#prince of sylvan

[noahhawthorneauthor]

watch your purse, and your heart 💰🗡️🪙📚🏳️‍🌈

[extraordinary-heroes]

Artist Showcase: Zao Dao

[dear-mrs-otome]

Oh dang it, I think Keith wins prettiest bedroom award in my book. The tree and the rug won me over...but that hidden door, sir?

[oswanily]

What’s up with stray pets and pregnant Cornwell women?

[catella-ars]

First row: Celestia Queen of the Sun, Luna Queen of the Moon, Cadance Princess of Love

Second Row: Twilight Princess of Magic, maybe Flurry Heart before I decided she’s not an alicorn?

Okay so here’s my cobbled-together Alicorn Royalty Lore: Celestia and Luna are true alicorns, the closest thing to living gods. They won’t die of old age, and are very hard to kill, with magic powerful enough to move planets. They were born a unicorn and a bat pony, respectively, and ascended through magic now lost to time alongside the late Amore, formerly an earth pony who, together with her adoptive sisters, was the third of the “Original Three.”

All other alicorns are referred to as ascended alicorns (even though there have been no known cases of born alicorns.) They gain their new bodies, abilities, and titles upon completion of some great task that gets the attention and respect of being(s) beyond ponies’ sphere of knowledge. Their lifespans are slightly increased, but they are not immortal.

Alicorns are held to higher standards of morality and magical ability, representing the combination of all pony races and strengths. When a pony ascends, their magical core expands, causing their body to grow to accommodate it, gaining key traits of the other races.

Cadance, originally a pegasus, grew both taller and stronger alongside her new horn. Twilight, originally a unicorn, gained both height and bulk in addition to wings, rendering her once again as awkward and clumsy as a teenager. Sylvan, originally a wolf pony, gained a horn and wings, and decades later, still doesn’t know what to do with them.

[clvric]

        ❝ I’ll need to explain my family tree at some point, but don’t forget            that I’m a literal princess. ❞

[dolentends]

❝ think you forgot , ❞ irritable flicker , ❝ i don't care what you do . as long as you stay out of my way . ❞

[leohtttbriar]

Legolas laughed.

The absurdity of the scene was like an old sylvan farce, except the main character was a rough-handed dwarf prince instead of half-drunk poet. The butterfly testing out the nectar splashed on Gimli's skin payed no mind to either Legolas's mirth or the way Gimli seemed wholly terrified of his own hands.

"Such a small, delicate thing," said Gimli.

"You are both small," said Legolas.

Gimli looked up at him, light-hearted yet hearty, tearing his admiring gaze from the butterfly now flying off--his smile making it seem like the dappled sunlight was no more than echo of Legolas's laugh.

[violettduchess]

A/N: Welcome to my new series! While I am still working on my Kiss fics with the Vamp suitors, Prince suitors can move on to this which begs the question: What is it like with your suitor right after the fireworks of making love?

This is not a request but my own decison to start with Gilbert as it is the first fic after his route release and I wanted to test the waters with writing him. I am happy to say I think I found a balance between what I have imagined before and canon.

Gilbert x reader

Warning: Minor spoiler from his route

Word Count: 533

You are a prisoner. Your cell? The circle of Gilbert’s arms, the weight of his leg pinning yours to the matress, the scrape of his teeth over the rounded curve of your shoulder, holding the promise of another rosy bite. Another flower in the garden of crimson and pink blossoms he has already decorated your body with. Floral garlands of his desire adorning you like sylvan cords. He tightens his embrace, an anaconda wrapping itself around its prey, reassuring itself that the prey is still there. Reminding the prey that it has no hope of escape.

But you do not want to escape. You welcome your captor, the man with one eye blue as heaven and one eye red as hell. He has taken your heart, against all odds, against all logic, and cups it protectively, possessively, in his bone-white hands, hands that have delivered ruthless justice accompanied by the sharpest of smiles, and he will trample any man, woman, nation or God underfoot before he lets it go. You sigh, running your fingertips over the cool skin of his forearms, over the lines of sinew and muscle under the moonlight of his skin, the topography of a heavenly body whose gravity binds you.

“If my Häschen is still able to sigh, then I have not done my job.”

His voice is by your ear, soft as starshine, dark as pitch. It still sinks into your consciousness like a stone in still waters, but the ripples that emanate from that smooth tongue and spread through your veins are not pulsing with fear as they did when you first met, but smoldering with desire, gleaming with something you would dare call love. You bite back a smile, your lips still sore from the gnaw of his teeth, the demanding drive of his tongue.

He is a ravenous lover, your Obsidian emperor. Forever hungry, never satisfied. Even now, just minutes after you exploded like radiant meteors across the night sky, even as your skin is still sparking from the assault of his fingers and mouth, he is restless, needy, turning you around so that you face him, both of you shrouded by the dim shadows of his bedroom.

“Your job?” Your voice is rounded by tenderness, worn down like a stone to smooth affection by the waves of Gilbert's relentless insistence that you are his.

There is so much beauty in that face, in that gaze, that you can’t help reaching up, touching his face with a gentle hand, fingers stroking the line of his jaw. His eyes close, his breath shuddering in his chest at your touch, at the loving caress you bestow upon him. This is all he has ever wanted. He turns his head, catching your finger between his white teeth, your tiny gasp as loud as an explosion in his ears. He smiles slowly, sucking on the offended finger, pain and pleasure twining together like velvet barbs dancing along your sensitive nerves. Suddenly, he shifts and the world tilts. You are underneath his long body, caged in by his arms, pinned yet again by the press of his hips.

“My job,” he murmurs as he lowers his head, breathing in the familiar scent of your hair, the one that perfumes his every thought. “Is to leave you so breathless, that not even a single sigh is possible.”

Tagging: @aquagirl1978 @alixennial @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @rhodolitesrose @ikemen-writer @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @redheadkittys @dear-mrs-otome @firestar-otomeobsessed @curious-skybunny @kpop-and-otome @writingwhimsey @mxrmaid-poet @silver-dahlia @wendolrea @otomefoxystar @nightfoxqueen @myonlyjknight @queen-dahlia @aceuuuuu @scorchieart @bubblexly @joiedecombat

[inbetweenhours]

Did a late claimed pinch for an anon with @pinchhitsfromthevoid :] There was a couple things anon asked for but they listed near every empire emperor and wanted some kid au stuff! The idea of the emperors meeting as children, before they themselves ruled was a fun idea especially since I’ve been working on my empires timeline and drew some baby Scott of Rivendell recently. So I made this!

Smajor and Katherine are really hold compared to other emperors because of faerie and elven aging, so I didn’t want to draw them with anyone else... But they’re 8 years apart in my fanon so the idea of little 4-5 year old Scott visiting The Overgrown for the first time with his parents and meeting Katherine who is just SO excited to meet the little prince. She drags him off to play dress up and make flower crowns or something. I also imagine Xornoth was brought along but Xornoth is 100% a leash kid and was not trusted to be running around with adult supervision lol.

Finally, language thoughts! Katherine is learning a lot of languages since The Overgrown is such a peaceful place with many allies, and the governing system there means she is being raised to be a leader. The official language of The Overgrown  is Sylvan, of which Scott will learn soon but not quite yet. There's also the matter of the faerie and elves having true names. The cultures I’ve written about name sharing is different but similar enough between the kingdoms that they are both careful. Katherine only offers part of her name, and is sure to phrase herself carefully. Smajor isn’t old enough to have chose a true name for himself so he only has the public name chosen by his parents. I could go on for ages about Empires cultures and how I’ve thought about them but I won’t here this post is already too long lol.

I hope you enjoy! :] Any interaction is appreciated <3 

[zorlok-if]

The fey campaign technically won both of the polls (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here). So, it's time to vote for the fey campaign's cast. I'll take the top few results from this poll and they'll be the cast of people the MC plays with. For more information on the world of the fey and the courts mentioned in the character descriptions below, click here. If you have any questions or desire more context/lore, I encourage you to psychically send me a message.

CAST YOUR VOTES

This poll will close at 23:59 UTC on April 16th.

Note: there will be a second poll coming out in a short while to determine the cast of the second-place campaign—a game where you play as cyberpunk fairy tale characters.

As a reminder, here's the quick description of the fey campaign:

"If you're familiar with A Court of Fey and Flowers: yes, basically that. If not: political intrigue where you play as a representative of a fey court hanging out with other fey at a magic festival. Optionally, very sexy and/or romantic. Always, very fun and chaotic."

This campaign will last eight sessions/episodes.

Below the cut you'll find a list of the potential cast members along with a description of the character they'll likely play. Remember, you can read more about the Fey courts and more in this lore post. I highly suggest you look at that beforehand.

The Potential Guest List:

Dev as a trickster princeps from the Marine court with a scandalous reputation

EJ as an introverted Seelie royal with a strong interest in the human world

Adam/Eve as a dutiful Sylvan champion, avoiding scandal and seeking satisfaction

Ciel as a mercurial prince of the Gloaming, begrudgingly seeking a spouse

Danny as a gentle knight from the court of Craft hiding a mysterious past

The Celestial as a noble from the court of Wonder, trading in secrets to hide eir own

Rose as a famously charming but bored party planner from the court of Wonder

Nasir as an awkward Unseelie prince trying to prove and redeem themself

Adonis as a wistful, overlooked Sylvan servant in search of something more

Cecil as the disgraced heir to the Seelie court who just wants to cause chaos

Alaric/Aria as a suspiciously chivalrous champion from the court of Ruin

Jovy as a mischievous attendant from the Faunal court collecting others' secrets

Andrey as a cutthroat Unseelie noble struggling to find peace in a violent world

Katya as the elegant princess of the Gloaming eager to change her reputation

If you don't see a character listed above, there's an option to write them in at the bottom of the Google Form.

[noahhawthorneauthor]

“The choices I made were mine and mine alone. Whether it’s because of the fucked chemicals in my brain that I ignored or the lack of self-worth I had, or maybe a little bit of both, I spiraled, and it wasn’t for a lack of support. I just didn’t know how to live. I still don’t, but I’m getting better. I’ve asked for help and everything. Where I was going with this, is that I know when it feels like the end. But I can promise you, there’s always another road. Don’t give up yet.”

💊📚🏳️‍🌈🍁

Quote from Phantom and Rook.

It is Suicide Awareness Month, and this is a topic that is incredibly close to my heart. I could give you numbers and websites, but if you're anything like me, talking to a stranger does nothing to bring you back from the cliff. If that works for you, please, take the help.

But I find comfort in books. I always have. As I've gotten older, I've become more comfortable reaching out to those close to me. I've found that simply saying, 'I'm not having a good day today,' and acknowledging that to those around me, and myself, is enough to keep me from spiraling. I don't need words, I know the storm will pass.

But company is always welcome, as are books.

Check TW for all of these.

[princemagistrate]

⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢ ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀﹉﹉﹉﹉﹉୨♡୧﹉﹉﹉﹉﹉ ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀ ୨୧ ꒰ Acunín ; 11 ꒱ ୨୧ ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀⠀ bodily 19 DID system ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀ Prince programmed ♡ˊˎ- ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍﹍ ⠀⠀ಣ⠀⠀⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

. ⧽﹑✦﹒ digital diary blog to help him adjust to everything. . ⠀⠀𓏲𝄢⠀⠀ common, true tongue ⠀⠀ᘒ⠀ ⠀ abyssal, sylvan

જ⁀➴﹙⟡﹚this blog will discuss paraphilias, conabuse relationships, general violence, bpd rambles, and anything he wants to talk about. Don't like? Dni or block

Neh dala nha n'glaeth, aeleth sar sil shan- bren nha aestar Following from @girlroulette

[dropsofnightshade]

Recapping Chapters 86 - 90

Dani and Adele explain to Harry that the reason Astrid Feyling is such a big deal is because she is the only person currently at Durmstrang who is directly in line to inherit a Dark Alliance seat. 

Kasia asks to meet with Harry, having seen him talking with Astrid at lunch. She warns him that Astrid collects people, and she doesn’t want to see Harry be used. Kasia speaks from personal experience; there was a time in first year when Astrid showed her similar interest, before something changed and she was cut out. Her cousin, Lucja, remains friends with Astrid — at least one of the reasons the cousins do not get along. 

Harry has his catch up lesson with Professor Sylvan after school, and he learns the way he has been taught Occlumency by his grandfather is wrong. The teacher provides him with some pamphlets for tutors who might agree to teach him in Britain.

When Harry is signing up for the Mabon feast, Quidditch try outs, and Professor Abioye’s First Aid course later that evening, he runs into a sixth year Phoenix. The other boy introduces himself as Taras Nazarenko, and although his magical core seems normal, Harry gets the distinct impression of ritual magic from him.

Harry writes to Tom again, expressing to him his concern about the necromantic influence of the diary, given he has a roommate with a light magical core. He feels he needs to put the diary in the magical suppression container, but he wanted to tell Tom first, before he did so. 

Tom explains to Harry that being in the container cut him off completely from the world, and Harry realises it was the cause of some distress or discomfort for Tom. 

He is torn, however, Tom assures him that for Harry’s roommate to be impacted by necromantic influence, he must interact directly with the hypothetical item. 

Harry questions why Tom did not tell him the full truth about necromantic influence, and Tom tells him that in his day, if a person demonstrated knowledge about necromancy beyond what you could find in an average book, that person disappeared. Until Harry learns to defend himself, and his mind, Tom will not be discussing necromancy further with him. 

Harry is frustrated, but trusting what Tom has shared with him is true, he agrees to keep the diary in his school trunk and not the magical container. 

Harry plans to meet with Ezra that weekend for a mediation session by the hörgr, although he is fairly certain that the strange reaction of his magic was due to his headaches, and his magic must be developing to react to illness and injury. 

In his first World History class, Harry notices his magic reacts in the same way to his teacher, Professor Lis, as it did to his housemate, Taras. 

During the class, Professor Lis tells the students about Ezra’s study into wandless spellcraft, and confirms ‘Subject A’ was the only child in the study to succeed in using wandless spellcraft. Harry notices Liam watching him closely, and although the other boy wants to talk with Harry after class, he avoids him to go meet Astrid in the library. 

Astrid recommends certain books to Harry, and she tells him about the War of Princes. They get to know one another better, and discuss a Norwegian folktale about unicorns. In this part of the world, unicorns are viewed as harbingers of doom. Harry wonders what it means for Britain, that it has the largest population of unicorns in the world, and in particular, a large herd lives in the Forbidden Forest beside Hogwarts. 

Harry is annoyed in the following couple of days as students react with surprise and scrutiny to his closeness to Astrid. 

Dani speaks with him privately after class, explaining that those who hold seats on the Dark Alliance accept counsel from their family members, but each also has a select group of people who are not always related to them, who they accept advice from. The people Astrid chooses to surround herself with now, might one day be part of her inner circle of advisors. Dani likens getting her notice to getting a golden ticket to power and recognition. 

Harry denies any intent to use Astrid in this way, even though Dani suggests Astrid might have the power and resources one day to lobby the British Ministry to improve laws around the Dark Arts. 

As Harry and Dani finish talking, he notices the flash of something bright in the boughs of the oak tree they are standing under. He also feels a flicker of ritual magic, which quickly fades. 

When Harry and Dani walk away, he could have sworn he heard a tinkling laugh. 

Harry goes on a tour of the school with Léna and the first year Phoenixes, and during the tour he senses something strange from a corridor in the main school building. His first impression is that he is sensing something necromantic. He heads back to the corridor alone later with the Invisibility Cloak to investigate. 

He finds a tapestry hiding the source of the strange magic he felt, but upon closer inspection it is not quite necromancy — Harry considers that it might be something adjacent. 

Headmistress Vulchanova appears, unable to spot Harry under the Cloak, but knowing someone was present. She comments on the power of the Cloak. 

Harry decides to reveal himself, and Headmistress Vulchanova seems to come to some sort of realisation when he appears. 

She informs him that she can show him what is behind the tapestry, but only once. Harry agrees, and the headmistress gives the command for the tapestry to be raised. Carved into the wall behind the tapestry, is the same symbol Harry saw engraved on Ignotus Peverell’s grave. 

The headmistress tells Harry that Grindelwald carved the symbol on the wall when he was a student. She shares her suspicion with Harry though that Harry does not know the symbol in connection to Grindelwald. 

Harry confirms he has seen it before on a grave, and the headmistress states in return her guess that this grave long predates Grindelwald. When Harry does not respond, she proposes an exchange; she will tell Harry the true meaning of the symbol, and in return, he must answer one question truthfully. 

Harry weighs up the pros and cons, before deciding it is too risky. Headmistress Vulchanova is pleased — Harry has passed some sort of test in his response. 

Although she will not tell him the truth about the symbol, she does give him a clue; she asks him if he has ever read The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

With the clue provided, Harry heads to the library to check out the book. Later that night he asks Tom if he knows anything about the symbol, but Tom does not know anything other than it is Grindelwald’s symbol. 

Harry meets Ezra early that weekend for a meditation session in the sacred grove. He learns as he meditates in the grove that not only can be feel the magic in this space — he can actually see it. 

He is able to perceive his own magical core visually for the first time, noticing it has a dark centre but a golden edge around it. His magical awareness appears like threads of gold to him. 

Harry notices strange black threads coming from his magical core and stretching out into the world far beyond what he can see. He does not understand their nature, and it unsettles him. 

Harry catches up on letters from his friends, and they tell him Umbridge is as bad as they suspected she would be. The new DADA professor is Gilderoy Lockhart, who is useless. 

Later that day when Harry is with his friends, he notices the strange ritual magic coming from one of the trees he is sitting under. He admits to Liam that he has been getting the impression of being watched around certain trees. Liam does not think Harry is crazy; the trees are very old, and it is unclear how sentient any of them have been from being surrounded by so much magical activity over the years. 

Liam asks Harry about Ezra’s study, and Harry confirms he participated. Liam does not ask Harry directly if he was Subject A, but he does ask if Harry has any suspicions of who it might be, or if he knew anyone else in the study. 

Harry is able to answer Liam without revealing anything. 

The group watch the Saturday afternoon Quidditch try outs, and see Karl play. Harry spots the captain of the Ravens, Ylva Thorvald, and thinks she might have some goblin ancestry based on her stature. 

Harry reads The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and when he reaches the final story, The Tale of the Three Brothers, he is struck by the possible connection between the story and his ancestor, Ignotus Peverell. 

Harry theorises that Ignotus is the youngest brother in the story, and the cloak that is mentioned is the Invisibility Cloak that has been passed down through Harry’s family for generations. 

He is also unsettled to remember the words on his parents’ grave - and old family saying, Sirius had claimed. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Harry fears his bloodline might be marked in some way by death. 

He contacts Sirius to share his thoughts, and Sirius is doubtful of there being a connection, but does recall The Tale of the Three Brothers was James’ favourite as a kid. Sirius concedes there are a lot of coincidences. He offers to check the Potter vault to see if there is a copy of the book there. 

That night, Harry dreams of a cloaked figure standing at the end of a bridge. He does not recall the dream when he wakes in the morning. 

Harry performs well in his Quidditch try out, and he is supported by his friends and Ezra in the stands. 

After the try out, he meets with Ezra to meditate in the sacred grove again. There are other students meditating at that time of day, and Harry examines their magical cores. He discovers a fellow student with a dark magical core, which looks different to his own; there is no golden halo around the other dark magical core. 

As Harry attempts to examine the dark threads coming from his magical core, he becomes aware that they carry a distinct similarity to the magic he had sensed from the symbol carved by Grindelwald on the school wall. 

He and Ezra debrief afterwards, and Harry also tells him about the ritual magical he has sensed from some of the trees around the school. Ezra is unsure of the cause, and although they consider a few theories together, it remains a mystery. 

It does lead to Harry thinking about the people his magic reacts to though, and he shares with Ezra what he has been sensing. Ezra theorises they are perhaps like Harry, capable of wandless spellcraft. 

Harry does not think this is the case though. When he tells Ezra the two people he has sensed the ritual magic from lately have been a sixth year Phoenix and Professor Lis, Ezra is unable to hide his reaction. 

He clearly knows something, but refuses to tell Harry anything due to some sort of professional obligation. 

On Monday morning, Harry receives a first round offer to play Seeker for the Ravens. Ylva Thorvald asks to meet with him at lunchtime to discuss the offer further.

In between his morning classes, Harry is stopped by Oskar Braun, the captain of the Foxes. He offers Harry the position of starting Seeker — the reason there was no formal first round offer is because he technically offered it to Krum, who refused. But Harry is Oskar’s next pick. Harry agrees to consider the offer. 

At lunch he meets with Ylva. He realises two things quickly as he shakes hands with her — she did not give him the same impression as Taras and Professor Lis. His magic took notice of her, even more so up close, but he did not get a strong sense of ritual magic from her. 

The second thing he notices is that an examination of her magical core reveals a phenomenon he has observed in only two other people; Fleur and Dion. It was like there were two different types of magic in her. 

Harry recognised the second type of magic in Ylva — it was what he felt being around goblins. 

He speculates that this must mean Fleur and Dion had non-human heritage too. 

Ylva discusses the team and training schedule with Harry, and then admits she was keen to talk with Harry for a reason other than discussing the Quidditch offer. She confirms she is half-goblin, and her mother is the goblin ambassador to the Danish wizarding government. 

Ylva informs Harry he is quite the talk in the goblin diplomatic circles. 

After their chat, Harry decides to accept the offer to play for the Ravens. 

Later in the day, he is approached by Zsófia Vereb, the captain of the Bears. She knows her offer is not as good as Oskar’s and Ylva’s, but she offers him the reserve Seeker position for the Bears, with the goal of him being appointed starting Seeker in the following year. 

Harry turns down her offer, and Oskar’s too later that afternoon. Both are disappointed but not entirely surprised. 

Harry shares the good news with Sirius and Arcturus over the mirror that evening. When Harry tells them about Ylva, Arcturus points out her mother might well be involved with the negotiations between the goblin nation and the Danish research team developing the advanced Heritage Test. 

They discuss the magical impressions Harry has been getting from Taras, Professor Lis, and now Ylva. Harry notes that Ylva feels different to Taras and Professor Lis, but does remind him of a couple of people he encountered at the DAYS gathering. 

He confirms Ezra knows something, but cannot share it with Harry due to some professional expectation. Hearing that Arcturus states that they cannot rule of the possibility that Professor Lis and Taras might also have non-human heritage. This is because he can only imagine that if a teacher, for example, had some sort of creature heritage, that they would be required to inform the faculty about it. 

Sirius confirms that he found a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in the Potter vault at Gringotts. He nearly missed it, because it is written in ancient runes. It may well be a first edition, and Sirius suggests they hire an expert to look at it. 

Meanwhile, Tom has had much to think about over the past few days. 

It is revealed that although he did attack Harry that night in a panic of being put back in the magical container, that something impossible happened. Harry’s magic, seemingly seeing no difference between Harry and Tom, obeyed Tom, and put Harry to sleep to buy him time to work out a plan. 

Tom found himself dragged involuntarily into Harry’s magical core. 

Tom had wished strongly Harry wanted to return to Hogwarts, that he did not want to study Mind Arts, and that he did not want to put the diary back into the magical container. He felt like none of this would have happened if Harry had been at Hogwarts. 

Without conscious action, his scattered thoughts and wishes had life breathed into them by Harry’s powerful magic. There was no difference between a thought and a spell in the heart of Harry’s magical core. 

He obliviated Harry of the memory of Tom attacking, and with that done, he tried to work out how to extricate himself from Harry’s magical core. Tom was also curious and concerned why Harry’s magic responded to him as though he was Harry. 

He was pulled in deeper, nearly losing his own sense of self in the process, and ended up in a space beyond Harry’s magical core. 

There, Tom saw a piece of his own soul, woven into Harry’s being. 

He realised with dawning horror that Harry was a Horcrux; his other self has inadvertently made him one that night in Godric’s Hollow. 

Harry magic attempted to consume Tom then, trying to reunify him. Tom truly struggled in earnest then, and Harry’s magic reluctantly let him go. 

The following day when Harry reported the migraine and his experiences from that day, Tom feared he had accidentally caused damage to Harry’s mind, and put him under again to survey what was happening. 

He found three Compulsion Charms in Harry’s head, and was initially furious believing someone had attacked Harry. Then he worked out what the compulsions actually were and he was confused and wary;  a compulsion to want to avoid the Mind Arts, a compulsion to want to return to Hogwarts, and a compulsion to leave the diary out of the magical suppression container. 

These were all things Tom had desired but not actually acted on. The compulsions were crafted with Harry’s own magic, but touched by Tom’s guidance. Yet, he had not guided this magic. 

Tom carefully released the compulsions, obliviated Harry once more, and then got out of his head. He resolved to avoid entering Harry’s mind or magical core again, to avoid something like this happening once more. 

Harry has his first lesson with Professor Abioye the following week, and Viktor Krum is taking the same beginner’s course as him. 

He also has his first Quidditch training session, and although he is excited to meet his teammates, he finds a chilly reception waiting for him from the reserves. 

The reserve Seeker, Dominik Iločki, expresses a clear dislike of Harry. Karl intervenes when he arrives, and Harry learns from him and the other boy on the starting team, Luis Pichler, that Dominik has been the reserve for a year, and was expecting to get the starting position this year.

Harry speaks with Tom about the Parselmouth ability one night after school, and questions if the ability is truly limited to just speaking the language of snakes, and controlling them. 

Tom is vague in his response, reminding Harry that there are certain things he cannot tell him, but that he can guide him to the answers. Tom also reminded Harry that to truly understand Slytherin’s legacy he needs to return to Hogwarts. 

Later that week, Harry is in the library with Astrid, looking for books on blood magic that he could not find in Britain. He also goes searching for some books on magical creatures, hoping to research about the topic a bit more and see if he can work out what heritages Fleur and Dion might have, if his theory is correct about them. 

Astrid has an interesting reaction to the books he has picked out, and she shares with him that although not as problematic as other books on the topic, they are not ideal. She encourages him to still read them to form his own opinion, but offers to write home to her parents to send over a book Harry won’t be able to find in the Durmstrang library.  

It is written by a woman with mer heritage, whereas all the books in the library are written by witches and wizards with entirely human heritage. 

Harry also learns the term ‘magical creature’ when applied to communities like centaurs, merpeople etc. is considered derogatory by some. He resolves to avoid using it in the future. 

Harry receives a letter from Draco that weekend confirming he has been appointed the new Seeker for Slytherin. He also learns Lockhart was given a formal warning by the Board of Governors, but his classes are still mostly useless.

Harry meets up with Kasia for a duelling session. He manages to beat her, having taken to heart the advice and lessons he learnt from the DAYS gathering. Although he loses the next two duels, Kasia offers to meet up fortnightly to train together, and Harry happily agrees. 

Meanwhile back in Britain, the Wizengamot meet to discuss the House Committee report on the public’s views of the proposed new bill to promote and improve werewolf rights. 

In a week they will all be voting on the bill, but the purpose of this meeting is for the drafters of the bill, Gareth Greengrass, Amelia Bones, and Levi Selwyn-Burke, to address the concerns raised in the report. 

Gareth promises they will be amending the bill, making concessions in the light of the public’s clear concerns. Amelia addresses the Wizengamot further on their proposal for a thirty day grace period, allowing individuals and families to register with the Ministry without facing criminal consequences for failing to previously register as a werewolf. 

They are able to soften the mood in the room, and open up the floor to reasonable discussions around the bill. 

[oswanily]

The party became a remembrance for the newly departed sim.

[catella-ars]

This is my son (Prince) “Sylvan” Almond Hearth. He’s a mess and I love him.

I think my thought was “there have been no dude alicorns and no former earth pony alicorns and I’m going to rectify that” and then my love of nature themes, forest fires, and pink boys lead to this grumpy guy.

Almond Hearth was a quiet fellow belonging to a small earth/wolf pony village in a distant forest. While small forest fires are normal and healthy, the one that occurred that fateful day was out of control, and countless creatures lost their homes and lives. Almond Hearth ran into the blaze again and again, rescuing all that he could, throwing dirt on the flames, and sustaining many burns in the process. Eventually the fire burned out, and out of the ashes stepped the newly ascended “Prince of Nature” who couldn’t be more unhappy with the title.

Ponies being ponies, they began to revere or even worship him which, to an already withdrawn creature, was even more isolating. He hates the attention, hates the stares and fawning and responsibility, and now spends most of his time just kind of chilling with the forest animals.

I don’t know how well it shows, but his alicorn form is meant to be wild and haggard; elegant but showing signs of “how we got here,” basically. Ashen “freckles” dot his coat, which also has muddy markings, and much of his chest fur is missing, having been burned to the skin during the fire. His mane and tail evoke and/or contain leaves, his horn is branchlike, and the inner feathers of his wings resemble fall leaves and/or fire. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO RENDER THAT WELL SOMEDAY