#seraphina party hour

[onewomancitadel]

A smattering of general updates:

I played Tears of the Kingdom. I didn't really enjoy it. I understand why it was popular though; I'm just not the demographic for these types of video games anymore. I didn't find it creatively rewarding and after a time I sat there thinking 'I would rather be writing right now', and since then I have learnt that writing is made easier by doing things which are not writing, because it makes me miss it. My dad also doesn't really like it but for some reason has played hundreds of hours in it. I don't know either - I think he will take anything called Zelda at this point.

I spectated the Doctor Who David Tennant Special and watched some clips of the new season. I'm not a fan of RTD, and not a DW fan anymore (not for a long time), but it was an interesting study in how studios try to attract old and new fans.

I read a lot of books, and that lie people tell you about all books being good for you is a lie, because a cyberpunk anthology of short stories made me so angry I got heartburn. I think people who say that are saying so because they wish that they could read a lot, in which case I say, yes I think reading is a gift and we should engage with it, however, sometimes I get so physically angry from something stupid/bad I've read because bad writers exist that it gives me actual pain. I am reading Howl's Moving Castle right now and it's very joyful; I am very surprised by the liberties the animated film took! However so far I do think both experiences are worthwhile, and if you enjoyed the Ghibli film, I very much recommend checking out the original book if you want to revisit that world again. The prose is straightforward but a little whimsical, and Howl is very, very funny. I have laughed aloud a few times.

Well, you know I rewatched Dark, and it's funny that during my exile I said 'this is like if RWBY got the ending it deserves' and then, er, I found out it's not renewed yet, and that's still up in the air, which for the entirety of RWBY I have only had one true moment of doubt of such a thing, and that was a while ago.

On that topic, yes, I still ship Jaune/Cinder, believe Cinder's redemption is likely, etc., although there are some more external concerns I would wager now than before. Before I thought it very possible to do without any commercial influence, and it depends what compromises they do or don't end up making or having already made. My analysis of Jaune's arc in V9 may not hold water as much (e.g. if you lean towards the view there were rewrites to cater to growing the audience, or perhaps it's two ideas married? I'm not sure) so I'm going to think about it more, and there always has been a tension in RWBY between what is being expected/baited and what is foreshadowed/said/actually happens.

I figured out how to write again and what was blocking me, so there's that. To talk about it a bit more, since my break I have worked every single day on writing. My key takeaways are that you need a delicate balance of delusion and self-doubt to get anything done - you don't know you can do something until you actually do it - and every excuse I invented for not writing was not the reason I was not writing. I can write with a migraine beginning to set in on an uncomfortable desk where I can't even rest my elbows properly on the end of a bed with no back support without aircon in the middle of summer before I've even taken my hair out from bedtime plaits in my pyjamas. I didn't even expect to get my fic done right before midnight, actually I was like 'well lol that's not going to happen, I'll write anyway though, fuck New Year's' because I wasn't doing anything, and then I finished and looked at the time and was like ooooh. I actually completed my goal! So I'm very proud of that. Anyway writing is breathing, to me, I go crazy if I don't do it, no matter what it is, and every single piece of nonsense advice of productivity was not helpful, ever, but I did figure it out. Also admittedly I got a fire burning under me again because I found out I was actually right about Raven, in which case I took that as a sign from heaven I was on the right track. One should hope.

I am excited about Dune Part Two, yes, although I am trying to avoid Villeneuve talking about the film because I know all the marketing is basically directed at people who aren't Dune fans, and I have to see it for myself to see what it's worth. I enjoyed the first film, and Villeneuve seems excited to direct Dune Messiah, in which case I am willing to do whatever possible to make that happen. Because that's about as complete a story you're going to get in a major motion picture adaptation and it would be So Fucking Good.

#seraphina party hour

[here-there-everyfuckenwhere]

Fic prompts!

I’m not sure how specific you want them, so here goes:

All of these are for Ted/Trent, can be established relationship or not, rating’s up to you, whatever you want!

-snow

-they spend the night at a hotel room

-they are apart for whatever reason, and they miss each other

-celebrating each other’s birthdays

Okay okay, so I got this request almost a year ago and I never ever responded to it even though I had something just sitting in my WIP folder this entire time. I didn't think this one was good enough to post considering I took quite a diversion from the original prompts, but in honour of Ted Lasso Season 3 Teaser Trailer Day, I have decided to break my year-long silence.

Enjoy

+++

Title: ???

Pairing: Ted Lasso/Trent Crimm

Prompt: Hotel, snow, apart, birthday, missing each other,

Word count: 1.7k

Other tags: fluffy, oneshot

+++

Read on AO3

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To anyone else looking out at the dark streets of Richmond from their window, it appeared to be like any other Winter afternoon. The air was the sort of cold that would bite at your skin if you stood outside for long enough. Thick, white snow delicately framed every window in town, including the window that Trent Crimm, formerly of The Independent, sat beneath, longingly staring at the reflection that seemed to be staring back at him.

The day itself shouldn’t have felt significant to him anymore; he managed to make it through 41 other birthdays just fine after all, and his 42nd was shaping up to be no different from the rest. Trent was never really in favour of celebrating his birthday. As a child he never really enjoyed celebrating his own birthday or having parties with his friends from school (not that he ever seemed to make many…), and the habit of ignoring his birthday until it finally washed over him and became just any other day had well and truly followed him all the way throughout his adult life. 

On this birthday in particular, Seraphina happened to be staying with her grandparents. The situation seemed unfamiliar to Trent; having a completely empty, quiet house all to himself without having to write a detailed report on Richmond’s win the night before in Liverpool as a deadline drew closer and closer. In a way it was oddly freeing, but simultaneously terrifying, and Trent found himself unsure of what to do. Which explains why he sat, staring out of the window at nothing for at least half an hour that night. 

Fortunately, a sound snapped him out of his trance, startling him at first until he realised it was the  specific ringtone he had set for whenever Ted called him. Which, he had noticed, had become his nightly ritual. 

Trent picked up his phone, taking a deep breath before answering. 

“Trent Crimm, The Inde-“ he stopped himself. Old habits. He cleared his throat gently. 

“How may I help you?”

“Aw, I know who I’m calling,” he heard the familiar voice of Ted Lasso assure him. He couldn’t help but smile. 

“How is Liverpool?” He asked, genuinely curious despite having been there himself what felt like a million times to attend various football matches during his career. 

“I’ll tell ya, Trent, it’s a lot more fun being in a city right after you’ve actually won a game,” he answers, followed by a low giggle that makes Trent’s heart race a mile a minute. 

“And the hotel…?” He asks. Decades of working as a journalist leads to some terrible habits, like not being able to hold a normal conversation without just firing questions at the other person. Ted doesn’t seem to mind it, handling each one with the same sincerity and charisma he brought to the press room where they first met. 

“Nice. Almost a little too nice, if I’m being honest. Which reminds me, I’ve got something I need to give to you,” Ted tells him, which is.. strange, to say the least. 

“That’s very kind of you, but.. why?” Trent asks, fidgeting with his glasses in his hands absentmindedly. 

“Well, I know you said you don’t like gifts, but I figured it was the least I could do,”

Trent stops fidgeting. 

“…for what?” He asks. A strange feeling, something between dread and excitement, took a hold of him as the question comes out far more stern than he intended. 

“Aww, come on now, Trent, you didn’t think I’d forget your birthday did you..?” 

Trent sighs. Of course he would never forget. He tries his hardest not to read too much into it- Ted probably remembers all of his friends’ birthdays… right?

“I’m not totally sure how you even remembered in the first place,” he said, returning to fidgeting with his glasses again, this time more anxiously. 

“Remember that time Keeley was trying to guess what your star sign was…?” Ted prompts him. 

Trent cringes at the realisation that yes, he actually did volunteer that information and yes, that was the context. 

“Thank you very much for calling, but you should know I am staunchly opposed to celebrating birthdays. Mine in particular,” he attempts to explain, though he’s almost certain he’s not going to get very far. 

“Now, why is that…?” Ted asks, his signature, almost child-like curiosity laced through every word of his question. It was hard not to want to tell him everything. 

He wasn’t like Trent; he didn’t ask questions to manipulate or make people feel a certain way. He asked questions simply because he wanted to know what the answers were. 

Trent takes a moment to consider this before answering. 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe just the thought of being.. older,” he shrugs even though Ted can’t see him. 

“Aw, there’s nothing wrong with getting older, Trent. It just means you’re finally growing into your reading glasses,“ 

Trent gasps, taking mock offence, but can’t help laughing slightly. His day definitely seems to be improving. 

“So you’re sure there’s absolutely nothing you want for your birthday..?” Ted asks, but in a way that makes Trent think he’s definitely planning something. Some grand, Lasso-style gesture that would probably just embarrass the hell out of him. 

“Yes, I am quite certain, Coach Lasso,” he says carefully, making sure that there is no way any word in the sentence could be misconstrued. 

“Nothing at all…?” He repeats. Something inside of Trent lights up, either fear or excitement. Or possibly both. 

“Yes, I am sure. Nothing at-“ before he can finish his thought, the familiar sound of the doorbell permeates the silence in the apartment. 

“-all,” he finishes, before carefully inching towards the door, completely unsure of what to expect. 

Of all the things he might have suspected before opening the door, Ted standing by himself, beaming at him on his doorstep was not one of them. He was holding a cupcake, topped with a lit birthday candle. 

Trent hangs up on the phone call, standing in utter disbelief at the scene before him, trying to remember this moment as best as he could. A million questions flooded into his mind, 

Like “Aren’t you supposed to be coming back from Liverpool tomorrow?”

But instead of asking any of them, he stared in silence just for a moment, trying to savour it for as long as possible. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Ted asks him, gesturing down at the candle. 

“I- what?”

“Come on! You have to make a wish!” He smiles expectantly. As Ted holds the cake out towards him he can see something on his face that he has never seen before- something fond, and soft, and truly happy. Trent could feel the slight sting of tears in his eyes that he choked back as he eventually blew out the candle. 

“Woo! There ya go! Now, for obvious reasons you can’t tell me what you wished for, but-“ 

“Ted...” He said gently, cutting him off from whatever digression he was bound to launch into. 

He took a step closer and shut the door behind him. 

He suddenly felt a wave of new-found confidence come over him in that moment as he slowly dragged his gaze eyes up from the unlit candle, all the way to Ted’s eyes, which were widened in curiosity and anticipation. 

Ted could feel his heart thumping against his chest, and suddenly he felt as though he was witnessing Ms Scanlon’s tan lines again for the very first time, but this was new. Different, somehow. Because this was real, and it was with Trent Crimm, formerly of The Independent, the man who he had been thinking about since the moment he saw him in the press room on his first day at work. 

“Thank you. For everything,” Trent smiled at him slightly as he gently plucked the cupcake from his hand and placed it down on the small table just inside his front door. As he reached for it, his fingertips grazed Ted’s just for a moment, but it felt like maybe just a moment too long, and now Ted’s insides were twisting and knotting. It was a feeling he was familiar with, whenever the panic would settle in and it felt like he couldn’t breathe, but this was different. This was comfortable and warm and good and he never wanted it to end. 

He tried to keep his imagination from going wild; Trent was a good friend of his, and he just wanted him to have a good birthday. Nothing else. But he couldn’t help but wonder if Trent was thinking the same thing. 

“Oh, no, that’s okay, I just swung by to-“ Ted’s words are cut off by Trent’s warm hands cupping the side of his face, curing the chill with his gentle touch before pressing his lips against Ted’s in one swift motion.

Ted stands there for a moment, stunned, before reaching for Trent’s waist to gently pull him closer. After all, he has only really kissed Michelle, and felt completely unprepared for this scenario. Even though he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it once or twice.. 

Something inside of Trent felt as though it was bursting at the seams, as if months of wondering if all of Ted’s grand gestures and late-night phone calls and little nods to each other in the press room meant what he thought they meant this whole time. What he wanted them to mean all along. 

Ted feels his breath catch in his throat as Trent takes his bottom lip between his teeth gently as they pull away from each other. 

They stand for a moment like that, in Trent’s doorway as Ted stares at the ground nervously and shoves his hand in his pockets, trying desperately to ignore that  every single cell in his body felt like it had caught fire.  

Trent studied him for a second, unsure if maybe he had made a huge mistake and ruined any shred of trust the two of them had only moments ago. 

Then he remembered the candle in Ted’s hands, how he had been told to make a wish and blow it out. How he wished for just a moment, a brief moment in time, that he had the courage to say how he really felt. 

He took a deep breath in before filling the silence that had settled in between them. 

“Would you like to come in…?” 

Ted nodded before slipping politely past Trent and in through his living room. 

Maybe Trent could come around on this whole birthday thing after all.. 

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#Ted lasso #tls3 #ted lasso season 3 #ted/trent #trent/ted #Trent crimm/ted lasso #ted lasso/trent crimm #ted lasso fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #my fanfic #ray rants and junk #personal #fluff #Trent crimm is absolutely the type of person who says shit like I Dont Want Presents :) #but LOOOOOOOVES getting presents #ted lasso #my writing #my asks #requests #asks

[seraphinarh]

it wasn’t the best idea for seraphina to pregame so heavily if she was planning on continuing to drinking. so after a short while of dancing and mingling she decided sober up a little getting some air. this party was equivalent to a morning bunch to her, so she was going to be up for hours. “hey,” she called out. accidentally, greeting with the hand holding the water bottle before she switched, sending a wave and giggle. “how’s your night been so far?” || @sunsetstarters​

#i think i msged everyone buutt if you just wanna start something then here #sunsetevent : 001 #꒰ ა ♡ ໒ ꒱ — mayor’s princess throws a party #꒰ ა ♡ ໒ ꒱ — startin sumthin #alcohol tw #sunsetstart #if i didnt msg you hmu #or if sera pregamed with your muse

[haaawaiianshirt]

1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 19, 25, 35, 42, 57, 69

1. why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es)?

ok so Delilah is a Path of The Beast Barbarian, and I don't think they really ever... chose that. its more like you show up someplace strange with celestial blood, a lot of anger, and your only muscle memories being how to fucking FIGHT and.. ya know

2. (already did :3)

3. what is their goal right now?

protect the party, retrieve her memories, find Ruewen's brother, find Nora's sister, keep an eye on her dad bc he might become a werewolf, keep an eye out for the monster slayer thats trying to get her friends, stop the cult ritual happening in hell in 24 hours, and maybe untangle the string that connects her and Belladonna :3 she is not! doing! well!

14. What is something they love about themself

[covered in blood] uh. um. its not great, but I think she mainly bases her worth on what she can provide for others. so shes not doing wonderful right now. she just does her best and kind of trusts the people around her that she’s good.

19. what haunts them? what doesnt?

ohhhhh hohohohohoho its actually very funny! just as she thought she was finally putting Bleakridge behind her :) finally achieving atonement :) finally starting to believe that she deserved this life :) that whatever was out there had really forgiven her for her failures :) here we are

25. what stories do they like to tell? what stories do they like to hear?

they love talking about Brozi and telling stories about what bullshit shenanigans the two of them got up to!! ALSO they love talking about Owen and maybe bragging just a little bit about how cool he is. they'll listen to any story anyone is wiling to tell.

35. which party member do they worry for?

oh, all of them. 100%. at all times. but in particular, Ruewen, Morgan, and Belladonna.

57. what makes them angry?

oh goddamn what DOESN'T!! but what can instantly set them on edge is being put on any kind of fuckin’ divine pedestal, they feel like some kind of little celestial pet and it’s awful. they are also super fucking sensitive to insinuations that they are weak or naive

69. how would they describe their party members?

ough this is gonna take me the longest isnt it?

Morgan: protective and trustworthy, passionate, led by her heart

Ruewen: loyal, not to be underestimated, the bravest

Nora: resourceful spitfire, smart and vicious, but kind when she’s called to be

Seraphina: cool-headed and comforting, self assured and confident

Belladonna: resilient, grounded, gentle nature but vicious when necessary

#Delilah posting #cowboy dykes #descriptions are hard I tried not to metagame

[amywrites256]

Character Profile: Seraphina Cabellero

The Basics

Name: Seraphina Mirella Caballero

Appearance: Light Brown Eyes, Dark Chestnut Brown Hair, Pale Reddish Skin, Thin, Short (5’5), Full Lips, Almond Eyes, Curvy

Age: Eighteen Years Old

Role In The Story: Main Character

Enneagram: Type Four (The Individualists)

Parents: Baron Adrian Caballero And Lady Mirella

Siblings: Delphina And Daphne Hernandez

Hobbies: Drawing, Needlework, Playing The Piano, Oil Painting, Pottery, Reading Plays And Novels

Overall Personality: Quiet, Anxious, Cold, Introverted, Angry, Depressed, Agitated

Keep reading

Character Backstory

Seraphina was a miracle child, with her mother conceiving her after several miscarriages and failed attempts at pregnancy, but after a difficult labour, Sera was initially stillborn. Whereas Adrian tried to comfort his wife, Mirella was inconsolable and refused to let anyone bury the baby, saying that she was just sleeping. Late into the night, she set off with the baby’s cold body and went to a temple dedicated to the goddess of fire, life and creation, Fira. There she begged the young prophetess, Maeve to save the child, refusing to leave even when she said there was nothing she could do. Even though the ritual was illegal, Maeve felt pity for Mirella and laid Sera’s still body on the altar and using ancient divine magic, called upon the goddess. In a sudden blaze of heavenly fire and light, Sera began crying and was brought back to life, with a mark engraved over her heart symbolizing her as someone bound to the ancient goddess.

Mirella and Adrian went on to raise Sera in a wealthy home of low-ranked nobility, with two servants, a cook, who also helped clean, and a groom, and they also had a coachman and resided in a large manor which had been passed down by Seraphina’s grandfather. Since Mirella was disowned by her family because she married below her status, Sera rarely interacted with her maternal extended family, but the family still hosted evening parties, with guests from influential aristocrats from neighbouring nations, with who her father would make business deals, investing in gold mines in the southern regions of the kingdom. Sera spent most of her early childhood playing with her nanny, learning to paint, draw and embroider from her mother, and listening to stories of her father’s travels.

But after her mother died of consumption when she was eight, Sera was left to grieve alone, as her father fell into a depressive episode, refusing to leave his room, and coping with his grief in unhealthy ways like alcohol. But eventually, her father recovered, but he became more distant, spending more time working and travelling and leaving Sera alone to be cared for by her governess, who continued her education, teaching her to read, history, maths, as well as how to play the harp, and continued to indulge Sera’s interests in visual art, whether it be drawing, painting, pottery or embroidery. She would spend hours in her father’s library and would fantasize about the fairies and tricksters in the tales she would read late into the night.

But eventually, three years after her mother’s death, her father remarried Lady Viviana, a widowed duchess, who had nowhere else to go after her parent’s death. Adrian took care of grieving, and sorrowful Viviana, bringing joy to her life by sending her love letters during his travels and promising to always take care of her, along with her two daughters. Sera was initially excited to have a maternal figure in her life, along with two sisters she could spend time with, but her stepmother was cold and indifferent towards Sera, not caring to mother for another woman’s child, and becoming indignant when Adrian would favour Sera over her daughters. Delphine and Daphne, were also cold and distant due to the trauma of losing their abusive father and having to deal with their mother’s heartbreak. However eventually, the two began to warm up to Adrian, and although they found Sera’s insistence on companionship bothersome, they would occasionally indulge her by listening to her stories and playing with her. The blended family, although not perfect, was moderately happy for two brief years until the tragedy of Adrian’s death struck them, and put them in financial ruin. Her father dying from the plague while he was travelling abroad when she was only thirteen, made Sera fall into depression, as she had to confront the reality that she was now an orphan.

After her father’s death, Viviana took all the anger and sorrow from her husband’s death out on her, since the family could no longer afford to pay for help, she made Sera responsible for cooking, cleaning and caring for the animals. She sold all her fine dresses for money and burned all her drawings, art supplies and favourite books in a fit of rage when Sera spoke out against the unfairness. Viviana would use Sera as a scapegoat, making her the black sheep of the family by humiliating her, shaming her body, and encouraging her daughters to join in on the abuse. She would guilt Sera, blaming her for all of their problems, as they fell more and more into debt, and calling her greedy and selfish. One day, after forcing her out of her bedroom, so that she could sell the furniture for more money, causing Sera to sleep on the floor near the fireplace of the Great Room, Sera came to eat breakfast, but Viviana reprimanded her for her cleanliness, calling her filthy, and uncivilized, and banning her from eating dinner with the rest of the family. Viviana would manipulate Sera, by verbally and physically abusing her, only to comfort her and kiss her wounds afterwards, while scolding her for not being a better daughter, making Sera believe that it was her fault and that Viviana would love her and treat her like one of her own if she tried harder to please her. When Sera talked back, complained or didn’t do something perfectly, she would often whip her, destroy prized possessions, and deny her food for days. 

But things only got worse when, a year later, the influential and menacing Duke Javier, bought the manor, since Adrian had no extended relatives, and women could not own land. Viviana would then become one of his many mistresses, and Javier would buy the twins beautiful dresses, and support Viviana financially, allowing Delphina and Daphne to get a chance to be introduced to society and get good marriage prospects. This gave Viviana enough money to hire part-time language and instrument tutors so that both daughters could marry well, and live a better life. Javier would make Viviana host many parties and revels at the manor, where he would invite his fellow aristocrats who would come together to ridicule the King. Viviana would still force Sera to do menial labour, even though she could afford servants, and would publicly humiliate Sera in front of her guests, and allow Javier and his sons, Emilio and Ricardo to harass her both verbally and physically.

When Sera turned fifteen a year later, Tobias Valarezo started attending Javier and Viviana’s evening dinner parties, and even though all the other guests would verbally abuse and mistreat her, Tobias wouldn’t join in, instead, he would simply stand in the corner of the room, reading quietly. One night, after Tobias, Emilio and other possible wealthy suitors were finished dining with the stepfamily, Sera was cleaning the dining room, and washing the dishes in the kitchen, while the others chatted in the drawing room. Tobias came into the kitchen, and began to ask her questions about her upbringing and saying that it was unfortunate how she was treated. Sera was astonished to simply have anyone acknowledge her existence and treat her like a human. After that, Tobias would continue to talk to Sera regularly late in the evening, during Viviana’s dinner party, Sera was glad to have someone to confide in, beginning to see Tobias as a protective older brother, when in reality he wasn’t genuine, and simply saw her as a pitiful victim for him to project his superiority complex on. He would spend those first few months emotionally manipulating her, telling her that she was inherently inferior and that there was no hope for her unless a man pitied her circumstances.

But everything soon went awry, when Tobias eventually started harassing her, pulling at her hair and making her uncomfortable. But when Sera would repeatedly reject his advances he began to get violent and abusive. By her sixteenth year, Tobias was now the most vicious of Viviana’s guests, pouring hot tea on her, and publicly humiliating her and harassing her amongst his friends. He would often corner alone, and attack her, slamming her against walls, throwing a glass at her, and attempting to assault her. One night around the winter seasons, Sera is in the wine cellar reading when Tobias barges in, Sera immediately tries to leave not wanting to be in his presence, but Tobias grabs her hair pinning her against the wall, he takes her book berating her for reading Children’s fairy tales, then drops it in the fireplace. Tobias then forces himself onto Sera, and just as this is all happening Delphina walks in on Tobias attacking Sera, and she tells her mother and sister that she saw Sera kissing.

Viviana brutally beat Sera, calling her a whore and accusing her of sleeping with Tobias for money. The twins would also frequently slut-shame her and would make her feel worthless, saying that no man will ever see her as nothing but an object. Sera continues to endure the abuse, disassociating from her life, but eventually, the pain becomes too much and Sera tries to kill herself with her knife, late at night, during another evening dinner when everyone is occupied. But Delphina goes to the cellar to drink wine and wrestles the knife out of her hand, calling her weak and pathetic, this leads to a shouting match between the two of them, ending with Sera sobbing hysterically. Sera decides that she doesn’t want to give in to defeat and prove her stepfamily right, confirming that she was weak and pathetic and goes on with life, loathing her insignificance and lack of agency.

Tag List: @josephinegerardywriter @akindofmagictoo @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @wannabeauthorzofija @ellierenae @writemeforgotten @themonsterandthebutterfly @dragon-with-a-pen @hysteriwah @moonlitinks

#writers #character development #original character #character intro #my writing #of tears and ashes #creative writing #cinderella #character backstory #am writing

[fastcrthanfast]

Task 25-

Nina is the second eldest daughter of the McQueen clan but Fran’s first-born. She was born to Fran but adopted by Monty early on in her life. She enjoys being the princess that she is but she is the most compassionate one in her family and due to her powers, very in tune with her siblings. Her powers are what encouraged her to go into Psychology so she could help as many people as possible.

General

birth name.      Nina Elizabeth McQueen nicknames.         Nin, Principessa date of birth.        January 1 age.       25 gender.          female pronouns.          she/her powers.           telepathy  species ( if not human / mortal ).         sexuality.       lesbian place of birth.        Elias, California current residence.     Elias, California occupation.       psychologist

Appearance

height.       5′5 build.         slight hair colour/style.     red/wavy eye colour.        brown piercings.        Ears tattoos.       matching tattoo with her siblings notable markings.    small scar on her fingers from helping reign in horses glasses/contacts?      No faceclaim.        Madelaine Petsch  voiceclaim.   Madelaine Petsch

Health

physical ailments.      None allergies.        none sleeping habits.   the best sleeper always gets her 8 hours eating habits.        not picky but definitely likes fancier foods body temperature.         she’s always cold dominant hand.        right drugs / smoke / alcohol?     no / no / socially

Personality  

positive traits.      kind, loving, communicative, patient, empathetic, open-minded negative traits.      impulsive, materialistic, anxious, bossy, clumsy usual mood.       cheery likes.      her Andi, cats, horses, dogs, shopping sprees, traveling, helping people in any way she can, sunny beaches, the italian riviera, having tea parties, sweet treats, her siblings dislikes.    mean people, overpriced necessities, rainy days, arguing, soap operas, cleaning bad habits. shopping when she’s stressed, keeping her own emotions inside

Relationships

parent. Francesco Bernoulli father.   Monty McQueen siblings. Dante, Elise, Caspian, Athena, Enzo, Seraphina, Stefan children.  none yet  birth order.   Middle child, 3rd out of eight significant others. Andromeda Hawkins  closest friends.      hmmmm, this could be you?? 

Tests

zodiac sign.     Aquarius  mbti.      INFP temperament.       phlegmatic hogwarts house.    ravenclaw  moral alignment.     neutral good        

Skills and stats

Languages spoken.  English, Spanish, Italian drive?    Yes jump start a car?       Yes change a flat tire?         No ride a bicycle?       Yes swim?      Yes play an instrument?       No play chess?         Yes braid hair?       Yes tie a tie?       Yes pick a lock?        No sew?        Yes

compassion.          10/10.

empathy.          10/10.

creativity.          7/10.

mental flexibility.          10/10.

passion.          10/10.

luck.         5/10.

motivation.  10/10.

education.          7/10.

intelligence.          7/10.

charisma.          10/10.

reflexes.          10/10.

willpower.          10/10.

stamina.          10/10.

physical strength.          5/10.

battle skill.          3/10.

initiative.         10/10.

restraint.          3/10.

strategy.         8/10.

team work.          10/10.

#|nextgen: Nina| #waltnextgen

[kirisinme-venturing]

Another whole FC: Caeda!

Wake up it's real paladin hours

Name: Seraphina Lightbringer Class: Paladin Species: Human

As strong as she is graceful, Seraphina also happens to carry a certain quality. She is destined to become the future princess of her kingdom, but until that day comes, she has devoted herself to protecting the kingdom's citizens, those in her party, and anyone else who needs help.

Seraphina boasts an unbreakable will as well as considerable strength both physically and mentally. She isn't one to go down without a fight, and she'll fight until the end if she has to. Not being able to help everyone is a secret fear she has, but she would never show it. So she devotes her life to being able to help as many as she can to keep that fear away.

Seraphina is armed with a trusty spear, and has considerable experience with swordplay.

#margatoyd adventures #ns4w

[thelittleredwolf]

Open To; Anyone

Verse; Main

Growing up in Mystic Falls meant Seraphina had to attend a lot of various events and fancy parties, something that only got worse when she moved in with the Lockwood’s. She never was too fond of them for various reasons, and the frilly dresses and uncomfortable shoes Carol always made her wear only aided in her discomfort. By time the night was over not only were her feet incredibly sore, so was her face from all the constant fake smiling she had to do to maintain the Lockwood's “perfect” image. The only saving grace she ever had was Tyler who would sneak a bottle of liquor from his dad’s cabinet, the two of them hiding outside until it was completely empty. 

This party though, this one was different. She wasn’t being forced to go, nor was she being forced to wear some frilly pink dress that she despised. She had been invited and decided that it was something she wanted to attend. After many hours getting ready, something that might not have taken as long had she not stopped to make herself a drink, or two.. she finally arrived at the party. It was a little after it had started when she got there, which she was hoping for as the thought of being too early made her nervous. She smiled softly at everyone she passed as she made her way inside the building, heading towards the staircase. 

As she descended down the stairs she looked around for anyone she knew, her eyes landing on a familiar face just as she reached the bottom. She carefully made her way through the crowd towards them, mumbles of “excuse me” and “sorry” coming out of her mouth every few seconds. Finally, she reached them, her smile growing a little wider as she walked up to them. “Hey, fancy seeing you here..”

#[thelittleredwolf] #[open starter] #[open to anyone] #[verse; main]

[fillyoursoulxx]

Here are some more notes on Seraphina  just to establish some consistency in my own head and anyone else interested.

she’s never met anyone like her/any of her species. 

depending on the thread/verse she may or maybe not be a ‘normal’ age. in some she may have existed for hundreds of years, but most verses will be the former not the latter.

as a slime she doesn’t need to eat. in human form she can taste and drink ect but it simply dissolves in her being so she doesn’t need to do any of the other ‘things’ humans might.

her main form of energy is gathered from the energy around her. how? she’s not sure but she’s well aware everything around gives off its own sort of molecules that vary, sometimes depending on species or emotion, and she just kinda snacks on them. 

every now and then (ok a good chunk of the time) she craves a particular kind. call it lust, call it whatever scientific term describes all the things that are released during sex are. she just knows she needs sex, in some shape or form. it’s a huge boost, both in mood and energy. and though she’d like to say she wouldn’t die without it? She isn’t quite sure. going too long without it can effect her shapeshifting among other things. but this takes at least a year or more. otherwise, its just really hard to resist.

so how does she manage getting said action? her shifting helps quite a bit. if she’s ‘feeding’ regularly, her partners wouldn’t have any indication she was ‘different’ than their run of the mill human. this is how she likes it. if she’s hungry or in general ‘too’ excited, her more primal side makes things harder for her. she may not be able to control her transparency, consistency or just over all solidity. limbs may lose shape, colors may change, it’s-- it can be quite ‘difficult’ for all parties involved and it’s not a process she is particularly proud of.

main verse, she’s never just willingly revealed herself in any sense. She guards her secret and it coming out could mean life or death. but, she has had mishaps which are usually resolved by this nifty defense mechanism that produces a puff of gas that can knock out and blur the memory of anyone unfortunate enough to inhale it. only effects up to a few hours of memory though. just enough to hopefully erase anything too weird or at least help her get out of dodge.

more will be added as thought of.

#seraphina::|| headcanon #phinn::|| headcanon

[onewomancitadel]

RUNNING AROUND EXCITEDLY HIIIII HI SERAPHINA I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!!! IM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!!!!

Yippee! I missed you too! You are such a delight and I hope you are doing well and taking care of yourself. I am psychically mirroring your energy/running around in circles as well

I didn't have any appropriate .gifs saved so I had to go find a suitably kitschy one (it claims to be the Missed You Teddy Bears) however I fear that this message is not appropriately conveyed, so I am noting this here.

I hope we can have some fun again on Tumblr now my self-imposed exile is over.

#seraphina's asks #user: rubyneo #seraphina party hour #flashing gif #writing these tags in glitter gel pen btw #I cleaned out all my art supplies and found out that like 8+ year old pens were all still perfectly working #because I'd stored them correctly. The only ones which weren't were the glitter gel pens #I have a hoard of supplies now I'm letting myself use (I was 'saving them') and it's basically like home shopping

[motherednature]

THE EMERALD WITCH - MISC. GAME MECHANICS.

a haphazard list of various features seraphina ( the emerald witch ) would come with were she actually a part of the dragon age franchise!

- to even unlock her as a follower, you would’ve had to beat da:i once already. once you have done so, your new file will also have to be played in a specific world setting. this is annoying, however, the payoff is worth it, considering she is op as hell. also, milf hours.

- there is no set guide to increasing/decreasing approval levels -- at least, it’s extremely difficult to pin one down. depending on a mixture of race, dialogue options, and random events, her approval goes up and down.

- random events dictate much of her actions, even if the inquisitor directs her with certain command. for example, there is a certain percentage that when the inquisitor tells the party to hold, the emerald witch will simply keep following. sample dialogue: “i told you to hold!” “...and?” depending on approval levels, she will either end up not helping the inquisitor at all, helping the inquisitor a little, or absolutely annihilating all hostile enemies in the area.

- she is also able to be sent on missions, along with cullen, leliana, and josephine -- players will choose one of the normal 3, then decide if they want to send along the emerald witch for certain bonuses. however, random events are still at play. for example, if you want to put the emerald witch’s shapeshifting to use, you might send her with leliana. however, when the mission is finished, you’ll find that she went with cullen instead to use magical brute strength to get what you wanted. surprise!

- low approval level: random events are much more frequent and she is much. more volatile. higher chance of turning hostile and either simply killing the player character or leaving the inquisition. mask and cloak never come off. one random event ( very very small chance ) if approval levels get ABYSMAL is that she fucking obliterates everyone in the inquisition, your game ends, and your game file is fucking corrupted and lost for good.

- high approval level: random events lessen and player character has more control over her character. mask and cloak come off to reveal her features. more cut scenes, obviously, revealing her backstory and moving along a storyline where she becomes the inquisition’s resident milf mom. the inquisitor is now her child and no one can do anything about it!

- is she able to be romanced? who knows! only one way to find out. hint: you gotta be parent aged.

- you’ll often find her in shape-shifted forms around skyhold -- the animal is different depending on the area, but a lot of the time it is just the skinniest, most scar-riddled black cat you’ve ever seen in your life. at first, the player won’t know this is the emerald witch, but with high approval ratings, this will be revealed! yes she is eavesdropping, yes she is willing to use this information against people.

#( V: AND IN HER WAKE TREES DOTH SHIVER. ) #|| ⚘ FOR NOW IT IS MY TURN TO HOLD THE PEN. ( headcanon ) #`` she's nasty but ......... i love her.

[joshua-buckley]

The frost that clung to the entrance of Hastings appeared more like a thin layer of dust now, in stark contrast to the thick and brittle clouds of white that had invaded the beautiful buildings archways upon his last visit. Winter break never lasted quite long enough, he thought to himself as he lugged his cases along with him through the familiar hallways. It had been nice, being home with his family.  The Buckley’s were surprisingly low-key when it came to Christmas. Just his immediate family and both sets of grandparents in the family home. Dad would always burn the potatoes, his grandma would always waste days slaving over a Christmas pudding not even she enjoyed to eat, and without fail every year on boxing day regardless of the weather, he and his family would take part in the Bucklympics, and he would be reminded yet again that his parents were absolutely insane. The intimacy was gone by New Years Eve, the family home abandoned for a French Chateau, boardgames replaced by loud parties and the kids he’d grown up with appearing like strangers as they all awkwardly reminisced about the glory days before the edibles took the edge off of the coke and they were reminded of the sad truth that nepotism was bad and they were probably never going to feel as if they’d earned anything in their privileged little lives. 

So perhaps the break hadn’t been perfect, but still, forgetting the stress of his bachelors for a few weeks had been necessary. He could have easily stayed a while longer if it wasn’t for Europe’s absence of one Seraphina Albright. They’d talked near enough everyday, enough for him to know what she was up to, but far too little for him to avoid the slight ache that had begun to spread across his chest with every little smile or scoff she’d given him over FaceTime. Though he didn’t plan on ever letting her know, he was a complete sucker for her at this point, and a few weeks apart after near constant contact for months had been difficult. So much so that he’d rescheduled his flight to leave a few days early, hoping to catch her off guard and get one of those raw, unedited Saf reactions that he was occasionally treated to. 

JJ had managed to get to his room without being detected, dropping off his luggage and grabbing a quick shower before he even let himself think about finding Saffie. Jetlag was certain to get the best of him if he didn’t get some caffeine in his body soon, so he’d set about getting the pair some coffee prior to returning to his room to grab her gifts and heading towards where he hoped he’d find her. His girlfriend was far from predictable, he knew better than to assume otherwise. She did however seem to favor routine, especially when it came to studying and if his predictions were right, he’d find her in their preferred Hastings study for at least another hour. 

His first glimpse of her fiery red hair had him grinning immediately, resisting the urge he had to head straight over to her and pull her into his arms rather dramatically. Instead he took the long way round, ducking slightly so his head didn’t stick out over the top of bookcases as he made his way over to their table. She seemed entirely immersed in something on her laptop, so much so that he probably could have risked walking straight over to her without her noticing. Her focus made it easy enough for him to casually drop into his usual seat beside her, pushing her usual coffee order practically under her nose in the hope it might get her attention. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re super hot when you code? You’re like a... Sexy genius or something. It’s a great look.”  @saffiealbright​

#c:saffie

[sandsofoneiros]

The Senator

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the canon characters. However, those OCs belong to me. Will fight for them. This is the first part of the series and I know this isn't a lot but it'll grow as I write the other parts.

Warning: Sort of angsty. There's mentions of a panic/anxiety attack. Sensory overload.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x OFC. (established friendship. they also hooked up before.)

Word count: 1780

I didn't tag anyone because I wasn't sure if anyone would want to be since this isn't a long part. So, let me know if you want to be tagged. This does follow after the Insomnia series that isn't really complete but you don't have to read it to read this. I also was lazy and linked the dress she was wearing. So, don't judge me.

Fingers trailed over the dress that was hung up. It was magnificent. She expected nothing less from her mother and aunt. If only her mom were here to see the gown that she had started all those years ago. Her bottom lip quivered as her eyes continued to follow the patterns of her dress. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It wasn’t long ago that she had fought on Exegol alongside the other members of the Resistance. Her soul ached at the memory. They had lost that day. She recognizes the fear that she felt, and it had lessened none since she came back to Naboo. Her place was here now, she would fight from here now. Leaving the Resistance hadn’t been easy and was met with many protests from a few parties. However, they came around when she asserted her concerns about her home planet and the rest of the galaxy.

“A soldier turned senator. Never dreamed I would see the day.” The familiar voice of Kaydel caused Ro to spin around. She couldn’t believe that the other woman was here, given with how busy the Resistance was. It had been hard to keep in contact with them, and she feared it would become harder. It was rumored that Kylo and the Final Order had set their sights on Naboo.

“Kaydel! You made it!” The tears openly fell, and she rushed to embrace her best friend. It had been months since they had seen each other. She sniffled slightly as she held onto the other. Kaydel was one of her connections to the Resistance. The other one hadn’t spoken to her since she had left. That one had hurt the most.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world! You look well.”

Kaydel had pulled back from their hug and looked Ro over. Ro had to praise the ladies that had taken all morning preparing her hair and makeup. It wasn’t a lot, but it masked the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Coming home was wonderful, but sleep still eluded her. She hadn’t had a restful sleep in quite some time. She had avoided falling asleep. Too much took place in her dreams. They reiterated too many memories. Night after night of waking up from the horrors, she had relied on caf instead of sleep. It had grown into a routine. It was easier than facing the root of the problem.

“Thank you. It took the entire staff to make me this beautiful.”

Ro giggled before fiddling with the sash of her robe. The pit of tummy was stirring with excitement now that her best friend was here. The ceremony didn’t seem to be too bad now. She wouldn’t be alone. However, there was a question that rested at the back of her mind, but she did her best to ignore it.

“Go ahead. I know you want to ask about him.”

Ro bit her cheek. Nothing ever went past Kaydel Connix. She had been under General Organa and picked up all that she could. She even styled her hair like the former General, but all of them had. It was a way to honor Leia. It still hurt that they had lost her, and especially during this time. They needed her now more than ever, but she was gone. She had given them all the tools that they needed, but they all worried if they could do it. Sighing, she glanced back to her dress. Did she truly need to ask about General Dameron? Did she even have that right anymore? Things had changed now, and she wasn’t part of the Resistance anymore. Their time was over, or that’s what she told herself each night. Still, those nights and stolen hours were close to her heart.

“Has he jumped in an x-wing and blown anything up lately?”

This caused both the women to giggle as they made their way back towards the fore room. She wanted to spend some free time catching up with Kaydel. The ceremony was a few hours away, and she needed to settle her nerves. Sitting on the sectional couch, Ro waited to hear what her friend had to say.

“Well, we tried putting him at a desk, but you know Poe. He’s more of a man of action. He can’t remain still. He’s been flying to all the bases and checking in with them. Doing his finest to vex the Final Order. He’s tired. . . .”

That sounded like Poe. He was constantly moving. The pilot never knew when to stop, notably with saving the galaxy. He was constantly the one for the job. No one else could do it. Those moments where she roamed the base waiting on him to return from whatever mission he had gone on, the nightmares after being captured by the First Order, and the headaches that he neglected. It constantly drove his mind and body past the point of exhaustion. A never-ending cycle.

“Sounds like him.”

What more was there to say? Poe wouldn’t be here tonight, and she realized that. He was somewhere else, fighting. He was fighting for the galaxy and he didn’t have the time for some celebration, even if it was for her. They had merely been a fling. A means of releasing tension and stress during such a troublesome time. Although Ro couldn’t help that she had fallen for him. It had happened before she could even stop herself. It was difficult to identify when she had fallen for the pilot but one thing remained; she wasn’t over those feelings. She thought of him each day and night. Aurora would stare at the stars and wonder if he was flying up there. It was a dream that he might even be here tonight. Yet, there was nothing wrong with wishing.

“How are you and Thalia doing? I know the long distance has made her miss you more.”

Ro smirked as she teased her about the relationship she had with her little sister. She never witnessed a more loving pair. They supported one another. Thalia had remained in the Resistance to support Kaydel. Upon learning that Ro would be a Senator of Naboo, Thalia had come back to support her sister. She had even applied to be Ro’s assistant. Kaydel had supported the decision, but was adjusting to the distance. Thalia had picked up the position with no trouble and had Ro on the right track. Never overwhelming her with meetings and making sure she actually had breaks. She had been the one in charge of sending the message about her ceremony.

“Well, she made sure that I didn’t leave the room this morning until she said.”

A small piece of Ro envied that. Ro listened as Kaydel filled her in on all the details about Resistance projects. Projects that she would try to help with funding. She informed her that Finn and Rose would arrive later. Rey was training for when she had to face Kylo again. But Ro had little faith in the Jedi anymore. She had insisted there was good in that man, Ro had never heard such bantha shit in her life but held her tongue. That was Leia and Han’s son, but there was no light. Nothing could persuade Ro otherwise.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

“Stop messing with your hair, Senator.” The youthful queen, Seraphina, teased as she slid her arm through Ro’s. The queen had just turned fifteen, and Ro couldn’t imagine how she was handling all this. Her hands kept fumbling with the curls that they had styled her burgundy waves into. This night was for her and she had done her best to speak to everyone that Thalia told her would be important. However, the queen had swept her around the room and introduced her to virtually everyone. Ro thought Seraphina thought of her as an older sister. She had plenty of practice with Thalia.

“Forgive me, m’lady. Nerves.” Ro spoke before peering around the room. Hoping to catch the sight of dark curls or see a dazzling smile. Instead, she watched people dancing and chatting amongst each other. Even in this crowded room with some of her friends, she felt more lonely than usual.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you. One of the other senators has shown interest. His name is Ignis. I think you might be close in age. I wouldn’t get too comfortable with him. He’s sly.” Seraphina spoke as she gave a nod to the man that Ro assumed was Ignis. He was tall and lean with golden blond hair that was long and braided over his shoulder. She had recalled meeting him when she had first met with the Queen. He and the others had interviewed her for what seemed like hours.

Ro let out an unsteady breath as she thought of being in that room and having to answer so many questions. Her chest felt stiff, and the music was only getting louder. Everything was growing louder. Her breathing was becoming strained, and she barely could excuse herself from Seraphina. Her vision was blurring. Everything was moving in slow motion and she felt sick to her stomach. She needed to leave this ball room! Tears were building up as she pressed past everyone, but it only brought her to another sea of bodies. She just needed out!

Bursting through a set of doors, she made her way to the balcony and felt her skin prickle at the coolness of the air. The noise from the party was dull now, and she thought she could breathe again. A curse slipped from her lips as she collected herself.

“Five things you can see, Ro. One, the moon, Two, the garden below the balcony. Three, the waterfalls. Four, the lights of the city.” Before she could speak the last number, someone cut her off.

“Five, Poe Dameron.”

The voice made her spin around and emerging from the shadows was in fact General Poe Dameron. His arms spread wide, and it took her no time before she was rushing into his arms. The collision caused him to take a step back before he wrapped his arms around her tightly. His hand cradling the back of her head as he held her tight to him, scared if he let go she would run away.

“You’re here. You’re actually here.”

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world, babe.”

#Poe Dameron x OFC #Mar's writing #My writing #Aurora Citlali #tw: anxiety attack #tw: slight sensory overload #The Senator series

[seraphinarh]

✿ * · (  jorja smith  ,  cis woman  ,  she / her   )   a  little  birdy  told  me  SERAPHINA  RENEE  HAMILTON just  moved  to  sunset  hills  .  have  you  met  them  yet  ? they  look  somewhere  around  TWENTYTHREE  ,   if  i  had  to  guess  ! pretty  sure  i  heard  them  driving  down  the  street  playing  PEARS  by  WESTON  ESTATE  ,  they  sounded  a  little  pitchy  but  they  had  the  spirit  !  must  be  their  favorite  or  something  .  hey  …  it  looks  like  they  just  moved  into  DUSK  DRIVE  .  have  you  heard  about  what  they  do  for  a  living  ?  someone  told  me  they’re  a  BOTTLEGIRL/WAITRESS  @  AFTER-HOURS  &  WORKING  TOWARDS  HER  MASTERS  IN  NURSING  ,  but  who  knows  if  that’s  even  true  .  guess  we’re  just  gonna  have  to  wait  and  see  .  nervous  ? maybe  you  should  be  .  sunset  speaks  just  posted  about  them  …  apparently  they're  RESIDENT  ID  020  ?  between  you  and  me  ,  i  think  that  might  spark  some  things  in  the  community  …  but  what  do  i  know  !  you  guys  might  get  along  just  fine  !  (  fd  ,  she/her  ,  22  ,  est .  )

 wanted connections + musings + headcanons + memes + tags

.🔥° › about !

name: seraphina renee hamilton nicknames: sera, phina (emory) renee (mother’s side), phiphi (father’s side) age: 23 birthday: febuary 2nd, 1999 ( aquarius ) height: 5′ 3″ hair: depends on the month; braids, silk press, natural, ponytail, & wigs eye: dark brown scent: daily cocoa butter & vanilla ; bumbum cream evenings kay ali vanilla piercing: ears & nipples aesthetic: blurry  pictures, dancing on tables, natural baby face, sunkissed chocolate & vanilla, aa’s y2k, everyday is a fashion show, sleep during the day, overdressing to every event, fairy lights in the forest, all black everything, party all night & work all day, crocs & high heels, smart girl with a bad side born: brooklyn, new york romantic orientation: panromantic sexual orientation: pansexual marital status: single languages: english, french, and haitian creole likes/dislikes: eating out, career choice, shopping, taking pics, / being alone, liars, loud mouths traits: loyal, distant, aloof, bubbly, intelligent, spiritual, calculated, reserved, people pleaser, determined personality tropes: aquarius sun, fearful avoidant attachment, entp, gryffindor/hufflepuff, the mystic & the maiden (feminine archetype), oldest daughter syndrome criminal record: n/a drugs | smokes | alcohol: no | no | yes

.🔥° › this or that !

introvert | extrovert | ambivert organized | disorganized risk-taker | cautious close-minded | open-minded quarrelsome | peaceful calm | anxious | restless generous | stingy | in-between disagreeable | agreeable | in-between patient | impatient modest | conceited | in-between outspoken | reserved tardy | punctual leader | follower | flexible empathetic | un-empathetic frank | secretive optimistic | pessimistic | realistic traditional | modern | in-between polite | rude | in-between hard-working | lazy manipulative | straightforward | both switch | submissive | dominant

.🔥° › snapshot !

seraphina is the daughter of two immigrants. her father is english while her mother is haitian. they met in new york city where she’s originally from. being the eldest of three children, she’s basically been a part-time mother once she was old enough to watch her siblings.

if there were two things her parents valued it was an education & religion. in their eyes the only way to move up in society was through school and faith in god, so growing up seraphina went to a catholic school until she was in high school then she went to a public school. she isn’t religious at all. she believes in the christian god but also has a lot of interest/beliefs in other religions and spiritual practices. she’s a fake catholic.

she moved to california the summer before high school. it was a complete culture shock. it wasn’t even big things that affected her, it was the small nuances that made her feel out of place. her new york attitude didn’t clash well with her peers. 

the way she talked, dressed, and held herself made her seem like a threat. seraphina was everything but intimidating or conceited. she was a sweetheart, introverted, naive, and somewhat of a pushover since she came from such a strict environment. 

she spent her freshman and sophomore year in the shadows, mostly alone. she was always smart so she had acquaintances who often asked for help with assignments but that’s about all. never really had friends. she got picked on a few times, once even getting into a fight however, that treatment didn’t last for too long.

mid sophomore year seraphina became close friends with her science lab partner. through that, she joined student government which forced her to socialize more and start to fit into/have a role at her school. by the time she graduated high school, she was vice president of student government, one of four co-captains of the caribbean dance team, and valedictorian.

she was able to earn a full scholarship to shu as an undergrad. sera started out as a premed student however her gpa wasn’t high enough to get into the program so she changed her major to nursing her sophomore year. she graduated within the top five percent of her major. she decided to work for a year as a nicu nurse before going back to school for her masters. being a registered nurse, seraphina only worked roughly three days a week for 12 hours a day, so it was easy for her to be to have side hustles. she only stopped working when the semester started. she learned from past mistakes that it’s physically too much for her to work 2 jobs while in school. she’s currently trying to get her masters in nursing with the plan to become either a traveling nurse practitioner or simply a nicu nurse practitioner. 

sera’s been working at after hours as a bottle servicer & waitress, sometimes a bartender if they’re under staffed or busy since her freshman spring semester. seraphina loved a good party and she loved getting tipsy at work even more so. the only reason seraphina decided to work at a strip club was because she’d be damned if she didn't take advantage of misogamy while she was “young and hot.” she perfered the strip club in comparison to the actual club because sunset hills is a college town which means most people going to the clubs are broke students. at the strip club, the guests show up with the intent of spending money on girls which applies to the waitresses as well. she mostly works weekends when she’s managing two jobs but once she went back to school, after hours became her main job again.

sera is the type of student who sleeps in the middle of that day. she likes to have her classes in the morning. so even on work days she’ll do an overnight shift at the club, come to her room, shower, eat and then head to class. after class she would either hang with friends, do her school work or go home to have dinner and sleep before heading to work, this is the same routine now that she lives on dusk drive.  

she’s also the type to do everything last minute. there’s been a number of times where seraphina would be sitting in the backstage, doing her assignment because something’s almost due or just late. this is also her philosophy in life — she runs on black people / caribbean time

on her off days, she could be found doing someone’s hair, chilling in the middle of the courtyard, eating, singing, or dancing. she used to be more active in clubs when she started at shu but she realistically doesn’t have the time

seraphina often comes off a bit standoffish with a rbf but she genuinely isn’t mean unless shes provoked. in that case, she’ll drag the fuck outta you with no cares in the world. probably not physically because she’s very social and tends to know damn near everyone’s business.

currently opened to all connections

#sunsetintro #꒰ ა ♡ ໒ ꒱ — public knowledge #hiii yall im so excited you dont get it #hmu for plots <3 #heres my bbyg

[everettlance]

ONE GOOD THING // SELF-PARA

The party was over. Or perhaps it wasn’t, perhaps it was still going and Everett had simply floated away. He stood in the kitchen on the second floor now, in the dark. The night had been full: his interview, drinking with Agatha, making some strange truce with Alder, a fucking party. The only person he felt like he hadn’t seen was Maverick. So it felt right that, as he took a sip from his glass of water, Maverick appeared around the corner.

He was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, sneakers that looked like they’d hardly ever been worn. “Were you on a run?” Everett asked, raising his eyebrows, looking out at the still-dark city, though the peaks of the mountains had begun to bleed warmth, some sunlight attempting to come up beyond the heavy cloud cover.

“Yeah, it’s fucking cold,” Maverick said, opening a cabinet, getting himself water. His movements were frenetic, the energy about his body buzzing. Everett suddenly wanted to hug him, to wrap him against himself; it was something that they’d done as children all the time when they wanted to know what it felt like to touch someone in a way that was kind, for nothing more than the enjoyment of being with another. It wasn’t something either of them got much at home and certainly not at the academies where they each trained. Small touches the way kids do, though wrestling was more common, always was. It was best to speak with the words you knew best.

The touches had changed at some point and gone from innocent to something else. There was desire though neither could name it as such; at least, not Everett. He wondered when Maverick had realized there was a shift. He wondered what was wrong with him that he’d hardly noticed it at all. It was easy to allow life to move like that; to allow feeling to fill the container of your body, to allow yourself to touch someone else, to hug him or tackle him or mess with his hair in an attempt to screw with him.

How was he now supposed to find a way to speak to him with real words? The one kiss they’d shared, at the fence the morning of the Reaping that should have been Maverick’s but had instead sealed Everett’s own life sentence. That was the closest they’d ever gotten to expressing what they’d never been taught to express. Now, though, Mav seemed to have learned. He had Alder and said that he loved him. Everett didn’t know how the hell he could say such a thing; how could he create words for something true? How could he ever know what he was feeling?

He looked at him as he drank the water, his neck stretched, his adam’s apple bobbing. This is the person I’ve known the best. And he couldn’t even speak to him. He couldn’t think of a thing to say. This is the person I gave my life for. What did that mean? What did a sacrifice mean? Delta had died in his place. If she hadn’t, it would have been him, crossing the swollen creek first. Each moment he realized it, each moment he relived it, was a lighting bolt to his ribcage.

She had died so that he could kill. He had killed and then died. So she had died for nothing at all. He was just nothing at all.

But for Maverick. What Everett had died for. He had died so Maverick could learn how to love another fucking person. So he could go for runs. So he could get sneakers as a gift, a Hearth Day gift, from someone who cared about him. So he could train and paint and find a way to be happy. That was what it was about, Everett was pretty sure, having died now. Life couldn’t be about anything more or less than figuring out how to be happy. Would he ever get to do that? Or had he taken the dive so that Maverick could stay on the shore, stay dry? So that he could go on?

What does a sacrifice mean for the person who’s died? What does it mean to live after death? What to do when you find yourself in the water, you’ve drowned but you’re alive, you’re still beneath the surface? Maybe you can breathe for a moment, but you can do nothing but kick your legs at the water which wields to your touch and movements but doesn’t disappear. Eventually, you know, it will fill your lungs.

“You’re an idiot,” he said. These were the words that he came up with, the only ones he could say. In them he masked more. The tenor of his voice tried at emotions that sung quiet and loud inside of him. All of them silenced by the lightning bolt. “It’s like 5 degrees.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Maverick looked at him then and it was like every moment they’d looked at each other before compressed into one. There had been many times that Everett had hated him. Many times he’d loved him. Many times in between. All of those things now between them. And Maverick looking at him from some other world, a world Everett didn’t think he’d ever get to know.

“I’ll be going soon,” Everett blurted. It was obvious. Easy to speak the obvious.

“You’ve still got an hour.” As if delay meant anything. An hour or a minute. It’d all end the same.

“Got any last minute tips?” His lip wobbled. The backs of his eyes stung hot.

Since coming back, he hadn’t cried. He wanted to fucking cry. But he couldn’t. Crying wasn’t safe, it wasn’t allowed. It’d push you from any protection you had and into a place where you might be seen and understood, and he couldn’t allow that.

But this was Maverick. And the knot in his chest knew it. It recognized him. The air of him.

“You’re going to be fine,” Maverick said, the words Everett wanted to hear but didn’t know if he deserved. “You have me, Orpheus, Cain, Trixie, all of us fighting for you. You got a training score right alongside the best of them, the Careers. All you have to do is… is fight.”

He could see something small in his eyes, a twitch of his jaw, and he knew that Maverick was trying to give him permission. To say that he could do what he had to do. That his survival was worth whatever it came to inside the Arena.

“It’s the Arena, Everett,” Maverick said, taking a step closer, and like a magnet, he pulled the tears from behind Everett’s eyes. He felt them wet on his cheeks. His eyelashes. His grip on his own glass tightened. “But you’ve done it before. You almost won. You came so close. You can do this.” He was so strong, his voice was so strong, his expression strong; he believed it. Everett knew he believed it.

“I didn’t do it,” he replied. “Almost gets you killed.” The unsaid could flood a river between them.

“This time, just don’t get killed,” Maverick said. His tone was firm. “Don’t make mistakes. You can make as many fucking mistakes as you want when you get out of there. But you need to watch your back. Avoid allies you can’t trust. Stick with Lionel, Seraphina, Jeannie. Avoid Agatha, Isabela. You need to be smart.”

Maverick swam in Everett’s vision. Everett wished for a selfish moment that he too had drowned; that he’d pulled his friend into the water with him when he’d jumped. But no: this was how other people looked when you were under the surface.

“I have my own advice, you know,” Everett said, wiping roughly at his cheeks with his free palm. “Don’t drive yourself crazy. Don’t feel guilty. Keep it together. Stay with fucking Alder if you want, he loves you. Be a good person. Okay? Be a good person, please, because I can’t anymore and. And I want you to.”

Maverick shook his head, just once, but he knew that it was true and he couldn’t argue, and so he didn’t try to. There was no point in wasting words.

“I didn’t volunteer for you so you could waste your life, okay? If I die you need to just move on. I mean, I know you already moved on.” The odd thing between them, Alder-shaped, hovered. “But I mean really, like, be best friends with fucking Abel Evans, run around without your stupid shoes on, paint your pictures, quit the Academy. Tell your parents to fuck themselves. I don’t know. I’m not a fucking life coach.”

There was a pause, an uncertain one. He had more to say, much more, but none of it fit itself into words. So instead he set down his glass, stepped forward, took him in his arms. Maverick welcomed the hug, the touch, as he always had, though this time it was different. Of course it was different. But Maverick held tight, he always had. He’d always hugged like he meant it, every time, even if what he meant now was different. It was no longer the I love you that spoke with urgency, that pushed toward more; it was the I love you that sat softly in the chest, didn’t need to be protected or spoken because it was a part of the ribcage. A part of the bones that protected the heart. An I love you for a true friend.

No matter whether Everett lived or not. No matter whether he deserved life or not. He had done this one good thing. He’d given a life to Maverick. And that was something he was allowed to be proud of.

#125 #maverick #writings #please enjoy this large chunk of my heart

[queenjunoking]

Wolf Taming pt 37

CW: Noncon - Pain - Petplay - Drugs - Kidnapping  - Manipulation

Jude

I fought the urge to throw up when the canner kneed me in the stomach. I managed to grab her leash and pull, helping me straighten up while keeping her off balance.

“You stupid fucking mare. You ought to be fucking skinned alive, I doubt you’ll actually amount to much.” I pulled her close and smiled. “You have a long night ahead of you. How about you be a good girl an-”

A pain exploded in my head and I lost my grip on the leash. The canner headbutted me. I tried to get my bearings so I could catch her before she ran, but found the idiot managed to disorient herself as well. I watched her run diagonally down the path a bit before she fell over.

I used my foot to flip her over and sat down on her stomach. I smiled as she gasped and started to thrash to get out from under me. “I can’t wait to report this all to Eos. Z really ruined you, didn’t she?” Callidora tried to say something but the bit in her mouth muffled her speech. “Too dumb to realize you can’t talk? You’ll figure it out. Maybe. You haven’t even started your first day as a pony and you’re already acting out. You’ll soon learn there are worse things.”

She was surprised when I just got off her. I had made my point, I didn’t need to expend the extra energy. I gestured behind her. She looked skeptical, but I made sure I didn’t do anything to cause her alarm. Eventually she turned and froze. The stable hand that fucked up earlier was finally being taken down from the whipping brace. I had fun with her while I was waiting for Callidora to wake up. She had waited for a few hours in anticipation, suffered through the whipping while I milked all the fun out of it that I could, then I just left her there to think about what she did.

“You can’t say anything. You don’t need to. You’re a pony.” I took a step back until she was out of reach. “You have three options. The barn to do your run. The whipping brace to receive your punishment for what you did. Or you can try to run again and learn all about the other special roles a failure like you can fulfill. Personally I’d love to see you run, but I’ll let you make your own decision. Show me which option you want.”

I stood there and watched the gears turn in Callidora’s head. I watched her weakly struggle with her armbinder, trying to see if it was loose enough to escape without it being obvious that that was what she was doing.

She struggled to her feet, falling a few times in the process. The hoof boots took a lot of training to get used too, most of the ponies were incapable of walking without them once their training was complete. Not that I thought she’d make it through training.

Callidora watched as the stable hand was taken from the brace and carried to a small metal box and placed inside before it was locked. She turned to look at the trail leading off of the property. I’m sure safety seemed so close to someone like her. Finally she turned towards the barn and just stood there with her head hung. I slowly approached her to see if she would try and run, but she didn’t. I wrapped my hand around her leash and gave it a tug. She followed me closely back into the barn.

I couldn’t wait to see Z’s prized bitch break.

Z

I wasn't sure what I was expecting after Rhiannon was dragged out of the room. I wasn't expecting Rayne to usher people back into the room we had been in earlier.

The party just started back up. Maids came around with more plates of food. People went back to chatting. I heard a few talking about the incident. Those conversations were quiet. It was generally frowned upon to speak of someone who was probably going to lose their membership to the Society.

Rayne and Flora went back to chatting with others, moving from group to group as the party began to wind down. Normally they would say farewell to their guests as they left, but they would probably be busy by the time everyone started to leave.

It took about an hour for the enforcers to arrive. The Society’s version of a secret police force. Though enforcers tended to be more concerned with keeping the Society hidden. They primarily investigated potential leaks and captured anyone that was deemed a threat.

I had dealt with them before and our relationship was strained to say the least. Getting pulled into a van and having a bag thrown over your head isn’t a great way of starting a relationship. I watched one of them look over at me and start approaching. I couldn’t help but sigh, I had hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with this.

The woman stopped a few feet away from me and pulled out a notebook out of the small purse around her shoulder. “Greetings Miss… Z? The Torturer?” She looked up from her notebook and raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure what her deal was exactly. She wasn’t dressed like the rest of them, she looked like she just came from a club. A light blue tube dress and some knee high boots.

“You obviously already know who I am, can we just get to whatever questions you want to ask so I can move on with my night?” My patience was starting to wear thin.

The woman just sighed and flipped to a new page in her notebook. “My name is Seraphina. I’m with the enforcers. Blah blah blah. Moving onto the questio-”

I just decided to interrupt her. She wasn’t cutting to the chase fast enough for me. “I saw what I’m assuming literally everyone else did. The box was empty, Rhiannon had it in her bag. No, I was never in the room. No, I never saw anyone enter that room before the party moved there.”

I could hear the pencil in the woman’s hands starting to snap as I brushed her off. She took a deep breath before she continued. “And, in your opinion, do you believe Rhiannon would have committed this crime against another Society member?”

I shrugged. “Rhiannon obviously likes jewelry, she was wearing a ton of it. She’s doing her probation with a metal smith. Maybe she was just jealous she couldn’t make anything as good as that necklace.”

After a bit the woman stopped scribbling in her notebook. “Thank you for your… assistance, Miss Z. If we need anything we’ll be in touch.”

I watched her walk away. I could see part of a tattoo peeking above the dress, it was a pair of angel wings. Some members went too hard on a theme. She went and joined back with the group of enforcers, I could tell she was irritated now.

I tapped a passing maid on the shoulder and told her to bring me a soda. She scurried off as fast as she could manage without breaking into a run. I walked up the stairs so I could survey the first floor from there. Activity was slowing, but I could see that things were still happening.

“Think Rhiannon did it?” Briar’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Mm… no.” I leaned against the railing and looked over at Briar. She was casually sipping on another glass of whatever alcohol they were serving. “Who would be dumb enough too do that?”

“Rayne and Flora seem to think she’s dumb enough. The enforcer’s dragged her out of here just a few minutes ago so I’m guessing they believe it enough.” Briar shrugged and leaned against the railing with me.

“No. Rayne and Eos hate each other. Flora and Eos’s families are both very powerful in this region. Rayne and Emerald’s families are close. Emerald’s family is known for their metal smiths and Eos’s niece just happens to be doing her probation with a competitor.” I paused for a moment as the maid returned with a glass.

“I’m afraid this is all I could find. Master Rayne and Lady Flora don’t often carry soda, but a recent guest of theirs left some of this brand behind. I-I’m not sure if it’ll be to your liking, it’s rather sweet.” I watched the maid gulp as she finished her attempts at mitigating potential damage.

I shrugged and picked up the glass. “It’s fine. Whatever. Go back to whatever you were doing.” She curtsied and quickly walked away. I took a sip from the glass and grimaced. Calling it sweet was an understatement. I had no idea what kind of drink this was but it was unreasonably sweet. I could feel the start of a cavity coming on from just the first sip.

“You were saying?” Briar’s voice once again pulled me back into the conversation.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. I can’t prove anything, but I doubt that box ever had the necklace in it.” I took another sip and just decided to put it down on the nearby table. Hopefully a maid would see it later on. They’d probably stay up all night cleaning to make sure everything in the house was back to normal by the time Flora woke up tomorrow morning.

“That’s a pretty bold claim.”

“Not really. I don’t know that much about Society politics, but we’re talking about the big families. Rayne and Emerald’s families are close friends.” I gestured towards the woman in purple who was talking to one of the enforcers. “That woman over there went off with Rayne earlier. There was a small commotion earlier when we were changing rooms where that woman bumped into Rhiannon. Emerald probably gave Rayne the necklace, Rayne gave it to that woman, and that woman slipped it into Rhiannon’s bag.”

“Shouldn’t we say something?” I couldn’t really discern the tone in Briar’s voice. It didn’t sound like judgement exactly. She was tip-toeing right now.

“Why should we?” I glanced over at her, unsure why she was even asking.

“Rhiannon is going to get punished for something she didn’t do if you’re right.” I didn’t like the territory this conversation was beginning to enter. It was beginning to feel like all those times she’d question me about things back at the auction house.

It didn't bring me pleasure that she failed her probation and would be sold off. That didn't mean I was going to help her though. By now Society enforcers had probably taken her away to be held until this incident was resolved. Most likely the resolution would involve Rhiannon being sold as a slave and erased from her family tree. No Society family would recognize the existence of someone who had become a slave.

“It’s our word against the word of Rayne, Flora, and the rest of the party of very powerful people. If you haven’t noticed, neither of us are very powerful or high ranked. Not that I particularly care anyway. I’m not here to help Eos’s family, I’m here to ask for help from Rayne and Flora. Even if I cared about Rhiannon, trying to take her side would be a great way to make sure I don’t get their assistance.”

“Rhiannon isn’t Eos.” There was a kind of condescension in her voice. One I had heard before. The sound of someone who thought they were telling you something profound that you didn’t understand, but done delicately like they were afraid you’d break.

“I’m aware.” This conversation was starting to get tedious. Briar’s way of talking to people was grating. Small attempts to get bits of information that she thought would help her come to some big fundamental understanding about who they were.

She didn’t say anymore as we stood there. The party slowly emptied and the enforcers eventually vanished. All that was left was Briar, myself, and the maids cleaning up. We stood there for about half an hour before one of the maids approached us and curtsied.

“Miss Z, Master Rayne has requested your presence.” She beckoned to me and Briar followed a long. When the maid realized she was following she stopped. “I apologize, Miss Briar, but Master Rayne was specific in her orders. Only Z.”

I could see Briar opening her mouth to protest so I held up a hand. “It’s fine. I’m not planning on doing anything rash. We’re just talking.”

She looked at me for a bit before sighing and leaning against the rail again. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”

I followed the maid up two floors and down a hall. I ignored Flora’s art, I didn’t want to spend energy thinking about it. Today had been a very long day and I was running low on energy. It all had to be spent on this conversation.

We eventually reached a set of double doors at the end of a hallway with two maids standing in front of it. When they noticed us walking towards them they knocked on the doors, each grabbed a handle and opened them for us.

Saying the room was grand was an understatement. Though to someone who wasn’t Rayne or Flora I would probably describe it as gaudy. It was like the boutique lounge Flora and I were in earlier, but bright and crystal. It was tasteless and monotone. There was a bar area with bottles and glasses made out of crystal. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Sitting on a couch under it was Rayne and Flora.

“Please, Z, sit down.” Flora smiled at me and gestured to the couch in front of them. I acquiesced and sat down across from them. I looked from Flora, to Rayne and back again. I wanted to see what they’d first, starting the conversation could end badly for me.

"Well, it's been a nice enough evening." Rayne put her arm around Flora and pulled her tight. "A branch of the Rosalind family has been clipped. I doubt Eos will put any real effort into getting her back, it'll just make her look bad when she fails. Either way she'll be jailed for a while before anything happens to her.”

"How unfortunate for the Rosalinds." I was running out of energy to play nice with. I just wanted to cut to the chase.

Rayne smirked at me. "Come on, Z. Surely seeing Eos's sister fail so spectacularly must make you feel better."

“Rhiannon isn’t involved with my issue. I don’t care what happens to her. My problem is with Eos and what she did.” I turned to Flora, trying to get the conversation on track. “Lady Flora, you said you were interested in hearing more about Sasha and my problem with Eos earlier, would you still like to hear more?”

“My darling Z.” Flora began as she laid her head against Rayne’s shoulder. “Rayne has informed me of your problems and I wish to help you. Eos’s niece has been arrested and taken away. Any friendliness between us is gone for a while. I never really cared much for Eos anyway. My lovely raindrop has told me that she has something planned to help you out, but has kept me in the dark about it.”

Rayne smiled and snapped her fingers, never taking her eyes off me. After a few moments a woman in a blue suit walked in. It was a professional look, not the look of someone who had come for Flora’s party. “This is Molly. She has written a contract for us.”

“What do we need a contract for?” Skepticism started to rise within me. She said she was going to help me. Why wasn’t she just going to help me?

“Z, the contract is to assure I’ll help you.” Rayne pulled my emblem out of her pocket and held it up so we could all see it before she tossed it to me. “You have completed your obligation to me, you can have your emblem back. Now we’re back at square one.”

I picked my emblem up off the table and went to put it in my pocket before I remembered I was wearing the dress. I sighed and put it back down. “So what now?”

“If I may, Master Rayne?” Molly piped up, her voice virtually monotone.

“You may.” Flora answered excitedly, literally on the edge of her seat. I’d never seen someone excited over a contract before.

“Miss Z.” Molly approached me and placed a small stack of papers on the table. “My group and I are experts on Society rules. We know how to get your slave back.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You do? Then why aren’t you doing it?”

Molly hesitated for a moment before she continued. “Our services aren’t cheap. Master Rayne has offered to pay for it if you fulfill the contract.”

Rayne smirked at me and laid back on the couch. I looked at her and then back to Molly. “And the terms?”

“Oh, Z. The terms are lovely. They’re a second birthday present for my lovely lilac.” Rayne raised Flora’s hand and gave it a kiss.

“Really? Another gift?” Flora’s excitement was obvious.

“Nothing too good for you.” She hooked a finger under Flora’s chin and tilted her head upwards so she could kiss her. It took all my restraint not to interrupt them. Once they parted Rayne turned her attention back to me. “The terms are simple. I’ve always wondered if a breaker can take what they give. If you sign the contract I pay to get your dog back. They start tomorrow morning. You’ll also start tomorrow morning. You’ll be taken to a chamber below the house and be subjected to the breaker or breakers of my choice. The process will end when Molly’s team reclaims your dog.”

The number of questions I had were a tornado ripping through my mind. I carefully tried to choose the ones that mattered most. “How do I know you’ll actually be trying to get her back and not purposefully extending the time?”

“My group’s reputation is on the line, Miss Z. As per the contract you can only be subjected to the breaking progress while we are working. The longer we take the worse we look. You will start at 8 in the morning. You will be given a one hour break at noon until one. At five at night they cannot do anything more to you, but they have the choice of how to store you. They aren’t under obligation to give you a room to stay in.”

“So they’ll probably be leaving me in some cell.” I took a deep breath and chose my next question. “The breaking process is supposed to break one’s spirit so they’ll be a compliant slave. Some of these processes can be quite damaging. What will happen to me at the end of this?”

“Oh Z, you can tap out at any time.” Rayne had the smile of a predator. She knew she had my attention and was going to savor everything she said. “You are a member. If you tap out two things will happen. We will still pay Molly’s team and your dog will be retrieved. However her ownership will be transferred to someone else of your choosing and you will renounce your membership and belong to us.”

“Excuse me!?” A voice came from the hall. Molly had left the door open behind her and Briar stood in the doorway.

“Raindrop you will have to punish one of the maids for not being around to close the door.” Flora frowned and looked up at Rayne. “Spoilsports seem to wander in if we leave the door open.”

“You can’t just give up your membership like that! You can’t own members! It’s against our rules!” Briar looked livid. She was ignoring me, all of her attention was on Rayne.

“Actually, Miss Briar.” Molly turned to Briar. “Members of Z’s rank can have their membership revoked. It is rare, but possible. If she signs the contract and taps out the fact that she signed it in the first place is argument enough that she shouldn’t be a member. Plus Rayne was one of those who supported Z for membership over slavery in the first place. Losing Rayne’s endorsement while she is agreeing to contracts like these doesn’t help her case. The contract is more of a formality in this sense.”

“You can do anything you want to someone being broken! T-these terms aren’t fair!” I picked up the contract and started to read through it as Briar tried to fight back against Molly.

“On the contrary, Miss Briar.” Molly pushed her glasses up and shuffled through some of the papers in her arms. “If you hadn’t interrupted me I would have continued explaining the contract. It states that options that would permanently maim or kill her are off the table. That includes things like burning, branding, high voltage shocks and the like. Arguably we aren’t even allowed to use Z’s own methods as she was fond of using ice cold enemas to deliver harsh crampings and pain. Water of that temperature can seriously injure someone.”

Briar was about to speak up again when I tossed the contract back on the table. “Signed. Pay Molly and we’ll start tomorrow.”

“No!” Briar snatched the contract off the table before Rayne could pick it up. “No one watched you do it, you need an actual witness.”

“Miss Briar, Z said out loud to all of us that she signed it.” Molly interjected, her monotoned droning never wavering.

“Also, Flora was watching.” I gestured to Flora. Briar looked at her and Flora gave her a small, smarmy wave.

“I…” Briar sounded defeated. She was silent for a moment before she turned to Molly. “I refuse to leave her alone. I demand to be allowed to stay while this happens.”

“Fine, fine, whatever.” Flora interjected before turning to Rayne. “As fun as this idea is, raindrop, how is this my present?”

“Oh my sweet sunflower.” Rayne raised Flora’s hand and kissed it once again. “I wracked my brain for weeks trying to think of the perfect present for you. You loved Z’s work, don’t you?”

“Her work is quite lovely. I’ve never had a canvas quite as nice as the ones that she made.”

“You have quite the collection of her work. So I thought to myself, maybe I could have her make more. But as much as I wanted you to have those canvases, it wasn’t quite the right answer. Then it hit me. You don’t get an artist to just infinitely create more art. It devalues the work.” She looked over at me with the predator smile once again, her teeth gleaming.

“No. The greatest piece you can add to a collection is the artist themself”.