate.”

You blinked in surprise. You didn’t know Helion had told them about that.

“Oh um, it was a joint effort. My High Lord is too kind.” You said with a respectful dip of your head and all at once your manners flooded into your brain again, “Please, come in.”

You sheepishly opened the door further, allowing the two High Lords and High Lady to grace your apartment. The Illyrians crossed the threshold last. Muscular, leathery wings rippled with power and prestige and it was incredible they managed to stay upright, let alone keep them from dragging on the floor.

You made a mental note to revisit some old anatomy texts on winged fae.

“I um,” You hurried to the kitchen, hearing the kettle start to screech, “I apologize. I wasn’t prepared for guests.” The screaming stopped and you remembered that you didn’t have any matching tea sets.

You reached into the cupboards, face blushing at the assortment of novelty mugs you’d acquired over the years. Hardly fit for a children’s tea party let alone some of the most powerful fae to have ever existed.

“There will be no apologies from you, tonight, my dear.” Helion said with a charming smile, “Not after we’ve barged into your home uninvited and taken over your dining table.”

From over the island you saw that Helion had already settled down at the table, the others following suit. Everyone except for the Shadowsinger.

He lingered by the kitchen archway, keeping a respectful distance as you poured boiling water into the teapot over a mixture of chrysanthemum and rosehip.

“Would you like any help?” He gestured to the tray now loaded with the teapot, cups, and a platter of biscuits that shook in your hands.

“Oh,” You stared at his outstretched hand, soft black leather molded over graceful fingers. “No, that’s alright. I can do it. But thank you for offering.” You stood face to face with him, silently begging him with your eyes to move to the table with the others so you wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of touching him.

His hand quickly dropped to his side, then slid behind his back. You caught the flash of hurt in his eyes before he masked it.

“There are some cookies in the living room!” You said a little too loudly, “On top of the coffee table. If-if you wouldn’t mind bringing those-” The Shadowsinger was already gone on his mission and you breathed a sigh of relief.

There were more books on the floor than swords on a battlefield. Azriel stepped over them gently, careful not to disturb the precarious arrangement. Books on anatomy, microbiology, human medicine, and magical theory flared outward, tracing the path of Y/n’s mind. Azriel walked it with wonder at the brilliance hidden within the midnight thoughts that had been spilled on paper, before being organized later on with a loving hand. Because that’s what this all spelled out to him - some chaotic, maddening love. He was almost jealous not to be on the receiving end of it… almost.

He saw the platter on the table, but ignored it for the pile of books by the windowsill. These ones were different from the rest. Older and more worn. The bindings were cracked and flexible after being read hundreds of times. He could even trace the faint outlines of your fingers on the leather bindings where natural oils had eaten away at the dye.

He read over the titles and committed them to memory for no other reason than the fact that he liked things that had been well loved.

“I made a mistake don’t-”

Azriel straightened up, color washing over his cheeks as he turned to face you in a sea of paper and leather.

Without thinking, he’d fallen into old habits of poking through people’s belongings. There was a reason Rhysand had made him Spymaster of the Night Court after all.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Did you eat a cookie?” You blurted out in a panic.

“No, no I didn’t.”

Your shoulders dropped in relief, one hand brushing back your hair. Azriel caught sight of your ink stained fingertips, and the faint mark they left on your temple.

“Oh thank the Mother.” You muttered under your breath, stealing a glance over your shoulder to the dining room where Helion was playing host in your stead and doing a far better job than you would have been capable of.

“Are they poisoned?” Azriel asked, but the joke fell flat upon seeing the horror in your face.

“No! No, that's not why-I should explain myself better. I would never dare try and poison you. Or anyone for that matter!” You scrunched your eyes shut, face burning brighter than the sun at noon.

I’m a fool. I’m making a fool of myself. He’s going to think I’m an absolute idiot. And right after Helion called me a gifted researcher. What a fucking lie.

Azriel, the blessing in disguise that he was, gave you a moment to collect yourself, pretending to find more interest in a volume on snake venom that was laid open on the ottoman.

“A friend baked those for me.” You finally said.

Azriel nodded, a faint smile gracing his face and it caught you off guard. He was beautiful, there was no doubting it so long as you had eyes. What had surprised you was the faint slivers of warmth behind the facade of the cold, brooding Shadowsinger. It was… surprisingly comforting to be standing in a room with him, just the two of you. It was certainly better than the party you’d unceremoniously winnowed out of earlier that day.

“I would never hold it against you if you wanted to save those for yourself.”

Your lips twisted in disgust, “Oh gods no, Cherp is a terrible cook.”

“Cherp?”

“He’s another Librarian I know.” Probably the closest thing to a friend I have. But you weren’t about to tell the Shadowsinger that. “He specializes in chemistry and food history.”

“He’s a food historian?”

“Yes.”

“And yet he’s a terrible cook?” The Shadowsinger tilted his head to the side.

The corner of your mouth tipped up, “The worst.”

“How is that possible?”

You gave it a thought, eyes darting around the walls like the answer was hidden behind paint, “Do you know how many different types of eggs there are, um,” You weren’t sure what to call him.

“Azriel. Call me, Azriel.”

“Azriel.” You said, testing out the shape of his name. You liked it.

“Do you know how many different types of eggs there are, Azriel?”

He cocked his head to the side, “I do not.”

“Thousands, Azriel. Thousands. If I told you to bake a cake with an egg, would you know I meant a chicken egg?” This time you didn’t wait for an answer, “Because you’d be surprised how quickly facts we consider ‘common knowledge’ disappear. Will people know we meant chicken eggs 1 million years from now? Perhaps not! All this to say that when Cherp follows recipes, he usually doesn’t have the knowledge to make it correctly and they turn out bland at best, inedible and poisonous at worst.”

Azriel tipped his head back and laughed, prompting you to explain further, “He once spent ten years researching the evolution of average spoon sizes because so many of his recipes were measured in spoonfuls.”

Azriel smirked, “Is this what you academics get yourselves so worried about?”

You couldn’t tell if he was ridiculing you or not, but the sincerity in his hazel eyes said he wasn’t. “Well we...among other things, yes, I suppose that is something we concern ourselves with…”

“Y/n!” Helion called from the other room, “Stop romancing the Shadowsinger and join us at the table. It’s a futile effort. I’ve been trying for centuries.”

Your face turned a brighter shade of red as you watched Azriel pick his way through the empty spots on the floor. You pressed yourself against the wall to let him pass, a fact that didn’t escape his notice. And when he took a seat at the table, you ignored the unoccupied seat next to him, preferring to stand behind the island like a woodland creature ready to dive into their den at a moment’s notice.

His lips flattened. He’d hoped to make you more comfortable around him after the disastrous events at the party, going so far as to hide the shadows that were clamoring for release. He should’ve known better than to assume one conversation about the historical accuracy of egg recipes would make that discomfort go away.

From your island you tossed pleasantries back and forth like it was a game. But you couldn’t help the stiffness in your posture, the hesitation in your voice when they asked you about your life.

“I’m a Librarian.” You’d first answered, as if it were all that needed to be said. But they pressed onwards, tried to make you laugh. Cassian, especially, liked to poke fun, and despite your best efforts, you laughed.

“All these libraries would make Nesta go feral. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself.”

“What kind of books does she like to read?” You asked, refilling the kettle as the cloudy sky outside darkened into a rich purple-black.

Cassian coughed, face turning red, “Romance.” He answered simply.

“Smutty romance.” The High Lord said, punching Cassian in the arm. His face turned redder.

“Lucky you,” Helion said with a wink that had Feyre bursting out into laughter. It was no secret that Helion had added Nesta onto his list of fae he’d one day like to have in his bed.

“There is an athenaeum that specializes in romance, and there’s no shortage of those sorts of novels… if you’re interested.” You said, hiding your face behind a sip of tea.

“And how would you know about that?” Feyre asked teasingly.

“I… am a Librarian. I know-I know things.” You sputtered unconvincingly. “I went once. Purely for research purposes.”

Azriel gave her a look, a look that said he somehow knew of the eight raunchy books that graced your bedside table and had been well-read indeed.

As the conversation evolved to less embarrassing topics, you were struck by the fact that you were actually enjoying yourself. It was a far cry from the parties that you’d previously been invited to. There was an ease to the Inner Circle. A familial love that flowed off them as easy as water off a whetstone. It was something you hadn’t experienced in quite some time.

Azriel noticed when you fell silent, your mind carried away to more sobering thoughts than Cassian’s most recent travels to the Human Lands. Feyre noticed as well and made her surprise at the time look natural and unscripted.

“Day Court members are early to bed and early to rise aren’t you? I’m sorry we’ve taken up so much of your time.” She said, gently pulling Rhysand up with her as she stood.

“No, not at all. Thank you for coming. I-I hope your daughter is doing well.” Was that an appropriate thing to say? Perhaps it was too threatening to comment on the wellbeing of a High Lord and High Lady’s child. But Feyre didn’t find any fault with that, a glassy look sliding over her eyes as Mor let Feyre into her mind so she could look at little Velaria dozing away in her aunt’s arms back home.

“She’s getting to be more and more of a handful everyday.”

“I wonder where she gets that from?” Cassian chimed in, throwing Rhysand a look as they collected their coats and slowly made their way over to the front door.

Rhysand threw his hand to his chest in indignation, “I was practically an angel.”

Cassian snorted, “More like the devil.”

Feyre rolled her eyes, shuffling the pair out the door into the still night.

Azriel once again lingered behind, the last to leave behind Helion. He stepped out into the night-chilled air, the edges of him disappearing like the darkness had come to reclaim him.

“It was lovely to meet you, Y/n, the Librarian.” He said, dipping into a shallow bow.

“It was lovely to meet you, Azriel…the Shadowsinger.”

He smiled shyly, then froze, the smile slipping off his face into a look of shock. You glanced over your shoulder, missing the explosion of shadows that spilled out from him.

You leapt back upon feeling their cool touch wrapping around you. There was a curiosity to the way they wound themselves through your hair and got tangled up in the folds of your dress. But thankfully, they carried no memories with them. No feelings but a faint relief and comfort that washed over you and gave you back your breath. For the first time in years you were experiencing a touch that you could handle. A touch that was stillness and peace.

“Is everything alright?” You finally looked back at Azriel, his eyes blown open and panicked.

He was not a man of many words. Never had been, never would be. But he wished he could speak everything on his mind.

You’re my mate. You’re my mate. You’re my mate. You’re the one I’ve been waiting over 500 hundred years for.

But when he saw the concern in your eyes, the gentle tilt of your head that exposed the curve of your neck, he knew it wasn’t the time.

“I-I have to go.”

This time it was his turn to disappear. He swallowed his words, forced down the bond that now burned in his chest with the light of a thousand suns, and fled past the shocked faces of his family members before shooting off into the night sky.

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

______________

Author's Note:

Does this batboy deserve a nerdy mate to tease and have fun with? Yes. I will take no criticism (just kidding if you have thoughts about how my writing is, let me know, just be kind and respectful about it).

Love,

Florence B.

Taglist: @rosebunnysblog @icey--stars @laceandsuch @coralseacourt @cherryinsalemverse @flowerprincezz @valeridarkness @annaaaaa88 @deeshag @bluesiphonsbaby @allyjoe755 @sidthedollface2 2@auggiesolovey @cleverzonkwombatsludge @kemillyfreitas @transparentmoonglitter @ang-taylorsversion @ssmay123 @just-m-2 @sevikas-whore @lalaluch @svtwonwoow @user707sthings @cherryinsalemverse @evylynny @decrepit-bees-knees @eleganttravelercloud @ghostwritermia @smitty-werbenjagermenjenson @fussel9913 @st0rmyt

#azriel x reader #azriel x y/n #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x mate reader #inner circle #azriel acotar #the shadowsinger and the inkbird #acotar fanfiction #acotar #helion acotar #helion spell cleaver

947 notes · View notes

skaruresonic · 10 days

Note

I also forgot that one of the very first things we saw Flynnified Lanolin do was express her gratitude to Sonic. I think the idea was that he had inspired her to actually take action... but her approach is far more proactive than Sonic, who simply reacts to Eggman's wrongdoings.

If contained, this isn't a bad idea for a conflict. It fits with the general idea that she's high-strung and inexperienced, and doesn't want anyone to suffer like she did, while Sonic has been in the game (lol) for far longer and he's more relaxed.

But Lanolin has degenerated so much that it looks like she has legit spiralled into a breakdown. Now she is so rigid that she has become abusive, creating a climate of fear and control with her own companions - she has gaslighted Whisper in the real sense of the word! Her empathy for newbies makes her blind to Duo's obvious lies, while she holds veterans like Silver to such a high standard that any perceived failure deserves a verbal lashing out - but without the willingness to listen, to accept that maybe her assumptions were wrong, because she doesn't want to show any sign of vulnerability. And it feels like she holds so much resentment in her heart that she snaps at anyone vaguely irritating her, from Tangle playing to Sonic not moving out of the road fast enough (who cares about the possibility of them being hurt? Certainly not her! Everything has to flow smoothly and wounded people are simply a hindrance!)

And now we have ABT giving us a Lanolin who has been consumed so much by her own bitterness that she has gone from seeing Sonic as a hero to an irresponsible force of nature who simply doesn't care enough about anything. A danger. Something she cannot hold on a leash. Something to fear and look with suspicion. (and may have attempted to attack him, ABT's sketches are very confusing)

I would almost be impressed by this tragic villain arc, if I wasn't sure nothing I said is intentional.

I think the idea was that he had inspired her to actually take action... but her approach is far more proactive than Sonic, who simply reacts to Eggman's wrongdoings.

You know, I kind of think maybe we're even shortchanging Sonic by calling him "reactive." I know what you mean, but most people tend to exaggerate the whole "Sonic isn't proactive" thing to mean "Sonic isn't a perfect hero because he isn't surveilling Eggman 24/7."

We've seen this before with Flynn's "Eggman stormed Prison Island without knowing what Project Shadow was" argument. As if Eggman needs to be psychic and know what a classified top-secret military experiment is before he breaches the place and finds out for himself.

While it's true that Sonic doesn't take preemptive measures against Eggman, he also can't be expected to keep tabs on the guy all the time. (How ironic, then, that the one time he promises to check up on Tinker in issue 6, he actively neglects his duty.)

He does what he can with the knowledge he possesses. It's not like he can magically intuit that Eggman's going to go steal Ancient Document #3,487 and wake up another beast.

Plus, it doesn't mesh well with his freespirited nature. Superheroes are morally burdened by their self-imposed duties and obligations. Sonic just has awesome adventures because why not.

---

Not sure I agree. We've seen the "no one should suffer the way I have" thing from Shadow and the whole high-strung schtick from Blaze.

I don't really see what else Lanolin is bringing to the table other than that she's a normie. And frankly, her personality is too underwhelming to rely on relatability. We don't even know if the girl has any hobbies aside from ordering people around.

---

Nah man, she's peak because she's nasty and unpleasant. Let stronk women be bitches. Something something.

Kind of raises the brow how quick she is to resort to violence when she feels "threatened" by Whisper. You'd think she'd be more of a flighter instead of a fighter.

---

Her empathy for newbies makes her blind to Duo's obvious lies, while she holds veterans like Silver to such a high standard that any perceived failure deserves a verbal lashing out - but without the willingness to listen, to accept that maybe her assumptions were wrong, because she doesn't want to show any sign of vulnerability. And it feels like she holds so much resentment in her heart that she snaps at anyone vaguely irritating her, from Tangle playing to Sonic not moving out of the road fast enough (who cares about the possibility of them being hurt? Certainly not her! Everything has to flow smoothly and wounded people are simply a hindrance!)

Yep.

Control freak.

---

Which is dehumanizing towards Sonic, as well as belittling. Sonic does care. He demonstrates his care through his actions and the kindness he gives people.

Also, didn't Archie characterize Sonic as a living force of chaos? Hmm.

---

A danger.

Ironic, considering he bothered to save people from the mess she made.

---

Something she cannot hold on a leash.

The Sally Sheeples arguments are starting to look more and more convincing by the minute.

---

Something to fear and look with suspicion.

Again, though, why? She thanked him for saving her town in issue 57. Now all of a sudden she's afraid of Sonic?

And if that's the case, why is she sticking around? Why can't she do the sensible thing and ask Jewel to relocate her to go work somewhere else where she won't have to be around people she perceives as ticking time bombs? If she views Sonic and co. as a threat, then why doesn't SHE take any measures to protect herself? Clearly she can't feel that unsafe around them, otherwise she wouldn't even think to scold them.

That's the frustrating thing about Lanolin. She's supposed to be this no-nonsense drill sergeant, yet continuously expects the world to bend to her expectations rather than assume any agency herself. God forbid our stronk women make decisions! Heavens no.

The only logical explanation is that Lanolin is such a huge fucking control freak that even Sonic the Hedgehog must abide by her strict standards, his previous heroism be damned.

---

(and may have attempted to attack him, ABT's sketches are very confusing)

She reached into her cowbell to withdraw her Wisp. Doing that crossed the threshold from mere fantasy to premeditation, imo. It's one thing to fantasize about someone you hate dying - quite another to essentially reach for a knife hidden in your pocket while their back is turned.

#asks #long post

19 notes · View notes

prue84 · 8 months

Text

Siblings socials: The beast's lair

Fandom: BBC’s Merlin (post-canon, modern magic) AU AU: The Pendragon siblings return (sequel: modern magic) Series: Siblings socials — [ Reblogs > Likes | No AI involved ] —

You thought Arthur, being a former king, would always be the master in any couple or pairing? Well, think better. Morgana is more than willing to prove the world that is Merlin the serval who commands between the two.

———————————————————————————————

Morgana, the famed once Queen of Camelot and socials star, has taken her duties of chronicling her brother Arthur's adjusting to the modern world very seriously. If she has a chance to humiliate him, in face of the legendary epitome of noble warrior built around him during the centuries, she will do it gladly, not even hiding a smirking during the whole time. As socials love cats, who is she to deprive the socials from pics of Merlin the grumpy serval? The fact that Arthur is sleeping in an idiotic pose on the background is just a bonus point.

More about the AU under the cut. (More fanworks from this AU at the links above) (More fanworks about the prequel here)

———————————————————————————————

About the AU The story is a sequel to the The Pendragon Sibling. Eventually, the druid give the royal couple a serval as gift for their renowned peace between the throne and the magic people. The servan turns out to be a very magical boy. At the same time Morgana acquires a puma, who happens to be the disguise of an High Priestess. I elaborated a bit here. * Not even the union of the Pendragon siblings, as King of Lands and Queen of Avalon and royal couple ruling over Camelot, with Morgause the High Priestesses of the old religion and Emrys the immortal dragonlord as their shadows and mates, is enough to prevent Arthurs tragic end at Camlann at the hands of the traitor Mordred. After Camlann, Merlin withdraws in his own pain, while Queen Morgana rules wisely for the next decades, assuring that the golden age of Camelot continues. When the time to retire from the mortal life comes, Morgana, with her loyal companion Morgause and Merlin, retires on the island at the center of the lake Avalon, taking residence in the tower standing there. Centuries pass, between long sleeps and new lives in the world outside. But magic, for a series or undisclosed circumstances, have been slowly fading in the lands outside of Avalon since the Siblings balance was lost with the death of Arthur. The more they are away from the island, center of the Old Magic, the more the contact is faint, and both Morgause and Merlin feel the need to stay in their animal forms. Until magic is so weak that they are stuck in their animal form even when staying at the tower. In the 21th century Morgana is following an academic career. Every morning, during breakfast, she keeps the tv on to make some background sounds. One morning the BBC's morning program suddenly switches to a live from the town of Avalon, for news about some odd happenings at the lake. The country wonders if this is the day when King Arthur will finally raise. There has been many false alarm. This morning is different, though. Morgana, with her two felines, rushes to the lake through magic and is there to see Arthur emerge from the waters. Merlin, a one-century-and-half ancient serval, attacks everyone present, Arthur included, and Arthur himself is forced to draw Excalibur to suffuse the situation, before his sister is arrested and his feline mate put down as the rabid cat he is. After the necessary time to familiarize with a world that is completely different from the one he remembers, Morgana introduces Arthur to the marvels of the socials and together they become Twitter stars, entertaining people with their commentaries on Arthurian-related productions and their bickering. Between Morgana's interviews and bits shared by Arthur on socials, the world is revealed that the Matter of Britain is mostly made of lies and exaggerations. BBC reaches out to Morgana to collaborate to write a series that would tell the true story of the Pendragons. Morgana launches herself in the project with eagerness. As the search for a proper location to set Camelot is about to start, Morgana hints that she might has the original castle miniaturized and preserved by magic and she would be amenable to make available as set, as long as the production covers the costs of restoration. Thus the Pendragons get their old nest back restored to its golden days free of charge, and Arthur can return to live in his natural habitat. Eventually, the true identity and nature of the felines, believed to be just animals given immortality by magic and relics of the golden age of Camelot, will be revealed, But that's another story for another time.

———————————————————————————————

Notes Initially, this - the original screencap minus the serval - was supposed to be an Instagram-mock shared by the Merlin of the National Treasure instagram AU, but I didn't have the text ready and was thus stuck since 2018. Some months ago I decided to switch the poster from Merlin to the Morgana of this AU. It made no sense for Morgana to share a pic of her sleeping brother without Merlin the serval around, so the idea of putting a serval on the bed came. Tec stuffs (aka Behind The Manip) A nightmare. I couldn't find a serval pic that fit with the perspective required. And when I did, they came with dark shadows on their legs I couldn't fix. So I had to use the blankets to mask here and there, which came with another challenge on its own. Instagram graphic made all by-hand, with much moving/copy/pasting and, especially, a wearying research to find out which font the website used. No template site. Since I created my own template, it won't reflect any future changes the platform might make (I have no intention of modify my template).

———————————————————————————————

Crossposted: Livejournal: prue84.livejournal.com/103011.html Dreamwidth: prue84.dreamwidth.org/94038.html Deviantart: deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-instagram-1015696733 (instagram post), deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-photo-1-1015696691 (photo 1), deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-photo-2-1015696758 (photo 2)

#Merlin BBC #Morgana #Merlin #Arthur Pendragon #Merthur #AUs (Merlin)#AU: The Pendragon Siblings return #Series: Siblings socials #Manips #Graphics #||#bbc merlin #emrys #merlin-art #merlin fanart

29 notes · View notes

selfdiagnosedeyemotif · 1 year

Text

little thing i've been thinking about as of late:

How could one make the Octopath Travelers II in Dungeons and Dragons?

the rules i've set for myself are as follows:

no variant human. that is boring.

we're going for flavour over optimization but my stupid optimizer brain will nonetheless be the architect behind this all so Watch Out

Unearthed Arcana and things of that sort ARE allowed. UA is my dear wife and to leave her out of my house would be a crime most unforgivable

stats will be calculated using the point buy method, simply because that is much easier than working with the other methods

in a similar vein to the previous, pre-Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse stat increases and abilities for races will be used (my best friend the Air Genasi gets burnt by this but sacrifices must be made)

characters will range from level 10 (agnea) to level 14 (osvald)

this is what the characters would look like at the END of their journeys, so abilities like the One True Magic would be taken into account

i'll link pages describing all of the things i use, all of which will be from my dnd site of choice, the DND 5th Edition Wikidot Site

that being said...

Ochette, the Hunter

Race:

Tabaxi (+2 DEX, +1 CHA)

Class(es):

Revised Ranger - Beastmaster Conclave - Level 8 Paladin - Oath of the Ancients - Level 3

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 14 (+2) DEX - 19 (+4) CON - 15 (+2) INT - 10 (0) WIS - 8 (-1) CHA - 13 (+1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Tabaxi - Race: Ochette, while more of a fox than a cat, notably has many animal features similar to cats (namely her claws and ears), so the cat race fits her quite well

Cat's Claws - Tabaxi: ability most akin to Ochette's latent power ability Beastly Claws

Animal Companion - Beastmaster Conclave: this is the space for Akala or Mahina, since the BM is the only class/subclass that lets you have an animal companion in any way, not counting the wizard spell Find Familiar (which just doesn't fit Ochette. she aint a wizard)

Oath of the Ancients Paladin - Class/Subclass: at the end of Ochette's story she is touched by the Flame itself, bestowing upon her the power necessary to continue her immediate mission of Stop That Shadow Beast and ongoing mission of protecting the wilds of Solistia. serving something greater than oneself for a specific purpose (divine or not) is how 5e paladins have been flavoured, and the OotA subclass is explicitly based around being the light for the world, and has a general nature theme (see: green knights)

Castti, the Apothecary

Race:

Water Genasi (+2 CON, +1 WIS)

Class(es):

Artificer - Alchemist Speciality - Level 9 Paladin - Oath of Redemption - Level 4

Feats (if any):

Resilient (Wisdom)

Stats:

STR - 12 (+1) DEX - 9 (-1) CON - 14 (+2) INT - 13 (+1) WIS - 20 (+5) CHA - 12 (+1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Water Genasi - Race: first off, Castti obviously has a water motif. that's a guarantee. however, i also think that Water Genasi has some good flavour to it because before MMotM, it gave resistance to Acid damage. you know, like trosseau's poison rain. Castti was INSANELY resilient against that shit, and i think it could be fun if that was like. just a thing she did.

Class/Subclass - Alchemist Speciality Artificer: this is the place to go when it comes to apothecaries. i really wanted to make her a warlock of Malaya as well but the best fitting subclasses (Fathomless, Celestial, and Undead) didn't have abilities that fit her very well. regardless, you've gotta be an Alchemist if you wanna be an apothecary

Class/Subclass - Oath of Redemption Paladin: PLEASE go read the tenets of the Oath of Redemption. like yeah its about redeeming yourself but more importantly its about pacifism (that's castti), patience (that's castti), and protecting the weak (that's castti). shes SO Oath of Redemption that it isn't even funny

Experimental Elixir/Restorative Reagent - Alchemist: this is Concoct, to a T. Experimental Elixir allows you to bestow a variety of different effects onto an ally, ranging from healing to haste to defense. just. like. Concoct. also the Restorative Reagent feature that castti would get at level 9 just adds to the healing aspect of EE so like. yeap that tracks.

Lay On Hands - Paladin: Sounds an awful lot like a mix between castti's Healing Hands and Rehabilitate abilities, with a mix of healing damage and disease specifically via touch.

Resilient - Feat: you'll notice that i made Castti's highest stat her Wisdom, which a keen-eyed D&D player might mark as strange, since Artificers are an Intelligence-based class, and Paladins are Charisma-based. well, this in conjunction with Resilient giving her proficiency in Wisdom Saving Throws (basically making her very good at holding on against fear, mind control, and things that affect sanity), are all because of one of my personal favourite Castti moments: she has canonically read the Book of Night and it couldn't do jack SHIT to her. her mind is made of IRON.

Throné, the Thief

Race:

Shadar-Kai (+2 DEX, +1 CON)

Class(es):

Rogue - Assassin Archetype - Level 11 Fighter - No Subclass - Level 2

Feats (if any):

Shadow Touched (spells gained: Invisibility, Silent Image)

Stats:

STR - 11 (0) DEX - 20 (+5) CON - 10 (0) INT - 14 (+2) WIS - 12 (+1) CHA - 14 (+2)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Shadar-Kai - Race: grabbed simply because i think that being a Dark Elf™ fits Throné really well. technically it also gives her teleportation which would be a cool in-universe explanation for Aeber's Reckoning but honestly this one's for the funsies

Inflitration Expert - Assassin Archetype: she straight-up does this in the first chapter. like full stop. that is the thing that this ability does. also i know it's very much not one-to-one but i also think this is how she would use Disguise but that ventures into headcanon territory

Action Surge - Fighter: the SPECIFIC reason that i gave Throné fighter levels. Action Surge allows the user to, once per short rest, USE TWO ACTIONS IN ONE TURN. THAT IS LEAVE NO TRACE. EXACTLY.

Shadow Touched - Feat: flavour for infiltration stuff but also sort of works as an expy for Veil of Darkness. Silent Image can be used to create a fairly large illusion, including but not limited to a quick and easy way to throw enemies off their game in terms of their attacks. Disguise Self was also considered as an option for the spell to take (Invisibility is always given) but i passed on it because she was already getting Infiltration Expert from her subclass.

Osvald, the Scholar

Race:

Goliath (+2 STR, +1 CON)

Class(es):

Wizard - School of Evocation - Level 14

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 12 (+1) DEX - 10 (0) CON - 16 (+3) INT - 20 (+5) WIS - 14 (+2) CHA - 8 (-1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Goliath - Race: Professor Osvald V. Vanstein is, amoungst other descriptors, fucking MASSIVE. that man is canonically like 6'7" or something. goliaths, the Biggest race in D&D 5e, are absolutely the best fit for him. as a bonus, they give him resistance to Cold damage, a fun reference to that teeny little stay on Frigit Isle

School of Evocation - Subclass: Osvald is canonically very much an offensive caster. that's clear. the School of Evocation, in D&D, is the one with the easiest access to Spells like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Cone of Cold, meaning that Osvald "Fire-Ice-Lightning" V. Vanstein simply MUST be one

Overchannel/Sculpt Spells - School of Evocation: neither of these two abilities, on their own, would equate to anything Osvald-y. Overchannel allows the user to make one damaging spell do max damage (and do it more at an HP cost), and Scupt Spells allows them to exempt certain targets from AoE spells. together, however, they form a decent expy for Concentrate Spells, Osvald's latent power

Prismatic Spray - Spell: this spell is a seventh level evocation spell. level 14 is the first time wizards have access to seventh level spells, and Osvald is an evoker. this spell is also a MASSIVE FUCK-YOU RAINBOW BLAST. i won't go through its actual abilities because they dont line up to the One True Magic very well, but aesthetically they're damn-near identical

Partitio, the Merchant

Race:

Human (+1 to all stats)

Class(es):

Paladin - Oath of Devotion - Level 6 Bard - College of Eloquence - Level 5

Feats (if any):

Inspiring Leader

Stats:

STR - 15 (+2) DEX - 11 (0) CON - 14 (+2) INT - 12 (+1) WIS - 10 (0) CHA - 18 (+4)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Oath of Devotion Paladin - Class/Subclass: mostly based around how Partitio is just. endlessly all about that helping people. you dont need to worship a god to be a paladin, folks, you just need to have a cause that you stand insanely firmly by. that's why they're Charisma-based. anyways Devotion fits Parti best so he gets it

Silver Tongue - College of Eloquence: half of this ability (bonus to Deception) is positively worthless to Partitio because he really doesnt lie much, but the other half (bonus to Persuasion) is DEATHLY important to this build. Partitio is a man built on being extremely good at talking to people, and it really shows in this. also, SILVER Tongue. Oresrush silver. get it? huh? huh?

Inspiring Leader - Feat: genuinely the most Partitio feat ever. it literally has the user make an inspiring speech for a mechanical benefit and if that ain't Partitio i dont know what is

Agnea, the Dancer

Race:

Spring Eladrin (+2 DEX, +1 CHA)

Class(es):

Bard - College of Glamour - Level 10

Feats (if any):

Mobile

Stats:

STR - 8 (-1) DEX - 16 (+3) CON - 12 (+1) INT - 11 (0) WIS - 12 (+1) CHA - 18 (+4)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Eladrin - Race: this is the most whimsical and fun race ever and i love it. spring Eladrin are the joyous and celebratory version of this race, so it fits Agnie pretty damn well. it also offers a teleportation option in the form of Fey Step (the season-themed version of Throné's teleport), which i feel like she would incorporate into her shows

College of Glamour Bard - Class/Subclass: this is the main performer bard for performers that dont use musical instruments, so it simply had to be Agnea

Enthralling Performance - College of Eloquence: this ability is effectively a make-your-performances-better card, which is exactly the kind of thing that Agnea would pull out if she needed to really bedazzle a crowd (see: Agnea chapter five)

Magical Secrets - Bard: this allows the user to gain two spells from any spell list. Agnea's would be Control Winds (Windy Refrain) and Beacon of Hope (Song of Hope). the latter is a much rougher expy than the former, but it's got hope in the name and i am nothing if not predictable. see the links below for what those spells do

Mobile - Feat: this is meant as an expy of the Dancer ability Ever Evasive, and to a degree Agnea's high base Speed and Evasion, since the Mobile feat both makes it more difficult for enemies to land hits on you, and improves your movement speed

Temenos, the Cleric

Race:

Changeling (+2 CHA, +1 WIS), pretends to be Half-Elf

Class(es):

Rogue - Inquisitive Archetype - Level 4 Cleric - Knowledge Domain - Level 9

Feats (if any):

Keen Mind (+1 INT)

Stats:

STR - 8 (-1) DEX - 10 (0) CON - 8 (-1) INT - 18 (+4) WIS - 18 (+4) CHA - 16 (+3)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Changeling - Race: i think it would be really cool because Temenos is such a goddamn liar. im so normal about it. sososo normal about it. i just feel that he would lie persistently about his identity lie that because just. i am hopelessly in love with the aspect of Temenos that he does not let anyone know anything ever

Inquisitive Archetype Rogue - Class/Subclass: one will note that this is the first class listed rather than his actual in-game class of Cleric. this is because i think that before he was a cleric, before he was found by the church, Rogue was a deeply fitting class for him. i think it was his base class, and grew into the Inquisitive subclass AFTER taking Cleric levels

Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts - Knowledge Domain: this is the equivalent of Temenos's Coerce path action; both are obviously magical in nature and involve to a certain (albeit different) degree looking into the target's mind. not a lot to say it's just a very good stand-in for Coerce

Legend Lore - Spell: this is the expy for Temenos's doubt-is-what-i-do mystery solving sections (like when he's in the cathedral with Crick investigating the death of the pontiff). it's not exact since Legend Lore targets an object and Temenos's thing targets a location, but i think it's close enough to be good enough. also it's a free spell you get for being a Knowledge Cleric so i think it's a good fit

Expertise - Rogue: this ability allows you to take two skills and become SUPER good at them. this would be Deception and Insight for Temenos, and i think it was important that i bring it up

Hikari, the Warrior

Race:

High Elf (+2 DEX, +1 INT)

Class(es):

Fighter - Samurai Archetype - Level 11 Sorcerer - Shadow Origin - Level 1

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 18 (+4) DEX - 16 (+3) CON - 16 (+3) INT - 10 (0) WIS - 10 (0) CHA - 10 (0)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Shadow Origin Sorcerer - Class/Subclass: homeboy's got the blood of D'arqest in him, so he simply MUST have some kind of spooky class. the other class in the running was Hexblade Warlock, but Shadow Sorcerer ultimately won out mostly for mechanical reasons (SO's Strength of the Grave was considered more flavourful than HB's Hexblade's Curse)

Fighting Spirit/Tireless Spirit - Samurai Archetype: these abilities are about the user powering up by sheer force of will and that's literally the most Hikari thing i have ever heard in my life

Fighting Style: Superior Technique - Fighter: this fighting style allows the user to gain one Battlemaster Fighter maneuver. the one selected for Hikari is Riposte, which serves as an equivalent to Hikari's Vengeful Blade ability (both of them are counterattack options)

Extra Attack 2x - Fighter: fighters are the only class that gain access to more than two attacks per turn, similarly to Hikari's Aggressive Slash ability giving him access to the greatest number of hits out of any class in-game

Links:

Ochette, the Hunter

Tabaxi

Ranger, Revised

Beastmaster Conclave

Paladin

Oath of the Ancients

Castti, the Apothecary

Water Genasi

Artificer

Alchemist Speciality

Paladin

Oath of Redemption

Resilient

Throné, the Thief

Shadar-Kai

Rogue

Assassin Archetype

Fighter

Shadow Touched

Silent Image

Osvald, the Scholar

Goliath

Wizard

School of Evocation

Prismatic Spray

Partitio, the Merchant

Human (yeah im linking that)

Paladin

Oath of Devotion

Bard

College of Eloquence

Inspiring Leader

Agnea, the Dancer

Eladrin

Bard

College of Glamour

Mobile

Control Winds

Beacon of Hope

Temenos, the Cleric

Changeling

Rogue

Inquisitive Archetype

Cleric

Knowledge Domain

Keen Mind

Legend Lore

Hikari, the Warrior

High Elf

Fighter

Samurai Archetype

Sorcerer

Shadow Origin

Riposte Maneuver

#octopath traveler 2 #octopath traveler 2 spoilers #d&d #ochette #castti florenz #throné anguis #throne anguis #osvald v. vanstein #osvald v vanstein #partitio yellowil #agnea bristarni #temenos mistral #hikari ku #iris originals

35 notes · View notes

lastleggysee · 1 year

Text

Beach Day with the Last Legacy M3

Because we were robbed of a canon beach episode.

Word count: 1,917

Warnings: None that I can think of, but if you notice any please let me know!

Felix didn't want to go to the beach at all, and he made his opinion well known through sarcastic comments throughout the week leading up to the event.

"If I wanted to bake myself I could just step into the oven."

"No, I love the beach. I'm especially fond of how you carry masses of sand home with you afterwards, like a second trip."

"All I'm saying is the sea beasts have a point, devouring beachgoers. I would do the same if the rancor arrived at my doorstep."

He even thought he'd be able to use sleeping in as an excuse, purposefully ignoring the sounds of his companions readying themselves for the day outside of his chamber doors. However, he was unable to carry out his plan to fruition when Sage somehow breaks through the locks (and wards) of his door, ripping the blankets from Felix's pretend-sleeping form and bringing him upright in bed. From the hallway, Felix hears Anisa yell something about having "less than an hour" before departure, and he sighs, knowing he's lost this fight.

Felix spends most of the morning choosing what books to bring along and casting anti-sunburn wards on himself. He deliberately chooses a thick, yellowed tome on ancient runes to disguise the romance novel he actually plans on reading while there (which is also conveniently beach-themed). Reluctantly, he dresses in his outfit for the day (I like to imagine his bathing suit is one of those old-timey, striped suits with a sheer black cover-up robe on top), and goes to make himself a strong cup of tea before departure.

Once arriving at the beach, Felix does not help set up a site for the day, insisting that it was Anisa or Sage’s idea in the first place, so he should be excluded from the effort on principle. This is with the exception of the umbrella, though, because Sage always stakes it in the “wrong” place. He sits under the umbrella for most of the day, enjoying his novel and sipping on the wine Anisa so generously remembered to pack for him, keeping it cool with magic. He’s not exactly relaxed, it’s still dreadfully hot out, and the chair he reclines in is not nearly as comfortable as the thick cushions he rests on at Fathom, but the day still washes easily over him, and Felix is silently grateful for the variety.

Felix has a quiet reverence for the ocean. Its vastness, its depth; it reminds him a lot of magic. The way it is both a familiar presence and unfathomable mystery, its balance of chaos and predictability; these qualities sit in a familiar juxtaposition in his mind, and Felix pleasantly watches the waves crash over the tops of his pages.

While grazing on some of the snacks Anisa packed, his back turned to the ocean, Felix felt something sink in the pit of his stomach. Before he could turn around, he felt large, strong arms envelop him, lifting him from his place on the ground. He recognized it as Sage before he even saw his face. Felix protested, threatening spells and fire and dismemberment, but Sage did not relent until Felix felt the water lapping at his ankles.

“Still want me to put you down?” Sage asked, a tinge of mischief in his voice.

“Yes, you absolute beast -” Felix started, but was cut off with a mouthful of salt water as Sage dropped him directly into the waves.

“See? S’not so bad.” Sage makes out between booming laughter, and for perhaps the first time that day Felix agrees with him.

Anisa spent most of the day before the trip preparing. This meant that she spent at least half of the day picking out exactly what could go wrong, and making plans for whatever she would be able to do about it, and preparing supplies accordingly.

First aid kit? Check. Extra sunscreen? Packed.

Weapons? Already tucked into the bottom of the picnic basket.

A spare pan and firestarter in case she finds a dolphin and finally gets the chance to try it? It was one of the first things she packed. After all, you showed up out of nowhere, there’s a chance a dolphin might as well.

Where Anisa really spent most of her time, though, was the picnic basket she prepared. Anisa genuinely believes that food is a love language, and the attention to detail she pays to each meal she prepares is a testament to this. She made little sandwiches, cut the crust off of the edges, and folded them neatly into colorful napkins. She chopped fruit and carefully packaged it in containers for herself, Felix, and Sage to snack on later. She even included some of Felix’s favorite wine (she figured anything that may sweeten his sour mood was well worth the space spent to carry it along) and some street cakes from the market for Sage. She took pride in her work and wanted to make sure she put forth every effort to make the day as perfect as possible.

She could hardly sleep the night before the trip, thinking about how long it had been since she actually had fun and enjoyed herself; much less with her group of friends in tow. It excited her, stirring butterflies in her stomach at the idea of it all, but also felt somehow strange. In her late 20s, could she still enjoy the beach like she had as a child? Could she find respite from the weights of her knightly duties upon her shoulders after carrying them for so long? Despite falling asleep later than she intended, she was the first to wake up, sipping her tea on the balcony at Fathom with a tentative anticipation for the day.

At the beach, Anisa sets up most of the site, unpacking all of her hard work and laying it out on the sand. She sits and watches the waves for a long while at first, remembering times in her youth where she’d sat on similar beaches with her mother. Anisa likes the wildness of the waves, the sounds of other beachgoers around her, and the scent of salt in the air that always seems to work its way into her skin before the day is over.

She wades into the water at Sage’s insistence (meaning, Sage yelling her name at a surprising volume from his place in the water), enjoying the cool feel of the waves against her feet and legs as she adjusts to the temperature difference. Feeling the steady pull and crash of the water against her knees, she feels a joy rise in her chest that she realizes she hasn’t felt in a long time. Anisa splashes Sage with water when she reaches him, but aside from that one act of playfulness she spends the majority of her time swimming alone and enjoying herself in the water.

After a while in the water, Anisa reclines in the sun on one of the towels she brought, resting in the warmth of the sun and idly snacking on some of the fruit she brought. She hears Felix muttering to himself over the novel he’s reading, along with the sound of gulls and other beachgoers, but she allows it to all wash over her over the sound of the waves. She needed this, she thinks.

Raising another piece of fruit to her lips, she decides that she’ll make Sage be the one to pack and carry all the supplies back.

Sage was objectively the one most excited to go to the beach; probably because he was the one who objectively did the least amount of preparation for the event. He’s always been a “go with the flow” sort of guy, so when the invitation presented itself he took it, no questions asked and no sense of responsibility attached.

Sage used to hate the beach. As a child, he used to fish from it (and steal fish from the other fishermen there) to feed himself and Tulsi. There was a time when the salty air and rhythmic crashing of waves caused similar waves of adrenaline to roll throughout his body. Nonetheless, he has just as many pleasant memories at the beach - swimming, drinking, and spending days in the sun before he joined the Starsworn. If he tries, he can still recall some drunken evenings with Lucan and other Griefers on the beach despite the haze his alcohol consumption at the time placed over his memories.

The morning of the day, Sage rolled out of bed, feeling surprisingly well-rested and ready for the day ahead of him. Having long since misplaced (or did one of his companions misplace it for him?) his admittedly tight leather swimsuit, he opts to dress himself in a simple pair of shorts and his telltale red coat. Of course, Sage still has at least two knives hidden with him for the day ahead, but he leaves his sword at Fathom.

He passes Anisa in the hallway and tells her to calm down, that today was supposed to be about relaxation, and is promptly i(playfully) hit upside the head with one of her umbrellas. Sage listens to her mutter to herself about Felix still lazing in bed, though, and makes it his business to take at least this off of her plate and wake Felix up.

When he arrives at the beach, he immediately runs into the water. He enjoys the feeling of the sun on his skin, the way it warms him completely from the top of his head to his feet. He enjoys the feel of the current, its pull against his body, knowing that he’ll still feel it long after he’s departed from the beach as he lies in bed that night. Pleasant memories of his childhood spent at the beach float to the surface of his mind as he floats on the surface of the water, more relaxed than he’s felt in weeks.

Of course, this relaxation is short-lived when Anisa decides to take a dip in the water, but the playful interaction is welcome as Sage swings his arm across the surface of the water to splash her.

Looking back to shore, he notices Felix still in the same spot he’d been in all day. Sage knew Felix wasn’t a fan of fun, but he finds it absolutely ridiculous the way Felix will spend this one day outside of Fathom with his nose buried in a book.

“Do you think he’s always been so uptight?” Sage asks, golden eyes still fixed on Felix.

Anisa scoffs. “I think Escell must’ve given him textbooks and an abacus to play with as a child.”

It’s at this moment that Sage decides that if Felix won’t have any fun on his own, maybe he could use a little help. He slings Felix over one of his shoulders and brings him out into the water, laughing all the way despite his protests.

When the day is finally over, Sage makes a big show of complaining as Anisa insists that he be the one to re-pack and carry all of their supplies back. Sage protests at first, even threatening to the others that he would simply spend the night at the beach rather than to do any of that, but he eventually agrees.

Over a series of grunts, expletives, and some admittedly poor attempts at folding, Sage repeats an exasperated question.

“Annie, how in the hells did you manage to pack all this into one stupid basket?”

#last legacy #fictif last legacy #sage lesath #felix iskandar escellun #anisa anka #last legacy sage #last legacy anisa #last legacy felix #beach episode

62 notes · View notes

taevbears · 2 years

Text

Magic Shop - 01

Your magical journey begins with a fateful encounter and a beloved companion.

⤑ pairing: (eventual) OT7 x female witch!reader ⤑ genre: magic au, slow burn, action/adventure ⤑ rating: 18+ ⤑ word count: 8.3k ⤑ warnings: DUB-CON, implied SA, side character death, systematic oppression, religious themes, violence, brief smut (foreplay and fingering), mention of blood, just a lot of dark themes in general, our reader is a smart cookie but also an idiot when it comes to the boys. ⤑ note: Hello lol. So I'm not exactly new to fanfiction, but I am new to writing BTS fanfiction. Anyway, spooky season is around the corner and this story has been in my head for a while now. This chapter is also heavily inspired but this game called Dragon Age: Origins (though you don't need to play it to read this story). Also big shoutout to @angelicyoongie for the tips and encouragement throughout my writing process ♡

Chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 (final)

The Devoted teaches that all magic is a source of wicked power, and those who inherit the abilities to manipulate unnatural forces are cursed.

For centuries, word of its immorality has spread throughout the lands. Until, one day, it’s become a universal truth. For magic, like all things twisted and evil, come from the Veil. A hidden realm between the spiritual and mortal worlds. A place of whims and fantasy. Of unspeakable horrors and sins.

To many, the Veil is a mystery.

Some describe it as a place where dreams manifest. A cluster of visions, intermingling together, creating a world of sleep and wake. Images that show one’s true desires and their darkest secrets.

Others say it’s a world for the passing. Where all souls end up once they leave the mortal realm. Lucky ones find a way to be reincarnated to a new life. Most are aimless wanderers, no longer attached to the memories of their previous lives. But there are some unfortunate ones who become restless spirits, gone too soon or burdened with regret. Eventually, the despair and fury overcome them, tainting their souls with a miserable, contagious darkness.

Mages, who are most attuned with their magic in the Veil, are also the most susceptible to corruption. The tainting is subtle at first. Whispered insecurities, fears, regrets, and doubts, chipping away at one’s sense of self. Until it molds and twists into a hatred that fills the hearts of mages and overflows into the mortal realm like a plague.

History speaks of those who have succumbed to the tempting darkness of their own abilities. Those who have sacrificed the blood of innocents for their unholy rituals. Who transformed humans into beasts, and who single-handedly usurped grand cities in their lust for power and greed.

They’re called the Wicked.

Left unchecked, all those born with magic could become tainted by their own power. Even those with the purest of souls.

Thus, it’s declared that all mages are condemned to be locked away in isolated castles and towers. Away from the humans, who deem them as dangers to their society, and heavily guarded by the Wardens of the Devoted, the sentries who have taken an oath to protect humankind and eliminate mages from becoming Wicked.

On a high cliff, overseeing the inky waters of a dark lake and beyond the ominous deep woods is Blackstone Castle. It’s one of the few hidden fortresses where those with an affinity to magic are taken upon the awakening of their abilities. Its tall, looming towers and sturdy, ancient structures are all you’ve ever known. Within its lonely, dreary walls and corridors is what you call home.

Like many cursed children, you’ve awakened your power at a young age. Too young to even remember the faces of your parents before you were cruelly ripped away from them.

Under the care of the Circle of Magi – enchanters who work as caretakers, teachers, and groundskeepers within the castle – and the ever-vigilant gaze of the Blackstone Wardens, you’ve learned to cultivate your art and make it into something incredible. Something beautiful.

Through years of study and practice, your passion and relentless determination has driven you to the top of your class. You’re a promising apprentice, yet to be defeated in a dueling match of incantations and spells. Your hard work has earned you many praises from your mentors, as well as the weary caution from the armored wardens.

After all, in the eyes of the Devoted, you’re an abomination. And your beautiful, remarkable talent is vile. Atrocious. Evil.

Someone like you – a young, feisty apprentice of high regard, who embraces the curse of magic as a blessing – is the perfect, dangerous concoction of becoming Wicked.

There’s only one way the enchanters and the wardens can determine a young mage’s abilities and their resistance to temptation within the Veil. A secret rite of passage that turns an apprentice into a full-fledged mage. A final test that all Blackstone students spend their youth anticipating and preparing for.

The Harrowing.

All mage apprentices must face this inevitable trial, but very few know what it truly entails. Those who’ve done it and succeeded are forbidden to speak about it. And those who’ve failed are never seen or heard of again.

At any given moment, an apprentice will be beckoned for this evaluation, and will have no other choice but to obey its call. And yours could be any day now.

“Mina,” a voice gently calls in the middle of the night. Your eyes flutter open, glancing at the handsome warden standing by the doorway. Light from the hallway shines behind him, almost giving him an angelic appearance. He addresses the girl sleeping in the bunk next to you. “Mina, wake up.”

Your roommate stirs at the sound of her name. “Seokjin?”

“It’s your time.”

In the darkness, you see Mina stiffen and a tense silence passes between them. You all know what those words mean. You watch as she takes a shaky breath and then proceeds to step out of bed. Some of the other girls in your tiny dorm sit up on their bunks to see her go. She returns your stares with an unspoken goodbye.

Your gaze turns to Seokjin just then. The handsome warden smiles sadly, watching as she tries not to tremble before him. Mina pauses by your bed, giving a half-hearted smile, one that carries the weight of the years of friendship between you two, before she leaves the dorm.

It’s the last time you’ll ever see her.

“She’s the fourth girl that went missing this month,” Hoseok comments, picking up pieces of grilled lamb and putting them on your plate. “Ever since Seokjin was transferred here, girls who do their Harrowing have disappeared more frequently.”

“Are you saying Seokjin has something to do with it?” you question, putting the meat right back on his plate. You refuse to eat more than your share when your best friend hasn’t even touched his food.

“I’m saying it’s suspicious.”

“It is really odd,” you agree, chewing thoughtfully. “But it’s Seokjin. I don’t think he has anything to do with the missing girls.”

Hoseok snorts. “You say that because you have a soft spot for him.”

“I saw him cowering over a moth that flew over his head the other night, Hoseok. I don’t think it’s that much of a reach to believe he’s harmless.”

Over a week has passed since Mina was summoned. No one has seen her around the castle after that night. As her roommate, the two of you would dream and whisper about passing that secret test together.

It’s the next big milestone; a graduation from your apprenticeship. Passing your Harrowing will bring you one step closer to becoming a true mage. Your new status will unlock new books and spells within the libraries. You can become a member of the Circle, whether to educate students, care for the little ones, or upkeep your favorite parts of Blackstone. The wardens will be less strict with you, given that you’d be living proof of your willpower and resistance to temptations. And that mysterious realm, with all its secrets and treasures, will be opened to you for the first time.

More than anything, you were ready for it. Both of you were.

But then, that night happened.

Suddenly, you wake up in the morning and see her empty bunk beside you. The bed is made and the pillow is cold. It hasn’t been touched. Not since she left. The other girls that share the dorm wonder about her, as she was friends with everyone she meets. But no one knows for sure what happened. If she’s still in the castle, why hasn’t she come by to see you all? Is she just busy with her new tasks and duties? Is something else going on?

While you’re lost in thought, Hoseok adds some meat back on your plate. He knows you’ve been unsettled since your roommate disappeared. You’ve told him as much when she didn’t return the next morning. And while you appreciate his subtle ways of taking care of you, you catch him in the act and return it back to him.

“Hoseok, please.”

“Sorry, I’m just…” he trails off with a heavy sigh, putting the utensils down. “I’m worried. The disappearances. Our own Harrowings. All the changes that come afterwards. Aren’t you scared?”

You are. More than you’re willing to admit.

You and Hoseok have been friends since you were kids. There’s rarely a day when the two of you aren’t seen together. Although you’ve been in Blackstone for as long as you can remember, he’s one of the very few you consider a friend.

Here, beneath the tree you and Hoseok are sitting under, holds so many first memories for you: your first kiss, your first confession, a sacred vow, a proposition. All of it with Hoseok.

But Hoseok doesn’t love you that way.

He told you so himself, catapulting your friendship into a strange limbo between platonic and romantic. One where you’ll seek each other out for comfort and affection, sometimes in ways that are too intimate for just friends. One where you can talk to each other about anything and everything, carrying each other’s secrets, knowing exactly what spots and kinks get him going behind that beautiful, sunny smile. One where Hoseok wouldn’t deny it if someone mistook you as his girlfriend, but in private, when it’s just you and him, he’d ask if the two of you are still friends.

Hoseok doesn’t love you that way because he likes Mina.

But he was afraid of messing up with her. So, he’d come to you. His best friend, a safe zone. Someone he trusted won’t break his heart.

And you let him because there’s one secret that Hoseok doesn’t know about. That maybe, perhaps, there’s a part of you that holds onto the hope of something more.

It’s confusing, this dance that you and Hoseok have shared over the years. Both of you value your friendship so much. But once you pass your Harrowing, you’ll no longer be an apprentice. You’ll be moved out of the dorm and into the enchanters’ corridors. You’ll be assigned new tasks and duties within the castle. Your schedule will be completely different from Hoseok’s.

You won’t see him as often as you do now. And that’s what terrifies you the most.

“I don’t have a reason to be,” you finally answer with a confident smile. A convincing lie.

He laughs in a way that makes your heart melt. “Wow, my best friend is very brave.”

You try not to let your smile falter and shovel some food in your mouth. The topic of Mina still lingers over your head. Hoseok must be heartbroken, even if he seems more occupied fretting over you. It feels absurd to move on from the fact that she isn’t around anymore, but Mina is one of the many girls who left without a trace.

“Anyway,” Hoseok continues, picking at his food again. “Just promise me you’ll be careful around Seokjin, okay?

“You have nothing to worry about, Hoseok,” you assure him with a small smile. Perhaps you really do have a soft spot for the handsome warden. “I trust him.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Wait, Hoseok,” you interrupt, turning your gaze away from him. “Did you hear that?”

Both of you fall quiet. The courtyard is busy with fellow apprentices on their break from morning lectures. Beyond the chatter, however, is a loud rustling coming from the bushes nearby. His eyes widen as he whispers, “Do you think it’s a bear?”

“A bear–” you sputter, standing to your feet. “No, I don’t think so.”

You carefully walk toward the sound, eyeing the shrubs before you. One of them pinpoints exactly where the source of the noise is coming from.

“What if it’s a tiger?” Hoseok asks urgently, tailing closely after you. His grip around your shoulders is almost painful.

Neither of those animals are revealed as you push the shapely plants with your hand. Instead, hidden in the small opening, is a tiny kitten.

It hisses the moment it sees you two, warning you both to stay away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you coo softly, trying to calm it down. It looks like a stray. Its black fur is covered with blood, dirt, and grime. It must’ve gotten attacked by another animal nearby.

“Poor little guy,” Hoseok says, peering over your shoulder. “How did you get here?”

The kitten continues to hiss and growl, distrusting eyes glaring up at you.

“It’s hurt,” you point out, noting how one of its front legs is stiff.

“I might have something in my pouch,” Hoseok mutters, looking over at the tree where you both abandoned your things. “Wait here, I’ll go get it.”

As he leaves, you crouch down to get a little closer. The kitten tenses, but isn’t able to go anywhere with its injured limb. It keeps its gaze on you, licking its leg to soothe itself and crying in pain.

The sound breaks your heart.

Before Hoseok could return, you close your eyes and hover your hand over the kitten’s arm. It growls, baring its teeth and trying to swipe at you with its good paw. Immediately, it freezes when a warmth is transferred from you to the kitten. It blinks up at you with surprised, feline eyes.

“Better?” you ask, feeling a bit dizzy. Healing magic is difficult and draining, especially since you’re not a trained healer. By the time Hoseok returns with both of your things, the kitten’s pained mewling stopped and it’s able to move its arm.

Hoseok crouches beside you, carefully feeding it some of the grilled lamb the two of you kept passing each other. A heart-shaped smile appears on his lips when the kitten sniffs at the meat and accepts it.

“I dipped some healing potion in the meat. He’ll be good as new by tomorrow morning,” he explains before playfully scolding, “You should’ve waited before you attempted healing magic. It only took me a minute to get my bag.”

“I had to do something, Hoseok,” you pout, though happy that the kitten was eating from his hand. Break is nearly over when the cloudy skies above quickly darken. “Let’s get you somewhere warm.��

The kitten seems hesitant at first, still seeming wary as its eyes gauge you and Hoseok. It seems settled in its hiding spot under the bushes too, but it changes its mind when the first raindrops fall on its head.

You gather the little thing in your arms, and you and Hoseok head inside before you’re all caught in the rain.

“Familiars,” the instructor says, just as you and Hoseok enter the lecture room. She has her back toward the class, writing out the term on the chalkboard. “Animals tend to be drawn toward magic, and sometimes, a special bond is formed between these creatures and people like us. For thousands of years, familiars have been known to be a mage’s greatest companion. They’re friends from the Veil, serving to guide and protect you as you develop your magical powers.”

Perched on her desk is the instructor’s familiar: a great, grey owl with a large, round face, a small beak, and beady eyes. It sleeps as the lesson goes on, both familiar and instructor unaware of the two of you quietly sneaking in while the class is in session.

Your new friend is with Hoseok, sleeping peacefully in his arms. You suppose you’re not the first person to bring a stray into the castle. Several other students have acquired their own pets: birds and reptiles perched on shoulders, rodents tucked in pockets, cats and dogs on laps. Small critters who’ve helped ease the loneliness that comes within the castle.

“What’s fascinating is that you don’t choose what your familiar looks like. Whatever creature they are, whatever shape they appear, they’re the ones that choose you,” she continues, looking at her beloved owl. She chuckles as she goes into a tangent. “Why, I had an old roommate who was allergic to hers–”

“What should we name our son?” Hoseok suddenly whispers, gently caressing the kitten’s cheek. You hear it purring under his touch.

You can’t help but smile. “He’s our son now? I didn’t know we were keeping him.”

“Look at his face, though. Wouldn’t the three of us make a cute family?” He shifts in his seat so that you could get a better look at your newly-founded son. With its fur cleaned up and the remedies seeming to help, it’s like a new kitten. Seeing it relaxed and happy in Hoseok’s arms is a stark difference from the scared, injured animal you found only an hour before.

“If he chooses to stay,” you say, reaching over to pet the top of its head and smiling when it leans toward your touch, “then we can name him.”

“The only way a mage can choose a familiar is by striking up a contract within the Veil. But be warned,” the instructor cautions, finally turning her attention to the class, “this is highly advised against. For if these creatures are dedicating their devotion, knowledge, and livelihoods to you, they will want something of equal value in return.”

Your eyes scan the lecture room, lingering toward the desk where he normally sits. A small frown forms on your lips when you see it’s empty again.

Where’s Namjoon?

“These kinds of contracts are considered dark magic, prone to turn you Wicked. Just like the mortal realm, there are good and bad spirits in the Veil. Some familiars, especially those who remember you from previous lives, will approach you with a genuine eagerness to help. Others will see you as a chance to corrupt the world that hurt them, manipulating and possessing you to do unspeakable evils. You’ll never know who or what you’re dealing with in the Veil, and there’s no going back once a contract has been made.”

“Hey, Hoseok.”

“Hm?”

“What happened to Namjoon? He wasn’t in any of the lectures this morning either.”

He glances up at the desk where Namjoon sits, causing the kitten to mewl in protest when he stops petting it. “I don’t know.”

Dread sinks in your heart. First Mina, now Namjoon is missing too?

“History speaks of the mages who’ve caused destruction and ruin to humankind, but some historians believe it was their familiars who influenced them into becoming Wicked,” she says, looking back at hers. “After all, why would a mage question the intentions of their greatest companion?”

The owl opens its eyes and hoots. A quiet warning.

The instructor smiles brightly and turns back to the class. “Now then, let’s open our books to where we last left off.”

If there’s one place you’d know to find Namjoon, it’d be here.

Tall shelves surround you, full of books in a variety of colors and volumes. Within many of their pages tell the history between humans and mages, skewed toward the teachings of the Devoted. Some contain spell books, most that are inaccessible to you as an apprentice. And some are leisure readings, often with a witch as the main villain of the story.

You spend a lot of time here. Probably more than at your own dorm. The quiet ambiance has helped you go through your studies and reviews of your notes and lessons over the years.

He’s always here as well. The library with all its written knowledge at his fingertips is his favorite part of the castle.

“Figured I’d find you here,” you remark once you spot him. He’s sitting at a table with a couple of his friends. They nudge at him when they see you approaching, knowing smiles and amused eyes lighting their faces. You ignore them as you cross your arms and glare at Namjoon. “You weren’t in class.”

“I wasn’t,” he acknowledges, raising an eyebrow before a twitch of a smirk tugs on his lips. “Why? Did you miss me?”

“Of course not,” you scoff, standing your ground as he gets up from his seat. He’s so tall, he practically towers over you. “I just want to know why you didn’t show up.”

It’s not just his physique that makes him so big, but his presence, the way that he can command a room to pay attention to him. Many of your fellow students admire him, even Hoseok. He’s incredibly intelligent too, one of the smartest and most naturally-gifted apprentices his mentors sing praises about. His knowledge on the arcane arts and its history is unmatchable.

And you absolutely loathe it.

You, who has been in Blackstone Castle your whole life, climbed to the top of your class through your own blood, sweat, and tears. Whereas Namjoon, who was transferred to Blackstone at nineteen, came to the top because magic comes easily for him. It could take you hours to master one spell while he gets it on his first try. He aces his exams with his nose stuck in unrelated books and poems, while you spend hours trying to maintain your high scores.

He’s the worst. The most mildly-infuriating, petty walking disaster of a genius you’ve ever come across.

“Sorry, baby. You won’t be seeing me much at the lectures anymore.”

You blink at surprise. “What? Why?”

“Didn’t you hear?” one of his friends pipes up. “Our Namjoon passed his Harrowing this morning. The wardens said that he finished it in under an hour! That’s the fastest anyone has ever completed theirs!”

Your eyes widen. “You did the Harrowing?”

A small, tiny sense of relief blooms in your heart when he nods his head. Your academic rival didn’t go missing. He passed his Harrowing and he’s still here, now working at the library to become a scholar.

“Do you guys mind? I’d like to talk to her for a minute,” Namjoon says to his friends without taking his eyes off you. The two exchange looks with each other and agree to give you some privacy. But you don’t let your guard down, even after they leave.

“What is it, Joon?”

“I heard about Mina,” he starts carefully, his voice sincere. “Are you okay? I know she was your roommate.”

“I’m… a little shaken,” you admit, uncrossing your arms. It feels almost strange being this vulnerable with him, but if Namjoon already did his, then yours and Hoseok’s would be right around the corner. “I don’t know what happened to her. No one tells us anything. Do you know? What happened to her, I mean?”

A look of guilt flashes in his eyes. “I can’t tell you.”

You sigh. “Of course you can’t.”

“Listen, be careful when you go to the Veil,” he warns, eyeing around him as if he’s afraid someone will listen in. There’s hardly anyone else here except the scholars and a handful of students, but you and Namjoon are nowhere near eavesdrop distance from them. “There are dark energies everywhere. Not just in that realm.”

You frown at his warning and think back to what Hoseok said about Seokjin. About all the disappearances that’s been happening lately. About Mina.

“I can handle myself, Namjoon.”

There’s a warmth in his aura, in the deep dimples of his smile, in the way he looks at you then. He squeezes your arm gently. “I know you can. Just promise you’ll come back to me, okay?”

It isn’t until later that night when you and Seokjin finally talk.

“Who’s this?”

“A new friend,” you explain, waving him over to sit next to you. On your lap is the black kitten, bumping its tiny head against your hand for pets. “Hoseok and I found him this morning, but we haven’t thought of a name yet.”

The kitten looks over at him, curiosity shining in its bright eyes, and mewls. The cute sound makes both you and Seokjin gush. “Sounds like you’re planning to keep him.”

“Only if he wants to stay.” You watch as Seokjin holds out his hand, letting the kitten sniff him, before he gently rubs its head with his fingertips. It purrs under his touch, closing its eyes with content. “I hope he does.”

“Maybe he’ll become your … familiar?” He glances at you, checking if he used the correct word. He’s the only warden you know of who even bothers learning a mage’s terminology.

Like all the other Blackstone Wardens, he’s in uniform. Heavy armor made of material resistant to magic. Hidden within his reach are spell-breaking weapons and poisons meant to hinder your abilities. Things that could temporarily mute or blind you mid-incantation.

Had it been any other warden, you wouldn’t feel comfortable being this close to them.

From the moment a mage is set to live in their towers, wardens are assigned to guard them, watch them, and “handle” them if they show signs of becoming Wicked. Most, if not all, the wardens are Devoted – members of the ruling religious organization that believe people with your gift are the ban of all things evil.

Thus, many of them, in your humble opinion, are assholes.

You’ve heard the rumors. The open secret of what happens to mouthy, pretty mages and wardens with too much power and too little heart.

It’s atrociously easy for wardens to call an innocent apprentice Wicked. It’s equally alarming how many self-righteous Devotees take advantage of their position over people like you, coercing victims to do what they want or have them face the deadly consequences of false accusations. You’ve seen with your own eyes how fellow apprentices cry themselves to sleep at night, or become distant and fearful after surviving these awful predators. How some willingly refuse to do their Harrowing if their assailant is present, as this assessment would be when an apprentice is the most vulnerable.

Not Seokjin, though.

He’s … different from the others. He’s safe.

Safe enough that you know you can trust him.

“Jin…” Although your voice is quiet, it’s loud enough for him to hear. Loud enough for him to turn his attention to you. “Can you promise me something?”

He looks up at you. His eyes are so warm and pretty. They practically have stars in them. “What is it?”

“When I do my Harrowing, will you protect me?”

“You know I can’t interfere with your test,” he replies, his voice quiet.

“I know. I meant,” you fidget slightly. “my body. Could you watch over me? Make sure nothing happens to me when I’m in the Veil.”

“Of course.” He extends a pinky toward you. A gesture that makes you smile as you wrap your own pinky around his. He returns your smile and vows, “I’ll always protect you.”

As the days pass, the concern over Mina has died down. Instead, you hear rumors of another failed Harrowing. Another girl disappearing. But no one has any answers as to why this is happening.

The black kitten stayed with you and Hoseok for a couple more days until it fully healed. Then, without a word, it left too. But not without giving you a small token of appreciation.

That next morning, you found a Dzi bead on your pillow. A small, protective charm meant to bring the wearer good fortune, health, and luck.

Ironically, you had the gift in your hand when Seokjin came to your dorm again. He calls out your name, gently shaking your shoulder and stirring you from your sleep. There’s a sad smile on his handsome face as he tells you, “It’s your time.”

You must’ve fallen back to sleep.

On the edge of dreaming and waking, you could’ve sworn you heard a strange sound. Your brows furrow in wonder, but your eyes remain close.

You’re exhausted. The lulls of sleep call you like a siren song. Your body feels heavy, your head feels dizzy. All you want to do is lay still on the soft, cozy bed you’re on and let your dreams drift you away.

But something – someone – keeps you on the brink of consciousness. Again, you hear a peculiar sound. Louder this time than before.

Music?

When you open your eyes, you’re greeted with a familiar sight. Cold, dark stones cemented into an ominous, impenetrable tower. Cobble-pebbled patterns decorate the high ceilings. Moonlight shines through a single, small window and casts baleful shadows with its serene light.

Blackstone Castle. Or rather, a place that looks like it.

Growing up here, you know every nook and cranny of this place, and yet…

Something feels off.

It’s too spacious. Too quiet.

No snores of creaking beds from the other apprentices. No heavy, armored footsteps from the wardens during their nightly patrols. No stifled giggles or hushed voices from the enchanters as they pass through the corridors.

This isn’t a room you recognize, and this bed is far too comfortable to call your own.

Compared to your stiff bunk in the dorm, this canopy bed feels like a cloud. Soft. Fluffy. The sheets feel like silk against your bare skin. It reminds you of how tired you are to begin with. How heavenly a decent sleep sounds.

But the strange, distant melody keeps you from drifting completely.

And it’s only then that you realize you’re not alone.

There’s a weight over you, heavy and wrapped around you tightly. It keeps you secured to the cloud, trapping you in its hold. Warm breath tickets the back of your neck, and you could feel the rise and fall of a muscular chest against your bare back.

Terror strikes you wide awake.

Here you are, in a room you don’t recognize, sleeping on a stranger’s bed. Naked, and with no recollection of how you even got there.

Heart racing, you slowly flip over to face the stranger. A sharp gasp falls from your lips when you recognize who it is. “Seokjin?!”

The handsome warden grunts in response. Without opening his eyes, and with his voice in a deep, sleepy rumble, he tiredly asks, “What time is it?”

“Jin, what– how did we–” you stumble over your words as you sit up, pulling the sheets over your chest. “I can’t remember–”

Seokjin opens his eyes this time. Deep brown stares back at you. Ones that usually sparkle whenever he turns his gaze toward you. Ones that are full of warmth and stars.

One that makes you realize something is very off about Seokjin.

Instead, the eyes that look at you are cold and hollow, completely void of light. Terrifying, and yet, you can’t look away from them.

You try not to shiver when Seokjin raises his head from the pillow and sits up to face you. The sheets fall off his chest and down to his thin waist unceremoniously. A mischievous smirk dances on his lips as he leans toward you. “Shall I remind you?”

“We shouldn’t,” you whisper, darting your gaze at anything but him and his broad shoulders, his plush lips, his muscular abdomen. You know Seokjin is handsome – hell, he knows it, too – but this isn’t… He wouldn’t…

“Why not?” he asks, nearly pouting. His hand cups your face, thumb gently brushing your cheek. “You trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” you reply. And it’s the truth. You trust Seokjin more than anyone.

He leans closer. The emptiness in his eyes are replaced with odd glints of gold. Mesmerizing. Hypnotizing. You barely hear his command.

“Then give in, little one.”

Your eyes flutter close as he presses soft kisses against your cheek, then along your jaw. The bedsheets no longer feel like fine silk against your fingers, but thin and transparent, even before he pries your hands open and lets the covering fall to your waist. You feel your heart to your throat as his lips travel to your neck, to your collarbone, to your breast.

It’s like your body has a mind of its own as your nod in consent, easily falling back on the cloud with the handsome warden on top of you.

Drifting. You feel yourself drifting.

A haze muddles your thoughts as Seokjin continues to press kisses against your skin. It feels good. You can feel yourself arching for more, preening to be held and touched. He smirks as he travels lower, dipping to your hips where he tugs off the remaining covers.

The melody in the background stutters, as if someone fumbled with the notes. It’s jarring enough to snap you out of the trance. To realize that Seokjin’s touch is burning as he pins you to the bed. To see that the eyes looking down at you are inhuman.

This isn’t Seokjin.

Seokjin is your warden. Your friend. The man you trust the most. He would never take advantage of you like this.

Snapping out of it, you shove down the building arousal and look around the room. Something is wrong. You have to get out of here. All your things are thrown on the floor, and there’s nothing within reach that you can use to defend yourself.

You’ll have to improvise.

Shutting your eyes, you try to keep focused. Little whimpers and shaky gasps escape your lips when you feel his mouth work against your core. His tongue and fingers distract you, eliciting waves of desire and pleasure.

The Seokjin look-alike sits up to peer down at you, brown eyes almost golden now as he seems to feed off your energy. Long fingers are still inside you, curling and pumping in and out, distracting him enough for you to strike.

Strength and light flow from your fingertips. Using that energy, you shove the stranger on top of you. The magic burns its bare chest as a demonic scream escapes its lips.

Your heart nearly stops when you hear the sound.

It’s Wicked.

When the imposter recoils, you stumble out of the bed and grab a simple black dress from the floor. There’s a small weight in one of the pockets, and when you reach inside, you recognize the shape of the kitten’s gift – something that won’t help you now. You don’t dare look back or think about how your legs are shaking as you throw your clothes on and run out the door. Your feet are flying without direction, lungs burning and legs aching, until you’re certain you’re far away from it. Until you’re certain it isn’t chasing you down.

So that’s Wicked. You’ve heard the enchanters talk about those doomed beings. Embodied vices of lust, pride, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth, and wrath that taint the mages, letting their powers corrupt them, until they are no longer human.

Your head doesn’t feel as hazy and your body doesn’t feel as lethargic since you’ve exited that room. It was a very close call. That entity with Seokjin’s face… You shudder to think of what could’ve happened if you stayed a minute longer.

Catching your breath, you take a moment to look at your surroundings. The hallways are similar to the castle, but long and winding. It almost makes you feel dizzy looking down at them. Lanterns and doorways mirror each other in endless paths.

You straighten up and reach toward a random door, opening it and stepping inside.

Only to find yourself in a similar hallway.

What?

With a frown, you reach for another door. One on your right this time, instead of directly in front of you.

But it’s the same damn thing. Same endless, dark hallways. Same dimly-lit lanterns. Same identical doorways. No matter how many you go through, you’re stuck in a loop.

Panic crawls beneath your skin when a low growl emits from the hallway.

That Wicked is still after you, and it’s angry.

Who knows if the next door you choose will lead you closer to it. Or if it will have you stuck in a repeating maze until it catches up.

Just when it feels like all hope is lost, you hear it.

The melody from earlier. It sounds like it’s coming through one of the doors.

With nothing else to lose, you open it and step inside, knowing that the Wicked will get you if you stay where you are. You’re in an identical hallway, but this time, the music comes from a different door. Then, another door. And another door.

You’ve lost count of how many you’ve gone through. Could be dozens. Could be hundreds. But every time, it feels like you’re getting a bit closer and closer to the source.

And then, finally, you open a door and no longer find yourself in a dreary hallway.

Emerald-green walls paint the candle-lit room, causing haunting shadows to dance with the burning glow of the fires. A fence with a tarp cages a black, grand piano. And inside is a man with pale skin that contrasts his black hair.

Of all the things in the room, his aura seems to shine the brightest.

He doesn’t notice you as his fingers continue to play the beautiful instrument, its melody drawing you closer and closer.

You’re practically standing next to the pianist when the song ends and he finally addresses you. “Can I help you with something?”

“I…” you pause, almost forgetting why you’re here. “You play so beautifully.”

His eyes flicker away for a brief moment, taken aback by the sudden compliment. Even more so with how such a simple sentence stirs something he’s forgotten so long ago. He rephrases his question. “What do you want?”

You don’t answer him right away. The two of you stare at each other as the candle wax burns and the shadows around the room continue to sway. Then, you reach into the pocket of your dress and pull out the token the kitten gifted you, resting it on top of your piano.

His eyes widen when he sees it. Then, he takes it in his hand.

“There’s something after me.”

Dark eyes linger off the charm and onto your face. His gaze is intense but strangely familiar. “He won’t get you in here. This area isn’t in his boundaries.”

“But I can’t stay here, either.”

The pianist raises an eyebrow at you, seeming surprised by your statement. You suppose he had expected you to accept his refuge, but you know you’re losing precious time. You know that you’re in the Veil and this is your Harrowing.

“You’re a smart one,” he says after a moment, almost impressed. To your dismay, he hands back the token and turns back to his piano. A new melody begins. “I won’t keep you here, but I can’t help you. Your protection charm is no use to me here.”

The door you came from opens. Back to where that monster with Seokjin’s face is waiting for you. Back to where you can almost feel the bloodlust from the other side.

“I’m willing to bargain.”

That catches his attention. His hands still, the music stops. The shadows against the wall seem to pause and stare at you, silent witnesses to what’s about to happen. Words from the instructor echo in your head, but it’s too late. The words already left your mouth.

And the pianist, with his dark, intense, feline eyes – tinted with a golden amber reflected from the candlelight – stands before you. “What’s your offer?”

“Ah, little one. You finally came out of hiding,” the one with Seokjin’s face smiles devilishly as you approach him. “Shall we continue where we left off?”

Thrown to the wolves, you feel terrified. You have nothing but the clothes on your back, a beaded charm, and a half-assed plan. None of your lectures, nothing you’ve ever read or practiced, could have prepared you for this. The monster at the crossroad. The hungry wolf hunting you down like prey.

But you can’t be scared. Not now when the enemy is right in front of you.

“You’re the one responsible for all the missing girls.”

His broad shoulders shake with sadistic laughter.

“That I am! You impress me, little one. Those stupid girls never even escaped that room. Always falling into their desires, they don’t realize how much time has passed. How cold their physical bodies become while their souls are in my hands. They practically beg me to turn them Wicked, to devour their humanity,” he shamelessly admits, bringing his hands to cup his jawline. “This face of that warden you all desire – he’s made the hunting so much easier. Isn’t that right, friend?”

He’s addressing the pianist now. You turn to him with a frown. “You killed those girls too?”

“I see he hasn’t told you of our arrangement,” the wolf says, staring at his partner. “His music lures in the ones who get away. Baits them right into his little cage where he can trap them for as long as he desires.”

“Sorry,” the pianist finally speaks. “I have a new contract now.”

The wolf’s smile falters. “You’re betraying me? For this human?”

“You killed my friends!” you tell the wolf, drawing his attention back to you. Thinking about Mina. Thinking about all the other apprentices who’ve failed their Harrowings because of them. Those who never became mages, who’ve lost their dreams and their humanity. “I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done!”

“We shall see,” the wolf replies, bearing its large teeth at you. In an inhuman speed, the wolf lunges at you. The pianist pushes you out of the way at the last second as the two demons tumble to the ground.

“Find a weapon!” the pianist yells, crying out in pain when the wolf bites into his shoulder. You scramble to your feet, looking for a wand, a staff, something. The crossroads doesn’t provide you much of anything, and your hand encloses around the charm in your pocket, anxious and stressed.

Until you realize the charm has changed shape.

In a mysterious realm where willpower is the key to survival, you don’t have time to question it as you cast a spell to knock the wolf off the pianist. The Seokjin-lookalike lands roughly on the dirt-pathed ground, but you don’t give it time to recover as two more spells fire from your wand.

“Stupid girl!” the demon roars, moving to attack, its fingers extending into claws. You manage to put up a barrier at the last second, shielding yourself and the pianist. The wolf roars in frustration, running back and body slamming against your shield. To your horror, the transparent spell begins to crack.

“Listen, you have to drop your barrier,” the pianist tells you as the attacks become harder and faster, causing jagged rips along your magic. “Drop it and attack him on my count.”

You look at him like he’s insane. “You were partners with this guy! How will I know you won’t betray me?”

“You don’t,” he says as the wolf continues its relentless attacks. It won’t be long until it shatters completely. “But we made a contract.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoes, nodding his head. Your defense is breaking. One more hit, and you’re done. “One… two…”

On three, just as the wolf is about to give the final blow, you strike. A bright ball of light shoots from your wand, bigger than any spell you’ve cast so far. It sends the wolf back and knocks him out for good.

It’s over.

Out of breath, you collapse on the ground. The wand you use changes back into a charm, and the pianist stands beside you in shock. He holds his arm as blood seeps through his white shirt, but he doesn’t pay any mind to it as he states, “You … You actually did it. You defeated him.”

“Yeah…” you sigh, equally in disbelief. You’ve never had to fire off that many spells at once. You’re exhausted, dead on your feet, but you finally notice the injury on the pianist’s arm. “Wait, let me heal you.”

“You still want to help me? After what I’ve done?”

“We made a contract,” you remind him, holding out hand and letting the warmth spread from you to him. You feel even dizzier, more so than when you helped the kitten. “This is the second time I had to do this for you, you know.”

“You know it’s me, huh?” A small smile appears on the pianist’s mouth. His dark eyes – ones identical to the black kitten – seem to be full of admiration when he looks at you. “You really are a clever girl.”

The Devoted teaches that all magic is a source of wicked power, and that those born with the abilities to manipulate those unnatural forces are cursed.

But they’re wrong.

History remembers the wicked and their dark rituals, their forbidden magic, and their insatiable vices. They completely erase the wisdom and beauty bestowed upon their world through magic. They forget about the brave mages who fought along historic heroes in their quests, or the wise healers in villages that the Devoted haven’t influenced. They tear away young children from their families, imprison potential spell-casters from the world, shun them for their gift, hunt them down for simply existing.

Over the years, young apprentices would come to the Veil, fresh and unprepared to face the entities that rule this realm. It’s a sadistic rite of passage that the Devoted created to prove a young mage’s worth. Throwing their spirits to the wolves, defenseless and scared, as the Wicked feeds off their energies, eager to corrupt and consume. Leaving the physical forms behind, vulnerable, unconscious, and in the mercy of those sending them to the Veil.

The pianist has been in this realm for a very long time. He no longer remembers his past, nor does he care about the person he was. All he knows is his piano and the music he creates that fills his lonely eternity with life and magic.

For far too long, he’s seen apprentice after apprentice fail their Harrowing. He’s seen the look of defeat in their eyes once a mage awakens and finds themselves in this world. He’s seen Wicked, like his old partner, toy with these lost souls like predators that play with their meals. He’s grown numb to the horrors and anguish that surrounds him with their defeat.

His partner, the wolf, has become greedy with their arrangement. A deal that they made long ago: should an apprentice escape the wolf’s den and find themselves in the music room, the wolf can’t touch them. Not when they’re still within his boundaries.

Sometimes, they hide too long. Their physical bodies become cold, and their connection to the mortal realm weakens. That’s what happened to your friend, Mina, who sought sanctuary from the wolf, but didn’t leave until it was too late. Her soul is forever trapped like a bird in a cage. And the wolf, constantly on the prowl of those who got away, waits just outside the border with all the patience in the world.

His somber melodies play as souls like hers begin to accept that she’ll never return to her body. They play in triumph as souls like Namjoon, who enters a different part of the Veil, faces his fears and vanquishes his own demon. They play for souls like yours, luring you away from the wolf, bringing you safely to him.

He first met you in a different form, one of a small cat on the brink of death. For just a few days, he sees through its eyes the person you are: brave, kind, and clever. You have a potential he hasn’t seen in another apprentice in years.

The feeling only amplifies when you find him in the Veil and offer the token he had gifted you, placing it on his piano in exchange for his aid against his greedy partner. One that he returns back to you with a spell of transformation, allowing you to change its shape once and for a short time.

You’re incredibly special. That much is clear to him from the moment he met you.

However, he’s starting to suspect you’re more special to him than he thought.

“What do you want?” you ask him in response to his question, holding his gaze.

It almost sounds naÏve coming from your mouth, but something tells him that you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

“You,” he simply says. “You’re what I want.”

“That’s a high demand for one Wicked. Name something else.”

“Who’s to say this is the only Wicked you’ll face? There are many dangers here, but some of the most vile creatures are the humans from your realm.”

It makes his blood boil. Feelings that he hasn’t felt in so long surfacing.

You’re quiet for a moment, then you propose, “Well, if it’s me that you want, then it’s only fair that you become mine too. I don’t want just help for this Wicked. I want you to be my partner.”

The pianist looks at your extended hand and the certainty in your eyes. His large hand practically swallows yours as he shakes it. “I accept.”

And so, a deal between two souls is made.

When you wake from your Harrowing, you find yourself in the arms of the handsome warden, who took care of you just as he promised he would. You’re engulfed in a hug from your best friend, screaming his congratulations and relieved that you’re safe. A sentiment he shares with your academic rival, who throws you a proud, dimpled smile when your eyes meet his.

No longer an apprentice, there are new changes with your schedule around the castle. But there’s one thing you’re adamant about keeping the same: you and Hoseok, beneath the old tree that’s become a favorite spot for you two.

And it’s in that place where you and the pianist meet again.

“Oh, our son is back!” Hoseok exclaims, smiling brightly at the black kitten. It meows at him, as if saying that he’s home. He reaches over and scratches the top of its head. “I guess it wants to stay with us. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Yeah.” You give your new familiar a knowing smile, remembering the bright, shining aura he had in the Veil. “Let’s call him Yoongi.”

Thank you for reading ♡ Comments & reviews are greatly appreciated! To join the tag list, please read [here].

Series Masterlist | Next

#magic shop series #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #hoseok x reader #namjoon x reader #yoongi x reader #seokjin x reader #bts magic au #bts witch au #bts fantasy au #bts au #bts fanfic

400 notes · View notes

ask-dawnanddusk · 1 year

Note

@askthehoenngods Kyogre @ Kyogre

They had never seen another of their kind, let alone someone so very different to themselves. It was with some awe that Ky looked upon the other god of the ocean. Even if they were as ancient as one another, it was still surprising to be able to communicate the 'old way.'

They waved to the other with a smile, and with thoughts and images, Ky greeted them.

'Greetings! I'm Ky. Do forgive me, I have never seen another of my kind before. It's so wonderful to meet you! Do you have a name? I just prefer Ky.'

The titan was silent for a moment, seemingly stunned, before It spoke again, a mix of images and words but so very, very clear to one who knew how to Hear. "I have heard, from others, from my companion, of ones like I, though none dare venture into my waters. Out of ignorance or fear, I know not, but still I find myself in wonder of you. Perhaps long ago I would have been enraged at the sight, lost to more base instincts, but now all I see is another like me. It is wonderful to meet you, fellow ocean titan. I do hope life has treated you well."

"You are much smaller then I." The giant beast mused, "I wonder how much more you have seen. My form is vast and powerful, but I can see very little as I am. At least, not with my own eyes. In this way I envy you, and the freedom you have. But I will take this feeling and strive towards new magics thought outside my being. Shifting my form is something I have yet to master."

It turned It's gaze at the mew who connected to It's vast mind. The feeling of pounding ocean waves and the vastness of silent ocean are impressed upon the mythicals mind, though the titan did work to reign in It's overwhelming presence. This one was not like the other who was like it, and thus was not accustom to the feeling. It was curious, as mew so rarely did enter this realm.

It pondered the question for a long moment, before answering them both. The words were harder to understand for the mew, as It was not used to speaking in words, however It tried Its best. "I have had many a name, yet I feel no true attachment to any except one. My companion, the one I sent away on a ocean current, has begun to call me and my other by such names. Therefore I suppose you may also use it. I am called Oceanus."

(@blueespeon)

#pokemon kyogre #Oceanus #pokeask #pokemon ask blog #answered ask #pokemon mew #plot posts #so excited to finally get this out!!

24 notes · View notes

vanoefucks · 5 days

Text

book recommendation tag game!

rules: recommend as many books as you like. please include genre and some basic information on it (either your words or a copy+paste synopsis). feel free to include cover art, a personal review, trigger warnings, and anything else! just don’t spoil the book!

Tagged by @dekarios <33 ty!!

BITTERTHORN : Kat Dunn

Genre: Gothic Fantasy Romance (sapphic) (adult)

Blumwald is a town overshadowed by an ancient curse: in a sinister castle in the depths of the wild wood lives a monstrous Witch. Once a generation, she comes to claim a companion to return with her – never to be seen again. Now that time is drawing near once more... Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up.

I adore this book and although it took me a while to warm up to the prose (it had been a while since I’d read anything other than ya) it drew me in and I finished it over the course of 2 train rides. It’s beautiful and made me cry but it’s so??? Comforting in the strangest way.

ALL THESE BODIES : Kendara Blake

Genre: Mystery & Horror (ya)

Summer 1958. A gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood. Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, never imagined that the Bloodless Murders would come to his backyard. Not until the night the Carlson family was found murdered in their home. Marie Catherine Hale, a diminutive fifteen-year-old, was discovered at the scene—covered in blood. She is the sole suspect in custody. Michael didn’t think that he would be part of the investigation, but he is pulled in when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.

I love a small town vibe & saw this at the charity shop with its shiny! Cover so obviously I picked it up. I read it slowly but only because I didn’t want it to end. It was so cool to read it from the point of view of Michael and the details get pretty fucked up so warning with that. Heavy discussions of murder and gory details.

PRINCE OF THE SORROWS : Kellen Graves

Genre: Fantasy Romance (lgbt) (adult)

the book gives you a list of tws at the start worth looking at

Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as “the wolf”, Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him

Now this series is literally what made me buy a kindle in the end. I love the rowan blood books even if the second one after this had me tearing my hair out. It’s the first and only fae book series I’ve read and I don’t think any will ever hold up to this. The characters are to die for and the author does so well with having you root for saffron. I love it so dearly.

Bonus: the Spider-Man and & Deadpool comic run LMAO

Ok so!! I’ll do 3 for now ^^ thank you again for the tag <3 i love reading even though I’ve slowed down due to work :[ & I'll take any chance to share some of my faves.

Tagging @leonbastralle @landgraabbed @ambrozians & @gallusneve (no pressure whatsoever as always <3)

#WAIT #all these authors names being with K #that’s so funny #tag meme #posting this at 4am bc im silly and shouldve been waking up now for work but....all nighter :(

6 notes · View notes

schweizercomics · 2 years

Photo

Companions of Christmas 9: Perchta and Holda!

This pair of magical sisters have been in Germany since ancient days; Perchta (left, in both images) in the north, Holda (right in both), the south. The first spinners, they taught people how to make thread and yarn, an art they still consider their purview. Every year on Christmas eve, they visit the homes of fellow spinners to bestow a blessing: wishing to reward industry and productivity, they will grant as many months of good luck as there are threads on the spindle. BUT they return twelve days later, on Epiphany, leading bands of wild Perchten, and will inspect those same spindles. Should a spinner have failed to be industrious, the sisters will, instead of a granting a blessing, lay down a curse: as many months of bad luck as there are unused threads remaining on the spindle. Though as old as Christmas itself, the sisters have the ability to appear young (and beautiful), but never at the same time. Even though both yearn to take romantic partners, they can only do so on the three Thursdays preceding Christmas, and as neither is willing to let the other have a monopoly on youth for whole night, this virtually always leads to the prospective partner seeing their paramour’s true form before anything goes much farther than mistletoeing. So, if you're in Germany during Advent and find yourself captivated by the attentions of a lovely young woman, be sure to check if her right foot is splayed like a swan’s from centuries of pedaling a spinning wheel (that’s Perchta!) or if she has an iron nose (that’s Holda!). Contrary to common belief, the sickle that Holda carries isn’t a weapon to used against kids whose rooms have been left untidy. It is, instead, a symbol of the sisters' dominion over the Perchten. The Perchten are a retinue of wild creatures, child ghosts, and those romantic conquests unlucky enough to have failed to recognize the sisters for who they really were, driven mad by their trysts and bound in their service. The two sisters frequently run afoul of the Clauses. Whereas Santa reforms the shaggy wild beast-men that roam the Alpine region (like our friend the Krampus), the sisters subjugate them, and in her annual attempts to protect the more meek hidden creatures of the world from being the targets of the Wild Hunt, Mrs. Claus often finds herself up against the sisters, who are regular participants and sometimes leaders of the terrible fray, and all three bear the scars of these sometimes ferocious encounters.

#Christmas #Perchta #Holda #Perchten #Santa #Santa Claus #German Folklore #Folklore

141 notes · View notes

baldinar · 3 months

Text

skyler does grand chase digimon lines finally (part 1)

decided to do some digimon lines for the grand chase characters, starting off with the sword wielding folks (mainly swords, specifically)

sieghart, elesis, uno, ronan, edel, and zero (bear in mind i'm working off of what i actually am able to access in our system about this series rn lol, but i thought of this because i got smacked in the face with an idea for lines for sieghart and uno)

i want to note that while a lot of ref book entry stuff is why i picked some of these digimon, i also like the idea that any digimon can be companionable, so i think that in a digimon setting, even the more "violent" digimon partners would be capable of becoming close with their GC partners. a huge thing in digimon is how the emotional state of the human partner (in this case, humanoid) affects a digimon's evolution and stability. soooo yeah.

lines explained under the cut (SUPER DUPER LONG). some liberties taken with these lines because i couldn't make them line up perfectly but i did want some little through lines here and there.

sieghart: spadamon -> leomon (x-antibody) -> crescemon -> ancientgarurumon -> chaosmon (valdur arm)

like i said, this line along with uno's line are kind of the first i put together for this post. you're gonna need to follow with me a bit here, because this line might look like nonsense.

spadamon was chosen because, to me, it's the most go-to "rookie with a sword" there is. digimon like kotemon exist, yes, but spadamon is a member of the legend arms, which are digimon that can literally turn into weapons that other digimon can wield. spadamon's also almost always seen in a position where it's learning from another more experienced digimon. i think this parallel, alongside it being a digimon with a sword, really, makes it a good fit for sieghart as a partner. sieghart's whole deal is that when he got found by the highlanders, they taught him a whole bunch about their techniques and that's how he gained immortality. i think it's only fitting to give him a partner digimon who's associated with being already quite skilled, but needing to learn more.

leomon (x antibody) was chosen partially because i think leomon x antibody objectively rips since it wholly owns the idea of "guts from berserk's fursona) but also like. look at its ref book entry for the effect the x-antibody had on its core: "In order to defeat more fiendish Digimon to enforce its justice, it has mastered swordsmanship through intense training in addition to physical training. It freely handles the longsword "Jūga-maru" and the magical sword "Shishiou-maru", which are said to have sharpened more through countless battles, by dual wielding them, so it is definitely a "Beast Gladiator". Since its red cape was obtained when it confronted an Ultimate Digimon, it is said to be the proof of a hero."

i couldn't NOT pick the digimon literally called "Beast Gladiator." also, the decision to use x-antibody here was inspired further by the fact that the x-antibody is associated with "cheating death" in a way by becoming stronger. in other words, like sieghart, by becoming stronger in combat, leomon refused to die.

crescemon is kind of on here because i thought including one little nod to the soluna would be kind of nice. i couldn't find an ultimate i liked more, either, and crescemon is another dual-wielding digimon. while the aesthetic and ref book entries might better fit others in the chase, i also think crescemon is a good bridge between leomon (x-anti) and ancientgarurumon.

ancientgarurumon was picked for a few reasons. in part, it's the ancient warrior of light (the "sol" to crescemon's "luna," if you will). that ancient warrior thing also means that it's a digimon who is mythologized (like sieghart). its weapons of choice are also, again, swords!! another dual wielding sword user! (sieghart has like three jobs that dual wield, this was so easy to gravitate towards)

and of course, chaosmon valdur arm (VA). i chose this because it's reminiscent of omnimon (one of the many mascots of digimon), and also both extremely powerful and unstable. but also, hehe, leomon head for a sword pommel. bringing the champion back in (even if it is through bancholeomon being part of chaosmon's components). VA was chosen over regular chaosmon because i wanted to further the light theme of ancientgarurumon, rather than use darkdramon (the regular variant of chaosmon). also, chaosmon's instability works as a parallel to sieghart's rage mode; chaosmon is a digimon that can barely exist, and will either break apart or die quickly.

elesis: hackmon -> leomon -> grademon -> shinegreymon -> shinegreymon burst mode

this was a fun line!

hackmon was chosen because, similar to spadamon, it often takes a mentee role to another digimon, a member of the royal knights (gankoomon). hackmon also, however, oftentimes becomes a member of the royal knights as well. this connection to them was chosen over just using the whole hackmon line partially because elesis has some family clout, and also partially because i wanted to include a more diverse line than the hackmon -> JESmon line. also, while gankoomon may be primarily a fist-fighter, i think having a digimon partner with pre-established relationships to another as a mentee parallels nicely with elesis initially traveling in search of her father, who trained her in the way of the sword.

leomon was chosen in reference to sieghart's line, as well as the fact that in GCDC, elesis's pet is a lion. leomon is known for using hand to hand combat, but it also wields a sword like its x-antibody counterpart! and its physical combat moves are associated with fire, much like many of elesis's skills!

grademon was chosen to bridge the gap between leomon and shinegreymon. grademon is another dual wielding sword digimon! but also, its skills are said to surpass that of lordknightmon (a royal knight), bringing it back around to why i picked hackmon in the first place.

shinegreymon was chosen for a few reasons that aren't as obvious when seeing its ref book entry. it's the mega level of another agumon (one of digimon's mascots), so fitting in with the fact that elesis is kind of the face of GC, i picked it to fill that role in her digimon's line. however! shinegreymon also has a sword (it's just not visible in its ref book entry). while this sword isn't exactly like any of elesis's weapons in the game, i think the combination of having a sword, being associated with fire, and also being part of the family of digimon associated with playing a role as mascot to the franchise, makes it a good pick.

for mega+, i figured nothing better would fit than shinegreymon burst mode, as it really just dials up everything about shinegreymon. not much to say with this pick, it just makes sense since i gave elesis shinegreymon.

uno: gammamon -> duskmon -> oboromon -> tactimon -> omnimon zwart defeat

this alongside sieghart's line was the first one i had an idea for. i wanted to focus on the fact that uno, somewhat like elesis, has a relationship with sieghart (thanks to being made out of highlander blood). also, i wanted to highlight the difference in how uno's swordplay works versus the others in the series, so oboromon and tactimon are meant to help elicit that difference in style.

gammamon is a digimon associated with the GRB virus in lore, which is something he utilizes in the ghost game anime when gulusgammamon fronts. the choice for gammamon as uno's rookie is explicitly due to the fact that uno is known for losing control to his bloodlust in what little canon we've seen of him in GC.

the choice for duskmon here calls back to sieghart's line. beowulfmon is the ancient warrior of light in digimon lore, and duskmon is the corrupted human spirit of darkness. in frontier, the wielders of light and dark were twins, and duskmon in particular is associated with the leomon line thanks to both darkness evolutions purifying into leomon-adjacent digimon (lowemon and kaiserleomon respectively). this reinforces the tie that uno's line has to sieghart's twofold--- through darkness and light, and through the connection to leomon.

oboromon was chosen primarily due to a lack of other fitting digimon at the ultimate level. however, its reference book entry still fits thematically with this line, emphasizing that oboromon is a digimon who "has an unusually intense obsession with victory is because it has taken in a large amount of hatred data from the Digimon it has defeated."

at the mega level, we have tactimon, who wields a sword that it doesn't even draw from its sheath: "If it stabs the ground once it generates an earthquake, if twice it awakens one hundred dead warriors, and if thrice it collapses the surrounding land with a shock wave." in xros wars, tactimon is comprised of countless digimon who died in battle with extreme regrets and hatred in their hearts.

finally, we have omnimon zwart defeat. i'll just share this sample from its ref book entry: "The raging virus program and lingering vaccine program within its body clash with each other, causing it to become unstable, and so its wounded body continues to run wild and tire without ever recovering. Occasionally, it will restrict using both of its weapons in order to suppress any damage the instant the vaccine program pushes back and it regains its sense of self."

part of the reason i chose omni zwart d is because of its ref book entry, but i also chose an omnimon variant due to the fact that sieghart's mega+ digimon, chaosmon VA, is a variant of chaosmon (duh), which is a digimon that has a similar build to omnimon (i would wager it was designed after it in the first place). by picking an omnimon variant to parallel sieghart's chaosmon VA, i wanted to tie uno's line with his still.

ronan: rurimon -> wizardmon -> mistymon -> dynasmon -> ragnalordmon

this is almost beat for beat a stereotypical dynasmon line but i don't care, it fits ronan really well lmao. i wanted to lean into a mixture of magic and swordplay with this line.

rurimon was chosen as the rookie because it's visibly similar to agumon--- almost like a witchelny variant of agumon (witchelny is the place where a lot of magical digimon come from). ronan, as one of the first characters in the game to use swords after elesis, almost feels like a "variant" of her gameplay introduced, so i thought it would be a neat callback to ronan being among the first new swordsman characters introduced to GC by using a variant of digimon's own "mascot" (agumon is only one of them, as digimon actually has a lot). i debated using rurimon for mari, but i think i have some interesting ideas for lines for her, so i'm okay using rurimon here.

wizardmon continues the magical aspect of the line, mostly because there are very few champion level digimon that i think would fit ronan here. the mixture of different elemental magics is especially nice, and while this might limit what i'm able to use for arme's line when i do the spellcasters, i do think wizardmon fits nicely into this line.

mistymon is kind of a no-brainer--- another witchelny digimon, mistymon gets a sword and a crystal ball! who else has a sword and a little crystal thing that they fight with? that's right, ronan! mistymon fights differently with his crystal ball, but like. come on. how could i not pick the digimon whose whole deal is literally magic and swords?

dynasmon was picked because i thought using a royal knight would be a nice way to tie together ronan's relationship to noble status. dynasmon was picked because ronan also has a whole job that focuses on dragons, and what is dynasmon? a big fucking dragon that's also part of the royal knights. i didn't go with examon here mostly because dynasmon fit the line better and dynasmon also has the crystals in his palm. examon is cool, and would also fit, but again: dynasmon fits this line a little better imo, and examon is often classified a level higher than mega. dynasmon is also a digimon that has been placed in an antagonistic role before. why would i specify this here? well, who do we know that got possessed for a while and put into an antagonistic role? yup.

finally, ragnalordmon was chosen because it is the fusion between durandamon and bryweludramon. both are legend arms digimon (like spadamon in sieg's line). it's a fighter that uses both a sword and a shield (the transformed durandamon and bryweludramon). and! and! you know what bryweludramon is? A GIANT DRAGON MADE OF SHIELDS. you can't tell me that doesn't go hard as hell. only reason i didn't use bryweludramon is because i wanted the RK member for ronan's mega, but you still get to see it as ragnalordmon's sentient floating shield. i love digimon.

edel: lunamon -> sistermon (ciel) -> sistermon (ciel) awakened -> hexeblaumon -> omnimon merciful mode

i'm not gonna lie, this line kind of made itself like ronan's.

lunamon was chosen not with relation to crescemon in sieghart's line, but because edel is associated with the moon through a lot of her attacks. like edel, lunamon also utilizes ice/water in its attacks. (ice and water are really the same thing in most digimon games, as they share the same attribute)

sistermon (ciel) was chosen because we have a very "proper" appearing digimon that wields a sword and guns. i was a little bit limited with what i could work with here, as digimon really doesn't have many mons that use a rapier like edel. this, however, feels like a fitting choice for edel, especially thanks to her family's tie with divinity.

i chose to use ciel awakened as the ultimate here despite it usually being classified as a champion, because fuck you bandai. it really works as an ultimate level, considering how different regular and awakened look, so i'm using it as an ultimate. while i can say this plays into how edel's gameplay works, it's also a pick of convenience. that said: edel being one of few AMP characters that don't have separate jobs, but rather special classes, parallels nicely with ciel awakened usually being classified as the same level as normal ciel. more of a fun coincidence than anything.

with hexeblaumon, we reintroduce the ice theme back into edel's partner line. and we also reintroduce witchelny! because edel is from a part of the world associated with magic, but uses swordplay! hexeblaumon is depicted in its ref art as using a sword, but all of its weaponry is actually crafted from its ice magic. imo the sword in its ref book art looks the closest to a rapier we really get in digimon (aside from gladimon, who i was not going to put in this line much as i love it).

zero: arcadimon (child) -> shademon -> dexdorugreymon -> darkknightmon (x antibody) -> dexmon

i had a little bit of fun with this line, and it looks like nonsense to anyone that isn't me, but bear with me.

arcadimon is a digimon whose whole deal is that it can absorb data from other digimon and incorporate it into its evolution. i didn't want to use the whole line, but i figure using the rookie form fits here because zero's whole gameplay style centers around using the techniques of others in his own way. plus, zero is able to utilize grandark to absorb energy from his enemies. like, you can't not give the digimon whose first sentence in its ref entry is "A cursed Digimon artificially created based on the data of various Digimon" to zero, the artificial demon created based on the techniques of other fighters and using another demon's core.

shademon was chosen because, to quote its ref book entry, it is "A Digimon with no substance that haunts the shadows of humans and Digimon." i figured it would be a good reference to grandark, and the way it can possess zero during domination mode. inadvertently, this also works as a reference to how zero functions as a tank in GCDC, as shademon has a move that manipulates other digimon into attacking whatever it's in the shadow of.

dexdorugreymon. AGAIN, OKAY, LET ME COOK, I PROMISE THIS MAKES SENSE. so, x antibody digimon, as we established talking about sieghart's leomon, are associated with death and escaping it through strength. dexdorugreymon was chosen here as a reference both to the fact that zero is made using the core of a dead ancient demon, and also because it is essentially driven by instinct (much like zero in the lead up to grandark functionally possessing him).

darkknightmon (x antibody) was then chosen because it is a digimon comprised of two digimon who achieved a stronger form thanks to cooperation, rather than domination. dexdorugreymon works really nicely as an ultimate to this digimon, because it gives zero's digimon an excuse to have and maintain the x-antibody, in this case manifesting as a digimon that would, without it, be only an ultimate level, rather than mega. its weaponry doesn't entirely line up with zero's, nor the traits described by its ref book entry, but i think the idea of zero's mega level digimon being one that is comprised of two is befitting for a character whose whole arc revolves around finding himself and learning to live as someone inextricably tied to a living weapon.

finally, dexmon was chosen to tie the line together because it calls back to dexdorugreymon and also, again, that idea of the x-antibody subverting death. also, according to its ref book entry, "this type of program cannot be classified as a Digimon, and although it appears solid, it has no actual substance." in other words, this also ties back to the artificiality of zero, whose identity as a demon is complicated by his crafted status.

4 notes · View notes

sloanesallow · 12 days

Note

*Yodels exuberantly* I must know the answers to questions A3, K2, and Z4

Lobe you! 🦀

ALL THE LOBE! 🧠

A3: what abilities do they have that they've worked for?

Even though she was technically born with it, her magic (and ancient magic, for that matter) did not manifest until her 16th birthday. Sloane wasn't a natural at wielding either, and it took a lot of practice and training to be able to wield it properly. The one natural talent that she has that she's worked to improve is her aptitude for plants and healing. Sloane has the greenest thumb and has spent a lot of time learning as much as she can about the healing properties of plants. Her hard work pays off when in her adult life, she is a well-respected researcher, and a traveling healer.

K2: have they ever thought about homicide?

Prior to Hogwarts, no. Even with some of the life experiences she's had, or witnessed, she never considered resorting to violence or murder. Given all the...adventures she has at Hogwarts, and the threats to her life and magic, it's been a moral dilemma for her, one she's fairly ashamed of.

Z4: what's their dream pet?

Sloane grew up on a family farm/homestead, so she was lucky enough to be a little girl with a lot of animals she could dote on, including horses. Though she always got into trouble for bringing the barn cats inside the cottage, but eventually her Papa stopped putting them back outside. Once she's at Hogwarts and she learns about magical beasts, she falls in love with Nifflers as they are the most cat-like creatures (to her, okay). When she rescues a particularly mischievous one in the Highlands, she names it Peter and he becomes her beloved companion.

#ask game #siobhan sloane

5 notes · View notes

mbearlytoon · 4 months

Text

The Story of the Lady Knight (Before Obey Me)

In the year 1830, a child was born in the Bartholomew household. The oldest daughter was given the name Isabelle, nearly the same as her mother, Isabella. The girl grew up normally like any other child, but when she was around 18, she knew she was different from the others.

The Bartholomew family holds a secret for a few generations. The gift of longevity. Same as a few families around the globe as they serve under one ancient organization. An organization to keep the peace between the ancient realms and humans. They are mostly known as the Chevaliers Gardiens. Each continent has a family or clan that helps take care of the realms based on the folklore or beings that have been around for centuries.

Isabelle has been around to keep peace in Europe with her team to keep the outer realm visitors and creatures at bay. Longevity is both a blessing and a curse. Your appearance wouldn't change like the others and yet the many passing of what was once her companions would never get her used to it.

She loves to study and has enrolled in a few academies and colleges for years now. The only thing that was changing was her looks, style, and name so others wouldn't be suspicious of her and her family's identity, and yet she likes to be included in many yearbooks. A reminder of her past and past identity. This same goes for her other family members and more. There are times they would also change their appearance using magic.

Sadly, at the age of 65, her mother died of old age. Even if her mother's appearance and youth were kept, the time in her body kept on moving, unlike Isabelle, her father, and her younger siblings. Her father fell into sorrow along with her and her younger siblings, and they took a year's rest from working in the human world and the Chavelier Gardien.

Another marriage is an option, but her father could not bear the idea of marrying another like his other family members did as he loves his late wife so much and would want her to be his one and only loving partner. IzBa respects her father's wishes and everyone continues their life like usual.

As she grew, she knew her siblings had some sort of talent too, NaLix could tame wild beasts and creatures, the third born, Amelia could make statues alive while the younger twins, Aiden and Ethan, were quite sneaky and sly with their illusions and invisibility. She? She can animate objects or living things with her imagination. Whether it was her writing or drawing. She can't explain how she got it, but it just happens. The same goes for her siblings.

In the year 2020, she became the captain of one of the troops within the Chevaliers Gardiens which involves her cousins and friends from the Outer realms. As always, she went to school as normal while managing orphanages and enjoyed her time studying such and such. While her family members were living their lives as veterinarians, artists, and bodyguards as her father continued the family legacy, the company that for some reason IzBa's grandfather established years back in his so-called youth.

To her surprise, it was unexpected as her grandfather is quite an adventurous kind of man and a greedy one too. Not the bad greedy kind, but he is quite good at handling the family's expenses. That is why their finances in the human world were well maintained and could fulfill their lifestyle as they grew up in the realm. With his grandchildren working too, it is growing as each members contribute towards maintaining their financial stability.

One day, she was resting in the school garden where she was teaching as a 'young' teacher and came along with her lady-in-waiting, Annabelle Kreptus. She greeted the girl with a smile, that she rarely wears when she's around her supposed peers. Annabelle gave IzBa a letter to her as per IzBa's father's instructions which she was disinterested in, but took, it anyway. She just hoped it would not be another proposal from some other nobles from the ancient realms or humans. It would be better not a proposal at all.

Annabelle left IzBa to read the letter in peace and waits for her nearby. When the girl opened the letter, she read it and was surprised to see it was a letter for an exchange program. As she reads the content, she winces in pain. She noticed her thumb has a cut and tainted the letter with a drop of her blood. She looks at the spoiled spot of blood and sighs before continuing to read.

"Sincerely,

the Prince of Devildom himself, Diavolo."

She stares at the letter in its entirety and puts the letter back into the envelope. Suddenly, the sky went grey and crows flocked around the school. The crows nearby started to fly towards her and started to surround her. As she struggles to break free from the sudden event, she accidentally drops the letter in her hand to the ground. The crows slowly pull her somewhere, pulling her down to the ground, and consuming her until she sees only darkness.

She breathes heavily and looks at everything around her. She noticed that she was on the floor. She looked at her clothes which were not the uniform that she was wearing before putting a hand on her face and felt she was wearing a mask. She realized it was her late mother's mask. As she slowly grasped the situation, she was then greeted by the prince of Devildom himself along with the Seven Avatars of Devildom. Not seven, but the four avatars that were present at that time. She looked at the six tall figures and knew that everything would change starting from that moment.

( ＾ω＾ )

Bearly's note: This is an old writing I did 2 years ago? I think so, but I hope you guys liked it. I don't mind being asked about certain things as I think it may help me plan more for my IzBa and writing overall and maybe improve some parts.

#mbearlytoon #mbearlytoon writing #mbearlytoon om!#oc #obey me mc #obey me writing #obey me swd #obey me diavolo #obey me #obmswd #omswd #obey me nightbringer #fanfic

3 notes · View notes

justfinishedreading · 3 months

Text

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn

WARNING: ALL THE SPOILERS RIGHT OFF THE BAT

I have between 20 to 30 books to review, some of which I read two or even three years ago, but I just finished Bitterthorn and felt the need to get my thoughts down while they were still fresh. Bitterthorn is about a young woman, named Mina, daughter of a Duke, unloved by her father, stepmother and stepsisters, sacrificed to a witch who takes a ‘companion’ back to her castle every 50 or so years, companions who are never seen again. The witch has been cursed to spin the threads of time, a person’s life (the companion’s) is sacrificed to be the material the witch spins. If she does not spin, time, and the world as we know it, unravels.

THE GOOD:

Gothic Fairytale told in a 19th-century style - Imagery and Voice Bitterthorn is a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, the magical side of the story is fairly simple like a classic fairytale with familiar elements: a witch, a teenager being cursed, a young woman sacrificed, a ‘princess’, multiple stepmothers, neglectful fathers, dead mother, a spinning wheel, an abandoned castle, secrets and bones and so on.

The novel is rich with imagery and symbolism: -A dank and neglect ancient castle mirrors the witch’s true age and emotional and physical self-neglect.

-The witch’s dirty, neglected feet are a sign of self-inflicted pain, and Mina washing them is an act of kindness, love and obvious reference to Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.

-Bitterthorns, the prickly bushes that produces very bitter berries, at one time stop Mina from entering the castle but later the berries are harvested and made into jams symbolising taking a person or a relationship that is bitter and difficult and working to make it desirable / useful.

-Mina’s vegetable and herb garden unknowingly being grown on top of graves reflect the circle of life as things grow off the back of death but also the danger and ugly secret history lurking in Mina’s perceived paradise as the castle has literal skeletons.

-Links between time, threads, tapestries and spinning wheels, as well as descriptions of the witch’s changing fashion from different periods in history as an indication of the distortion of time.

And more.

As for how the novel has been written, apart from two or three moments, the voice feels authentic to 19th century novels, throughout the novel it is hinted that the characters are reading Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Women in White, Camilia (and others I might have missed), both the language and style the author has used as well as classic gothic moments feel true to that time: the castle being set on fire, a secret being locked away up above, the isolation of the protagonist all eco Jane Eyre. The neglectful, harmful family life and obsession with the outdoors and weather are very Withering Heights, and the bewitching female villain is Camilla (although I haven’t read Camilia yet, it’s currently in my To Read Bookcase).

The theme of Loneliness and emotional neglect Loneliness is the main theme of Bitterthorn, the impact of loneliness, inflicted by others and also self-inflicted, and what one must actively do to banish it. It explored the harm from an emotionally neglectful family as well as others, and what steps we can take to break down the walls people put up, to reach them, to be there for them. But also to understand which people have the ability to reciprocate, and which can never give us what we desire/need.

THE DEBATABLE:

The Mysteries I’m not someone who likes to guess the plot, I like to be surprised, I want a novel to give me more that I imagined, and that’s my main problem with Bitterthorn. The witch’s secrets are only revealed towards the end and by that time I had already vaguely guessed what the secrets could be: the witch does something in her tower that is related to time, and she must do it against her will because she seems very unhappy with her life, her ‘companions’ are somehow sacrificed. The nature of the secrets themselves aren’t the problem as they feel very true to fairytales, but it takes too long for them to be revealed, and when they are there isn’t much more to them. We find out the witch was cursed when she was a teenager by her stepmother. We discover she’s 400 years old, has never been able to find out much about the spinning wheel, has no idea how it came to be or who her stepmother was. She only discovered accidentally that a life must be sacrificed to create the material for the thread, and that’s it.

Is Mina smart or dumb? Mina comes from a noble family and is fairly well educated, she has a personal interest in geology, reads scientific books and collects samples from nature. Now there is a difference between being academically smart and street smart, but, the witch’s secrets are fairly simple so how does she not discover them sooner? Especially when they directly affect her fate? The author’s solution was to create a bargain, Mina becomes so desperate for companionship that she and the witch make a deal: the witch will have her meals with Mina everyday as long as Mina promises not to pry into the witch’s business, this includes not snooping around certain parts of the castle or asking questions. What this creates is a character who is constantly asking questions in her head, constantly worried about the strange occurrences happening in the castle, worried for her life, and choosing, to an extent, ignorance and denial. It’s frustrating.

The romantic love story There are some issues with the love story between Mina and the witch, the first has to do with how isolated the author has made Mina. If we compare Mina to Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Belle has a loving father, she is desired by Gaston, the town’s people don’t understand her but aren’t unkind to her and recognise her beauty, the bookseller is fond of her, at the castle all the servants are nice to her and make her feel welcome. Mina’s father is distant (and sacrifices her to the witch to die, he’s well aware of this), her stepmother and sisters dislike her, the town’s people have no opinion of her at first, at the castle apart from one servant who actively dislikes her, the other servants are so insignificant most of them are barely named and do not interact with Mina. The town’s people near the castle avoid Mina because of her association with the witch, when she returns home the town’s people there also avoid her for the same reason. Twice she escapes the witch’s castle and returns home and both times her family rejects her presence, essentially forcing her to choose to return to the witch because she has no where else to go. She doesn’t even have any pen pals, with her interest in geology she could have reached out to other scientists or amateur geology enthusiasts when she mail ordered her samples or read articles written by these people, after all this is the age of writing letters and sharing ideas.

The romance feels inevitable in a bad way because it feels like Mina has no other choice, and the book does acknowledge this. It’s a let’s-make-the-best-of-what-we-can situation, there’s some good in that, but it makes the romance less joyful to read about and root for. But what about physical attraction? Initially the witch is described as scary, imposing and powerful, I imagined a woman older than Mina, with an attitude that commands respect and obedience but is alluring and I hoped seductive (wasn’t). As the novel progresses she becomes more vulnerable, feels younger, at times seems like a teenager, moody and shy. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s essential for the discovering of the villain’s soft side, but there’s nothing of dark villain seduction between them, she’s more like a pitiful prisoner, if anything it’s Mina who romantically pursues the witch since the witch is trying not to get emotional attracted because she will have to sacrifice Mina to the wheel of time.

The development of physical attraction feels lacklustre, especially since the novel is told in the first person from Mina’s perspective, so we have no idea of any internal struggles with desire the witch may be going through. Bitterthorn seems to fall under YA so there’s a limit to how sexually explicit it can be, that’s not necessarily a problem, but what scenes there are feel like they aren’t doing much -perhaps by this time I’d grown a little disinterested as I guessed the plot but the characters were still dragging their feet. One moment in particular took me out of the book, it was one of the few moments that didn’t feel authentic to a 19th century novel style of writing, I can’t find the exact quote but it was one sentence that said Mina was in her bed, was so turned on she masturbated, and “came immediately”. First off to read a 19th century character say they “came” seems too modern a term, but also before this we don’t know what Mina knows of sex, or sexual desire, or self pleasure, there’s longing sure, and longing glances, and talk of softness of skin and the heat of someone being near, all fine, but has Mina masturbated before? She must have, I mean she came “immediately” she says. Why am I making a big deal of this? Because she’s a 19th century character, a woman at a time when talk of sexuality was repressed, the scene can still be in the novel but as it stands that one, singular sentence gave me whiplash.

POSSIBLE FIXES:

Make it shorter To keep the story as it is it should be shorter, Mina spends way too long in the castle questioning everything in her head but finding out nothing. Do we need her to escape, be rejected by her family, and return to the witch twice? No. Fairytales are simple and short, this needs to be shorter.

Make it longer Make it longer with more complex storytelling, I was really sad that there was a time travel / time distortion element that wasn’t used in any clever way. There’s a door in the castle that leads to the witch’s study but the study as it was a week ago, it’s used significantly only once when Mina accidentally finds out that the witch received some bad news via a letter -not very exciting. There’s also a room to a perpetual winter, another to spring or summer, which are never used for anything. Also add the witch’s perspective, let’s hear her agony as she struggles between falling in love with Mina and her eternal duty to the wheel, let’s experience first hand the anguish of living with her past companions, shared experiences and guilt, teased in little flashbacks throughout the book, perhaps given the castle’s weirdness with time she stubbles into the past and meets a past companion.

IN CONCLUSION:

Bitterthorn is a good period-style novel about loneliness, with good fairytale and gothic elements and symbolism. It isn’t a seductive, sexy story with intriguing mystery.

Review by Book Hamster

#just finished reading #bitterthorn #kat dunn #ya books #book blog #book covers #gothic #gothic aesthetic #fairytales #lgbtq+#sapphic #beauty and the beast #witch

2 notes · View notes