#ari and fae both look like their mother
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doing some experimenting with Ari's dad's colors for a family portrait type thing .... still unsure but I wanted to share him bc he's so ... Altmer
#Vaelcelmo#his feathered / furred capelet is made of. indrik hide#I'll detail it when i fully paint it eventually#it's part of a bigger thing im doing for ari so it's going to take. ages. but i was just scribbling#on my lunch break#but yeah aris dad looks the Most Typical altmer out of the family#ari and fae both look like their mother#who I'm excited to paint eventually bc shes going to challenge me with all the sparkly accessories she has#mostly using this whole piece to push myself to improve certain things#and doing some base colors to see how cohesive it all looks together#im not good at color theory but i want this to look good so it's going to Force me to pay attention
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Carbon Copy
@elorcanweek2022 Day 4: What The Future Holds
Headcanons because vacation brain is too fried to write into a fic. Might become an actual fic at some point, though...
Warnings: Mentions of infertility and miscarriage, references to sex
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Elide and Lorcan discuss having kids for a LONG time
Decide to wait until Perranth is stable before trying
Both know Elide’s mortality means they don’t have forever
But both completely content to be just the two of them
They start trying for a baby when Elide is 22
First year, nothing.
Kind of expected conceiving to take a while, the healers warned them that couples who start trying for a baby often take more than a year before they find out they’re pregnant
Lysandra welcomes her firstborn, a boy, when Elide is 23, and Auntie Elide really gets baby fever from spending time with baby Emerson Ashryver
By this point, Lorcan and Elide both ready to be parents
Even though they’re also terrified
A few months after Emerson is born, Elide starts showing early signs of pregnancy
Morning sickness, fatigue, irritability with her council
Lorcan tries over and over to get her to see a healer, but she’s adamant that it’s just stress
Finally the morning sickness is awful one morning, so she asks the local healer to come visit
And it turns out she’s eleven weeks pregnant.
Lorcan was right. And ecstatic.
They keep it between just the two of them for at least a month
Four weeks later, shortly before they were planning to announce the pregnancy, Elide wakes up with severe cramps
She asks Lorcan to call for the healer immediately, which he does, and then he spends the next several hours pacing outside the bedroom because he got kicked out the moment the healer arrived
By dusk, the room had gone quiet. Too quiet. He peeks in to find Elide in bed, pale and red-eyed, the healer--two healers--cleaning up the room.
She doesn’t speak for a long time, but he can feel her grief, her pain, despite them not being mated. So he just slides into bed next to her and wraps her into his arms, offering her a space to grieve
They think they can’t conceive after that, at least not for a long time.
Of course, that doesn’t in any way mean they have to be celibate
Nine months later, as Elide and Lorcan both are beginning to look to the future while still mourning the miscarriage, she starts exhibiting the same symptoms as the last time
This time, she writes to Yrene right away, asking if she’ll visit Perranth
Yrene comes down and checks on her, and sure enough, Elide is six weeks pregnant
She’s terrified, especially after losing a pregnancy, and she wants to know everything she can do to prevent another loss
Yrene calms her down, tells her she can still go about her regular business, but if she feels anything change, to notify her right away
Lorcan all but carries his wife around their home. Sometimes he does carry her. Elide protests, of course, but she secretly loves him expressing his affection and concern like that
Territorial mother hen Fae bastard though he is
First trimester is a little rough, but things calm down in the second trimester and the third is smooth sailing
Plus a lot of “get your massive spawn out of me” // “oh, I will”
Inducing labor *wink wink*
Actual labor is long but not complicated. Lorcan holds Elide’s hand through the contractions, says he’s going to stay for the whole process
Then baby’s head starts to crown and he, Lord Lorcan Salvaterre Lochan, battle-hardened Fae warrior, Hellas’s Blessed, turns green at the gills and has to leave the room
It’s a girl! Arisa Marion Lochan
Lorcan melts into a puddle the first time he holds his daughter
She’s a little carbon copy of her father, down to the scowl she develops at eighteen months.
But her first word is “mama.” Followed quickly by “no,” “dada,” (Elide never gets over the way she says “no” before “dada”), “food,” and “shit”
Yes, Ari says “shit” at two years old. Blame her uncles.
At five, Ari has a very very bad day and is angry-crying/screaming when she shifts into Fae form
Everyone is shocked, especially her parents
They weren’t expecting any of their children to have Fae forms
As she grows older, Ari ends up spending more time with Aunt Aelin and Uncle Rowan, learning to master her shifting
When she’s seven, Elide and Lorcan welcome her siblings
Yes, siblings.
Elide gives birth to twin boys, Daric and Callan (Cal)
Ari is the best big sister
When the twins are old enough, she becomes their favorite person because she shows them all the hidden nooks of Perranth Manor
There’s an...incident...
All three Lochan kids hide behind the wall of the council room and make spooky noises, convincing a few superstitious old ambassadors that the place is haunted
Elide knows it’s her kids and she’s less than impressed when the meeting ends and she has to stalk over to the peephole and order the culprits out
They spend the next month doing early-morning exercises with Lorcan but it was worth it
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The Secret Kingdom, Marked
Word Count: 933
Warnings: none really/implied smut
Jake sighed happily the following morning as he opened his eyes. His hand instantly went to his neck, where he felt the jagged lines of his mate’s mark. It wasn’t clean like the one Ari had left on him, or even like the one that Ember had left.
He smiled as he thought of the passion filled night that they had shared. Images of Ransom’s teeth biting into his flesh and the bond opening flooded his mind. The way his mate wrapped around him and how his knot felt plugging Ransom up.
His hand reached out to his lover, who was snoring softly beside him, his own mating mark standing out proudly on the side of his neck amidst his otherwise unmarred skin. The smile further tugged at his lips.
Jake had never been so proud of something, but the mark felt less like a placeholder. He knew that Ransom was his true mate, more so than he’d ever felt with Ember. The connection was far deeper, and last night when they were wrapped up in one another’s arms, it had been proven.
“This all seems too good to be true,” Jake admitted as he watched Ransom tenderly lay his pup down in her little princess bed. He watched his mate kiss her temple and tuck her in, whispering for her to have the sweetest of dreams. His heart swelled as he acknowledged the interactions between the man he hardly knew and his own blood. Somehow it all felt too perfect, like this was how it was supposed to be, “y-you’re so perfect with her.”
Ransom gave Jake a soft smile, his arm looping around Jake’s waist, “did you wa-
Jake leaned forward and kissed Ransom, cutting the king of the kingdom off. The fae felt his heart flutter as his eyes closed and he melted into the kiss. The rest of the conversation dropped out of his mind as his hands trailed up Jake’s chest. A rumble started low in his abdomen, working its way up his throat. Ransom pulled away with a chuckle, lightly pushing Jake from him, “I told myself I’d behave around you, sweet alpha…that I’d give you time. I don’t want to scare you away. I can be quite intense…but you are making it hard to control myself.”
Jake felt his cock twitch at the words, as he looked down to Ransom’s own cloth covered cock. He felt himself salivating as he noticed Ransom twitch as well.
“I want to taste you,” Both men blushed at the blunt outburst from Jake; Ransom, not having been used to hearing someone speak to him so openly, but Jake, because it truly wasn’t in his nature to be that up front with someone. He paled, “I-I’m sorry, I-“
“Don’t apologize mate,” Ransom all but purred, pushing his way back to the young, virile alpha. Jake started rumbling again, but this time, Ransom’s hands trailed down Jake’s chest, towards his throbbing member, “you know…no one has ever spoken to me like that…and-it feels so dirty…but so liberating…you see me as an equal…not-not some untouchable thing…”
Jake’s rumbling stopped as he looked into Ransom’s eyes. And he recognized a sadness behind the delightful, joyous blue orbs. A sadness that was in his own soul. A loneliness. Jake leaned forward and delicately nuzzled Ransom’s jaw; the only comfort technique he’d remembered from when he was a pup, before his father chased his mother off.
Ransom softly chuckled, “W-what are you doing, my sweet wolf?”
“Comforting you,” Jake replied softly, nuzzling deeper against his jaw until he started pushing down his throat, “I see your loneliness…I know how much hurt comes with that…and I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you through it.”
Ransom frowned, pulling his mate’s face away from his, holding it in his hands. Jake looked upset, and it tore him up inside. He leaned forward and rubbed his nose against Jake’s, “do not apologize for what was not your fault my love.”
“I-I can feel it. You’re my mate…it was my fault that I wasn’t here soo-“
“If you were here sooner, we wouldn’t have our daughter,” Ransom cooed softly, cutting the wolf up. He leaned up and kissed Jake’s nose, “and I would gladly accept that trade of a few nights without you if it meant having our Miracle…she completes us, Jake. She completes our little family.”
Jake sighed softly, knowing that Ransom was right. When Miracle was born, something awoke in Jake, and he knew that the energy in the universe was right. He may have hated Rain for what she did…but if she hadn’t done it, he probably wouldn’t be with this man that he had such an instant connection with.
“All things in this universe happen for a reason, Jake,” Ransom said softly, pressing a firm kiss to his mate’s lips, “and all of it has led me to you, and you to me…and we share our daughter because of it.”
“If I asked you to take me to your bedroom and make me yours…would you?”
“My alpha, I would make you mine and you would make me yours,” Ransom replied sweetly, “I would make love to you in our bed, and then complete the marking process if that’s what you wish. I desperately want to feel you…to be with you, Jake.”
“i-I want that.”
“My sweet wolf, I will spend the rest of our lives giving you everything your heart desires,” Ransom purred as he took his mate’s hands so that he could lead him to his room, “my sweet prince, our lives our complete now.”
#fated au#the secret kingdom#a/b/o fic#a/b/o au#a/b/o#soft jake jensen#jake jensen smut#jake jensen#alpha jake jensen#werewolf#fae ransom drysdale#faerie king#hugh ransom drysdale#ransom drysdale#ransom smut#knives out au#knives out#chris evans characters
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INTRODUCING HAROLD BELPHEGOR. A DEMON FROM ECHO CREEK.
All of Harold’s life he was never told no. He was born in the Underworld and his father was the one sitting on the throne. He was given anything he wanted at a moment’s demand. This made him a rather bratty child but more than that he was a hot head. No one ever wanted to be on the receiving end of Harold’s anger. It never ended well.
When he became of age Harold took over the throne for his father. Being able to call the throne his own was something he’d looked forward to his entire life. Except, he sucked at being a ruler and only ever did anything out of his own self interest. He tormented the dead souls down below and didn’t do well for the ‘people’ of the Underworld. Eventually, he was overthrown by the Lucitors and banished to live above ground.
Harold didn’t take lightly to the betrayal of his own people, and he especially had it out for the Lucitors now especially their son, Tom. He was going to do anything he could to torment the brat, but from a distance.
Bringing along Paxton and Paul above ground was a last resort. He wasn’t going alone and they would blindly follow him through the fire that was becoming his life. Sometimes he wishes he never brought the idiots, but he needed someone to be loyal to him until the very end.
Living in Echo Creek took a lot of getting used to. It was much more…bright than the Underworld. After he got his own place and made it as livable as possible he knew what he wanted to do next. He wanted to take back the throne that was rightfully his. He’s never been a patient man but he knew he had to play the long game in this one. He is patient when it’s convenient for him.
Opening up a mortuary seemed pretty obvious for a guy who used to rule the dead. Harold had other motives though. He didn’t care about helping the living mourn their loved ones. He sure was a good actor though. What he cared about was the souls of the dead. Harold knew if he could capture the souls before the crossed over completely he could build an army and take back what’s rightfully his. To do that though he needed more than just souls and two idiots. He needed people to do his bidding.
Over time Harold had made a name for himself in helping people. They did something for him and in return he would make true their deepest desire. It was almost fate that day Megara walked in and asked him for his help. The girl was doomed from the start but Harold didn’t care. She would be a perfect asset.
After Megara came Hektor. The man was beyond strong and Harold knew he was not an ordinary human. It was like a blessing that Meg brought him in. Harold promised to help him control his strength if he too did his biddings like Meg did. He wanted to find out where Hektor was really from though and why he had such incredible strength. So, he did. And he never told a soul, living or dead.
Sometimes Harold thinks it was a mistake contacting his family. His father was killed and his mother told Harold he had an older brother living above ground. Some half-fae/half-demon guy a few years older than him. Harold was hellbent on finding him because he was curious and he knew someone with both light and dark magic in their blood would be so valuable to have.
Harold has learned to indulge in human lifestyles. He likes the food, he enjoys sex, and has picked up a few bad habits along the way. But, hey! Who doesn’t pick up bad habits? He just tries to blend in, knowing if his plans get leaked he’ll be screwed.
He’s an Aries sun, Aries moon, Aries rising.
#animaniahqintro#🔥 i’ll fill your double cup with dreams and watch you cough them up | HEADCANON#🔥 they said the world does not belong to you; it belongs to me | ABOUT
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About Theo
Full Name: Theo Amat Tazian
Meaning of Name:
‘Theo’ is the Greek word for god. It’s purposefully shortened from her previous name, which meant ‘a gift from god,’ as she didn’t identify with the gift part.
‘Amat’ is a matronymic and short for Tiamat, the Babylonian goddess of the sea.
‘Tazian’ is an Armenian name meaning ‘greyhound,’ referring to her family’s history as game wardens for various Obalar ruling families.
Family: Her immediate family includes her mother Amat, father Vahe, and aunt Dzovig. Less immediate are her paternal grandmother Raqel and grandfather Melik, as well as her maternal aunts and auncles Zerya, Kanî, and Derav.
Nicknames: She wanted a nickname deeply, but never got one. When she needs an alias, she uses the name Nara.
Favourite Meal: Knafeh, a sweet layered pastry.
Favourite Drink: Lemon sherbet with honey.
Favourite Flower: Calla lilies.
Birthday: April 4th.
Height: 6’0".
Gender: In Nayiri terms, Theo identifies as a nebulous mixture of kalanere and ninvaran. In modern terms, she identifies as nonbinary, transfeminine and femme!
Pronouns: She/they/fae.
Romantic/Sexual orientation: Biromantic and bisexual.
Zodiac: Aries Sun, Virgo Moon, Aquarius Rising.
Patron Arcana: The Tower.
Appearance:
She can’t sit still, ever. She talks loudly and with her hands, usually close to the listener. This can come off as intense and theatrical.
Her skin is pinkish-brown and prone to blushing. She takes excellent care of it, applying sunscreen, creams, and oils every day. Orchid-brown hyperpigmentation decorates her short neck, armpits, eyelids, upper lip and stomach.
Her eyes are slim, clear, and expressive. Their black color and long lashes make her look quite doe-like. She avoids eye contact.
Her nose is prominent and curves like a drawn bow.
Her lips are full, with a larger top lip than bottom and a catlike, upturned shape. She always appears to be on the edge of a smile. There is a gap between her two front teeth.
Her hair is short, thick, and curly, a warm black color gemmed with red highlights and parted on the side. The only thing she shaves is her face.
She is strongly built and pear-shaped, with long dancer’s legs, a thick waist, a full stomach, and apple-shaped hips. The stretch marks on her hips look like lightning strikes.
Her shoulders are broad, but rounded. She has small hands and short, tapered fingers and dimpled knuckles. Her feet are equally small, flat-arched, with square toes.
Languages Spoken: Nayiri (Mountains Dialect), a small amount of Karani and Taramisian.
Hobbies:
Dancing, both choreographed and spontaneous, for war and games and weddings. She took lessons for years in individual, partnered and collective dance, and carries it with her even now as a source of endless joy.
Animal husbandry. Dzoram, in particular, is home to many sheep and goat herders whom Theo learned from. Specific tasks include milking, shearing, hoof trimming, and treating maladies like ringworm. When she was little, she often hid among the sheep when they piled in their shed and fell asleep, sparking many a panicked search when night fell.
Sculpture and pottery. The former is restricted to mostly small figurines. The latter often includes painting in small, repeating floral and geometric patterns that Theo finds awfully tedious compared to the actual shaping of the clay.
Gardening. Another name for her home province is the Valley of Flowers. Arrowheads, irises, poppies, roses, and lavender grew in abundance there. Lavender fields surround the abbey in Taramis, much to her delight.
Rock collecting. Her love for jewelry cannot be overstated, but it’s not always practical to wear while working. She gets the same bliss from collecting, categorizing, cleaning and displaying any rocks and crystals she finds. Her favorite are rose quartz and aragonite.
Magical Abilities: Her aura is cloud-like, billowing, and impossible to miss to the magically inclined. Her natural magical abilities are suited to pyromancy, light magic, plant magic, and other magics that accelerate natural processes like rusting metal or healing and scarring over wounds. Her magic has the potential to misfire disastrously, however. Her control over it is tentative. She has suppressed it. Throughout her story, she learns to accommodate, trust, and ultimately embrace her own magic.
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About - Fane Lavellan
Thank you for the tag @noire-pandora!
Name: Fane Lavellan (Aterian)
Alias: Tempest, Fae, Dragon, Vhenan, Ma’isenatha, Inquisitor, Herald, Dragon of the Dread, He Who Flies Above
Gender: Male
Age: 24 years old at the beginning of Inquisition. 26 (going on 27) years old at the end of Trespasser. (Draconic age is roughly 5,000 years old. I haven’t decided yet.)
Species: Dalish Elf (White Dragon)
Zodiac: aquarius / aries / cancer / capricorn / gemini / leo / libra / pisces / sagittarius / scorpio / taurus / virgo / unknown
Abilities/Talents: Fane’s a warrior; a two handed primarily, but will switch depending on the situation. Has abilities akin to a Reaver’s, but they are more from his inherent nature than the consuming of dragon’s blood and magic. Able to detect emotion through a person’s eye color (again, an inherent ability from when he was a dragon). He adores poetry, sometimes going so far as to write it himself. He also has a special knack for crafting armor and weapons through observation of another alone.
{𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙}
Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true (with some chaotic parts) (I had to research a little since Fane leans like three different ways lol )
Religion: Fane doesn’t believe in any kind of higher power. He knows there are beings that can have power akin to a god (Solas, the Evanuris, etc.). However, he doesn’t revere them as such, even before he realized what he was. He respects the physical world, and follows its laws, not a supposed god’s.
Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath
Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience
Languages: Common tongue, Elvhen (He speaks it as fluently as Solas, but only when he’s either overwhelmed with emotion or furiously angry.) He can write in Elvhen, as well. He also picks up on Tevene and Antivan after Trespasser due to operations he does for himself and Solas. (They work together against the Inquisition in my AU)
Family: His biological parents were dragons, but Fane doesn’t remember them, nor will he ever. Mortal family includes his sister, Mhairi Lavellan (the two three years apart), his deceased mother, Eloris Lavellan, and his missing father, Arsas Lavellan. (Fane is not upset that his ‘father’ is missing.) He feels no kinship with the clan, opting to avoid them all together when he can.
Friends: Solas is Fane’s closest friend and lover (They are extremely close even before Fane’s identity is known). He is also extremely close to Varric, Cole, Cullen, my Hawke (Rylen), and Leliana.
Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bi-/pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other
Relationship status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating/ (It’s not official, but dammit! He and Solas are practically married with how I write them! XD)
Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent (Fane is more of an emotionally connected person. However, if Solas gets him at the right time, then that sex drive skyrockets.)
{𝑃ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙}
Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese
Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other
Eyes: brown / blue / green and gold (changes depending on emotions or when he uses his draconic abilities) / black / other (gold)
Skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other
Height: 6′1. Fane isn’t as large as a Qunari, nor as tall, but he’s much larger than the average elf. (His body is a source of pain for him since the Dalish constantly called him ‘Fen’harel’s spawn’, ‘monster’, or ‘Elgar’nan’s bastard’ It takes him a very long time to accept his features).
Weight: He averages about 170lbs to 180lbs. (I haven’t really thought about this actually, but most of his weight is sheer muscle. Not beefy boy, but Fane is ripped. XD)
Scars: His entire torso, arms, and legs are covered in patch work scars from his father’s abuse and experiments. The mark also scars his entire upper and lower arm before Solas takes it away.
He has a singular deep scar on his left cheek from Haven after Solas had to more or less attack Fane because Corypheus’s use of the orb caused the magic from the mark to surge to Fane’s mind - sending him into an insanity induced frenzy.
He hides the scars on his body with elven leather wraps (the only elven or Dalish inspired clothing that he wears.)
Facial Features: Fane has a very angular face depending on the light and angle. Straight on it appears more square while a profile view is more serpentine. Naturally hooded eyes with slightly high cheekbones. His lips are practically average, but generally display a constant look of boredom or indifference.
Tattoos: Sylaise’s vallaslin. He took it as a way of hiding his face, eyes, and emotional pain, but it only ended up causing him more. Once he learns of his draconic heritage, he asks Solas to take them away since the history they represent infuriates him. (Fane has an acute sensitivity to magic, so Solas’s spell doesn’t take place until the two leave the Inquisition.)
{𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒}
Dogs or Cats?
Birds or Hamsters?
Snakes or Spiders?
Red or Blue? (Can you guess why? *waggles eyebrows*)
Yellow or Green?
Black or White?
Coffee or Tea?
Ice Cream or Cake?
Fruits or Vegetables?
Sandwich or Soup?
Magic or Melee?
Sword or Bow?
Summer or Winter?
Spring or Autumn?
The Past or The Future? Both. Fane is heavily mired in the past, but he uses it to shape the future with how he believes it should be.
Tagging @oxygenforthewicked @dreadfutures @dirthavarens and anyone else who would like to do this! (Oh my god I tagged people, oh boy, oh boy! No pressure of course!)
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Nesryn x Sartaq baby headcanons
Meet all the hot royal people! There’s a lot of them!
- So you see, with all the other royal people it was different
- They just have to produce one heir. One.
-For Nesryn and Sartaq? at least two
-Preferably way more
-The current Khagan is in good health, though, so they have a bit to wait
-Which is good, because Nesryn is still mildly freaked out about the whole 'might become empress of the mightiest kingdom in the world' thing
-With her whole family living in the Southern Continent now, Nesryn is content
-She and Sartaq spend a lot of time in the mountains with the ruks
-And she actually has a part in Borte and Yeran's wedding. Nesryn and Borte pretty much become bffs.
-However, duty calls, and Sartaq must return
-And though he says she can stay in the mountains, Nesryn decides to return with him
-All of the royal siblings have pretty much accepted Nesryn as their new sister. (Some more than others, cough cough Arghun)
-And so they don't mind letting her sit in on important meetings.
-In fact, her advice is often valued
-Although the current empress is a very quiet woman, she takes a liking to Nesryn quickly. She can be seen sometimes, whispering to her son about what a good choice he made in wife
-Though she is very happy in the Southern Continent, Nesryn does miss her friends a lot
-She writes, but it can take months for mail to reach the mainland, so sometimes she just doesn't even try
-When the first Peace Ball is held, Nesryn is over the moon
-But it just takes so much time to get there and back that she and Sartaq admit they really can't go every year. Instead they settle for every other year
-Duva has had her baby, a little boy named Taran
-After his birth, Nesryn mentions that Sartaq should probably tell his siblings what the two of them have planned
-Which he insists she must do as well, since she helped him think of what to say
-So the future empress and emperor tell the other royal siblings this:
-They will break the tradition of killing the opposing siblings. They will leave them to live their lives, so long as they never pose a threat of any kind
-And it hurts Sartaq's heart, but he must say his conditions
-If either of them find out about scheming or betrayal, all the siblings and their children lose their lives. They will not tolerate anything of the sort
-But, thankfully, even Arghun and Hasar, notorious for their scheming, agree to the terms
-Nesryn and Sartaq get married about a year later
-Hasar, Duva, Renia, Delara, and Borte are all there to help her get dressed, and Nesryn has never felt happier
-At least, until she is officially married to the love of her life
-Chaol and Yrene actually make it just in time, and all of Nesryn's nieces, nephews, and little cousins are running around. They've even adopted one-year-old Taran into their group
-The two retreat to the mountains for a month-long honeymoon, because they can
-And they spend a long time in just pure marriage bliss
-Eventually, they return
-And Nesryn gets to work helping out
-She quickly becomes a favorite of the people. Neith's Arrow, their own future empress
-Thankfully, with the Southern Continent having such a casual culture, nobody minds Nesryn wearing riding leathers or sparring clothes around the palace. So long as she dresses up nicely for formal events, they couldn't care less
-She is able to spend a lot of time with her family, baking sweets in their kitchen
-Their sugared almond puffs can put even the palace cooks to shame
-Everything is good, peaceful, and happy
-When they attend a Peace Ball, Nesryn manages to find herself enamoured with the little Fae babies running around everywhere. Aelin and Rowan make some damn cute kids
-And Nesryn can't really help herself
-On the trip home, she gets a terrible case of seasickness
-But when it doesn't stop, even after being home for weeks, she and Sartaq start to suspect something is up
-And, sure enough, Nesryn is pregnant
-To say they are ecstatic is an understatement
-It isn't long before everyone in the palace knows
-Everyone congratulates them, even Arghun, who looks very slightly pissed off the whole time
-Sartaq is a bit of an overbearing mother hen throughout the whole thing, even though Nesryn promises him she's fine
-She spends a lot of time with her sister, because Delara has had four kids already, you know?
-And also she's craving sweets 24/7
-Nesryn actually goes past her due date, and that sucks because she feels like a whale
-At this point she's like "Sartaq I can't believe you did this to me"
-When she finally goes into labor, it's a blessing
-Duva is there, because despite her vapidness, she has had a baby and knows what Nesryn needs
-Delara doesn't get the message until later, and arrives right before Nesryn starts pushing
-With her sister and sister-in-law coaching her, Nesryn has the strength she needs to give birth
-It's a beautiful baby boy with his father's face
-Sartaq is so in love with his new son and with his amazing, incredible wife
-They name him Kasem, which means 'happiness'
-Kasem grows up with tons of aunties and uncles. He always has someone to watch him, no matter what time of day
-They take him to the mountains when he is six months old, in the middle of summer so he doesn't have to spend the night in the cold
-Kadara and Salkhi love the little babe a lot. They are gentle, even when he tugs on their feathers
-Borte is absolutely in love with her little nephew
-A year after Kasem's birth, Duva and her husband have a baby girl named Haya
-And when Kasem is two, Borte and Nesryn both become pregnant
-Nesryn spends most of her pregnancy in the mountains with Borte, and the two are practically joined at the hip
-Her second pregnancy is much easier, though she still has awful morning sickness in the beginning
-Borte gives birth first, to a baby girl she names Indra
-Nesryn is not far behind, having her second baby barely a week after Borte
-It's a girl as well
-She is named Dara, which means 'pearl of wisdom'
-And sure enough, little Dara is very wise
-She always seems to be very smart and mature for her age
-Around the same time Nesryn and Borte have their babies, Arghun's wife has their first child, a girl named Maleia
-Dara likes her cousins a lot, though she is always closer to Indra than Maleia
-In the coming years, more babies are born
-Borte and Yeran have another little girl named Varsha, and Arghun becomes a father to another daughter, who he names Vanida
-For Nesryn and Sartaq, they are content with their little family, for the time being
-Dara loves books a lot, and when she goes to her first Peace Ball, she becomes best friends with Aris, Dorian and Manon's daughter
-She is also the darling of the public. She loves people and attention at all times
-Kasem is a very confident little boy, often boasting that he can beat anybody at anything
-Needless to say, he gets a few lessons in losing graciously
-Kasem and Dara are best friends as well, and they love to be around their (much) older cousins and baking with their mother's side of the family
-When Kasem is eight, Nesryn finds out she is pregnant again
-Since it's been a while since her last pregnancy, this one is fairly difficult. She stays in the palace a lot and is tired all the time
-But she thankfully delivers a health baby girl she names Dhyana, which means 'meditation'
-She's only just getting used to having a new baby when...
-Nesryn finds out she's expecting again
-She isn't sure how to feel. She's happy for another baby, but she doesn't know if she's prepared to have two little ones at the same time
-But, she knows she's going to have a lot of help
-I would also like to add... Sartaq is an amazing father
-He is so very patient, with his kids and with others
-No matter what, he always makes time for them
-He grew up feeling distant from his parents, and he doesn't want that for his children
-And Nesryn, she's a great mom
-She's definitely the fun parent
-The kids love to watch her because everything she does is just so mesmerizing
-And she's a great singer
-When she's on the mainland, people often ask her and Rowan for duets because they have amazing singing voices and they sound pretty good together actually
-But she always sings her kids to sleep
-And every single time Sartaq falls in love with her all over again
-No matter what kind of day they've had, whether they argued or they just cuddled all day, Sartaq can always count on hearing her sing to their kids
-The next baby they have is a little boy
-His name is Ronin, which means 'warrior'
-Ronin is the shyest of Nesryn and Sartaq's children
-He gets along well with Dara, because he likes to read and create
-The same year he is born, Kashin and his new wife have a baby boy named Haider
-Sometimes Nesryn will just find him wandering around the palace halls, lost in his own little world
-Two years after Ronin's birth, Hasar and Renia announce that they are going to have a baby
-The man who did it is kept a closely guarded secret, but nobody really cares about him
-Hasar and Renia have a baby boy named Rangsey
-And Nesryn... wants another baby
-Which she never thought she'd say, seeing as she has four kids already
-But Sartaq agrees wholeheartedly, and Nesryn finds herself pregnant again
-This pregnancy... is tough
-It's the hardest one she's ever gone through
-She's terribly exhausted all the time, sometimes even so tired she can't tuck her kids in. Sartaq is not a good replacement singer
-Thankfully, though, the terrible pregnancy leads to an easy birth, with a beautiful, healthy baby girl at the end
-This baby is the last one Nesryn will ever have. She is sure her family is complete
-The baby is named Akira, which means 'intelligent and bright'
-Akira is a little warrior. She adores watching the soldiers train
-When she is two, her family travels out to the plains of the horse-people to visit Kashin's new son, Kiran
-After taking one ride on a horse, Akira never wants to leave
-Of course, she must, but there are a lot of tears that day
-All the kids grow up in a palace full of aunties, uncles, and cousins everywhere
-They are adored by the people, and by their parents
-And every time she looks at them, Nesryn can hardly believe how far she's come
-A lowly guard patrolling Adarlan's slums, and suddenly she's in line to be the empress of the strongest empire in the world, with an incredible husband she loves with her whole heart and five amazing children
-Nesryn has found her place
-In the story Worlds of Fire and Darkness, Kasem is 18, Dara is 16, Dhyana is 9, Ronin is 8, and Akira is 5. There are so many other kids but know they range from 22 to 3.
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Raiders of the Lost Arf || Layla and Kaden
TIMING: After Celeste’s death, Before the June Full Moon
LOCATION: Animal shelter
PARTIES: @laylacooke and @chasseurdeloup
SUMMARY: Layla comes to the shelter to adopt Indiana Bones and Kaden ends up helping a teen wolf.
It had taken Layla a lot of courage to return to Animal Control, especially knowing that Kaden knew exactly what she was. They had, after all, faced a poltergeist together. But all she could think about lately, aside from Celeste and the heartbreaking fate she ended up facing, was the small puppy she had fallen in love with the night she had first went to AC. With a deep breath and a new found courage, she stepped across the threshold only to be greeted by a smiling face, “Hi there! What can I help you with today?” The woman was kind, and it was refreshing to hear. The idea of encountering Kaden first hadn’t sat well with and had almost been the reason, she had not come in. “You guys have a puppy; Indy. I was wanting to start the adoption process for him.” A soft smile spread across her face, as her heart started to flutter in a good way knowing Indy would be coming home with her soon.
Kaden had a scared stray cat with him who he needed to drop off, one of the few normal moments in his job in a while. Earlier that day he had dealt with an amphisbaena that had gotten into someone’s home and then later he had to shoo a bonedoggle away from a trash compactor. Finding and helping a stray cat who might find a nice home was a welcome break. Even if the fucker had taken a couple swipes at him before Kaden could get it in the cat carrier. Cat safely left in a crate and ready to be treated by the vet and all the files squared away, he decided to take a few minutes to say hi to whoever was at the front desk, maybe see if any of the animals had been adopted recently, the nice fluffy part of his job. He didn’t expect to see a familiar redhead at the front desk. To be fair, he felt the chill down his spine before he saw her, he’d just pushed it aside temporarily. He should really turn and walk away, let the staff take care of this so he could get back to work. Didn’t feel right to just leave, though. “I’m assuming you’re here to pick up Indy?” he asked. It looked like the paperwork was complete or just about. “I can bring you back if you want. Do the whole double check, make sure it’s the right dog, procedure while they get you all squared away.”
Layla had been working on her paperwork, when the familiar scent had made its way through the building. Kaden. He was here. Memories of that night flashed through her mind, and she felt a phantom pain rush the stab wound that was now mostly just scabbed over; the last of the stitches Celeste had put in, coming out days prior. Pushing the paperwork over to the lady at the counter, she remained smiling, but that smile faltered a little when she saw him come out, “Yep. Told you I’d be back. Couldn’t leave the little guy here any longer.” She really didn’t want to be alone in a room with the man, but if it’s what she had to do to get the dog, then she would. “And sure. Lead the way.” She would follow him, reluctantly, when he was ready to take her back.
Kaden took her to the back right to where Indy’s cage was and the dog timidly got up to see who was there. One or two little sniffs in the air and he bounded over to the front of the cage to greet them. “Here he is,” he said. “Looks like he remembers you.” He smiled a little, almost forgetting the whole situation, what she was. Kaden wasn't entirely sure where whatever sympathy he felt for her came from, but it was there. That wasn't true, he knew a little. For one, it was hard not to feel a little empathy towards someone who loved animals as much as she clearly did. As much as he didn’t want to feel shit for a werewolf. But also their shared experience with hunter parents, the harsh life that comes with it; there was a reason it was so easy for him to find fast friends in just about any new town or city he went to, so long as there was a respite for hunters somewhere. Their backgrounds weren’t the same, surely, but close enough. Always was. “You have plans for him for the full moon?” he asked, looking back at the dog who seemed eager to say hello to both of them, but mostly Layla.
When they reached the cage, Layla kneeled down to greet Indy. There he was in all his small, fuzzy puppy glory. And she swore, she could see a smile on his little face. Sticking her fingers through the bars, she giggled as he licked them, “I’m so grateful he’s still here. I figured a little fella as cute as him would’ve gotten adopted much sooner.” She continued to play with him through the bars, until she heard Kaden’s question, “He’s staying with a friend. This dog will be nowhere near me when the full moon comes. If anything happened to him, because of what I am, I couldn’t live with myself.” She knew Indy could smell what she was, and maybe that’s why he was drawn to her so easily, but she would find a safe place for him days before the full moon.
“Well I made sure you had first choice, in case you decided to come back,” Kaden said plainly, like it was routine. “It was the least I could do after…” The poltergeist. He trailed off and looked around the place, remembering the state it had been in the last time the two of them were there and shuddered a little. “Good to hear. Also glad to hear you’re keeping others safe, too. You have that under control, right?” It was also good to hear she sounded reasonably responsible with her transformations, even if she was newer to them. “I’d worried about him feeling abandoned with you gone so soon after adopting him but he seems plenty attached. It should be fine.” He pulled out his keys and motioned for her to step away from the door a moment so he could open the door just enough to get through. “Did you bring your own collar and leash?” he asked as he pulled out a slip lead and slowly placed it around the dog’s head.
She hadn’t expected that kindness from Kaden, but she had appreciated it, “Thank you. That actually means more than you know.” She listened to him trail off. Layla didn’t want to remember that night just as much as he had. And in fact, she was almost waiting for something to happen. Being there had kept her on edge, but knowing that Indy would be coming home with her made things easier, “Yeah, Ari’s sister…” She looked down. “I know where to go and how to chain myself up. And I’ll bring someone along with me that I trust.” Lies. She didn’t know anyone, besides Frankie, and she wasn’t exposing her girlfriend to that. “Trust me, I’ll want nothing more than to snuggle with the little guy when I get home.” She did as he requested. As she watched Kaden slip inside, her heart started racing with excitement. The one thing she hadn’t got to do was hold Indy. A collar and leash? Shit. “Uh, I didn’t know I was supposed to...My parents...they had hunting dogs, but they were bought from breeders, so…” She had hoped this wouldn’t discourage the chance at taking the puppy home with her.
“I said I would,” he said just as simply as before. Kaden may not have been a fan of fae type promise bounds but going back on his word wasn’t something he was fond of. His brow furrowed at the mention of Ari. “Her… You mean Celeste?” It shouldn’t have surprised him that the hunter would find another stray werewolf, especially the child of hunter parents with a story so closely linked to her own. She really thought she could save them all, huh? He shook his head and bit back the threat of emotions. “As long as you have it handled.” With Indy on the leash, he opened the door back up and walked out, the dog trotting right over to her and standing on his back legs, front paws climbing up her legs to get closer to her. “It’s fine, they have some up front. You just have to pay for them.” And if she didn’t have the twenty bucks, he had a feeling he might cover it at this point. Which surely made him an idiot, going out of his way to help a werewolf. That dog looked so happy to see her, though. It tugged on his stupid heartstrings. “My mother only tolerated hunting dogs. When our friends had them. I wasn’t allowed to have any pets. I got Abel to be a hunting dog. He’s a bit of a dud on that front.”
Layla had appreciated him keeping his word. However, when he mentioned Celeste’s name, she could only nod quietly. She still couldn’t wrap her head around things. Couldn’t even begin to imagine what Ari was going through. “I do.” It’s all she said on the matter of chaining herself up, and her mind easily shifted when she saw Indy come over begging for her to pick him up. A smile spreading across her face, she leaned down and picked up the small puppy. Bringing him up to her face, she was showered in kisses, which made her laugh. “I hit the jackpot with you, didn’t I, little guy?” She returned the kisses, before lowering and cradling him in her arms. Kaden’s story had sounded similar to her’s. No matter how much she wanted a pet, her parents only allowed dogs that were strictly trained to attack and maim, “Same. Our dogs weren’t friendly. They had one job to do, and one job only.” She raised a hand up to show Kaden a scar from when she was a child, “It was my job to feed them, when I got old enough.”
“She was a good friend.” Kaden wasn’t sure what else to say. Surely Layla and her had bonded over their parents and the shitty situation they were in. He wanted to ask if she’d helped Layla. Or had offered to. But it sounded like she had it covered. He also wasn't sure how much he wanted to unload his feelings here and now. Or with her. Still, there was this tenuous connection he knew he shared with a werewolf by virtue of having both grown up with hunter parents. It was hard to wrap his head around. It was also hard for him to be fully comfortable with a werewolf owning a dog this close to the full moon. But if he turned a blind eye to what she was, pretended he could make an exception, maybe it would be okay. She was more prepared than most turned wolves anyway. It’d be fine. “Sounds about right. God forbid you keep anything that doesn’t serve a fucking purpose. At least so long as it serves no purpose for hunting.” Kaden hadn’t felt much resentment towards his parents in the past, not like this. He always understood where they came from, even if it was tough and hard and a little unforgiving at times. That was just the life they led. It was getting harder and harder to justify. Fucking hated that.
“She was.” She had tried to give herself time to mourn and grieve Celeste, but so much had been going on, and now, she was going to have this little guy to keep her company. The way he was licking her on the arm tickled and it made her smile. A smile she couldn’t let go of now that she was holding onto something that loved her so unconditionally and couldn’t judge her for the things she’d done. His words brought her back to the moment, “Right? Everything had to serve a purpose. That’s why my mother started me in archery so soon and in self-defense lessons. She wanted to make the perfect killing machine.” She looked back down to the small puppy and spoke in a higher pitched voice, “But it didn’t happen. No, it didn’t.” At least not in the way her parents had wanted. Layla looked back up at Kaden, “Kinda funny you ended up in Animal Control though. I mean, in the sense that you get to be around puppies and kittens all the time now that serve purposes in different ways. Kinder ways.”
“Did she help you?” Fuck. Kaden wished he hadn’t asked. He didn’t want to have to think about Celeste right now, not in public. Or care anymore about Layla. Or share anything more with her. He just wanted to do his job and give this dog a home and move on. “I mean I always liked animals. I just wasn’t really allowed to waste my time with them when there were monsters to learn about. As my parents put it.” His mother never let him get the Images Doc’s, French kid’s educational magazines, with the animals on the cover when he saw them in the grocery store. He constantly stole them from the stores, libraries and other kids, anywhere he could get his hands on them. He was shocked how rarely he got in trouble for doing it. Usually just got a look of pity from the adults in question, ire from his mother when she caught him. The flames still flickered in his mind when he remembered what happened when she found his stack one time. He pushed the thought away and led her and Indy to the front. “I’ve got the fee, Sarah,” he said to the woman at the front desk. “And going to need a collar and leash.”
Layla hadn’t expected to hear his question, and it had somewhat caught her off guard, but she answered anyways, “Um, yeah. She did. She was the one that stitched me up after, uh...after the stuff that happened here.” She didn’t want to further divulge anything, but she could tell in his voice that he was hurting too, “She was a good person, Kaden.” She bit her bottom lip and looked down at Indy, before letting the animal take her worries away once more, “Sounds about right, except I was kinda rebellious in certain ways. But they always made sure I paid for it.” Her smile faltered thinking about some of the things her parents had done to her, but she was relieved when Kaden took the lead and invited them to the front of the building. Following behind, she was surprised to hear he was offering to pay the fees for her, “Hey, thanks. I know I’m not your favorite person, but I’ll never let anything happen to him, okay?” She pulled Indy up for a kiss on his little, white and tanned head, “And we can talk anytime you want. I am a pretty good listener.” She walked to the counter to finish up what she needed to in order to take Indy home.
“I know.” There was no denying Celeste was better than he was, he knew as much. Kaden nodded and tried to ignore the worry that threatened to push its way through. If Celeste usually helped Layla, who would do it now? No, that wasn’t his problem. She wasn’t his problem. Sure, she was just a teenager and the daughter of hunters, but she was still a werewolf at the end of the day. He had to temper his empathy. Just in case he had to make a decision down the line. Not that she made that easy. “I know that, too.” This wasn’t for her, it was for the dog. Obviously. That dog had found his person and he was obligated to make sure he got to go home with her. That was all he was doing. Nothing more. Plus she didn’t deserve the shit his mother put her through. She might be a monster but that still wasn’t right. Or something. “Don’t mention it. Just take care of him. I’m sure you will.” Kaden nodded and walked away, leaving the staff there to take care of the rest. He had to get back to doing his job, anyway. Hopefully he never had to run into her during his night shifts. He had a feeling it wouldn’t end this well.
#wickedswriting#writing#chatzy#layla#laylacooke#Raiders of the Lost Arf#i was gonna do a srs title#but then casey happened
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Anya of Ingvarr: Synopsis
Just a quick bit of character info and backstory for my TTS/RTA OC, Anya!
(Note: Anya’s character is a work-in-progress, so some of these elements may change at some point. But here they are currently!)
Name: Anya
Age: 15 years
Height: 5′ 3′′
Relatives: The Queen of Ingvarr (aunt), the two princesses of Ingvarr (cousins), Kajsa (mother), unknown father
Kingdom Affiliation: Ingvarr
Animal companion: Artemis (nickname “Ari”), a * thylacine (aka Tasmanian tiger)
^ A thylacine/Tasmanian tiger
[Artemis character design pending]
Personality: Like many of the women of Ingvarr, Anya tends to exert a tough and reserved exterior upon first encounter. However, once the ice is broken, she can be very fun, affectionate, and loyal towards her companions. Unlike most of the women of Ingvarr, Anya is rather quirky, and her enthusiasm and sense of humor can sometimes irritate her fellow family members, who like to maintain a more regal image for their royal house. However, Anya does know her social graces, and strives to be a warrior, inventor, and diplomat that Ingvarr can be proud of when engaging in important international affairs. Anya is also a little superstitious. She does not engage in magic herself, but she does think twice about committing certain acts rumored to be taboo by the fae folk (ex. disturbing fairy circles in the woods). Anya also loves legends, fairy tales, myths, and folklore. While levelheaded and calm for the most part, Anya can be quite fierce if she or any of her loved ones are threatened. Though a skilled fighter, Anya is by no means the best, and will often depend on her machines, gadgets, and wits to help her compensate in battle. She also hates personal failures, and can be hard on herself if she messes something up.
Bio: Anya was born into the kingdom of Ingvarr, and from a young age was trained in both combat and mechanical engineering. Having grown up alongside her cousins, Anya saw them as being practically her older sisters, and looked up to them often. Though she had moments of feeling like a bit of an oddball among her fellow countrywomen, Anya maintained a consistent social life with her family and friends, and took an interest in training to be diplomat for her kingdom. At the age of twelve, Anya also got Artemis as her animal companion, who had been rescued as a cub from a black market chain, and whom Anya then raised. Unlike many of the women of Ingvarr, Anya was never told who her father was, and thus has never had any contact with him in her lifetime.
Sometime after turning fifteen, Anya was determined to enter one of her inventions into Corona’s Exposition of Sciences. Soon after arriving in the capitol for the competition, Anya met Varian as another competitor, and was impressed with the knowledge he displayed concerning alchemy and mechanics. She also met the rest of the crew, and they became fast friends. During her stay with everyone at the castle, Anya also observed many of the father-child relationships between characters (ex. Rapunzel and Frederic, Varian and Quirin, Eugene and Edmund, Cass and the Captain, etc.), and she began to wonder more about her own father. As she attempted to broach the subject once again with her mother (something she had not done in years), Kajsa refused quite strongly to say anything more about the matter, and insisted that Anya just leave it alone. Not to be deterred, however, Anya decided that she must try to find out who her father is, and possibly locate him. Although, she may need some help from some new friends in order to do so...
Misc. Interests, Talents, and Hobbies: Mechanical engineering, fencing, archery, horseback riding, sewing, cooking, hunting, fishing, drawing and painting, violin, flute, lute, and ** kulning
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* As of 1936, the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) has been considered extinct, with the last known specimen dying in captivity. While alleged sightings of the species have been reported throughout Tasmania in the years following, no solid evidence has been brought forward confirming their continued existence. Though since the Tasmanian tiger would’ve been around during the time period(s) that TTS/RTA is inspired by, I thought it would be fun if Anya had this unique species as her animal companion. The idea of Anya having a Tasmanian tiger was also inspired by Dr. Barlow and her Tasmanian tiger, Tazza, from the Leviathan steampunk trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.
** Kulning is the ancient art of Swedish herding calls. These calls - which could sound quite melodic - were used to call the livestock home at the end of the day, and to also communicate with anyone out the fields, or neighbors who could be a good distance away. Take a listen to some Swedish kulning here! - (x)
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For the new 25 lore asks! ONE, THREE, & SIXTEEN for both!
Thank you so much for the ask! ❤️
ONE| Will your OC and their LI ever have kids? If yes, describe their children! Looks, personality, what traits they draw from which parent or whether they would adopt.
w/Julian: They have two kids: Nora and Rylen. They are 22 months apart from each other. Both of them have curly auburn hair like Julian, but they did inherit Azalea's premature greying. So they enchant their hair like their mother.
Nora (older)
Height: 6'
Pronouns: She/Her
Hair: very long; curly auburn that fades into blonde. Hangs below her rear. Usually tied back into a loose ponytail.
Eyes: Royal Blue/Gold
Features: Has her father's impressive nose. Swimmer's build. Medium skin, like Azalea.
She wears a brown vest with gold trim and brown capri pants. She wears gold slip-on shoes. She likes to get into scrapes like Julian, but she is acrobatic like Azalea, so she can squiggle out of those scrapes with remarkable ease. She works at the local circus as a magician/acrobat.
Rylen (younger)
Height: 5'8"
Pronouns: He/Him
Hair: short; slightly longer than his father's, hanging just below his ears. Curly auburn that fades into hunter green.
Eyes: Grey
Features: smaller, round nose like Azalea. Medium skin tone.
He is quiet and enjoys reading books. He wears loose-fitting shirts with either a slate blue vest or a deep green coat. He wears black pants and brown knee-high boots. He is actually quite impressive with magic, but like Azalea, he doesn't say much about it. He is training with his father to be a doctor.
w/Lucio: They also have two kids: Darien and Etoile. They are two years apart. They also inherit Azalea's greying hair, but they choose not to enchant it because they both like the blonde that fades into silver.
Darien (older)
Height: 5'9"
Pronouns: He/Him
Hair: short; blonde roots that fade into silver at the ends. He lets it hang loose. (Think Masquerade Lucio)
Eyes: Royal Blue
Features: spitting image of Lucio, but has medium skin like Azalea. Wears glasses.
Darien is very humble like Azalea. He is the type who will get lost in a good book and look up to realize that he's spent a whole day reading. He also likes to play the drums. He usually wears a white button-up shirt with a lavender vest. The vest has various good-luck symbols stitched into the edges, and he wears a vervain boutonnière. He sports leaf-green pants and knee-high brown boots. He runs the magic shop when he is old enough, and acquires quite a few admirers who like to watch him mix potions through the shop windows. "Have you seen that boy who runs the shop?! He's so dreamy!!" He doesn't let it go to his head, though. He has eyes for only one girl...
Etoile (younger)
Height: 5'6"
Pronouns: She/Her
Hair: Long; blonde roots that fade into silver at the ends. She usually has it swept back into a long braid.
Eyes: Royal Blue
Features: Etoile is a lovely mixture between Lucio and Azalea. She's got Lucio's face shape, but Azalea's nose and mouth.
She is headstrong, loud, proud, and bulletproof like her father. She can't stay cooped up in one place for very long. She has to go out and explore. She typically wears a white blouse covered with a black corset. She also sports a long black coat with gold embroidery, black pants, and black high-heeled thigh-high boots. She gets lots of attractive attention from others and relishes it.
She and Asra have three children: Celestia, Velian, and Aries (adopted).
Celestia (oldest)
Height: 5'7"
Pronouns: She/Her
Hair: Long; curly and white like Asra with pink lowlights. Typically wears it loose, but also pins the sides back with barrettes.
Eyes: Red like Imalia
Features: Asra's face shape and nose, but Imalia's strong eyebrows and thinner mouth. Slight cleft in her chin. Olive skin tone like Asra.
Celestia also goes by "Lessie" or "Tia." Her facial features resemble Asra very strongly, but she has a strong jaw like Imalia. She is lively and extroverted. She is very open and honest, and very genuine. However, she has her mother's temper and can go from a fairy princess to pale-haired demon in a heartbeat. She likes to wear fashionable yet comfortable clothing. She typically wears a pink long-sleeved blouse with a powder blue bodice. She favors knee-length frilly skirts, usually in white or pale pink. She wears black slip-on shoes, but will also go barefoot a lot. She is the object of Darien/Rylen’s affections.
Velian (middle)
Height: 6'1"
Pronouns: He/Him
Hair: short and curly like Asra, but light brown like Imalia. It stays messy, and that's how he likes it.
Eyes: Lavender like Asra.
Features: Velian is a big, broad guy. He takes after Imalia's father as far as his body. He has a strong jawline, high cheek bones, and a slightly upturned nose (like Imalia). Olive skin tone like his father, but slightly lighter.
He is a mad magical scientist like his mother, but respects magic and what it can do, good and bad. He loves to help Aisha and Salim with whatever they are working on at the moment and LOVES music. He is a tinkerer and enjoys creating new and unique musical instruments. He loves to create carnival-style musical instruments that require carts to be moved around. (think Wintergatan's Marble Machine). He also sports a lute that can double as a mace.
Aries (youngest; adopted)
Height: 5'4"
Pronouns: They/Them
Hair: Shoulder length; sleek black with white forelocks, usually tied into a low ponytail, or a wolf knot.
Eyes: Vivid green
Features: They have a long, slender face with shallow cheek-bones. They have a hawk nose and very full lips. Light skin tone.
Aries is dual-sexed; meaning all the parts. They were a Vesuvian orphan, but it was clear that they weren't born in Vesuvia. Imalia suspects that Aries has a more magical parentage, but it's very hard to tell exactly what (spoiler: they are half-fae). Aries is a child of nature and loves going on trips with their parents. Aries typically wears a very loose tunic that is half black and half white. They wear either black or brown pants with ankle-high brown shoes. Etoile doesn’t want to admit it, but she is fascinated by Aries and wants to get much closer to them.
THREE| Does your apprentice have a close bond with one of the Major Arcana spirits? Which one? What about that Major Arcana drew your character to them or drew them to your character?
The Fool. She was a well of endless possibility and potential. She wasn't afraid to try new things, she had an innocent nature to her, and was quite creative in her magic use. She was a beacon in the Magical Realms, and The Fool loved interacting with her. When the deal was made to give her The Fool's body, The Fool actually agreed wholeheartedly. All that beauty and innocence and talent needed to continue on.
The Empress. Imalia's family has always been vehement about continuing their bloodline because the family has been full of exceptional magic users for hundreds of years. Even though Imalia herself became quite annoyed and at times even resentful of this, there was always a part of her that desperately wanted to be a mother. She loved the bond she had shared with her father. She wanted that kind of bond with her own children. She was already a rather maternal person since she got true joy and pleasure out of teaching others and nurturing their minds. She rarely interacts with The Empress herself, but there are times she hears her voice.
SIXTEEN| Where do your apprentice and their LI live? What is their home like? Big? Small? Who did the decorating?
w/Julian: They live in the magic shop until they have Nora. Then they upgrade to a nicer two-story house across the canal in the Center City. It's well-lit with plenty of windows and gauzy curtains. There are three bedrooms (the already knew they were going to have another child), two bathrooms, a large kitchen, a living/sitting room, and two studies; one for Azalea and her magic, and one for Julian and his medicine. There is also a playroom for Nora and Rylen, which eventually becomes Rylen's study. On the second floor there is a small balcony that doubles as a herb garden. Azalea did most of the decorating since Julian didn't have much taste as far as interior design. There are light catchers hanging from most of the windows, colorful fabrics draped over most of the furniture, fairy lights in the bedrooms.
w/Lucio: Lucio lived with Azalea in the shop for a short while until Nadia gifted them with a very nice estate near the Temple District. Nadia knew Lucio's taste and was still very grateful to Azalea for taking him off of her hands in the first place. The property is quite expansive with room for most of Lucio's pets, and a very nice house for the servants. The main house itself is three stories with many guest rooms, studies, lavish bathrooms, and an impressive master bedroom. The kitchen is open and well-lit, and Azalea will insist on helping the servants with meals. The interior decorating is a happy mixture between Lucio's and Azalea's individual tastes. Rich red curtains pulled open to allow in light with glittering light catchers, lots of gold trim on the furniture, and various vivid colors throughout the house. Lucio has his own trophy room to display his hunting trophies, Azalea has a study to research and practice magic, and an entire room dedicated to wardrobe. There is also a greenhouse for Azalea's magical herbs. The main entry to the house has moonflower vines growing around the door.
Imalia and Asra live in her family estate, at the southernmost point of the Center City.
It is three stories with a basement/wine cellar. The interior is a mixture of light and dark; the hallways and entry room are lit with candelabras. But the rooms themselves have high windows, each one decorated with stained glass at the top. There are many rooms in the estate, but most are unused/storage. The used rooms are: Imalia/Asra's study (a large room with floor to ceiling bookshelves on all of the walls, littered with various tables covered in books, scrolls, artifacts, and scientific/magical apparatus), Imalia/Asra's bedroom (large mostly sparse room with a grand canopy bed, vanity, and closet), the kitchen (more tall than spacious, with eight foot tall mahogany cabinets, prep table, and two stoves), Ben and Avery's rooms, a greenhouse, and three impressive bathrooms. Before Asra moved in, the house was mostly decorated in browns, reds, and golds. All of the furniture is dark mahogany, as is the wood trim around the house. The curtains were usually red or plum, and the furniture had red velvet upholstery. When Asra moved in, more colors began to splash the scenery. The furniture became draped in vivid lively colors, the windows began to have various crystals littering the sills, large plush lounging pillows appeared, and more home carved trinkets became a frequent decoration. After a while, Muriel began to stay at the estate more often when he got involved with Avery, so the presence of homemade charms and wards became a typical sight. Imalia didn't mind at all. In fact, more life in the estate made it seem less dreary and completely drove away the bad memories of her youth.
#azalea nevra#imalia gabriev#apprentice asks#the arcana asks#apprentice azalea#master imalia#azalea x julian#azalea x lucio#imalia x asra
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Through the Dark: Part 1
Book: Nightbound
Pairing: Cal x MC
Summary: The pack isn’t going to just let Cal walk away. After all, family is forever, right?
Author’s Note: Hello! Because we’re not getting a sequel to Nightbound, I decided to write my own. I will warn you that it likely won’t be as gory as Nightbound was. There will, of course, be drama. Also, I tried to keep things as canon as possible, but I do have a terrible memory, so I apologize in advance if anything is off. The title comes from the song Through the Dark by One Direction.
Tag List (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @lilyofchoices @x-kyne-x @universallypizzataco @ab1901 @birdlovesafish @rain18rain @strangelycami @tendentiously @arise-aries @bubblygothzombie @molly7998 @waytooattuned @paisleylovergirl @endlessflame @fairydustandsarcasm @isabella-choices @princeteddyperses @exchoonesos @adrianadmirer @squishyyghost @justendlesssummerfeels
Three women sat at a small table in a Cajun restaurant in the center of New Orleans. One possessed the power of the Fae, another of the Reimonenq Touch, and another of sheer will and strength. As the women joked and laughed, it was hard to imagine just three months ago they had defeated multiple bloodwraiths and an evil zealot.
Mia, Katherine, and Vera were all having lunch together in one of Vera’s favorite Cajun restaurants. All of their schedules were hectic and rarely matched up, so they were all thankful to be in one another’s company. They’d become tremendously close after Thomas was defeated. They bonded over not just that but of the similarities in their lives. “So, how’s our resident wolf boy, Mia?” Katherine asked. Mia smiled not just at the nickname but at the thought of Cal. Like she had with Katherine and Vera, Mia also bonded with Cal. Of course, she bonded with him a little differently than she did with the two women. When Mia had decided to stay in New Orleans, she didn’t expect her relationship with Cal to become as intense as it had. Her relationships in the past had never been more than flings. They were fun, but she never felt anything. With Cal, it was different. She felt everything. Even after all she had seen, Mia still didn’t believe in soulmates, but, if she did… “Mia?” Mia had completely forgotten Katherine had asked her a question. Cal tended to have that effect on her.
“He’s okay,” Mia said. She tried to hide the large smile on her face to no avail.
“Nik told me you guys moved in together,” Katherine said. “Kinda soon, isn’t it?”
“It’s not like it’s just the two of us. Donny’s there,” Mia said. She still wasn’t sure if she was happy with that fact or not. “Besides, I was tired of living with Nik. He burns everything he tries to cook, the girls he has over always use my toothbrush, and he always leaves his beard clippings in the sink.”
“Who doesn’t have an emergency toothbrush in their purse?” Vera asked, seemingly scandalized. “Heathens.” Both Mia and Katherine laughed at their friend.
“Nik was pretty bummed when I told him, but he understood,” Mia said. “I love Cal, and I love him even more now that I realize living with him is like having a live-in maid.”
“Is he that clean?” Vera asked. Mia nodded. It wasn’t rare for her to come home to find Cal washing the dishes, wearing yellow gloves that came up to his elbows, or scrubbing the grout of their tile with a toothbrush like Cinderella. She especially liked it when he cleaned in nothing but his underwear when he knew Donny was out. Mia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw that she had a text from Cal.
Cal: Hey! Are you still with Katy and Vera?
Mia: Yeah. We’re talking about you. 😉
Mia: Is everything okay?
Cal: You need to come home. Someone ransacked the place.
Mia’s eyes widened at the word someone. Not something as in a bear or a cougar. “Everything okay?” Vera asked.
“I have to go,” Mia said, standing up and pushing her chair in. “Someone ransacked the cottage.”
“What?” Katherine gasped. “Who the hell would do that?”
“Could it have been an animal?” Vera asked.
“I don’t know,” Mia said.
“Well, we’re coming with you,” Katherine said. Vera nodded.
“No,” Mia said, shaking her head. “You guys finish your lunch.”
“Are you sure?” Vera asked, frowning.
“Yeah,” Mia said. “Cal’s there anyway.”
“Okay,” Katherine reluctantly said. Mia loved her friends, but she was growing tired of how protective of her they were. After all, she was half Fae. Anything that could harm her could likely kill them. Mia had to remind herself that her friends only wanted to keep her safe.
Mia drove down the rocky, uneven road that led to the cottage she shred with Cal and Donny. She parked in front of it. The cottage looked like something out of a fairytale. It was small and only had one bedroom and a loft. The house was mostly made of brown shingle shake siding, but it had a stone foundation. The windows and doors were black and had recently been replaced to look more modern. The chimney on top of the dark grey roof always had smoke coming out of it, but it didn’t today. Cal and Donny both stood on the tiny covered porch, wearing identical scowls. Mia got out of her car, accidentally slamming the door. She barely noticed. Cal met her halfway to the porch. “Thank God,” he breathed. He put his strong arms around Mia and hugged her tightly. Cal’s hugs were normally incredibly tight, but this one was even tighter if that was at all possible. Cal let go of Mia and stared into her brown eyes. Mia noticed that his were misty. “I didn’t know what to think when I walked into the house. I thought you were-“ His breathing started to quicken.
“Cal, baby, breathe,” Mia said, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. “I’m fine. Donny’s fine. Everyone’s fine.”
“The people who did this won’t be,” Cal said, a new fire in his eyes.
“How do you know it wasn’t a bear?” Mia asked, playing devil’s advocate more than anything. Their black door looked like a SWAT team has busted through.
“Because,” Cal said, reaching into his denim pocket. “Donny and I found this.” Cal pulled out a long, sharp black claw. Mia took it from him and looked at it closely.
“This looks like it’s from a werewolf,” she said. “Are you sure it’s not yours or Donny’s?” She realized, as soon as she said it, what a stupid question it was. There was a strict “no wolves in the house” policy.
“No, but it’s definitely Pack,” Cal said. His nose flared. “There was only one of them here. I only vaguely recognize the scent. It has to be someone who hasn’t been ‘round long.”
“But why would someone from the pack do this?” Mia asked.
“Because of Cal,” Donny said as he walked towards Cal and Mia. Donny tended to avoid Mia like the plague, but she looked to be the last thing on his mind.
“What do you mean?” Mia asked, suddenly feeling stupid. She still didn’t particularly understand the pack. She just knew Cal had a very complicated relationship with them.
“Donny, don’t,” Cal said, giving his little brother a look that only be described as a stank eye.
“No, Donny, do,” Mia said, giving Cal a glare that rivaled his own.
“They’re still pissed off Cal won’t be Alpha,” Donny said.
“Pissed off enough to destroy our home?” Mia gasped. She knew the pack wanted Cal to be Alpha, but she didn’t realize how much they wanted it.
“It doesn’t take much,” Cal said with a sigh.
“I don’t even understand why they want you to be Alpha so much. Most of them don’t even like you!” Mia exclaimed. Donny snorted.
“Thanks, Mia,” Cal mumbled.
“It’s true!” Mia said. “After what happened last year, they’re not your biggest fans.”
“It’s not about them liking him. This isn’t a sorority,” Donny said. “Being Alpha is a wolf’s greatest honor. Turning it down is an insult.”
“The pack is too prideful to realize some people might not want to be Alpha,” Cal said.
“I don’t understand why you can’t just do it,” Donny said. “It’s what Dad would’ve wanted.”
“I don’t care what-“
“It’s what Mom would’ve wanted,” Donny said. The woods got very quiet at that moment. Mrs. Lowell was hardly ever mentioned especially by Donny.
“I’m going to start cleaning up,” Cal mumbled. He kicked a rock on the ground and walked away. Mia looked at Donny. She was getting ready to reprimand him, but he spoke first.
“You need to make Cal agree to be Alpha,” he said.
“No,” Mia immediately said.
“You don’t understand!” Donny cried, sounding like a petulant child.
“What I understand is that Cal doesn’t want to. That’s all that matters,” Mia said.
“They’re not just going to let him walk away, Mia!” Donny said. Mia started followed Cal into the cottage, waving dismissively at Donny. She walked inside. Her eyes widened, and she gasped at what had become of her home. The little cottage she’d come to adore was a complete mess. There were long scratches on the hardwood and on the walls. Every piece of furniture, every pillow was torn apart. All of the pictures they had hanging up were now in shatters on the floor. She saw Cal standing in front of the fireplace, holding a picture. Mia walked over to him. She saw that the picture he was looking at was one of him, his mother, and Donny. It was now torn. Mia rubbed Cal’s back.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“This was one of the few pictures we had of her,” Cal said. He sniffled and wiped his wet eyes with his sleeve. “I don’t care about the furniture. That can be replaced, but this stuff can’t.” Anger bubbled inside of Mia. How could someone from the pack do this? Everyone knew how important family was to Cal.
“I’m so sorry, Cal,” Mia said.
“And why the hell is Donny on their side?” Cal asked, his voice becoming angrier.
“I think he’s just scared,” Mia said. Truthfully, she was too. She, obviously, wasn’t scared of werewolves, but she was wary of anyone who ransacked someone’s house out of pride.
“He’s naïve,” Cal said. “He thinks, if you’re Pack, you’re safe. That’s just a fallacy they sell to young kids. They’re like a gang.”
“A gang of dangerous, monstrous beasts,” Mia said. She then winced. She forgot Cal was one of those “beasts”. “I don’t mean you, of course.”
“Of course,” Cal said, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. His smile fell when he saw something on the other side of the room. He walked over to the large window behind one of the couches. Mia followed him. Cal touched the shredded plaid curtains. “My mom made these. I remember wanting to help, but Dad told me only pretty boys did stuff like that.” Mia grimaced. This wasn’t the first time she had heard of Cal’s father’s toxic masculinity, but it always upset her. Cal’s expression suddenly went from sad to furious. “They can’t do this to us.” Cal shoved the picture he was holding into his pocket. He walked over to the coat rack by the door and put on his jacket.
“Where are you going?” Mia asked as he opened the now broken door.
“To the Full Moon,” Cal said. The Full Moon was a bar where members of the pack often hung out.
“I’m going with you,” Mia said. She didn’t care for the Full Moon. She was often looked at like a piece of meat, but she wasn’t about to let Cal do this by himself. By the look on his face, he certainly wanted to. Mia knew Cal didn’t like to involve her in pack drama, but this was different. They had messed with not just her home but her family. “I’m going, Cal. You know there’s no use in arguing with me.”
“There really isn’t,” Cal said. He had learned that lesson a long time ago. “Alright. Let’s go talk to someone dangerous, monstrous beasts.”
Part 2
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The fireplace crackled comfortably as silence fell over the room, the remains of dinner cleaned up and put away. A kettle was put on, slowly coming to a boil as Ariquar sat down once more, running a hand through his hair, ruffled now out of its usual bun. Across from him, his sister sat, watching the kettle with the same concentration he remembered from their schooldays.
“So, Fae,” Ariquar started, “I never actually got a chance to ask.”
Her eyes darted to look at him, and then back at the kettle. She knew what he was curious about. She had a few things on her mind, as well, with how much they’d both changed.
“Father never said anything, did he?” She said, laughter in her voice. Ariquar shook his head, resting his hands on the table. His fingers crossed over each other, clasping his hands together as he fidgeted.
“No, he just said you and mother would be visiting. That was all. At first I thought he’d said your name wrong because, well.” Ariquar raised a brow at her, and Faewen waved a hand.
“Just because he’s never around doesn’t mean he’s forgotten our names, Ari.” She said, and Ariquar found himself rolling his eyes.
“It feels like it - he only ever calls me ‘son’ these days.”
“Now, that’s just because he’s pissed you’re not following the Dominion anymore.”
“I suppose. I’m surprised he hasn’t forced me back to Summerset yet.” Ariquar said, leaning back in his chair.
“He won’t. He won’t admit it, but he’s starting to doubt himself because of you. Whether or not he shows that within the next twenty years…” Faewen explained, spreading her hand open as she waved it, dismissing the thought. “Anyway, if I tell you this, you better tell me whatever I ask about.”
Ariquar huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Fine.”
“Same pouty face as when we were kids.” Faewen laughed, and despite his feigned stubbornness, Ariquar found himself laughing, too.
"Well, I was with mother about a month after you’d left, and we were … gathering tools for one of her lower level classes. We passed by a shop displaying a gown, and … I couldn't keep my eyes off of it." Faewen leaned back, tapping her finger against her chin.
"Let me guess," Ariquar said, leaning onto one arm, propped onto the table, "Mother got impatient?"
Faewen made a noise of affirmation, nodding.
"Of course she did. She saw me staring and told me to stop wasting time, and that if I was going to stare for so long, to simply buy it, and I did." She turned her gaze toward the kettle once more, watching the steam slowly drifting upward. "I took it home, put it on, and that was … that was that, really. Mother fussed over the neckline and started giving me lessons in etiquette."
"It was that quick?” Ariquar asked, his brows furrowing. “You just … Knew?”
"I think in the back of my mind I always knew. But I was so focused on trying to be better than you that I never thought to look at myself for who I was. I just… So badly wanted to be better than you at something, so I never put aside time for myself."
“Gods,” Ariquar said, once again running a hand through his hair. This time, it fell halfway in front of his face. “Now I feel like an asshole.”
“To be fair, we were both assholes to each other back then.” Faewen smiled, and Ariquar saw a genuine happiness over her features that he’d never seen before - all the time they’d grown up together, and not once had he ever truly wondered what his sister was feeling.
He had a lot to make up for, didn’t he?
“But now we don’t have to be,” Ariquar said, and she nodded.
“We’ve both grown up, I think we can afford to be a bit more mature, hm?” As she spoke, the kettle began to shriek, and Ariquar hopped up from his place quick enough that he bumped the table. Faewen laughed at him, but he didn’t mind. He took the tea from the pack she’d brought along, dumping the leaves into the wooden mugs from atop his mantle.
As it steeped, he breathed in the scent, floral and earthy, and for the first time in years, he felt homesick.
The leaves settled to the bottom of the mug and the steam clouded his vision. It smelled of Summerset, and suddenly he was a young boy again, running near the coast while his mother shouted at him to slow down. Fae, back then, chasing after him drenched in saltwater, shouted at him as well - but those words weren’t quite so kind.
“Ari?” Faewen said, and he broke from his memory.
“Yes?” He said, his vision readjusting to the view of his home. The orange of the firelight made the room feel warm, comfortable. Outside, night had fallen, and the luna moths outside the window fluttered, desperate for the lanterns beyond the glass.
“I think I heard your husband come home. Might want to make him a cup, too.” Faewen said, leaning onto her closed fist. Ariquar looked from her to the connected room, where the sound of shuffling and buckles was evident.
“Good idea.” Ariquar said, and pulled another of his mugs from the mantle. As he poured the water over the leaves in that mug, Teldryn shuffled into the kitchen.
The homesick feeling receded as he watched Teldryn drop into the chair beside Faewen to chatter to her, and Ariquar realised he didn’t need to feel homesick, not anymore.
#ariquar has tea w his sister#aka i wanted to write something w faewen#ariquar#faewen#teldryn#i mean he's . at the end but still
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The Mystery of the Golden Fang: Part 4, The Discovery
Part 1: The Collision–––Part 2: The Enlightenment–––Part 3: The Exploration
Author: youcantkillamutant
Fandom: Marvel (Black Panther)
Pairing: Erik Stevens/Killmonger x Black!OC
Summary: A girl stumbles into another world. A baby disappears. A private investigator wonders if this will be the case he can’t solve.
Warnings: Mentions of blood and death, cursing
Words: 11.5K+
A/N: So…here’s another one of those AU’s that absolutely no one asked for! I only own my original characters of course, Marvel don’t sue me I’m broke.
Listening To: Ride by Lana Del Rey, Ridin’ by Lana Del Rey & A$AP Rocky, Nuit de baise II by YELLE, Barton Hollow by the Civil Wars, Bones by MSMR, Promises by India Arie and Godspeed by Frank Ocean
Part 4: The Discovery
—l—
Of all the languages the moon has mastered, magic is her favorite. Spells and enchantments slip from her lips like an endless waterfall and trickle down into every world she visits in her trips through the starry sky. Her power falls into the hands of the good hearted and strong willed, leaving them with a key to worlds otherwise unknown.
—l—
Earth Stream 328: October 20, 2040
5:06AM
Grooved rubber resting on the hard packed dirt. Golden pipes hugging the pitch black sides. Short handles cased in black, gleaming with reflective glass. A glittering silver grill beneath the engine. One piercing headlight, and the name Killmonger etched above the seat like a promise. This is the bike Harley had dreams about. Sleek like a silver bullet, so loud she could feel it reverberating in her bones, this bike is the first and only thing Harley had ever coveted.
Killmonger sat on the beast, sliding on black leather gloves and taping his foot on the dusty ground. Void black leather groaned beneath him as he shifted. Harley had finally emerged from the club, having spent the past few days preparing with Shuri. She hadn’t stepped foot into the Golden Fang, not without Ayana, and certainly not with the Golden Jags looking at her like that. They stared like she was already a lost cause, destined to be cannon fodder for Killmonger.
“Took you long enough.”
“I’m early.” The pair had agreed to leave at 5:30AM, but Killmonger had been waiting since 5. He wanted his daughter back. No matter how early he had to drag his ass out of bed.
“Whatever witch, let’s get going.” For Harley, it was too early for Killmonger’s shit. She’d tolerated his forked tongue for too long.
“Okay first off, watch your fucking tone Monger. Second, if you want my help you need to call my by my actual name. Not ‘witch’ or whatever else you come up with.”
“Fine.” Harley quirked her eyebrow. That was too easy. She needed more, and Killmonger knew it.
“Fine Harley.” Killmonger resisted the urge to savor the name as he said it. This witch was nothing more than a babysitter. She’d never be anything more to him. She shouldn’t be anything more.
“Great.” After a curt nod, Harley shoulder her bag and approached the bike. It was even more beautiful this close. She could smell the engine oil and longed to feel the bike purr. Killmonger pulled a smirk as she swung her leg over the bike seat and grabbed onto him, resting as little of her body as she could against his back. With a tap to his stomach to tell him she was situated, Killmonger really smiled as he started the bike with a roar.
The duo made it onto the open road in a cloud of dust, both of them reveling in the sound of the engine. There was something about riding west, the wind whipping around them, the sun beaming on their backs that made the both of them feel…whole. Not in a way that family or relationships bring, in the way that solitude could promise anything but loneliness. For a moment, Harley and Killmonger breathed as one. After all they both wanted the same thing. To find Ayana. And maybe a bit more. But for the first part, they drove west, past the mountain range and into the Cactacae Forest.
Juvian Sparrows survived on the liquid they could pull from the cactus and the few flowers the cacti bothered to grow. The cacti in this forest were known to bloom under the light of the moon, and anyone knew that a spirit touched by the moon could do amazing things.
The two barreled up the only road in the copse of towering cacti, saguaro’s on one side, and prickly pears blooming on the other. Killmonger took in the pointed orbs behind reflective shades, and Harley thought they reminded her of something, or someone. Monger rolled to a stop as the road fell to the overgrowth of a wildly growing barbary fig. A few small hedgehog cacti sat below it, small and plump with their bright white flowers.
“Look’s like we’ll have to walk the rest.”
“And where exactly is the rest wi––” Killmonger caught himself and shook the word out of his head. “Harley. Where is the rest Harley?”
“According to my research, about 5 miles in.” Harley’s research hadn’t been entirely scholarly. She remembered some of the legends of the Juvian Sparrow, and followed their trail. Apparently, the bird liked to rest on the highest spike of the largest golden barrel cactus in the forest.
“We’d better get going. We only have until noon.”
“Noon?” Harley only nodded, already having brushed past Killmonger to tread deeper into the forest. The time constraint was something she tried to ignore, Finding the sparrow would be hard enough, she didn’t need the added pressure of watching the clock. Besides, they had almost a week until the full moon. They’d be fine.
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 21, 2040
1:23AM
Hazel had never met a witch. Especially not one so small. Bug was tiny. Teeny tiny if she was being descriptive. Point is, the baby girl didn’t look like any witch she’d ever seen on tv and movies. She was a kid. A kid that could apparently bring her through a faery ring into another world. Though that information didn’t matter much now, all Hazel needed to know was how to get back.
“You can send her through the faery ring first. She’ll be fine.” The Queen Mother said this so nonchalantly that Hazel almost believed her. The question tripped out of her mouth anyways.
“How will she know what to do? She’s an infant.”
“She did find her way into another world. Seems to me like she’s a natural.” Shuri said this with a grin and a shrug, tickling Bug with lightening fast fingers. She giggled so much Hazel thought she might shift her skin right in her arms. Ramonda sighed before answering with an annoyed sort of gravitas.
“She’s a witch. This will come naturally to her. It’ll be as easy as breathing.” Fixing her gaze on Hazel, her lips pulled tight. “You are the one who should be worried. Humans don’t usually make it out of faery rings whole.” That statement was enough to stutter Hazel’s thoughts.
“Um, what?”
“They usually lose their minds. Or their limbs. Or both.” A shrug from the Queen Mother.
“Oh. Great. And how exactly would I prevent that?”
“You’ll need a talisman from your home world and a blessing from a fae. Blood would be best, but I doubt you’ll be able to get that in time. The full moon is almost here.”
“Okay two impossible things to get to keep my sanity and a time constraint. Easy peasy.” N’Jadaka, Angel and Shuri recoiled from Hazel’s last words, something about it sitting uneasily in their ears. Human’s are so strange.
“Don’t you have a talisman already? What’s that black rectangle you carry in your pocket?”
“My phone?”
“That’s a phone in your world?” Shuri found herself feeling sorrier and sorrier for the human. In her world that tech was old they didn’t even call it tech.
“Okay you’ve got the talisman, does anybody know a faery?” N’Jadaka did his best to keep his annoyance at bay. The Queen Mother was only helpful when it suited her, and he needed all of the information up front if he wanted to get his life back. Humans are, in a word? Cumbersome. Not to mention the kid. Terra loved her sure, but she didn’t belong in this world. Neither of them did.
“I might know a guy who knows a guy. As long as you don’t mind a trip south.” Angel’s voice treaded lightly into the space between the group, unsure of her status. The Queen Mother wasn’t exactly what she was expecting; regal and enchanting for sure, but a little colder than she was hoping for. N’Jadaka might have been right about meeting your heroes.
“How far south?”
“You know where I’m from.” Angel shrugged as she answered N’Jadaka. They had started talking when she first made it to the Golden Fang and hadn’t really stopped since. The pair knew a lot about each other by now.
“Uh, I don’t.” Humans.
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 21, 2040
7:16AM
“So, I just have to wait and see if she comes back on the next full moon?” Erik didn’t like the sound of that.
“From what I can gather, yeah.” Nakia’s voice crackled over the line, and though the words were no help the sound of her voice was a comfort. Erik was at the end of his rope, and this call transported him back in time.
When they were in university, Erik, Nakia and Okoye were a set. Most of the campus referred to them as the ‘Three Musketeers’ though Okoye curled her lip at the lack of ingenuity and Erik rejected the name for the sheer fact that the French were colonizers. Finals season had always been hard on Erik, quietly desperate to excel, and Nakia had always been the one to talk him down from 48 hour study sessions and coax him into sleep. Her voice took on that same tone now.
“Kia, I can’t just wait around.” He’d been waiting for nearly a month. Jules Fay had been waiting.
“I had a feeling you were going say that.” Nakia wondered if there would ever come a day when Erik would be patient. She supposed if there did she should get him to a doctor.
“So give me another option.”
“You said yourself that she’s a smart girl. I’m sure that no matter where she is, she’ll figure it out.”
“I made a promise––”
“You always do Erik.” Ever since he’d started as a PI, Erik made it a point to promise his clients a resolution. He always delivered, even if it wasn’t pretty.
“Nakia I have to do something.” This case was burning a hole in the pit of his stomach. The fact that the girl had gone to another dimension meant nothing to Erik. He still had a case to solve, and getting her back was his first priority. Answers would come after, but he needed her back here, in this world. Jules Fay needed her back too.
“Well go talk to the witch doctor again! He’s the one that came up with the theory in the first place.” Erik didn’t like the idea of going back, but it was all he had. Besides, Nakia was rarely wrong.
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 15, 2040
5:14PM
Two days of traveling in the car had Terra and Bug growling at each other playfully while Hazel read all she could about Faeries. N’Jadaka, Angel and Hazel were the only “adults” on the journey. Shuri protested being left behind, especially when N’Jadaka brought Terra and Hazel refused to leave Bug alone, but the Queen Mother insisted.
“This will be a lean journey Shuri. They’re on a deadline after all.” No pressure or anything.
N’Jadaka spent most of the drive south staring between Angel and Hazel, marveling at their mere existence. The two were clearly similar, most would guess twins and they acted like it too. N’Jadaka would know, he’d met his fair share of vampire twins. Still, they weren’t just similar, in looks they were exactly the same. Even through Angel’s sweet soucouyant accent certain words the pair said were identical. From the pull of their jaw to the tenor that vibrated from their lips.
“N’Jadaka, are you done staring at us, or do you need another few minutes?” Angel question with a smirk, pearly fangs flashing in her laughter as Hazel whipped her head up in shock.
N’Jadaka for the most part wasn’t cowed. So he got caught staring at a beautiful vamp. He’s gotten caught doing worse. Still, he turned his attention to Hazel before Angel could get another rise out of him. He didn’t like the way she pulled every… emotion, laugh, smile, grimace, everything out of him with a turn of her lips. Pushing his black leather boot to kick Hazel’s paint and sticker covered sneakers he asked.
“Why are you reading that?” Hazel did her absolute best to ignore the fact that she was the knife cutting the UST between N’Jadaka and Angel, and answered with a finger pointed to the title. Fae, Fairies, and Earthen Magic.
“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” For all intents and purposes, Hazel knew nothing about the blessing she was supposed to get. She’d never even knew there was a difference between fairies and faeries. N’Jadaka let out a laugh at her reasoning.
“We’re all the Devil’s creatures. Haven’t you heard?” He smiled that extra wide grin that made his fangs gleam. Hazel repressed a shudder, knowing N’Jadaka was doing this to be annoying. He did the same thing to Shuri all of the time.
“Are you always this unhelpful or is this a special occasion?”
“I am when you’re reading books that old.”
“Shuri game it to me. She said it might help.” Hazel had a hard time believing that Shuri would do anything to lead her off track. The girl had been so kind to Hazel this whole time. She’d been the one to explain all of the tech shit, kimoyo beads being the most important.
“Sorry to say, Shuri might be wrong on this one. This book is older than my grandma, and she’s like twelve centuries old.” Angel said this with a small shrug, sliding the book out of Hazels hands, leaving her grasping.
“Well what exactly should I be doing because I am the only one at rick of losing an undisclosed amount of limbs or my sanity in this faery ring!”
Hazel had done her absolute best to stay calm. She really had, but her heart flinched every time Bug shifted into her jaguar fur, and she shuddered every time some vampire dropped their fangs on the street. None of this was normal, or her normal, and it was all starting to add up. Angel could see her counterpart beginning to crack and tossed the book at N’Jadaka, ignoring the grunt he released, to pull Hazel into her side.
“I’m not saying you can’t do research but this book is way too old. Faeries have changed, hell, all creatures have changed since this was written. Change, evolve, adapt. It’s what we do, It’s in our nature.
“So I’m just supposed to fly blind?”
“No, but we won’t let anything happen to you or the little shifter. You’re safe with us.” Hazel shook her head even as Angel extended her own kimoyo beads towards her. They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand that all of this was life and death for Hazel. Hell, she had a hard time understanding that herself. Angel let Hazel wallow for only a minute, knocking her with her shoulder.
“Hazel, do you trust yourself?”
“Well yeah.” Out of everyone here, she trusted herself the most. Sure she somehow got sucked into another world, but she’d been smart enough to keep herself alive up till now.
“Then trust me. I’m basically you.” Angel finished her declaration with a smile, and Hazel couldn’t help but bark a laugh. She wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Fine.” Angel clapped and took a peak out of the window.
“Good, and not a minute too soon. We’re here!”
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 21, 2040
7:16AM
“You need to call her.”
“Oh hello Okoye, so great to see you, please come in.” Okoye rolled her eyes and placed a cup of hot coffee on Erik’s desk. His attempts at making coffee were shitty at best.
“Erik, you need more help.” He raised the cup in thanks before taking a sip. Black and burning hot, just how he liked it.
“I don’t. I have you.”
“This is more than I can handle. Erik. Call Nakia, ask her to come down for this.”
“I’m not going to pull her away from the work she ‘actually loves’. Besides I already called her. She gave me whack advice.”
“Oh will you get over yourself?! You two had that fight years ago and you’re still licking your wounds. both of you! “
“I’m not––” A knock interrupted what was sure to be another lie from Erik and Okoye was grateful.
Jules Fay waited at the door, hand poised to knock again. It fell to her side as Erik pulled her into his office, guiding her to a seat and offering her water or juice. Anything but his shitty coffee. She waved it all away.
“I came to see if you’ve found anything about Hazel?”
“I’m sorry Ms. Fay, I haven’t yet. most of my investigation has come up inconclusive but I still have a few more leads to follow.” He didn’t have a few more leads to follow, but he couldn’t tell Jules Fay his working theory either.
“If it’s money, I don’t have much but I can––” Erik waved off her words, walking around his desk to kneel in front of her. On his knees, he was nearly eye to eye with the woman. He could see fear in her eyes, exhaustion, and worry. He wanted to make all of that go away. He promised to make all of that go away. He would make good on his promise. By the full moon, he would get Hazel back to her mother. Somehow.
“Ms. Fay, it’s nothing like that. I assure you I’m working to find Hazel, it’s just that her case is particularly different than the others I’ve investigated.” A silent nod from Jules had Erik speaking again, if only to fill the silence. “I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. I will find Hazel.”
“Of course he will, he’s assembled the best team in the country.” Nakia entered Erik’s office, the third person today to come in uninvited.
“Ms. Fay, Erik is the best at what he does. We’re going to find your daughter.” Jules Fay nodded with more confidence. Nakia had that effect on people. The woman who had assured her that Hazel would be found oozed a confidence she had never seen, and there was no choice but to believe her. Jules Fay was out the door before long, and Erik raised brow at Nakia.
“You always knew how to make an entrance.”
“And I haven’t missed a beat.” Nakia mirror his gaze, raising her brow in return. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
—l—
Earth Stream 328: October 25, 2040
5:06AM
They were decidedly not fine. Killmonger grew more impatient by the day and Harley was starting to lose hope. They hadn’t even seen a Juvian Sparrow, let alone caught one. Cacti bloomed and grew before them as they waited each day, coming earlier and earlier when Harley read that Juvian Sparrows are easiest to find in the dawn. The pair tried everything they could, approaching from different angles, splitting up, setting traps, and still no sparrow bones.
They were running out of time and they could feel it. Each night on their drive home the moon appeared fuller and fuller. If they were ever going to get Ayana back, they needed to find that sparrow today or else Harley would need another plan. Harley and Monger made it to the forest before the sun began painting the sky. Harley took a moment to send a prayer up to the falling moon and marveled at the stars winking above.
They trudged through the forest in silence for a while, doing their best to avoid the pricks of the cacti around them. Sometimes they weren’t so lucky. Harley hadn’t said anything, but Killmonger knew that this was the day. The Last day they’d be able to search for this Bast forsaken bird. If they didn’t find it, well Killmonger wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know what Harley had in mind. he had a feeling it would churn his stomach.
“Did you know Ayana’s mother well?” Harley’s voice pulled Monger out of his thoughts. It was softer than he expected from a witch, but then again, Harley was turning a lot of his preconceived notions on their head.
“Well enough.”
“Was she…a shifter?”
“I…I don’t know.” Harley’s question was cautious and Monger tried to remember more than her brown skin and his bedsheets. He couldn’t.
“So you didn’t know her well.” Monger rolled his eyes at Harley’s remark. Maybe she was right but he didn’t have to admit that. Not now at least.
“Look, I don’t know what she was, but she had power.”
“Like magic?”
“Like I don’t know what. Why do you care?”
“Because, kids take after their parents. We already know Ayana is a shifter but if her mother was a––” Harley stopped before the word witch could fall from her lips. Monger had done a good job of respecting her, he’d even seemed to thaw to her for a bit, but she didn’t want to push it. Not now at least.
“If her mother had power, then it stands to reason that Ayana has that same power. Add the magic that crackles through the town and our girl is a ticking magical time bomb.” Monger pushed down the warmth that bloomed around his heart at Harley’s indication that Ayana was ‘their girl’ and tried to process what exactly she was saying. If Ayana’s mother had turned out to be some kind of creature, then…well that could mean anything. The possibilities scared Monger the most.
“You do know that I didn’t send Ayana anywhere right?”
“I––You’re the only witch around my kid. What was I supposed to think?” Harley was happy to hear the hint of regret in Monger’s voice.
“That I love and cherish her just as much as you do and would never let anything happen to her!”
“Well I didn’t know that then!”
“Well you know it now. Don’t fucking forget it Monger.”
“I’m only letting that slide because your stupid fairytale is sitting on that goddamned cactus.”
“What?” Harley’s voice dropped to a whisper as her head whipped towards the center of the field. There on the largest barrel cactus in the forest was the Juvian Sparrow. The birds wings were black as the night, but seemed to be changing as the sun rose, red rising through its body as the sun glided into the sky. It cocked it’s head this way and that, and Harley held her breath. When it looked away, she released it. She turned to Monger and before Harley could blink, Killmonger was an elegant, golden beast.
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 25, 2040
10:14AM
Zuri had that feeling again. It was a tug at his gut, a reminder that there was more to come. That someone would be coming. A pinch between his eyes, that signaled him this would require more than a cursory conversation. This would need him to use his brain, encourage him to think and hypothesize. Excitement thrummed through him. He rarely had feelings like this.
Erik, Okoye and Nakia wandered into Badu’s Botany with hopes the shouldn’t have bothered to bring. Erik had warned them that the man was eccentric to say the least. The pair didn’t believe Erik, and why should they. The man was a scientist, a brilliant one at that. They had no reason to think of him otherwise. The wealth of potted plants was their first indication that what Erik said was true. The wind chimes at the door were the second. As they studied the shop, with its figurines and paper piles, the evidence only grew.
The detective was back. Energy shot through Zuri’s body as the bell ringed above the door. He knew the man was searching for someone, the girl that slept with beasts. From the looks of things, he hadn’t found her.
“Detective Stevens. a pleasure to see you again.” He nodded to Okoye and Nakia. “Ladies…”
“Ten years ago, you wrote a paper. A Study of Universal Convergence.”
“I did.”
“Have you found anything that proves your theory?
“Have you?”
“A girl is missing. If you know something, anything––”
“Dr. Badu.” Zuri still at the name. No one had called him doctor in a long time, but Nakia pressed on. “We’re looking for someone who we think…fell into another world. We need to get her back. as soon as possible.”
“Trust in the universe. The moon is her daughter, she’ll see the girl home.” Erik scoffed at the man. If he ‘trusted in the universe’ he’d still be seven years old, waiting for his father to breathe again.
“Forget it. I should have known this would be a waste of time.” Erik couldn’t believe he’d wasted precious time talking to this…ugqirha.
“Don’t worry detective. She will fall into the nest of her making soon enough.” Erik pushed out of the door so hard the chimes screamed his exit.
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 25, 2040
12:49PM
The Isle, like plenty of other things in this world, is unlike anything Hazel has ever seen. Not technically an island, the large land mass was surrounded by water on three sides, so the name stuck. There was also the matter of the water that flowed through it. Rivers and streams parted the land like hair, slicing through the sandy brush and practically glowing blue. Hazel had only ever seen water that blue in pictures.
Two vampires, a human, a shifter, and a sleek golden jaguar tumbled out of the car and into a boat. Angel’s manager sputtered as she shut the door in his face with a placating wave.
“Rocko, I’ll be fine. If I’m not back in 3 days, call search and rescue, otherwise I don’t want to hear you on my line.” The boat sped off before we could hear his response.
“Where to Miss Haze?” Angel didn’t seem alarmed that the boat driver knew who she was. In fact, she grinned and patted him on the back. N’Jadaka watched their contact with an eagle eye.
“I need to see an old friend.” The driver nodded, and with that they were on their way.
The streams were like side streets, the rivers like highways. Hazel wondered at the houses that stood tall and covered the land mass they reseted on, making them look like they were floating structures instead of tiny islands cut to creation by the waters that ran through the Isle. N’Jadaka stared hard at the driver, wondering how he knew exactly what Angel wanted, before he shook himself out of his jealousy and turned his attention back to the situation at hand. They were pulling up to a bar, if you could call it that. There was no signage, nothing to signify that this wasn’t the shack of a murderer, but Angel hopped out with glee. She gave the driver a tip and a kiss on the cheek and gestured for the group to follow her.
The group pushed through the sorry excuse for a door, wooden slats stapled together and moving on a pair of rusted hinges. Inside it was hazy and red. Sunlight filtered through the holes in the walls, only covered by thin white sheets, and blood red couches littered the space around a small stage. More of a platform really. A duo on an electric piano and colorful soundboard crooned something in what sounded like French, and Hazel took in the scene. Vampires lounged on the couches, velvety and soft, a few humans were bleeding, but other than that, nothing nefarious was happening. Maybe she came at the right time.
“Well slap my cat and call me Lucifer! Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but you young lady, look awfully familiar.”
“Nix.” The man in question approached Angel with open arms and a grin that showed off his platinum fangs. As he got closer, Hazel could see that all of his teeth were platinum. Angel couldn’t keep the grin off of her face. Between touring and writing and producing and life, she’d missed her childhood friend. She’d missed home.
“Well if it isn’t Little Miss Hazie.” The two were a gathering of brown skin and strong arms as they hugged tightly.
Nixie.” He scrunched his nose at the nickname, pulling away from there hug as N’Jadaka tamped down the jealousy the bubbled up in his gut.
“Yeah yeah, you’re too cool for that nickname, owning your own blood club and shit.”
“Well shit, I thought for a second you were a ghost, but not with a mouth like that.” The pair erupted into laughter, and N’Jadaka let them laugh for a minute before clearing his throat. Something about Angel’s smile was different here. Her eyes closed a bit more, her nose scrunched tighter, her shoulders fell back in laughter. She looked more than relaxed. She looked happy. Happier than she had been in Metropolis.
“Right. Sorry guys.” Angel righted herself and Nix. “You got an office?” Nix shook his head.
“I’ve got a bar.”
“Close enough.” As the group approached the bar, Terra prowling close to N’Jadaka with Bug on her back, Angel and Nix spoke in animated tones. Hazel couldn’t understand a word they were saying, though she wasn’t quite sure they’d switched languages, it was more like they had fallen into a vernacular that she wasn’t quite familiar with. Something southern and black and french? Though she couldn’t even be sure France existed in this world.
“Now Haze, I’ve known you for a long time, and never once did you mention having a twin.” Nix busied himself with wiping the bartop, obsidian black flecked in gold, and pulling a few glasses down.
“She’s not my twin, she is me.”
“Care to explain?” Before Angel could elaborate A tall stocky vampire, with milk white skin sauntered into the bar. Most of the patrons turned their backs on the guy, returning to the conversations with a fervor. A few stronger looking vampires pushed off from their place on the walls of the bar and stood tall. The man in question either didn’t notice the reaction or didn’t care as he sauntered up to the bar.
“Nix! Serving straight from the source now? Very nice touch.” Angel and N’Jadaka pushed Hazel behind them and bared their teeth at the stranger.
“Clive. These are my guests, you’d do well to treat them as such.”
“Well what about that little lamb?” The man shucked his chin to Bug, still sat on Terra’s back in her jaguar fur. “I’ve always loved veal.”
“Back off Clive. You can order something on the menu or you can go. Either one suits me.” Nix balled his fist on the granite bartop and Clive sneered a grin. He knocked on the granite, flashed his fangs at Hazel and sauntered out of the club.
Angel released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She’d promised to protect Hazel, and she didn’t take her promises lightly. N’Jadaka could see that Angel was shaken, and took the lead no explaining things, still keeping Hazel behind him and beckoning Terra closer. Sure the human and shifter were annoying, but they’d grown on him. And he was almost rid of them, it would suck for something to happen before they completed their little ‘quest’.
“We need to find a faerie. Preferably a nice one.” Nix blew out a big breath at Angel’s request.
“Tall order kid. I’ll give you the info you want. For a price of course.” Though his words were serious his tone was teasing and Angel couldn’t fault his hustle. Keeping a blood club this nice in the Isle couldn’t be cheap.
“What do you want Nix?”
“You got any old tour merchandise?”
“Seriously?” Of all the things she expected, this was not it. She had plenty of that shit locked up in storage, it was an easy trade.
“You seem to forget just how popular you are little Haze. Vintage shit sells like crazy.” With a few dozen shirts, Nix could expand the club and improve the sound system all the while investing in a few local businesses he personally wanted to see flourish.
“I’ll have it sent to the location of your choice as soon as you give me what I want.” Angel wasn’t worried about the merch or the money, she knew Nix would use most of it for the good of the community. Under all of his tough, bar owner exterior, he was a nice vamp. She would know, she grew up with him.
“His name’s Roaen and he lives in The Sink.”
—l—
Earth Stream 328: October 25, 2040
6:19AM
Killmonger and the Juvian Sparrow danced. Monger leaping silently and landing on the tips of his paws and the sparrow, fluttering like its life depended on it. It did after all. Harley watched in awe of the pair. Each time the sparrow flew above the cacti, she could see the dark night sky under its wings, once she even thought she saw stars twinkling in the feathers. She was just about to give up, and try to find another when when the bird squawked. Monger had it between his teeth, fangs bared and pinching.
The Juvian Sparrow never made another sound, even as monger snapped its neck and set it on the gritty ground. As quickly as he had become a jaguar, Killmonger shifted back into his human form. Of course that meant he was standing naked in the morning sun, blood streaking his chin and golden fangs glinting beneath his lips. Harley pushed her focus onto the bird, ignoring the way his perfectly brown skin gleamed in the sunlight.
“Okay, so, there’s your bird.”
“Alright.” The pair stood there staring at each other. Harley waiting for Killmonger to shift, and Monger waiting for Harley to do something…magical. Then the pair spoke at the same time.
“Well aren’t you going to––”
“Can’t you just use magic to––” Harley gestured for Killmonger to finish.
“Can’t you just use magic to get the bones?”
“The spell won’t work if I use magic to procure the ingredients. I can’t upset the balance like that, not if I’m asking for something in return.”
Years ago, when she had first discovered magic and powers and spells, Harley attempted a prosperity spell. Or rather, she summoned a load of cash to use for a school field trip her parents told her they couldn’t afford. With a candle and a wish, the money appeared to her and she took it. She never blew out the candle or thanked the elements for bringing her the money, never once thought about where the money came from at all, but as she found, especially in magic, you can’t get something from nothing.
In the end the money ended up burning a hole in her pocket, literally. She buried it deep within in the earth, giving it back to the soil to do with it what it may. She didn’t go on the field trip, and she didn’t try another spell until she turned 18 and began her own grimoire.
“Everything about magic is reciprocal. I can’t upset that balance.” Monger looked dumbfounded.
“So magic has rules?” Harley waved her hand in the universal sign for ’50/50’ as she responded.
“More like follow the laws of nature and you’ll be fine.”
“Well it’s a good thing I shifted back. I have a feeling I’ll need opposable thumbs for this.” Harley rolled her eyes at the ridiculous statement but Monger didn’t miss the smile that curled on her lips. He liked it.
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 26, 2040
2:57PM
The trio ended up at Oakies, seated at the bar and shooting the shit, just like old times. The bar was a classic jet black, polished to perfect and currently clear of any patrons. It might have been a little early for a drink, but after their visit to the witch doctor, they all needed a drink. The couple on stage wailed about dead men walking over a country guitar.
Won’t do me no good washin’ in the river. Can’t no preacher man save my soul.
They all had their drinks. None of them had changed their orders, though today, they all ordered an extra set of shots. Erik eyed the glasses slid on the table. A Pimm’s Cup for Nakia, whisky from the highest shelf for Erik, and for Okoye…To be honest Erik still had no idea what Okoye was drinking, but he stayed away from her glass either way. The one time he took a sip from her cup, he woke up the next morning with no recollection of the night before.
“So do you think he’s right?” Okoye didn’t know what to say about Zuri Badu. At the very least the man was an enigma and Okoye had been out of her depth with this case since Erik stepped foot on her campus. At this point, she was just along for the ride.
“About?”
“Letting the universe work itself out? It’s not like he said much more. The man wasn’t exactly a sparkling conversationalist.” Erik was still bitter about that part. He had hoped he would learn more about Badu’s working theory of converging universes, but the man had been just as ambiguous as before.
“That is an understatement.”
“So E, answer the question, what do you think?”
“I don’t know what to think Kia. The man speaks in riddles. Do I feel like he told us something useful? Maybe, but I’m not sober enough or drunk enough to decipher it.” With that, Erik slammed his shot back and waved for another. Zuri had plenty to say, but none of it made sense to Erik. He wasn’t nearly as poetic as he needed to be if he was going to solve this case by the full moon.
“Well I think he was telling us to prepare for her. ‘She will fall into the nest of her making’ and ‘The moon will see her home’? That’s not telling us to sit around and wait. It’s a promise. She’ll be back on the full moon, and we have to be ready for her. You have to be ready for her Erik.” Nakia had seen Erik at his worst, and this surpassed it. By a mile. Or two. She’d never seen him so broken up about a case.
“Okay. So I go back to the Golden Fang and I just wait? What about all of the people?” After three days, Erik had recommended that Jules Fay take her case to the police as well. Just to have it on file. He had no doubt that they would screw things up, and the Ortega precinct did not disappoint. They turned the alleyway into a media circus. People were always there, taking pictures right where ‘that girl disappeared’.
“Try and get it cordoned off. Remember, we’re supposed to rid the location of any malicious beings.”
“Right.” Erik knew what he would have to do to get that alleyway cordoned off for the night of the full moon. Nakia knew he knew too. She also knew he’d drink about five more shots before acknowledging it.
“You should call the Chief.” Erik slammed back another shot. He’d already made up his mind to go visit him tomorrow.
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 26, 2040
11:09PM
The Sink isn’t actually a sink, Hazel was relieved to find. According the Angel, the Sink was in the center of the island. Angel led the four of them out of Nix’s bar and waved her hand as a few boats whizzed by before one stopped for them. N’Jadaka handed the driver the money before Angel could even bother and she stuck out her tongue. She was the popstar and the one with a doppelgänger apparently. She could pay for a boat ride.
Angel told the driver where to go in her soucouyant tongue. To Hazel and N’Jadaka the words were a garbled birdsong, confusing but enchanting all the same. There was just something about the way the words rolled off her lips that kept their attention. Hazel would have thought that she was a siren if she didn’t know any better. Being in this world for nearly a month meant that she does know better.
This boat driver wasn’t as tactile as the other, but Hazel thinks its because N’Jadaka was staring the guy down. Still, they floated their way towards the center of the Isle, passing houses and shops and even a floating hospital. As they travelled on, the buildings grew sparse. Trees grew wider and wilder, enormous frogs bumped into the boat hard enough to rock it, dolphins puttered through the water and the world grew quiet. Verdant foliage obscured the ground, and eyes peeked through the underbrush. Not silent, Hazel could still hear the crickets chirping and the waves cresting, but everything was quiet. Calm.
The driver docked at the shore of a tiny house. It was built of stone, with a wooden door and a paneless window. A few pieces of the thatched roof scratched at the house as the quintet unloaded. Terra prowled a close perimeter and returned with a snuff. Whatever she had found, she didn’t like. Bug seemed to feel the same way as she squirmed in Hazel’s arms. Soon enough the baby was on the ground, shifting into her jaguar fur and being nipped up by Terra.
“Come on.” Angel had heard of the faeries in the Sink. She’d never met one, but there’s a first time for everything.
The group padded to the door slowly. Angel knocked, and they waited. And waited. The moon was high in the sky for a moment Hazel wondered if they all shared the same one. The door creaked open before she could think any more of it.
“Uh, woah.”
The little thatch cottage was not so little, and not nearly as quaint as the exterior alluded to. A vast room stretched before them. The room with its shiny cherry wood floors, divine golden mirrors, and creatures of all kinds, could not be real. It was at least three times as large as the cottage itself. There was just no way.
“Don’t sound so impressed Hazel, this is faery magic.” N’Jadaka whispered this to Hazel, but the point was moot. He was surrounded by beings with heightened abilities.
“You scorn the name of my people and yet you come to me with a request. Interesting introduction N’Jadaka Udaku.” Angel cringed. They already had an impossible ask, and N’Jadaka was not making things easier. Any other time, she admired his snark, but now it was killing them.
“I assume you’re Roaen.”
The man in question was draped in women. Hazel wasn’t even positive he was wearing clothes. All she could see was brown butter skin and animal print. He was lounging on a tiger fur, and the women around him all wore that same print. Roaen gave a nod to Angel’s statement, and Hazel was taken aback.
Aside from the fact that she’d never even seen a faery before, he wasn’t as small as Hazel expected. Faeries in her world had always been perceived as tiny, cute, bell like beings with adorably short tempers. This guy was…not tiny by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he was built like a house. Young, but carrying himself with the weight of a thousand years. Not dissimilar from N’Jadaka, though Hazel was smart enough to keep that thought to herself.
“I am.”
Roaen stood, and the fur beneath him took shape, morphing into a tiger. The dress the girl was wearing did the same and she was left naked, peering up at the man with hazy eyes. Jagged grey wings unfurled from his back, the only ugly thing on the man, and he jerked his head to the side. A signal for the girl to leave.
“Is he?” Hazel nodded to Bug who was lounging on Terra’s back, but N’Jadaka shook his head. The man wasn’t a shifter, just a faery. Magic is a powerful tool. Angel stepped forward discreetly, pushing Hazel behind her.
“Dia dhuit ársa amháin.” Roaen’s brow raised at the use of his native tongue, as mangled as it was, and responded with a grin. He loved messing with the young ones.
“Well, well, well. Two vampires, a human, and a shifter walk into a bar. There’s got to be a punchline there somewhere.”
“I––” Angel stuttered for something to say. This was her turf after all. “Arsa ársa, táimid tar éis teacht ar do bheannacht.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want as long as you stop butchering my language with your soucouyant accent. Dia.” Roaen laughed, and continued before Angel could close her gaping mouth. “Y’all must be in some deep shit to need a blessing from me.”
N’Jadaka, Angel and Hazel all exchanged a look. A look that debated on telling this stranger the truth. A look that implored the others to be reasonable. A look that annoyed the faery standing before them.
“Would you like me to leave?”
“Oh no Mr. Faery––Roaen––Uh, sir.” After that, the words fell out of Hazel’s mouth like apples shaken from a tree. By the end, she was winded. “So, I need your blessing to stay sane.”
“Interesting indeed.” A pause. “I’ll do it, but you need to do something for me. Quid pro quo and all of that stuff.” Hazel nodded. “I need you to get me a stone from the bottom of the Middle Well.”
The Middle Well was dangerous. At least, that’s what Angel had always been told. The well itself was rumored to be gorgeous, tranquil, enchanting, but Angel had never met anyone who had seen it first hand. No creature ever wanted to bother with the place. It was steeped in bad energy. Even N’Jadaka knew the tales of the south. That the Middle Well was more than just a scenic view, that it was a passage. An access point for those in the afterlife. That was no place for Hazel. No place for a human at all.
“No. No way. She is not diving down there.” Angel knew the faery would ask for something, but she figured it would be money, or tour merch, not this. The Middle well has no bottom. No creature has ever made it out of that water alive, let alone returned with a stone.
“Angel, I’m sure it’s not––”
“Hazel, you don’t even know what you’re agreeing to. That well is on faery land. You don’t know what you’re risking.” The stories Angel’s mother told her as a child were more than that. They were second hand accounts, memories of friends who had dived in for fun and never returned. “It’s a suicide mission.”
“It’s true that the well was built on the land of my people, but the well itself was made by the hands of hers.” Roaen nodded to Hazel lazily. “Humans built that well, and as such, we magical creatures have a hard time pulling from that place. Her on the other hand, should be fine.” Angel and N’Jadaka knew faeries couldn’t lie, but Roaen only said that she should be fine. That is not enough of a guarantee. Not by a long shot.
“Should be––” N’Jadaka had done his best to hold his tongue, he really had, but things were spiraling.
“There has to be another way––” Angel couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t let her alternate self die. They had to find another way out of this––
“I’ll do it.” Hazel had been silent through most of the argument, letting Angel take the reigns. She was just a human after all. Apparently, in this instance, that worked in her favor.
“Hazel you can’t––”
“Angel, do you trust yourself?”
“Of course.”
“Then trust me. I’m basically you.” Angel relented to Hazel’s weak smile and shrug, hating that her words worked against her. She’d just have to find a way to keep her alternate self alive. No pressure.
—l—
Earth Stream 328: October 26, 2040
8:18AM
“Alright, I’ll pluck it and you shuck it.” Monger would be damned if he had to do all of the work for this witch. In all honesty, he didn’t mind the hunt, the early morning rides, even the cacti, but he needed a resolution. This bird was the key to Ayana and he’d done more than his fair share.
“I don’t know how to do that!” Harley’s frustration oozed out of her words, though it wasn’t all directed towards Monger. This may be the first time she wished she knew how to debone a bird, but that didn’t make the feeling any less true. Up until now, Killmonger had done all of the work and it irked her to no end that she still needed help.
“You’re a witch, ain’t dismemberment in your blood?”
“Oh fuck off Monger.”
“You seriously don’t know?”
“No. I never had a teacher okay?” Oma and Shuri were the closest Harley had come to having any sort of mentors, and they were a 4 hour ride away.
“So how did you learn control?” Killmonger wasn’t stupid. Sure he blamed Ayana’s disappearance on Harley, but at this point even he knew that was bullshit. There were bigger things at play here and he’d seen Harley’s powers enough to know that she had a good grip on them. He’d watched her play with Ayana, pulling rabbits from behind rocks and making the sand shine as she blew it from her fingertips. Harley had control, and if she didn’t have a teacher, how did she get it?
“I had to teach myself for the most part. My siblings helped sometimes. Sort of.” Harley cringed at the memory of performing magic in front of her family. The required love that lasted until you moved out of the family house, or were kicked out. Whichever one came first.
“Well come over and I’ll teach you.”
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 26, 2040
11:09PM
Hazel knew clicking her heels with a chorus of ‘there’s no place like home’ wouldn’t be the thing to get her back to her own life, but she didn’t expect diving for some stone would be the answer either. She supposed she shouldn’t have even tried to guess at this point. She was out of her depth, literally.
N’Jadaka made Roaen state the deal before they left. He’d mentioned to Hazel that even though Fae couldn’t lie, they still loved to omit things and play with promises. She was glad to see that N’Jadaka and Angel wouldn’t let that happen to her.
“The Middle Well was built by your kind. Or shall I say on your kind.” Roaen began his story as they trekked through the woods behind his home. The streams were small enough to hop over now and Hazel savored the crunch of the leaves as she jumped. Bug and Terra were having a grand old time too.
“That does’t make sense.” Angel and N’Jadaka spoke in sync and Roaen rolled his eyes. He was surprised at how…dutifully they protected their human charge.
“The early humans, the ones here before vampires and shifters and phoenix’s, they had an idea about the afterlife. You see they studied the tides. The watched them give and take. They watched the waves roll out into the sun and they thought that that was the only way to Elysium. Through water, through the ocean.”
“When they found this land, laden with streams and rivers all rolling out into the ocean, they decided to craft a well. A funeral space basically. For centuries they burned the bodies of their dead, praying as the fire kissed them to ash. Then they came to the Middle Well, they sprinkled the ashes into the water and watched as the connecting streams and rivers pulled their loved ones away, away, and out to sea. Out to the sun, moon and stars.”
They made it. The Middle Well was not what Hazel expected. It didn’t look like a well at all, more like a pool. It was in the shape of a half moon, stones built up on the sides to guide the water. Four streams connected to the mouth of the well, pushing the water to ebb and flow.
“This doesn’t look deep enough to dive into.” Hazel had been swimming. Hell, she used to dive in high school and this pool was not nearly deep enough. She couldn’t exactly see the bottom of the pool, but there were only three stone steps leading into the pool. It couldn’t be deep enough.
“The last human I met here said promised it was plenty deep.”
“So you do this a lot to humans?” N’Jadaka couldn’t stand the faerie’s casual tone. If Hazel was about to dive to her death for some pebble, the guy could at least show some respect.
“This well may have been build by humans but it is on fae land. It’s deep enough.” Angel could see the tick in Roaen’s jaw. His annoyance was obvious and she wondered if her hid a monstrous face behind the pretty one they saw. For a moment, she wished she could see beyond his faery glamour. Just so she knew exactly what they were dealing with.
“Alright well, wish me luck.” Hazel had stripped down to her underwear while the vampires were studying Roaen. She padded to the stone steps and Bug did her best to follow her on four legs. She turned, pushing the cub back towards N’Jadaka and Angel. Terra came and grabbed her by the scruff. Then she sat at the top step with Bug, like they were already waiting for Hazel to return. Hazel didn’t bother looking at her promised protectors, knowing their worry wouldn’t help her now. Instead, she turned to Roaen.
“Just one stone?”
“Just one. Ádh mór.”
She waded into the pool slowly. Counting each stone step she took. After the third, the world dropped out from under her and she fell. N’Jadaka and Angel had to hold themselves back. They knew interference was against the rules. if the so much as touched that well, their whole deal could be nullified by Roaen.
Hazel drifted back to the surface of the clear water, doing her best to stay clam. She had no idea what she was doing, but she decided to tread towards the sides of the well, hoping to catch an errant stone from there. After about five minutes of scrambling with her hands, she made peace with the fact that there would be no shortcuts. Not on Faery land.
Three strokes brought her to the center of the pool. A deep, swimmers breath filled her lungs. Then, heart in her chest and eyes wide open, she dove. The water was cold, pricking at her skin as she pushed. Deeper and deeper she swam, knowing that in a while she’d be too deep to save herself. She hadn’t swam in a long time. She wasn’t nearly as strong as she used to be. Deeper and deeper still, and no stones. Not even moss, or frogs or kelp. Nothing lived down here.
Before she could turn back she heard something. A sigh, no, a scream. The sound rang through Hazel’s ears, clear as day. She swam deeper, towards the sound. Breathing was the least of her worries if someone was down there. A few strokes further and an image flashed across her eyes. A bloody chest, scaly tail, and a face like hers. Hazel pushed back, away from the image, but it was in her head. More started coming, more blood, more pain, more death. And it was all her, every different version of her as she died, crying and screaming and gurgling through their last moments.
Hazel felt paralyzed. She let the water pull her deeper as the visions flashed through her mind. She cried as she saw her death over and over and over. Hazel was trapped. Stuck in this well, a hostage to the universe’s plans for her alternate selves. Then her hand brushed something smooth. The feeling of something in this empty pool, anything was enough to shock Hazel out of her stupor. She grasped, and pulled a stone free. It came loose easily, and the visions stopped. No screaming or crying or blood.
She was free. Hazel kicked her way up, up, and up. Further and further as her vision faltered. Her heart was on overload, she wasn’t going to make it. She didn’t have enough breath in her body. She couldn’t have enough breathe in her body. It was humanly possible. Her vision blackened as she rev another push, and then she broke the surface. Sputtering, gasping, alive, Hazel made her way to the stone steps, rock in hand.
Roaen was there to pull her up, and he sat with her at the mouth of the well. He hovered his hand over her shivering body, and murmured something ancient. She followed his hand, and for a second she thought she saw claws. He continued, and she peered up at his face. It was hideous, half peeled and rotting. His blessing came at a cost to the both of them.
“There, you’re blessed.”
“That’s it?” Hazel could hardly believe it. She didn’t feel any different, but she wasn’t a faery either. Roaen nodded.
“Now, leave me. I’ll need some time to reconstruct my glamour.” Hazel nodded, noting how he never turned from her, keeping his back to everyone else. “Oh and one more thing,” He tossed the stone to Hazel. “Hold onto this. I have a feeling you might need it one day.”
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 27, 2040
9:22AM
The Ortega precinct was just as quiet as Erik remembered. Kinsey and Roles were still at their desk through sour worms at each other, Coles was still color coding her reports, and Frig still sat in his sergeants chair taller than he should. The receptionist waved him in with a manicured nail and a bitten lip and Erik rolled his eyes. Every little thing reminding him exactly why he left the force.
He mocked a salute to Kinsey and Roles as he passed his and Okoye’s old desks, still empty. They weren’t bad cops, just goofy. Frig straightened even taller somehow nodding to Erik as he knocked on the Chief’s door. There was no nameplate glistening at the handle or glittering on the glass. Just shuttered bulletproof windows that vibrated when the Chief’s accented voice shouted ‘Enter.’
“Well if it ain’t my favorite detective. Stevens, how the hell are you boy?” Erik cringed like he always did when the chief called him ‘boy’, but exchanged pleasantries either way. After being ushered into a set before the Chief, Erik finally relaxed. This used to be his normal, bringing cases to the Chief’s office with Okoye and finding new angles, sitting before the Chief and groaning about the grind. Though it was comfortable, in the end, it wasn’t worth it, it wasn’t nearly enough for Erik or Okoye.
“Well then, what brings you by? I know you’re not here to rejoin the force.” The Chief stated this with a pained laugh, and Erik shrugged it off. He didn’t need to feel guilty for leaving.
“Chief Klaue. I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Tomorrow night, I need you to cordon off the alley behind The Golden Fang.” Erik didn’t mention anything about full moons or alternate universes. He had a feeling The Chief would be less inclined to help if he though Erik had gone off of the deep end.
“That shitty club? Why?”
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Is that someone going to be in that club?” A breath and another question. “Stevens are you into anything illegal?”
“No Chief. This isn’t illegal.”
“Then why not go through the proper channels?” Erik rolled his eyes at the thought of getting a permit from City Hall. He’d been in his late eighties before the paperwork even went through.
“It’s for a case. A very time sensitive case.”
“A case that isn’t police business. Stevens I can’t just––” Klaue could, and Erik knew that. It’s why he was here in the first place. The Golden Fang was in his jurisdiction, and he only needed the alley blocked off for a night. He just needed it empty long enough for Hazel to…come back.
“I’ve never asked you for anything Chief. Not one damn time. Even when I was on the force. Trust me when I say I’ll never ask again, but I need you to do this. Officially.” Chief Klaue heaved a sigh. The damn boy was right. If this was the biggest thing his best detective could ask for, he’d better count his blessings.
“Fine. I hope you find who you’re looking for. And call me when you’re ready to rejoin the force Stevens. We miss you around here.”
—l—
Earth Stream 947: October 31, 2040
7:12PM
They pulled up to the Golden Fang as the sun was setting. The journey back had been…difficult to say the least. Bug started teething. Sure she had fangs as a jaguar, but her human teeth were pushing through now, and the girl was not happy. The car was filled with her pained cries as the supernatural creatures in the car stuffed their ears. Hazel did her best to placate the baby, eventually giving her her finger to naw on. It turned her cries into whimpers, and they were all grateful. The second they hit the blood club Hazel was behind the bar, filling a clean rag with ice cubes.
Finally. You’re back! I’ve been waiting ages! How did everything go?” Shuri paused. “Wait. What is wrong with her?”
“She’s teething Shuri.”
“Yikes.” She shuddered and turned to N’Jadaka. “So?”
“Well, we got the blessing.” Angel snorted at his tone. There wasn’t much ‘we’ about it, Hazel had done the heavy lifting, and she respected the human––her alternate self for that. N’Jadaka did too, though he’d be loathe to admit it.
“And just in time. Better hurry, the moon is almost up.”
The group made our way towards the back of the bar, standing at the door where Hazel first entered the Golden Fang. Bug had stopped crying, and she was chomping happily at the icy cloth in her mouth. Tear tracks dried on her face, but she looked more like she did when Hazel first found her.
“Okay, Queen Mother told me what to do, so…I’ve got this.” Shuri waved to Hazel and Bug. “I’ve got to put you two into a salt circle, so, uh…” Shuri pulled the pair into a hug, doing her best not to squeeze too tightly.
“Thanks for proving me right. Especially because I got to prove N’Jadaka wrong.” She winked and pranced back, making space for N’Jadaka and Angel. Terra barreled between them and pounced on Hazel. Tackling her and Bug into a hug. Hazel let the two play one last time as she turned to N’Jadaka and Angel.
“So, uh, thanks for not eating me the first time we met.” N’Jadaka’s mouth quirked in a smirk and he shrugged.
“You’re not really my type, but you’re a better human than I expected. Even if you are a little slow––” Angel cut off his teasing with a smack and pulled Hazel close.
“It was nice to meet you. Or well, me. You still have the stone right?” Hazel nodded reaching into her pocket to feel its smooth edges. “Good. That way, you can come back and visit.” Angel squeezed Hazel a little tighter, and stepped back, taking Terra and N’Jadaka with her.
“Okay. Moon’s almost up, We’ve got to move.”
Shuri positioned Hazel and Bug before the door. She drew a semi circle of salt around them, lighting four candles on the way. She spritzed them with moon water, and sent a prayer to Bast. Then, she turned to Hazel.
“You have your talisman right?”
“My phone? Yeah.” Hazel fished it out of her pocket and pressed the home button, still disappointed when the screen didn’t illuminate.
“Tragic.” Hazel rolled her eyes.
“Shuri.”
“Sorry, sorry. Okay, Hold your phone and think of your world. Only your world. When I open this door, I want you to step through, and let go of Bug.” Hazel’s eyes flashed to Shuri in alarm. She wasn’t just going to drop a baby.
“Trust me. She’ll make it back to her world and you’ll make it back to yours. This door opens the universe, so you have to stay focused on your world or you could end up somewhere else completely. Again.” Hazel nodded and gripped her phone. She gave Bug one last glance and a kiss on the forehead. She’d miss the little troublemaker. Then Shuri opened the doorway and it was filled with the moon.
—l—
Earth Stream 328: October 31, 2040
8:16PM
Jet at the north. Celtic salt at the south. Cypress root to the west. The bones of a Juvian Sparrow to the east. A scrying bowl full to the brim with a dark, witching potion. All connected with a chalk circle on the wooden floor of the Golden Fang. Oma suggested that she do the spell and scrying in the place she was most comfortable, and even though Monger looked about ready to blow a gasket from his place behind the bar, he allowed her to stay. He even closed out the bar for the night. She only saw the moon as the Jags stumbled out, it was full and brighter than she’d ever seen. Hopefully that was a good sign.
The spell was easy. She had all of the components. She’d spoken the words until they slipped from her lips in her sleep. She knew her magic wouldn’t fail her in this. The scrying was the hard part. She’d only done it a few times more since that first time with Oma, and the nerves licked at her calm like flames.
Surrounded by candles and crystals Harley knelt on the paneled wooden floor. The spell was done in minutes, opening up the space in the circle to…anything. Hopefully she’d be pulling Ayana through the crack she’d created and re-warding the place as soon as possible. Harley hated the idea of opening the Golden Fang up to anything. One never knew what waited in the veil between worlds.
She turned her attention to the scrying bowl, grabbing it with both hands and sitting it in her lap. This time, as she saw her reflection in the liquid, she did her best to hone in on Ayana’s energy. Monger watched as Harley stopped blinking. He’s pretty sure she stopped breathing, but she’d warned him not to interrupt her. Not for anything.
Harley started with the version of herself she’d seen wrapped up with Ayana’s aura. Pale yellow curled around fuchsia. Now that she knew what she was looking for, they weren’t hard to find. The girl, and her rockstar counterpart were both mingling with Ayana’s essence, but before Harley could coax her aura out to pull Ayana back, the baby fell. Only, she wasn’t falling to the ground. Ayana was tumbling through worlds.
Harley could see tens and hundreds and thousands of creatures like her. A mermaid in one. A succubus in another. A crane. A child. A snake. A knight. She was everything and one thing, but Killmonger appeared in them too. He was her equal, then opposite, her friend, then enemy. Everything and one thing.
Harley tried to focus. Tried to follow Ayana’s aura streaking through the universe. Tried to grab a hold of the girl she cared so deeply for, but somewhere between her queen self and shaman self, she lost her baby girl. Killmonger couldn’t watch any longer. Harley hadn’t breathed in nearly two minutes. He wanted Ayana back more than anyone could know, but he wouldn’t let Harley die searching for her.
Rounding the bar and breaking Harley’s chalk circle Monger reached a hand to her arm. Electricity crackled up to his shoulder as Monger’s fingers wrapped around Harley’s arm. Her inhale was so sharp her body rolled. Shoulders fell back, down her spine. Head lolled away from her scrying bowl, but her eyes, her eyes were still blank.
Monger slid his hand from her arm to her chin. Gentle fingers lifted her face to his. Eyes unfocused. His mouth curved around her name, just a whisper. A breath ghosting past her lips. And then, a pop.
“I told you she was a trouble maker.” Harley was lucid enough to see that Monger finally had his arms full again, and she grinned right before passing out.
—l—
Earth Stream 245: October 31, 2040
9:25PM
Hazel landed on the hard asphalt with a thump and a huff, the wind rushing out of her. She could see the moon, full and bright shining down on her from its place in the deep dark sky. She breathed in the crisp fall air, and her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. It wouldn’t stop actually, buzzing with a months worth of missed notifications. Hazel breathed out a sigh. She made it. Limbs and sanity intact. Just as she was about to cry in relief, someone cleared his throat.
“Hazel Fay?”
“Yes?”
“My name is Erik Stevens. I’m a detective. Your mother hired me to find you.”
“Oh.” A pause as she processed this, and then. “Oh shit.” Erik’s lips curled into a rueful grin.
“Can you tell me where you’ve been?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth.” Hazel shook her head after responding. Hell, she could hardly believe what had happened.
“Try me.”
Here’s Killmonger’s bike inspo in case you were wondering!
Translations
ugqirha: witch doctor
—l—
Dia dhuit ársa amháin: Hello ancient one (Irish)
Arsa ársa, táimid tar éis teacht ar do bheannacht: Ancient one, we’ve come to you for a blessing (Irish)
Dia: God (Irish)
—l—
Ádh mór: Good luck (Irish)
A/N: So that’s that on that. Baby Ayana is home safe and sound! So is Hazel!
Low-key why do I write about bars so much I don’t even go to bars????? And I never really have????? Anyways…..here we are! The end. Didya like it? Did y’all have fun on the journey? This was as much a writing exercise as it was a passion project for me. I wanted to see if I could (1) even write a mystery (2) incorporate magic in a vaguely realistic way (3) ONLY write four parts and (4) write everything ahead of time and release it weekly like a TV show, while still keeping people interested. I feel like I low-key did that lolllllllllllll
That being said I can’t wait to revisit this and turn it into some type of script because I def want to expand on these worlds and characters even more. Especially Detective Erik, even though he’s the most human, there’s something more I think he deserves that I couldn’t quite get my finger on just yet.
I have an inkling of an idea for a future take, but that won’t happen for a while I think. Writing this was my break from writing my book, and even with life stuff not going perfectly, I’m finally feeling good about diving back into my book and my characters! I’m so close to being done so wish me luck!
My faerie Roaen is Irish, so you see Angel speaking Irish in that one scene because I have a light obsession with Celtic mythology and Ireland in general. I love that place. Everything is so damn green.
Finally, I want to thank absolutely EVERYONE for reading and liking and reblogging and sharing this story. It really means the world to me especially as a fairly new writer. (This is only my second fic lol) You guys lift my spirit every time you read and I truly am blessed to have y’all reading my story.
The Mystery of the Golden Fang Mood Board
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Masterlist
Taglist: @princessstevens @muse-of-mbaku @k-michaelis@queenamaniii@thatrandomfangirl98@dreadedphilosphy@killmongurl @thelovelyliterary@elaindeereads @thedom223 @muse-of-mbaku@bidibidibombaclaat @panthergoddessbast @writingmarvellousimagines @someareblindtoitsbeauty @jozigrrl@iamrheaspeaks @purple-apricots @thadelightfulone@janelledarling @killmongersgurl
#The Mystery of the Golden Fang#multiple reality AU#my wrtiting#mine#black panther#black panther fic#bpfic#erik killmonger#erik killmonger fic#erik killmonger x black!OC
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5 Times Echo Wanted A Big Brother ... Part 1
Hi guys! I'm done with my newest fic about Azriel's Daughter Echo and Cadan, which is supposed to be a One-shot, but Tumblr is being a bitch about it, so I decided to split it into 6 parts for this website. I'll post a new part everyday.
If you want to read the whole fic, you can find it on Ao3. The link is in my Fic Masterlist, which is linked in my blog description.
This fic is also for the anon, who requested a Fic about adult Cadan. I have played with this fic idea for a long time, but your request has finally pushed me to writing it. I hope you like it.
This (when completed) fic is my longest fic yet! And I hope you'll have as much reading it, as I did writing it.
___________________
1
Three little girls are playing together. Three little girls are twirling and running and jumping around in colorful dress. What game they were exactly playing nobody knows. They seem to change the rules on a whim. Only a child could imagine a coherent game that includes tiny pink painted wood swords, six blankets, 15 pillows, 20 stuffed animal toys, two pack of Card Games, Three flags on sticks, 12 tiaras, a bed, chalk, two buckets, two tiny tables, three sets of children tea sets and for whatever reason one broom. Whatever they were playing, the three little girls are having the time of their life, screaming a war cry, jumping from the bed onto the heap of pillows they just laid out before climbing on top of the bed.
The first to jump down is the oldest of the three, being over 5 years old. Her Raven black hair is in a very messy braid, some of her hair already escaped and falls wildy into her face. On her head sits slightly crooked a violet tiara. Her face is flushed from playing and screaming. The blush makes her freckles across her cheeks and nose stand out. Her blue-grey eyes are sparkling like stars on a clear night sky. She was also the palest of the three. Matching the tiara, she is wearing a violet dress. Two playing cards stick out from her dress pockets. Her dark bat-like wings are tucked behind her tightly. She is barefoot. Her hands are covered in blue chalk, as is her forehead and her dress. She lands with a soft thump in the mountains of pillows, nearly being completely swallowed by them. With a laugh she frees herself from it and races back to the other side of the bed to climb on top again.
The second to jump was also the second oldest, having just turned 5 years old two weeks ago. She also had a braid as the girl before her, but it came apart not that long ago. Her black hair is tucked behind her ears, keeping it out of her face. The green tiara is almost falling off her head. Her amber brown eyes are alight with joy. Her chubby cheeks are red. The golden skin nearly glowing. To keep up the trend, her green dress matches her tiara, but instead of cards, a tiny teddy bear is peaking out her pocket. Her wings, the same as the first one's, are folded neatly. She is wearing two different colored socks, one light blue, one dark pink. Her hands seem to be clean, but her dress has white chalk stains.
She jumps and lands on her back with a delighted laugh, before she rolls down the pillow mountain. Jumping back up, she runs around her bed to climb up again. Yes, the girls are certainly playing in her room.
The last and the youngest one, is only 4 years and 6 months old. And she looks the most different from the other two. Her gold brown hair is braided into five different braids that fall messily around her head and face. Her blue tiara fell off some time again. Now her hair is covered in different chalk colors. As was half her face. Her almost bronze colored skin makes the chalk even more stand out. Her fawn brown eyes shine like sunshine and she smiles a big and toothy grin. Her blue dress was also covered in chalk. As are her hands and barefoot feet. She looks like she fell into a pool of chalk dust and rolled around in it. She could make clouds by moving. Her pockets seem to contain two play tea cups and chalks.
She jumps with a scream and lands with a chalk cloud and a giggle. She tries to get out of the pillow mountain before she was completely submerged. After she managed to crawl out of it with the encouragement of the other two, she just continues crawled around the bed while laughing.
This goes on for two more rounds, when they are interrupted. “Girls, it's late! Could you please clean up before you two get picked up?” Asks a beautiful winged female in the doorway, looking over the chaos the girls have created. The girls make a sound of disappointed.
“Mom, can't we play just a little longer, please?” Pleads the second one with puppy-eyes. “Yes, please?” The other two follow suit. “I'm sorry, Echo, girls, but I have already let you play way longer than usual and this is a mess.” The girls make a grunt in disappointment, but say a small, but defeated fine. But Echo's mother wasn't done. “Arianna, Aurelia, wash of the chalk first.” The girls look down on themselves and than internally agree that yes that should be off before they clean up. “Where did you even get that? We don't own chalk.” “I brought it with me. But now it seem it gone up in dust and clouds of dust.” Aurelia, the chalk covered child admitted with a solemn smile at nothing in particular.
“Move, Aura we still need to wash it off, before we can help Echo!” Arianna, the oldest, demands. She pushes Aura slightly into the direction of the bathroom and while pointing at Echo, who already picks the tea sets back together where they were strewn around In-between stuffed animals and blankets. Ari takes Aura's hand impatiently and strings her behind her, before Aura could move herself. Giggling at being dragged forward, Aura starts skipping to catch up with Ari. Echo meanwhile finds Aura's tiara and places it on her dresser. With a fond smile, Leda, the only grown up in the house at the moment, leaves her daughter and her nieces to their own chaos.
After ten minutes and some shouting and sounds of chaos, which don't sound promising, the doorbell rings. At the sound the girls let out a shriek and the sounds out of Echo's room get more fanatic and chaotic. Shaking her head with a smile, Leda opens the door to reveal three fae. The first through the door and greeting and hugging his Auntie Leda, is Artemas, a Raven haired and lanky fae and Arianna's older brother. The red haired and rather tall female, Hemera, Aurelia's oldest sister, greets and hugs Leda next. The last one, a black haired and buff Half-Illyrian, Cadan, her nephew and the other's cousin, copies Art and Hemy.
“Girls, your pickups are here!” Leda shouts and ushers her older niece and nephews, into the living room.
“We're almost done!” Ari screams back, immediately. “You have five minutes, Ari! Dinner at home is already ready. So move your butts!” Art shouts back. “You said butts!” Aura's giggles can be heard in the living room. “We also don't have that much time, Aura! Mom said dinner's almost ready and grandpa is visiting for dinner.” Hemera hollers back. “We're almost done!” Echo shouts calmly back.
“You want anything to drink, dears?” Leda asks already standing up. “No need Aunt Le, we're fine.” Cadan says and tugs her down to sit again. It wasn't the biggest surprise to see Cadan here, even if he didn't have anyone to pick up. He loves his younger cousins, and was most probably just hanging out with Hemy and Art before coming here. And just decided to go with them, either due to boredom, to hang out with his best friends more, or to see his younger cousins.
He is always welcome in their home, Leda is just happy to see him again.
As they wait for the girls to be done cleaning up, the trio and Leda just talked about trivial things and updates in their personal and familial lifes. At the same time they also partly listen to the sounds of madness from Echo's room.
“I think we're done!” Echo says as she stands in from of her closed door, looking over her room. Ari and Aura standing beside her, nodding and looking rather proud. The room does infact look pretty clean. Here and there are still some things out of place, but otherwise the room looks vastly different from a few minutes before. Both Ari and Aura already had their bags and shoes in hand. Aura's tiara has found its way back on her head. Ari's braid had been so loose that she needed to open it up and put her hair into a ponytail.
Echo opens the door and let's a storming Ari and a skipping Aura out before she follows them to the living room. As they march, if you can call it marching with one charging, one skipping and one jogging, into the living room, the adults in the room stood. Because they know what's comes next.
The Archeron-Night greeting ritual.
A family tradition they adore.
A spiel to say hello and goodbye.
A thing they always do. And always will do.
And the spiel begins.
Ari immediately charges to Hemera and jumps into her open and waiting arms. Ari screams a delighted “Hi, Little Sun!” while Hemy in return mumbles a “Hi, Little Night!” into Ari's hair, avoiding the tiara.
Aura at the same time bounces into Cadan's outstretched arms with a sunny “Hilla, Little Hero!”. Cad laughs out a “Hilla, Sunshine!”, as Aura knocks into him.
Echo, a moment behind Aura, jumps into Art, his arms coming only around her as she makes contact with him. She greets him with a merry “Hi, Little Moon!”. Art purrs out a content “Hi, Little Wonder!” against her temple.
They all hug for a few seconds, before the girls are released and already jumping to the next person.
The spiel continues.
This time Ari lands in Cadan's arms, Aura in Art's and Echo in Hemy's. Greetings are exchanged again and the hugs last a little.
And the spiel is finished for now.
Ari finally jumps into her older brother’s arms and greets him the same as the others. Aura also is now in her oldest sister's arms and greets her in kind. Echo on the other hand lands into arms of one of her only three male cousins, Cadan. The only other male cousin she has, beside Art, is Morpheus, Aunt Mor's son. But Echo likes Cadan the best from her male cousins, even if Art is a good challenger for the top spot.
“Why do you all stink like chalk?” Hemy asks as she sniffs Aura and the air. “Because we played with chalk!” Aura begins merrily. “It got a little out of hand” Echo continues a little apologetic. “Aura was practically dosed in it!” Ari finishes their statement, swinging her feet. “I made pretty chalk dust clouds!” Aura tells them in a wondrous tone, as if she is imagine them in her head.
“Oh Sunshine, you'll definitely need to take a bath before dinner!” Hemera begins as Aura cheers at the mention of bathing. She does like bathing time. A lot. “A quick one, because Mom would never let you to the table like that.” Aura just hums and tilts her head.
“I don't need a bath right? Art?” Ari suddenly asks loudly, drawing the attention to her. Art sniffs and looks at her closely. “I don't think so, Ari. I think a change of clothes should do,” Art shrugs “Now say goodbye to Auntie Leda, Hemy and Cad, Echo and Aura, in that order.” And he sets her down, vanishing her bag and shoes.
At this Echo realizes, she is still in Cadan's warm and strong embrace. She had been in the same height as her friends and was not looking up to them as she most of the time would.
Looking up at them was not one of Echo's favorite things to do. It reminded her of something she doesn't like to think about. That she is an only child and is envious of Ari and Aura having older siblings. By the mother she would love to have an older sibling, she dreams of it sometimes, what it would be like to have an older brother or sister. A big brother like Artemas or Cadan. That would be the dream. A dream that will never come true.
Echo is suddenly startled out of her envious thinking, as Cadan sets her down too, to say goodbye to the others.
And the whole spiel begins again.
Almost everybody hugs and says goodbye to almost everybody. Echo has a feeling she misses a small detail in the goodbye ritual of their family.
After the ritual was done, the two older faes with their little sisters in their arms move to the door, they are trailered by the rest. Finally goodbyes are said as Art and Hemy vanish into nothingness as the crossed the lawn.
Looking a little bit at where she last saw her cousins, Echo sighs, she needs to finish cleaning up her room. Her mother would not be that happy with the way it is right now. She turns and runs right into Cadan's leg.
Startled and baffled she looks up, eyes wide, mouth open in surprise and disbelief. Cadan raises both eyebrows at her. He can't raise one eyebrow.
“What are you still doing here?” Echo knows that the question is rude. But that's the only question that her brain is able to release. She hears her mother beginning of a reprimand, but Cadan throws his head back and laughs. Her mother sighs and smiles softly at Cadan and than goes back into the house.
“Because, Little Wonder, I was invited to dinner and I accepted.” Cadan tells her with a big grin, not acknowledging his Aunt Le's retreat. “And I didn't really had anything else to do today.”
Echo blinks at him and tilts her head with a frown. “Don’t you have Family dinner with Uncle Cass and Aunt Nesta?”
“Ha No, they have date night tonight. I would rather be anywhere but there.” He ends his statement with a shudder. Then he turns and asks into the house. “Speaking of dinner, can I help you with that, Aunt Le?”
“Don't be silly, Little Hero, you're a complete guest tonight. But if you really want to help, than help Echo finish cleaning up her room.” Her mother voice is carried over from the kitchen. The smell of roasted chicken and potatoes and spices is finally reaching the open doorway. Cadan chuckles and than bends down to pick Echo up again.
“Now Echo shall we start our quest of defeating the enemy in your room to report a victorious ending on our side to the Lady of the house?”
Echo starts laughing but nods as Cadan carries her into the house, letting the door close behind him, and into her room.
_______
And that's a wrap for the first part. Five more to go.
I hope you all like it. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to ask me. I would love to answer them.
Tagging: @thelaziestgeek @lux-et-tenebra @mindnumbmikey @starlightheir @guthiix @iamthebonecarverr @tswaney17 @feyres-painting-studio @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks (If you want to get tagged just let me know!)
#heirs of prythian#azriel#acomaf fanfiction#acotar next generation#sarah j maas#azriel x leda#leda#my oc#shadowsinger#hop fic#hop#echo vanserra#cadan archeron#artemas#arianna archeron vanserra#aurelia#hemera#morena archeron#morpheus#helena#acotar#acomaf#acowar#acofas#a court of thorns and roses#a court of mist and fury#a court of wings and ruin#a court of frost and starlight#my fics#my headcanons
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Heirs of Prythian Profile
Name: Echo Vanserra
Age: (600 a.A.) 497
Birthday: 3. June
Epithets/Nicknames:
The Strongest Illyrian
Queen of Victories
The Undefeatable
The Illyrian Princess
Little Wonder (by family)
Positions/Titles:
Princess of Night
Princess of Autumn
Future Second-in-Command to the High Lady of the Autumn Court
Magical Abilities:
Flight by Wings
Siphons (Echo needs 10 Siphons)
Family:
Azriel and Leda (Parents)*
Feyre, Elain, Nesta, Morrigan and Amren (Aunts)
Rhysand, Lucien, Cassian and Varian (Uncles)
Artemas, Arianna, Asteria, Hemera, Helena, Aurelia, Callista, Felicia, Cadan, Cleon, Morena, Morpheus and Pluton (Cousins)
Eris, Berna, Rubin and Garnet (In-laws)
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Romances:
Shaul (ex-boyfriend)
Bowen (ex-boyfriend)
Paris (Mate/Broken Bond)
Ares Vanserra (Husband)
Best Friends: Arianna, Aurelia, Calea, Pallas
Squads:
Future Autumn Court's Inner Circle
Night-Archeron Cousins
Ari-Echo-Aura Trio
Holy Night Guards
Hobbies:
Sparing/Training
Drinking/Creating tea
Singing
Three characteristics to describe them:
Introverted, Strong-willed, Compassionate
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Aesthetics: 1 & 2 & 3
* Azriel and Leda's Story
Where can I begin with Echo ... Full disclosure in the beginning, Echo is heavily inspired by Wonder Woman, which I already hinted when I made Gal Gadot the fancast for Echo in the Family aesthetic. ... I must admit that I don't really think of her that much, so it will probably not as long as Ari or Art.
Echo is an Idol to younger and older female Illyrians. She is unbeatable, powerful, compassionate and graceful. Every Illyrian or other Warrior who challenged her got defeated by her. She can bring Cassian flat on his back every time they fight. Azriel and Cassian couldn't be prouder everytime she does it. No one ever defeated her, but only after she finished the Bloodrite.
Before that Echo was like everybody else new in the camp. She didn't really knew how to fight. Sure she knew a few things because of her family, but nothing that would give her any kind of advantages. She still was really excited to start training with Ari, but also a little sad, since Aurelia wasn't with them. These three were nearly inseparable when they were together. But Echo learned that the Camps weren't as easy or "fun" as she thought they would be. Especially the belittling to females, was something Echo shocked and offended by. So Echo and Ari decided that they would show them that females are just as good or sometimes even better than Males. And they got a lot of help from Marcella - Art's Friend and future General Commander. She trained females at the Camp and took Echo and Ari directly under her wing. Marcella was the Strongest Illyrian before Echo dethroned her. And Marcella wasn't even mad about. She is actually really proud of Echo, because Echo and Ari kinda are like the little sisters she never had.
Echo trained and trained and worked really hard to get good at fighting. And she learned fast that she had an affinity to it. She was/is a quick learner when it comes to combat. She is also quick-thinking, resourceful, fast-adapting and cunning in combat and battles. And so she fast tracked to be one of the best. And after the Bloodrite she is the undisputable and undefeatable Best™.
While Echo loves fighting, especially in a fun sparing situation, she never actually actively seeks out conflicts. But she will not turn down a challenge. And she will kick your ass into the next week.
Her status as "The Undefeatable" is not the only factor that makes her the Best™, but also that she needs to use 10 Siphons to use her magic to it's full extent.
Fun story: In the beginning they only gave her 7 like her dad, and that was ok at first. But a few months later, while trying to use a lot of her magic, half of the Siphons shattered. And Az, who was training her at that moment, quickly concluded that 7 were not enough for Echo and her magic. So they quickly contacted Rhys who then contacted the Illyrians. (I don't know how they decide who gets how many or even who gives it to them, I just pretend they have a kinda like consul or something in Illyria where they decide and measure the new recruits.) Rhys gave them the info that they miscalculated Echo and she got newly measured and equipped. Her Test results positively shocked the whole Family. Since before Echo, 7 and 8 (Marcella and Nikos (Art's best friend, future Commander of the Illyrian army and Marcella's future Husband) were unheard of, but Echo brought it into a new high with 10 Siphons. Azriel and Leda (and everyone else) were so proud. Their Little Wonder just got to be the new Recordholder and Strongest in Combat and in Illyrian-Magic.
Echo is more like Azriel in personality and more like her mother in looks. Echo looks also very similar to Azriel's mother.
When she was little Echo was a shy child, especially around strangers and in public. She liked to hid behind whoever of her family she was standing closest to or she hid her face in whoever was holding her. They always needed a few minutes to coax her out of it and greet the one she was hiding from.
She also wasn't really good in making friends on her own. Echo mostly just followed Ari and Aura around and both were bubbly little girls and made friends on their own. Echo was mostly just a plus-one with almost every other friendship. (Like "i am only friends with you if you are friends with Echo as well, otherwise I wouldn't be your friend since Echo is way better than you" situation with Aura and Ari) But that didn't bother Echo at all. In Echo's mind Ari and Aura and the rest of the family were more than enough.
Over Time Echo lost her shyness, especially in the Camps. But she still is an introvert who would rather be alone or with only a few loved ones most of the time. Not she has something against being with other people for a short period of time, but if there is a choice between doing something alone or with a lot of people, Echo will choose the former.
And like Azriel, Echo is quiet and introverted, but like her mother, Echo likes fighting and being in the spotlight. Echo had nothing against it if attention is on her. She sometimes prefers it to being ignored.
Leda and Azriel are/were glad that their daughter inherited Leda's singing voice. Echo has no problem with singing in front of a lot of people, but only after she grow out of her shyness. Because when she was little, she most of time refused to speak let alone sing in front of strangers. Even singing in front of extended family, especially when all were there, was something Echo didn't really like doing. But alone with only Az and Leda, she would sing loud, boldly, a lot, sometimes out of tune and sometimes complete non sense. Making up her own songs on the go, while twirling and jumping and dancing around their apartment. She also preferred lullabies over Goodnight-stories.
Echo is also very kind and generous, she likes to help people. Especially the ones that really need it. Children love Echo and Echo loves Children, so she taught a lot of young Illyrian children in the Camps. She thaught them basic moves in Combat, how to read your opponent and their movements, how to take care of yourself without depending too much on others, basic survival skills, how treat females, different Fae races, humans, and others with respect, and most importantly confidence in themselves.
A lot little Children - Male and Female - had her as their Role model, Idol, or/and Hero. Most of them still have her as that. And they love to brag to the others, who so unfortunate not to get taught by her - for various different reasons -, that they had "The Undefeatable" Frickin Echo as their teacher.
Echo is an Icon and Inspiration for the Illyrians, especially the younger generations. The younger generations love her and sometimes "worship" her/ "fangirl" over her. Azriel is happy that the Illyrians at least treat his daughter with the respect and admiration she deserves.
I think that's all for now. If you have any questions regarding Echo or anyone else, please feel free to ask, I would love to answer them.
Tagging: @iamthebonecarver | @mindnumbmikey | @thelaziestgeek | @starlightheir (If you want to get tagged, please just tell me and I will tag you as well)
#acotar#acomaf#acowar#acofas#a court of thorns and roses#a court of mist and fury#a court of wings and ruin#a court of frost and starlight#azriel#my oc#leda#not canon#night court#Echo#Echo Vanserra#heirs of prythian#hop#acotar next gen#feysand#feyre archeron#Nessian#nesta archeron#elucien#elain archeron#my headcanons#my ocs
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5/23/2018 Horoscope
Aries: She’s getting more angry by the second and you can tell she’s going to rip her arm away from you in another second. You blurt out that she has to stop killing people. She freezes, slowly asks what you mean by that. You tell her that you’ve seen her, always coming and going with souls, there’s no way there’s that many deaths happening, you never saw that many when he- She’s killing them and she has to stop or, or you’ll make her. Your threat is weak, and you only said it because you see something like condescension, like pity, entering her eyes and you’re burning in anger and in hurt and you don’t like that look.
Taurus: You are absolutely okay with being a she today. It’s fine, hell, it’s even somewhat new! New constant still means new, still means pretty, means the constant is pretty. Your opinion of the constant keeps changing at a wild rate, that’s proof that everything is okay! You yank Tinap out of the way of some harm without thinking about it, continuing on your dance down the street. People who see you move find themselves losing all the thoughts in their head, and then losing memories if they stare for longer, but this is not your fault.
Gemini: Suddenly, you are filled with a sharp, stabbing pain, like something vital in you is being torn to shreds, is being stolen, and you bend over, clutching at your stomach like you could hold whatever is being carved out from you in. You think you scream, but you aren’t sure. Then, after what seems like an age but was probably only a minute or two, it stops as suddenly as it began. You’re hunched over and the waitress is staring at you with concern. Her face has not moved and she has not emoted at all, but you can tell that she is concerned. You feel like you just lost something vital.
Cancer: You skip your trip to the cafe. You sit at the island in your kitchen, just sitting. For better or worse, missing piece or not, the phantom feeling of hands on you or not, this is your kitchen. It is yours and no one else’s. You’re sitting here and you will reclaim it as yours. No more quick trips to grab something without looking around, this room is yours. It feels a bit like you’re breaking something and you very pointedly control your breathing.
Leo: Just as you all manage to settle down, suddenly V is throwing your door open, throwing everything back into chaos as he’s frantically trying to figure out if you both are alright; Hazel and Georgie are alternatively trying to reassure him and trying to figure out who he is; his sweetheart, who he apparently brought along, is a concerned, clueless figure in the background; Fira is trying to prove she’s fine by explaining how she kicked the Scriptor’s ass, but her eyes are wild and her hands are frantic; and you’re in the center of it all, trying to regain some sense of order.
Virgo: You don’t go back out. You stay in the kitchen until it gets dark and then a little longer still. You bake a lot of sweets. You’re not sure what you’re going to do with them, they won’t be fresh and fit for selling tomorrow, but you need to be doing something with your hands. Baking has always been calming for you and you need that right now. By the time you finally leave the kitchen, inching back out into the front room, you find that someone turned off the lights and flipped your sign to CLOSED for you. You lock the front door, then go upstairs to bed.
Libra: The rest of Kai’s visit is calm, if tense. You go to bed as soon as she takes Makani and leaves. You want to be asleep right now.
Scorpio: Just a little bit farther, one more corner, there we go, now one more, you can do it, just one more street, now one more right...
Sagittarius: You run past a church on a lot of your deliveries. You never really understood it, not fully. People heading to churches to pray to absent gods when the ones who are here are the ones causing the issues they’re praying about. You suppose it’s comforting to them. You don’t know.
Capricorn: Dinner is supposed to be eaten together according to what Mother Tornado told you on the tour, so you head downstairs at dinnertime, but there’s no one at the table. Mother Tornado walks in carrying a dish of something and asks you to help set the table. You ask how many plates you should grab, she says that it’s just you and her here right now, so two should be fine. That’s news to you, you thought there were others here. You say as much as you’re searching for silverware and she tells you that there usually is, but lately there haven’t been many people in need of a stay. She supposes that’s a good thing, much better than the old disasters she remembers from her youth, but it does get a bit lonely around the place. You hum at her, taking mental notes. This certainly sounds important to whatever this plot is and since you can’t hear the script, you’re going to need to pay close attention to be able to keep up.
Aquarius: You go buy some bread. You’re at a bit of a loss as to where to put it, since it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and it isn’t a fruit for the fruit bowl. You eventually just sort of set it next to the toaster on top of the refrigerator. You suppose that’s fine.
Pisces: In the center of the fairy circle, you pile witch hazel, datura, and coltsfoot. You snap your fingers to summon a small flame, then cup it in both of your palms. You bring it against your lips, close enough to burn anyone else, and whisper your summons into it, demanding their appearance. You drop the flame onto the pile. A lesser witch would have needed protections against harm before attempting to summon this being, but you are your mother’s daughter. The pile bursts into light and heat, a pillar of fire shooting up. You do not flinch, standing still as a mountain on the outside of the circle. When the fire dissipates, there is an impossibly beautiful being standing where it was. The fae stares down at you like you are beneath them, you stare back.
#zodiac#horoscope#aries#taurus#gemini#cancer#leo#virgo#libra#scorpio#sagittarius#capricorn#aquarius#pisces#totallyrealhoroscopesdaily
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