#ozy the grey mage

[the-melting-world]

The Sun | Series Summary and Reader Guide

The final version of this album will not contain characters from the Arcana VN. Later revisions of previous albums will eventually reflect this shift. The removal of Arcana characters will not affect the albums' plot or the characterization of the original cast: Kipling, Khleo, Ozy, Basil, Sascha, Sun Bai, etc. All locations from the Arcana will be altered or non-applicable to the story's events. The only exception is the deleted scenes, which were written beforehand and provide context for lore, but do not carry weight in the primary narrative. 

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A recap of major events:

Kip, Khleo and Ozy grew up together on an island monastery with other grey mages, including elders, who essentially act as guardians. 

A grey mage is someone who practices a type of teleportation magic. Grey magic can only be acquired genetically. Grey mages of the past used their powers to map the multiverse and the full range of its formations. They built magically-enhanced machine weapons to defend themselves from other factions that would seek to stop or destroy their progress. Grey mages are also referred to as umbras (sometimes a derogatory term) and Door Lords (those who wield grey magic to access and manipulate an inter-dimensional highway known as the Doors).

When Ozy, Kip and Khleo were children, they accidentally opened a Door that absorbed Khleo and nearly killed her. When Kip realized that Ozy couldn’t bring Khleo back, she took all of her anger out on him, hurting him and running away a year later to a different continent. Ozy is coached by the elders to seek enlightenment in a secret realm. He disappears inside of a subterranean library for ten years.

In The Empress album, Kipling regains her childhood memories of Khleo and Ozy. She suffers from a magical block that only resolves when she opens the Door to her patron Arcana and gets closure for her past mistakes. At the end, Kip's natural intuition towards unlocking Doors gives her an edge in moving them in a way that corrals roaming monsters into one space. Ozy doesn't reveal his intentions by asking Kip to do this, but he does imply that only their friend Khleo has what it takes to deal with the monsters inside the cage that Kip created. 

In the Strength album, we learn that Khleo has been living in the same city as Kip and working as a barhand. The money that she saved in order to quit her job, she instead gives to a struggling coworker, leaving herself without any options other than to keep working for Otto, her uncle. Otto consistently uses Khleo’s compassion for others and regenerative abilities to brutally control and extract from her. Khleo's reunion with her memories and childhood friends grant her the means to stand up to her uncle and embrace a new life as a Door Lord despite no longer having the magic she was born with. Just as he directed Kip, Ozy guides Khleo to the task he has set before them: taking on the monsters caged inside a series of Doors. Instead of relying on the grey magic that she no longer possesses, Khleo solves the riddle of the Doors through the blessings bestowed on her by the Strength Arcana – beast instinct as well as supernatural strength. Khleo calms the monsters and makes them clear the space that Ozy wants to use (for what, we still don't really know). 

Based on the events in The Empress and Strength, we can assume that some outside entity is working to eliminate grey magic from existence. This is achieved by siphoning magic from volunteers. Being relieved of grey magic appeals to many grey mages who no longer want to be branded by those who fear and hate them. Though Ozy has never explicitly stated that this is what drives him to help his friends reconnect with the Doors, he has expressed dread towards the question of time – whether he has enough of it and if he is using it wisely in his endeavors to bring Kip and Khleo into the fold of his grand scheme. We still do not know how much of a threat this erasure of grey magic directly poses to Ozy and his friends.

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Ozy's story so far...

Ozy has not revealed much regarding his ten years spent alone in an ancient sunken library. His only companion was his familiar, Abaco – a bird who can read, write, and register Ozy's thoughts. It's heavily implied that Ozy could not leave the library until he reached some kind of mental threshold related to grey magic. As soon as he could, however, he sought out his childhood companions, Kip and Khleo. Though Ozy has spells of self doubt and hesitation, he otherwise gives off the impression of knowing what he is doing when guiding his friends toward specific tasks. Of the three, Ozy has the most complete understanding and mastery over grey magic. This is mostly thanks to his very powerful and wealthy family, people who openly spread and endorse mistrust towards grey mages, but also in equal measure, hoard as much intelligence as they can on the subject of Door Lords. They even go so far as to employ gifted grey mages in order to educate their son. In the end, Ozy's family sent him away to live in the monastery, essentially disowning him and leaving him to defend himself among the other umbra children, who were orphaned directly because of the actions taken by House Sese Mar and other influential families like Ozy's. In the present day, Ozy nor his friends have returned to the Melting World since they left. They currently do not know if the monastery where they grew up is still there or how people on the islands view grey mages these days.

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For more context and storytelling into each of the Door Lords’ journeys, consider reading their albums before moving on. 

For Ozy, Khleo and Kip's childhood, read the prologue: Echoes of the Past

For Kip's story, read: The Empress

For Khleo's story, read: Strength

If you are ready to enter the final phase of the story, proceed to Ozy's album: The Sun

#we love a good recap #ozy the grey mage #arcana albums: the sun #the melting world #arcana albums #door lords

[hirodraga]

Postin this other sweet commission to sweetie Coco @asras3rdeye , Ozy with @atypicalacademic oc, Haider!!! ;u; just chilling and being them 😌. Thank you so much for the support by commish me !! ♡♡

Comm Info ^

#please dont scroll without saying hi to tobias the stove salamander #bois night #really im gaying on all of those ocs thx coco and kani i have no more standarts for real life persons #the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana oc #the arcana apprentice #digital art #commission #ozy the grey mage #Haidi!!!!! #haider #haider wazim #coco's ocs #kani's ocs #queueueud

[atypicalacademic]

The trio’s teleporting in to wish Haider a Happy Birthday!

Kip has a crown for Haidi made with all his favorite blossoms, along with some of her own hibiscuses.

Khleo want to know if there are any rare ingredients that Haider wants for his menu?? She and Kip plan to take a little trip through the Doors and hunt some down for his restaurant! Haider can come too if he likes!

And Ozy would like to know if Haider would like to join him for dinner tonight in his library?? :3

Kipling gets a hug and a forehead smooch for her flower crown and he Does Not Take It Off all day. She best believe she's going to be spoilt by Several flower crowns from his own garden over the week.

He'd be Incredibly Moved if they'd travel through the doors to find something for him - just anything they bring back he'd make into a recipe and offer to them. But if anything, theres a rare blossom called the Goldenglow that's only found at the very edge of the Floating City. Added to coffee, it has some incredible healing properties and the taste is unparalleled. His mother had an apprentice from that part of the world, and they used to bring it back every time they visited. He hadn't had it since he'd left home, and it isn't something he'd find in the market, either. ❤️

And as for Ozy, he's picking out his finest outfit already, and "dinner" is certainly not the only thing that's going to get done over those desks 😏

#thank you coco 💖💖💖 #ily #i love them all so much 😭 #khleo #kipling bronne #ozy the grey mage

[ilyamatic]

For you, I will

I come bearing fluff. Thank you Coco (@asras3rdeye) for letting my borrow Ozy! I love him!

Jai has never been an affectionate person. Blame it on their parents, blame it on the stars. Blame it on the fact they never liked anyone enough to casually touch them. 

But there in the late afternoon light in their study, they are finding that they could be. They shifted slightly in Oz’mandias’ (Ozy, he often corrected them softly) lap. Nuzzling his neck, they caught a whiff of bright citrus. It was a stark contrast to the heady smells of old books and the dragon’s blood incense they tended to favor. They buried their face further.

“Tell me again how your magic works?” They whispered against the soft skin of his pulse.

They could feel him swallow against their lips. “I have explained it a few times Jai.”

“I want to hear it again. You always get so… passionate when you talk about it.”

“Do you like it when I get passionate?”

Had it been anyone else Jai would have thought he was flirting, being borderline salacious, but it was Ozy. Brilliant, a damn near genius, but he was hopeless when it came to matters of the heart. Jai chuckled as they moved to face him.

“I think I just like you,” they said with a smile.

Deft fingers tangled around the thin locs framing his face. Hazel eyes watched in rapt attention as Jai leaned in closer, brushing their lips against Ozy’s, his lip ring a cool contrast.

No, Jai was not affectionate by nature but with him they were learning to be. 

#the arcana #fan apprentice #jai the rebel #ozy the grey mage #coco's ocs #i love them okay #loc buddies 🥺 #Spotify

[the-melting-world]

It's All So Incredibly Loud 🍋

@the-midsummer-masquerade | Thank you for hosting and managing this event 💕

You can read all of the fics to Don't Stop Til You Get Enough | Midsummer Masquerade here

Day 6 prompts: role play, dirty talk

Ozy x Jamil

Jamil belongs to @into-the-daniverse

Music: “It’s All So Incredibly Loud” by Glass Animals

~ 900 words

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Those glasses.

The ones Jamil would wear whenever he was composing music. He brought those to the masquerade?

The moment Ozy turned the corner in the secluded library and saw Jamil peering innocently over the top of the frames from across the room, all the mage could think was: well played.

Ozy and Jamil weren’t supposed to know each other. Jamil was playing the role of the uncompromising librarian and Ozy the irresponsible book borrower. The only authentic component in this scenario was the library itself. It wasn’t really a stage, but rather, an actual space dedicated to holding knowledge and protecting it. Chosen simply because when it came to generating excitement in Ozy, the real thing held more power than something artificial or made specifically for the occasion. 

But the glasses were a curveball.

Ozy almost forgot his opening line as he approached the rotunda desk, absently wetting his pierced lip and dragging gaze down Jamil’s open collar. 

The grey mage barely heard the musician call his name.

“Sorry,” Ozy blinked and tried to refocus despite the tightening sensation in the otherwise loose shorts he wore. “What was that again?” 

“You have several overdue books on your record, Ozy. I’m afraid you can’t leave until you pay the fine.”

Jamil stepped out from behind the desk, sending Ozy for yet another loop. The latter expected to see Jamil in an appropriate companion to go with the crisp button-down. Instead, the musician approached Ozy in a pair of dark garter straps, his shirt tails barely covering his package. 

Now, strictly speaking, Ozy wasn’t one to swear.

However, in this moment he was thinking over some words.

Later on, when Ozy came faster than expected, Jamil playfully reprimanded him.

“Ozy. You can do better than that. Or am I wrong?”

“No,” Ozy said quickly. “I can do better.”

Eager to satisfy, he used his tongue to catch some of the cum that landed on Jamil’s chest. Working his way up the musician’s warm neck, he repeated in a whisper, “I can do better.”

Ozy went from ogling the dark spread of hair on Jamil’s broad, generous chest, to gazing deep in the greenest of eyes.

Jamil swallowed under the intensity of Ozy’s eye contact. Slowly, he tried to remove his glasses, but Ozy’s hand interrupted him. 

“Leave them.”

When Jamil agreed, but asked him why, Ozy surprised him again.

“Those glasses might not be anything special to you, but they’re quite distracting for me, Jamil.” He lowered his head near Jamil’s crotch, walking his lips just above the lateral garter strap. “You have no idea.”

Jamil was honestly not expecting Ozy to fixate on his glasses of all things. He simply brought them along because they went with the whole sexy librarian getup. He thought that Ozy would have said something about the new cologne he was wearing. Or maybe his beard, which he had trimmed and styled special for this occasion. Perhaps even the very tight garter straps riding up his thighs – but the glasses?

“You’ll have to elaborate on that one, babe,” Jamil said with a smile, fighting to ignore his twitching cock the more Ozy danced around the area.

A rare glint passed over Ozy’s features as he brought his body so that he was hovering directly over Jamil. His curtain of locs fell to one side, blocking out the light and casting half of Ozy’s smiling face in darkness.

“Let me see if I can try to explain.”

The mage angled his head just a tad. His lips grazed the corner of Jamil’s mouth. Then he made him listen as he described what those glasses meant to him. How he could never quite look at Jamil in them without having thoughts of being fucked senseless. 

“Ozy? Did you just–” Jamil laughed in disbelief at the sudden turn in language.

“Sorry. I said fuck, didn’t I? That one slipped out.” 

Ozy didn’t look the least bit apologetic. He sighed and added, “It’s not a rational reaction, I know. Afterall, they are just an accessory.” 

He gave the rim of Jamil’s frames a curious, but gentle tap. “But I’ve held back so many times seeing you in these. I know how important it is that you have time to focus on your work. It wouldn’t be fair for me to ask you to use me… like your own personal toy. Now would it?”

There was pause in the discussion where Jamil and Ozy clashed in a heated kiss. 

The musician’s words came out rushed. “You don’t have to hold back now, Ozy. I’m not working. I’m… we are here to play. So ask me.” He slowed down the kiss and nipped languidly on the gold ring in Ozy’s bottom lip.

“You can have whatever you want tonight, babe.”

Ozy loved the way Jamil phrased such things. As if he hadn’t said something like that the night before. As if he wasn’t willing to give his all to Ozy every night. Whenever Ozy needed him. Whenever there was no need at all. 

“If you don’t mind doing so with those on,” Ozy said, his voice dropping to a vulnerable baritone, “then I’d like you to use me, toy with me, Jamil. As many times as you want. Please.”

Jamil adjusted the frames a smidge higher on his nose and winked a little too deliberately to be anything but dead serious.

“I’d very much like that too.”

#the arcana #midsummer masquerade #vesuviaafterdark #ozy the grey mage #jamil #jozy #coco's writing #lemon

[the-melting-world]

Paradiso | Door Lords

~ In which the door lords gather with some new friends for a day of fun and relaxation in the Melting World...

Featuring: Ozy, Kipling, Khleo, and (@amuseoffire) Bakri, Theo, and Vehanoush!

Friendship Prompts: beach days, friendship bracelets, laughs, hyping each other up

Music: "Paradiso" by Yoko Kano

~ 1.2k words

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At the entrance to the sea caves, there is a very tall rocky shelf overlooking a deep stretch of an old reef. 

Because there was no one around to stop them back then, Ozy and his friends would leap from this rock and unleash their screams upon the elbows of broken, half sunken limestone architecture. 

For the longest time, this tradition was only shared between Ozy, Kipling and Khleo. Many years passed where the reef went unvisited. The sea caves hiding just under the rocky outcroppings went unexplored. The ruins continued to collect sea moss, content to sink further and further into the belly of this island world.

That is, until Ozy and his friends, after so many years, finally returned. They came with more friends this time, who hailed from even farther lands and had never seen this rough layout of ancient lagoons and coral rock.

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One after the other, Khleo and Theo jumped off the edge of the tallest rock. The sounds Theo made seesawed between bursts of boisterous laughter and raucous whoops as she cannonballed into the warm basin of liquid turquoise. 

Kipling, Vehanoush and Taro were keeping to themselves off by the entrance to the sea caves. Kip had them working on a project that she, when probed by Khleo, said was a secret and that no peeking whatsoever was allowed until they were finished.

Ozy and Bakri were hanging out in the shallows, right between the leaping rock and the entrance to the sea caves. Thanks to the ruins and the rocks, there was enough disrupted sunlight to create a warm, dappled umbrella of shade. 

Ozy was supposed to be helping Bakri ease into some deeper water to practice swimming, but the latter was more preoccupied by the faded glyphs on the broken limestone. The harder Bakri looked, the more he noticed a circular pattern forming. 

Before he could comment on it, Ozy pointed to a ring of glyphs and said, “Grey mages have always traveled the Doors in teams of three. The Elders sometimes referred to it as the cadre.”

Bakri studied the depictions a bit. Then he asked, “Why three?”

The beads in Ozy’s locs whispered as he bent closer towards the rock and dragged his finger from one glyph to the next. “Three roles. Three specific functions. First you have the locksmith. Then the architect. And finally, the support flex.” He straightened up. “They can be powerful forces to be reckoned with on their own, but together…”

There was someone calling Ozy’s name from off to the right. The grey mage’s entire demeanor changed as he waved to where Kipling was sitting with Vehanoush.

Ozy and Bakri waded over near the entrance of the sea caves. Normally, Bakri would have hesitated at the sensation of the water level rising up his back, but he was preoccupied by the glyphs shimmering in and out of focus along the walls. And by the sheer wonder in this blend of tropical waters and forgotten history.

Once they reached Kip and Vehanoush, it was hard to listen to what they had to say over the exclamatory echoes of Khleo and Theo hurling themselves off the rocks in the distance.

“We can go somewhere quieter,” Kip said as she spread out the project she and Vehanoush had been working on: friendship bracelets made from cowrie shells and dark twine. It didn’t surprise Bakri that Vehanoush had seemed to master the technique even though this was their first go at it.

“There’s a lagoon not far from here called the Enchanted Pool. The water is so clear that you can see all the way to the very bottom.”

Vehanoush’s eyes lit up at Kipling’s description. Ozy started nodding enthusiastically with every word. Just as Bakri was coming around to the idea of visiting waters deeper than the ones they were standing in, Vehanoush caught his attention with the bracelet they had made special for him. 

While she tied it around Bakri’s wrist and he was quietly admiring the smoothness of the shells, Ozy called out for Khleo and Theo. The grey mage’s voice bounced against the arching walls of limestone like a powerful bell. Despite this, they got no reply from the two cliff divers. Nor could they hear them splashing in the water.

Once again Bakri was being pulled in another direction. Though he didn’t mind. He waded through the shallow water with Vehanoush, keeping close to the sandbars while Ozy and Kip pushed into slightly deeper waters so that they could swim to the spot where they last heard their friends. 

Vehanoush showed Bakri the friendship bracelets they had made for Theo, as well as the other members of Bakri’s team, Heîv, Sevak, and Abisoghom.

Soon they wandered out from under the shade of the rocks and entered into sunnier waters. It appeared that Khleo and Theo had left their playground and instead sought refuge on another exposed shelf. Khleo was lying on her stomach, her arms folded under her head. 

Theo had taken advantage of Khleo’s lower back, resting her cheek just left of Khleo’s spine with her body facing away from the approaching group. Kip and Ozy both chuckled at the army of small conch shells slowly working their way up the rock and over Theo’s legs and hips. 

“They played so hard, they wore themselves out,” Bakri noted, smiling softly as he bent to pry a conch shell off of Theo’s ankle.

A soft ripple of noise came from where Khleo’s head was. “I’m up. Just resting my eyes.”

Theo interrupted them with a yawn and added, “Yes well, I’m definitely fast asleep.”

As soon as Kip said something about having a surprise for the two of them, they were both very suddenly upright and holding out their hands for Kip to drop gifts into. 

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The six visitors sat in a row on the reef, their legs dangling over the water. A shifting array of brown skin glistened with salt and tiny sand crystals under the midday sun. Kip and Vehanoush tied everyone’s bracelets on for them. Theo celebrated the loudest, laughing and positively delighting at the way her cowrie shells clicked and snapped the more she flicked her wrist.

Bakri asked Ozy to finish telling him about the glyphs and what they stood for. He wanted to know about those three roles that each door lord cadre fulfilled. And if those same roles applied to Ozy, Kip and Khleo – then how exactly? 

While Vehanoush and Theo were excited to hear about this too, Khleo reminded everybody how hungry they all were. So Ozy’s explanations would have to wait until they got some lunch. The three newcomers pouted, but agreed that it was definitely time to eat and hydrate a little.

Ozy reminded his new friends that they would have plenty of time to learn about the Doors. He promised Bakri that he would show him more glyphs in the sea caves. As well as the monastery where he grew up alongside Kip and Khleo.

He would show them everything worth seeing. He promised them.

Ozy really wanted his new friends to have that chance to see whatever they had their heart set on.

He believed they deserved all that the Melting World had to give.

#the arcana #door lords #silence is golden #friendship prompts #kipling the apprentice #khleo the barhand #ozy the grey mage #the melting world #beach tale #vehanoush toutounjian #bakri #zerin anwar al-bakri #apprentice theo #coco's writing

[the-melting-world]

Jurassic Park Moodboards

Isla Nublar: Site A. Homebase for the Jurassic Park Experiment. Though the island brings many enthusiasts of science and nature together, it does not intend on letting them leave…

~ Dr. Oz Mandias: Mathematical Ecologist and Environmental Journalist ~ Researcher Kipling S. Bronne: Paelobotanist and Naturalist ~ Ranger Khlee Heine: Park Ranger and Zookeeper .

Check below the cut for close ups and info on the door lords!

Dr. Oz Mandias

Mathematical Ecologist and Environmental Journalist

writes for National Geographic and a host of other scientific magazines/journals

considered an eccentric character among the scientific community

Has worked with Kipling Bronne in the past. Excited to be brought onto another project with her.

wants to use the Jurassic Park Experiment to study potential ecological challenges and the mathematical implications that develop from them

entirely indifferent to the dangerous and heavily controversial experiments going on at the park (partially why he received the invitation in the first place)

excited about the new scientific discoveries and breakthroughs the park has to offer. (And that's about it. Doesn't really care about sales or the tourism value in the exhibits.)

Researcher Kipling Bronne

Paleobotanist and Naturalist

Research assistant (working on a phd)

has interned for Ozy in the past

despite her inexperience, she was hired as a lead field botanist for Jurassic Park

aids in selecting plant species to populate exhibits according to specimen diets and habitat history

oversees the greenhouses

maximizes rarer plant fossils through hybrids and cultivars

closely records the success of the cultivars in the exhibits for her dissertation

also using the findings as research for her book, Genetically Engineered Prehistoric Botanica and Dinosauria, A Natural History

Taro is a ring-tailed lemur that slipped inside one of the greenhouses and now she won't leave!

Ranger Khlee Heine

Park Ranger and Zookeeper

Oversees the hadrosaur, ankylosaur, and carnivorous megafauna exhibits

Used to oversee velociraptors, but asked to be transferred after a disturbing "incident"

On top of caring for specimens, does a lot of grunt work around the park

seasonal worker with an "unsavory" record, so they don't complain much

has seen some of the fucked up shit that goes on at the park, but keeps quiet about it because she doesn't want to lose her job

has learned some tricks to avoid being caught off guard by "rogue specimens"

her favorite part of the day is feeding the ankylosaurs and watching them trundle towards the feeders (it's cute!)

Hefe is one of the Siberian Tigers that Khleo cares for!

#i'm rereading jurassic park and the door lords are loving every minute of it #door lords #moodboards #jurassic park au #kipling the gardener #ozy the grey mage #khleo the barhand

[the-melting-world]

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough | Midsummer Masquerade Masterlist 🍋

@the-midsummer-masquerade

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Day One: Coyotes 🍋 | Khleo x Lucas (@totatoti) | baths, orgasm denial, food play

Day Two: Party Monster 🍋 | Solo x Rodrigo (@into-the-daniverse) | lingerie, impact play

Day Three: Positive Tension 🍋 | Khleo x Cadenza (@arcanecadenza) | outdoors, bondage

Day Three: Breezeblocks 🍋 | Khleo x Theo (@amuseoffire) | outdoors

Day Four: Move Me 🍋 | Kipling x Andrico (@ilyamatic) | voyeurism, suspension, magic

Day Four: Headlock 🍋 | Sun Bai x Haleth (@mxgicthot) | magic

Day Five: Get Into It (Yuh) 🍋 | Sun Bai x Cadenza (@arcanecadenza) | toys, praise

Day Five: TEST DRIVE 🍋 | Sun Bai x Olivia (@popcornaddict500) temperature play, praise

Day Six: It's All So Incredibly Loud 🍋 | Ozy x Jamil (@into-the-daniverse) | role play, dirty talk

Day Seven: Wonderful 🍋 | Sun Bai x Jacqui (@into-the-daniverse) | anonymous, body worship, marking

Day Seven: Closer 🍋 | Khleo x Bakri (@amuseoffire) | collars, marking, overstimulation

Door Lords Timeline - Aftercare Special: Crowded Places | featuring Sun Bai, Solo, Sascha, Kipling, Khleo, Ozy

#finalized! #the arcana #midsummer masquerade #vesuviaafterdark #coco's writing #coco's ocs #kipling the apprentice #ozy the grey mage #khleo the barhand #sun bai the psychic #solo the seamstress #olivia plum #jacqui #jamil #haleth #cadenza #andrico #theo #bakri

[the-melting-world]

Midsummer Masquerade Style Moodboards

@the-midsummer-masquerade

#i also put what they're likely to be up to #for funsies #midsummer masquerade #vesuviaafterdark #kipling the apprentice #khleo the barhand #sun bai the psychic #solo the seamstress #ozy the grey mage #moodboard #lemony

[the-melting-world]

Crowded Places | Door-Lord-Nautilus Timeline

@the-midsummer-masquerade | Thank you for hosting and managing this event 💕

You can read all of the fics to Don't Stop Til You Get Enough | Midsummer Masquerade here

Wanted to wrap things up with a little Door Lord / The Nautilus Crew fic. Hope you like it!

Featuring in the order that they appear: Kipling, Khleo, Sun Bai, Solo, Sascha, Ozy, & Nadia Satrinava

Music: "Crowded Places" by BANKS

~ 1k words

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Kipling found Khleo alone in the bath hall.

The barhand had their eyes closed and head tilted to the steamy sky as they leaned back against the drum. Their wet, defined arms stretched out along the edge, freckles glowing warmly against brown skin. 

Khleo sensed Kipling’s approach, but they didn’t move until they heard the loosening of robe and the soft rush of silk as it dropped to the tiles. Not until Kip smoothly wedged her leg under Khleo’s head and positioned them in her lap did Khleo finally open their eyes. They snuggled against Kip as she worked her fingers into their hair, detangling the barhand’s stubborn curls. 

Khleo was content to watch Kip with eyes half mast, taking in the soft parting of her lips and the wrinkle in her nose – signs of her concentration – radiating that sweet intensity that Khleo was always longing to touch.

Kipling asked Khleo how their night went and if they had a chance to have some fun in between shifts. Khleo said that they had, but they weren’t that tired; they could have a bit more.

Then they reached up to draw Kip in for a kiss. Though the angle was off and Kip wasn't expecting it, the two of them came together with ease and a quiet, familiar passion.

After a while, Khleo made a needy sound in their throat. Kip’s name tumbled from their lips in the form of a question. Kipling dragged the kiss on, pretending not to hear until Khleo’s question became a soft, raw beg meant only for the gardener’s ears.

When Kip answered, Khleo rolled until they were rightside up and wrapped their arms around her waist, following up with, “Tell me what you want.”

“To relax,” Kip chuckled as she surrendered and joined the barhand in the bath.

Khleo was all feline grins and evasive teases.

Yeah, yeah. Sure. 

They pulled Kip into the water, steadied her in their lap. They nuzzled the skin under her jaw and gently massaged her waist like they were testing bread for firmness.

“I just want to hold you,” Khleo whispered into Kip’s skin with none of that purring this time.

The gardener felt the barhand’s sincerity. She hugged their middle between her thighs and sank into their muscular embrace with complete trust, as she had countless times before. 

No more resistance lingered between them. Only warm water and deep, tender bonds. 

Every time Kip returned a kiss or fixed them with that syrupy gaze — in shyness, fondness, or both — Khleo’s whole body swelled with so much emotion and… with a very gentle, very profound sense of rest.

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Sun Bai didn’t stay.

He never stayed too long anywhere. Or with anyone.

“Mmm. Bai?” 

The person Bai was carrying bridal style finally stirred as he was leaving the palace grounds. Solo de la Vega pushed a wavy blue lock of hair off of his slightly damp brow. 

“Where are we going?”

The pirate adjusted the dressmaker in his arms and projected his answer with his mind.

[We’re meeting up with your sister. Go back to sleep.]

Solo blew a soft raspberry. “I can walk just fine.”

Bai didn’t bother to argue because Solo was already unconscious again, proving an unspoken point. 

The walk was kind of far, but the streets of Vesuvia were quiet and the moon was full and out. Bai easily found his way to the building with the restaurant on the top floor.

Soon he was easing into a booth across from Sascha de la Vega. Her brother had come alive again in order to kiss her on either cheek and exchange some words of familiarity. 

Then he stretched out along the dark leather seat, resting his head in his sister’s lap and choosing to sleep through what he had called “an improper breakfast at ungodly hours.”

Sascha and Bai were left alone to catch up. 

“Are you happy, Bai? I waited for you this time.” Sascha gently teased when the server brought over platters of hot vegetables and fried squid. 

Bai dug into the rice as soon as it touched the table.

“I am happy that you waited for me.” He said with a completely straight face, as opposed to his usual sneer.

Sascha leveled her gaze with Bai’s slate gray eyes. “What happened to your glasses?”

“I broke them.”

“What about the back-up pair that I packed with–”

[Those got broken too.]

Sascha shook her head. She reached for her bowl, but Bai scooped it up before she could touch it. He filled it up with rice, some onions and cabbage. When he got to the squid, he lifted a chubby piece over the table and offered it directly.

“Here, Sasch. Try this one.”

Sascha was painfully self-conscious as she bit down on the fried meat, terrified that some crispy bits would stick to the corners of her mouth.

“If you want my glasses to stay intact,” Bai said, “maybe next time you could come along and… keep an eye on me.”

Sascha leaned back, dabbed her mouth with a napkin, and swallowed that very delicious bite.

When the gunslinger averted her gaze and finally spoke, Bai arched an eyebrow in what might have been hopeful intrigue.

“. . . Maybe next time I’ll think about it.”

.

. 

.

.

Oz’mandias retired early to his chambers. These rooms were far from all of the entertainment and festivities, yet he could dimly feel the party winding down several floors beneath where he lay.

He knew even after all of the guests found their way home or unconscious, it would be a long while before he wasn’t alone anymore.

When the one he was waiting for finally made it back, his lips curled into a smile against the pillow.

“Was the night everything you were hoping it would be?”

There was a sudden, soft intake of breath.

“My gods, Oz. You’re still awake?”

Nadia said it with the lightest trace of laughter in her voice as she eased next to the grey mage. Before Ozy could respond, she grazed her palm against his forehead and pressed a kiss there.

“Then again, I suppose the sun sleeps for no one.”

Ozy found her lips. “And gems never stop shining… rubies especially.”

Nadia’s throaty hum sent vibrations between them. “I do not want to be a ruby at the moment. I’ve been shining for everyone all night long.”

“You’ve dazzled the crowds enough, haven’t you?” Ozy’s voice dropped a little towards the end, feeling the pressure of those unspoken expectations – of the even stronger ones that came from the self.

“I have.” Nadia breathed into his locs as they embraced.

Ozy agreed with her, his soft smile at odds with the excitement in his hazel eyes. He drew Nadia down beside him. “If you can stop being the gem that you are, then I want to stop being the sun. For now.”

Nadia pulled the blankets over them both. 

“Yes. For now… we sleep. Until the day calls us back.”

Ozy closed his eyes to a night of fun and freedom. Seeking sleep and soundness, he found Nadia to share it with under the blanketed darkness.

#ok i'm finally done whew #midsummer masquerade #vesuviaafterdark #the arcana #kipling the apprentice #khleo the barhand #ozy the grey mage #sun bai the psychic #solo the seamstress #sascha the gunslinger #nadia satrinava #nadia the arcana #the gardener and the barhand #the psychic and the gunslinger #ozadia #the nautilus crew #door lords #coco's writing

[the-melting-world]

your oc's comfort foods? 👀

Thank you Charlie for giving me an excuse to talk about food! 😍 I was pleasantly surprised when I found this question waiting for me. Here we go! 🥘💞

.

The Door Lords

Kipling - sweet plantains, pigeon peas and rice, sugarcane Khleo - johnny cake, powder bun, black beans and rice Ozy - oxtail, curry goat, tilapia (jamaican style on all of these), conch salad

.

The Nautilus Crew

Sun Bai - salt and pepper squid (shocker, I know), green beans with pork stir fry, peeled apples Nali - anything barbecue, all the melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, wintermelon) Sascha - seared steak, ensaladang kamatis/mangga (cucumber/mango and tomato salad), eggs over rice Solo - brown butter pasta and parmesan, saltine crackers with goat cheese and pepper jelly, psarosoupa (lemon cod soup)

#now im hungry dammit #coco's asks #the door lords #the nautilus crew #kipling the gardener #khleo the barhand #ozy the grey mage #sun bai the psychic #mestra adrenaline #sascha the gunslinger #solo the seamstress

[the-melting-world]

A Long Awaited Email

AU: Jurassic Park

cw: death, implied mutilation

~ 1.9k words

.

The rain wasn’t kind to Kipling Bronne’s apartment window. Thankfully she had been able to rescue all her plants from the fire escape patio before they got drenched.

As the young researcher was arranging the peperomia obtusifolia on her already crowded work desk, she received a notification ping from her university email account.

Kip postponed her shower in order to take out her laptop and open the email. She could have just read it on her phone, but her heart was beating too fast. She needed to give herself a little time to prepare while her old hard drive booted up. 

Kip held her breath as she clicked on the newest message.

Miss Bronne, we hope this email finds you well…

Thunder exploded directly outside the window, but she barely noticed.

– behalf of the Department of Paleobotany and Palynology we regret to inform you that…

Kip closed her eyes and hung her head for a moment. When the rolling in her gut had passed, she looked at the rain trying to punch its way inside her apartment. 

When Kip was ready, she turned back to the email and read the reason her advisors rejected yet another one of her field paper proposals. Something about the lack of fossils from Kip’s area of interest – the late Permian, early Triassic intermediate phase.

Only ten percent of all life survived the extinction marking the end of the Paleozoic. Specimens of these precious survivors were sparse, expensive to hunt down, and not to mention scattered in pockets of uncharted Russian wilderness. Basically, it wasn’t a reliable fossil record to cover everything that Kip had outlined in her field paper.

She was over it. The researcher shut her laptop, leaned back in the chair and massaged her roots until her headband slid off. 

“I just want to write my dissertation.” She was talking to the plants as much as herself. “This is the third time they’ve shot me down. And it’s always in an email! Never to my face. When I’m showing them all of the research in person, they seem so excited. But as soon as everything is in writing…” She let down her messy bun, fingers carefully separating familiar tangles while she listened to the rain.

“What’s it going to take?”

The storm was almost loud enough to distract Kip from another set of vibrations coming from her phone. This time it was a call.

Dr. Oz.

Kip wanted to smile, but the disappointment of the email was holding her back. Though it wasn’t enough to make her deny the call.

“Ozy!” Kip greeted with more relief than she even expected. She hadn’t heard from him since the internship two years ago. A brilliant man and scientist, Oz went to great lengths (and through lots of money) to get all of his burning questions answered.

“My favorite naturalist!” The mathematician’s magnetic and infectious joy easily came through over the call. “It’s good to hear your voice again, Kipling. I was afraid I had lost your contact information.”

Kip had really enjoyed interning under Ozy two years ago, but he was a busy man and Kip had her own studies to return to. Lots of things had kept them from staying in touch.

The two scientists chatted for a bit. Ozy caught Kipling up on all of his articles that had been featured in prestigious science publications around the world. Kip let him brag for a bit before admitting that she had read them all. 

“What about you, though? Are you still in the first drafts of that book you were working on?”

Kip blinked a few times. “You… you remember my book?”

“Yeah! The one about semi-aquatic plants in the early Mesozoic evolving with the diapsids, right? Where are you with that?”

Nowhere.

It was a pipe dream. Something she hoped to publish when she had her doctorate.

“In medias res,” she sighed.

Ozy gave a wholehearted chuckle. “Passion projects. Life always has a way of putting them on pause for some reason or another, doesn’t it?”

Kip hesitated. Twirling an errant curl around her finger, she wondered if she should tell Ozy what was going on.

“So anyway!” He brightly moved on. “What’s your schedule looking like for the next three months or so? I have something you might be interested in. It’s kind of like a paid internship, but even better.”

By the time Ozy was done with his spiel, it had stopped raining.

“Oz, you want me to apply for this… this theme park? Sure, I could do it, but there’s no way I would be even be qualified enough to run a greenhouse on that scale–”

“There’s no application necessary,” Ozy said. “I recommended you, Kip. You should expect some contact from InGen in a few days. Didn’t want you to be caught off guard. Everything’s still technically top secret, so they might seem a little shady, but I promise that you can trust them.”

“Are you going too?” Kip asked, excited by the thought of taking this on with Ozy as her mentor.

“Of course,” He said. “So what do you think? Is this something that you want? You wouldn’t be able to tell anyone where you were for a while. Not until the park officially opens. But they assured me that they would cover your rent and waive any student fees–”

“Yes. I want this.” Kip said. She started rummaging around her apartment for soil alternatives so that her plants wouldn’t dry out while she was gone.

“I want to go work for InGen.”

.

.

.

~ Isla Nublar ~

Park Ranger Khlee pressed the End Call button on her cell and went back to eating her grits and toast. Of course the other zookeepers couldn’t keep their noses out of her business and wanted to know: who was that?

“That was Deborah,” Khlee said without elaborating any further. She let her companions poke and prod her with questions and teases, easily evading each one with something roundabout or a good natured insult. 

Eventually, Basil arrived from the other side of the canteen. He parked himself at the table next to Khlee, essentially coming to her rescue. Basil told the others to leave Khlee alone and worry about themselves. Then he reminded all of them that they only had fifteen minutes before the canteen closed and they had to feed the animals.

The conversation at the table suddenly shifted from personal to professional. The codes and feeding schedules for the different specimens became a language of its own among the cluster of rangers in khaki uniforms.

A Jurassic Park employee noticed that Khlee was going over logs with one of the keepers for the hadrosaurs. She poked her fork in their direction.

“Hey, I thought you were overseeing the raptors. Are you covering for someone in Zone C today?”

The bell was about to ring. Khlee stood up and gathered their empty tray.

“Nah. Got transferred last week.”

Puzzled looks came from everywhere at once as Khlee made their way over to the trash disposal. The canteen bell rang. There was no time to catch up and press them further.

.

Khlee didn’t know how she was going to fix a ground feeder in the rain, but the ankylosaurus had to eat and someone had to make sure they didn’t starve.

Her walkie at her hip barked at her. She answered, tucking the thing between her cheek and her shoulder while she worked, doing the best she could to keep it dry.

They needed her over in the velociraptor unit. Again.

Khlee sighed and let her hands rest on the metal grate of the feeder. She could just… not show up. But this wasn’t the time to make waves.

Khlee arrived at the ominous rusted red gate, drawing up the courage to speak to the park supervisor. It was still raining and they were both standing in it. 

“Look, no disrespect, but I don’t cover this area anymore.”

The supervisor, Randy, didn’t alter his expression. Randy was ex military with teeth white enough to blind you despite his atrocious dip habit. 

He spat in the grass.

“Saw that Deborah gave you a call today.”

Khlee narrowed their eyes. “...Yeah.”

“Your parole officer. Isn’t that right?” He stuck another wad behind his lip before smiling kind of crookedly. “I know we don’t have anything on you, but as you could probably guess, the good old American private prison system wouldn’t need much convincing to readmit you.”

Khlee made a deeply pissed, incredulous sound. But she didn’t tell Randy off. She knew better than that.

“What is it this time?” She said after relaxing her jaw.

Randy turned and waved her towards the gate. “A body. Needs to go somewhere it won’t wash back up in the event,” he gave his wrist a twirl as he pointed at the sky, “this happens again. Which you and I both know that it will.”

Without another word, Khlee followed Randy into the velociraptor exhibit. They hopped into Randy’s jeep and listened to him go on about how the idiotic behavior of the undertrained employee led to their own demise.

“Completely avoidable casualty. I mean, Christ, when are people gonna learn, Khlee? We’re here to protect the animals. Not babysit every high school dropout hire who can’t even get the rotations memorized.”

Khlee ignored the dull ache in their gut. It wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past.

It only got a little worse when she saw how young the victim was. They had a face once. One that might have been excited and happy to be here at one point. Everyone who came to Isla Nublar was. In the beginning.

Now the face was just… something that made Khlee want to look away. 

The park ranger put the body inside a bag. As gently and respectfully as they could. They dug a hole as fast as they could and put the body inside. Randy wasn’t looking when Khlee broke the chain around the victim’s neck that had their dog tag attached. Their name and park ID number was imprinted in the metal. Everyone who worked for the park had one. 

Khlee knew this because she sometimes helped in the orientation office whenever the island got a private plane full of new hires. She had entered many names into the machine.

A few weeks later, another plane arrived. The park needed all hands on deck.

Khlee was happy to take over for the previous worker saddled with making dog tags. The zookeeper enjoyed a little office work every now and then. Plus Basil was there to keep them company.

“Lots of scientists this time around.”

Khlee lifted the lever on the engraving machine. “What sorts of scientists?” They asked, not really caring one way or the other.

“Let’s see… got some pathologists, microbiologists, geologists, zoologists of course. A mathematician, who also specializes in ecology. A paleobotanist. Thank God for that. I know it’s not exactly the same thing, but maybe they can figure how to stop these poisonous weeds that keep invading the–”

Khlee let Basil prattle on while she got lost in the task of engraving. She read each name and did her best to, on some level, remember them. There was always that chance that she would see them again under less than ideal circumstances. So Khlee remembered the names in case she was called to bury their owners. To protect the animals, as Randy put it. To protect the future billion dollar enterprise that was Jurassic Park.

The last two names that Khlee engraved before their shift ended were still fresh in their mind.

A Dr. Oz Mandias. And someone named Kipling S. Bronne.

#jurassic park au #oc writing #door lords #kipling the gardener #khleo the barhand #ozy the grey mage #the gardener and the barhand #sea spirits and sun scrolls #coco's writing

[the-melting-world]

ozy said give me firepower but make it weird

#here we go #bard shit #ozy the grey mage

[the-melting-world]

Ozy has made it known to me that he is greyromantic 😌

#ozy the grey mage #gray aro #bard shit

[the-melting-world]

ozy's album really just needs to be a comic book

#too much action and cosmic bullshit to describe #it feels almost comical to try to put into prose #ozy the grey mage #bard shit

[the-melting-world]

Kipasra + Ozadia = Door Lords In Love 💖🌺🐚💖

I have the wonderful @missrabbitart to thank for these incredible pieces. I'm smitten by the way Asra and Kipling are looking into each other’s eyes. And I can't get over the feeling of a fresh romance between Ozy and Nadia. Thank you so much for bringing these ships to life! 💖💖💖

Now please excuse me while I stare at the four of them forever!

#LOOK AT THEM #i am just a puddle over these #the door lords are in love!!!! #🥰🥰🥰🥰 #kipling the apprentice #ozy the grey mage #the arcana #nadia satrinava #asra alnazar #kipasra #ozadia #art of kipling #art of ozy