#no she's not Aurelia herself

[see-arcane]

Barking Harker Cast Snapshot 2: A White ‘Lady’ of Whitby Abbey

“Accursed misbirth of hell! I understand your hatred of the food of mankind. You get your sustenance out of the burying-ground, damnable creature that you are!”

As soon as those words had passed his lips, the Countess flew at him, uttering a sound between a snarl and a howl, and bit him on the breast with the fury of a hyena. He dashed her from him on to the ground, raving fiercely as she was, and she gave up the ghost in the most terrible convulsions. —“Aurelia; or, The Tale of a Ghoul”

Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows. Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. […] They have a legend here that when a ship is lost bells are heard out at sea. I must ask the old man about this; he is coming this way.... […]

He is, I am afraid, a very skeptical person, for when I asked him about the bells at sea and the White Lady at the abbey he said very brusquely:—

"I wouldn't fash masel' about them, miss. Them things be all wore out.” —Mina Harker, Mr. Swales, Dracula

She is not the Lady, whoever that pale wraith is meant to be. She is neither a walled-in maiden nor a dead holy woman stalking the ruins. Frankly, she’s not even at the Abbey the whole of her year. Merely visiting with all the other tourists. She comes for the view and the cuisine alike.

The only trouble with the place of late was that mess following the Demeter. Some uniquely dead codgers and their unhappy spirits, which was fine. A dead dog, which was not. A certain Black Dog roaming, which was worse. And a dog that was not a dog, but one of those cheating dead; the walking, talking, blood-burgling sorts who went around mucking up the natural order of things. ‘Natural’ here meaning ‘supper stays in its damn dirt box.’ So she tells him. He informs her in turn that she doesn’t know who she speaks to.

On the contrary, Count Cadaver. She can smell the dead legions on him. The screaming innocents who died in toil or twitching on pikes. The babes. The sailors. The codgers. Yes, he’s positively rancid with death and power and et cetera. Duly impressed, she is. But not as much as she is annoyed at this new grisly wrinkle in her routine. And she is not even half as annoyed as she is hungry. For she is of the living that consumes the dead. It should be said that her bite lasts on a corpse, no matter how puffed up or well-dressed he is. He might kill her if he’s quick about it, true. But he will have to get close.

And she imagines he’ll have a hell of a time enjoying England with a necrotized hole where his face should be.

Count Cadaver makes his exit and she doesn’t see those fair maidens in their nighties at the Abbey again—bittersweet, that—and time marches. Other cemeteries call. She digs and dines. Until one night she lets herself into a fine tomb in the Hampstead area. Westenra is engraved on the stone and a familiar fair face waits inside.

(Not the one in the coffin; too staked and sliced and delectably decayed for that. But the face of the fair maiden in the corner, neither resting nor at peace…)

Barking Harker details here.

[mistfallengw2]

1, 2, 3, 5, 6 for Aurelia? (@commanderhorncleaver)

GW2 OC Questions: Combat Edition ⚔️✨ (keeping the questions short here, refer to link for full questions)

1. How good are they in combat?

Aurelia is a pretty damn good fighter and a fierce one at that, otherwise she wouldn't have survived this long even with all the luck in the world. For a time her revenant abilities were tricky for her to access, especially with the voices in her head acting more as a distraction than anything else, but her skill as a warrior compensated for it until she "grew" into the magic and became an even stronger fighter with a more refined (yet often improvised) technique.

-

2. Do they like to fight?

The more time passes, the more her answer veers towards a hard "no".

Back in the Blood Legion it was easy to loudly roar "yes", as she had grown up training for war like any other cub and everything around her shaped her into being ready and eager for violence, and there was simply no other answer. The fame and recognition her warband earned in their glory days smothered any fledgling doubt she could have had about it, because that was what they were good at and kept proving it, yet even then she jokingly fantasized about having a quieter life away from it all. What then, after spending a few traumatic years in the Mists and coming out as a charr completely uprooted from what she knew? That thrill Aurelia chased with her warband was no longer there, ruined by the painful emptiness of their loss, and while fighting was still what she was good at, her priorities shifted: it was no longer about doing her duty as a soldier and earning glory while keeping her loved ones safe, now her duty was to keep the world safe for her loved ones.

Can she still enjoy a fight and celebrate victory? Sure, but it's hard to say she wants more of it when she feels that weight rooted on her shoulders, constantly reminding her of the stakes and that every little misstep could mean disaster. And yet, if she doesn't fight, something worse will happen, and there's no escape from it no matter how tired she is.

-

3. Are they good at hand-to-hand combat or do they prefer to keep their distance?

Aurelia used to be good only at hand-to-hand combat, where she could fully take advantage of her huge body and slam into enemies (better if with magical protection, courtesy of her bandmates). She lacked magic and she wasn't that great with firearms (others took care of those anyway), so the most she could do at a distance was using a bow with unimpressive skill (she liked to hunt for food, but in combat she felt utterly useless compared to her bandmate Lupita), or just watch while others took care of the enemy for her.

After coming back from the Mists with access to magic, she did her best to learn how to fight from a distance, finding new surprising uses for a lot of the weapons she was familiar with, though she still favors fighting in close quarters whenever possible and has plenty of ways to close the distance.

-

5. Are they good at fighting alongside allies or are they better fighting solo? + 6. What combat situation are they better suited for?

[answering both as they're very connected in her case]

Aurelia can handle most combat situations, as she and her warband extensively trained to be flexible and ready no matter what happened on the battlefield. They worked a well-oiled machine, but her role often had her fighting one or more charr at once, if not directly holding out on the frontline or ramming into the enemy, so it was important for her to handle things solo or with minimal support while waiting for her mates to catch up.

Needless to say, it helped her a lot during her Commander career, making her a good backup to fill in for most situations, especially with the boon of her weird Mist magic that gives her a honestly unfair advantage and self-regenerative abilities. After getting used to being in a commanding role and calling the shots instead of taking orders, the only situation that stresses her particularly is when others get separated from the group and start struggling, and she will put herself in danger if it means she can get to them.

[el-michoacano]

Saw this Eiza pic and my mind went:

Aurelia, snake earrings, and I died and and

That's it. That's the ask 😭

OH MY GOD I AM WEEPING 🥺😭

[vampacidic]

now that i think about it i would give femstars tsumugi a kiss. if she was okay with it

tsumugi is always ok with a little kiss.... she's a sucker for cheek kisses i think. Am i writing x reader stuff on main Yeah maybe. i dont care. she likes cheek kisses. especially if youre like. putting a little jacket over her shoulders at the same time.... shes so cute

[nottragic-stilltoothsome]

Everything I found in Szarr's palace, for all your fanfiction-writting needs. I haven't found any other post like this one, so i hope i m not copying anyone. Posting it here, because editing the official wiki feels intimidating. Feel welcome to add anything I missed.

Astarion's siblings (the other spawn):

Petras - one of the two you meet in the Flophouse.

Dalyria - the other one from the two you meet in the flophouse. Her diary can be found in the "guest room". Before Cazador turned her, she was a doctor, a "Physician General to the Parliament of Baldur's Gate". She thinks vampirism is a disease and plans on curing herself of it by drinking blood of someone young and healthy - other spawn's daughter, Victoria.

Leon Onufrio - before Cazador turned him, Leon was a sorcerer. He is the one whose daughter's (Victoria's) body is found, cursed, in the room where with the Kozakuran dictionary.

Leon put a protective counter-curse on her, to discourage other spawns from attacking her. Despite his efforts, Dalyria bit her, hoping it'd cure her vampirism. Needless to say, it didn't and Victoria died @easterlingwanderer found out that if you use "speak with the dead" on the body, it turns out that it was a random urchin and Leon did get Victoria out of the city on time. After removing the curse inflicting you with necrotic demage, you can loot a letter of her body from her father instructing Victoria to read said dictionary, so she can freely move around the castle.

In the favoured spawn room, you can learn that Leon was the one usualy occupying it (along with his daughter). His diary reveals that he put extra effort to be Cazador's best hunter, so he can keep Victoria away from others and that he came up with a plan with Figaro to disguise and sneak Victoria out of the palace.

He also notes that he doesnt like the way Violet looks at Victoria and Cazador's wicked smile, when Leon asked him what his master was planning to do with his daughter.

Violet - you can find her Diary in the Dormitory of Spawn. She notes that she put garlic in Yousen bed as a prank.

Aurelia - a tiefling

Yousen - @neophytepagan noticed he is a gnome

Other:

The chamberlain of Cazador was Antwun Dufay. In his diary, which can be found under his bed in his room after a successful passive perception check, it says that he had a lover Lurianna (a werewolf, who can be found dead by walking through fake north wall of chamberlain's office, or through another fake wall in Chamberlain's private room). He knew about Cazador's Black Mass enough to fake his death in order to avoid the threat of taking Astarion's place. Unfortunately for him, it seems he confused the actual death potion and fake death potion, and really died. His lover drank the other potion, which melted her guts. The actual fake-death elixir can be found in his desk, which puts the player in 10-turn coma. He ordered the elixir from Bonecloaks', where he also ordered most of the things the palace needed to function (like bloodstain remover, candles and food for "guests").

Godey - Cazador's right hand. Astarion says that while Cazador was the master of the palace, the kennels (the room where the spawn d be tortured, when they did something Cazador didnt approve of) was the domain of Godey. Godey tortured the spawn when Cazador didnt feel like it. Cazador trusted Godey with the key to the sealed ballroom for the duration of the ritual.

Through the palace, fanatic-servants cleaning the palace: Syrin - human, Greenfern - wood half-elf, Vilhelm - human, Varderola - also human. All of them are servants, who Astarion said are devoted to Cazador and came to the palace of their own will, beggining Cazador to turn them into vampires. Vilhelm is most noteable, as you can talk to him and he asks Astarion why isn't he downstairs, that he is late and the ballroom is already locked. If pressed, he informs that Godey has a key and that the Cazador is going to punish Astarion for missing the ritual (and from his expression, he seems to quite like the thought).

Chamberlain Dufay wrote a blooddonnors ledger, instructing the Spawn to favourite the lower class as prey, as too many missing patriars may drow too much attention.

The language Cazador uses is Kozakuran, from a distant land of Kara-Tur. Astarion notes that they were strictly forbidden from learning it. From Cazador's Journal you can learn that Astarion was not an unreliable narrator when he said Cazador liked torturing him the most: Cazador paid the most attention to him in the journal.

In the favoured spawn room, there is a ledger with the list of spawns who have been favoured (its only Leon and one time Violet).

Amanita Szarr - on her 13th birthsday, invited by her Uncle Cazador. She was invited to the ballroom. She became a vampire, but was not happy about it. She rejected her family name Szarr and named herself Lady Incognita. She claims she stays in the attic and writes stories. One of the books written by her can be found on Cazador's desk.

Mrel Alkam - vampire mastress from Athkatla that Cazador wrote a letter to.

[direct0rhutao]

aizo and yujiro have a song full of track and field metaphors dedicated to a reckless hero and in the sequence it plays, hiyori (a track and field athlete who recklessly helps other people even at risk to herself) is running and aizo and yujiro are looking at her like

oh hiyori is a jock… good for her

[boldstarks]

Giedi Prime (House Fenrir Dune AU)

word count: 1498 Words pairing: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Bene Gesserit!Reader warnings: none (yet) summary: you arrive on Giedi Prime for the Na-Baron's birthday celebration, but you have another task ahead of you.

Before you arrived on Giedi Prime, you didn't believe a place could be completely devoid of color, but as you stand on one of your father's heighliners looking over the planet, you have come to believe what they say. You peered at the black and white planet below from the bridge as the ship waited for its permission to land on the surface. House Fenrir was one of the many invited to the celebration for the Na-Baron's twentieth birthday and one-hundredth gladiator fight.

Even from outside the atmosphere, you can see the planet is heavily polluted from the fervent industrialization led by House Harkonnen over the centuries.

A nervousness settled in your stomach when you entered the planet's orbit, and your father's reservations about the match weren't easing the anxiety creeping through your bloodstream. Today was the day that you would begin to seduce the Baron's heir.

"We could always go back home," the archduke said. He has joined you at the window.

"It would not serve our house to make an enemy out of the Harkonnens," you reply in a monotone voice.

They were known for maintaining a cruel and tyrannical grip over their worlds. Violence and war were ingrained in their culture, and you had no doubt they would inflict that bloodshed on your people. If their treatment of the people of Arrakis was any indicator of how they treated those who displeased them, you knew they could do the same to Fenrir.

"Wise words," Lady Aurelia, your father's concubine, said.

Lady Aurelia was the closest thing you had to a mother after your own had died of a mysterious illness during your adolescence. You knew she did not see you the same way, though. Your father openly favored you and your older sister, Maron, over her two sons. To her, you were simply an obstacle in the way of her eldest son inheriting your father's title.

"They could reverse engineer our harvesters or simply kill us and take over production, and the emperor wouldn't bat an eye," you said, turning away from the grim image of the planet that you would soon call home if all went according to the Reverend Mother's plan.

"I hate the thought of leaving you in this place," Vulcan says.

Lady Aurelia sighs. "Y/N can take care of herself; I've seen to it."

"Lady Aurelia is right, father. I am more than capable of completing the task that the sisterhood has given me," you tell him.

Your reassurance only causes the worry lines around his mouth and forehead to deepen.

"Your Grace," a servant said.

The three figures at the window turn, and the servant curtsies quickly in respect.

"We have been given permission to land, Your Grace. We await your command," the servant says and curtsies again.

You watch her nervously scamper off. It seems that Vulcan wasn't the only one on edge today.

The landing was relatively uneventful, and the surface of Giedi Prime was just as bleak as you imagined. There were no natural plants in sight, and the air had a bitter taste to it that coated your tongue, throat, and sinuses. It made you miss Fenrir bitterly, with its vast oceans and thick forests that enveloped the less developed parts of the planet.

In the light of Giedi Prime's black sun, your ice blue dress looks silver. It's form-fitting to your body with a halter neck and leaves your arms bare. The look was completed with teardrop-shaped pearl earrings set in silver hardware.

A female servant is already waiting for you when the ship lands. She is pale and completely devoid of hair. She wears a dark-colored dress of a peculiar cut, and she keeps her eyes on the floor.

She curtsies deeply when you step off the ship with your father and Lady Aurelia into Harkonnen Palace's ship dock.

"I have been ordered by the Baron to show you to your quarters before the spectacle, Your Grace," the servant says in a small, timid voice.

Your father opens his mouth to reply, but the girl turns on her heel quickly and hurries toward another crowd of visitors being led by another woman in an identical dress. She waits to let the guests from a house you didn't recognize pass before continuing her beeline to the door.

You see Vulcan and Aurelia exchange a glance before all three of you follow after her.

The inside of the Harkonnen Palace is just as bleak as the outside. It is made up of identical black and white hallways; one could easily get lost in them. The servant girl expertly navigates these identical hallways without raising her eyes. She's obviously been here for quite a while. You wonder what horrible things she witnessed, or perhaps endured, in her employment here.

The woman is completely silent until she arrives at a nondescript slate gray door with a black panel installed on the wall next to it. "This is your room, Lady Y/N, and your parents are right beside you."

She motions toward an identical door to the left.

Lady Aurelia goes to her and your father's door and presses her hand to the panel. The panel glows, and the door slides open.

"What did it just do?" your father asks, puzzled.

"The doors to your quarters are programmed, so you need your handprint to get into them, Your Grace," the girl responds. "The Baron has found guests feel more secure when they are the only ones who have access to their living space."

Your father nods and presses his hand to the panel. Lady Aurelia walks into their room without another word.

"Just knock if you need anything, darling," Vulcan said, following her inside.

Their door slides shut behind them, leaving you alone with the servant.

"How did I find my way around?" you ask.

The girl makes eye contact with you for the first time.

"I strongly advise you not to walk around without someone to escort you, My Lady," the servant girl said firmly. "This is not a place where one wants to get lost."

This wasn't a request; it was a warning. The girl's eyes darted back toward the ground. You place your hand on your door's panel. It warms slightly when it scans your handprint. The door slides open, and you step inside. The servant girl won't meet your eye again before the door slides shut.

If you were anyone else, you would feel as though you had stepped into the belly of the beast. But you're not just anyone; you're Bene Gesserit. You're exactly where you're meant to be.

---------

You sit on an elevated platform that sits slightly lower than the one occupied by the Baron Harkonnen, the Reverend Mother, and your father, the Archduke, along with an unknown count and his wife. The crowds in the stands below are packed with Giedi Prime citizens. The black sun has once again washed the color out of everything. You were provided a pair of small field glasses to view all the fights through.

You're sitting with six other Bene Gesserit sisters that you have never met before. Despite knowing little about them, having some of your sisters here is a comfort.

In some twisted way, you looked forward to having your way with Feyd-Rautha. The Reverend Mother Helen described him as violent, calculating, and isolated. The Baron and his brother, whom they called the Beast, were neither fit to raise an emotionally intelligent, stable child. That only made your job simpler. It doesn't matter how physically strong Feyd-Rautha is; he's sexually and emotionally vulnerable. And you could mold him into whatever you see fit.

The opening fights are lackluster. It's obvious the opponents have been drugged to ensure the safety of the Harkonnen gladiators. You noted this with distaste and nearly rolled your eyes. The Harkonnens claimed to be the most dominant, well-trained fighters in the galaxy, but they couldn't be bothered to truly fight someone without resorting to petty vices and trickery. Nevertheless, the crowd roars with satisfaction whenever blood is spilled on the sand of the gladiator pit.

Now comes the main event: Feyd-Rautha's one-hundredth kill in the gladiator pit. Was this the measure of a Harkonnen man? Slaughtering drugged prisoners was supposed to be a show of power and strength while wearing a shield.

A horn blows, and the crowd begins to shriek and whoop once again. In the arena, a large set of doors slide open, and the Na-Baron emerges from the darkness beyond the doorway, a knife in each hand. He raises them toward the sun and circles the pit. The light of the black sun glints off the blades. He's hairless, like the other inhabitants of his planet. He's dressed in light black armor and practically preens for the crowd before kneeling. He bows his head in respect to his uncle and dedicates this win to the man.

The Baron is satisfied by this display, and the barbarism begins.

taglist: @ariesmai

[deldeldel90]

Aurelia's backstory just makes me so upset for her, like imagine you're cursed by your stepfather, something undoable is done to your body that you weren't even aware of- and EVERYBODY seems to take his side.

He remains King. Your mother stays married to him. You get weird looks whenever you shout at him to stay away, whenever you return his gifts. You burn the books he gives you, and boo-hoo because of that.

She's not daughtering as she should. Call the Royal Guards for that.

"give it to me when I can actually taste shit again,'" you hiss, throwing the box of Monochrome chocolates back to the table. He ducks his head in shame. You feel the burn of anger surge within you.

You don't have any friends, especially after what happened. You're just irritable all the time, your jokes a little too mean, sense of humor kinda dry and unfunny. You try to be nicer, kinder, sweeter.

You want people to like you. C'mon, you're, what, eighteen? Forgive you for wanting some company.

You have Reneé. Reneé sticks by you. Your best friend. She's the one who invited you to the Club... and the Club becomes your friends, the closest thing you've got to a family. They're really the only place you're allowed to visit.

Everybody... Likes you. Because you're nice. Friendly. Sweet. You blend in with the crowd of other girls. You think they'd ought to speak up more. If they were you, and if you could, for once, drop that smile, she would've done that.

Then a girl appears, running in the night. Running away from some ball or wake. Something about her brother. She's sweet, truly. She's the sweetest. The nicest. The kindest- and you, you can't keep up.

The real kicker is the question of her not even being cursed in the first place. This is the Sanctuary for the Cursed, for the Outcast of society. And what is she the outcast of, the Dress Department?

She's got loving siblings, some boring prince to marry, a good relationship with her kinda-weirdo dad. With a crafty hand and a somewhat bashful smile, she charms every person she meets. Yeah, yeah, Aurelia's jealous. She's fucking jealous.

Later on, when she's royalty messed up beyond repair, she learns the most annoying part of it all: it's real, in that Gwen really is the sweetest, the kindest, she's truly a good person, something Aurelia just. Isn't.

She goes home. Home doesn't feel like the right word to describe it anymore. She flops onto bed, the beads of her necklace cold against her collarbone.

Aurelia searches for a justification, for any remains of the actually likable persona she put on. There's nothing.

There's just herself. And who will like that?

[shadow-fell]

Notes on Cazador's Spawn

Mostly for my own reference but hey, someone else might find it useful.

Cazador Szarr becomes the Master Vampire of Baldur's Gate in 1276 (list of master vampires) completing the Rite of Perfect Slaughter on his master, Vellioth.

Astarion's gravestone gives his years as 229-268 DR. There are two assumptions we can make here: the first is that this is just being written without the 1, so he's turned in 1268 DR. The second is that it isn't DR, but instead meant to be Northreckoning - which would make the dates 1261-1300 DR.

We have a few choices here: if it is in DR, either the 1276 date is wrong, or Astarion was somehow turned before Vellioth was killed. Because of that, I think it's a bit easier to assume NR, especially since he's "one of the first" and not "the first". But this is a bit nitpicky.

For the rest of the spawn:

Petras is around ~1390 ("one hundred years eating rats and dogs" from the Flophouse convo)

Yousen is around ~1430 ("only sixty years" after Cazador's defeat)

Dalyria was Physician General to the Parliament of Baldur's Gate (journal). The Parliament of Peers was founded in the mid-1400s, so she would have been turned after this point ~1450

Leon is at least from 1486 (6 years of favored spawn) maximum ~1480 (turned while Victoria is alive based on diary)

Violet and Aurelia have nothing that concrete. However, Violet does offer a prayer to Kelemvor after Cazador's defeat, so I'm going to assume she didn't pick up worship of a new god as a vampire, which makes her turning after Kelemvor's ascension in 1358.

This leaves us with like a century gap, with Astarion (and maybe Aurelia) being turned around 1300 and everyone else in the 1400s. But there's an answer to that as well...Jaheira and Astarion have a party banter

Astarion: Cazador always warned us to stay clear of this neighbourhood. Never said why, though. Jaheira: The last spawn who tried was sunk into the cobblestones and left for the sun to find. I had an unfortunate taste for theatrics, in my youth. Astarion: Ah. Yes, that was probably it.

The original BG games are set 1368/69 - so probably around then or shortly after is when Jaheira killed at least one of the spawn; we can assume there's a few more that got killed and replaced in the 1400s to get back up to magic number seven.

(more on the Szarrs below the cut)

The Szarrs were a merchant family. In 1479, they had been wiped out in an attack that destroyed their home in Tumbledown in the Outer City, leaving only Cliffside Cemetery within large caverns, and which were home to strange lights that could be seen from the river. Rumors about the Szarrs being seen as ghosts were commonplace.

The crypts under the Szarr Mansion we see in BG3 are the Tourmaline Depths, discovered by Donnela Szarr the architect - based on the article while she was Master Vampire in 1138-1204, but potentially earlier. I think it is reasonable to assume that the Depths are connected to the Cliffside Cemetery and Szarr family crypts underground (deeper than the Sewers or Undercity).

Amanita Szarr, or Lady Incognita, has a series of journals dated to 1477 recounting her turning.

Alturiak: describes that she was raised near Anga Vled, and rarely visited her 'Uncle' Cazador

Tarsakh: summoned on her thirteenth birthday

Mirtul: references every living (well, vampire) Szarr as Uncle Cazador, Granddam Fistula, Great-Aunt Dralia, and Cousin Blovart.

Kythorn: describes being turned, imprisoned in the attic. for refusing to participate. Then she drank human blood, and at least a year later, sent up a captive.

Flamerule: "succumbed" and declares herself Lady Incognita.

These span over 6 months (skips Ches after Alturiak). Reasonably, I think these were written during the period of the "captive" sent up, which puts her turning proper probably in 1476, born ~1462. We can probably date the death of her parents to be the killing of the Szarrs, while she was very young. About 15 years before 1479 is perfect time for a ghost story to develop while gangs to take over.

(Anga Vled is a gnomish village between Baldur's Gate and Elturel, along the Risen Road - so not far at all from where Act1/2 are set)

If we assume that the relations Amanita describes are accurate, the tree would look like this. Given that they're an elven family (or at least, Cazador is elven) that means we have a lot of space to work with, timeline wise, but the quotes around 'uncle' might mean he's actually Dralia's son or Amanita's great uncle, to give a bit more space.

??? (Donella Szarr?) |-------| Dralia Fistula |-------|--------| Cazador ??? ??? | | Blovart Amanita

The question is: if the Szarr family are all vampires, then what does it mean that they haven't shown up? And that Vellioth was apparently not a Szarr but was still the Master Vampire (and definitely in charge over Cazador?) Who turned them?

My personal theory goes something like this:

Donnela Szarr, wealthy (but not Patriar) elven merchant has at least two children, Dralia and Fistula (probably not real name because come on)

some time from 1019-1138, Donnela Szarr, while investigating the tombs below her family's estate, encounters Hideous Gathwycke and is turned as his spawn.

1138, Donnela Szarr kills him and becomes Master Vampire

Donnela turns Vellioth

Donnela potentially turns her children to grant them immortal life

1204, Vellioth kills Donnela, becomes Master Vampire

Vellioth takes control of the Szarr family (intimidation, magic, or potentially turning Dralia/Fistula, if they're his spawn and not Donnela's)

Cazador is turned by Vellioth (at least 1260, probably earlier)

1276, Cazador completes the Right of Perfect Slaughter

~1460, other Szarrs die; Amanita sent to the countryside.

~1475 Amanita turned

I imagine that Cazador was fairly young when Donnela was killed (young enough to not be turned yet), and knew Vellioth already, even if it might have been some time before he was turned. I'd put him at no more than 100 when Vellioth becomes Master Vampire; their relationship (and "martinet") feels very 'strict teacher' which makes me wonder if he was a tutor beforehand.

The debate is whether the Szarrs were killed for mundane reasons (rival merchants), by vampire hunters, or by Cazador himself. If he killed them, it might be for refusal to let him turn them into vampires (Blovart as the exception), or some level of sibling rivalry? Amanita's parents are presumably not vampires since she was turned, but that doesn't remove the chance of monster hunters.

Based on the timeline, Blovart may have died sometime after Lady Incognita's entries, placing Leon as his replacement for the seven spawn (maybe the Favoured Spawn room was his by default, and became a competition after? The fact it only goes back 6 years is interesting). Perhaps related to how she left or died herself.

Dralia and Fistula's absence might be that they don't live with him, but I could also see if they discovered the Rite of Ascension and tried to usurp him and got killed for it. Cazador is fascinated by the idea of family, and I could see him very much wanting to keep his family intact but also has no qualms about killing his own mother / aunt if they actually posed a threat to his real goals.

All of this + the Lady Incognita stuff is very rough, presumably a lot of it having been cut with the Upper City/shift in direction for Cazador's story. For more links/information, there's also this masterlist.

[unicyclehippo]

Imodna, #46 "…out of envy or jealousy."

ok so. idk what happened here but it’s gay & bloody. enjoy!

//

the chatter blurred around her. she couldn’t bring herself to care, to pay attention. she was bored. she’s been bored for what feels like centuries, every second of her life a year and every year a fucking boring one. gods. what she wouldn’t give for something interesting to happen at one of these events. what she wouldn’t give for—

‘presenting her honourable lord temult.’

her.

laudna’s eyes caught on her hair first. it was practically loose around her shoulders—she hadn’t bothered to braid it, even, and everyone gasped and tittered like the little fucking fools they were and bent their heads together, idiot birds, to chatter about decorum and whatever else inane thing that stirred the puddles of their mind but laudna, oh, she couldn’t turn away. her hair, you see. it lay in lazy curls across the bare skin of her shoulders and it entranced her.

was it true that it could be blamed on decorum? on the difference of culture? in a group somewhere to her right, laudna could hear one of her lady’s needling laughs—poison tipped—and a snide comment on marquet, what passed for a lady there. laudna would deal with her. she would eat her alive and relish it. later.

the other option—more dangerous. this lord, this temult, had arranged herself on purpose. to tease from anyone who glanced her way the thought, the fervent desire, to see her in their bed the next morning. to see the sun kiss those sun-kissed shoulders, to count her freckles, to see the natural tousle of her curls against shoulders, bedsheets. did she smell of lavender? or was the likeness in colour alone?

laudna had to know.

her entourage squealed—idiots—when she stirred.

‘my lady,’ aurelia gasped, eyes prey wide. her hand flung to her chest in shock; laudna let her eyes dip to the red line of her necklace, the red line of her gown. the pale line of her throat. of the three, her throat and the rabbit-quick pulse bounding just beneath the skin, was the more enchanting. ‘you startled me!’

laudna arched a brow. she turned away, searching for the lord in her hall—the way was filled with dancing bodies, musicians, ivory-clad wait staff but every now and again she caught a glimpse of purple hair. she tracked her through the hall. temult’s path was slow and winding, as if she had all the time in the world.

did she know she ought to greet her host? that it was the first and only vital task of the evening? hunger licked behind her teeth, over the bonerasp of her jaw.

‘tell me,’ she purred, curling a hand around aurelia’s wrist, ‘what do you know of my guest?’

‘your…guest?’

the girl didn’t know who laudna meant. fool! another one for the pile. she knew well the slice of laudna’s displeasure and rushed to make herself useful, pressing up onto her toes in soft useless slippers. temult was wearing boots. she hadn’t more than glanced at her outfit—attention caught in the net of her hair, the gleam of her eyes—but she had seen that.

‘you mean the newcomer! yes? the - lord temult?’ aurelia leapt on the flicker of her interest, breadcrumb of a lure, and bobbed her head. ‘yes! i know of her! she hasn’t been here long—is staying in the city.’

‘the city? she is not a guest of one of my court?’

‘no, my lady.’

laudna stroked a pale thumb across aurelia’s wrist, her winsome pulse. ‘good. what else?’

‘i- i- oh, my lady, she’s frightfully dull. she never goes out and never invites anyone in. she has a small staff, no more than five, and they won’t say a word. ignatius thinks she’s some kind of charlatan—‘

‘ignatius is an idiot,’ laudna scolded.

‘yes, my lady. it is as you say.’

a pout touched laudna’s lips. ‘i don’t ever want to hear his name again,’ she said. behind her, pate scribbled down the decree. ‘and if he insists on coming to my parties, he must wear a mask. a different one each time.’ the pen nib scratched against the paper, and he murmured under his breath that it was done.

aurelia trembled so sweetly. when laudna finally let her go, she would flutter off and let everyone know—her whims were final, fantastic. there’s nothing fair at all about our fair lady.

laudna shivered in delight. it had been so very long since she’d played with the birds; she felt like a cat, stretching after a nice long nap. how had this temult done this to her? she felt…awake. alert.

‘what else?’ she asked, and dragged her thumb down that pulse again. the sharp point of her nail came to rest wear it was thinnest; with waking came such hunger.

aurelia stammered. ‘m-my lady, she does nothing. i have nothing more to tell you. she declined every invitation from every house.’

a rush of heat.

every house but mine.

laudna’s fangs pushed and pressed and slid free from her gums in a gush of blood and lust. with a groan, she lifted aurelia’s wrist to her mouth—spared a moment for the memory of the girl’s mother who had begged her not to feast on her, who hadn’t known how very sweet it was to break a promise—and sunk her teeth into soft soft flesh.

the first touch of blood was glorious. she was so thirsty—how long had she been waiting there? hunger bubbled in her throat, a laugh, a groan, and she was so so gentle she was a dutiful lady she was a kind lady to pull her teeth from broken skin, there, gentle, no tearing, and laved her tongue across the wound, swept each gush of red into her mouth, suckled at it until aurelia made a noise like she was going to faint. shock and hurt had drained her skin to white, and pleasure returned the pinkest flush to her cheeks. her eyes two dark dark bowls for feasting.

laudna licked her wrist one last time, then her fingers as she let the girl go. an attendant kept her on her feet.

‘food and wine for lady aurelia. medical attention if she should need it.’

the attendant bowed. laudna assumed they dragged her out, or called for another to help but she didn’t bother to wait and watch. she turned away—temult, where was she—and felt her veins alight to see her at the edge of the crowd that had stopped to watch her feed.

what was she? witch? warlock? laudna was hungry again. the blood she had drained from that girl curdled to ash on her tongue, tasteless, at a look from this stranger—she had to speak with her, had to know her, taste her.

‘lord temult.’

she stepped forward neatly with a nod. her dress was…fine. three seasons out of fashion, and a coarseness to the fabric that even a human—was she?—could feel. but what did that matter? it was nothing it meant nothing. it was just another skin around the power crackling inside. the lord was a storm, prowling through her dance hall.

‘lady br—‘

‘laudna,’ she interrupted, extending a hand for the lord to kiss. she didn’t bow, she didn’t curtsey, she sounded as though she barely cared for the honorific. enchanting. laudna wanted to sink her teeth into that neck and drink from her until she begged her, lady lady lady please.

something told her it would be easy.

there was blood on her hand. lord temult didn’t flinch. she stepped closer, took her bloody hand. hers was gloved and the realisation resonated, loud, in her chest. a wolf howl, lonely, lonely, calling.

lord temult’s eyes flickered down to the blood and to somewhere behind. lightning—real lightning!—licked behind her eyes. gorgeous, gorgeous, phenomenally dangerous. Laudna’s breath caught; the storm pressed in on all sides like a mighty hand.

was she showing off? it was a funny little game if she was. maybe she wanted laudna to beg for her. my lord? she would say it if this stranger asked. but no, her eyes flickered again—behind laudna, and who could possibly have captured her lord’s attention? laudna twisted, followed her gaze to—aurelia?

oh.

jealousy.

laudna pressed her hand harder into temult’s hold. shivered when a gloved thumb pinned her in place, helpless little butterfly.

‘kiss my hand,’ laudna said.

‘what?’

‘you’re new to this land. you don’t know our customs. that much is…’ laudna let her eyes trail the bare shoulders. her bare neck. her loose, lovely hair. ‘obvious.’

irritation was lovely on temult’s face. the mulish set of her chin begged for someone to grasp it, flay it, drain the marrow and defiance out of her. what a pretty thought.

‘i am the lady of the castle,’ she continued. ‘you must kiss my hand.’

temult glanced down at it, blood spattered up to the wrist. her eyelids fluttered—there, laudna had been right, she knew it—and she bent her head. pressed a branding kiss against her knuckles. heat burned, seared into her skin. when she lifted her head, laudna saw it—the red lash of a burn, already welting. how bold! how miraculously stupid! how exciting!

‘do you feast on all your ladies?’ temult asked, tone burned dry. her eyes dragged across laudna’s face, lingering on her mouth, her chin.

she wondered how much red she had wasted; she’d never been particularly neat.

‘only the ones who have pleased me.’

‘and what of lord’s?’

‘not yet. but one has recently…caught my attention.’

temult smirked. ‘i thank you for your invitation,’ she said. the words tasted rote, quickly learned. ‘it is most gladly received.’

‘i thank you for your attendance. the moon would not be a more welcome guest.’ behind her, pate gasped. he scribbled in his book.

temult did not know the formalities. what did words matter to a storm? what did castles matter? they didn’t, not at all. but for whatever reason, she had accepted the invitation and kissed laudna’s hand. and stared hard at the blood flaking her chin as though she wished fiercely it were gone. or that it were her own.

‘any other customs i should know about?’

laudna smiled. wide. ‘oh yes. you must stay with me all night. you must dance with me.’

temult rolled her shoulders. they were still holding hands. laudna let the slight move draw her closer; she felt like a feather in those violent winds. she would go anywhere, as far as temult wished. let her be flung into the deepest sea!

‘i can manage a dance or two.’

‘marvellous.’ more demands cluttered her tongue. she had to follow her to her throne. had to let laudna peel back the skin on her throat—what were those scars? gorgeous! a map just for her!—and let her feast, drink. the thought of her, what she would taste like, filled her mind. laudna could think of little else. except,

‘you must tell me your name,’ she whispered as temult let herself be pulled out onto the floor. ‘you must, you must.’

what was this creature? heat beneath her skin, red in her scars, her veins. white power behind her eyes.

a smile curled her lips. what would they look like, coated in blood? laudna groaned at the thought of her blood on these lips. oh what a creature she could become…

‘imogen,’ she said.

‘imogen. imogen, yes. yes.’

‘i think it’s about time you showed me—yeah,’ she cut herself off with a gasp, as laudna pressed her head to the side, dragged her hand down the column of her throat. ‘oh gods, yep.’

‘you wanted to be in her place.’

‘fuck. the second i saw it happen.’

laudna laughed. dipped her head. ‘gorgeous. gorgeous creature.’

power, powerful arms curled around her. they were not dancing. they merely stood on the dance floor as the music struck up and glimmering couples spun around them. laudna’s lords and ladies were good for something. to be pretty. to be obedient. imogen was not those things.

‘are you here for long?’ laudna whispered.

‘only til the solstice.’

‘and then gone.’ oh longing, that wolf-toothed howl.

imogen stepped closer still. the warmth of her neck, so close. the thump of her heart. powerful.

laudna’s teeth pushed from her gums. it hurt so sweetly, a tiny nip they were so sharp and then the hungry press as her fangs dropped and—oh oh power and lightning and the burn of it was right it was good she had never tasted blood before not like this, a curse on every other ugly creature she had drunk from, worthless worthless things they were maggots they were ash they were nothing compared to this, to her. my lord, my lord! how imogen hissed as her fangs sunk in, butter soft and smooth, how her blood rushed and rushed how it filled her mouth like it was begging to be drunk, how imogen begged to be drunk, her words cloying and sweet and starting to slur at the edges, rasped smooth, how she clung to launda’s shoulders, how she shuddered in her arms, oh what a dance it was.

laudna drank until imogen’s knees buckled. when her girl, her storm, her love sank to the floor laudna followed, the wine red of her gown pouring over imogen’s legs, her practical boots.

‘hell of a first kiss,’ imogen drawled, as an attendant pressed a cloth into laudna’s hands and laudna pressed it, in turn, to the side of that perfect neck.

[hcsiqs]

| PROFESSIONAL

series masterlist

• warnings: consumption of alcohol / underage drinking and jealous/mean!kk

ONE MONTH LATER

“Shots!” Paige yelled out as she placed the thing of shots down on the table in front of the team plus Aurelia. Lia was quick to grab one and down it, her lips pursed and eyes closed as the burn went down her throat. Once the rest of the team took their shots there was one more left and Lia took it upon herself to take it.

“You good, girl?” Ice asked, her voice low so the others wouldn’t hear.

“Yeah,” Lia nodded, her hand coming down to her green mini skirt in attempt to pull it down. Aurelia knew that the only way she would get through a night of being around KK was put drinks in her system. Over the past month KK had managed to break almost every rule they had set.

Every time Lia had planned something for them to hang out to get to know each other better, KK either didn’t show or when she did she had hickeys forming on her neck, which she had gotten without even telling Lia she was going to be out with someone.

It wasn’t that she wanted to know the girls whereabouts every five seconds, she just wanted to feel respected in their fake relationship. Lia just thinks that it would be nice to be given a heads up if KK was hooking up with other people, so that if Lia decided to do so too she wouldn’t feel bad.

“I’m gonna go to the bar, you wanna come?” Lia asked, her lips curving into a smile as she looked at Ice.

“How are you gonna—,” Ice was cut short by Lia dragging her over to the bar and ordering them both a cosmo. She then handed over her very much fake ID to the bartender, who thankfully accepted it and then handed them the drinks.

“Thank you!” the blonde smiled taking the glasses from him, handing one to Ice before starting to sip her own.

“Li you might wanna slow down,” the taller girl suggested, but Lia wasn’t hearing any of it. She wanted to be drunk by the end of the night, so she wouldn’t even have a thought about the whole arrangement as it had been taking up her mind entirely.

As Lia took another gulp of her drink Paige came around swinging a phone in both of the girl’s faces, “And here’s Lia and Ice is with her!” Paige smiled showing both of them off, clearly tipsy herself.

“Ok that’s enough phone time for you,” Ice got up and took the phone away from Paige before she started showing stuff that shouldn’t be seen.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

“Bro stop staring daggers at her,” Ice nudged KK’s arm as her eyes were glued to the girl with the blonde braids sitting at the bar talking to Azzi.

“I’m not starin,” KK replied but her eyes didn’t move.

“Yes you are,” Ice argued back.

“Girl boo, no I’m not,” KK finally turned to look at Ice who was standing beside her.

“Well not anymore,” she slumped against her chair. But as soon as those words left Ice’s mouth KK turned back to look at Lia, but now Azzi was gone and was replaced with some random person that she had never seen before.

“Who’s that?” KK asked, trying to not seem jealous, because she had no reason to be.

“I think her names Riley,” Ice said after analyzing the red head who was talking to Lia. “KK what are—,” Ice watched the girl walk over to the pair at the bar.

“Who’s this?” KK asked, her eyes scanning up and down the ginger as she found her spot behind Lia.

“Oh my God, I completely forgot to ask!” Lia slapped her hands to her mouth as the realization went through her drunken brain, “I’m Aurelia by the way,” she removed her hands from her face holding a smile on her lips.

“Riley,” she smiled sticking her hand out, while the other went through her short hair. Lia placed her hand against Riley’s and shook it before KK butted in.

“KK,” she gave a tight smile, her left hand snaking around Lia’s waist causing the girl to give her a confused look.

“Nice to meet you,” she scratched her neck awkwardly. “So,” Riley moved her attention back to Lia, ignoring the hand around the blondes waist, “Can I get your number, or Snap?” she asked.

And just as Lia was about to give her number to this random girl KK opened her mouth, “She’s taken.”

“Oh shit, sorry,” Riley apologized, finally taking in the hand wrapped around the blondes waist.

“Yeah,” KK nodded, her hand squeezing going under the black fabric that covered Lia’s stomach.

“See y’all around,” Riley gave an awkward smile before walking off from the two.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Lia turned around in her seat, removing herself out of the girls grip.

“What the fuck is my problem? What the fuck is yours?” KK crossed her arms over her body as she stared down at Lia, “We’re supposed to look like we’re in a relationship and you’re flirting with other people. She could’ve known who you were and went and posted some shit on Twitter.”

“You’re such a hypocrite, ya know?” Lia rolled her eyes, “You’re out here hooking up with God knows how many girls! And you couldn’t even let me do that with one,” she scoffed turning back to the bar and drinking more of her drink.

“I keep my shit in private though. I’m not flaunting it around.” the brunette moved to the side, so she was still Lia’s main focus, she wasn’t gonna let her just get out of the conversation.

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes again.

“Get up, we’re leaving,” she flicked her finger up to motion Lia standing.

“I’m not leaving with you,” Lia attempted turning more the side, but KK’s hand came to the bottom of the seat and turned her right back around.

“Why? You wanna leave with Riley?” KK asked, her eyes flickering back to the ginger who was now in the corner talking to her friends.

“Why do you suddenly care? Hm?” Lia finally met KK’s eyes. She noticed they were glossed over with something, but she wasn’t sure what. She noticed the tenseness in KK’s shoulders and the way her jaw was clenched.

“I’m not tryna have your manager or mine call us to yell at us, so we’re leaving before anything else happens,” the girl stated before calling the bartender over, “She’s gonna close out,” she told him.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

“You’re so annoying you know that,” Lia groaned as KK walked her to her apartment.

“Good to know all I need to do to hear the truth from you is get some alcohol in your system,” KK joked as she stuck out her hand for Lia to pass the keys over to her, which she did.

“I’m always truthful,” Lia replied, her words slightly slurred from the alcohol and tiredness taking over.

“No you’re not,” KK shook her head, inserting the key into the door and unlocking it, “You always act like everything’s perfect.”

“No I don’t,” Lia shook her head, her voice laced with hurt. They both stayed standing outside the door as Lia continued, “I just—I don’t know.”

“I’ve seen your calendar, it’s like you got everything planned out perfectly, so nothing goes wrong,” KK pushed the door open and walked in with the blonde following after her.

“That doesn’t mean I act like everything’s perfect,” she countered, her arms crossing over her body, almost self consciously.

“But you do. You act like you’re not bothered by this whole thing, and I know you are,” KK turned to look back at Lia, “Fuck, you act like it’s just a normal thing for you.”

“I mean, I don’t like that we have to do this, but complaining about it and getting angry over it won’t change the fact that it’s happening,” suddenly Aurelia felt very sober, like all the alcohol had just been knocked from her system.

“You can’t even admit you’re upset about it without trying to turn it into a life lesson,” the brunette shook her head as started walking back to the door.

“I’m just trying to be positive,” Lia whipped her body around to follow KK.

“You don’t always have to be,” KK turned around, her eyes roaming over Lia’s long legs that were exposed from her mini skirt and the way her black top fit her perfectly, “Goodnight Aurelia.”

Lia stayed silent for a moment, and just as KK was about to walk into the hallway she spoke up, “Why don’t you call me Lia? Everyone else does.”

“Tryna stay professional,” she shrugged.

“Ok, goodnight Kamorea,” Lia titled her head to the side, watching the way KK’s lip twitched at the sound of her full name. “What? I’m just being professional,” she mirrored the words of KK’s before she left the apartment leaving Lia with herself.

allies corner.

i feel like this is kinda long oops

and i think i hate it but wtv !!!

[wave-rider-attorney]

Aurelia Cantarini was born on 22. Juli 2000 in Rome, Italy. She began her law studies there at the age of 18, which she completed with ten semesters and then worked in a large law firm for six months before opening her own law firm in Sanremo.

Rome was too big for her and she couldn't live out her one true passion there the way she wanted to. Her favorite pastime was relaxed surfing when no one else was there. Simply riding the waves in peace and being in complete harmony with herself and her own thoughts - that is her passion.

(Aurelia Cantarini, 23 years old, Single, Sister of: @famousstuntdouble, Avatar: Ayca Aysin Turan, Wire: waveriderattorney)

[bluetorchsky]

Happy Birthday, Aurelia and Florence!

Violin hummed softly as he placed the stacks of books he was carrying onto the floor. “I’m glad everyone could join us. I’m sure the kids will remember this one day.” He said as he joined his husband sitting on the floor.

Accordion chuckled and leaned his head against Violin’s. “Well, it won’t be hard since Zar and Zephyr took a lot of photos. Just gotta wait to get them developed so we can make an album.” He sighed deeply. “One year already, huh…”

The husbands looked back to their children, who were happily pushing a stripped ball back and forth between each other. Violin smiled but he paused when he saw how his partner looked. “Luv, are you okay? You seem…thoughtful.”

Accordion sighed again and lifted his head up, looking at him. “It’s just…they used to fit so snug in our arms but now they’ve gotten bigger–”

“And heavier.” Violin joked with a smile.

The other man frowned, but his eyes crinkled up into a smile at that. He continued on, leaning back where he sat. “That too. But it’s only been a year since we’ve had them.”The stripped ball rolled over to the parents and Accordion stopped it before it went any further. “They’re growing up so fast, and I…I…

Accordion trailed off and his eyes widened. “Trent, look.” He whispered, grasping his hand tightly as he did. “Look, look!”

Violin blinked in confusion as he followed his gaze. “Ollie, what are you-Ohhhh…”

Usually, the kids would have crawled over to their dads in order to retrieve one of their toys when it got away from them. However, Aurelia and Florence didn’t do that now. They had done a lot of crawling around during their birthday party. They wanted to do something different.

Slowly, each of the twins grabbed some sort of ledge. Aurelia grabbed the counter of a coffee table, and Florence grabbed the ledge of a footstool. With a look of determination in their tiny, bright shining eyes, they started to lift themselves to their feet on their shaky legs. The dads watched with bated breath, hoping to see their kids take their first steps.

But it looked as if it wasn’t meant to be. Just after a few seconds of standing, both of them fell back on their butts, on the carpeted floor. Aurelia sniffled loudly and hit her legs with her tiny fists, close to throwing her second tantrum of the day, while Florence looked down at floor with a very sad look, also sniffling.

“Oh, my dears. It’s okay.” Accordion said softly as he reached out to Aurelia. “You must be very tired after today.”

But when he moved closer, she pushed away his outreached hand with a huff. The action shocked him in place. “A-Aurelia?”

She made some noises before she grasped the ledge of the coffee table once again. Before she pulled herself up, she looked over to her brother. To the shock of the dads, Florence had managed to push the footstool closer to the coffee table. He crawled around it to be next to his sister, and said something to her with a smile. Her frown instantly changed into a smile, and she and Florence tried again to stand up.

This time, they managed to stand up long enough so they could grab each other’s hand. Holding onto their respective ledge, the twins tested their footing before they stood still, looking at the floor. Then, they looked up at their dads and smiled widely, giggling as they did.

“Da-Da! Pa-pa!” They cried out together before they both took one step together, pushing away from their support. With only their free hand to balance each other, the twins repeatedly called out for their dads as they carefully took one shaky step after the other, all while holding each other’s hand tightly. Just like their dads.

“T-That’s it, that’s it!” Accordion cheered, tears escaping his eyes. “You can do it, both of you can do it!” He had let go of his husband’s hand to bring his own hands up to cheer for his kids. “Trent, are you seeing this?”

Violin had his mouth covered with one hand, but his other hand gripped his husband’s shoulder tightly in answer. “I am, Ollie…” He whispered as he wiped away the tears slipping from his eyes. “This is amazing…”

Just as they got closer to their dads, the twins stumbled and almost lost their balance. But they each steadied themselves, with Aurelia having a very strong grip to her brother��s hand. After a few seconds, the twins continued walking forward until they collapsed onto their dads’ laps, giggling and laughing.

Their dads laughed along with them, picking them up into their arms and holding them close. “You did it! Both of you did it!” Violin cheered as he smothered Aurelia in kisses, making her shriek happily. “Ohh, what a wonderful way to end the day! Wait until everyone sees you walking all by yourselves!”

Accordion hummed a small melody, sniffling. “Our little music notes, you never fail to amaze us.” He whispered to them, kissing the top of Florence’s head, making him giggle. “Please, don’t grow up too fast…Otherwise, we won’t be able to see all the amazing things you do.”

Each baby babbled and giggled, getting drool down their chins and into their dads’ shirts as they snuggled in close to them. Their dads just smiled and leaned closer to each other, pressing their heads together as they sang a small lullaby for them. The twins struggled to keep their eyes open but once they each let out a big yawn, they closed their eyes and settled into their dads’ arms.

Carefully, Accordion and Violin stood up and took their children back to their crib, feeling a moment of pride for their twins and for themselves.

“We love you both so much.” They whispered to them, gently rocking them in their arms. “To the ends of the worlds and back, we love you both very much.”

——————

Happy birthday to the twins! I was a bit unsure how to end it off but there ya go. Somehow I managed to get this done before today admist everything going on in my life. I really do hope to find time to do the things I want to do soon, especially getting back into drawing and writing.

Full pic under the cut! Also, mentions of Zar belongs to @zerguette (Zar is gonna be SO happy to see them walk hehe!)

[vampacidic]

sage you’re an older sibling too.. ?

mhm mhm! my sister's younger than me lol. she's a goober. been going through some stuff at school so i'm trying to help them out... love her to death but she's horribly shy and a different flavor of conflict averse than me. also she's probably autistic. cant say she is for sure but there's definitely something wrong with them

[just-some-user-hunny]

Aurelia Targaryen the bastard princess pt.2

Her relationship with her closest family members...

. As Aurelia grew, the more she found herself more inclined to keep herself distracted. She found comfort in a needle and thread- pushing and pulling the silver thorn between canvases, mimicking a memory from long ago. Craving the comfort of sewing clothes and cushions in her little home, but instead of mending ragged shirts and socks, she weaves stories with silken thread and beads.

. She'd often find herself accompanying Heleana, the two soft-spoken princesses lost within the comfort of silence and dance of fingers and needle. Heleana would embroider silver winged butterflies and spindle legged spiders, whilst Aurelia would weave pictures of dragons and flame. The two little twins playing nearby, tended to by a maid with cast down eyes. Helaena was a kind company, her odd dreamy mutterings were nothing but distant bird songs to her ears. She could not understand, but she listened and appreciated it.

. The training grounds often bored her, you see. She would often feel inclined to watch Jace and Luke train with their clashing swords, perched upon a balcony above like a ruffled dove, her gleaming dress of seafoam and gold surrounding her in a cloud of soft fabric. Her heart had warmed over the years towards the two princes, as she could only stay bitter and sad for so long at so many people. Her heart grew lonely, and those two found themselves wiggling their way inside.

She would often capture their glances towards her like she were the sun, their smiles just as bright. She'd smile and blow playful kisses, finding laughter as Luke would pout and Jace waving back. However Aemond, the one eyed prince, his intense smouldering glare would startle her- causing her to shy away in the end. She found no amusement in the clash of steel or the shouts of men, the kick of dust and rubble polluting the air. Nor the willowy man who'd glue his eyes to her like she were some spectacle.

. After all, she had her half-sisters to tend to.

Rhaena and Baela.

The twin girls would sail upon oceans to visit, always bearing tender expressions and gifts. The older girls would spoil her, almost as rotten as Rhaenyra would. Treasures of pearls and sea glass, jewelry fashioned into shapes of seahorses and dolphins and shells, all placed upon her throat in golden chains. But Aurelia could only look forward to being in their arms again, that was the greatest treasure she could ask of them.

Their hair of spun silver and gold almost seemed to tangle into one as they'd hold one another, Aurelia finding comfort in their familiarity and embrace. They were kind to her as a child, the closest she had felt to ever since she had been taken. The adults never seemed to understand, always blinded by their own greed and power- but the friendship between children is simple and pure.

. Rhaenyra was a warm and kind woman. Warm hands and eyes, embracing and gazing at her with wholehearted adoration.

Often would the silver haired woman preen and tend to her curls of silvery gold locks, picking at braids with gentle fingertips and brushing down the fabric of her dress to look presentable, before smiling happily and kissing her daughter upon her brow. Syrax is just as attentive, bowing her neck of gold scales to coo and trill like a mother bird- huffing her smoky sulphur burnt breath over her face, her snout nestling within Aurelia's palm contently before retreating to her riders side.

. To them, she was a soft little dove. Letting them bestow her with pretty things for her nest of solitude, gleaming silk threads to embroidery with, or shimmering gowns made of the finest fabric and jewels. It almost seemed to weigh her down, like chains. Pretty chains made of gold and gems are still chains.

But to Daemon? She was just as spiteful and stubborn as she had been the day he took her. She seldom even looked at him. Him and Ceraxes both frightened and angered her.

Her breath would catch in her throat whenever the blood scaled beast would chirp and coil close to her like a viper, his eyes beady and predatory like a shark. She was just as much in his hovering possessive glare as her father's, whose eyes seemed just the same. Watching. Nitpicking. Controlling. Yet he'd still speak to her like everything was simple and plain, like she wasn't under his thumb. She'd curse and curse him in her mind, under her breath, grinding the words of his name between her fingertips into dust- as if it would eradicate him entirely. Daemon was aware, of course he was. But he couldn't care less. Seeing her all dolled up in pretty fabrics and looking clean and healthy kept him docile. No matter how much his daughter would spite him with venomous glares and pursed lips every time he'd forbid her from riding her dragon without him accompanying, or simply leaving the castle to walk upon the beach without a guard trailing her heels like always.

[everlovingt]

One thing I find really interesting about Cordelia as a character is the separation of her reputation and her character, and that it gets called out only subtly in the Vorkosigan saga. Spoilers below the jump.

So, for a good chunk of the Vorkosigan saga, Cordelia is referred to by the other characters (Miles especially, but also Kareen and her parents, Duv, etc.) as the utterly composed, utterly competent, razor incisive, and emotionally controlled Captain and Vor lady that everyone else can only aspire to.

And there’s no question that Cordelia is an amazing woman who has done amazing things.

But.

Cordelia is also a person who fell in love with a self-destructive aristocrat on the other side of a war, fled her home and family, built a new family, watched Barrayar try its best to eat the new family, and came out fighting on the other side.

So, Cordelia is amazing, but she’s also crazy. And she knows it! We don’t see much of Cordelia’s thoughts once we’re in Miles’ narrative, but the book that clinches it for me is Mirror Dance. Miles is missing, presumed dead, and then Mark appears, and then Aral goes through heart failure, and Mark is the one that sees how hard Cordelia is working to hold it all together. Because Cordelia wanted to build a family with Aral and a horde of little babies, and instead Barrayar tried to eat her first son, and now she has one chance to build a relationship with her second son (maybe), and all of three of them are doing their utmost to get themselves killed, and she can’t help that her heart is riding on all of them making it. She is just trying to help each of them by being the partner or mother they need.

She is, as she calls herself, a fool for love. And it’s not a happy thing.

And so I think it’s very special (and is more headcanon than text) that Mark is the one who gets a glimpse of Cordelia in Mirror Dance and realizes that she has an inner life with its own thwarted wants and twisting pains. Because it helps him realize that she’s not perfect and untouchable, and if she can keep moving, maybe he can, too. I’m not sure Miles has ever had this view of his mother.

All of that is part of why I really like Gentleman Jole and the Req Queen. It gives Cordelia a chance to find some ease. And the coda to all of the above is the way in which Cordelia lets go of her fears about baby injuries as she raises Aurelia. To paraphrase Illyan, being Miles’ mother must have been a privilege and a terror. It must be so different to have a chance to pursue happiness.