#arkn: legacy

[arknthetics]

What a Scarred Marauder would wear. (Arkn: Legacy)

#scarred marauder #dekn #destrus #universe x #arkn: legacy #fashion #ensemble

[feathered-iridescent]

I'm aware of the news. I'd rather not talk about it.

#pink and purple #lauri speaks #arkn legacy #arkn x #arknverse

[the-siren-saga]

Interview with Falstaff

The following is a transcript of an interview conducted by Anatole Solal. The subject of the interview requested to be identified only as Falstaff. She is a young adult female Dekn, with short, ash blonde hair and violet-tinted eyes. Her temperament during this interview was at times irritable, at times highly cheerful, often forgetful of important details, and generally intent on making the interviewer's life miserable. The interviewer has attempted [Scribbled note in margins: Failed step one.] to preserve some impartiality, given his own personal biases concerning both the interviewee and the topics discussed herein. 

[Transcription begins.]

FALSTAFF: Is this the part where you ask me what I saw come out of the door?

INTERVIEWER: Unfortunately, yes. I know the Imperial Guard have already asked for your statement, but if you wouldn't mind telling the story just one more time…

FALSTAFF: I don't know if I'm supposed to do that. 

INTERVIEWER: Everything you tell me stays between us, okay? I know you're a little rattled from what you've seen today, but I promise, you're safe in this room. 

FALSTAFF: [Sigh.] Fine. So me and a bunch of my siblings in faith–

INTERVIEWER: Your what? 

FALSTAFF: We went to check on the door. It's important to our God and Ruler that we do that. So we do it about once every few days.

[Interviewer's note: Either she didn't notice my questioning, or she was pretending not to. My money, personally, is on the latter.]

INTERVIEWER: To clarify, by "the door," you mean the large golden one outside of Taveril'domaine. 

FALSTAFF: The very same. 

INTERVIEWER: And this time it opened. 

FALSTAFF: Yep. 

INTERVIEWER: Has it ever opened before? 

FALSTAFF: Nope. 

INTERVIEWER: I want to confirm the story you told the Guard. What came out of the door? 

FALSTAFF: Oh, it was… it was horrible, I can't even describe it! It was this ugly, pale little person-shaped thing with pulsing, glowing white veins and translucent skin. Its eyes were shut tight… or maybe it didn't have any, just hollow places where eyes should have been... and it kept making these ear-splitting screams. It moved so unnaturally, like a puppet or something.

[Interviewer's note: I was shocked by how vehement her response was. It seems that the trauma of witnessing the creature's escape broke through her brainwashing a bit. I decided to push further.]

INTERVIEWER: ...Alright. Alright. And, I'm sorry for making you rehash all of this, but what did the creature do?

FALSTAFF: Well, it had these… these weird sigils on its hands, right, and it… it was firing these bursts of energy at anything it thought was a threat to it. If you were hit, it dehydrated you completely. And it… oh, oh no, it killed Belmonte, I can't–

INTERVIEWER: Who is Belmonte, Falstaff? 

FALSTAFF: [Seems to suddenly, abruptly change her mood and become far more cheerful than she was a moment earlier.] I don't know anyone who goes by Belmonte. I don't think there's ever been an initiate in the Society who's gone by that name. 

INTERVIEWER: You… you just mentioned someone who went by that name. 

FALSTAFF: [Giggles.] Did I? Silly me. 

INTERVIEWER: Yes, the one who died– the one killed by the thing from the door?

FALSTAFF: Oh, well, then, it must have been a non-believer. None of us can die unless our Master wills it so. 

INTERVIEWER: I'm… I'm sorry, come again? 

FALSTAFF: Isn't that nice? To have eternal life so long as He looks upon you and finds you worthy?

INTERVIEWER: Nice isn't the word I'd use for what you believe, Falstaff.

[Interviewer's note: At this point, she lowered her head and adopted a very dejected attitude. Truth be told, I felt bad for making her upset. It's just… interviewing these people makes my skin crawl and I hate it.]

FALSTAFF: ...Oh. That's too bad, then.

INTERVIEWER: So, I wanted to ask you what you do in the Society. 

FALSTAFF: You know, Belmonte could be your name if you initiated. It's a nice name. I think it suits you. 

INTERVIEWER: Please, can we try to stay on topic? 

FALSTAFF: I do a little of this and that. Mostly, I… well, I guess I just try to be worthy of His love. 

[Interviewer's note: What in the name of the Hethe have I signed up for.]

INTERVIEWER: This and that? 

FALSTAFF: Some of it's a secret. I'm so happy He trusts me that much. 

INTERVIEWER: I see. 

[Interviewer's note: I am getting absolutely nothing from this besides a growing sense of unease.]

FALSTAFF: Are there any more questions, or can I go now? I have stuff to do.

INTERVIEWER: One more question, I wanted to bring it back to the door… Did Marchosias Aversen know what would come out of that door, when he declared it a symbol of his power? Because it seems gravely irresponsible, for someone with such a large following to–

FALSTAFF: He… [She trails off, a distant look in her eyes.]

INTERVIEWER: Are you alright, miss? 

FALSTAFF: ...He didn't know, did He. He didn't have control, but that's impossible, our Master plans for all, knows all, I– I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I need to… [She looked like she was about to cry. It's at this point that I may have made things worse.]

INTERVIEWER: Falstaff, do you need a hug? 

[Interviewer's note: Yeah, that was kind of unprofessional and not something I should have said, but she was so upset and in need of comfort. I know that underneath everything Marchosias did to her, she's still a person who deserves compassion, and I'm not going to let my opinions of Purple Rose prevent me from seeing that.]

FALSTAFF: Would that be okay?

INTERVIEWER: If you think it would help.

[Interviewer's note: At this point, she threw her arms around me, murmuring about how deeply forbidden it was for her to accept this kind of comfort. Someone please save this poor woman.] 

FALSTAFF: This is bad, this is impure, I need to get it out of me– 

INTERVIEWER: You're alright. I promise, everything is alright, you're safe with me. I can help you get out if that's what you want.

FALSTAFF: No, I can't leave His Heart, I need to go back to the High Cathedral, I need to let someone know about these… these evil thoughts that keep coming into my mind, thoughts that are all your fault, get away from me! I don't want to answer any more of your questions! 

[Interviewer's note: Everything happened pretty quickly after that. She pushed me away from her– she's stronger than she looks, and it left me seeing stars for a bit. When I came to my senses, I could hear her running down the hall.]

INTERVIEWER: No, please, come back, I promise I can–

[Transcription ends.]

#arkn legacy #the siren's saga

[journal-from-the-library]

Entry #3: Where is Ersis?

Reading further on these encounters with the aforementioned Dekn individual, the author seems to always dance around the nature of their "cooperation." From the entries I have read, and the further ones I skimmed, all that I could ascertain is that this Dekn isn't trusted, he's described to be "just like a cowboy from Ersis," and that he approached the author to help with a, what was the word they used,"delicate" ordeal.

I do not know where this Ersis is, but it is likely to be somewhere in the world simply put under a different name. Their associates could not know that they were working together to handle said ordeal due to the sensitive nature. There are now in fact two different scrawlings in the margins of the pages.

There is the original one in blue ink, and the other in a reddish-brown, almost unsaturated blood colored ink. For a brief moment I thought that it was just that the author had run out of ink and switched over, however upon further analysis the blue persists and the red seems to be in a different handwriting or style from the blue scrawlings. I've come to call the seemingly made-up code/language Talon. Until I find this author or someone who recognizes any of this stuff, that is what I will be calling it. Searches on databases for a code language called Talon and places called Ersis show no helpful results.

Perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong angle.

#journal from the library #arkn legacy #ersis

[penthepoet]

in light of Adam Rosner’s shittiness

 I will also be posting this here. basically, there's really no good way to say this, but I'm going to try my hardest to say it anyway, because it has to be said and if I keep this on my back it'll eat me alive.

This is what I experienced trying to work in the Old Arkn Mythos.

CW for adults grooming minors, pedophilic shit, manipulation, and other shit I went through when I was younger.

context: before Arkn: Legacy, before Unity, when I was just starting out in the Arkn Mythos, there were a handful of popular series in what is now called the Old Arkn Mythos. Michael's Camera, ACryFromWinter, and Medboy789 were considered the "big 3."

me and a few other minors, as stupid minors do, had this Skype chat we called "the Sin Chat" where we explored our sexualities and such, talked about NSFW content, the way stupid teenagers are.

at one point, one of the actors in Medboy789 - the guy that played Asmodeus - was added to this chat. something about his behavior didn't quite sit right with me, but I could never pin it down for certain. it later came to light that he was leading on another one of my minor friends and attempting to groom them. this became an open secret to the point where me and others often privately referred to the actor as "kiddietoucher [his name here]". 

the guy that ran acryfromwinter also played "kink games" with us, where he would ask us to name our kinks and then name some of his own. we thought he was joking. again, it came to light later on that his joking about "consensual cannibalism" was an /actual thing he was into/. the worst part about this was that he seemed to know it was wrong and apologized for doing it several times, but kept on doing it regardless

I have very few images from that time. All of it lies on the scrubbed clean Skype servers from years past.

there are so many other genuinely creepy fucking stories I can point to, like people in the "inner circle" of arkn using my special interest and natural infatuation with my at-the-time crush Michael to get me to keep talking to them and outright grooming it into something nasty and sexual... but it's just. it's a lot to handle, coming out about all of this. I am still so fucking afraid that friends or coworkers of mine might get hurt by my discussing this, and I want to do my best to make sure that isn't the case.

I'm so fucking afraid to come out about this. I'm so fucking afraid and it's taking all my strength not to delete this shit right away but it's out in the open now and I can't take it back. 

/This/ is the shit I went through trying to create in Old Arkn. The grooming, being lied to, being screamed at because people thought I was one of Michael's "mindless little drones," having my work outright vandalized because people were aiming for Michael and hit me instead.

It was /exactly/ the kind of shit I wanted to avoid when making Arkn: Legacy, and it was the reason I kept pressing on while making it, because I never want any of the wonderful fucking creators I've called my friends to deal with the shit I dealt with.

I have to live with what they did to me and the things I did because I thought I could trust D-vid and T-ny, once upon a time. Because it was cool to be sexual, then. Because it was cool to bully another innocent creator, who was a lot like me, out of the Arkn Mythos.

Never again. Never the hell again. This is what I went through as a young creator in the Arkn Mythos, and as one of the Administrators of the current Arkn Mythos, as the Lead Director of Arkn: Legacy, I won't be silent about it.

sidenote, but this is also why I used to break the fuck down at any of the slightest criticisms of Arkn Mythos, because it felt like I metaphorically bled myself at the altar to continue working inside it and to make a space where creators could feel safe to create inside it.

there was more than just Asmodeus's actor, Kyle, and Tony being creepy to me. there was another member of the community known as Wander who sexually harassed and stalked me. he also harassed another person who I will not name, as I would rather they come forward when they wish.

he would often ask how big the breast sizes of my characters were, and speak incredibly lewdly in my DMs when I was still a minor. this was behavior I called him out on in public chats. when I blocked him, he proceeded to go /to my Tumblr/ to dm me, unasked. (important note: -I didn't give him my Tumblr,- which implies he did his cyberdigging and found it himself).

wander was caught masturbating on call to the sound of another creator's voice during a q and a session, and yet people in the community still didn't outright push him out even though he was known to prey on AFAB creators in the arkn mythos. old arkn was full of that kind of shit.

the thing is? not only was Tony, one of the "big three" creators of the Arkn Mythos, one of its original -founders,- a creepy sleazebag, not only was Kiddietoucher Kyle known for preying on younger high school girls and bragging about it in private

David, the creator of Medboy789, fucking knew about this behavior from both of them and tried to cover it up. Not only did he try to hold the Arkn Mythos wiki hostage over a petty feud he had with Michael and erupt in a screaming rage that left me traumatized, not only did he lie and let jokes from his friends about me sucking Michael’s cock, having nudes of Michael’s, slide unchallenged, but the whole time he was covering up the shit that’s been weighing down my shoulders for fucking years now and it makes me furious.

that fucking sickens me that Tony, Kyle, and all the others would groom me into what I became and then let others make lying, hateful jokes about me doing nsfw shit with a good friend of mine. That they would constantly try to manipulate me and others into whatever they needed at the time - “bully this person out of the Mythos,” “be a creepy little shit,” and more.

Working in Old Arkn as a minor was a nightmare precisely because of people like this. Tony and David played favorites and if they didn't like you, you would be pushed out or they would do their utmost to make your time working in the Mythos hell. Whether they intended it or not, talented and brilliant creators like me, Flynn and Iyana were pushed out of the Old Arkn Mythos due to their manipulation, fighting with Michael, pettiness and covering up of sexual behavior.

It's why I'm glad Arkn: Legacy, the part of the Mythos I run, has become a space where people like me can share their trauma through beautiful and meaningful narratives. So much of my work there has been informed from the grooming and manipulation I was put through and the effects it had on my mental state for years afterward. 

The fact that people now have a safe space, free of predators, in the Arkn Mythos makes me more glad than anything I can think of. I’m going to try my hardest to keep it that way. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, well I'm glad I've gotten this all off my back. Thank you, all those who have come forward to support me and my experience. This has haunted me for years. The fact that I have it off my back now is not only cathartic, but freeing.

Others can confirm what I went through. Did I do some stupid shit when I was younger? Yes. Was I manipulative and cruel, and contributed to Tony and David pushing out people because I trusted their word? Yes. 

SO MUCH OF IT was because Tony, David and others manipulated and groomed me into the behavior I had, but part of that came from me and I own up to that. 

I’ve made my peace with accepting the wrongs I committed in the situation when I was a young, stupid and foolish minor - and believe me, there were many - and now it’s time for me to make my peace with speaking out about what they did to me, my friends and my work. That’s all I have to say.

SHORT EDIT: Michael was one of the people that helped me feel safe enough - and gave me the platform - to come out about the wrongs David and Tony have done to me and others He’s a good friend of mine and for the sake of keeping things clear, I would rather not hear him talked about as if he is on the same level as those two. There are many things he’s done wrong in the past, but he’s a changed person and helped bring the full extent of what Kiddietoucher Kyle was doing to my attention.

Thank you.

#arkn mythos #arkn: legacy #medboy789 #acryfromwinter #arknthology #arkn a #long post #sorry #personal #serious post #tribetwelve #slenderverse #adam rosner

[juju-fisher]

Inspiration comes from the strangest of places. We were trying to come up with a good name for a fictional plant crop, when.... 😆😆😆

#lol #arkn: legacy #arkn mythos #discord

[musesandmagick]

Aftermath

“Let me go back, I have to go back! He can’t have her again, he has to have me! I’m supposed to be special!”

Though his chest ached and his cheeks were damp with the weight of her emotions and his own, Laen held his sister close as she screamed and fought and cried. Her dress was in tatters: the princess frills and barely-concealing lace clinging to her fragile frame as loosely as she clung to her own mind. He’d offered a change of clothes, but she had refused.

The mess in her head was confusing his; some broken mix of guilt and fear twisting itself into jealousy — holding tightly to the familiarity and safety of the lie she’d been living.

“I’m still pretty, aren’t I?” Wide eyes shifted to look up at him, glittering and desperate for something to fix whatever she was feeling.

“You’re the most beautiful thing in any world, in Lathrym and Seed,” he told her, startled by how gentle the whisper of his voice became. “Lauri, you’re worth more than anyone could ever give you.”

“No.” Lauri shook her head, shoving him away to pace the room; hands tangled in her own hair, “No, no, it’s not the same it’s all wrong!” she whined, eyes darting as she searched her own thoughts, “I-I’m wrong I’m broken!”

“You’re not—“

“Then why doesn’t he want me anymore?!”

Laen was sure he felt his heart shatter as she screamed, tugging at her hair so hard she tore a clump of perfect waves free; staring at it in her hands and sinking to her knees faster than her brother could think to react. “I’m not even worth being a toy…”

Sighing, he knew it was over. Cradling her close again, he buried his face in her hair as she cried into his chest like they always did when they were little. “We’ll get through this,” he whispered into her mind, hoping the telepathy would be easier for her to handle, “This time, I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.”

“And I should have been a better brother to you, but things happened and we can’t take it back now,” he sighed, trying to change the subject, “D’you want me to fix your hair up?”

“Cut it short. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want anyone to touch it again.” Sniffling, she pulled away just enough to look down at herself. “Why am I still wearing this? I’m going to change.”

As if the last five minutes hadn’t happened, she pushed to her feet and left the room; almost dazed as if she didn’t truly realise he was still there.

Laen sighed, left with a damp shirt, kneeling on the floor with a clump of his sister’s hair on the floor in front of him. This was going to be harder than he thought.

#arknverse #arkn legacy #pink and purple #laurien's tale #laurien #v:arkn #laen

[pjartama]

“Farewell, Mr Rofocale”

Written by PJ Artama

It was a dim morning. The clouds covered the sky, blotting out the usual warm sun and causing the rest of the temperature to drop. The trees swayed with the cold gust of wind as Kay made her way up to the quarry where Zachriel fell. She carried a wreath of flowers in her arms, wearing all black clothes, save for the golden Luueth’dei Family emblem and the now recently added ruby red Rofocale Family emblem dangling from her necklace, and was trying her absolute best to hold back her tears as she approached the water.

She finally reached the edge of where her best friend had fallen and died and rested the wreath of flowers on the walkway before it. She took a step back but never once took her eyes off of the place where Zachriel met his end.

“I don’t know whether or not you’ll hear this,” she spoke aloud, “but I’d like to just say a few things. Firstly, I read the letter,” she spoke aloud, “and I got the gifts you sent me. Thank you for entrusting me with them. I promise I’ll take care of them. Especially your journal. I’ll make sure that Bobbie gets it back.”

A light wetness started to drip down from the sky, making little wet marks on the wood and little vibrations in the water.

“Secondly, thanks to the money you left me… I’m thinking of planning and building my own Library sometime soon. Isn’t that cool? I’m thinking of purchasing the land near to the quarry and putting it there. Closer to you. I’m not sure what to call it yet, but I want it to be a good name. One that maybe you’d approve of. And… I’m planning on dedicating it to you, because you’re my best friend. You changed my life and taught me so much about the old world and the memories of others… I can’t thank you enough for that.”

She could see and feel the spitting start to become a light rain. The vibrations in the water were starting to become more noticeable.

“And lastly, I want you to know that… and if I can be honest here… it’s been hard… to accept you’re gone. I spent the first month crying myself to sleep, screaming in anguish and wishing it was all a dream. That… That you’d come out of the water and I’d see you by my bed once again. I cursed the heavens above, I cursed the Hethe, I cursed anything I could out of grief. It was probably the worst time of my life. If it wasn’t for my family, Nicholas, Cadmus and Ka’rai especially… I’m not sure if I could’ve coped...”

She tightly clutched the Rofocale emblem around her neck to try and force herself to not cry, feeling the lump in her throat as the light rain still kept going.

“And listen… I… I want you to know that… I miss you every single day… and there’s not a moment where I… don’t sometimes cry myself to sleep… when I think of you and… and all of the things we did t-together over the years… from the day I met you… t-to the night I lost you. I-I’ll never forget those times we shared… and they’ll… th-they’ll be with me… f-f-forever…”

She took off her glasses and put her hand over her eyes as she started crying. Her lips trembled as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“…I-I-I’ll… never forget you… my friend. N-never.”

She cried by herself for a few more minutes as the rain started to increase. She eventually grabbed a handkerchief, wiped her eyes dry and blew her nose. As she opened them, for a split second she thought she saw Zachriel standing in front of her, smiling at her. But as soon as she blinked, he was gone. She stared for a bit at the spot where he was seemingly standing, wondering what that was before remembering the rain coming down on her and she knew she had to go. She began walking away from the walkway but as she got to the gate to leave, she looked back to the water and the flowers she left behind one last time and smiled tearfully.

“Goodbye… and farewell… Mr Rofocale.”

And with that, she turned back around and left the quarry, clutching the Rofocale emblem once more in her hand as the rain poured down from above.

#arkn legacy #arkn #dekn #shadow on the sea #zachriel #ka'yel #arkn mythos #written story #short story #original story

[incorrectarknlegacyquotes]

"I discovered at a very young age that if I talked long enough, I could make anything right or wrong. So either I'm God, or truth is relative. Boo-yah!"

–Marchosias Aversen

#incorrect arkn legacy #arkn legacy #incorrect quotes #source: community

[mirrored-passeridae]

Of Escape

This wasn’t right. The sky flashed and the ground shook, power crackling in the air’s every inch. Whispers of voices he didn’t recognise danced from the door that stood where there once was nothing. Hethe only knew what horrors it may hold. 

“Lauri, something big is happening.” He couldn’t help himself, reaching for Laurien as his stomach twisted with anxiety. 

‘Do you see it, brother?’ Her voice danced back, shining with the same disgusting optimism she never seemed to lose these days. Artificial. Ugly.

“It’s difficult to miss.”

‘I wonder where it goes. Something only My Lord knows I’m sure.’

“I doubt it.” He knew, of course, that this would be the perfect opportunity for that vile little maggot who called himself a ‘god’ to dig his fingers deeper into his brainwashed faithful. It would be stupid for him not to. But. Perhaps this was a chance. If the door opened, he and his sister may be able to escape through it. Or maybe it would release something that shook people’s faith in Marchosias. Or perhaps he could merely smuggle her out while the rest of the Lathrym were distracted by it. 

Right now, what was distracted was his mind. He could feel the ‘love’ and speculation in his sister, leaking through their connection like a plague. Perhaps this was actually a sign. A sign he was wrong, that Elucidis truly was to be the reigning God-- No. Wait. 

Laen felt he might throw up. “If you could broadcast your brainwashing a little quieter, I’d appreciate it.”

#arkn #arknverse #arkn legacy #arkn anniversary #arkn x #pink and purple

[thesecretchordcomposing]

Pastor Mithzan Entry

Emmanual here, today I am posting from what I overheard Mithzan Botis speak in service this weekend.

“The Hethe above and below has granted me with the power to tell you all the end is almost here, You risen will be saved and sent to a promised land free of judgment from others and riches beyond dream compared! I will guide you to sanctuary if you take my hand and trust in the powers of the above”

Does he really think for a moment anyone on this seed would follow him?

Yes, he does, And I see the way he looks and listens to Aurelius as they play their music. Like he is intoxicated. Like he is captivated by the sound of my grandchild's song.

#arkn x #arkn legacy

[arknthetics]

What Timothée might wear. (Arkn: Legacy)

#timothée #dekn #taveril'domaine #elevrium #lathyrum #ersis #universe x #arkn: legacy #fashion #menswear #ensemble

[feathered-iridescent]

My Lord has been so busy, of late... It feels like something is changing. I hope it's a good change!

That is to say, I'm sure it will be. Everything our God-Emperor does is Glorious I just

miss Him

#lauri speaks #pink and purple #arkn legacy #arknverse #arkn x #arkn #society of the purple rose

[the-siren-saga]

What Has Gone Before

AFTER

"Well," Timothée said flatly, "I came alone. Just like you asked. Though, knowing you, I probably shouldn't have."

Moirah laughed quietly to herself, a bitter and humorless laugh. The boy had been a paranoid wreck of a person since Shanna was taken– justifiably so, but the fact that it was justified didn't mean it was any less painful to watch. "Relax, kid," she reassured him, stowing her laser pistol back in its holster. "I just wanted to talk about Shanna."

Timothée didn't know what he expected to hear, but upon hearing it, he realized that he didn't know how it could have been anything else. "Why?" he asked. "I don't think you understand how traumatizing this whole situation has been. If you're gonna involve me in all this shit again, you'd better have a damn good reason." 

"I'll give you a reason," Moirah said with thinly veiled impatience. "Because I don't think you have all the facts, and in a situation like the one we're about to have to deal with, what you don't know can hurt you."

"Fine." Leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath, Timothée shook his head in resignation. "Tell me. I'm all ears."

Moirah, eyes downcast in what seemed like regret, laid one hand against Timothée's head. "I don't think your ears will be needed," she said before sending him headlong into a vision of the not-so-distant past.

BEFORE

It is the middle of the night, and Moirah is running out of patience with her contact.

"So you're sure that–"

The cold, clipped British tones in which the reply is delivered make her shiver a bit despite the warmth of the fireplace. "Yes, I am sure that the implantation process has gone as planned. The little savage even tried to use it on me when she woke up from the procedure."

Moirah shakes her head. She doubts that Shanna "tried" to do anything – unintentional power usage is common in children, after all – but there is precisely no doubt in her mind that Andras saw it as a personal attack, knowing his unfortunate history. She raises one eyebrow slowly and chuckles. "Now, I don't think it was as intentional as all that."

"Well, let's hope that she learned from my punishment. An hour or so of believing that the room was on fire should have –"

"Andras. Senêrouxe. As'phyxiar. That is a child that you just admitted to psychologically torturing."

She can almost feel how pleased he still is with himself. "Yes, Moirah," Andras says, his voice taking on a didactic quality. "A child who you had me implant with an ability that she cannot control, so that she will one day become a target for the most dangerous and manipulative man on the Dekn Court. You are no better than me, and only slightly better than him." For a second, she wonders if he's going to end the call, but then he comes back. "I gave her a subconscious command while she was under my power. Her Beguilement won't reveal itself until she is put in a position to be useful to your little conspiracy. You should be grateful."

Click. End scene. 

Moirah Averil has never learned to be grateful. 

AFTER

"SHE WAS FAMILY TO YOU, MOIRAH. SHE WAS FAMILY TO YOU AND YOU HAD HER EXPERIMENTED ON, YOU USED HER AS BAIT, AND FOR WHAT?" Timothée was more passionately angry than Moirah had ever seen him. "WHAT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU COULD BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE–"

Moirah shushed him in a way that was probably not intended to be rude, but that he certainly took as such. "Hey. Hey. You don't think I've regretted it every day since? There's a reason I tried so hard to take care of her once I got her back from him the first time. Things were never supposed to go the way they went, and that's on me, not anyone else."

"The fact that you're sad about it doesn't change anything." 

Stunned into temporary silence, Moirah looked down at her feet. She knew he was right, of course, as annoyingly tenacious as he could be about it, but Hethe damn it, she just had too much pride to say that. "Shanna was supposed to be strong enough to resist him, like me. I had Andras test for that, and he said she had the potential to develop psychic shields like mine, but… if she had them at all, Marchosias cut through them like a hot knife through butter." 

Timothée sighed wearily. "She was lonely," he corrected. "I shouldn't have to spell it out for you. Stop hiding behind your technical terms and projections and fucking acknowledge that she was stranded on Ersis with no support system and nobody who understood a thing about what it was like to be her. You thought she wouldn't jump at the chance to feel like someone loved her?"

"I loved her," Moirah whispered. But the words dissolved in her mouth like candy floss.

#the siren's saga #volume 3: lost again #arkn legacy

[acad3mia]

The Confession of Andras As’phyxiar: The Library Scene

An excerpt from our in-progress DA novel.

@penthepoet wrote quite a bit of this.

“So, um…” Caris asked, almost shyly, as if she were figuring out how to approach the subject. “Levitas has that thing where he can make people fall instantly in love with him… What can you do?”

“Oh,” I chuckled, “my bloodline holds the power of Fear Invocation, passed along to any of the sons of the family. I can force someone to perceive their worst fears made manifest, with all senses engaged in the hallucination as vividly as if it were actually happening before them.”

“Really?” She seemed legitimately excited to know this. “So that’s what captivated his attention so much. He saw you use it on someone, didn’t he.”

“I, well,” I explained, “I may have done so against my better judgement, to a disagreeable man-child whom I caught in the act of spreading a quite disgusting rumor concerning the nature of my relationship with my sister.”

“Ah, yes, that would explain it then. I may not have known him for a very long time, but I’ve pegged his type. He’s attracted to violence, to the unrestrained wildness of those who know the world is theirs for the taking. My guess is, he’s taken you for one of those.”

“Well, he’ll find himself most disappointed to see that’s not the case. Since you asked… I figure it’s only fair. What can you do?”

She smiled enthusiastically, as if she’d been waiting for me to ask. “I can manipulate the senses, cause people to perceive things that aren’t there, cause things to seem sharper or duller than they actually are. May I show you?”

I sighed, hugging my journal closer to my chest. “I suppose,” I answered, a mixture of curiosity and reluctance swirling around in my mind. The things I’ll do for knowledge.

And all the sudden, the light in the library seemed to dim, and it was as if the room itself were going out of focus. I looked around the room, trying to find something to anchor my perception to. 

“Up here,” Caris said, gently drawing my attention back to her. She was the sharpest, brightest thing in the room, and I found myself both unwilling and unable to look away. I could understand, in that moment, how a person could come to see her as their guiding light, the one who could lead them out of the dark and twisted maze of their own minds. As similar as it was to what I’d seen of Levitas’s ability, it was also wholly different– Beguilement was based on lies, but this? All it did was cast the truth in a different light. And Caris…

Caris was the truth I wanted to believe in.

And as soon as it began, it was over. “You have an amazing gift,” I breathed. “Would you be interested in working together sometime?”

#arkn legacy #dark academia #absolutely none of these people are good people but you. will. love. all. of. them. #the confession of andras as'phyxiar

[neon-jaybird]

@pariahspraises Hey, if you need someplace to chill or blow off steam or whatever, I’ve got a place that’s pretty anon. I’ll DM you the location if you want, then you can choose if you wanna come or whatever. 

Let me know if and when you’re coming and I’ll keep the purple light to a minimum.

#jaybird speaks #pariahspraises #arknverse #arkn legacy #arkn x