#the three Faries

[jazzyjazzinthecoatjam]

Disneybound ... again

Day 21: Mickey Mouse's outfits - disney 100 years outfit

Day 22: Make it pink. Make it blue. (sleeping beauty color) - Make it both, pink and blue.

[errantsquam]

so leif turns people's hair light green when he fuses— waaait a second...

[petraevesplace]

Leif’s coronation, commissioned from the wonderful minorudonguri

I did so much research I ended up not using for this scene but researching is almost as much fun as writing.

This was one of the lovely scenes and probably the happiest chapter overall. Leif finally finishes his arc of accepting his worth, becoming King of Northern Thracia and for the first time being able to believe he deserves it. For the first time in over a decade and a half, Leonster and all the people of Northern Thracia have happiness and hope, a king they want and respect, and the future feels bright. All because of him.

[ray-elgatodormido]

Microwaving them in my mind.

babygirl Martin

I keep imagining the scene when he asks Baadahil to let him become her apprentice after she broke the siege of Kvatch. That and the Emperor’s funeral and oh shit I spelled Emperor wrong... let’s pretend that didn’t happen

Also bastard husband

[randomkposts]

Put the fae in Faerghus

K:- The ocean is beautiful and merciless. Sometimes she is kind and gives many bounties but never forget she can drown you. 

Anyway imagine the Faerghus kids

"Do you know why our ancestors called this place Faerghus? It's a reminder and a warning. Here there be fae. And while we grew up learning to make peace with the fair folk, you haven't. Your invasion will fail. But not for the reasons you expect."

(The famines are a result of the deal with the fae being up. Now the pitfalls are hitting)

E:- Okay but talk about faeries fucking invAders up. You can't just leave me there K.

K:-I feel I should research the fae to decide better how they would go about it. But from what I remember there's a lot of different ways. Some tricked into swimming and swimming until drowned. Compelled to wander the woods. Some fall foul of the wild hunt.

E:- yes

K:-Some say Dimitri made a pact with them

Others say there are good reasons the Bladdiyd family rules Faerghus, they are quite faelike themselves, rumor says. Who better to bargain with them.

(Some believe Cornelia to be a swapped queen, others believe her an illusionist. They are right for the wrong reasons)

E:- Or an eternal sleep after eating food that should not have been the re–!!!!

K:-Eating the wrong food and starving

E:- the rumors Would be fueled by Dimitri unhuman like strength!

K:-The empire has lots of iron, but who says the fae stick to the rules of battle engagement? The nobles of Faerghus were once Adrestain, but living and staying in Faerghus meant making nice with the fae. 

Which means training. And possibly some amount of family connection. 

Which can lead to the line "leave my lands or my godmother will come for you"

No.

"leave my lands before my godmother comes for you"

For all Faerghus is the holy kingdom, it is also the fae kingdom, and therefore extracts a promise from Rhea of protection before she can come in. 

The lions looking out for their friends who sided with them

"Careful Ferdie. He may be beautiful, but so is the ocean who will drown you if you forget the dangers."

E:-Mushroom rings!! Don't step in one else you get taken away!

K:-Locals who lead forgers to dangerous forging spots knowing they will get greedy and forge further then they did.It's dangerous of course, as they could blame the locals, but most of the fae are of the opinion that it would not be worth needing to break in new neighbors. Of course there is the odd one that decides otherwise.

Risky business, the fae. But so is invasion. Pick your poison. 

E:-Bahaha. I love this so much! Locals turning the tides of the faeries nature on soldiers! This is the faes turf not any humans. 

Humans just live here and we like these ones better than you. 

K:-A good Lord gives appropriate tribute to the fae. Lords that don't learn that one don't last. 

Rufus is on thin ice but he pays tribute. Nervously… He knows the rules, was taught as a prince should be, but oh he has forgotten so much in his jellousy. 

"Why did I envy my brother this?" He wonders, tired.- If he could turn back the clock to a point where he had not murdered his brother and didn't have to interact with the fae so much, that would be the true dream life. Not whatever he thought being king would mean. Alas, the folly of youth. 

E:-BUT ALAS! Imagine they give him shit for that. Not enough good tribute. Dimitri is a favorite which is good or bad. 

K:- it is both

Imagine the Faerghus kids smiling sharply next to ethereally beautifully inhuman fae who also wear sharp smiles. 

All done in soft pastels that contrast the shadows the lights make on their faces, and the sharp edges they wear. 

E:-Oooh thats some good ass image in there. 

K:-Dedue is contrast, solid in the mists, a protector. He does not smile sharply like they do. A contrast does not mean that he does not belong there. Not in their eyes. He belongs, and those who say otherwise regret it. 

E:-Ohhh!!Appreciate Dedue!! I...I just really love him!And am devasted I don't have his unit yet.

K:- maybe this year.

[girlactionfigure]

Why are there Palestinian refugees?

In the months before the British abandoned its mandate & Israel declared independence, civil war raged as Arab factions tried to prevent the Jewish state from being born.

Of course, had the Arabs agreed to the UN's partition plan, they would have had yet another state & there would have been no war in 1948. 

But their goal was not another Arab state; it was to ensure there would be no Jewish state. 

Meanwhile, 5 #Arab armies amassed on the borders & waited for the British to leave so they could push the Jews into the #Mediterranean Sea.

As Secretary-General of the Arab League Azzam Pasha put it on the day of the Arab #invasion: 

"This will be a war of extermination & momentous massacre, which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades."

Or as the then war #criminal & fugitive #Nazi Grand Mufti Amin al-Husseini put it during the invasion:

"Murder the #Jews. Murder them all!"

But before the invasion began, & starting as early as Dec 1947, Arab officers began ordering Arab residents of specific villages to flee. 

Their reasoning? Arab citizens not involved in active fighting could only: (1) "treacherously" abide the creation of a the Jewish state &/or even become citizens of same; or (2) be in the way of Arab #military deployments & potentially get caught in the crossfire.

And so, for example, on this day (March 8) in 1948, the Arab Higher Committee ordered all Arab women, children & elderly to leave Jerusalem. The order continued, "Any opposition to this order ... is an obstacle to the holy war ... & will hamper the operations of the fighters in these districts.” 

In fact, the Arab Higher Committee ordered the evacuation of dozens of Arab villages between April & July of 1948 (see photo of Arab citizens fleeing below).

Meanwhile, on April 19, 1948, Jewish forces secured Tiberias, which had a population of ~6,000 #Arabs - all of whom chose to leave. In fact, they left under British military supervision.

The Jewish Community Council immediately issued a statement regarding Tiberias' Arabs: 

"We did not dispossess them; they themselves chose this course ... Let no citizen touch their property."

At around this same time, in early & mid-April of 1948, an Arab faction led by Fawzi al-Qawukji was attacking Haifa & attempting to take the city. Then, rumors spread among Haifa's Arab community that Arab air forces were about to bomb the city & ~25,000 of Haifa's Arabs fled.

As U.S. Consul-General in Haifa Aubrey Lippincott noted on April 22, 1948: "local mufti-dominated Arab leaders ... [urged] all Arabs to leave the city, & large numbers did so."

On April 23, 1948, however, #Jewish forces fought back the Arab attack & retook Haifa.

Three days later, on April 26, 1948, a British police report from Haifa noted: 

"[E]very effort is being made by the Jews to persuade the Arab populace to stay and carry on with their normal lives, to get their shops and businesses open and to be assured that their lives and interests will be safe."

What were some of those "efforts?"

Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, sent future Prime Minister Golda Meir to Haifa with the direct instructions to "persuade the Arabs to stay." 

Ms. Meir was unsuccessful, however, as Haifa's Arabs told her they feared that if they stayed, they would be branded "#traitors." 

And so, another ~25,000 of Haifa's Arabs fled. 

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but despite facts on the ground, Arab leaders at the #UN began demanding the end to a fake "#massacre." 

Specifically, #Syria's UN Ambassador Faris al-Kouri, said the Jewish victory at Haifa was a "massacre" that provided "evidence that the '#Zionist program' is to annihilate Arabs within the Jewish state if partition is effected."

The #British were still on the ground, however, & the British Ambassador to the UN, Sir Alexander Cadogan, told the UN the very next day both that the fighting in Haifa had only begun as a result of "continuous attacks by Arabs against Jews" & that the "reports of massacres & deportations [were] erroneous." 

Meanwhile, after Israel declared its independence & was invaded by five Arab armies, the newly established #IDF issued an Order on July 6, 1948, making it clear that non-combatant Arab civilians were not to be harassed or expelled, nor their villages touched. 

But the Arabs were being given a very different message.

#Iraqi #PrimeMinister Nuri Said announced:

"We will smash the country with our guns & obliterate every place the Jews seek shelter in. The Arabs should conduct their wives & children to safe areas until the fighting has died down."

This used to be known. In fact, Arab leaders for years after the war had no qualms about repeating it.

For example, Syrian Prime Minister Haled al Azm later wrote:

"Since 1948, we have been demanding the return of the #refugees to their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave. Only a few months separated our call to them to leave & our appeal to the UN to resolve on their return."

Similarly, #Jordan's King Abdullah wrote: 

"The tragedy of the #Palestinians was that most of their leaders had paralyzed them with false & unsubstantiated promises that they were not alone; that 80 million Arabs & 400 million #Muslims would instantly & miraculously come to their rescue."

Similarly, Edward Atiyah, Secretary of the Arab League Office in #London wrote: 

"This wholesale #exodus was due partly to the belief of the Arabs, encouraged by the boastings of an unrealistic #Arabic press & the irresponsible utterances of some of the Arab leaders that it could be only a matter of weeks before the Jews were defeated by the armies of the Arab States & the #Palestinian Arabs enabled to re­enter & retake possession of their country.”

Even as the war still raged on Aug 16, 1948, the Arab #Greek Orthodox Catholic Bishop of the Galilee told #Beirut newspaper Sada al-Janub: 

“The refugees were confident their absence would not last long, & that they would return within a week or two ... Their leaders had promised them that the Arab Armies would crush the ’Zionist gangs’ very quickly & that there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile.”

A few months later, on Feb 19, 1949, the Jordanian newspaper Filastin confirmed: 

"The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies."

Even many of the Palestinian Arab refugees themselves admitted their reasons for leaving.

For example, on June 8, 1951, Habib Issa admitted to #NewYork Lebanese newspaper Al Hoda:

"Azzam Pasha assured the Arab peoples that the #occupation of Palestine & #TelAviv would be ... simple ... He pointed out that they were already on the frontiers & that all the millions the Jews had spent on land & economic development would be easy booty, for it would be a simple matter to throw Jews into the Mediterranean ... Arabs of Palestine [were told] to leave their land, homes & property & to stay temporarily in neighboring fraternal states, lest the guns of the invading Arab armies mow them down.”

Similarly, Asmaa Jabir Balasimah recalled being told by Arab leaders to "evacuate the village & return after the battle is over," & that she & others in her village left all their possessions behind "based on the assumption that we would return after a few hours." 

Again, however (& most importantly), had the Arabs agreed to Partition or even agreed to negotiate different borders with Zionist leaders who begged Azzam Pasha to make any counteroffer instead of invading with #genocidal intent, there would never have been a single Palestinian #refugee.

[achromant]

AND HERE WE ARE! My project for the gw2 'zine!

Featuring Baruhn, reflecting on his life so far, the challenges, the small sparks of joy, the horrors, loss and gain.

For clarification's sake; I did in fact plan to depict every stage of Baruhn's life, but uuh. File was already too big.

Might do a series of short comics (graphic novels?) though, because i fking love storytelling.

Let's look at my idiotic level of detail a bit, eh?

[Long Text Ahead]

Baruhn's story begins in the Plains of Ashford. An unsuccessful attempt to stem the tide of Ascalonian Ghosts leads to the demise of many year-long allies. Dozens of brave soldiers gave their life for a mere week of peace until the ghosts reformed. They always do. Soldiers don't.

Shaken in his faith in the Legions, the first seeds of doubt arise.

Until finally he found someone to trust with his pain. In a tavern at the edge of the Black Citadel, he gets to know this odd fellow, who is continuosly follow by the faint smell of sulfur. Although Baruhn knew where that path led, the warmth radiating from the old veteran in front of him was not only a physical, but an emotional one.

With the Three Legions busy with their internal quarrels, fighting over an empty promise, Baruhn took the first steps down a previously thought to be dark path.

Surprisingly, die Flame Legion was welcoming, their fires offered light and guidance, the embers igniting the skies like stars. Surely this was better than the cold metal over the Black Citadel.

Baruhn took to learning first, handling the small flames with ease after years of throwing fireballs at ghostly shapes. Then, he figured out how to teach, and that is where the real magic comes from. Nurturing a flame, protecting it from harsh winds, adding a bit of kindling and coal here and there. He even taught the more elusive ways of magic that wield smoke and ash.

Baruhn knew about the war, the countless lifes lost on the other side of the fence. But those were humans, and here he was among family.

That is, until he met Molly.

After a small recon mission that was assured not to be much of a hurdle, Baruhn found himself alone in a forest. The small fires he conjured for light and warmth only drew in the nearby villagers. Those with pitchforks and torches, with crude swords and a thirst for blood. He couldn't really bring himself to hate them, this was war after all. But at what cost are these battles to be won?

Trying to escape the villagers was a futile attempt. He sank to the ground, his own hot blood dousing the little flames beneath his weary head.

For some reason - maybe hope, maybe resignation - he forced open his heavy eyes, only to discover his wounds cleaned and bandaged with fragile white cloth. A small human girl, of all things in this damned forest, tried to help. Even in his weakened state, even with just one hand, Baruhn could have easily grabbed her and cracked her skull. But the only thing he did was listen. He listened to the ramblings of the small human, going on and on about faries made of leaves and gnomes of stone. She called him "bear".

When the villagers came, they saw the girl at his side. That was all it took for them to turn on her. She was to be executed like that beast that now slowly stepped in front of her. For the first time, Baruhn spoke to the girl. "close your eyes."

Fire roared, not red, not orange. not a warm, welcoming fire. Not one that belongs in a hearth, that thrives in the arms of a family. This was so much worse. This was years of inner conflict, of doubt, of closing his eyes on the other side of the fence. For the first time in his life, this was the only thing that he wanted to do, protect the little insignificant human behind him. Fire roared, and it burned wood and it burned flesh.

Baruhn picked up the little girl, she held tight to his horns, nestled in his mane. He ran for hours, years of military training finally useful. The little girl, Molly, lost her mother years ago. She burned in the fires of a war she tried to escape. "And your father? What about your family?", he asked between deep breaths. Molly was quiet for a while, then whispered, her voice barely audible, "My father burned today."

They stayed together, for quite a while. He protected her, and she, with her head full of stories, and a book full of dreams, protected him.

Things came, things went. Baruhn rejoined the High Legions, acting as a spy for Ash, keeping an eye on Iron and Blood.

Baruhn ultimately took on his role as Novice, then Archivist, then Commander. He helped during the struggles against Scarlet. A small flame here and there, some shrouding smoke, a well timed lightning strike. It was other people that finally defeated Scarlet, but he was always in the background, with all the small things at just the right time.

Mordremoth came, but with him new allies.

It was but a small tangent in the grand scheme of things. Watching the fragile sapling while waging war on the jungle itself.

Their relation was something more than friendship, something else than love. They were there for each other when they needed to be. Be it only to keep a flame burning or to banish the voices to the back of the head again, they walked the same path for a long time.

Tarir, the Egg. Aurene. A new flame entrusted to him, his to nurture, his to raise. A gamble, again. What if that little flame would some day devour the world? But Baruhn did, what he could do best. Teach.

Darker times came. Caudecus and the White Mantle. The raid on the Mursaat's prison. Then facing the last Mursaat himself.

Balthazar came, and in his wake a new kind of fire. A war, similar to the ones Baruhn had seen before, but still different. A war without a cause, war for war's sake. War against nature, against the world, like a child lashing out when there were none to help them up. Maybe Balthazar's flames were not too different from his.

After the festering swamp that Joko was, came the mountain, Kralkatorrik. Death was not a hindrance anymore, not for the Commander and his dragon. The story went as the story goes.

When it came to face the frost, the whispers, Jormag. Everything fell apart. Jormag pried into the deepest, darkest corners of Baruhn's life, dragged every doubt, small as it may have been, into the light. In the ice, every truth was warped, encased in whispers, in lies. It suffocated any hope and planted even darker seeds than anyone thought possible.

It was the spirit of the Raven that aided Baruhn. Even the black feathers of its wings were shimmering like rainbows in the moonlight.

A small piece stayed with him, just a fragment. Nevermore.

After that, the stars themselves. Astralaria.

So many stories that make a life, so many pieces. Every encounter, every step along the way is another fragment of the whole. People are made of other people, that is what it means to be alive.

[ayyy-imma-ninja]

You know I feel bad for Eclipse and the boys. We don't know the full story of what happened, though I'm sure he did what he did and that he deserved some form of punishment for it.

But to be locked away in isolation for 100+ years not to mention the odd choice to have Moon and Sun be the ones to keep him locked up. It seems like a three way punishment. Like if Eclipse was that much of a danger to Humans (Which he is) then you'd think the...I assume there's a whole council of faries that decided his fate-they would have put up better defenses for him beyond just sun and Moon guarding him. I know he had the chains but obviously those didn't work and there doesn't seem to be any sort of backup plans.

But I don't think this was just a punishment for Eclipse but also Sun and Moon. Maybe because they didn't prevent what happened, maybe they had a smaller hand in it. But whatever happened it ended up effecting all three of them.

I love stories like this that play with deep relationships and I can't wait to see where this goes and where the morality tip toes the line.

Personally I'd like Eclipse to become friends with the Imp twins, actual friends and calm the heck down lmao. He's served a 100+ year penance for his crime and until we know the full scope of it I'll keep thinking it was a bit too cruel of a punishment. Like isolation is the worst you can do to someone, so depending on what happened and why it did....well if you ask me sometimes you need to make a choice. Of course if this turns out to all be for selfish reasons and he's 100% just evil-then he gets the boot back to the isolation room! But I don't think that's what's going to happen.

ANYWAY-sorry for the brain rot. I'm loving this and I can't wait to cry and potentially see Eclipse's somewhat redemption and him getting just some love.

Maybe even fix a little tiny rift between him and his brothers....*maybe*. Doubt it but-maybe!

eeeee this was fun to read! thank you for the analysis! :3c

[disruptivevoib]

Chonny Jash HMS Labyrinths AU Explanation & Art Dump: The Masterpost

Before we get into the thick of it. Here are the tags and links to all involved:

Purpose 1/2 Soul: @disruptivevoib (Me. Lol.)

Being 1/2 Soul: @calamarispider (Kai)

Pursuit 1/2 Heart: @agent-8449 (Agent)

Texel 1/2 Heart: @rosy-fox-art (Rosy)

Function 1/2 Mind: @jesterberries (Oswin)

Morality 1/2 Mind: @shxwrunner (Andy)

The Ever Impossible Whole: @kelpo-art (Francey)

Here's the premise, just before the cut for all your "I don't want to read this long ass post" needs:

The base concept for Labyrinths is: what if HMS' Psyche and loop was split into three phases? Each being some kind of maze? The first phase would be closest to the original Album loop, however, throughout it Heart, Mind, and Soul would split themselves into halves. Their splits would result from their own dissonance between the internal and external of themselves.

These halves would then move on to the second phase, where they must then attempt to become themselves again before being able to enter the third phase, the one which leads to the center, to the beacon, to Whole.

Elaborate, fary more in-depth explanation below the cut alongside designs and a lot of art:

The Loop, or Phases 1-3 In-depth

Phase 1 begins as the album does. Whole splits down into three, the concepts of his emotion, rationale, and self. When Mind is first shot, he splits between Morality and Function.

Morality is the "Internal Factor" of Mind, he is the conscience, what is deemed wrong and right by the standards of his assumption. He is perfectionism but in a manner which will not hurt someone else. He is where most of Mind's "emotion" goes. Though Function is entirely capable of bias, Morality is VERY prone to bias. He is belief. Function is the "External Factor" of Mind. He the pure, factual logic. The things you cannot refute. What is known, what must happen, how something works. He is immoral, he is uncaring, he is weighing his options in only what is most logical, most beneficial.

Phase 1 continues into the Pit, where Heart becomes Pursuit and Texel.

Texel is the "Prey". In concepting, Rosy named him after a type of sheep. He is the "Internal Factor" of Heart and a manifest of Heart's depression, fears. The flight to Pursuit's fight. He is still very much a wolf in sheep's clothing, being able to grasp onto others and pull them down with him as much as himself. He is the smothering and drowning part of emotion. Pursuit is the "Predator". He is the "External Factor" of Heart. He is the repression, the ignorance, the end of "Good Day". Pursuit also embodies the violence, however. The big energetic emotion opposing Texel's heavier, tired emotion. Pursuit is the Passion, the movement. Texel is stagnation. Both of them are very much capable of Heart's common self-victimization.

Finally, Soul cannot quite take this, and where Soul Eclectic would be, is his split into Being and Purpose.

Being is that personhood within Soul. The vying to be someone without needing to be Whole. He is the depression, the rage, the exhaustion, the human you're being!! There he is.. and he is very tired. Being is kind of just a guy, but he is also.. very much prone to the ideation of death as a source of escapism, especially from everyone else in the Psyche. Purpose is the tool. The need to be Whole, to fit in, to be normal, to be happy, to be safe. He is self-preservation, he is the knowledge that they have to be something more than what they are, they should be human and they cannot be as much like this. He embodies what it means to be the mask. To hide behind being a functional person.. and yet, without Being, is the least human of them all.

Phase 2 begins after this, with the middle most maze, where the six of them now must reconcile with themselves first. Most, however, regard their other half as the weaker one, or the evil one. The one that must be purged in order to continue.

And they can continue by killing them all, however, Whole won't ever be possible. The right way is to accept the truths on both sides. Their flaws and their importance.

Does that ever happen? It's hard to say. But if it does, Phase 3 happens.

The Innermost maze has a tower that is visible even from Phase 2. There, Whole sits and waits. He is a beacon of light, and a shell of someone, a black hole that projects all its light outward but has none for itself.

----

On to Designs.

Initially, as original creator of the AU, I had ideas for everyone except Mind. I knew his half/half face would be swapped, but I wasn't sure how else to differentiate the two.

As for Soul and Heart, I had concepts for both of them.

First, Purpose and Being.

Purpose embodies the mask, and thus became a little "Horror Movie Serial Killer" esque in vibe. After all, everything human within him has been taken and put into Being. He is neatly put together, hair slicked back. It is all curated, and it is all an effort to seem like somebody when he is nearly nobody.

Being has imperfections. His shirt is only half tucked in, his hair is not as slicked back, being able to fall more naturally. He also has the eyeliner I normally put only on Soul's left side. Far more.. guy looking!

Kai and I pretty much stuck to these designs! Following is Purpose's official colored ref, and Kai's art of Being.

The only BIg change was that Being has higher heels and also wears the noose, which is the part of Whole he very much exemplifies, as a belt.

Speaking of, the Trident belongs to Purpose here too! The trident is able to disrupt each halves special ability, as neither Soul is immortal or has high regenerative healing like Mind or Heart. The Souls are squishy. Purpose's trident is very helpful for putting his Ids in line!

Now on to Pursuit and Texel, who were originally just "Predator" and "Prey"

Originally, both Heart's had one half of Whole-Heart's wings and also had a sort of inky/shadowy manifestations of what they embodied. Prey had hands and the shadow of a slinking figure holding onto him, grasping at and pulling him down or grabbing at others. He also had the ball and chain which made him slower, made him trapped. Despite this, his clothing is comfier, wearing sweats, a hoodie and socks. His hair was longer too.

Both had the blindfold, as well.

Predator had the shadowy claws which wrapped around his lower arm like gloves and fizzled off in a billowing cloud-like way. His clothing is still comfortable but much less loose. He wears baggier pants, foot wraps, hand wraps (visible without the shadow) and a loose long-sleeves shirt. His hair is also shorter.

Agent and Rosy took these ideas and expanded upon or changed them up. Both Texel and Pursuit are very different from the original concepts. All art of Pursuit belongs to Agent, all art of Texel belongs to Rosy.

Pursuit retained his comfy but tighter clothing style, but lost the shadow hands, instead gaining an adaptivity ability. He is VERY cat coded, and he is very much the kind of cat that bites you and holds your hand so you do not move and stop giving it attention. He is a menace to society, I would not have him any other way. Lethal weapon motherfucker... scared cat..

Texel retained his shadows! But he gained hooves.. truly becoming the sheep. He also gained the ability to be entirely consumed by the shadows as self defense. Both giving into his fear and self-victimization but also projecting those horrors outward. Denial keeps you safe and hurts everyone else trying to help.

The Minds.. Like I said, I never sketched anything substantial for them, so we will go straight into Oswin and Andy's designs! Oswin drew everything for Function, Andy drew everything for Morality.

Morality is closer to a purple, which is indicative maybe, of how much he feels. As well, he has a white eye and his source is on the non void part of his face! His hair is down and more relaxed. Overall, actually, Morality's design portrays him as more casual. Morality is.. electric. He has a defensive mechanism of being electrical fencing wire and zapping anyone who touches him.

Function is the opposite, with a black eye and glowing teal pupil. His source is on the right. He wears a button up and his hair is higher, more put together and "formal". Function is capable of changing smaller parts of the maze at a time. From the wallpaper and flooring, to shifting walls around in order to escape the others or find them.

Whole had no concept design from me either, esp bc I did not initially include him in the au, however in development, he came to be! and thus... Francey drew the blackhole man himself :)

Other Drawings

Here are some more drawings of everyone! Most from Agent and Kai who went bonkers... I really REALLY love all this art. So much.

Here is Agent's art of everyone. The first one includes some titles for each of them Agent made :]

Here are also some 2/3rd or more like 2/6th Wholes Agent drew. I won't specify who is who. You can guess.

Aaand, Labyrinth Heart too :]c

Here is a drawing I did of 2/6th with Purpose and Function. He didn't get a name, I'm not cool and creative like Agent with that. Also next to it is my art of Labyrinths Soul.

Also my concept for the Six-Pronged trident.

Here is a bunch of art Kai did too. :]c

First up is everyone in Kai's style!

Next is Being in the maze :]

Also... Oswin's meme videos. Which are very important. But I can only upload one.. so have this one.

Volume Warning though!!

AND... And I think thats it! Actually.. There are a LOT more doodles but this post is long and I am terrified it won't save.

So! \o/ I am happy to answer any other questions about Labyrinths as well, I am sure the others would be too. But don't let me speak for them... Though maybe check the replies here for any notes from them. I know I've missed something.

[adrianasunderworld]

Random Sleeping Beauty thoughts, but Aroura was raised out in the woods, presumably with as little human interaction as possible, and her caregivers are three fairy women who have to figure out How to Human. It is very possible Aroura is Weird to the people of royal court because she was not raised like a human being, she was raised like a fairy.

Yes the fairies could not use their magic, and they have interacted with people before and know what is polite in Human Polite Society. But day to day, they're not pulling out their royal court behavior. Even though they couldn't do all the magical stuff a fairy does, it never changes their nature. They still talk to the animals, sense the shift in weather long before it happens,and frolic in the woods, leaving fairy rings in their wake, they still keep up whatever Holidays and important dates matter in fairy culture and Aroura is right there with them. So when Aroura goes back to court, she's confused as to how things work because it's nothing like how Faries do things.

[onlydylanobrien]

Dylan O’Brien Sets ‘Twinless’ With James Sweeney Directing & Starring; Republic Pictures Takes Global On Three Point Capital & David Permut Production

EXCLUSIVE: Dylan O’Brien is set to headline in James Sweeney‘s dark comedy Twinless, which the latter wrote and will also star in. Republic Pictures has taken global rights to the movie. Cameras are currently rolling on the movie in Portland, OR. O’Brien will executive produce.

The pic follows two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group. An unlikely bromance develops between them. Twinless follow Sweeney’s directorial debut, Straight Up, which notched the filmmaker a Best First Screenplay nom at the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards.

Three Point Capital is financing the film with Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron and Liz Destro also serving as EPs.

Twinless is produced by Academy Award nominated producer David Permut and Permut Presentations (Hacksaw Ridge, Face/Off) whose most recent Netflix movie, Rustin, garnered Colman Domingo a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Miky Lee (Parasite) Vice Chairwoman of CJ and who most recently executive produced the Oscar nominated film Past Lives, serves as EP.

Permut Presentations Director Of Development Alex Astrachan co-produces.

Permut said, “I was absolutely knocked out by James’ first film Straight Up and was determined to work with him. I immediately responded to the originality and provocative concept of Twinless. The dark comedy depicts complex characters in such an irreverent, emotional and hysterical way. The chemistry between Dylan, who portrays the role of identical twin brothers, opposite James’ character is absolutely combustible.”

O’Brien’s most recent film is the independent feature Ponyboi, in which he plays a villainous pimp and small-time drug dealer, recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He will next be seen in the upcoming films SNL 1975 (from director Jason Reitman) as Dan Aykroyd, Caddo Lake (from the writing-directing team of Logan George and Celine Held, and producer M. Night Shyamalan), and Anniversary (a thriller co-starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch and Phoebe Dynevor). The $1.7 billion grossing star is well-known to audiences from his work in The Maze Runner franchise, as well as the hit MTV series Teen Wolf.

Permut also recently produced the Paramount+ series hit, Lawman: Bass Reeves from Taylor Sheridan, which stars SAG nominee David Oyelowo. His upcoming high priority slate includes Being Heumann written and directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder (CODA) at Apple, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ (Little Miss Sunshine) film The Invite, and Face/Off II at Paramount, the sequel to Permut’s 1997 hit film, to be directed by Adam Wingard.

Sweeney is repped by UTA, 2AM and Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver and Thompson. O’Brien is repped by WME, Principal Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark and Permut is repped by John Tishbi at Pearlman & Tishbi.

Three Point Capital, established in 2009, is a financier and service provider in the film, television, and commercial industries. They have financed over 400 films, including The Butler, Clerks III and the Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea. They most recently provided funding for the upcoming Michael Keaton starrers Know Goes Away and Goodrich, the Nicholas Cage starrer Longlegs, the Tina Fey/Jon Hamm comedy Maggie Moore(s) and the recent Sundance premiere Rob Peace.

Paramount Global Content Distribution is revitalizing the former Republic Pictures label, originally founded in 1935. The newly branded acquisition label will leverage Paramount Global’s vast worldwide distribution channels, across home entertainment and third-party distribution platforms to distribute a wide range of acquired films. Republic Pictures is an acquisition-only label under Paramount Pictures.

Source: deadline.com

[captainmera]

What are the fairy types??? I love IBWR and I would eat your world building if I could <3

There is three categories of peculiars: Erebus, Beast and Fae.

Fairies belong with FAE types.

Fae has, in the UK, these peculiars: Fairies, Spriggan, Nymph (Theodore would call them a Huldra or skogsrå), and Giants.

FAE: Fairy like by looks but often the most "human/regular" looking out of all peculiars. Usually it's the ears or size that gives them away. Their powers are often just seen as either what peak-human-power would be (like strength, skill, etc)

Peculiars can be from all walks of life. They can have any religion, gender, background and race. It doesn't matter.

QUICK FACTS:

Faries are, in a largely Christian society anyway, associated with the seven sins.

They are also easily spotted by their stark colour coded looks.

The shades vary a bit on the scale, there's no set colour of "Pink" for example, but if you look at them and think "ah that's pink" it's probably pink.

A fairy can get a child of any colour of the parents' eye colour. So if it's a pink fairy father, but a green-eyed regular mother, the baby could be either a pink or green fairy - or a regular!

But it's usually the eye-colour that determines it.

Or, wild card - night fairies just kind of come out of nowhere and it's a 1 out of 500 chance of that happening. They're rare.

FAIRY FLAWS:

Fairies have something called a fairy flaw, this is where the seven sins thing come in.

In folklore, fairies are said to be so small that they can only hold one feeling at the time! (like Tinkerbelle from Peter Pan). This is obviously not true! Not only are they human sized, but they feel just as any other mortal person.

The reason fairy tales say that about fairies is based on their fairy-flaw.

So what is the flaw about?

Well, every fairy has an Achilles heel feeling they just can't seem to temper or control. It's the emotion that consumes them and it is very difficult for them to get out of that feeling.

You could say that about a regular-person too, some regulars just feel a certain thing very intensely. But it makes the general public feel better to point at fairies and say they're not perfect - just look how petty they are!

Also, it is true that all fairies just.. naturally struggle with this one emotion they have. For some fairies, it can take a lifetime to find a way to work with it. But most fairies just try to avoid feeling it at all, which.. as you can imagine.. causes an endless cycle of rinse and repeat - you cannot stop yourself from feeling something. That's not how emotions work. And if you try to repress something, it will come back ten folds.

Which, then, just further feeds into the prejudice being true.

FAIRY PERKS (gift):

Fairies are naturally gifted. It can be anything; writing books, making shoes, mathematics, music, you name it.

You know how, sometimes, you meet someone and they just got IT, with seemingly no effort at all? That's fairies.

They pick something up and off they go. You spend your life honing your craft and in waltz this newbie and does in an hour what you worked your whole life for.

Everyone admires them, except the people in the shared field who feels like they've been cheated.

Fairies are almost always excluded from talent shows, being chosen as representatives, etc, because the unionised opinion is that: Albeit they are brilliant at what they do, and probably the best in the room, it's a gift and it's unfair and nobody really wants to include them.

This also means that if you hire a fairy, the standards go up. Fairies can face work environment bullying or praise, it depends on the individual space. But it's always a gamble, really, if their gift is welcomed or not.

It does give some fairies a sense of "I'm better than all of you anyway!" kind of attitude, sometimes, anyway. But it's easy to see why.

No fairy is the same, of course. Fairies often have discourse about whatever or not their perks and flaws are something to be proud of or not. Which, gets really difficult, for the purple and green fairies sometimes.

The issue here is, also, that Fairies fade if they don't get to do what they love, get to exercise their gifts. And sometimes, most of the time, they

FADING:

Fading is just a fancy word for depression. Because regulars make the rules and they don't think it counts as "real" depression, since it almost always involves their perk/gift.

Fading looks like any depression. Sometimes involving substance abuse.

The things that DOES make it a bit different though is that their colours fade. They bleak and their hair and eyes colour turns white, or at least their colour bleak so much that it turns pastel-almost-white.

A faded fairy is cause for concern as they are most likely going to commit suicide. The only cure is rehabilitation where they get encouraged to pursue their heart's desire and exercise their gift.

Sometimes, the reason they fade isn't because others has made it difficult. Sometimes it's because there's just... No space for their gift. It might be a gift that is just simply inaccessible to them. Whatever because they're in the wrong class of society, because they don't have the money to get a degree that allows them to pursue it, etc.

NIGHT FAIRIES:

These are not categorised as a fae-type, but they are fairies. They are categorised as an Erebus due to their dangerous nature.

They are almost always mellow and flat in their expression. They like being in solitude, they are - on surface anyway - to the victorian public... Seemingly evil.

They work just like any other fairy. Except, that, well.... they do not have a flaw.

And that's the only danger they pose. That's literally it. People just don't know what's up with them. And it makes people uncomfortable that they have a gift (that often exceeds even other fairies talents) without carrying the restraints of a flaw.

They just don't emote like everybody else, they're basically just autistic coded people - the autistic creature if you will.

Night fairies are deemed dangerous because, to the victorian scope of knowledge and cultural/religious reference, you don't look like that, is a fairy ontop of it with no flaw to boot, and there's not at least SOMETHING spooky going on.

Fae-type fairies, unfortunately, does not like them much. As their lack of a flaw makes them, well, there's just grounds for being resentful apparently.

The Erebus sub-culture enjoy them quite a lot though. They're the baby brother of the Erebus types.

Most Erebus, when meeting a night fairy, is going to feel for them the way they would feel for any other Erebus. Which is a look of comradery that other peculiars just don't have. And because Erebus types are pretty tightly knitted in comradery, they're aware of one another's struggles. Meaning that they are aware Night Fairies are technically the least threatening peculiar there is, but no other peculiar is going to side with them. So most Erebus types just rope in these defenceless outcasts because it's just not fair.

And Erebus knows all about it not being fair.

So yeah! Night fairies are the least dangerous or powerful peculiar, slotted in with the most powerful and dangerous of them.

it's like the bullied kid is placed amongst the jocks and the jocks are good guys actually.

The night fairies do struggle socially though. Despite their seeming disinterest, they are not heartless or unfeeling. They just struggle to emote and have a hard time with being overstimulated. Which is why they turn to their gifts to cope, leading them to often far surpass any other fairy.

Erebus types are, like, kind of aware of this and often just include them on sight. It's a thing. Most erebus are brought up with the notion that you don't mess with night fairies.

Some erebus, though, have cruel intentions and take advantage of their lack of social skill, often hiring them for their gift and misusing it.

Night fairies also, unfortunately, if they are gifted in something that involves social things - like music, and they are expected to perform in front of crowds, it can be means to cause them to fade.

Sometimes, having a gift isn't about making a buck on it. Sometimes it's simply because it's nice for your heart. And that's the essence of night fairies - they just love what they do. It's everyone else who's got a problem.

AND THAT ABOUT COVERS IT, I THINK???

I'm sure I missed something. There's some peculiar culture stuff that's a little too much to get into. And doesn't really serve much purpose other than be-riching the world I've created and alows me, the authour, to imply cultural codes and social systems in the world without having to always spell it out.

Oliver, for one, is going to be aware of these things. While Theodore is not.

[strawurberries]

Injury drabble <3

Summary: You're injured—not from a fight, don't you worry that little head of yours—and Vash is a little bit of a baby about it. Just some random thought collected into one, small post.

Authors Note: This isn't proofread and I'm writing this on my phone right before I go to bed because I'm a masochist apparently. Anyways, enjoy :)!

Warnings: Mentions of injuries (nothing specific).

If you got injured, in some way shape or form that wasn't related to combat, Vash would be less terrified (mind no longer screaming at him about how pathetic he is, how he cannot even keep his loved ones safe) but still definitely nervous and overbearing. He'd probably be the one panicking more than you (of course, the panic would set in after he deemed the situation as a non-emergency. Though, he wouldn't lie, anytime your injured is a bit of an emergency to him)—

"Are you okay?!?" he scrambled to your side, helping you get off the old wooden stairs you had tripped on. Hands gentle, yet steady and strong, pulling you up to your feet. His touch lingered, warmth seeping into your very soul.

"I'm fine," you smiled and dusted yourself off with a slight cringe, "jus' fell." Embarrassment overpowered the slight, dull pain that had dug its way into your lower back—that, you knew, would leave a nasty bruise.

"People die from falling you know!" He circled you like a predator, eyes observing you with the fever of a devoted man, someone who cared only for the object of their faith, their affection. After a moment he stopped before you, sighing quietly.

"Do I look dead to you??" You pushed past him with a small grin, "drama queen."

"You never know!!" he yelled after you, running at your heels.

And (this isn't because I just popped my knee outta place 💀) if you had to wear some sort of brace, he'd be hovering over you like a saint. Actually, he'd just be next to you in general. This man has separation anxiety that will even unnerve even the most callous of men. He thinks of other things besides you of course, but worry not, you're always somewhere in the back of his mind—a lingering touch, a silent kiss, a whisper of love, or a glance of divinity. You're always with him, and he's always with you. Though, that is also a literal meaning as much as it is metaphorical one.

You felt a shiver behind your neck, a tickle of something holy that hovered over warm flesh—safety, it said, you are safe. Without even turning, you knew who it was. The light whisps of his touch along your back, too scared to fully commit to contact—whether that be because he didn't wish to harm you, or was too lost in thought to realize what he's doing.

"Vash?" you tilted your head and grinned, "I'm not made of glass." Even though the brace around your wound made you itch and groan, you still were capable of doing many things—cleaning? You had done that while Vash ran to the doctor to get more pain medication. Reading? You quite after several minutes, the whistling wind and laughing children too loud to focus (but it stills counts, you think, regardless of how long you did a task). Go outside? Er—well, you tried but were swiftly stopped and hauled back to the room. You didn't complain, though now you felt like you should've.

"Hm?" his head settled on your shoulder, not paying attention to your previous words, "need anything?" Hot tangles of warm breath seeped into the air, dancing like the Faries of the night—the stars that waltzed across the sky in that cosmic sort of play that never seemed to end.

"Maybe some personal space," you mused. You didn't mean it—or maybe you did, who knows? Right now, you weren't sure what you needed—and he whined, as if he fell for your words blindly like gospel.

He huffed. "What if you need help?!"

Ah, you thought, a valid concern.

You shrugged, "this room is about ten feet wide, I'm sure you can run across to me in no time."

"But those three seconds could be life or death!"

You nuzzled into his cheek and sighed. There's was no way to win this, was there? So, instead of bickering or pinching his cheek—he always got embarrassed when you did that—you simple laughed lightly, and let your chest fall with the sunset and rise with the night. "Drama queen," you muttered.

"Hey!"

[legendofmorons]

How to fall in love twice (Time, Malon) -Part 4

Pairing : Malon x Reader x Time

Rating: T

Summary: As you and Malon have some bonding time in Kara Kara inn Time gets pissy with the boys.

Warnings: Implied/ referenced child abuse, referenced alcoholism - (Reader had a drunk father that sucked until he was forced to get better or stay gone)

Other: if I missed anything, please let me know.

-------

You spend the two weeks a version of Wild's hyrule. The land is beautiful but the problem say it's only been twenty years since the calamity.

During this, you and Malon spend time talking and doing upkeep for an adventure. You gather rupees for odd jobs and stocking on supplies. With several faries and lots of weapons, you settle for basic food supplies. You leave an adventuring tag for the boys on the off chance they come across it

At the moment, you and Malon are settled inside the in of Kara Kara Buzzar, the busseling groups outside loud.

Inside is a haven of perfect temperature ir, maintained by enchanted sapphires.

"I hope the boys are doing okay." Malon says as she inspects her bow, eyes nothing but calculating.

"Mh, they're fine... By now, they're figured out that we're not coming back and that we got the mask."

"I know. I'm just worried. "

"Can I help?"

"No... It's just weird. I'm not usually the one on an adventure. "

You nod, not quite understanding the sentiment but understanding being on an adventure you weren't expecting or really even supposed to be on.

She looks at you fully, her soft smile a little bitter in the afternoon light. "I'm just glad that it's you that I'm with and not someone else."

"Oh- thanks. I'm glad it's you here too." Yoy say, trying not to come off as the giant smitten crush haver you are.

"You're sweet. It's really no wonder Link likes you so much."

"Oh, yeah... I try."

Malon just laughs, warm and amused. "You're a good person, and I've heard you're a Greta friend."

"That means a lot. Thank you."

She just smiles, pulling her bag onto the bed so she can double-check her arrow supply.

If she's honest- she likes you too. A lot. More than a friend even if it is a fresh crush.

You're funny, kind, and very attractive. She likes how you try to help people and protect those who need it. You're good people.

You turn to the window, watching the sands roll by as chatter sounds around you. The tourists outside are all dressed in linens and silks, seeking refuge from the sun as they browse the stalls.

You can hear Time worrying, even if you aren't actually there. You've seen it enough times, overheard his muttering, he thought no one could hear. You just hope he and the others are okay.

(You can see the pacing and the glaring as he mutters about where you and his wife might possibly be. The way he gets snappy with everyone's. How he takes as many watch shifts as he physically can before royally crashing. Only to repeat the whole process.)

"Hey, (Y/n)?" Malon calls.

"Yeah?"

"What was it like for you growing up?"

You turn to face her, her curiosity evident. And usually you don't just tell people about your past but most people don't ask. To be fair.

"Well... I mean, mom was born on a ranch and grew up there with her siblings. Dad was a royal guard from a long line of them.

"I grew up in castle town, I have three siblings though. And we spent every summer at Mamaw and Papaw's ranch. I did good in school but I struggled to keep up.

"It was okay, dad wasn't home a whole lot... Drank when he was, but he just got loud and angry."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. The one time he hit us, mom nearly killed him." You give a shrug, "After that, he left for a year and came back better. I still don't talk to him much these days. But I don't feel like he's a danger anymore either."

"He hit you?" Malon asks, furry already filling her. How dare anyone ever mistreated children - how dare anyone mistreated you.

Oh, she'd like to kick your father's ass. That would be fun.

She can only imagine that Time would be on board.

"Once. Never again." You shrug, unphased because honestly you've faced worse on this quest with the boys.

"That's a real low thing."

"It's cool, I can kick his ass now. After learning to hold my own against the boys, I think I could take on Gannon myself." You crack a smile, hoping to distract her with a joke.

"I'm sure you could."

"Maybe that's why we got pulled away, to destroy gannon?" You snort at just the thought.

Gannon is so fucked is you or Malon meet him, but both of you- well he'd be done for. You both have a lot of rage towards him and you're both skilled at fighting.

"Ha! Maybe so."

"How would you do it?" You ask, "Defeat Gannon, I mean."

Malon tilts her head with a hum, thinking about the logistics of her ideal victory. She bites her lip as she does this.

"I think I'd just take my cast iron skillet to his head." Malon says with a shrug, "What about you?"

"Hm- I meN I'd wanna say the sword would let me weird it and go that route... but I'd probably be more likely to fight him with a baseball bat full of nails."

"That's a good choice."

"I think so!"

Malon changes the subject again, this time to the places you've been.

And you just enjoy the downtime with the redhead. You definitely are starting to fully grasp why Time likes her so much.

.......

Time can't stand can't of this, settled at a campfire in the Great plateu of Wild's hyrule is awful. Time's only thoughts are of you and Malon.

The woods are no comfort to him. Only making him more on edge because you could be anywhere in any time, and he'd never even see you if you were here.

Time is so worried. And everything is too quiet.

He's- used to not having Malon around all the time on this quest... But you've been there so long your absence is particularly felt.

The lack of your smile and laugh has been awful. Your help with cooking has been missed. The soft touches as you help him dress wounds -

Oh he's so fucked.

"I'm sure it's fine." Wind says a s he sits down by Time.

"Sailor - you don't know that. "

"I do. You have a type. Stubborn." Wind's smile at the end is a little smug.

"I- that is not my type."

"It's part of it."

"I'm just worried about them. Obviously, something happened. Neither of them would just run away. "Time says as he narrows his gaze on the ground.

"No... they wouldn't. "Sky says, "But they're together, are they're both smart."

"That doesn't mean they are in danger. I'm not even sure the mask is going to be helpful. What if they haven't even found it?"

Wind just listens, not sure how to help but wishing Time eoukd stop being so on edge.

"It will be okay, Time. Obviously you get them back. Or Twilight wouldn't exist." Sky tries to reason.

"That only means I get Malon back- what if (Y/n) dosen’t ever come back? What if It's my fault and I didn't hear them and-"

"Time." Twilight says firmly to try to stop the rambling spiral the man seems set on.

Everyone is worried about you and Malon. Everyone wants to get you all to safety-

"Hey, old man." Warriors calls out, "Come look at this."

Time stands, gaze landing on Warriors next to the largest tree in the forest, roots almost like their own tunnel.

The man was towards the knight, waiting for more instruction.

"These are (Y/n)'s initials, aren't they?"

Time looks, and maybe your hylian and his hylian are very different but you'd taught him how you tagged certain things when lost. A habit picked up from a survivalist uncle.

The tag carved into the tree reads your intials and then 'day 4'.

Unfortunately, the wood is well healed. At least fifty years have passed, probably longer. But the chain hadn't been in the plateu before, which means -

You got pulled away through a portal. With Malon at your side, probably. And you are in the past of the current time the boys are in.

That's some real shit.

"Well... at least we know what happened to them?" Wild trues, not really soundings too confident in it.

"I'm going for a walk." Time says in place of any real answer.

"Should we tag that way?" Wind suggests from behind the group.

"Maybe." Wild says, "So they can at least keep up with where we've been."

Warriors nods, deciding to tag the tree below your carving 'H.C. day 9.'

He just hopes you can figure it out.

Time can be seen going on a walk Allright, a real pissy walk.

Yikes.

[writers-potion]

hi! its fairy anon again, thank you for your suggestions! i know my story sounds very gore heavy with my fairy eating babies worldbuilding but i promise my tone is actually much lighter than that 😭 i was kinda trying to take inspo from old fae stories where children would get lured away and go missing because of fairy antics. but anyway! i really like the idea of a chamber where people cant really see what happens inside. it actually gave me an idea to take that a step further to say that no one in-world actually knows what happens to the babies, so people just assume they get eaten. the idea of babies being whisked away somewhere else somehow, and that the place they get sent is linked to the fairy's longevity, i think is a good way to get my lore across without being gratuitously gorey. id love to know what you think of that idea and definitely would welcome any ideas you have in addition if you have any!

also for clarification, you understood my worldbuilding very well but i made a mistake by saying "enslaved" instead of "imprisoned". each noble house has a fairy living in a cell somewhere in the head of house's estate, and each noble house gets one element. for example, my protagonist is the heir to the house that recieved the ice blessing. but also the whole "fairies eating babies" thing is a secret from the public, the commoners of this kingdom have been fed lies for generations about the ancestors of the nobility saving the fae from extinction, which resulted in the faries "blessing" them. this is their justification for why they should be the ruling elite, despite there being very obvious corruption throughout the nobility

"The Mysterious Cave" Trope

Hi! I'm glad that my ideas helped you :)

I think the best way to further develop this idea of babies being whisked away is to take inspiration from existing ones:

The Piped Piper of Hamlin Type

The imprisoned fairies sing/whisper an enchantment that lures children, who walk voluntarily down to their prisons at night.

The "fairy song" picks up a baby, cradle and all, and delivers it to the fairy waiting in their prison

After that, no one knows what happens to the kids who were taken.

The Arabian Nights Type

In this case, there will be some action required from the child/baby, which will open the doors to the fairy's prison

For example, multiple babies can be brought forth in front of the prison's gates. The first baby to cry will automatically get the gates to open, and he will be claimed by the fairy.

Goldilocks and The Three Bears Type

The child/baby to be given is kept for a while (you can decide for how long) in a special room, fed special meals (this can be related to the particular element that the fairy controls) to optimize them for...consumption.

After the baby has been fed/washed/dressed for the occasion, the fairy can be brought into the chamber, or the babies given away to them in prison.

The Sleeping Beauty/Rapunzel Type

This is where the destiny of the babies are determined even before birth.

You can have the loyalty pay for their magic by giving up their second-born to the fairies, or have the loyalty pay off peasant parents to give up their unborn child in exchange of lifetime's worth of wealth.

Alternatively, it can be the fairies who foresee the birth of the babies that they'll consume ("a girl born in -- at -- hour shall be given to me" and such), and as soon as they're born, they'll be claimed.

Hope this helps! :)

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[subastian-swallows]

Dark Whispers, Light Vows

CHAPTER TWO: PAIN

★ Chapter one

Chapter three ★

Pairing: Dark!Sebastian x AurorMC x AurorOminis - Love Triangle Fic

Words: 6.8k

Warnings: ANGST

Summary: “In a race against time, (Auror’s) Alice and Ominis must work together to recapture their former friend Sebastian, an escapee from Azkaban. But when Sebastian begins to use a mysterious new form of magic to haunt Alice’s dreams, she’s torn between bringing him to justice or helping him escape, risking everything in the process. Love, friendship, and the battle between light and dark intertwine as Alice must decide which path she will take.”  

A/N: Life kicked my butt, sorry for the wait, BUT SHE'S HERE AND SHE'S ANGSTY

“Nobody loves the light like the blind man.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Listening to Ominis converse with the Minister—Faris, always felt strange. He always spoke as if politeness equated the same as respect and perhaps, that was why he was respected. Unlike Alice, who cared little for what others around her thought, Ominis always went out of his way to prove himself. When Alice had asked about it, perhaps feeling rather confused by the idea someone as special as Ominis had to do such a thing. She never expected that’s how she would’ve learnt about his family. They say, doing something in spite of others, would eventually lead you to hate it. But Ominis relished the fact that he had found something he loved, while also being able to rub it in their face—Alice perhaps, just loved the idea that he did it so casually, that it drove his family mad. 

Faris must have begun his lengthy speech, about why Sebastian must be stopped, due to Ominis naturally tensing up beside her. But Alice hadn’t truly been paying attention. No, instead she had been focused on the way his hair looked particularly thin and she wondered if he was stressed out. For some reason, Alice was unable to retain anything he said, her eyes locked onto his face to show she was present. And yet, his words sounded nothing like words, but more so, muffled noises—as if he was speaking to her underwater. She wondered if this was a way her mind allowed her to cope, she was there, but not really. Alice didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to track down Sebastian and she sure didn’t want to see him again. 

Because seeing him again would only hurt, that much was certain and she had gotten so good at pretending—she was better. 

“Alice? Are you still with us?” 

“I’m sorry?” Alice said, realising quickly that she hadn’t really succeeded at acting as if she had been listening. But when she sat up straighter and realised Faris was observing her more closely than before, she gave him a half-assed smile. “I might have missed that last part. Hard to focus on so much information, when no one has any leads. No one does, right?”

Ominis moved to lean away from her now, his chin resting gently against his hand as he attempted to hide the amusement spreading quickly across his face. But when Faris let out a defeated laugh, as if he knew better than to fight Alice, he shuffled in his chair and fiddled with his pen. “We were hoping you two would have an idea on where to start—”

“So you have nothing…nothing at all?” 

“What Alice means…is that we might have some ideas,” Ominis said, straightening again, only to pinch her knee gently. He would have loved to say her bluntness was due to the situation with Sebastian, but Alice never really treated Faris any differently from their other colleagues. It was something that should have gotten her in trouble—but for some reason, Faris simply let it be. “Have you had a team visit his cell block?” 

Faris smiled and clicked his pen, something he did often enough that Alice was tempted to throw it out of his office window. But instead, she just gently gripped the arms of her chair. “We have, but there was nothing of interest. No touch of magic—nothing, it’s like he simply vanished.” 

“Perhaps, they didn’t look hard enough?”

“What are you saying, Ominis? You think he left something behind?” Faris asked, clicking his pen again as he leant forward and this time Ominis’ hand took a firm grasp on Alice’s knee. He knew her too well and she tried to relax back into her chair, when his grip loosened slightly. “Why would he—”

“He must have left a clue…or something. The whole thrill of this, if that’s why he’s done it—was clearly the idea behind being chased.”  

Alice pushed away from the table at Ominis’ words now, the abrupt movement causing him to slip slightly as her chair scraped noisily against the floor. But she didn’t care, moving to stare out the window in a huff. “Perhaps, he just simply wished to leave that place? I mean, wouldn’t you?” 

“And perhaps, you’re just giving him too much credit, Alice?” Ominis said, straightening up in his chair, before he exhaled and stood up. Unlike Alice, Ominis had practised a lot harder when it came to pretending it wasn’t Sebastian they were after, though it sure wasn’t easy. “There has to be more to this?” 

“You and this stupid ‘credit’ talk? Ominis, you’re so focused on the anger you feel towards him—that you’re ignoring the fact…that he might just want peace?” 

Ominis crossed his arms against his chest, eyebrows furrowing as if Alice had said something ridiculous. And yet, perhaps a part of him agreed with her, though, he refused to allow it more space in his heart. That was his way of coping with the loss of a friend. “Regardless of what his reasons for escaping were, it’s clear we need to start at the beginning.” 

“You’re not suggesting we start at his cell, are you?” Alice asked, turning back from the window and stepping towards Ominis who was now tense and looking in her direction. Faris had stayed quiet this whole time, perhaps just to observe and so Alice ignored his presence and moved closer towards Ominis. “You want to visit Azkaban? You cannot be serious?” 

“It only makes sense, Alice. Besides, we might find something the others couldn’t.” 

Alice turned towards Faris, as if he would ever take her words over Ominis’. But his face seemed unchanged and when she rested herself against his desk, it was only then that he clicked his pen and stood up. “Ominis—makes a good point, Alice. What could look like pointless scribbles to us, might look and be something more to you.” 

“So let me get this straight, you’re not only asking me to track down an old friend, but also visit the place we threw him in as a child?” Alice asked, tensing her fingers against his desk and flicking Ominis a pain-filled look. He had now exhaled softly at her words and it was in moments such as this, that Alice realised just how differently they had processed everything. “I won’t go—that’s just…it’s off the table.” 

“You’re being unreasonable, Alice.” 

She scoffed and pushed away from Faris’ desk now and moved to stand beneath Ominis’ nose as he refused to acknowledge her. He wasn’t trying to make Alice upset but it was impossible to deny that her fear was going to make things more difficult and so he swallowed harshly and placed his hands against her shoulders. Ominis might not have been as open as Alice when it came to the pain that lingered due to Sebastian, but it was there and he understood her more than she knew. And it was hard trying to argue over something that even he didn’t want to do, but Ominis also knew Sebastian all too well and he was sure they were missing something. No matter how small. 

“You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to help—”

“Did I? Well that’s news to me, Ominis…in fact, if I knew that it meant I would have to step foot in Azkaban, I wouldn’t have agreed,” Alice said, shrugging off his hands and when his eyebrows furrowed in response, she simply rolled her eyes and turned to face Faris. “You can call me unreasonable all you like, but I’m not doing it.” 

Ominis sat back down now and Alice welcomed the sudden silence from him. Unlike with Faris, who had begun to click his pen again while looking over the scene unfolding in front of him and yet, it’s only after Alice glanced angrily at his hand that he stopped and smiled. “We’re not here to force you into anything, Alice. But Ominis is right, you both have a strong connection to Mr Sallow—” 

“And that’s exactly why this request is ridiculous.”

Alice pushed away from his desk and headed for the door, easily shrugging off Ominis’ touch on her way past. Faris stood, whispering to let her go, before calling out to her as she swung the door open. “Alice, you have until the end of the day. Otherwise, Ominis must pick a new partner—or go alone.” 

She didn’t respond, but the words sunk into her back as if they were digging their way towards her heart and Alice hated it. The Ministry had a lot of tactics, ones that slowly chipped away at you, but using your feelings for someone—was their favourite. Faris knew of their strange relationship, unrequited feelings if you could call it that and he did well to play on it, as if they both were nothing but pawns to them. And that’s exactly what they were, nothing but a means to get things done—when the Ministry didn’t want to get their hands dirty. But unlike Ominis, Alice had always shown the possibilities of going rogue, she was talented yes, but unpredictable and that frightened them. 

Slamming the door shut behind her, Alice barely acknowledged the reactions from those waiting patiently to speak with the Minister and stormed out. She had grown used to being looked at, as if she was a spoilt child—destined to make things difficult. But no one truly understood what she was going through, not really and she despised everyone for it. They treated her like a fool, picking away at how easily her heart controlled her actions and yet, they always asked more of her. Alice had thought often, perhaps more than one should, about leaving the Ministry—only to disappear completely, but she always ended up staying and it was always for Ominis. 

•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•

Ominis always knew where to find Alice when she disappeared from the office. Realising that despite wishing to get away, she could never really go that far—something he would often tease her for and yet, he was glad for it. The Ministry held many secrets, with its walls containing much of the knowledge about their world, but the one place Alice enjoyed most was the vivariums they had acquired. They were found in the Department of Magical Creatures, usually off-limits to those that weren’t from that sector, but Alice always managed to slip in unnoticed—it had become such a normality, that they eventually allowed her permission. Truthfully it amused her that her unsanctioned visits became such an annoyance that the department just gave up and left her be, but it wasn’t as if she was doing anything wrong.

No, in fact, all she needed from the vivariums—was a place to hide and being surrounded by magical beasts was just an added perk. Slowly moving the sleeping niffler from her lap, Alice refused to look up when a shadow covered her, perhaps already knowing who it was. And yet, Alice’s fingers twitched slightly as if she was preparing to reach for her wand. The reaction alone caused Ominis to chuckle under his breath and Alice recalled a past memory, one where he had mentioned she tensed her fingers too much. So much so, that he could always tell when she moved them, his explanation being that he had gotten used to the sound. But Alice just thought he was guessing and somehow got it right every time, for it didn’t make sense for him to be so attuned with her—right?

“You need a better hiding spot,” Ominis said, sitting down beside her and when his arm brushed hers, Alice exhaled and leaned back on her hands. She wasn’t mad, no that wasn’t the right feeling, truthfully Alice was disappointed—perhaps she had hoped Ominis would suddenly agree that everything was wrong. But he never did and she hummed sadly, when he nudged her. “I’m sorry for calling you unreasonable, Alice. I, perhaps, should have been more considerate of your feelings.” 

“Should have been? Ominis, all these years and you’re still terrible at apologising. I suppose none of my griping stuck—I sure am glad I even tried.”

Ominis smiled and reached forward to scratch the niffler’s head, which had now awoken and moved to nibble at his shoelaces. Alice pouted as she sat up and moved him away, the niffler whining softly in the process—but her thoughts were preoccupied, when Ominis’ fingers brushed hers. “Isn't that a part of my charm? Being harsh suits me, don’t you think?” 

“Not at all actually, it’s an act you’ve got incredibly good at—but, it doesn’t suit you, nor is it the real you,” Alice said, nudging the niffler to join the others as Ominis rested his head against his arms, which were now perched on his knees. Alice watched him curiously, reminiscing about their moments in the bell tower courtyard, sitting just like this and she smiled when he hummed softly. “You thought I didn’t notice, right? No matter how bad I got, I always noticed you Ominis. You were just always too afraid to let anyone see you—”

“I, let you see me.” 

Alice’s jaw tensed and she looked away. Not because she was embarrassed, that would have been too easy, instead she felt rather guilty. She knew Ominis had fallen in love with her by the end of their sixth-year, but she couldn’t give him her heart fully and so she gave him none of it. “I suppose you did…do you want to know what I saw?”

“Enlighten me…please? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious?” Ominis said, moving his head now so that he looked in her direction completely and Alice swallowed shyly, keeping her focus on the grass as she began to pick at it. “What exactly did you see?” 

“Well, I saw pain…and I saw love.” 

Alice smiled as she thought about the memories they had shared and how Ominis brought her back to life. He was the warmth her body craved and he had never strayed too far, it was cruel yes—but they both had gotten so used to it and Alice didn’t want to let him go. “I saw a boy who found the light amongst the darkness, challenging everything it threw at him and yet, you never allowed it to consume you. I wish I could have said the same for myself. But I think what I love the most about you Ominis, is that the real you, is kind—is bright.”

“Bright? Now, I feel like my curiosity has only grown,” Ominis said, his smile quickly hiding against his arms as he turned back to look ahead and he chuckled softly when Alice huffed and nudged him. He could tell she was trying to be sincere, her words seeping their way into his heart, only to restart it again and he gently nudged her back in response—despite wishing to do something else. “Tell me more, I like listening to you talk—especially when you’re talking about me.” 

“How vexing, I think I’d rather stop there…you know, before your head gets too big for your shoulders.”

Ominis nodded in agreement, perhaps just to give up on teasing her and Alice laughed as if she had won something. Truthfully the reason he was here was to try and get her to reconsider the idea of visiting Azkaban and although it seemed impossible, he might have relied too much on their friendship. Hoping she would end up agreeing to the request. “We still need to speak about it, Alice. You do know that right?” 

“And there you go, ruining the mood,” Alice said, before she stood up and dusted herself off. It was clear that Ominis wasn’t here for anything more than what they had been tasked with and honestly, Alice actually felt a little hurt. But it’s not until Ominis followed her and grabbed her arm, that the hurt slowly turned to anger. “I already told you I won’t go, Ominis. I don’t plan to change my mind.” 

“So you’re not at all curious? They told me his cell is filled with writing, scribbles—what if he has left something for us to find?” 

Alice tried to pull away now, wishing for Ominis to get the hint that she didn’t want to do this. She barely liked the idea of Azkaban on its own, but now thinking about it being the place Sebastian had been for the last few years—frightened her and so when she finally yanked herself free, Alice took a step back. “Or, here’s a thought…he might have just gone mad—like everyone else that enters that place.” 

“But don’t you want to make sure? Alice, think logically for a second here,” Ominis said, stepping to the right, just in time to catch Alice from trying to make a beeline for the door and when she grumbled and tried to push him away—he simply held on tighter, until she gave up and looked away. “What if he left something for…you? If you truly want to believe he left to find peace, wouldn’t he have left you a goodbye?” 

“That’s not fair, Ominis.”

Ominis hated himself for the tactics he had learnt from working with the Ministry, but he knew that without Alice, any hope in finding Sebastian would be fruitless and so he swallowed his guilt. “None of this is fair, but we don’t have a choice. I understand the intensity of the situation, but will you truly make me do this alone? I wasn’t lying when I said I needed you with me for this.” 

It wasn’t hard to figure out what Ominis was doing. In fact, Alice almost wanted to laugh at him, as if he had somehow forgotten that they had both been taught the same tactics and although the situation seemed to amuse her, Alice wondered if there was any truth behind it. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about Sebastian in Azkaban, the thoughts filled with so much darkness that even she felt sick from them, but sometimes—when Alice found herself transfixed on her memories of him, they often slipped into her head and she would always end up crying. Perhaps, that is why she didn’t want to go through with it. Alice had created such a barrier in her head, pretending that Sebastian was safe and unharmed, that visiting Azkaban would destroy that. It would remind her of the guilt she felt on the night he was taken and how she couldn’t even bring herself to say goodbye.

Feeling Ominis’ hands slowly move to reach for her face, Alice finally looked back at him and she didn’t realise she had started to cry, until his thumbs delicately swiped at her cheeks. But it’s only after she looked at him properly, her eyes shifting between his softened gaze to his lips, slightly parted—that her hands slowly wrapped around his waist and she pulled him closer. “You’ve gotten awfully good at manipulating, Ominis. I’m not sure if I should be afraid or impressed.” 

“I’m not trying to manipulate you, Alice—”

“Oh? Forgive me then, I must be losing my mind,” Alice said, slowly leaning her forehead against his chest and using his heartbeat as a way to slow her own. Except, considering his own was beating just as rapidly against his chest as hers—her plan failed before it even began and so she could only hum in defeat. “You know, you could have just begged. I might have just agreed if you did.”    

Ominis’ arms had snaked around Alice now, providing her with the comfort she needed, no matter the pain that lingered with it. He didn’t want this, he didn’t want to allow Sebastian back in their lives—purely for the sadness that he brought with him. But perhaps, Ominis had just been hoping their demons stayed in the dark. “Do I look like someone who has to beg?” 

“For me—you should have tried. For this…you should have pulled out every tactic in the book,” Alice said, pulling back just enough to look up at him and she realised his eyes were flickering, as if he was thinking about what to say or what to do, she pouted—she could feel it already stretching them both, ripping at their hearts and she gently reached for his face. “Perhaps then, I could have pretended—”

“And perhaps, I just hoped you would have followed me without question? If I was him, you would have.”

Alice’s hand tensed against his cheek and she would have pulled it away, except Ominis swiftly held it in place with his own. She hated the fact that he was right, she would have done anything for Sebastian—and Alice almost did. “Ominis, you must understand—”

“I understand perfectly well, Alice. Do not forget, I was there too,” Ominis said, his eyes closing softly and suddenly her hand loosened, now laying limp, but he didn’t remove his hand and he certainly didn’t wish for her touch to disappear—so she allowed him to keep them connected. “But, we cannot sit by and let this destroy us. He’s done that enough, ingraining himself into our pain—we need closure…and I won’t lose everything I’ve worked for…for him, I can’t.”

“You can barely mutter his name anymore. Could you actually find it in you, to bring him in?” 

Ominis’ eyes fluttered open and a lopsided smile appeared on his face, almost making Alice want to slap him for the timing of it, but it quickly faded and when his sadness returned—she finally pulled her touch from his face and bundled his hands together in hers. “I’ve said his name plenty of times. In fact, I don’t say his name, simply—because of you. I know it hurts you more…hearing it. So I try my best not to use it.” 

She should have known that from the beginning Ominis had tried to be considerate of her and yet, Alice still wished to refuse. Deep down, she had thought she had it all planned out—only agreeing to help, until things got too intense. But now, Alice was almost too afraid to pull away, realising that the whole time she had been following Ominis along to visit the Minister—the gnawing sensation of guilt and responsibility had slowly been building. She now felt stuck, as if she was torn between hurting herself or Ominis and she swallowed down her fear, knowing she would always choose to suffer over him. 

“How would we do this?” Alice asked, her voice now soft and unsure, as if she was having to force out the words. Because truthfully, she wished to say something else, she would have loved nothing more than to tell him no and be done with it. But Alice always knew that Ominis had a way with words and perhaps, she should have known that despite everything—she was always going to agree in the end. “I’m afraid, Ominis. Auror’s aren’t meant to be afraid.” 

“And who told you that? Alice, do not forget—as an Auror we risk our lives every day? If you weren’t afraid, I would be concerned.” 

Alice forced a smile and gave his hands a gentle squeeze, before she let them go. She was battling herself already, but perhaps overcoming this first step—would eventually help, when she came face to face with Sebastian and so she exhaled and straightened her uniform. “And are you afraid?”

“Of course I am. He—Sebastian, was practically my brother. I would have done anything for him and he broke that trust, Alice,” Ominis said, his voice showing no sign of fear or pain and Alice always felt jealous at how he could hide how he was feeling, while hers lay bare—for everyone to see. “Everything that has happened, was because of his decisions. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of seeing him again. We are more alike than you know, you and I…I’m just better—”

“At hiding it, yes. It’s as if you’ve read my mind.”

Ominis chuckled softly and reached forward to fiddle with her hair, which she hadn’t noticed was slightly out of place, until his fingers brushed through it. Alice wondered if he knew somehow, or just simply used it as an excuse to touch her—either way, she let him do it. “I would like to say I could read your mind, but I am not sure I would like to…besides, truthfully you’re just consistent and so I don’t have to try too hard to figure you out.” 

“Why does that sort of feel like an insult?” Alice asked, shivering slightly when Ominis’ fingers brushed along the side of her face, before he pulled away and offered her his arm. Ominis was smiling now, a more innocent version of the smile he had donned since earlier, but it was still a smile and Alice grumbled slightly at his reaction. “Do you plan to tease me the whole time? Or just while you try to win me over…is this some sort of new tactic of yours—reverse psychology, perhaps?

“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement…my tactics are my own.”

Alice huffed and took his arm. She had always found it strange how quickly Ominis could calm her down, in a way that made her feel like she could take on anything. And although her fear was now just buried deeper within the pit of her stomach, Alice perhaps had a small inkling of hope. “Keep your secrets then…but I’ll get it out of you one day.”

“If you’re sweet enough, I would consider telling you,” Ominis said, jolting slightly when Alice pinched at his side and so he took it as a sign that they could finally leave the safety of the vivarium, perhaps pulling Alice back into reality. But when Ominis felt her tense slightly, all he could do was hum softly and pull her closer. “Hey…we’ve got this, alright? I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together.”

“Right, yes…together.” 

•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•

Azkaban, what a dreadful place. Nightmares barely did it justice, but despite the icy touch of the wind, drifting in from the sea or the Dementor’s that floated above, desperate to feed on anything good—it was the screaming that Alice hated the most. Now, it wasn’t as if she didn’t believe there were many that deserved to be here. Knowing well that a few of the dark wizards that lay behind its walls, had every right to be locked away. It was the fact that knowing Sebastian was once a part of them, always made her want to throw up and she might have—if it wasn’t for Ominis, comforting her from the sidelines.

There appeared to be more Auror’s stationed at Azkaban now, a lot more since Sebastian’s escape and even Alice had to admit that she commended their courage. Faris had asked her once, more so in passing, if she would be interested in guarding the prison—and she practically scoffed in his face. Even if it wasn’t for Sebastian, Alice was more than aware that she would never be cut out to be stationed here. The idea of being in such a place haunted her dreams and so she was always thankful to have Ominis alongside her, putting in a good word. Faris had commanded the Dementor’s to stay back, just enough so that the Auror’s could walk freely—but Alice made sure to keep her guard up anyway. 

Feeling Ominis pull at her arm, Alice quickly snapped from her thoughts and frowned, realising she had lingered too long at the registrations office. The man behind the counter had long since disappeared, perhaps annoyed by her just standing there and so she slowly turned as Ominis’ hand glided down her arm and reached for her own. “You’ve got this, Alice. I’m right here.” 

“It just feels wrong—”

“This place is just a place—at the end of the day, we won’t be long. So hold onto your strength, even if you have to search deep for it,” Ominis said, his voice soft and toneless, as if he didn’t know whether his sarcasm fitted a place such as this and so he kept his words tense and professional. Alice mocked him silently, knowing that he had opted to be the brave one for once, a title they would usually fight for—but not here, not now. “Besides, we’ve got a job to do. The sooner we find something, the quicker we can put this place behind us.” 

Alice looked at Ominis properly now, realising that she had been trying her best not to look at his reaction to the place and when she finally did, Alice’s hand quickly tightened around his. His face had begun to contort slightly with each new scream that they heard and she wondered just how much more intense the place was to him, to his senses. Slowly moving to place her free hand against his chest, Alice froze with how quickly his heart was beating and her frown only deepened. “You don’t have to be brave, you know? I understand better than anyone.”  

“One of us has to be brave, I’m just choosing for us.” 

“I suppose I have no other option, but to accept. Though I don’t like it,” Alice said, swallowing nervously as Ominis slowly pulled her with him and when her eyes glued to just how tensely he was holding his wand, she leaned into his side. No matter how many times he told her, he was being brave, she would never believe it. “Do we have a time limit? I feel like I’ll need a moment to get over the initial visit—before I can even work properly.”

Ominis chuckled softly and perhaps a little abruptly, the sound echoing off the walls and although it was a little out of place—Alice welcomed the sound. It made her feel grounded, as if she was still whole and so she squeezed his hand again. “Only mere hours ago, you said you’d never step foot in here. Now, you want to make sure you have enough time to have a breakdown and be able to do your job? You’ve always been strange…but, that’s a new one.” 

“Clearly, I’m just full of surprises. Can’t you just be happy that I’m here.” 

“Oh, I’m very happy, don’t get me wrong. It’s just amusing that’s all,” Ominis said, a smile teasing on his lips as he realised that their small talk was keeping Alice distracted enough from the cell blocks they had been passing and so he continued. “Truthfully, I must admit that it makes me feel like you chose to come…well, because of me. I suppose it’s a nice thought, even if I’m wrong.”

Alice hummed softly and noticed the two Auror’s stood guard in front of a cell block and so she quickly let go of his hand. Ominis wasn’t wrong, if she had been asked by anyone else, she would have never set foot in Azkaban. But it was different coming from him and Alice knew that in the end, it was the right thing to do—no matter how much it hurt. The Auror’s stationed by Sebastian’s cell, looked tired, perhaps even sad and when Ominis acknowledged them, ignoring Alice’s sudden silence, the Auror’s nodded and moved to the side. It felt like ripping off a bandaid, the slow pull Ominis had to do as Alice stalled in the doorway, but he had gotten her this far—and so he simply refused to let her turn back now. 

They had been right about his cell. The walls were covered in carvings, some words were legible, while others were scribbled and sporadic. But Alice found her focus had landed on the moulding bed in the corner of the room, if you could even call it that. Before she slowly pulled away from Ominis—and reached out to poke at the moth-eaten sheet, that laid along it. Had Sebastian truly been here, suffering with nothing but his thoughts and the icy touch of the sea, Alice in that moment felt her stomach tense and she covered her mouth. Her vision grew hazy before she had a chance to do anything, realising that it was more than she could bear and it was only after Ominis grabbed her shoulder—that Alice stood up and buried herself into his chest.

“This place…he…Ominis, he was just a boy. We were just kids,” Alice said, her voice broken with silent sobs and she tightly gripped at his coat, twisting it so harshly that it felt as if it was going to rip. But Ominis didn’t say anything about it, he just simply held her close and softly rubbed at the back of her head. “It’s horrible…everything, he was just a stupid kid.” 

“Alice…I’m sorry, I know this is difficult. If you need a moment…” 

Alice shook her head against his chest and tightened her grip. She didn’t want him to let her go and she hated herself for it. All of her confidence had suddenly disappeared now and she felt like she was suffocating, the air feeling tight and restricting. But Alice didn’t want it to be like this and although she sobbed softly into him, wetting his coat ever so slightly, she tried to think of ways to calm herself down—and yet, she had nothing. “I just need…you to hold me. Don’t let me go, please.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, Alice,” Ominis said, resting his chin against the top of her head now and he just held her. Her pain slowly engulfed him, swallowing them both into an intense moment of reminiscing about their school days and of Sebastian. It was sickening and Ominis felt every hair on his body stand up, but he promised her he would be brave—so he had to be brave. “Do you think you can continue…? If you can’t, I will understand.” 

“I just…need a moment, I’m sorry. But, I won’t give up…just yet.”

Ominis hummed sadly and pulled her head back, his hands now gripping her face gently as his thumbs lightly drew circles against her cheeks. His eyebrows had furrowed at her answer and when she tried to pull herself back into him, he held her in place—making her whine softly. “Don’t you ever apologise to me. Not over this, Alice. I don’t ever want to hear those words come from your mouth, do you hear me? I’m no monster…I know this isn’t just another job. But it is now our responsibility to see it through.” 

“You’re too good at this, Ominis,” Alice said, gently straightening out his coat which had now been dishevelled by her touch and he smiled softly at her words. She did mean it though, Ominis always knew exactly what to say and he did it with such ease—that it felt as if he had practised it beforehand. But truthfully, it was just another thing he was perfect at and she welcomed it openly. “Let’s just get this over with…I don’t wish to stay here, longer than needed.” 

“I’ll be right here, you can even hold my hand…if you need to.”

Alice smiled weakly and leaned up to plant a soft kiss against his cheek, before she even realised what she was doing and pulled away. Ominis’ eyes had widened just enough to show that he was surprised by the sudden reaction and so Alice quickly took a step back, reaching slowly for her lips. “Ominis…I…I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” 

“It’s alright, tensions are high…I understand. Do not concern yourself,” Ominis said, his voice a little shy and as she watched him turn slightly, reaching a hand to his cheek—the guilt returned in the pit of Alice’s stomach and she frowned, biting at her nails, before moving to look around the room. “Will you…can you tell me what you see?”

“Words…just tons of words, scratched into the walls—against the floor. It’s as if he was trying to remember them…or, wait.”  

Moving past Ominis slowly, making sure to give him a gentle squeeze on the arm, almost in hopes to make the situation less awkward. Alice used her wand to illuminate the darkened walls of the cell, before she realised that some words had been underlined. But what seemed more strange was that the certain words, which had been marked, were perhaps trying to tell them something and soon enough—Alice picked up on what Sebastian had left them. 

“You were right, Ominis. He’s left us something indeed,” Alice said, her voice still shaky and despite clearly feeling proud of herself for figuring it out, her heart still ached from just being in amongst the walls of his cell and so she hummed sadly and turned towards Ominis. “There are certain words spread around the cell that have been underlined, but that’s not all. Within those certain words, each one has a number of lines etched underneath them—”

“A message—he left us a message.”

Alice nodded and moved towards Ominis, outstretching her hand to him. Magic was not allowed to be used within the walls of Azkaban, perhaps with the worry of the prisoners being able to get a hold of it and so they had to go old school. “Do you still have that pen and notepad? I think I can decipher his message.”

“I’m surprised the others didn’t notice this,” Ominis said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out what she needed, before he smiled as she quickly took it and turned him around. Ominis understood well that she wouldn’t want to sit against the floor of the cell, so he happily offered his back—which she used for a table. “Perhaps, they just didn’t look hard enough.”

“It’s a little on the nose…but I only noticed it by accident. Perhaps, they didn’t see the need to linger here.” 

Ominis chuckled softly and Alice whined as the pen slipped slightly, smudging her writing. She had now pushed him towards the wall and placed her wand between her teeth, narrowing her eyes faintly, just enough to still see the walls and when she wrote down the final word—she pulled away. “So? What does it say?”

“It says—’in the heart of where lovers once shared their first kiss, there lies a letter. Find it.’—I suppose, even being in here, he didn’t lose his love for the theatrics,” Alice said, her eyes scanning over the paper, rereading it as if she had gotten it wrong and yet it matched perfectly with what was scratched out against the walls of the cell. “I might be wrong…but I think I might know of this place.” 

“Are you saying this is about you and him?”

Alice looked up as her hands started to shake and she realised Ominis had turned to face her, his jaw tensed just enough that she could see it had caught him off guard and she hummed sadly. They should have known that Sebastian would have pulled something like this, but what did it mean? “Well…there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” 

“And where does this letter lead us, Alice?” Ominis asked, his words suddenly more tense and although he was trying to sound like it hadn’t bothered him, for the first time—Alice noticed the shift in his voice and she pouted slightly as she reached for him, only to pull back slowly. “This feels almost too intimate, I wonder how Sebastian would feel with you sharing it with me.” 

“If…I’m right, our next stop is Hogwarts—the Undercroft, to be more exact.”

Ominis chuckled a little defeated and straightened his coat, perhaps to keep his hands preoccupied before he raised his wand and pointed towards the door. Alice could see that this hurt him, in a different way from simply getting a step closer to finding Sebastian and she desperately wished to reach for him—but she couldn’t move and he exhaled softly, moving towards the door. “Well, it seems that we have to take a trip down memory lane. Shall we?” 

Alice didn’t hesitate with leaving, wishing to be as far away from Azkaban as she could possibly be, but knowing that Ominis was upset—made her stomach twist uncomfortably. But, he could never truly stay mad at her for very long and he knew deep down that this situation was going to be hard for the both of them and so he hummed softly, reaching out his hand. There were too many memories attached to this job and Ominis knew it was only going to get worse, the closer they got to Sebastian and so he chose to ignore his feelings—at least for now.

Once Alice took his hand, her grip tightening almost immediately, Ominis forced a smile and pulled her closer. He didn’t want her to feel guilty, his unrequited feelings weren't her fault, but it sure did suck. The pair eventually made their way outside, thankful that the icy wind had grown still with the evening sky and without another word—perhaps just desperate to get this over with, they quickly apparated back to where their story began. 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.