#expatriate flames

[graffitibible]

In the open air and daylight, it's easier to track his features, to measure and compare them with the ones Warren knew. It's been four years since he was Gary Levko and he doesn't much resemble the scared, simpering B-Cell that was too afraid to step out of line in Battery City. The sun has darkened him, seared away some of the anxious pleats and gathers in his expression in favor of deepening the worn lines at the corners of his eyes and the edges of his mouth. Laughter lines, worry lines, taking up equal amounts of space in his skin. His frame has filled out to suit the breadth of his shoulders and the barrel-like build of his chest. His hair is longer, his eyes clearer. The old sun scars that the city worked so hard to erase are clear and pale in their discolorations, but he makes no effort to hide them.

Warren didn't need to see the end result of their sacrifice to decide that making it was worth it. Seeing Cherri Cola alive and clear of mind wrenches a little in the pit of his gut regardless.

It was worth it. It's always worth it.

[theotherrookie]

✏️ for a trope I associate with my character!

Deceased Parents Are the Best

This kinda goes without saying. Rook has devoted most of her life to getting to speak to her mother one last time while her father, well, is Rick. He sucks. He also won't die.

To be honest, the initial idea was to explore what it would be like if a deceased loved one somehow came back. It's something pretty much anyone wishes for at some point and it'd probably be as destructive as losing them in the first place. It isn't the easiest situation, but at least they make it work.

[shootingxstardust]

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[thekidsarentalright]

"They sat back, laughing at the wounded city, each breath sucking in ashes and fumes. Oh, it bled alright, dryer than Moore County. All expatriate flames hurrying to found new nations of blinding dust. But the two of them, they just squinted at that pipe-cleaner skyline. And it burned hotter in their oil slick pupils. Knowing that they were paid to remember the past, he blew out a hot breath and said, 'Burn it all.'"

[omegalomania]

They just sat back laughing at the wounded city, each breath sucking in ashes and fumes. Oh it bled all right; drier than Moore County. All expatriate flames hurrying to found new nations of blinding dust. But the two of them, they just squinted at that pipe-cleaner skyline, and it burned hotter in their oil slick pupils. One elbowed the other and said “I’ve seen better.” Knowing that they were paid to remember the past - he blew out a hot breath and said “burn it all”.

Save Rock and Roll is the fifth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It was produced by Butch Walker and released on April 12, 2013, through Island Records.

HAPPY TEN YEARS TO SAVE ROCK AND ROLL, from @twinkskeletons, @heartbreakfeelsogood, @vanweezer, @smashallguitars, @ybcpatrick, @patrickmstump, @clandestine-rabbit, and @omegalomania!

[patrickztump]

RE: SRAR - I 100% agree with you, that it is a very red album to me too!

The Pheonix. Light 'Em Up. Death Valley. Young Volcanoes. So many of the song titles directly use imagery of fire, or miserable, all-consuming heat. I don't think it's a coincidence that the first two songs I mentioned are the two we heard first, and they both invoke the idea of burning everything down, in order to build something new. Even the poem you hear at the beginning of the "Miss Missing You" video ends with something like the words "Burn 'em all", iirc. And it's perfectly fitting, for where the band were then; They've passed through fire, and they're now reforged from the flames with new purpose.

And there's also, of course, plenty of red imagery throughout the Youngblood Chronicles, too. The aforementioned fire. The snakes with their red bands that appear a few times. The red pickup truck. The apples. And of course the blood. So much blood!

"Don't trust a band that wouldn't bleed for you" after all, right?

yes to all of this 😩 that's the thing i love about save rock and roll, it's the way songs are intertwined, often tightly, and there's a very consistent theme throughout every facet of it's creation. those themes are blatant with other records as well, but this one is very in your face about it – to me at least.

even songs that don't mention fire or heat in their titles still touch on it in their lyrics. "your hot whiskey eyes have fanned the flames / maybe i'll burn a little brighter tonight / let the fire breathe me back to life," "if heaven's grief brings hell's rain," and of course "rat a tat" is absolutely littered with fire references. i suppose you could even count the smoking of cigarettes in "where did the party go" as an indirect fire reference, as a flame is needed to light them and they glow orange from their heat. eight of eleven tracks involving flames of some sort is certainly painting the album as red.

and yes, the quote at the beginning of "miss missing you" – that was later added to copies of the record – drills the point home that the album has a specific theme. quoting it because it's so post-apocalyptic to me and i love the image it conveys:

they just sat back laughing at the wounded city, each breath sucking in ashes and fumes. oh it bled all right; drier than moore county. all expatriate fumes hurrying to find new nations of blinding dust. but the two of them. they just squinted at that pipe-cleaner skyline, and it burned hotter in their oil slick pupils. one elbowed the other and said "i've seen better." knowing that they were paid to remember the past - he blew out a hot breath and said "burn it all."

it's just so good?? and it makes so much sense being paired with "miss missing you" but also as an addition to the album. i don't know.

and touching back to the intertwining of songs, the redundancy of lyrics is so fun. some may argue it a lazy tactic, but imo it works so well that it's not. not even close. i've said it once and i'll say it again, "alone together" and "young volcanoes" are sisters to me, twins even. "this is the road to ruin," "when rome's in ruins" / "and we're starting at the end," "we're the beginning of the end" / "do you wanna feel beautiful," "do you wanna feel a little beautiful, baby." and the "and i said, i'll check in tomorrow if i don't wake up dead" between "alone together" and "rat a tat"? i love it so, so very much.

and of course the call backs in "save rock and roll" to "chicago is so two years ago" and "sugar, we're going down" is very fun and a [leonardo decaprio whistling and pointing at the tv] moment.

anyways, back to your original ask on color before i got completely side tracked (but felt i had to discuss). i am so glad you brought up the various calls to red in the youngblood chronicles as i have a project i've been working on for save rock and roll's 11th anniversary and it heavily revolves around red. and i can't elaborate because even i have no idea where i'm taking this lmao. i'm just going where the wind (curious thoughts) takes me.

so yeah. sorry for going off. i was on topic mostly until i became distracted by lyrics and the little cd booklet.

tl;dr: you are 100% right when you said "so many of the song titles directly use imagery of fire, or miserable, all-consuming heat" as the album is a scorcher in so many ways, and certainly is red through and through.

[archoniluthradanar]

Portrait of a Volturi mate - Demetri

I'm the human mate to a Volturi guard.

I lived in Italy for a long time, an expatriate from England. My parents moved here when I was 2 years old, they died when I was 23 years old. I am now 26 years old, alone save for a year old cat named Vixen. I had her fixed so she wouldn't prowl around, but she still does. Not for male cats, of course, but just to make her mother upset. She will vanish for 2 to 3 days, then return home, rubbing against my legs and meowing for lunch as if I had not been worried to death about her. I try to get angry with her, but end up picking her up and hugging her tightly, just happy she's back home again. And that is how I met Demetri.

Vixen had disappeared again. The sky looked ominous, and I worried she would be caught out of doors during a rain storm. I wandered the neighborhood, calling her name, when I saw a handsome darker blonde-haired man watching me, a smile on his face. He seemed to be wearing an expensive black suit, but I really found his gel-scrunched hair quite attractive. He noticed me staring at him, so I moved onward, calling for my errant cat. 

The next thing I know, the man is standing at my side. "How did you do that?" I asked.

"Do what," he replied, the smile still on his face,

"Get over here so fast."

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked, clearly curious and ignoring my question.

"My cat, Vixen. She gets out all the time and doesn't come right home, but the weather looks like it may take a turn for the worse tonight."

"Let me help you then," he offered, much to my gratitude. "My name is Demetri."

We both looked for Vixen, me calling her out to her with threats of cheap dry cat food if she did not appear right now. I heard Demetri laugh low. He moved to stand behind me, very close behind me. I had the feeling he was smelling me or something. Or maybe he was just smelling Vixen on me. It was all very strange. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along until we reached a house. 

I heard meowing and looked up. My silly cat was stuck on the roof of the house. I turned to look at Demetri. "She won't come down on her own. She may act brave as far as running all over the village, but she won't jump."

"I'll take care of this for you," Demetri said. He ran backwards about 15 feet, then ran back toward the house and jumped high, yet landed on the roof with very little noise. I stared, my mouth open in shock, as I watched the  man pick up Vixen and then drop off the roof, handing my bad cat to my waiting arms. 

"Thank you, Demetri," I said, absolutely stunned at what he had just done and his silent grace in doing it.

He reached up to pet Vixen's head, then looked at me, the same hand stroking my cheek. "We'd better get inside your house. The rain is nearly here."

I could smell it in the air as well. Before we reached my house, the downpour hit. Just as we got inside, lightning streaked across the night sky, thunder following close behind.

I wondered why Demetri had done what he did, saving my cat and revealing himself to me as the bionic man or whatever he was.

I put out a bowl of Vixen's favourite food, despite my threats. While she ate, I brought out two towels, tossing one to Demetri and using the other to dry my own wet hair.

"Take off your jacket and hang it on the chair by the fireplace. Thank you for lighting that, by the way." He gave me another warm smile and my heart melted. He removed his dress shirt, saying, "If it's alright with you, it's rather wet as well."

I couldn't help but stare, before I coughed and looked away.

After I had changed my clothes in the bedroom and then gone into the kitchen to boil water for tea, we sat on the floor by the fire. I noticed the flames of the fire reflecting in Demetri's eyes, making them appear red. I tried again not to stare.

I soon brought out a tray with a pot of herbal tea and two cups, and a small plate of cookies. "I'm sorry I have no men's clothes to offer you." The statement seemed to please Demetri, and I knew why. I currently had no men in my life. But why would he care.

"Want some tea and cookies? I made them myself." I poured tea and picked up one of the cookies, taking a bite. Demetri had politely refused both.

We spent the next two hours or so talking about our lives. In some respects, he was cagey with giving answers to my questions, and quite open with others. Vixen had curled up next to Demetri, and fallen asleep. Later, he took my hand and gazed into my eyes for so long, I felt a hot flush suffuse my cheeks. He said he had to go, but would I mind if he came back. I agreed, unable to move my gaze from his.

Demetri put on his nearly dry shirt, and still-damp jacket, then opened the front door. He cupped my cheek and gave me a deep kiss. I watched as he jumped over the stone wall of my yard and vanished into the darkness.

True to his word, he did come back, and we went out for dates, lots of dates, some a few hours, others an entire day. He finally revealed his secret to me. He was a vampire. And he said with such certainty, I was to be his mate for all time. It was strange, yet it felt so right. I easily agreed.

When Demetri introduced me to his coven leaders, it was Marcus who saved me from Aro by telling him I was Demetri's destined mate. Since then, the head Volturi Master has only ever been kind to me.

And as to my mate? He has been the light of my life. I will be like him soon, but I secretly wondered if animals could be changed. Vixen actually behaves when he's around, the traitorous feline. I can't be angry with her though. After all, it was she who had brought Demetri and me together.

[werindialive]

Devastating Fire in Kuwait Claims Lives of 42 Indians in Mangaf

A devastating fire in a residential building in the Mangaf area of Kuwait has resulted in the tragic deaths of 42 Indian nationals. The fire broke out in the early hours of June 13, 2024, causing widespread panic and significant loss of life.

The building, which housed multiple families and workers from India, was engulfed in flames quickly, trapping many inside. Despite the prompt response from the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD), the intensity of the blaze made rescue operations extremely challenging.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing cries for help as the fire rapidly spread through the building. “It was horrifying. The smoke was everywhere, and people were screaming,” said a nearby resident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but initial reports suggest it may have started due to an electrical short circuit.

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait has confirmed the casualties and expressed deep sorrow over the incident. In a statement, the embassy said, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire in Mangaf that has claimed the lives of 42 Indian nationals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. We are working closely with Kuwaiti authorities to provide all possible assistance.”

The local authorities have set up an emergency response center to assist the affected families and coordinate relief efforts. The Kuwaiti government has also promised a thorough investigation into the incident to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, expressed his condolences on social media, stating, “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the tragic fire in Kuwait. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. We are in touch with the Kuwaiti authorities and will extend all necessary support to the affected families.”

Many of the victims were reportedly workers who had come to Kuwait in search of better job opportunities. The Indian community in Kuwait is in shock and mourning the loss of their fellow countrymen. Community leaders have called for immediate support and assistance for the families of the deceased.

The incident has highlighted the need for improved safety measures in residential buildings, especially those housing expatriate workers. There have been calls for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations to prevent such tragedies in the future.

As the investigation continues, the priority remains on providing support to the victims’ families and ensuring that those injured receive the necessary medical care. The Indian Embassy has set up a helpline for information and assistance.

This tragic event has cast a pall of grief over the Indian community in Kuwait and serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety and vigilance in preventing such disasters.

[shows-i-like]

Rtc kids singing "there right there" (with Nischa and also I don't think Ocean is homophobic my mind just thinks of her when the lyrics that I put for her come up)

Constance: There, right there! Look at that tan, well-tended skin Look at the killer shape he's in Look at that slightly stubbly chin Oh please, he's gay, totally gay!

Karnak: I'm not about to celebrate Every trait could indicate A totally straight expatriate. This guy's not gay, I say not gay

All: That is the elephant in the room Well, is it relevant to assume That a man who wears perfume Is automatically, radically fey?

Ricky: But look at his coiffed and crispy locks

Penny: Look at his silk translucent socks

Ocean: There's the eternal paradox

Ocean: Look what we're seein'

Penny: What are we seein'?

Ocean: Is he gay?

Constance: (Of course he's gay!)

Ocean: Or European?

All: Oh Gay or European? it's hard to guarantee Is he gay or European?

Ricky: Well, hey, don't look at me!

Penny: You see, they bring their boys up different In those charming foreign ports They play peculiar sports

All: In shiny shirts and tiny shorts Gay or foreign fella? The answer could take weeks They both say things like "ciao bella" While they kiss you on both cheeks

Penny: (Oh, please)

All: Gay or European? So many shades of gray

Karnak: Depending on the time of day The French go either way

All: Is he gay or European, or-

Ocean: There, right there! Look at that condescending smirk Seen it on every guy at work That is a metro, hetero jerk That guy's not gay, I say no way!

All: That is the elephant in the room Well is it relevant to presume That a hottie in that costume

Constance: Is automatically, radically

Ricky: Ironically, chronically

Penny: Certainly, flirtingly

Ocean: Genetically, medically

All: Gay, officially gay Swishily gay, gay, gay, gay Damn it! Gay or European?

Ricky: So stylish and relaxed

All: Is he gay or European?

Ricky: I think his chest is waxed

Constance: But they bring their boys up different there It's culturally diverse It's not a fashion curse

All: If he wears a kilt or bears a purse Gay or just exotic? I still can't crack the code

Ocean: Yeah, his accent is hypnotic But his shoes are pointy-toed

All: (Huh) Gay or European? So many shades of gray

Ocean: But if he turns out straight I'm free at eight on Saturday

All: Is he gay or European? Gay or European?Gay or Euro-

Ricky: Wait a minute Give me a chance to crack this guy I have an idea I'd like to try

Karnak: The floor is yours

Ricky: So, Mr. Bachinski this alleged affair with Ms. Bolinska has been going on for?

Mischa: Two years

Ricky: And your first name again is?

Mischa: Mischa

Ricky: And your boyfriend's name is?

Mischa: Noel I-I, sorry! I misunderstand! You say "boyfriend" I thought you say "best friend" Noel is my best friend

Nole: You bastard! You lying bastard! That's it I no cover for you no more! Peoples I have a big announcement! This man is gay and European

All: (whoa!)

Noel: And neither is disgrace

All: (oh)

Noel: You gotta stop your bein' A completely closet case

All: (d'oh!)

Noel: It's me, not her he's seein' No matter what he say I swear he never, ever, ever Swing the other way You are so gay, you big parfait You flaming one-man cabaret

Mischa: I'm straight!

Noel: You were not yesterday So if I may, I'm proud to say He's gay

All: (and European!)

Noel: He's gay

All: (and European!)

Noel: He's gay

All: (and European and gay!)

Mischa: Fine, okay, I'm gay!

All: Hooray!

[red-man-of-mustache]

name. Mario Mario

nickname(s). Mayro, Jumpman, The Great Gonzalez, Red Man Of Mustache, The Merciless Executioner

title. Plumber Extraordinaire and Hero Of the Mushroom Kingdom

P E R S O N A L .

morality. lawful/ neutral / chaotic / good / grey / evil

religious belief. Much like everyone else in the kingdom Mario will make a wish from time-to-time to the Star Spirits. Big or small in nature he does this to retain hope along his adventures.

sins. lust  / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride /envy/ wrath

virtues. chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

primary goals in life. To shine as bright as he can! He wants to keep the Mushroom Kingdom, his home, safe from the clutches of the Koopa Clan(specifically Bowser) and any other threats that present themselves. Helping people along the way is a good bonus though as it makes him feel good to help those in need.

languages known. - He is fully fluent in English & Italian.

quirks. -When on autopilot(most notably during a leisurely walk not a focused one) he will begin humming. How he knows the Mushroom Kingdom theme is unknown but that's a favorite of his. If bored or inactive he can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Almost anywhere!

savvies. - Jumping, acrobatics, adapting to situations, working out puzzles/riddles, lifting things, construction, plumbing, and much more

P H Y S I C A L .

build. slender/ fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese / other

height. 5'1"

weight. 126 lbs

scars/birthmarks. Does his mustache count as a birthmark? No scars really to speak of.

abilities/powers. - Jumping is his wheelhouse. He can jump about two stories high unaided after gathering his might for a bit. Of course he also has many spins on his basic jump, like the backwards somersault, triple jump, spin jump, so on and so forth. He obtained the Firehand from an ancient spirit in the BeanBean Kingdom allowing for latent control of fire should he gather himself to do so in the moment. Power-ups endow him with a whole host of abilities though the vast majority of them are only temporary. He's also quite acrobatic for a person of his build, is extremely strong, quite durable, and agile.

F A V O U R I T E S .

favourite food. Pasta is his go-to. Mushrooms are a close second though he kinda had to get used to them.

favourite drink. Fruit Punch!

topping. Meatlovers pizza gang

favourite colour. Red

favourite music genre. Mario likes a bit of everything but if he had to pin down which he listens to the most it's definitely Pop! Songs like How Bizarre if you want a sample of what he's looking for.

favourite book genre. Comics/Graphic novels! Though not technically books he prefers a visual aide while reading plus the action helps to keep his attention.

favourite movie genre. Mario loves a good whodunnit. Though that's not a genre. Mystery would be better

favourite season. Summer! The freedom associated with this time of year is unmatched

favourite curse word. #$@!

favourite scent.  https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Lush/Princess-Peach-83161.html

F U N S T U F F .

bottom or top. Mario's a top but like, y'know

loud burper or soft burper. Loud, Mario does not try to hide it at all. In social settings, depending on the content he may muffle the sound but otherwise he has a habit of not caring who hears it.

sings in the shower. yes /no

likes bad puns. yes / no

their opinion on the mun. "He needs to-a talk to people more. But he believes in himself! That's-a good start."

Tagged by @sanguinesorcery thanks for keeping me off the streets

Tagging: @thehouseofivo | @adara-of-the-flame | @the-expatriate | @koopzilla | @atimelesslullaby | @enigmaincrimson | @desert-flower | @mystalwartheart | @rainbowxfmuses | @nabbing-bad-habits | @jonathancjones | @ anyone I forgot! that means UUUU

[l3gacies]

APPLICATION.

【 aditi rao hydari  //. demi woman  //. she/they 】 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠… NADIRA KHATRI into The Hub. You are registered to be THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD and have been given citizenship for THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS under the Expatriate Act. According to the data compiled, your most notable qualities seem to be CHARMING  & NAIVE. Please confirm that you are NEUTRAL GOOD. From what we’ve gathered your place of employ is currently for the MATA HARIS as a FALCON / HEAVEN’S NIGHT as a BARTENDER.  We strongly advise that you provide the correct information pertaining to your background to ensure proper safety precautions: are you a _ DEFECTIVE HOST_ or _HUMAN_? A deeper dive into our archive suggests that you are FRAGMENTED MEMORIES FLASHING THROUGH YOUR MIND AS YOU WANDER THE STREETS OF JAPAN, FLASHING DOE EYES AT UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS IN AN EFFORT YO GAIN INFORMATION, HINTS OF YOUR PAST LIFE HOVERING JUST OUT OF REACH, A SHATTERED MIRROR LAYING AT YOUR FEET AS YOU SEEK TO FORGE A NEW IDENTITY. Though we noticed you, too, are similar to ANASTASIA ROMANOV (ANASTASIA), GISELLE (ENCHANTED), DOROTHY GALE (WIZARD OF OZ), COSETTE (LES MISERABLES) ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ᴠᴇʀɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ 100% ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! Please comply to all regulations and laws. It is our hope that you enjoy your stay. 【 alyx //25  //. she/her //. est // 】

FILE.

full name: nadira khatri

age: thirty-seven

gender / pronouns: demi woman; she/they

orientation: pansexual

occupation: bartender at heavens night

affiliation: falcon for the mata haris

family: n/a

faceclaim: aditi rao hydari

inspiration: anastasia romanov (anastasia), giselle (enchanted), dorothy gale (wizard of oz), cosette (les miserables)

Pinterest

BIOGRAPHY.

VIOLENCE TW

Nadira is a host that was created as a means to spy on the Gestalt Bureau's rivals. She was one of the company's darling hummingbirds, flittering from one CEO's arm to the next, all in an attempt to get them to lower their defenses and steal any secrets that may help the bureau stay on top. She was programmed to be charming but demure, the classic wide-eyed girl in awe of the powerful figures around her, and she adored the programming she was given.

Her destiny shifted during her last mission. The figure she targeted was someone who was powerful and actively opposed the Gestalt Bureau and everything it stood for. She was meant to simply do reconnaissance during her mission and establish a connection with the target, but during her evening, she learned information she wasn't supposed to know. This made her a liability, and unbeknownst to her, someone had been hired to track her down and take care of the "loose ends".

One evening, as she was walking home from the Bureau, she encountered the individual hired by her target. The individual overpowered her and ended up erasing the information she learned regarding her target, as well as most of her memories of her current life. When she awoke, she was alone in an alley with no name, no memories, and no idea what to do next.

Luckily, she was soon found by MALCOLM HAYES and brought to the MATA HARIS. The group took her in with open arms, and the fear she felt in that alleyway soon melted away. Being with the Mata Haris made her feel safe, and it allowed her to recover and begin to plan for the future.

With a newfound confidence and a job that allows her access to a wide variety of people, she began to believe she could learn about her past and what happened to her and use that information to move forward in life. The only question is: in a city as large as Tokyo, where does she begin?

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

Her last target and the person who ordered for her to be "erased"

The assassin/hitman that was assigned to take out Nadira

Previous marks of her, either enemies who realized she used them for information or former flames who never learned her true purpose

Gestalt employees who helped build/program Nadira

Fellow hosts who may recognize her

Members of Lazarus who recognize her as a defective host and want to recruit her

People Nadira suspects may know about her past--- bonus points if they don't know who she is at all

Fellow Mata Hari members

Fellow Heavens Night employees

Anything and everything!

[graffitibible]

He doesn't need to breathe anymore. That's pretty cool. Blinking, breathing, sighing, speaking - those are all instincts that are kind of like holdovers from life, and there's no discomfort if he doesn't do them. There's no discomfort at all. There's no pain, no bone-deep ache from the killing cold of the desert, no deep-seated fatigue from days of nonstop running. As a trade-off, his whole body doesn't feel altogether there. Because it isn't. It's like a bit of a loose projection of his body or something, maybe the closest that he can conceptualize his own soul? Nothing he says or does feels as though it has any weight to it. He can see the world passing around him and it feels so starkly removed from him that he thinks he gets why, if someone were to be stranded in this state indefinitely, one might go insane.

The problem with being dead is that you feel the things you feel all the more intensely. The problem with being dead is that you can recall everything in absolute clarity where you couldn't before.

[theotherrookie]

"Wait a second! I've got something to give to you.."

Pari produced from seemingly the inside of her pocket a very tiny and whimsical pumpkin!

"For you!"

🎃

"Hell yeah! Pumpkin' time!"

Rook gently holds the whimsical pumpkin between her hands.

"I'll put it next to my other one!"

The other pumpkin is screaming.

[castletemprwine]

something about the fact that everyone just stands around and watches pete and patrick as they kill each other. cheers it on even. something about spectacle and something about third parties reaping the benefits of that spectacle at the cost of the livelihoods of the people involved. something about cage fights and leashes and blood stained flowers. all the other expatriate flames hurrying to found new nations of blinding dust but here these two are knowing they could be getting paid to remember and choosing to burn it all down instead

[chronicparagon]

🎀 ― all-around kind person

Ooh, that's a good one! My friends and many of my followers are kind people who go above and beyond for others!

@the-expatriate is one of them. I knew them as far back as when Harmony was only a FF7 OC. We are friends here and on other social media sites. Pari-Mun has never been intimidating to me and has given me a lot of love and support over the years, which I'm grateful for. Pari-mun has been through a lot and I hope they know that I am there for them, too.

You should also check out Pari! She's a strong OC with many years of development which includes coping with her past and striving to be a better person.

@electricea is another friend who I have known for a little while, but I will tell you they are among the kindest people you will ever meet. They always share promotions of other people to help boost other blogs, are willing to reach out to people and never hesitate to offer support to people who need it.

Oh, and the muse? An A+ Ryuji! The Mun portrays Ryuji that is accurate to canon and also gives him the development he deserves!

@the-flame-blade We haven't rp yet, but he has always checked on me when he gets the chance. He offers encouragement to people who need it and supports his followers.

[discordapples]

PT 9 At Candle Glow

Word count: 2k (8 mins read)

Characters: Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian Sallow, Livia Novik.

Summary

With the help of the Grimfire candle, Livia, Sebastian and Ominis find the entrance to the Room of Requirement and meet with a sinister figure calling itself the Collector.

Read the ninth chapter below.

Livia | Hogwarts, Early September, 1893.

The Grimfire candle gasps alight. A shy lucence at first, then a blood-red glow dispelling the legion of shadows emboldened by the gathering night. 

Sebastian is gloved to his wrist, the Grimweave Gauntlet espousing his hand and fingers like a second skin. 

He insisted on carrying the sacrificial work—despite Ominis’ injunctions to study the artifact before making a brash decision—sliding into the garment without a second thought and palming the Grimfire with confidence. 

Now the spiny candle rests in his hand, a long, emaciated and crooked thing, barbed with hundreds of prickly needles, crowned in a vermilion flame.

It burns hot—blistering, really—and even at a distance, Livia can feel the swelter on her cheek. 

She takes a step back, the familiar lump in her throat calcifying at the thought of the blaze jumping over to her, setting her clothes afire. She half expects Sebastian’s hand to melt from his bone, but he looks unaffected by the sizzling heat.

“Now what?” He asks her.

The corridor stretches on each side of them. The silence in the castle is oppressive—strictening. A yoke looping around Livia’s neck and ushering her further into the arms of her goal.

As if there was any other way but forward. Her past is spinous with teeth. The present, brittle and shivery. 

Only the prospect of pulling Laurence back from what orphic reality lies behind the afterlife’s veil sustains her. 

“We need to move,” she says. “The flame will find the fraying seams in the wall.”

“How you itch to speak as cryptically as Dovetail to make our little quest more exciting…” Sebastian teases her. 

Next to him, Ominis clicks his tongue in annoyance. “She quoted the exact passage.”

“I’m well aware,” Sebastian shoots back. “The flame will flutter when the room is nearby because fire feeds on oxygen, and a hidden room is bound to be filled with air. I’m no Ravenclaw, but I’m not an idiot either.”

“There is a little more to it,” Livia adds. “The Grimfire has been designed to detect things that have been magically concealed. No normal candle would do.” She glances around her, to the pooling shadows that fester outside of the crimson light’s vicinity. “We should get going before someone catches us. I don’t know how I could justify meandering in the company of my tormentor.”

A neat line traces down Ominis’ brow, but a scowl is the only thing he offers in response to her slight before Sebastian leads them onward.

They plod wordlessly through hallways at candle glow, the flame burnishing their warped silhouettes on the walls.

Hogwarts is silent as a tomb, save for the ghosts that idle in the eaves somewhere above their heads. Even the paintings are empty, as if the subjects they shelter have been expatriated by the Grimfire. 

There is something eerie about the blood-red glare and the way it slices through the murk and, for an instant, Livia thinks it a sentient, living thing, marshaling them into uncharted depths to a destination only known to it.

They traipse past the Three Sisters Bells, needle through countless warrens of corridors, ascend a tower, then climb down another, until they find themselves in the Astronomy wing.

The air here is stale, the silence assertive. The Grimfire’s glimmer flickers once, twice, thrice; the flame’s apex dramatically leaning to the left.

Excitement swells through Livia’s veins, her heart thrashing against the boning of her corset. 

Ghosting over her palm, the phantomatic touch of her brother tells her she has never been so close to pulling him through the shroud of death back into the world of the living.

Sebastian likewise smiles, his excitement dripping through his face.

“Did you find it?” Ominis asks, his eyes wending about the shadows before him. 

“Yes,” Livia confirms. 

Her fingers scuttle along the stone wall, and Sebastian inches closer. The Grimfire throbs, its heat intensifying. He turns to Livia, his pupils two boundless pits of ink-black in the queer light. “How do we get in now?”

“What do you do when can’t see things, Sebastian Sallow?”

His brow hikes on his forehead, a smirk playing on his lips. “I tell myself it must suck to be Ominis.”

Ominis gives a low growl before giving Sebastian an irked shove.

Livia ignores the puerile display. “The right answer is you turn on the light.”

“Isn’t it already on?”

“Lift the candle,” she orders Sebastian and he obeys, his curiosity discernible.

She lets her fingers hover close to a sharp spur. “Haven’t you wondered why it’s made of needles? The Grimfire flame feeds on blood.”

“I don’t know why I let you two sway me into coming with you,” Ominis cuts in, his tone barbed with exasperation. “First, we paint me as a ravisher to break into Black’s office and now we prick ourselves with needles to access a room that doesn’t want to be found. Doesn’t it sound a little dangerous to you when I say it out loud?”

“Sounds even more exciting, actually,” Sebastian retorts with a wicked smile on his lips before angling his face to Livia. “Show us what you’re made of, new girl.”

Her ventricles plangent, she extends a finger towards the candle. 

The tip is razor-sharp, puncturing into her skin with ease. A flower of blood blooms on the pad of her index, bubbling when it comes in contact with the seething heat. The Grimfire flame tumefies, and Livia retracts her hand swiftly, clasping her flesh wound into the folds of her skirt to stave off the blood flow. 

Sebastian is next, the shy pain and the sight of his blood leaving him unfazed. Again, the flame purrs and fattens. Sebastian turns to his friend. “Care to contribute, Ominis?”

With a sigh, the Slytherin obliges. 

The flame sibilates now, the glimmer tumescent and replete.

“Fuck,” Sebastian mutters, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. “This shit’s burning through my fingers.”

He doesn’t have to weather the hurt for too long, for a searing line crawls through the spaces between the stones forming the wall. There is an ominous hiss, then a sheen of simmering air rippling before them. The Grimfire goes out next, and a door flickers into existence.

Sebastian tilts his head, visibly perplexed. “Is it—”

“It must be,” Livia says, her voice is reduced to a whisper. “The Room of Requirement.”

Ominis sighs next to them. “A part of me really wished it didn’t work.”

“What a spoilsport you are,” Sebastian snides. 

Livia’s thoughts, however, are miles away from the banter, and even further from the caution she knows she should exert. 

The room beckons, its arcane a calling Livia longs to unravel, and she presses both her palms to the metal flourishes stippled into the door.

“Maybe we should tread carefully,” Ominis advises.

“It’s a door, Ominis,” Livia replies. “There’s only one thing to do with it.”

“Get your wand ready if you’re so skittish,” Sebastian suggests before laying the candle on the ground and shrugging out of the glove.

Together, they push the door open. It groans on its hinges, then gives way.

A musty smell feathers to them. The room’s entrails are stitched with obscurity.

Swallowing in a dry throat, Livia moves deeper into the room. She cannot see any walls, yet something encroaches on her. A film of brumal air roams close to the ground, swirling around her ankles, and she is reminded of the poltergeist’s lair. 

Reality bends and twists here. She can sense it. The fabric of materiality is threadbare. If there is a tear in it, Livia will find it and wrench the Promissum Mortis from it. 

She pulls her wand from her pocket and utters a feeble: “Lumos.”

The light grows coyly from the tip, throwing a bone-white glow through the room. It sits hollow, save for a looking-glass.

“A floor mirror, really?” Sebastian mouths, and even if considerably lower-pitched than his usual clarion tone, his voice booms through the room like a lash of thunder.

For a moment, Livia doesn’t move. Behind her, Ominis likewise holds himself in an agitated silence.

Can they awoke something? Is there a presence lurking in the gloom with a lick of froth on its lips?

Seconds elapse during which nothing happens. Even the gelid glaze of air seems to have settled and dissolved.

Staring at the mirror, Livia notes the surface is stained with black fingerprints. The florid silver frame is antiquated, coated with a patina of fine dust. It is an old thing, rusted and neglected, and something ferments inside Livia’s stomach. When her fingers touch the glass, the effect is striking and immediate.

The room shifts. An eidolic lucence fuses from the mirror, and the wainscot of the previously imperceptible walls peels away as if curling away from a naked flame. Above their heads, a crystal chandelier skirls seethingly. 

Sebastian’s fingers curl around Livia’s arm, wresting her away from the looking-glass. 

The tempest of sound and light grows fiercer until Livia can see nothing but bursts of white exploding through her vision.

It is maddening, but not once does Sebastian let go of her, and she desperately holds onto his presence to anchor her back into reality. 

When the squall dies out and Livia peels her eyelids open, her heart skips a beat. 

They stand in a chaste white room in the middle of which stands a masked figure.

It is nipped in a black robe; its obsidian mask featurless and smooth as polished stone. Voiceless, Livia takes in the trailing knurled twine jutting out from the entity’s navel, as if a braided umbilical cord limping lifelessly onto the floor. Its gait is angular and cadaverous, and Livia is persuaded that if it steps out of its clothes, it would be no fleshier than a skeleton.

Sebastian’s fingers tighten around her shoulders. In other circumstances, Livia would note the feverish warmth effusing through him, the comforting press of his body trellising hers, the curt breaths he pushes against her scalp, but her mind is fixed on the uncanny being before them. 

Time leaches, cruel in its abating. 

Next to Livia, Ominis is tensed as a wire, his shoulders corded with apprehension. If he cannot see the figure, he can sense something is amiss. 

The festering air, however, is enough of a deterrent for him to loosen his lips to let out a question.

Then, noiselessly, the presence tilts its head, as if curiously eyeing a flock of unfamiliar creatures. Its long, skeletal fingers join before its lap, right above its strange appendage, and a cavernous, masculine voice swells from everywhere all at once, as if carried to their eardrums by every particle hanging in the air.

It scuttles over the walls, skims across the floor, bleeds from the ceiling. It is utterly and mesmerisingly terrifying and beguiling. “You sought, and you found. You may call me the Collector.”

The Collector glides forward, the mangled hems of his cloak soaring with each of his moves as if poised with a will of its own. Livia feels Sebastian’s hand inching ever closer to his pocket. 

But the entity stops, as if combing through his intention and Livia asks, her heart hammering in her chest: “What are you?”

Slowly, he shakes his head. “Three wizards found their way to me. Three questions I will grant them, and one I will ask in return.” The Collector lifts his hand and his sleeve bares a rawboned hand. His skin is papery, fragile and, most of all, without nails, yet the tip of his fingers are keen as knifepoints. “Return to me at the same hour tomorrow with your inquiries. The room will be open to you.”

And before Livia can think to react, a white noise savages through her skull.

The stone of Sebastian’s presence is gone. So are all sensations within her. 

It’s as if her soul is wrenched out of her body; her shrilling fear dissected from her frame.

And when she opens her eyes, she finds herself in her bed, her pillow drenched in sweat and a noose of blankets snarled around her neck.