#or Rook for that matter. but what can I say. hes from another game and Ive got disco brainrot

[vvindication]

2, 7, and 25 for the oc ask yaaaaaaayyy (for whoever you'd like !!)

MINTT YAAAAY thank you hugging you hugging you !!

2. How much death and/or destruction have they wrought? SUCH A LOADED QUESTION. and such a fucking good one. if I were to compare the amount of misery caused between Vincent, Armistice, and Joakim ...

well, Armistice was the moralist politician. she was definitely causing the most harm on a grand scale whether she liked it or not. im not really interested in getting into the weeds of All That (bureaucracy is the quickest way to bore me I cant be assed to research that deeply for a hobby fic) but he was not responsible in his job whatsoever

well, no - by the time the events of The Fic roll around he isnt. I really do think she tried to be the son her father raised at first. that might have caused even more suffering than ignoring his job altogether to deal drugs and purposefully endanger himself. by actually trying to be a good moralist and make sure that the status quo is upheld (no matter the suffering of those people under the status quo)

as for our cop duo, Joakim has one extra year of formal service before Vincent, as well as a few informal years as a civilian informant. I'd like to think he did a lot more good in that time than harm, considering the reason he got involved to begin with was stumbling onto human trafficking as a teen - but he is also more trigger-happy than he would like to admit. if he thinks someone is in danger, he WILL shoot first and ask questions later, which inevitably leads to killing and maiming

I imagine his record of kills is more numerous than his partner's. I'd say an estimate of 1.5 deaths per year until his own death - making that 6 in total at the very least (idk why I decided to do fancy math about it, but it is what it is)

Vincent on the other hand avoids lethal force at all costs - he's not the strongest physically, so most of this entails convincing Joakim to back him up with restraint/fists rather than a bullet. hes trying to help people, not kill them - but then again, he gains the nickname Omen for a reason. people tend to die around him for no real fault of his own. it's Revachol, after all. hes killed about 3 people out of his service of 8 years, one out of strict vengeance for Joakim's death, others accidents of self-defense that he regrets immensely

7. What's their pain tolerance? FUN QUESTION I was thinking abt this while watching a character have an incredibly high pain tolerance going hmmm interesting ...

I do think Vincent is one of those people that has absolutely freakish pain tolerance + strength in the heat of an altercation because of adrenaline, but as soon as it starts working its way out of his system that guy is DOWN for the count. kind of dude who doesnt even realize hes hurt until someone else points it out. small things hes a wimp for though <3

speaking being a wimp, Mikael has to have some crazy pain tolerance considering how often hes constantly fuckin getting hurt and still smiling away. has a lot to do with him keeping up an extreme facade for police work & toxic masculinity, but if he didnt have it before police work, I imagine it would be a "fake it til you make it" kind of situation that developed over time. predator animal fear where no one can ever see him weak or theyre going to Kill Him To Death

25. Have they tore someone to shreds with their bare hands? With their teeth? OOOOH okay I love having characters that bite because well. thats me. im the biterrr (and I think thats a fun way of showing how potentially unhinged or desperate a character is in a fight) but I wouldnt say any of my disco ocs fit this criteria. HOWEVER

my FC5 Rook does definitely fit that criteria (funny - hes also a cop but from a different media) as the de facto leader of resistance against a violent cult. being stranded in what amounts to the middle of nowhere with no official backup and an organized militia trying to torture, indoctrinate, and/or kill him does insane shit to his brain. that guy turns into a monster all for the initial goal of genuinely trying to stand up to some evil shit he didnt like. the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and so on ...

anyway on top of that he was starved and denied water and who knows what else by one of those particular cult guys in an effort to basically turn him into a trained killing machine, so if he hadnt already been ready to seriously rip ppl apart with his hands & teeth that definitely did it

[ostrichchariot]

"That's dumb," says Karna. "I think that's dumb. Why can the knight just jump over shit? What's so special about him, huh?"

"Just, uh. Just good at moving, I guess," says Colin, taking the black rook and placing it on his side of the table. It sits there, solid, beside the haphazard array of pawns and a single bishop.

Karna pouts a little. In front of her, on the table, there sit three white pawns, all stood perfectly in line. "'Good at moving.' Urgh. So am I. He's not special." She frowns, and moves a pawn two spaces forward. Colin winces involuntarily, and she glares at him. "What? What did I do?"

"So... I may have forgotten to mention this one. I, uh. I didn't really think it would come up for, uh. Longer than this. To be honest." He gives her a slightly wary look. "You... you ever heard of 'en passant'?"

"'In passing' in Fructeran," she says brusquely. "Now explain."

"Now- ok, I promise I'm not making this one up-" He moves a white pawn to just behind hers, which he smoothly plucks from the board and sets down amongst the cluster of other pieces in front of him.

There is a short silence.

"Are you kidding me," says Karna, voice flatter than the void of space, empty and silent and oh, so deep, and-

"To be fair, that- that's probably one of the stupidest rules I know. If that helps?" says Colin.

"Fine. Fine!" she says. "Sure."

"You know," says Colin delicately, "I could still-"

"No," snaps Karna. "You will not play without a queen." She glares at him with even more ferocity than usual, and lowers her voice to a dangerous drawl. "When I win. If I suspect even for a second that you went easy on me?" Her lip curls into a smirk. "Oh, that would be that last thing you ever did."

"Sure," says Colin. "I mean, sure. I just think it would make the game a bit more fun for you while you're learning. You know?"

Karna rolls her eye. "I want to lose."

"...What?" There is suddenly a deep, unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I want to lose," she says. "Because it doesn't matter." She grasps his forearms and stares into his eyes, as though willing him to understand. "I want so badly to know what it feels like for losing not to matter. I want to know the loss that is an annoyance, not an ache, not a scar, not a slit throat or a knife in the gut and bleeding out on the pavement."

The hands holding him start to weaken. Rot starts to creep up her neck.

Her pupils are dark voids filled with spinning blades.

"It was too much," she says. "I was so tired. You saw." Her gaze is level, and he remembers running away, and running away, and running away, and looking back. "I was holding on to the edge for so long."

Colin wants to say something. He doesn't know what to say.

"But you can't hold on forever."

And she lets go.

---

He wakes up, and it is still dark, and he is alone.

He never knew her that well, but- she would have been good at chess, he thinks, if she had ever had a chance to learn. Not straight away, of course, but- in time.

No point in dwelling on it. He doesn't want to risk turning into Raphaniel, and- ok, that's another whole thing he's really not interested in delving into right now.

But- she held on for so long.

It seems like the least he can do, to make sure no one else ever has to stare into the void and cling to life so desperately that the muscle of their fingers rots down to bone.

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜

For Game Informer’s July 17th DA:TV article, "BioWare On Returning To The Dragon Age Series, 10 Years After Inquisition", the article is still titled as such on its own page, but it looks like on the GI DA:TV Hub page its listing was updated to "Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is 'Respectful And Referential' To Previous Games Without Making Them Mandatory"

[previous comment for context - Brenon: "we do have "decision saves" before big choice moments, but there are still a bunch that depend on a whole mess of stuff you've done earler...so yeah...RIP"]. Derek on this: "Choice and consequence, baby." [source]

[context: DA official Twitter's news about what's coming in August] Derek: "Buckle up!" [source]

Bryony Corrigan (Rook) on the strike: "I care a lot about this game! @/dragonage. Gutted we are unable to speak more about the game for now but absolutely in solidarity with actors in the US. I hope @/EquityUK are also fighting for better protection against AI clauses in the UK too…!" [source]

Matt Rhodes recently wrote to his mailing list that "The project I’ve been working on for many years is nearing completion. In my rare free moments, I’ve been starting to organize concept art to start posting after the game ships." [source] So it sounds like DA:TV is nearing completion and that he will be posting DA:TV concept art that he created after release. [This] is the link to his website where you can view his art, including some existing DA:TV and previous DA game concept art. If you click the envelope symbol on this page, that's how you can subscribe to the mailing list

from Community Councilmember Ladyinsanity - Lucanis x Rook apparently might be an "angst pairing" and there's maybe another one of these in the game also...? 👀 [source]

A user mentioned that they aren't keen on the word "roadmap". Michael Gamble explained: "all it means is a list of cool things you can expect to see us showing." [source]

Bellara's family name Lutare wasn't recently changed as some users wondered, it was Lutare at least a year ago during development. It seems it was just mis-printed or mis-reported in the GI coverage [source]

This article describes DA:TV as the most beautiful game the writer saw at SGF. It says the prologue is dated 9 years after DA:I. "Varric isn’t a ginger so much as a grizzled gray fox now". On Solas, he "wants to tear down the Veil that separates Thedas from the world of demons, restoring his people’s immortality and glory and sacrificing thousands in the process. But when his ritual goes awry, two of his most ancient and powerful adversaries are released. They seek only to finish what they started millennia ago – the complete and utter domination of our world." The game moves quite seamlessly from action to cutscene, and in the prologue "every cutscene is clearly building toward something larger". Position matters in combat. There is an accessibility option which involves the path-tracing of enemies' ranged attacks. At the beginning of the demo, the devs mentioned that they thought about the way different lighting affects your character. " The animations associated with combat are complex for one reason: responsive character features." CC has "inclusion of thick curly hair and capturing the tightly curled texture of Black hairstyles and natural hair", customizable shoulder-width and "a much-welcomed broad spectrum of skin tones—capturing both cool and warm undertones of both white and brown skin". The article highlighted the fluid movement of cloth. The writer also said, "I’m sure other Summer Game Fest previews will have a lot to say on the evolving relationship between Varric and Solas". [source] ((I don't remember seeing this article til now, it's from June though so I either missed it or have seen it and forgotten. also I don't know how accurate it is but the writer was one of the attendees of the DA:TV demo at SGF))

[character limit text break!]

Malcolm: "When I joined DA:Ve I was really hoping there'd be a romanceable dwarf companion and boy howdy did that come true. Harding is ☀️delightful☀️" [source]

[context: this Tumblr post of some neat art] Malcolm: "This is amazing and I fully went "oh wow that really sounds like Emmrich" before remembering that Nick Boraine is in fact a entire human person." [source]

User: "Speaking of Stalker, as a player the description of Bellara and Veil Jumper i've heard so far, alongside their exploration of Arlathan, somehow reminds me of Clear Sky and Chornobyl in Stalker series..." John Epler: "great eye! roadside picnic, Annihilation and STALKER were all absolutely inspirations" [source]

John Epler: "time to slowly make my way home after an awesome 4 days. thanks for an amazing experience to everyone who was a part of it. back to work." [source]

User: "We know there are returning characters in The Veilguard, so my question is: How would you and the rest of the writers go about writing a returning character who was originally primarily written by a writer who is no longer at the studio? What is the process?" Trick Weekes: "1. Watch videos to get the performance, how the character speaks. 2. Don’t try to replicate the character exactly. Allow them to have grown. Morrigan in DAI wasn’t Morrigan in DAO. She’d grown up. 3. Trust Character Art and Performance/VO. As soon as Morrigan walks in and talks in DAI, it works." [source]

Ali Hillis (Harding) on Twitter: "@dragonage @/bioware @/BioWarePulse @/ea #/DragonAge #/SDCC #/SDCC2024 FOLLOW ON INSTA FOR MORE!" [source]

Alex Jordan (Rook): "To all the D&D loving Dragon Age fans out there, let me tell you about my D&D group, made up of faces from the games industry! Including the voices of Geralt from The Witcher, Clive from Final Fantasy XVI, and Noah from Xenoblade! We are ⁦@/NaturalSix ⁩#/DragonAge" [source]

Erika Ishii (Rook): "Grateful I got to spend SDCC celebrating my roles in 2 games I love. Thank you to the devs (including laid-off workers who deserve full credit!), my friends, and the community. This is the last you’ll hear from me about my games from struck companies until they sign an interim agreement or the strike is won. Keep playing games, but share info from the union and let people know we’re taking a stand for all creatives. See you on the other side! ✊🏼🎮" [source]

Jeff Berg (Rook): "Damn, I love making video games. It’s like the perfect blending of theatre on film, where an actor is encouraged to collaborate and let their imaginations soar. And damn, do I ever love the incredible support from the fans of this incredible medium. Unfortunately, we’re in a time of upheaval in the industry. So let me make it perfectly clear: Video game performers deserve fair wages, safe working conditions and A.I. protections. I call on the employers to #/LevelUpTheContract. Guys, this is no single player game. We need you on our team. #/SagAftraStrong #/VideoGameStrike". Text in the accompanying video reads “Video game performers are stuck in a grind. AI is stealing voices, and companies are hoarding profits. The future of voiceover and performance capture artists is at stake. But out fight isn’t single-player. Whether you’re a gamer, a fan, a performer, a labor ally, or just someone believes in fairness. Keep video games people powered. We need you on our team. Video game companies must offer AI protections to ALL video game performers. Join me and show your support for those who bring our favorite games to life.” [source]

Jessica Clark (Neve): "Aaah a true bucket list moment!! Thrilled to play Neve Gallus a Private Investigator & one of the companions in the upcoming DragonAge The Veilguard Video Game!! We are appearing at the San Diego Comic Con as we speak!! With so much thanks & appreciation for the most fantastic team @/bioware & inspiring fellow cast members including (not limited to) @/missalihillis @/nickboraine @/zach.mendez @/jeffberg1 & more 🙏🏽 Draon Age The Veilguard releases this Fall 2024 & from what I've seen... It's truly epic!! You will love it & yes, it's worth the wait. (SAG-AFTRA issued us a specific window to promote & celebrate at Comic Con & from Sunday night onwards we will all be joining our fellow actors in the picket line for the Video Game Strike)." Text in the accompanying video reads "I’ve wanted to share this for so long! Thrilled to reveal that I play Neve Gallus in the upcoming Dragon Age The Veilguard!! Appearing at Comic Con San Diego as we speak” [source]

[source]

Jessica: "Last night's Comic Con San Diego's Fandom red carpet celebrating Dragon Age The Veilguard! Releasing this Fall 2024!!" [source]

Zach Mendez (Lucanis): "A truly amazing first day of SD Comic Con at the @/dragonagegame poster signing at @/darkhorsecomics booth. Thank you to the fans who made my first con unforgettable #/sdcc /#sdcomiccon #/dragonage #/darkhorsecomics #/lucanisdellamorte #/voiceacting #/bioware #/eagames #/theveilguard #/babysfirstcon" [source]

Zach: "Dragon Age. Dancing. Derulo. Thanks @/fandom for a killer party" [source]

Nick Boraine (Emmrich): "Thank you @/bioware @/ea and @/comic_con - had an incredible time! #/dragonage #/theveilgaurd #/emmrichvolkarin @/zach.mendez @/missalihillis @/thejessicaroseclark - can’t wait for the fall release date." [source]

Ali: "Honored and thrilled to have been a part of another epic @/bioware story w @/ea . Thanks from the bottom of my heart to the whole team! We worked hard, and put our all into this one. Can’t wait to see you all at #/sdcc2024 this week to celebrate @/dragonagegame #/dragonageveilguard" [source]

Ali: "1st day of San Diego Comic Con 2024 !! The lines were long and the signings so much fun! Met some really nice fans, hung out w dragon age performance director @/ashley___barlow , companions @/thejessicaroseclark @/zach.mendez & Nick Boraine . So SO grateful for this #/dragonageveilguard family!" [source]

Ali: "I love every one of these people. There, I said it! What a warm welcome we received! Thanks to ALL! For EVERYTHING!" [source]

Ali on SDCC: "Gooooooood times. ❤️" [source]

Here is a 'behind the scenes at the DA:TV SDCC panel' photo -

[source]

Here is a photo of Erika Ishii with Rook's blue knife -

[source]

Here is an excerpt from Brianne Battye's website:

Text reads: "Dragon Age: The Veilguard Defy the gods. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight back and lead your team of seven companions, each with their own rich story. Together, you will become the Veilguard. Coming soon From EA/BioWare. I was responsible for a companion story arc, significant side characters, faction content, exploration content, and helping develop and expand worldbuilding lore."

[source]

Also, last year Zach Mendez (Lucanis) made a prior podcast appearance:

Zach: "I was lucky enough over the pandemic to have just hit a really nice commercial, and then I got this beautiful job on a video game where I was doing motion capture. Motion capture? Okay, so you put on this leotard, this black suit, and those little dots on, and you do all the motion for a video game, and you get to do the voice, and they put all these black lines on your face, so they capture your performance and whatnot. And so I was doing that and had some commercial money, so throughout the pandemic, for the past few years, I’ve just been getting to live off acting, which is great." -- Zach: "[Voiceover is] what I'm working on right now." -- Zach: "My father's from Spain." -- Zach: "I'm currently working on a video game, I can't say which video game." "It is a big one, it's not a big deal, it's a big one, I'm one of the main characters, it's not that big a deal." The interviewer asked about how acting in video games works. "Somebody's giving some performance that of course, they layer on imaging afterwards, like in graphics, right? But you're giving facial expressions, that's what gives it the reality, that's what I find so fascinating about motion capture, is that, you get to give big performances, because you're playing these crazy characters in crazy situations, and a lot of your performance is coming through in the final product which is, just gets me excited about the future of things about all the different ways. It's my voice, a lot of my facial features, I voice, I think, one or two characters in this game."

[source (dated ~a year ago. source link isn’t work-appropriate. I don’t recommend the podcast)]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Something I’ve noticed across collecting different cards is that Twisted Wonderland seems to have a bit of a skew in which characters get character x player ship bait. Between events and card lines, some characters look like they are getting neglected in the ship teasing category. Is there some kind of popularity bias behind this? Like maximizing profit or game popularity by targeting certain groups of fans among the fandom?

Mmm… I haven’t noticed a skew, personally. If there is one at all, I’d wager it isn’t significant and it’ll probably depend a lot on what point in time you’re evaluating at. Since TWST is consistently releasing new content, the voice lines are sure to “even out” eventually if given enough of a waiting period. For example, you could say that the GloMasq boys have “more” bait lines… until Playful Land boys were released the year after, thus leveling the playing field.

All cards have character x player ship bait to some degree. Most of them will have at least 1-2 lines which involves complimenting you/your look (and if not in the card lines, then directly in the event, especially when Yuu has changed into a new outfit), Yuu touching them in some way (or being invited to), or asking Yuu to hang out or to do an activity with them. Everyone gets these lines because there are fans of every character that have spending power; it doesn't make sense to intentionally devote more lines to one while leaving the others starving for content when there are big spenders for all characters (which will vary widely anyway depending on the server too, so there are very few consistent "favorites"). Devoting time and energy to every character is what makes the most profit in the long run, as you risk losing the fans (and money) of "less popular" characters if they don't get new food too. It doesn’t matter that the high spenders for like… Azul stay because they’d still be losing the revenue coming in from Jack stans who dropped the game due to content drought.

I would say that what is and is not categorized as a "shipping bait" line depends a lot on other factors, the strongest of them all being individual perception. For example, if you ship yourself/your Yuusona with the character, you may be more likely to perceive any line spoken by your favorites as "more romantic" than other characters. This feeds into your preexisting expectations, and is therefore a form of confirmation bias. Meanwhile, if you ship two canon characters with one another, there are many more potential combinations so it's less likely that the particular ship you're into will get "bait". Additionally, some people are more liberal with what they perceive to be romantic or not. For example, Ace inviting you out to do something can be seen as both platonic or romantic, based on who is judging the line because there isn’t anything inherently romantic in spending time together. This is also the case in the main story or events; some players see Yuu giving Malleus the VDC/SDC ticket in book 5 as "a date" while others do not. This brings me to another point: character relationships within the main story and their personalities will also have a drastic impact on what is perceived as romantic or not. Rook, for example, speaks in a very flowery manner. Because of this, a majority of his lines could be seen as "bait". Characters that are gruffer (Jack) or "loner" types (Idia) would naturally have fewer inviting lines due to their characters. And again, with Ace, since he is presented as one of Yuu's closest friends in the main story, it's easy to perceive him as a platonic bestie when reading his lines since your friendship is already established.

Lastly, I think it's worthwhile to consider that there are also nuances that are lost in translation between JP and EN, which may alter which lines are seen as "bait" and which aren't. A really popular one I see floating around is Malleus's vignette level up line, which is translated in EN as "You aren’t afraid of me. But I’m starting to become afraid… of losing you.” Many fans perceive this as romantic and often joke that “Malleus missed the meeting about TWST not being a dating sim!” However, this line has a different context in JP which reads as more platonic.

The original Japanese line is お前は僕を恐れない。そんなお前を失うことが僕は恐ろしくなり始めている。This roughly has the same meaning, but the wording Malleus uses seems to specify that he is afraid of losing the Yuu that is not afraid of him. EN omits the そんな (son na) part, which would refer to a type or kind of person (as in, “son na hito”). In this case, Malleus is afraid of losing “the kind of Yuu that is not afraid of him”. So really, the original meaning of the line is that he is expressing a fear of what would happen if his true identity comes to light (as Yuu is the one person who doesn’t know), not that he is afraid of losing Yuu as a whole.

To summarize: it’s up to individual perception and, given enough time, every boy will get their fair share of fanservice for the player.

[dotster001]

The Queen Rises Again, a For Tuna End

Part One Part Two Part Three Choose another ending

You hadn't seen much of Vil, recently. And anytime you went to visit him in Pomefiore, he was always “busy” and refused to even open his door to you.

At first you had been frustrated, but you were starting to get worried. Rook and Epel had assured you everything was fine, Vil was just going through a phase of sorts, but that didn't ease your anxiety. For seven's sakes, what kind of “phase” could Vil Schoenheit be in?

It was on another evening that had you ruminating on this idea, that Grim sighed heavily next to you.

“Oh, Grimmy, when did you get in?”

He stared at you for a moment, before scowling. “I've been sitting here, sighing heavily, for ten minutes.”

“Oh, sorry bud. What's wrong?”

“Oh, it's nothing.”

You stifled a groan. No one saying what was wrong with Vil was already weighing on you, the last thing you needed was another person to not tell you what was wrong. You weren't good at the guessing games.

“Grim, if you don't tell me, I won't know how to help you.”

“Don't get snippy with me! I'm in distrust!”

“Distress?”

“Exactly!”

He pouted, and crossed his tiny kitty arms, turning away from you with a “hmph”.

You steadied yourself, and forced a calm tone, gently scratching behind Grim's ears.

“What's wrong, bubbas?”

Grim sighed forlornly. “I've just been…thinking.”

You very much doubted that. That was the joke you'd have made if he wasn't so forlorn.

“About what?”

"About how I can't be everything you need.”

“Sorry?” You fought back a confused laugh.

“Look, I am the Great Grim! I bring joy and color to your life as the beloved roommate/son that you always longed for! But even I can't be everything a human needs…”

You quirked an eyebrow, and he scowled. “I can't give you romance. What I'm implying is that you're gonna die alone.”

“Ouch. Thanks Grim. Definitely could have said that nicer. But isn't the next thing you're supposed to say, “but you don't have to worry about being alone because I'll always be there for you?””

Grim looked at you like you were crazy. “My wife and ten children will be taking up all of my time.”

“Sure Grimmy. But I'm a big kid, I can take care of myself…”

“Sure, sure, I totally believe you. But what if…” he hesitated. “What if I had someone, who I knew was very in love with you, and was positive he could take care of you?”

You choked. “Sorry?”

“He's mad for you,  and I know if you asked him out, he'd say yes!”

“Lord, who would have a crush on me?”

Grim rolled his eyes, and muttered, “it's more likely than you think. Anyway!”

He pushed himself into your lap, cupping your cheeks. “Please Y/N. I'm worried about you, and I need to know that when I'm not with you, you will be okay.”

Your instinct was to say no. But when you looked into his eyes, he looked so sad and earnest, that you released a reluctant sigh, and agreed.

….

“Kay Grimmy, how do I look?”

He looked at the spot you were standing on the steps, and glared.

“Absolutely not. I told you this was a high fashion date.”

“Well, sorry, but this is all the high fashion I have! In case you forgot, we had to spend our entire monthly allowance to pay for a cleaning crew in the lab.”

“It'll have to do,” he sighed wistfully.

You heard a light knock on the door.

“He's here!” He scampered to the door, before looking back at you. “At least get a coat so he can't see the outfit.”

“If he likes me as much as you swear he does, it won't matter.”

Grim rolled his eyes and opened the door, to reveal…

….

Maybe it was just that you hadn't seen him in a long time, but something was different about the way Vil looked. 

“Apple blossom, if you keep staring, I'll get self conscious,” he mused as he delicately rolled some pasta on his fork. Your cheeks burned, and you looked down at your plate.

“I've just been worried about you, that's all.”

“I'm grateful for your concern,” he reached across the table and squeezed your hand, making your heart flutter.

“Have you started a new skin care routine? Your skin seems like it's glowing!” You quickly changed the subject.

“You have a sharp eye! I've been trying some new products, and I think it looks rather good.”

“Yeah…wait! I know what's different!” You sat up straight. “Your hair looks darker!”

He froze. “I don't think so…”

“It definitely looks a shade darker-”

“How about we split a slice of cake for dessert!” He said in a voice louder than you expected, but you nodded.

….

“Would you join me for a moment longer? I need to pick up something at Octavinelle.”

“Yeah, sure.”

He placed your hand in the crook of his arm, and escorted you to the lounge. As you entered, Floyd, Jade, and Azul all looked up, various looks of irritation and shock on their faces. 

“Wait here,” Vil whispered into your ear, and you gave him a nod as he walked over to Azul, who looked positively vexed. You watched him sigh heavily, then walk with Vil to the VIP room.

“So you and betta fish, huh?” A bitter voice asked in your ear, and you nearly jumped out of your skin. The last time your eyes had been on the twins, they had been across the room. And now they were here.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Was it a pleasant evening?”

“You know what? Yeah, actually,” you said with a smile. Maybe it was that you'd been so worried about Vil, and now you'd finally gotten to see her was okay, but you had a great date. You hated to admit that Grim of all people would set you up with someone you enjoyed, and could sort of see a future with, but then again, he knew you better than anyone. Why wouldn't he put thought and effort into finding someone he knew you would love?

“Damn, really? Ugh,” Floyd groaned, slumping against you, nearly causing you to topple over.

“What Floyd means to say, is that if you ever feel he doesn't live up to expectations, or he ever steps out of line, please feel free to discuss it with us,” Jade said with a smile.

“Please, please, please tell us if that happens,” Floyd had buried himself into the crook of your neck, and was now squeezing you tightly.

“I got what I'm here for,” Vil's voice called to you, as he not so elegantly yanked Floyd off of you. With Floyd apart from you, he took your hands in his, and then leaned in and pressed a kiss to your cheek. Over his shoulder, you watched Azul waltz back into the VIP room, and slam the door behind him, with an echoing thud.

“You ready to go, Apple blossom?” Vil asked as though he hadn't just completely reset your brain. You nodded dumbly, and he escorted you out. Over your shoulder, you thought you heard a growl from the twins.

But you couldn't think much about that as you got intoxicated by Vil's warmth and perfume.

The End

Tag list- @stygianoir @leonia0 @lleoll @eccedentesiast-sapphic @supertmntgirl @cxsmicdustdreams @aethermostbeloved @krystalkiller25 @asmallbean3 @theneurodivergentdummy @candlewitch-cryptic @smilingfox22-blog @phantomgaming1920 @the-dumber-scaramouche @noidonothavetimeforthis @bontensbabygirl @xxoomiii @somany-fandoms-solittle-time @bre99 @stupidsimp @sus0daddy @a-small-tyrant @imlost-sendhelp @mizukiblogs @savanaclaw1996 @happycatastrophesworld @murderisokayforme @kazumify @1fandom2many @hamhamlikesyukio @dreamlessnight

[merakiui]

Would you make a list ranking which unique magics and they potentials are hottest to you 👀

👀 OMG YES???? Thank you for this opportunity, anon!!! I have so many thoughts about the unique magics!!

Here is my grand list:

1. Off With Your Head - this one is very self-explanatory. The control, the collar, the way it makes you unable to use your magic, Riddle’s sheer mastery over it and how he uses it so often in the game……. orz immensely hot to me.

2. Snake Whisper - the hypnosis and helplessness of the target paired with Jamil’s very obvious lust for power and control. The way we makes you call him master as well……. so yummy!!!

3. Dark Fire - no one understands Rollo’s charm more than I do. What do you mean his UM is fueled by the fear and distress of others, thus making it stronger?!?!?! OTL that has so much potential. I love it so much.

4. Shock the Heart - I would’ve placed this one lower only because it has so much appeal and yet it can only be used once on a person, but perhaps you can argue that makes it even hotter. Regardless, I love everything about Jade’s UM. The magical chant, the way you must look into his eye, the beautiful imagery the manga blessed us with… 😵‍💫 being forced to tell the truth no matter what…….

5. Laugh With Me - another one that’s so great for control. Ruggie’s UM would be so great for (forced) mutual masturbation. But also,,, it has the potential to be used in such horrifying ways. >:)

6. Split Card - clones. Gangbang. Need I say anymore?

7. Doodle Suit - I like the mind games that can come from this. Not knowing what’s your reality and what’s fantasy whenever Trey uses his UM is so hot. T^T I NEED HIM.

8. Fae of Maleficence - I think it’s more so the overwhelming power and horrifying range of this UM that makes it so attractive. Malleus is terrifyingly strong and this UM always reminds me of that, amongst other moments in the plot. In Idia’s words, truly a final boss.

9. Life is Fun - Fellow’s UM………. WOW. Maybe it deserves to be higher on the list, but because I’ve yet to officially experience Fellow in the game I will place it within this humble top ten. :D even so, it has too much potential and I love it.

10. It’s a Deal - hear me out……. this is such an overpowered UM and it’s all Azul’s to use (and abuse) as he pleases. Having such a dangerous UM where, if not for the contract, he would be more susceptible to overblot. AAAAAAA HE’S SO FINE. The UM chant is amazing, tako’s greed, the amount of powers he can build up because there seems to be no limit to the amount of contracts he makes!!! So hot to me. <3

11. Fairest One of All - Vil’s UM…… the ability to place a curse on anything that can’t be lifted until the conditions are met. AAAAAA SO MUCH POTENTIAL. OTL

12. I See You - this one is frightening but very on brand for Rook Hunt. ^^;;;; it makes stalking darling so much easier, but something tells me Rook wouldn’t use his UM because it defeats the thrill of hunting darling himself.

13. Meet in a Dream - this one is more whimsical than it is hot, but it still has plenty of potential because dreams can be anything and everything. There’s never any logic to them. Also,,, I love the idea of darling constantly seeing a silver-haired prince in their dreams. The dream sex surely goes crazy. :)

14. King’s Roar - it’s so powerful omg,,, more so that than it is hot. The only circumstance I can think of in which it’s hot is if Leona’s using it to turn all of your clothes to sand, but why would he need magic for that when he can easily take them off himself. ;D

15. Sleep Kiss - Epel’s UM is so dainty and Victorian to me. The glass coffin…… that’s so pretty. orz the way it also puts you to sleep,,, somno with Epel?!?!?!

16. Bind the Heart - I’m sorry the ranking is so low, Floyb. >_< it’s another UM that’s very good in a fight. I like it a lot, especially the way he says it hehe.

17. Far Cry Cradle - this one is very interesting!! I absolutely see the vision with it. Just not a lot of horny vision, unless it’s a scenario where he casts it on your sex toy or something just to play that memory back. >:3c

18. Unleash Beast - this one is so cute to me. Jack turning into a wolf is adorable. OTL thinking about how mesmerized the kids must be if and when he uses his UM back home. How exciting it is to climb up on his back and be carried around everywhere. :D I just think it’s very sweet.

19. Bet the Limit - this is great for fighting, but for things other than that,,,, but I do love how strong it is. Deuce’s UM is so cool. >w<

20. Oasis Maker - I AM SO SORRY, KALIM….. T^T I love his UM. I think it’s so fun!! Alas, it isn’t very hot in that sense to me. However, there are so many other aspects to Kalim that make him so wonderful hehe.

21. Gate to Underworld - it was incredibly attractive in book six. That sort of power,,,, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Idia and Ortho were successful in resetting the world. Outside of book six, the UM loses a few aura points. STYX Idia will forever be famous to me.

22. Living Bolt - apologies in advance to Sebek. His UM is so cool!!!! Just,,, not the hottest of UMs. WAAAA I’M SORRY, SEBEK!!!! OTL

[twstfanblog]

*~Toddler Chronicles-3rd Years Starter~*

A/N: I've been wanting to write this series for MONTHS. but if Im gonna do this, I'm gonna do it in ORDER no matter how much I wanna do certain ones more than others. I hope you guys enjoy the starter for this series! It's gonna be LONG. Word Count: 5K Pairings: Alluded to Vil/Rook Warnings: Children, Me trying to type out a country accent lord help me...

“I don't think this is a good idea…”

A cloaked group of Night Raven students stood around a cauldron, the only light in the room coming from the bubbling liquid and the moonlight shining through the windows. They all wore masks to hide their identities from the nosey paintings lining the walls.

One of the figures scoffed, their accented voice coming out mockingly as they continued to stir the potion and whispered, “Oh, don't get cold feet now. This whole thing was your idea anyway…”

“I said we should think something up to knock those guys down a peg! Not brew a-”

“Shhhhhh.” Another figure quickly silenced him, turning to look at one of the eavesdropping portraits before addressing the group with a gruff whisper, “We agreed on not saying anything too damning while doing this! Those portraits would sell us out the second anyone asked them if they saw anything…Let’s just finish the damn potion so we can get on with this plan…”

The accented figure nods, reaching over and grabbing a jar to pour the contents into the cauldron.

Another figure reads the jar, tilting their head, “Wait… ‘Powdered Moon Petals’? Didn't the recipe call for ‘Powdered Moon Crystals’? Why are we deviating?”

“Are you insane?” The figure pauses in his stirring to flick at the other in annoyance, “Crewel keeps stuff like that under such heavy lock and key he'd have us expelled for even looking at the cabinet out of class hours. Moon petals are weaker but still have the same effect as moon crystals…” The figure looks at the potion, then adds another generous pour from the jar, “We just need to mix in a bit more than written…”

As the figure stops pouring, the potion gives a flash of light, slipping into an eerily calm shade of blue before fully turning translucent. The group all looked into the cauldron before sharing a smile.

“Now we just need to find a way to slip it to them.”

The nervous figure hummed, bringing his hand to his mouth in thought, “I think…I know the perfect way to do it…”

The sound of a gavel hitting a desk echoed in the semi-empty classroom, Vil sitting at the grand desk in front, “I call this meeting of ‘Juniors Against Freshmen’ to order.”

Cater calls out from his seat, smiling playfully as he raises his hand, “Vil~. I still think we should call ourselves ‘Judicious Juniors’-”

“We aren’t calling ourselves that.”

“Oh, come on.” Cater pouts, “The firsties get their cute little group of Freshest Firsties. We should have a cool group name, too.”

Trey chuckled a bit, raising an eyebrow, “You know this is a support group and not a club right?”

Rook hummed, looking to the side at the small gathering of party platters and large juice dispenser on a lone row of desks, “Are you sure, mon Chevalier des Roses? Though, maybe you are correct and this is more of a party between scorned mentors…”

Idia scoffed, tapping at his phone and tilting it slightly to allow Lilia to watch his game, “I'm not sitting in here for another four hours complaining about our freshmen without any kind of rations. Being around you guys is already like running a dungeon without healing items…”

Lilia perks up, giggling as Idia fails to dodge an attack, “So stimulating and fun?”

Leona sighs, lazily picking at his plate of various slices of meat from the platters, “More like aggravating and torturous…”

Vil bangs the gavel again, rolling his eyes, “Back on subject, please. Idia, you requested to be the first to speak tonight; what was your grievance?”

Sighing, Idia passed his phone to Lilia to continue his dungeon run, “Who's representing Yuu this meeting?” Seeing Malleus and Rook raise their hands, he nearly sat back down, “Oh, of course…Ah! Nope, I'm doing it. I move to add another crime to Yuu's file.”

“Noted. Please state the crime.”

“I want to add on the crime of Yuu teaching my brother the phrasing of ‘Deez Nuts’. I recommend we place another life sentence.”

Malleus frowns, ignoring Lilia's snort beside him and raising his hand, “I object! We have no evidence that my beloved is the one to teach your brother such a phrase.”

Vil raised an eyebrow, leaning his jaw against the back of his hand, “Who else would teach Ortho?”

Gesturing to his side, Malleus deadpans, “Lilia for one.”

Lilia fumbled Idia’s phone as he stammered, managing to just barely flip the device into a still-standing Idia’s hands, “Slander! I regret to inform this court that I do not speak to the Shroud youngling one-on-one often. Our cuteness would simply be too much.” He turns to Malleus, nose wrinkled as he raises an eyebrow in question, “Do you even know what ‘Deez Nuts’ means Malleus?”

“...” Malleus nearly copies Lilia's expression, turning his nose up at the older fae and looking away from him, “I do not. But it sounds eerily similar to something you would say.”

Lilia pouts toward Vil, crossing his arms, “I did no such thing…” He hums, casting a side eye to Cater across the room and raising a hand to tap against his lips, “Ace on the other hand…”

Cater perks up from his texting, slamming a fist onto the desk and yelling over to Lilia, “Why do you always bring up Ace’s crimes when I'm defending him!? Why not when Trey’s his third-year parent!?”

Trey hummed, sitting calm and relaxed knowing he'd have a smooth meeting acting as Deuce’s defendant, “He would though…”

“Trey, Ace is our baby. We have to protect his name!”

“This is your weekend; sorry.”

Cater groaned, rolling his eyes before standing up and pointing to Leona on the other side of Trey, “What about Jack, huh!?”

Leona stopped picking at his fangs with a claw, sucking on his teeth before he raised an eyebrow in question to Cater, “What about Jack?”

Vil spoke up, resting his chin on his elegantly folded hands, “Yes. Do tell, Cater. What about Jack?”

“...” Cater quickly turned back to Lilia, pointing to him instead of trying to place the blame on Jack, “What about Sebek!?”

Lilia and Malleus both gasped, Lilia placing a hand over his mouth and Malleus's fanned over his chest while the older fae said, “Sebek would never.”

“W-well!” Cater sputtered, frustrated at the turn of events before rounding on Vil, “What about Epel!?”

Vil instantly opened his mouth, a finger held up to properly chastise Cater but he sat frozen. He closed his mouth, a pinched expression on his face as he put his finger down and looked to the side. After a moment, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “He…wouldn't…he…knows better…”

Rook cooed from his seat, raising an eyebrow, “Oh…mon roi. Did that hurt to say?”

“Moving on.”

Idia stammered, raising his hands, “I would like a verdict on my case, please!? Ortho is aggressively good at setting me up, I'm getting really sick of it!”

Vil rolled his eyes and gestured to Rook, “We will choose after a small break. Rook, please bring me something from the vegetable platter and a drink.”

“Oui!”

Though mildly by force, the group of juniors decided to take a break. While only a few of them grabbed food, they all grabbed a cup of juice. Nearly in sync, they all take a drink.

…

Leona looked into his cup, squinting his eyes in offense at the liquid, “Who was in charge of the punch?”

Malleus pouted, looking into his own cup in confusion, “I was…”

Rolling his eyes, Leona slid his cup away from him, “Oh, that fucking explains it.”

Trey was quick, grabbing Leona's cup before it spilled onto the classroom floor. Standing up he took both his and Leona's cups to the trash, “Don't start a fight. I'm sure Malleus tried very hard…”

The fae in question turned his sour expression toward Lilia. When Lilia said nothing, merely continuing to drink his juice with a smile, Malleus breathed out a small fireball at Lilia's face.

“Ack! My bangs!” Lilia finally pouted at Malleus, expression confused, “Why are you fussing? The juice tastes fine!”

Cater passes his own cup to Rook as the blonde also collects Vil's unfinished drink, “Lilia, it has the aftertaste of dishwater…”

“...” Lilia took another sip of the juice, smacking his lips as he fully concentrated on the flavor, “...Well, that's not dishwater, I can say that with utmost certainty.” he looked into his half-empty cup, “What is that…?”

Leona coughed slightly, still trying to dislodge the taste from his mouth, “The taste of Draconia fucking up…”

“I will have you know I collaborated with the Asim child on what would be a delightful mix for our meeting.”

“Oh, so we need to sentence Kalim to death alongside you then?”

Idia groaned, digging through his pockets for an emergency piece of hard candy, “Maybe it was…like a ‘phantom flavor’, or something?” He cheers under his breath, quickly unwrapping the candy and shoving it into his mouth.

Vil finishes wiping his tongue on a napkin, “Explain.”

“Oh Seven, um? Yuu told Ortho about it and he's been researching it for a while. It’s the idea that you can load something up with so many flavors you just…make a new flavor that you can't place…not sure how concrete it is, but that's my best guess…”

Malleus hums, glaring into his cup before letting Rook take it to the trash also, “Asim did bring a large variety of syrups and sprites…”

Cater hummed, “Yeah…I love Kalim but I'm not so sure about putting him in charge of drinks…Jamil handles the food for their parties for a reason…” 

Trey smiled, giving Malleus a thumbs up, “But other than the aftertaste, it was really enjoyable, Malleus.”

“I can see your attempts to pacify me, Clover. I shall accept your pity only this once.”

“Okay?”

Vil sighs, banging his gavel on the desk, “Moving on-”

“Um!?” Idia waved a hand around, his hair barely flickering red, “The verdict of my issue, please!?”

“Oh. Right. We sentence Ace to death-”

Cater sputters, looking around the room before tilting his head at Vil, “AGAIN!?”

The meeting continued as normal, though no one could get the phantom taste of the punch free from their mouths, the third years parted ways at the end of the night.

Epel groaned, stomping down the halls of Pomefiore in the early morning. Vil had yet to make an appearance in the dining hall to the rest of the dorm. The house warden made it a habit to always give a morning announcement on the weekend like clockwork, only for neither Vil nor Rook to show up at the normal time.

If he had the choice, Epel wouldn't have even bothered seeing where they were, opting instead to just get his weekend started and hang out with his friends. Sadly, the other third-years had been concerned enough to basically bully him into checking up on their dorm head and vice. ‘You're their favorite, after all…’

Clicking his tongue, Epel ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “Even if ah was their favorite, ah don’ wanna see whatever they're doin’ together...”

He couldn’t fight the unease that welled inside him as he came up to Vil's door, seeing it cracked open but still dark inside. Vil never left his door cracked to sleep…Epel quickly jogged to the room, swinging open the door only to growl in anger at the scene.

The room was dark because the curtains were still drawn and Vil's bed wasn't made, the covers thrown off and half dragged onto the floor as though Vil had crawled out of them. What was pissing him off the most though was the fact Vil's silk pajama pants were also laying on the floor.

He slammed the door closed, making a beeline for Rook's room thinking of nowhere else for them to be, “Ah swear ta the SEVEN. If those two are late because they rolled too hard in the hay-AY! 

Epel banged his fist against Rook's closed door, hearing nothing but silence he started to pound both fists against the door and yell. Hopefully, they had woken up and at least tried to put clothing on, “You two shits better be DRESSED or Ah’m gonna-...”

He had swung the door open, expecting to find a scene of a flustered Vil trying to put himself together and an all too proud Rook sitting in the bed. Instead, he looked at the image of two toddlers on Rook's bed. A bold gold blonde with a messy haircut and green eyes stood on the bedspread, a hand reaching out to the bow and arrow placed on a wall display. Behind him was a second blonde child, large purple eyes peeking past the second child in fear. The longer he looked the more familiar the children appeared.

Epel closed the door, staring into the open air of the hall as he tried to let his brain catch back up. That…that couldn't be…

Taking a deep breath, Epel calmed himself before opening the door again, “Um-AH!” He slams the door back closed, backing away just in time as an arrowhead pierces just slightly through the door.

The look was brief, but the children were clearly Rook and Vil. The fact Rook had quickly gathered a bow in the few seconds Epel had closed the door only cemented the fact. His juniors…were toddlers…why were they toddlers? What was he supposed to do with two potentially homicidal toddlers!?

He grabbed his phone from his pocket, gently knocking on the door and calling out softly, “Ah…Ah'm sorry if ah scared y'all. Ah'm gonna go get ya some grub and clothes that'll fit, okay?”

After a beat of silence, a tiny voice spoke, “I don't want to eat bugs…”

“...” Epel pinched the bridge of his nose. That…had to be Vil, “Grub is food. Ah'm gettin’ ya food…”

“...Oh. Okay. I want fruit and toast, please, thank you…Rook says he wants eggs and bell peppers.”

“Shakshuka!”

“Got it! You two youngings just hang tight, okay?” What the fuck was a Shakshuka?

He didn't have time to worry, dialing Ace’s number and running back to the Pomefiore dining hall to alert his still-grown juniors. He needed all the help he could get.

Epel spoke over the phone, “Ah need ya to get Trey and come to Pomefiore. ASAP.”

Biting into his poptart, Ace responded with a full mouth as he leisurely walked through the halls of Heartlabyul, “For why?”

“Can ya please just not be a fucking bastard fur 5 seconds-”

“Maybe, what's wrong? It's like 8am?”

“...” Epel sighed, the visual of him pinching the bridge of his nose clear in Ace’s mind, “...They're…They're toddlers-”

“I'm sorry. Who’s, what?”

Ace listened to Epel's rant over the phone, claiming both Vil and Rook had somehow turned into toddlers. They didn't seem to have any recollection of who anyone was or how they got into NRC, leaving the dorm in a weakened, panicked state. Through the chaos, missing both their dorm head and vice, various students stepped forward claiming they were the proper ones to take over until this curse was dealt with.

In the moments of strife, Epel had been given the title of babysitter. ‘Since he was the Favorite’.

“How the fuck do you…become a toddler?”

“Ah. Don't. KNOW. Just get Clover over hur to HELP. The third-years are fighting over who gets to wear Vil's crown while he's like this, and everyone else is freaking out like we're about to be under siege any second now. Ah just need an actual component Junior who isn't trying to usurp Vil while he's a defenseless fucking infant right now…”

Ace muttered under his breath but agreed, changing course to go up the stairs to the third-year’s room. Over the line he could hear Epel directing the other Pomefiore students what Vil and Rook had asked for breakfast and if anyone had clothing that could fit children or how to make them fit. Knocking against Trey’s door, Ace realized that he hadn't heard from the third-year yet today either. Normally, Trey would have been up already and making some basic breakfast pastry for the dorm to nibble on until that day's scheduled tea time.

“Trey? You in there man? Something happened in Pomefiore and Epel needs you there like, now…” his brows furrowed at not receiving an answer after another knock, turning the knob to open the door, “Trey? Yo, Trey-...”

In the full-sized canopy bed was Trey, only much smaller and seemingly struggling to place his now too-large glasses on his face. Tiny hands trapped in the sleeves of his button-up sleep shirt.

“...” Ace closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before pulling the phone from his ear and speaking to the toddler in the bed, “Give me a second buddy, I'll come back and help you in a hot minute.”

Large topaz eyes blinked in surprise, Trey held his frames over an eye and closed the other tightly to see Ace clearly, “Who are you?”

“Be back in a minute.” Ace closed the door, putting the phone back to his ear, “ Hey, Epel? Um…we also got a fucking situation over here.”

“What!?”

Ace saw Deuce walking up the stairs, the spade soldier barely getting a greeting out before Ace pointed over his shoulder to the other third-year rooms, “Go check on, Cater. I'm…I got a bad feeling.”

“A bad feeling about what-”

“Just go check, I gotta talk to Riddle!” Ace rushed past Deuce, giving the other first-year no time to question or properly reject his command. 

Deuce sighed but decided to wait on taking his shower after checking on his senpai. Maybe he should have followed Jack's example and stayed at Ramshackle after their morning run…

Ace really didn't mean to slam the door open, but hearing it bash against the side table against the wall only made him pause briefly before addressing Riddle, “Hey, house warden, something happened…”

Riddle didn't look up from his paperwork, sighing and clicking his pen back into an active magic state, poised to fire his collaring spell at Ace, “Someone had better be gravely injured if you're slamming my office door open without even knocking…”

“...” Ace looked to the side, quietly contemplating before looking back to Riddle, “Define injured.”

“Ace-” a jaunty tune started to play from Riddle's phone, making the second-year sigh and hold up a finger, “One moment, Deuce is calling me.”

Ace watches as Riddle answers his phone, both of them jumping in surprise hearing the piercing cries of a child through the receiver. Epel spoke frantically, asking what was going on as Ace shushed him over the phone.

Riddle quickly puts the phone on speaker, calling out in concern, “Deuce!? What's happening, is that a child in the background!?”

“Rosehearts-senpai, help! Cater’s, like, a little kid!?”

The crying voice on the other side calls out, “Go away! You weird guy! I don't know you!”

“Is Ace there!? I need help, he's trying to run out of the room and he kicks surprisingly hard!”

“You SMELL!”

Ace pointed at the phone, catching Riddle's bewildered expression, “Yeah, that…that's what happened to Trey…”

“...”

“So, Vil Schoenheit, Rook Hunt, Trey Clover, and Cater Diamond have all turned into young children and retain no memory from their appropriate ages?”

“None, seemingly. We've managed to get Cater to calm down by giving him his phone though. I also casted a resize charm on Trey’s glasses but I would still appreciate if Idia could produce a proper pair after a brief eye exam.”

Ortho nods at Riddle's report, floating down the halls of Ignihyde to reach his brother's room. The house warden had called him since Idia wasn't picking up his phone, so he had to contact the next best person. Idia was possibly still asleep since he gamed much later than normal last night.

“Do you have any information on the Pomefiore third-years?”

“Epel has stated they're both fairly calm after the initial surprise. As far as I know, they’re being fed and clothing is being gathered.”

Ortho reaches his brother's door, “That's good. I will contact our dorm advisor to let him know of the current situation. You should focus on attending to your afflicted dorm members while Nii-san and I work with the teachers to reverse this.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Ortho. I will keep you posted- Ace put Trey down! You're upsetting him! I must go, keep me informed, please.”

“Will do, Riddle Rosehearts! Farewell for now!” Ortho taps his ear, ending the call. Turning to the door he knocks, “Nii-san! It’s me, please open the door!” hearing no reply, Ortho pressed in his override code to open the door himself and turned the lights on in the process, “Nii-San, we need to-...”

His brother’s room was messy as it always was. But laying on the bed, swimming in his now truly oversized hoodie, was a very small version of his brother sleeping. He was starfished on the duvet, one hand managing to escape the large amount of fabric to suck on his thumb contently.

“...Idia?”

The child whimpered, brows furrowing before he rolled over and snuggled deeper into his pillow, “Five more minutes, mama…”

“...” Ortho turned the light back off, “Five more minutes…” he barely registered the sleepy ‘thank you’ before he was closing the door back, pressing in another code to lock it from all access other than his own. He tapped his ear, redialing Riddle. Once the house warden answered, Ortho spoke, “Something happened…”

Yuu and Jack stood in the Ramshackle kitchen, both leaning over the island and looking at each other in silence.

Stirring their cup of now lukewarm latte, Yuu pondered for a moment before pointing at Jack with a raised brow, “Hollandaise?”

Jack shrugged, shaking his head in disbelief, “Of course I’ve had hollandaise. Everyone’s had hollandaise!”

“I have never had fucking hollandaise; that shit was so far out of my tax bracket.”

“Hollandaise is just a fancy word for mayo.”

Yuu snorted, “I’ve been around Trey and Vil way too much to know for a fucking fact, hollandaise and mayo are different.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack huffed and took a sip of his own cup of coffee. He waves at Yuu, “Give me another one…”

“...” Yuu hums, tracing the edge of their cup before pointing at Jack again, “Charcucci?”

“...” Jack sneered, eyes glaring at Yuu’s all too pleased smile, “Charcuterie?”

“You aren’t beating my allegations on you being a snobby rich kid, Jack.”

“Actually knowing what things are called doesn’t make me a snobby rich kid.”

Yuu sips their latte, looking to the side and mumbles into the cup, “No, but skiing in the Shaft Alps every winter does…”

“Shut-” Jack’s ears flick as his phone starts to buzz. He quickly pulls it out, seeing who was calling before answering the phone on speaker, “Ortho?”

Yuu perks up, smiling and calling out, “Morning Ortho!”

“Good morning Prefect Yuu! And good morning to you, Jack Howl. I have an urgent request for you.”

Jack’s expression turns concerned, “What is it?”

“I need you to contact Ruggie Bucchi. I’m still unable to figure out how it happened, but select members of the junior class have been turned into what I estimate to be four-year-olds.”

“...” Jack blinked, looking to Yuu to make sure they heard the same thing as he did, “Why…do you need Ruggie-Senpai for that?”

“Well…I actually need to reach Leona Kingscholar, but his phone seems to be out of service…”

Yuu hums, looking around the kitchen for their own phone to make a few calls, “Yeah he does that when he sleeps, so his phone doesn't even think about ringing.”

“So I tried to call Ruggie Bucchi, but his phone isn't allowing my calls either!”

“Yeah, Ruggie blocked most of our numbers. He says ‘We know what we did’...” Yuu pulls a face at their phone, seeing their call to Lilia had gone to voicemail.

Jack sighed, “I'll call Ruggie-Senpai. Is…everyone okay? Who was turned?”

Ortho sighed from his side of the line, a beeping starting to sound in the background, “My brother for one, Trey Clover, Cater Diamond, Rook Hunt, Vil Schoenheit-”

“Vil!?”

Yuu cooed, sending one-word texts one after the other to Lilia, hoping the constant vibrating would alert the fae his phone demanded his attention, “Aw~. We should tell him his dad sold him to the school.”

“Fucking why- Ortho, I'll call Ruggie-Senpai and keep you posted.”

The beeping in the background suddenly grew to a blaring alert, though Ortho's voice remained chipper, “Thank you, Jack Howl! I must go now. I believe my brother has awakened and is attempting to hack the system in an effort to leave his room. Farewell for now!”

Once the line cut, Jack sighed and started to dial Ruggie. Noticing Yuu also on their phone he raised an eyebrow, “Who are you calling?”

Yuu was growing increasingly frustrated, Lilia wasn't answering his phone and their chain of texts clearly wasn't getting his attention. They'd try to call Malleus, but the horned fae barely remembered owning a phone, much less actually charging it properly; so it was more than likely dead in his side table drawer again.

“I'm trying to get in touch with Lilia since when Leona inevitably says ‘Fuck them kids’ we can get Malleus to help instead.”

“...Fair plan.” The phone finally stops ringing, Ruggie’s annoyed voice coming through the speaker, “Ruggie-Senpai! There's a strange occurrence happening among the third-years. Some of them have been turned into 4-year-olds and Ortho is asking for Leona's help.”

“...” Ruggie starts laughing, hiccuped cackling and choked snorts before he speaks, “Damn! You gotta be desperate if you guys are asking Leona to help with a bunch of kids. Who got turned?”

Jack sighs but feels mildly better hearing Ruggie moving on the other side of the line, “As far as I know Idia-Senpai, Trey-Senpai, Cater-Senpai, Rook-Senpai, and Vil-Senpai…That's all Ortho said.”

Yuu and Jack wait in silence, Ruggie going quiet over the line but starts muttering under his breath. Neither of them heard much past Ruggie repeating the names, double checking the date and noting how 'They had a meeting last night'. The two first years look at each other before Jack calls out, “Ruggie-Senpai? Is everything okay?”

The two freshmen wait with bated breath, listening to Ruggie suddenly swear and the sound of him running. A door is slammed open and Ruggie swears again, only louder, “Ruggie-Senpai!?”

“He's not FUCKING HERE! FUCK-”

The call cuts out, leaving Yuu and Jack in silence past the dial tone.

Yuu perks up, someone finally picking up their call, “Sebek? Yeah, hey, shut up. Yes, I did change my contact name on your phone to Malleus, that's not the important part right now. I need you…to check up on Lilia and Malleus; I think something…happened to them…”

Silver and Sebek walked briskly down the hall toward Malleus’s room. Lilia's had been empty, yet full of uncharacteristic traits. His computer seemed to have been on all night, the death screen of his game displayed over the monitor. The bed was empty, so he hadn't fallen asleep suddenly either. Sebek had suggested that Lilia went to check on Malleus in the night, falling asleep in his room instead.

Silver hummed, “Still, he didn't even pause his game…I'm just concerned…”

Scoffing, Sebek rolled his eyes, “There is nothing to worry yourself over! Lilia-Sama and Waka-Sama are the strongest mages on campus; there's nothing that could waver their-”

The sound of a piercing scream echoed in the hall, the voice painfully young and terrified as it trailed off into sobs.

The two guards sprinted, slamming the door open and blanking only for a moment at the scene before them.

Halfway up one of the banisters of the canopy bed was a horned child, a chubby black-scaled tail barely poking out from the bottom of a far too large sleep shirt. He cried and struggled to pull himself higher from the black mass of a hissing and jumping creature below him.

Their brief moment of hesitation faded and Sebek sprung forward to sweep who he could only conclude to be a de-aged Malleus away from the danger of the unknown beast. Silver quickly drew his wand in its sword form, trying to cast a stunning spell on the now skittering mass.

Sebek manages to pull the crying child into his arms, standing on the bed and looking him over, “Waka-Sama! Have you been harmed!?”

Malleus wailed, rubbing his eyes in an effort to clear his tears, “Baul! I woke up and this monster was here! I want grandmother!”

Oh, that was…Sebek wasn't sure if he was prepared for this. He looked over to Silver, hoping his sophomore had some insight into how to calm their liege.

Instead, he got to watch the second-year bob and weave around the bedroom, caught in a dance with the unknown creature as it continued to dodge his spells and new efforts to simply grab it. Luckily, the beast made a break for the window. Unable to properly launch itself out due to its size, it struggled on the ledge long enough for Silver to grab it by its small pale legs.

Silver held the still hissing creature upside down by the legs, the long hair falling away to reveal a hissing naked child with bright red eyes and tiny fangs.

“...” Sebek looked away, covering a sniffling Malleus's eyes, “Is that-”

“Oh lord, this is my father.” Silver tried to gently place the seemingly feral child on the ottoman, only to have Lilia grip onto his wrist and pull himself up to bite into Silver's arm, “Ow? OW, OW!”

Sebek watched in mild horror as Lilia's child form started to bite at any exposed skin on Silver, tiny fang marks left behind to slowly bleed as the sophomore struggled to restrain the child.

He feels a tug at his collar, looking in his arms at the sniffling fae princeling.

Malleus looked around the room with a cautious eye, seeming to realize this was not his bedroom in the castle, “Baul…where are we? Where's Lilia?”

“...” Sebek quickly pulled his phone out, heartbreakingly ignoring his liege’s tearful questions and redialing Yuu.

“Yo, Sebek, you called back quick. Can Malleus and Lilia help-”

“SOMETHING HAPPENED!”

[dark-side-blog3]

Ignore that this Home Alone inspired poly adeuce fic is a month late. Or choose to read it for 2024 Christmas, up to you.

I had a lot of fun writing this! Put it into a word counter just for fun, and I'm surprised to see that my first real WIP I finished in 2024 is 3k long! It was just so fun to imagine a twist one of my favourite Christmas movies, and I got so caught up in the fun of it I didn't make my deadline ^^; It was originally meant to be a short little crackfic, but it was just too fun! There are some cracky, campy elements, but that's just in the spirit of the movie I based it off!

Anyways: MDNI, warnings for standard yandere things, and creepy crawlies.

++++++++++++++++++++++

"Shouldn't we be pouring salt on the pathway?"

"Nah," you smile, splashing another bucket of water on the front steps. "This is so we can have a nice slip-and-slide for tobogganing tomorrow, Grim! Same reason I'm filling up a little ice rink in the back-- I wanna do some skating. I can't wait for it to freeze over and teach you how!"

Grims' head shakes fervently as he beams; "Just you wait! I'll show you the grace and speed of a master figure skater! I'm gonna be teaching YOU how to skate by the time we're done!"

"Well if you wanna do that, you're gonna need to be well rested. Can you grab us some cookies for before-bed snacks?" you encourage, the monster agreeing and scampering off inside the dorm house to pilfer the cupboard.

You continue pouring water on the steps and trudge around the house's perimeter to check on the steps leading outside to make sure they're freezing over like you intended. You have several other home security measures to check over...

Most of the staff, and students for that matter, went home for the holidays. Family to see, vacations to take... A life to live outside of the school and other people in it. Should anything happen, Crowley was unfortunately unavailable (what else is new, the old bastard), nor was Vargas, Trein, or Crewl. Normally they'd be spattered throughout the holiday to watch over the students. But there are other teachers on the premises, and hardly any students who can't return home for whatever reason, and they let it slip by... One night during the whole winter break when none of your trusted faculty members nor any of your more powerful friends like Malleus or Idia could help if you got into trouble.

And maybe, maybe your brain has been rotted by movies and defending yourself from overblotted students.

But it's better safe than sorry.

With everything seemingly in order, and the sun setting quickly behind the treeline of school woods, you rush over to the front gate to hang a large sign:

NO SOLICITORS

Hopefully, this will deter anyone planning to intrude on you tonight.

You trudge your way back to the front door, carefully avoiding the steps. You spend the next few hours snacking with Grim while watching movies together, playing card games, and chattering about what ifs and would you rather... Before too long, it's time for bed, and Grim is out like a light, thanks to several pounds of turkey stuffing, potatoes, and cookies you still had after the holiday party days ago.

The party was fun... It did leave you with more leftovers you knew what to do with, which is always great. You got to wish Rook Joyeuses Fête, decorate cookies with Jack and Jade (the merman being much better at decorating, likely due to working in the lounge), and say goodbye to everyone dear to you before they left for their own plans... But it also had Ace and Deuce.

Which, on the one hand, they're harmless. You know they are. They're just jerks sometimes.

They should be focusing on their studies, and you had to devote your time to keeping Ramshakle clean, and Grim on task to graduate... The little monster became somewhat of a family member. Surrogate son or little brother you're not entirely sure, but you want him to succeed.

And even if the pair of heartslabyul boys were gifted students that excelled at every course with time to spare, Grim wasn't-- Grim needed your help to study, to get to class, to handle some of his projects for him when his paws would cause accidents in the potion lab. Grim needs your help to get through college, and it keeps you way too busy for a relationship with either guy.

And even though they soured the mood of the party right after you told them as such, it's the truth, and that's what it is. You're not going to jeopardize Grim's future just to date college students.

They acted like jerks for the rest of the winter break.

When everyone was opening presents, they bitched at everyone for the gifts they exchanged, teased relentlessly, knocked over decor, and told each classmate going through the magic mirror over the week to 'take their time coming back, if at all'. Poor Idia had an anxiety attack when they started teasing him; it took you half an hour to calm him down enough to stop puking and stick to just dry heaving. Grim scampered off after Idia fainted a second time... It took another hour after that to help him through the magic mirror, with his robot escorts. You would have walked through with him, but he insisted holding your hand as he left would be enough, only dragging you somewhat through the portal.

It was rubbing you the wrong way how they were picking fights with everyone, and snubbing Grim anytime they saw you and the monster around campus.

Suddenly, the front gates screech open, drawing you out of your thoughts. You peek out the sliver of the window from behind the thick curtain in the bedroom to see two figures shuffle through the snow.

It can't be them. Even if you were just thinking of them, that would be too... Convenient. Like some movie logic. Thinking of people doesn't summon them.

Whoever it is will be getting a nasty surprise in three, two, one--

A muffled thud and string of curses can be heard from the other side of the glass. You sneak your way down the stairs so you can at least see who's at the door.

"Son of a--! Grim!" Deuce shouts. So much for not summoning them.

"Open the door, little buddy! We know that you're in there and that you're all alone... Your precious prefect is spending the last night of the winter break with someone else, right?" Ace yells, quickly being joined by a snickering and rapping at the door.

A shadow presses itself against the window, trying to peer through sheer curtains. You duck behind one of the striped couches on the outside of the room, close to the walls. Through the reflection of the glass cabinet, you can see the figure stay and linger at the window, tapping against the glass with a small can.

"Come on Grim. We've got tuna for ya if you just open the door and have a chat..." Deuce says, cupping his hands around his mouth as he yells through the glass.

His shadow straightens up, before pounding back on the glass, rattling the old pane against the tight frame, the narrow strips of wood being tight enough together that neither of them could just force their way through the window; Even if they shattered all the glass.

Which Deuce just might, slamming himself into the frame as hard as he could.

"I saw you move in there! Don't ignore us!" He shatters a pane, shoving his hand through to grab at the sheer curtains and tug, ripping them.

You duck back behind the couch, scanning for tools to protect yourself. Shut up. Don't be stupid, just think. Think quick, and smart.

The banging stops for a second. Before becoming far louder-- powerful enough to feel the floor shake. Metal creaks against its hinges, and the lock crashes into the strike plate of the door.

Ignore that, focus. Cleaning supplies. Always nearby, the dorm is filthy. Dish soap and mop bucket.

You dart out from behind the couch to grab the bottle of dish soap, grabbing it and rolling up against the wall just in time as the banging stops, the door knob jiggles and a thin wire pokes itself out from the cracks between the door frame. It makes quick work of the locks on the door, before opening, and Ace proudly struts into the room. The second he does, you pop the cap and squeeze the bottle, squirting bright blue goop into his eyes and smarmy mouth! And you splurt the floor for good measure!

You sprint back to behind the couch he pulls back, sputtering, and wiping it from his eyes in thick globs. You watch through the reflection of the cabinet as Deuce shoves his way past Ace as he splatters fistfuls of goop onto the floor, next to the bottle of leaking dish soap. Ace shoves Deuce for the push, and the resulting shove has both of them slipping on the puddle of dish soap you left in your hurry.

"Ahg-- Ace?! Why are you on the floor?"

A visibly wet smack as dish soap arches off Ace's gloves, slapping damply right into Deuce's face as he grunts from under his classmate: "Get off me, you buffoon! Go find the cat-- Grim, I'm gonna skin you for this, you little creep!"

"Don't make threats until after we have the little rat, runt. If he goes tattling we're screwed--"

"There's no one to tattle to! He's all alone in this big house! Even the ghosts aren't here! If we stick his claws in an electrical socket or force-feed him motor oil, no one would think anything of it! He's just a dumb animal that killed himself without supervision!"

Something glints from under the couch. You grasp at it, finding a spare ornament, and an unused ziptie, threaded through the top. There's got to be something you can use to create a bigger distraction and get you and Grim out of here.

There has to be something in reach-- going back to the bucket in plain sight of them is too risky. Shoving your hand under the couch, your clutch the first thing that your grasp: An aerosol room freshener. Score.

Wrapping the ziptie around the spray trigger, you tighten it and roll it over to the boys, still scrambling about on the floor. You watch from the reflection in the cabinet as Deuce gets a heavy spray right in the eyes, hollering in pain!

"AUGH-- Fucker! You think you're so smart, punk?! Your little bomb just gave away your position!" Deuce shouts, whipping out his magic pen, covering his eyes.

You feel a sense of dread. Primal instinct. You leap out from behind the couch just as he summons a caldron to crash into the couch, narrowly missing you as it smashes the solid oak to splinters. Splinters stick to your socks, embedding in your feet as you scamper off to another room, streams of water and gusts of wind being shot after you.

Just as you turn the corner to climb up the stairs and rush to Grim's room, you hear Ace curse exasperatedly, stumbling his way to the end of the hall to stare at you, still wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Another string of sighed curses leaves his lips as he watches you scramble up the stairs, making accidental eye-contact.

They know their plans are botched now.

Gotta climb faster.

On all fours, you claw up the stairs, just as a tug on your ankle forces your jaw to slam into them. Casting a glance backwards, Ace has gripped your ankle with his sticky gloves, grinning madly as you struggle to tug your ankle away from him, and try to dodge the other one of his hands trying to grasp for your other leg, only to end up sloppily groping your ass before trying again. You try to shake and kick him off, getting a hits to the side of his head, but not as effective as if you had room to wind up. He's gripping so hard it feels like he's going to break something. You scramble, shifting your weight side to side to get him off, prying yourself off the stairs and scratching your nails into the old wood. Your nails cling to the baseboard, prying the edge as much as you can, the wood creaking and snapping off with each desperate tug to pull yourself up.

The baseboard snaps, and you find yourself with a small wooden shiv, thinking to whip around and stab it into Ace's hand, leading him to retract for a second long enough for you to scramble up a step again-- before being slammed back down into the wood as you're grabbed again.

A girthy, irrate red centipede wiggles its way out from the hole in the baseboard, defensive of the now-ruined home.

You snatch it up, close to the head and the snapping mandibles as it wriggled and writhed, as you slowly reached back around to Ace, still clinging to your legs as you tried to shake him off. The teen was so focused on keeping you still as he pulled some ducttape off the roll with his teeth, that he didn't see the massive, snakelike body of the centipede until it was too late; And you stick it right on his face.

He seemed to freeze, giving you enough time to tug your leg again, just as he screamed an ear-piecing shriek!

Ace pawed at his face squirming violently on the stairs, thumping loudly on each step back to the bottom as you sprinted your way upstairs, into Grims room, slamming and locking the door behind you!

"What the hell is wrong--"

"PSYCHO PREFECT IS WHAT! Is it in my hair? Fucking thing was thick as a finger, and they put it right on my face! Is it in my hair?!"

"The prefect is home?! Dude! We're so screwed!"

"So go up there and get them, dipshit! Why are you standing still when they're up there getting a fucking bear trap or something ready?! Are you having an aneurysm or something?! Why are you just staring at me like that?!"

"...Ace... Don't... Move."

"Deuce... What are you talking about? Go get them-"

"Don't. Move."

"Deuce..?"

The telltale crash of a cast iron cauldron smashing through your rotten wood floors makes you nearly shit yourself, glancing back at a sleep-stirring Grim.

"DID I GET IT?"

"YOU ALMOST CRUSHED MY SKULL YOU NUTCASE!"

"DID I GET IT?!"

"You fucking moron!"

You snatch Grim up, using the blanket he was sleeping with like a hobo bag to hold him in, and open the window, edging your way carefully onto the roof. If you can just make safely to the other side of Ramshackle, you can try scaling down the ivy. And it will at least give you a head start-- Maybe hiding out in Sams is the best idea. A store owner must have a CCTV, right? And if Ace and Deuce try and kill either of you, then even if something happens to you, they'll get caught...

You wrap the corners of Grims blanket around your shoulders, like a makeshift baby pouch. You can definitely feel him squirming on your back, starting to wake up. You let go of the window, slipping down the rough roof tile. Laying on your stomach, you side-shuffle over, staying as low to the roof as you can to get the most traction. The edge nearly takes you by surprise when your foot doesn't connect with length that's not there. Slowly, you shuffle even closer to the edge, swaying your arm around the edge to find the vines of Ivy.

"I FOUND 'EM, ACE!"

Your head whips around to see Deuce leaning as far as he can out of the window before he scrambles to get onto the roof.

Whipping your head back to focus, you grab a fistful of vines and pull the rest of your body off the roof! You snatch another fistful with your other hand as you fall.

And fall all the way down, watching in horror as the ivy peels itself from the brick walls.

You feel Grim claw his way out of the pouch and onto your face just in time, as you land on your back with a sickening crunch.

"Oh shit," Ace comments, seemingly having been waiting for you at the bottom of the wall. You see Grim flee across the yard out of the corner of your eye, unable to lift your head.

The sound of snow crunching underfoot, and Deuce panting like crazy soon joins Ace in staring at you as you lay helpless on the ground. As soon as he arrives he gets asked: "Are we gonna get Grim?"

"No point, really..." Comes the huffed response; "We were gonna get him to fuck off, and he's fucked right off. Tonight didn't really go to plan anyway."

A boot gently kicks at your side as Ace turns his attention back to you: "Are you paralyzed or something? That was quite the fall."

You open your mouth to speak, but only a cracked whine makes it out. You cringe and try again, but nothing intelligible comes out.

"Holy shit, they're brain-damaged!" Ace grins, laughing as he backs away from you.

You feel Deuce tugging at your legs in the snow, dragging you from your shallow ditch in the snow. He begins tugging you closer to the dorm, before he drops your legs, moving to grab you under your arms and haul you that way, up against a wall. Breaking a window, he shoves you in, head first. The cold floors of Ramshackle are still warmer than the ice and snow.

"Alright. Hey, real quick, can you feel this?" Deuce begins poking you with a wire from an ornament, starting with your legs, and making his way up on both sides. You nod, wincing at some particularly sharp pricks, to which Deuce responds by rubbing the area to dull the pain.

"Can you say where you are right now? Do you know who I am? Who you are?" You nod again, voice stumbling through a pained response.

"Awesome. You're not brain-damaged! You're probably just winded from the fall. Is anything broken? Can you wiggle your fingers and toes? Try twisting side to side. If you can't it means your spine might be broken, and you need a doctor."

You comply, weirded out by the sudden care, but the doctor comment means they will call someone. And that someone will keep you safe, and them away. The pain's already fading, and likely nothing serious, but you could trick them... Deuce particularly seems like a soft touch. You wince as you try to twist, feigning inability.

Deuce makes a worried expression, like he's about to piss himself from fear.

He backs off slightly, giving you a bit more breathing room: "Try crossing your arms and lifting them as far away from your ribs as you can".

You comply again, feigning difficulty,

And duct tape wraps around your wrists instantly. Deuce presses his knee down into your chest to pin you down as he wraps as tightly as he can, while Ace ties your legs from outside.

"This really, really isn't my style. But we've got to get you somewhere that is not here when the teachers come back tomorrow, and we can't have Grim knowing where to find you." Deuce rambles, soaking his glove in a bottle of something, before pressing it to your face. He continues rambling, leaning in closer to whisper: "And I know how this looks! But I promise we won't do anything to you while you sleep. Or when you wake up! I swear! It's all more normal than it seems tonight-- or it can be anyways. And... And if you give me some time, give me a chance, we can even ditch Ace and forget this night ever happened! You just need some time somewhere else..."

The room spins with dark spots as Deuce presses his soaked glove further into your face. He continues rambling at you, while you feel Ace begin dragging you back out the window again. The snow doesn't feel cold this time as you fall into it. It just feels soft.

[bun-lapin]

Confessions

Summary: Leona confesses his love to you.

A/N: Here is the seventh one shot in my "Confessions" series, featuring Leona! Had a nasty head cold this week but I worked through it! I'm really pleased with how this one turned out <3

Confessions series: Rook, Kalim, Idia, Floyd, Vil, Silver, Leona, Trey / AO3

A ribbon of gentle wind and harsh sunlight streams in through the wide open window, and you breathe in the warm scent of sunbaked soil and dry grass. You sit cross-legged on the floor of a familiar room, absentmindedly running your hands through the soft fibers of the boldly colored Sunset Savanna rug underneath you. Carefully assessing the chaotic placement of black and white pieces, your eyes dart across the chessboard set on the floor in front of you. You reach out a tentative hand and place your fingertips against a random game piece. In your peripheral vision, you catch the sudden movement of a soft, feline ear twitching in a very distracting way. You pause, move your hand to hover over a different piece, and frown slightly when you see both ears begin to twitch wildly atop your opponent’s head.

You look up from the chessboard with a frustrated sigh and ask accusingly, “Is there something you’d like to say, Leona?”

From his position at the other end of the game board, reclining comfortably on his side, Leona smiles at you smugly, relaxed. “Looks like you can't decide your next move, herbivore. What's the matter? Don't want to lose?”

You turn your attention back to the board with a little grunt of annoyance, “This game is wildly unbalanced. Shouldn’t you have taught me a little more before we started playing?”

Leona tilts his head back and lets out a wide-mouthed yawn. He flashes a drowsy smile at you, eyes half open and sparkling with quiet amusement, “All I can do is teach you how to play. It's up to you to learn how to win.”

“Yeah, whatever. I don’t even want to win,” you mutter as you finally move a piece on the chessboard.

Looking thoroughly unconvinced, Leona raises his eyebrows and says, “You're kidding yourself then. Everyone wants to win. It's only natural.” Barely glancing at the board, he moves one of his pieces to counter your move.

You briefly close your eyes in frustration and then swiftly move a completely random piece. “So you always want to win? No matter what?”

Leona looks down at the board with a small smirk. Moving his chess piece with a deliberate motion, he breezily replies, “I don't want to just win. I want it to be clear and without question that I'm the best.”

After moving another random piece, you look over at Leona and raise your eyebrows questioningly at him. “Isn’t that still winning? What’s the difference?”

A small frown creases his brows as Leona seems to carefully consider your question. Sitting up straight with a sharp sigh, he mirrors your cross-legged posture and crosses his arms over his broad chest. His bright green eyes, blazing with intellect and focus, glide over the chessboard and then up to meet your gaze. An affectionate smirk turns up the corners of his mouth and he laughs softly, the sound low and deep in his chest like distant thunder.

“If you think it about in the context of this chess game, there are two ways I could win. The first would be for me to wait for you to move a piece, then I'd think of a countering move to your action, and we'd continue in that fashion until I win. The second way would be for me to think of the moves you'd make before you even think of them, to counter moves that haven't even been played yet. In that way, I could lay out traps and dead-end paths, shift the movement of the game from both sides of the board. In essence, it's reaction versus complete subjugation. It's minimum effort versus going all out and fighting with everything you've got, in chess and in life.”

“Going all out?” you echo in a thoughtful voice, mulling over his short lecture. You then flash a teasing smile at him, “And how does this philosophy apply to all the times you skip out on class?”

Leona clicks his tongue and closes his eyes with mild annoyance. He rubs the back of his neck as his tail rapidly twitches behind him, “I said it applies to life. Going to class and hearing things I've already learned isn't living, it's just passing time and not worth the effort. It's not actually important.” He opens his eyes and looks directly at you. “Not like the way you are to me.”

You blink at the blunt delivery of his statement. “I’m…important to you?” you ask hesitatingly.

Leona slightly tilts his head to the side and raises one eyebrow, “Of course you're important to me. I spend time with you, I speak with you, and I listen to you. Doesn't that make it obvious that I love you?”

You feel your eyes grow wide and your mouth drop open from surprise. In a beat of silence, Leona studies your face with an expression of slight confusion before realization finally dawns in his eyes. He laughs quietly and says, “I guess I have to spell it out for you. Well, then let me make it absolutely clear how I feel about you. Beyond a shadow of a doubt." He smiles and reaches over the chessboard to place a warm hand against the side of your face. He gently, slowly strokes his thumb over your cheek and the solid warmth you feel against your skin reminds you of the deeply rich and complex sound of his voice.

“My whole life, I've had people telling me what kind of person I am. That I'm lazy, irresponsible, not living up to my full potential.” Leona’s eyes briefly shift away from yours, a small frown flickering over his face. “Good for nothing.” He brings his gaze back up to meet yours and his eyes blaze with a fierce determination. “Some of them might've had some semblance of a point, but they weren't really seeing the whole picture. No one in my life has ever really seen me. Not until you.”

Leona leans towards you, bringing into focus the intensity of his gaze, the deep gold luster of his skin, the soft, dark braids sweeping against his cheeks like thick smoke. His hand on your face softly slides downwards along your jawline and stops under your chin. With a tender yet deliberate tap of his thumb against your chin, as if for emphasis, Leona lets out a humming kind of sigh filled with longing.

“You. You see me. You see all of me. For whatever reason you've always seen me exactly for what I am. I lay hiding from the world in the tall grass, sticking to the shadows, but your eyes and your voice always manage to call me out. Only you can move me. You’re a force I’ve never felt before and you're so much more powerful than you realize.”

Glancing down at the chessboard, Leona smiles secretively. He releases his light touch from your chin and reaches down to pick up one of his chess pieces. With a level gaze, eyes burning with purpose, he reaches out towards you and clasps your hand in his. He places the chess piece in your palm with sweet care and curls your fingers closed around it. With the warmth of his hand enveloping yours, you can almost feel the honest sincerity of his voice through his touch.

“I sense in you the full force of the universe. All the thrills and anguish and joy that make me fully realize that I'm here in this world and I'm alive. I feel myself wanting you the same way I want to just see another day, to live in victory. I want you selfishly now, but I know I'll fight the rest of my forsaken life just to prove myself worthy to stand at your side. I love you with all I have, and I'll never stop loving you.”

You both sit in silence for a few moments, letting the echoes of Leona’s words wash over the two of you like warm summer rain. With a light tap of his finger against your hand, Leona withdraws his touch and then looks down expectantly. You follow his gaze and see that your fingers are still curled tightly around the chess piece. Slowly opening your hand, you see that it is Leona’s king and you quickly look up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

Leona laughs softly and simply answers, “Checkmate.”

[it-happened-one-fic]

Ink and Magic-The Watchman of the Underworld

Author Notes: Part 6 of this sort of halfway non canon compliant what if with the overblots and their aftermath! A lot of what I said for part 1 counts for this section too. This isn't exactly romantic. in fact, I would say it counts as more platonic, but it certainly can be taken as shippy. This will also be a series, though the Diasomnia section won't come out until that entire matter is resolved in game. As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Spoilers for Book 6: The Watchman of the Underworld!

[Heartslabyul] [Savanaclaw] [Octavinelle] [Scarabia] [Pomefiore] [Ignihyde: You're Here] [Diasomnia: To be released]

Type: Gender-neutral reader/ fic series/ Can be platonic or romantic/ fluff/ angst/ comfort/ Spoilers for Ignihyde overblot.

TW: Character death mentioned.

Word count: 1504

Vil was barely able to haul Idia and Grim up and to safety with me, Rook, and Epel, all surging forward at once to help the now-aged model as soon as we could.

 Rook managed to catch Vil as the Pomefiore housewarden stumbled, all but crumpling to his knees before Rook grasped him. Grim fell from Vil’s arms, with Epel catching him desperately. 

I reached out, wrapping my arms around Idia’s prone body, which all but fell onto me and pushed me down and toward the ground under the weight of his limp body. His armor was already fading away, though, and turning back into the dark Styx robes.

Idia himself was still out cold, but he curled almost instinctively around me, with his hands knotting themselves in the long sleeves of my robes. Smearing the dark ink that still clung to his hands in a gruesome reminder of his overblot all over the once pristine Pomefiore robes.

I strained to look around his lanky form and at Vil and Grim, but I felt myself going oddly numb as the others looked over at me. Epel’s eyes widened with alarm as the world started to blur, and I felt myself buckling under the weight of both Idia and the exhaustion that swept over me. 

“Oh no! Rook, look! They’re-!” Epel’s panicked cry was one of the last things I heard before I succumbed to the darkness without hardly any fight. All other sounds faded away until there was only silence.

But the silence was almost welcome after everything that had just occurred. I found myself glancing around the empty space nonetheless, though. Waiting for the film of Idia’s life to start, just like I knew it would.

But before there was any brilliant flash of light, I heard Idia’s solemn, quiet voice from right next to me.

By now, I knew better than to search for him; I wouldn’t be able to see him anyway. I never could find those who shared this dark world with me.

So instead, I just listened to his morose narration that came from somewhere within the darkness, “My life has been set in stone even before I was born. ‘The Island of Woe’s Gatekeeper.’ That was the path laid out for me.”

A scene flickered to life, briefly blinding me as people from Idia’s past began to talk excitedly. Slowly unraveling the mystery of what exactly had led up to Idia overblotting.

“Young Idia is truly exceptional. He excels in both magic and his studies. He’s even impressed experts with his technomatic engineering work. That boy’s a bona-fide genius.”

“It’s true. Styx’s future is in good hands.”

A bona-fide genius… Yet another weight description for someone as young as Idia seemed to be in this scene from his past.

I found myself frowning already, but it was beyond clear even without Idia’s somber, apathetic words that no one even bothered to wonder what this young genius might want to do for himself.

No one… except for maybe one.

I found myself smiling at the sight of a young Idia and another boy, the original Ortho, playing games alongside each other. It was obvious the two had been beyond close, even from just this tiny tidbit of their lives together.

The perfect image of two little boys who were each other’s favorite playmates.

It was also obvious that, even at this young age, Idia already thought highly of himself. A side effect of being a so-called ‘bona-fide genius’ I suspected.

It was jarring, though, to realize that I'd never really seen Idia smile with such genuine, innocent joy. 

I frowned slightly though as, snickering mischievously, the two boys began to sneak out as Idia’s narrated ominously. His words putting me on edge as I listened to him, “It was just childish curiosity. We wanted to go on an adventure. I didn’t think of the consequences. I didn’t know what would happen.”

My hands were soon flying to my mouth in helpless horror as everything played out in front of me. The security went down and monsters broke loose, immediately finding the two young boys. And then….

Idia didn’t have to say anything. Ortho’s panicked little voice, followed by the inhuman growl of the monster and then jarring darkness as the scene went out like a candle in a gust of wind said everything.

But he spoke anyway. His voice hollow with numbness as I slowly pulled my hands from my mouth, “I didn’t remember much after that. Ortho was already gone when I woke up.”

At first, I watched in silent, almost stunned horror as the researchers discussed what happened.

“Unbelievable… A 10-year old managed to hack into the world's most reinforced security system…”

“He was too smart for his own good. His intellect brought such tragedy about…”

“The escaped Phantom was apparently sent to the Underworld.”

“Sadly, the inevitability of the event can’t erase the tragic truth…”

 The scene shifted back to young Idia, and I felt tears start to well up in my eyes as he begged for someone to give him back his little brother. All but screaming in a raw voice that was perfectly at odds with the numb, quiet tone the Idia I knew usually spoke in.

“Give him back…. Give Ortho back to me… I want him all back… His body, his personality, his memories…. GIVE HIM BACK!!”

I felt myself going still, my eyes widening as the thoughts of the young boy played out before me, though. Almost like they were predicting the future that I’d already known would come.

…I know. If they won’t give him back, I can just make a new one….

The next thing I saw was an adolescent version of Idia introducing his creation. The new Ortho. 

This one was more stilted than the one I got to know, as it spoke in an undeniably robotic, monotone voice and recommended rest as the adolescent Idia broke down in tears.

A part of me wanted to reassure him. Tell him how much further he’d come and how the Ortho I knew couldn’t just be written of a robot. Not when he was so real.

But I knew it wouldn’t help. Not only could I not speak to him, it was obvious that he already knew perfectly well that no matter how groundbreaking this Ortho was, it couldn’t change the past.

His brother had died.

Slowly but surely, everything began to fade back into a darkness that, now, after having seen all of that, felt comforting. 

Soon the only thing present in this abyss was Idia’s voice. Lamenting his past choices with an apathy that practically had me wincing. 

Had he been this unenthused about everything… about his very life, ever since the tragedy of his youth? The only sign of emotion, of the pain that I now knew rested deep beneath it all in his memories and guilt, was the way his voice faltered and he corrected himself.

“How did things end up this way? I just … We just… We just wanted to be like everyone else.”

Even now, he was bearing far more than what he himself wanted. He also bore Ortho’s wishes with him, never forgetting his brother’s dreams, just as he never ceased in blaming himself for his brother’s untimely death.

I still couldn’t agree with his choices, but I did understand them now. I had no doubts that everything me and everyone else had just gone through was rooted in the wish to give his brother another chance to realize his own dream.

I opened my eyes slowly, finding that I was still lying on my back from where I’d fallen. Idia was stretched out with his head resting on my stomach. His arms curled around my waist, tight enough that I doubted I could pull myself free.

He was still past out, murmuring Ortho’s name in a pained tone that had me swallowing thickly. After everything I’d seen, I understood why Idia was the way he was.

He’d gone through a tragedy, and apparently those around him had failed him. They’d let him lock himself up as he poured all his efforts and genius into recreating Ortho, even though deep down he knew he could never correct his past mistake.

I looked over to see the Pomefiore trio resting, my eyes slowly meeting Vil’s. And even despite his appearance, those amethyst of his were the same as ever.

And my heart broke a little as he smiled at my wearily before speaking in a voice that was raspy with old age that should not be, “I see you’re back.”

Rook and Epel both looked up wide-eyed as soon as he spoke. Both of them smiling in relief and standing as soon as they saw me looking at them.

I smiled slightly as I did my best not to cry simply for Vil’s sake.

But at odds with my emotions, Vil merely looked down at Idia with characteristic distaste, “Now to wake this one….”

[writingseaslugs]

Pomefiore: Pocky Game

Fun Fact: In most dorms I go in order of House Warden, Vice Warden, then I go based on year (so for Heartlabyul it goes Riddle, Trey, Cater, Ace, and Deuce). The only exception to this rule is Pomefiore. I save Rook for last every single time. It’s like a reward to get to write him.

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.

Pomefiore: Pocky Game

Apparently, no matter what world you end up in, there will always be some delicious biscuit coated in chocolate that comes in a stick form. You discovered it one lovely day when shopping for some snacks at Sam’s, and the moment you noticed them, you grabbed several boxes. They were a delicious treat, but there was something else you wanted to do with them. You chuckled as you got home, putting the bag down and grabbing your phone, messaging a certain someone if they wanted to hang out and have snacks.

“Hey, henchman!” Grim said, crawling onto the counter and going through the bags of snacks and other miscellaneous groceries you two needed for the week, “Did you get my tuna?” he said before pulling out a box of pocky, “Oh, what's this?”

“They’re pocky, and you’re not allowed to eat them all. I bought plenty of boxes. You can have one, but the rest are mine.” You said, knowing that Grim would certainly steal more than one box. He opened it up and took a bite, humming at the taste before going to scarf the entire box down. You just sighed, shaking your head in disappointment. He went to snag another box, and you didn’t have the heart to stop him.

You felt your phone buzzing and checked it, seeing you got confirmation for snacks and chill. You chuckled, grabbing two boxes and stashing them in your coat pocket as you started to get ready to head out, “Grim, I’m heading out. Please unload the groceries…your tuna is in one of the bags.” You said, gesturing to the small pile. Grim perked up, deciding to just tear through them until he got what he wanted.

“Whatever you say, henchman!” Grim said, not bothering to ask where you’re going.

“Aaaaaaand?” You trailed off, wanting him to give you a proper answer.

“I’ll do the groceries…” Grim said, and you hummed another ‘and?’ at him. “Aaaaaand thank you for the tuna,” he finally said. With that, you grabbed your house keys and began making your way over to Pomefiore.

Vil Schoenheit

Vil was waiting at the door for you, a small smile playing on his perfectly painted lips, “Welcome in, prefect, I’m glad you didn’t keep me waiting.” he said and you smiled, walking into his room. You looked around, noticing a few scripts sitting neatly on his wardrobe with a few makeup brushes in cleaner.

“Thanks for having me over, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” You said, looking around the room. Nothing else was out of place, so you assumed he was just rehearing and getting a few chores done.

“Not at all, I was planning on taking a break soon anyway. Now, may I ask what you’ve brought?” Vil asked, looking over at your clothes. You had just tossed on a heavy coat and you could tell he was judging the appearance of it. Vil was known for sometimes tossing more expensive and fashionable clothes your way, always saying he got it in a sponsorship or modeling job and he didn’t need it. You had an odd feeling that you’d be leaving with a new coat tonight with how much he hated what you were wearing.

“We call them pocky where I’m from.” You said, taking the snacks out of your pocket. Vil hummed, taking the snacks and placing them by the desk before walking behind you and helping you take off the coat. He hung it up on his coat rack before sitting down on his bed. You quickly joined him, snack in hand.

“What are they?” Vil asked, inspecting the box you handed him. You made sure to grab the dark chocolate one for him since it was technically the healthier option.

“Just a sweet treat.” You said, watching his nimble fingers pop open the box and grab a stick out. He looked it over before turning to you.

“I don’t normally indulge in sweets, you know this.” Vil pointed out. You frowned before getting an idea.

“Then how about indulging in a traditional game with them?” You asked, Vil was now interested. You quickly explained the rules of the pocky game to him and he seemed almost smug that you’d come to him for this game.

“A kissing game? I must admit, it is a rather smart way to market a plain snack like this. No wonder they were so popular where you came from.” he said as he spun the stick around. He then placed it against your lips, “I’ll play this game of yours.”

You couldn’t stop the silly grin on your face as you opened your mouth and took one end in. He placed his lips on the other end and, gracefully nibbling on it. You felt his lips brush against your own before he snagged the last piece and pulled away. He covered his mouth, as well as the mischievous grin on his face.

Your lips formed a pout as he began speaking, “It appears I’ve won…why do you look so sad?” he teased, “I thought you just wanted to play the game. If you wanted to kiss me, you should’ve said so sooner.”

Your words were caught in your throat, as your face began heating up. He had so easily caught on and you felt his hand cup your chin to force you to look at him. He then leaned in, giving you a proper kiss, though it was still too short. You found yourself chasing after him when he left your lips, “My, you sure are insatiable today.” he noted at the desperate look in your eyes, “It appears I am as well.” He said before leaning back in.

Rook Hunt

You don’t know why you were so shocked when you opened the door to Ramshackle and saw Rook standing there. You only had a mini heart attack before noticing he had his arm out, “Now what kind of man would I be if I didn’t escort you?” he asked, relishing in your surprised look.

“Were you around the area…how’d you get here so fast?” You asked and Rook chuckled as he felt you wrapping a hand around his arm. He began walking alongside you to the hall of mirrors.

“My, I just happened to have heard a bird's song and was drawn to it. When I got the message from you, I knew it was meant to be, it had called me out to walk you to the dorm.” He explained and you huffed. Of course he wouldn’t give you an actual answer, when did he ever answer something normally?

“I’m sure that’s exactly what happened.” You chuckled, walking through the mirror and to the Pomefiore dorm. He traversed the halls easily, even while he looked at you.

“Are you doubting me, mon amour?” Rook said, causing you to blush at his nickname for you. It always felt so intimate when he called you that.

“A touch…” You murmured as you two walked into his room.

“You wound me.” he said, placing a hand over his heart. His smile told you another story though, clearly he found it amusing.

“I hope you’re not too wounded, I still have a snack to share with you.” You said, bringing out the box, “And a game.”

“A game? Please, do tell.” Rook said, taking the box and looking it over. The snack didn’t look too impressive, but the aspect of playing a game with it had him leaning closer to you. You quickly went over the rules of the game and Rook was now very interested.

“A game between lovers?” he said, taking one of the sticks out of the box, “And you’ve chosen to play with me?”

“Well, it can be played with friends as well…” You said, hoping he wouldn’t reject the idea.

“A splendid game, come, let’s play.” he said, placing one end of the stick in his mouth. He held it for you and you quickly took the other end. You both began nibbling on it until Rook’s lips clashed against your own in a sweet kiss. He wasn’t shy about deepening it. He placed a hand on the small of your back and kept you there.

He hummed into the kiss, loving how your lips molded with his own. He parted for a brief moment to tell you as much, before going back in. Your hands found their way over his shoulders as he supported most of your weight in your breathless liplock. When you bit down gently on his lower lip he groaned. The sound shot a shiver right up your spine.

You two parted, panting a bit with a small string of saliva break between you two, “My little petit renard, if you keep this up, I won’t be able to hold myself back.” he warned you.

“Perhaps that’s what I’m hoping for…”

Epel Felmier

Epel was waiting outside the dorm when you came over; his entire body perked up as seeing you. He quickly made his way over, grabing your arm, “Hey, how about instead of staying here, we find somewhere else to have snacks.” You could see the desperate look in his eyes. He didn’t even need to say anything to know that Vil would be out for his neck if he found you two snacking.

“Alright, fine. Where do you wanna go?” You asked, letting him lead you to the hall of mirrors. You were expecting him to drag you to Ramshackle, but soon you found yourself in the school’s giant courtyard. It was quiet at this time of night, and students weren’t out and about.

“They won’t look for us here.” Epel said proudly as he sat down on one of the benches. You couldn’t help but laugh as you sat beside him.

“Vil running you through the wringer again?” You asked, pulling the snacks out of your pocket. You handed him one and Epel didn’t even bother looking at it, just opening it up as he leaned onto the bench more.

“He wanted to show me this new body scrub that smelled like flowers. Apparently I should smell sweet, but I prefer muskier smells.” Epel said, taking one of the snacks into his mouth, “Man, it’s been a while since I’ve had these.”

“You’ve had these before?” You asked, wondering if perhaps the snack was more popular than you thought.

“Ya, one of my cousins brought them before after visiting the city. He said he found them at a store and they looked good.” Epel said as he ate another.

“These were popular back where I used to live.” You noted, “We even played games with them.” You said, quickly explaining the pocky game. Epel looked curious before a smirk appeared on his lips. He placed one end in his mouth and offered the other to you.

You were more than happy to play, nibbling on the stick before your lips connected with his. You two stayed like that for a moment, your lips moving in sync with one another before you finally pulled away.

“I like this game…want to play another round?” Epel asked, grabbing another stick.

“Honestly, I think I’d rather just makeout with you.” You finally decided on, after a quick pause. Epel’s eyes widened and you noticed the faint blush on his cheeks. He then smiled before pulling you into another quick kiss.

“I think I’d rather do this too.” he said against your lips before going back in for more.

Are you a fan of Diasomnia like me? I bet you are if you read my content (we love the boys in this household). Want to support a visual novel that will feature Diasomnia dorm, has multiple routes and endings, as well as some spicy visual scenes? Check out @twstfournights and if you want info, check out their announcement post!

[tamaiory]

"Like this jewel, may my son's eyes never cloud with sadness"

—EPISODE 7 SPOILERS—

(I don't think the fanart itself counts as a spoiler, since it's a headcanon, but said headcanon is based off events form episode 7 so please be careful if you are not up to date with the story)

I really like the headcanon (and theory, in a way) of Silver being the prince of a kingdom that was once an enemy of Briar Valley. Maybe something like Lilia himself being involved in Silver's biological parents' d*aths. You see, it seems that the relationship between humans and fae is still complicated, given Sebek's thoughts and what he tells about his mother's family still not approving the marriage between a human and a fae, so the fact there was a war not so long ago is not that impossible.

Lilia states he found Silver in the forest and then took care of him, but he may not be saying the whole truth. Yes, he may have found Silver in the forest, but why was a human baby there in the first place? More so in a forest of a fae kingdom. I don't think Lilia k*lled Silver's parents and then took the baby with him out of guilt, but maybe someone put Silver in the forest in hopes of (at least) a human soldier from Silver's kingdom finding and taking care of him, all of this in the middle of a war in which (most likely) Lilia participated (given it IS canon that Lilia was a war general).

In episode 7, when Silver finds the ring, he says it looks like something someone from royalty would have, and then Lilia explains it belongs to Silver. Also, Silver's character description states that he has a "princely aura" and some characters even comment the same. Most probably Silver is a prince, but we can't know if his kingdom has fallen or if it was an enemy of Briar Valley.

In any case, following the headcanon/theory, if Silver finds out about the truth he would be completely devastated (my poor child 😭). Imagine finding out your adoptive father was almost directly involved in your biological parents' d*ath and ALSO you're the prince of a kingdom DESTROYED by the country you grew up in and it's last hope to re-emerge. And that would make him (technically) get in another war against Malleus, Sebek and (if he's not d*ad lol) Lilia.

Then he has two (2) options:

1) Sacrificing his feelings and taking the responsibility of assuming the throne of his kingdom, to help the people left there, making him an enemy of Briar Valley, as much as it hurts him (the drawing at the beginning of the post).

2) Reject the throne to fight by Malleus' side, fulfilling the duty he was trained for alongside Sebek, protecting his friends and family, although he knows there's many people who need him in his kingdom.

I honestly can see him in both situations. See, he is described more as a hero but he still is a student in NRC. We've seen Kalim and Rook (both of them also have light magic and aren't based off villains) have questionable attitudes sometimes, and we will probably see Silver doing the same too.

We can also have a happy ending for everyone: Silver takes the throne but he manages to make a peace treaty between his kingdom and Briar Valley, and now both kingdoms are allies and everyone lives happily ever after. Which is probable since this is, after all, a Disney game. But I want angst so I drew the first route ✌🏻

—End of spoilers here—

I finished this almost a month ago, but I've been waiting to post it closer to Silver's birthday in case I didn't have anything else finished. It's been a while since I've posted something, and I couldn't make anything for many birthdays because of personal matters, but I found the inspiration to draw again and now I'm working on some stuff. Hopefully I'll finish what I'm working on right now for Silver's birthday, since he is one of my favorite characters.

[blues824]

Hello i see that request are open if you have too much requests or just tired you can delete this^^, May i try to request for a reader that is just Ninomae ina’nis , if you dont know who she is, she is a vtuber and her avatar is a Octopus human hybrid and she is a priestess for the ancient ones (heres the link for her https://hololive.hololivepro.com/en/talents/ninomae-inanis/ ) for Azul, riddle, leona, ilia, malleus, and rook, again if this is too much you can ignore/delete this, have a great day/afternoon/night ^^

Make sure to eat and drink healthy, stay safe<33

You too, Anon! I watched her streams of the game Stray to get an idea of her personality.

Also, let’s say that your avatar is the one that’s transported to Twisted Wonderland, but you are sentient.

Riddle Rosehearts

Your dedication to the words and the teachings of the Ancient Ones is very admirable in his eyes. There are many different beliefs in Twisted Wonderland, yours is just one among the many. He doesn’t mind it at all and might even ask questions to gain a further understanding.

He doesn’t understand why you are a VTuber, but at least it’s not a destructive hobby. Sure, you could be doing a lot more productive things, like studying, but you’re not outside causing trouble and that’s what truly matters to Riddle.

He thinks you look interesting. Sure, there were beast-people and mer-people, but you were a full-on hybrid of the two. You weren’t able to put either side away. However, he thinks that you’re absolutely beautiful like this. He will most definitely behead anyone who says otherwise.

Leona Kingscholar

There are a few priests and priestesses in his homeland, so it’s not anything unusual to hear that you were a priestess of the Ancient Ones. He also doesn’t mind, but he’s too lazy to ask any questions about you and your beliefs. If you mention anything in passing, then he will remember it. After a while, he gets an idea of it all.

Another one who doesn’t understand why you are a VTuber. You could spend time cuddling with him instead of entertaining random people on the internet by streaming video games. But at least you’re not getting into any fights.

At first, he thought you looked weird. How could he not? You had tentacles coming out of your back that you had complete control over. Just by that alone, you were pretty strong. After a while, he knows that you got them by picking up a random book. You were as magical as he was, but you were a hybrid rather than a beast-person.

Azul Ashengrotto

He found your dedication to the Ancient Ones very intriguing. In the sea, they worshiped the god Poseidon (personal headcanon, because King Triton is mythologically Poseidon’s son). It seemed like they had similar practices, with certain people assigned to serve the gods in their temple.

Everything was a culture shock to him when he came to dry land. He hadn’t even heard of VTubers until you came along. He’s still very confused by it, but is otherwise supportive. He will bring snacks and drinks to you if he knows you haven’t eaten or drank anything because you were busy streaming.

When he first met you, you made him happy. You both were slightly different from each other, but more or less the same. You both were octopi in some variety, and that gave him hope that he could embrace his merform.

Rook Hunt

He just about worships the Ancient Ones as much as you do. He wants to get you to notice him and maybe even fall in love with him as he did for you, so he will do anything. He is just that smitten for you. Eros has shot his arrows into the hunter’s heart.

I think he would kind of understand the concept of a VTuber. To know that this wasn’t the real you was kind of weird, and it was hard to get used to. However, that made him wonder what the real you looked like. No matter, you would tell him when you wanted to tell him.

He found your tentacles absolutely amazing and beautiful. If you still wanted to dress them up, he would most certainly help you. He gently presses kisses to the tips of them as he gently wraps them up with pretty ribbons to accessorize them.

Idia Shroud

He also gets the general idea of your belief, but that’s because they worship the Great Seven and his dorm just so happens to be based off of the Ruler and God of the Underworld. Again, he’s used to the temple and sacrifice scenes.

When you tell him that you are a VTuber, he gets super excited. He talks about doing a collab soon and how you could become popular in Twisted Wonderland as well as your own world, until you tell him that the figure he saw as ‘you’ was your actual avatar.

He found your tentacles scary at first, but he gets used to them over time. It eventually got to a point where he loves to be gently wrapped in your tentacles because he knows that you are there with him. It calms him down after a stressful day.

Malleus Draconia

His kingdom has a few deities that they worship, mostly the Thorn Fairy. He has even been to one of the temples for when he was deemed the Crown Prince of the Briar Valley. However, the priests and priestesses tended to live single lives, and the fact that you are a priestess tells him that you might not want to be with him.

He most definitely doesn’t understand the concept of a VTuber. He barely knows how to operate his tamagotchi, did you expect him to know what a VTuber was? However, he is willing to learn so he could get to know you better.

He found your tentacles rather fascinating. You weren’t exactly a cecaelia, but a hybrid between an octopus and a human. It reminded him of his knight, Sebek, who was a hybrid between a fae and a human. It was very intriguing to the young Prince.

Lilia Vanrouge

Again, he hails from the same land as Malleus, so he is familiar with priests and priestesses. Not just that, but his time as a military general led him to many lands that had different beliefs. He found it all fascinating, and he will ask you tons of questions about the Ancient Ones that you serve.

Like Idia, he gets excited when you tell him that you are a VTuber. He gets even more excited when you tell him that the ‘you’ he sees is in fact your avatar and not what you actually look like outside of the screen.

He thinks you’re absolutely adorable with your tentacles. If you ask, he’ll help you maintain them as well as decorate them. Your tentacles tend to get a bit ticklish, so he will tease you with soft touches along their slimy surface. You have been warned.

[thedinanshiral]

Patterns

Today i'd like to make a quick mention of patterns. Repeated elements and narratives that insist on sticking around for unknown reasons.

In the history of Thedas that repeated element or theme is betrayal.

Starting from ancient Elvhenan, when the rest of the Evanuris betrayed Mythal and literally took her out of the picture. Then we have Fen'Harel avenging her by "betraying" both Evanuris and Forgotten Ones, condemning them to a near eternity of confinement away from the rest of the world. Next and following Mythal's death by murder we have the betrayal of Flemeth; sure, she cheated first, but while one could say love is capricious and acts without warning her husband did tricked her, intentionally betrayed her, killing her lover and imprisoning her and it's due to her desire for vengeance for that betrayal that Mythal's whisp finds her. Then a long time later Andraste is betrayed by her own husband out of jelaousy for her success and fame, only for the Maker himself to take her to his side enshrining her as the head of the new religious authority..see, there's the pattern. A female character stabbed in the back by their partner, one way or another, revindicated or avenged by something or someone from the beyond.

Then we have our protagonists. The Warden who more or less depending on the origin is betrayed, by people or fate, and must then rely on otherwordly powers to succeed in restoring some kind of order. Hawke, also betrayed by fate, by some he called a friend or even a lover, aided by Flemeth herself. The Inquisitor, once again, betrayed by a companion, friend or possibly even a lover but also saved by them. Who and under what circumstances will our new protagonist Rook be betrayed by this time?

But that's not the only pattern, there's two more i'd like to touch on.

First one involves the Inquisitor. While the only canon is that there is no canon and i do agree with that to some extent as BW have said once or twice that the canon story is the one the player chooses -even if that's not entirely honest of them as they do follow a default canon around which they continue to build the story- i must say if we are to follow patterns then the unofficial canon would be a female elven mage Inquisitor. In Jaws of Hakkon DLC we learn that the first Inquisitor, Ameridan, was an elven mage and throught the DLC story we learn he had a lover, an elven mage woman who happened to have some Rift magical habilities. Theirs was an unfortunate love that couldn't survive that final mission in the Frostback Basin; Ameridan sacrificed himself to seal Hakkon while his lover, injured, died alone in a nearby island waiting. Leaving their tragic end aside, is that not awfully similar to Solavellan? Elven mage inquisitor in a relationship with elven Rift mage companion, unable to remain together due to their duties. Not to mention Solavellan is the romance that fleshes out most of the lore regarding the Evanuris and Fen'Harel himself, exposing him, rendering him vulnerable. The events of Trespasser further solidify this. It is a female Lavellan, and specifically a mage one he can relate to, who cracks his walls that he's spent millenia building around him so tightly. It may not be the canon choice, but it certainly is the one that has the most to offer to the lore of Thedas and Solas' character.

Lastly, the other pattern i noticed is one of the games themselves. DAO is about the Fifth Blight, it resolves the Blight -more or less- and ends with the general idea of rebuilding. DA2 doesn't follow on that directly, it begins during the Blight and makes a timeskip to show the protagonist making a living in the Free Marches. As the events unfold, the game ends with the explosive beginning of the Mage-Templar war. DAI begins with peace talks to put an end to the Mage-Templar war only for it to blow up in the air again and be replaced by more pressing matters like a hole in the sky spitting out demons. By the end of this story -Trespasser- the next challenge is layed out: Finding Solas and stopping him from taking down the Veil. Now in DAV we start the game by...already having found Solas and interrupting his ritual, releasing a couple of monstrosities in the process, and the rest of the game we'll spend it trying to deal with that mess. So the pattern here is the previous game's cliffhanger and/or it's most central theme ends up becoming the opening context for the next game that will in turn revolve around something else as if the big disaster from the previous game wasn't that big of a deal after all. This is more evident between DA2 and DAI, and between DAI/Trespasser and DAV.

I imagine many thought they'd resolve the Mage-Templar war in Inquisition only to find the agenda changed. And after Trespasser we all thought we'd have to spend the next game chasing Solas all over Thedas to stop him but in the end all that happens quickly whithin the first hour of the game!

In a silly tiny way is like BW is betraying us too, our expectations from game to game. It's like.. We'll deal with the Mage-Templar war! BW: Lol think again. We'll have to chase Solas all over the map, a cat and mouse race, we'll spy and gather intel and try to outsmart the guy who's always five steps ahead and we'll stop him from taking down the veil! BW: Ha! Someone didn't read the comics lol try again

I think it's funny. Bit misleading, specially in this last case, because they set the stage and then basically tell you the play follows a different script and is to be performed at a different theater. So now i'm already preparing myself, if they make another game after this one, whatever is hinted at by the end will not be what we'll deal with then.

[twstgarden]

✦ ❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋'𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❞

match-up bundle commission for @milkkyus

— a purchase of one carnation petal has arrived from our dearest customer. your romantic match has now been determined by the red carnation’s petal.

➻ a romance match-up bundle commission for twisted wonderland. bundle includes the main romantic match, voice lines with the main match and 4 other randomly picked characters, and a dormitory match for twisted wonderland. ➻ commissions are open, you may refer to this info post.

— TWISTED WONDERLAND — 

℘ your romantic match is…

━ 𝙟𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙧 ━

➻ the carnation petal has revealed your match, who appears to be the responsible and resourceful vice head of scarabia! his rather calm demeanour and supportive behaviour may suit well for your tastes.

➻ jamil is the type of individual you can warm up to, so you can count on being yourself around him and he would accept you as you are - no need for masks or second personalities.

➻ there is a fair balance between super romantic moments and regular "platonic" ones, almost like he's your soulmate - someone who is your greatest love and your best friend.

➻ he appreciates your gifts. whether it'd be handmade crochet items or annotated books, he'd accept them and treasure them like priceless items.

➻ he can be quite protective, but not to the extent that it harms or inconveniences you. he may be an overthinker at times and a worry wart - especially with kalim - but he has more trust in you and knows you can handle yourself in most cases.

➻ he would not verbally declare his affections like rook but he isn't too withdrawn either. he will remind you of his affection in ways such as cooking your favourite meals, especially after a long day, spending quality time with you, or even through acts of service.

➻ speaking of quality time, he loves spending time with you no matter what the activity may be - walking, gaming, listening to music, having desserts, or even just cuddling. as long as it's with you, then it's worth his time.

➻ overall, you would have a peaceful and heartwarming relationship - the kind where people say "goals" because of how good your chemistry is, in both romance and friendship.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

━ possible matches: ➻ silver (a wonderful and calm partner, might not have friendly banters though) ➻ vil schoenheit (a partner who can provide both support in emotional aspects and growth, will remind you of your worth and help build confidence) ➻ cater diamond (may act like literal besties with a spice of romance on the side)

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ your soul belongs in…

❝ pomefiore ❞

➻ the dark mirror has sorted you to pomefiore, the dormitory founded on the unrelenting efforts of the fairest queen. students sorted to this dormitory are creative and generous, and they live by the philosophy that everything has the potential to be better.

➻ your drive to be the best version of yourself may suit you well for pomefiore. you may find like-minded individuals who wish to develop themselves further - better mindset, health, attitudes, and whatnot.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ voice lines

【 jamil viper 】

► card selected: ssr dormitory uniform 寮服

❚❚ || home idle 4

↪ “yun tends to crochet every now and then, especially after our tasks for the day. i have tons of crocheted items in my room and they're all in perfect shape. i appreciate her skills.”

【 riddle rosehearts 】

► card selected: r masquerade dress マスカレードドレス

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “yun seems to be enjoying herself. well, there are many things to see and experience when travelling to another city, after all. oh, the masquerade party is also coming up.”

【 ruggie bucchi 】

► card selected: sr port wear ポート・ウェア

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “i was talking to jack when we were cleaning the docks and I saw yun walking by with jamil. shishishi, they must have been so indulged in their conversation to realise their afternoon walk brought them to the port of sage's island.”

【 kalim al-asim 】

► card selected: r halloween スケアリー・ドレス

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “i saw jamil staring at the desserts by the halloween feast and i thought he wanted some, so I went to grab a plate. it turns out that yun wanted the desserts and jamil was checking on the options. hehe, i think she should try them all, though.”

【 rook hunt 】

► card selected: sr lab wear 実験着

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “ah, when i was observing the other students, I spotted mademoiselle sitting on the bench by the apple tree in our courtyard. she was reading a fashion magazine while holding a sketchbook. such a creative lady, don't you think?”

© twstgarden 2024 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[merakiui]

OMG IM IN A CRISIS!1!1!1

What are your thoughts on assassin! Rook x Target! Reader? It’s been stuck in my head all week 😭😭

Oh!!! So many thoughts!!

(cw: yandere, brief nsfw, stalking, mentions of death/assassination)

✧ so maybe you're someone with a lot of influence and power or simply a trophy spouse. when your file finds itself in rook's hands, he's up for the challenge. the underworld has dubbed you a cockroach because those who have attempted to kill you have been unsuccessful. rook will stalk you to gain extra information so that he's fully prepared. what's terrifying about rook is that he always gets his jobs done no matter what. his efficiency rivals that of the leech twins and their business.

✧ he's an excellent shot and will use a sniper rifle. he also has an assortment of knives and daggers for when he prefers to get close and personal with his target. rook loves the targets that can fight. a death dance is always enjoyable, especially when his targets give it their all in a fight. some who know of his name and achievements may think it's childish that he delights in the chase and the hunt, but rook has fun with his profession.

✧ he'll easily become obsessed with you. how can he not? you're his favorite target. perhaps you did something to catch his attention, or he likes the fact that you portray vulnerable facets of yourself while secretly being quite fierce. either way, he adores you and doesn't want to end this little game of cat and mouse anytime soon.

✧ assassin rook definitely holds a knife to your throat while railing you from behind. :)

✧ since you brought up assassin rook, it's only natural i discuss all of pomefiore as contract killers. vil uses poisons of all kinds. he brews them himself and he's quite good at what he does. it's easy to play femme fatale and slip a little something dangerous into his target's food or drink. he's been trying to get rid of the world’s beloved neige for years now; it's his life's mission. rook thinks he should give up killing and become an actor. he'd certainly be destined for stardom, but vil just can't bring himself to wash his hands of this grimy work yet. maybe it was neige who became the star actor while vil was left in the dark, his talents never recognized, and that's why he's trying so hard to get rid of neige.

✧ epel looks innocent, but he's quite the firecracker. he was trained in hand-to-hand combat by vil and knows a thing or two about stalking his prey from rook. he charms his targets into a sense of false security, and when they think they're safe and their guard has been completely dropped he strikes.

✧ rook has candid photos of you pinned to a board in his room. he'll look at them and daydream about the day in which he can finally capture you. sometimes he'll throw knives at the board, all while saying, "they love me. they love me not." if a knife hits any of the pictures, it means you'll love him. if it doesn't, he'll try again with another knife.

✧ money means nothing to him. he'll gladly return it to the one who wished for your death in the first place if it means he can have his beloved target all to himself in the end.

✧ assassination is a competitive business. everyone in the underworld wants to take on the jobs that will get them the most money. rook is renowned for his dangerous skillset, so finding work is easy. his clients come to him with names and an amount and he's on his way once more. though this time, he doesn't wish to put his target in the ground. he wishes to win their heart!

✧ all the best romances start at knifepoint, or so rook believes. his job has become quite complicated because, as beautiful as you are with a bright smile, he thinks you'd look much prettier covered in sticky crimson.