#I love Sirius Gibson so much | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aliceyabusamesoneball · 2 years

Note

if you still are doing the character design analyses, could i request and that you do Sirius Gibson?

sirius!! with him my collection of witchs heart humans fashion is finally complete.. i was actually waiting for someone to ask for him because apparently hes into fashion so i was curious thanks reaper 😊

so looking at sirius him and noel actually seem to have similar style which is very cute if you think about it.. since noel was isolated from the world when he got cursed sirius was probably one of the only people who he could get a fashion influence from along with memories of claire and i think noel's style mirrors that.. anyways this isn't about noel this is about sirius 😊

heres his normal outfit.. first of all the moon earring is very pretty and probably my favorite detail about the outfit.. i dont see him wearing many other earrings which makes me sad 😢 i think there should be more sirius earring content

anyways there are a bunch of commonalities that i see throughout his outfits which makes me think he has a very strict fashion style which makes sense because fashion is one of his hobbies.. i like to think his closet is very organized and he only looks in one specific section of the store

one of these elements that i notice is that sirius seems to get cold really really easily.. even in his regular outfit he's wearing three whole layers (undershirt, coat, cape) and he even tells claire at the beginning of the game that he feels cold just looking at her wearing a tank top and shorts.. so obviously he gets cold really easily

for example in the school au (?) outfit hes also wearing three layers (undershirt, vest, blazer) AND speaking of undershirts and blazers he seems to wear that combination a lot like with his regular outfit, here, and a lot of other outfits too

like this birthday outfit (he looks so cute here btw) he has an undershirt with a popped collar and a blazer.. and ALSO a vest.. man sirius must be really cold

he also sorta has it here (although not with the signature popped collar undershirt.. that collar is really cool though) and WHILE WE'RE ON THE TOPIC OF THIS OUTFIT ITS SO COOL SORRY LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND

the silver moon earring is so gorgeous and to be honest i like it a little more than his gold necklace because i feel like hes more of a silver person than a gold one.. its probably because sirius only wears neutral and cool colors (ill talk more about that later) and i associate silver with cool colors and gold with warm colors but oh well

AGAIN about the collar it looks so cool i could see sirius wearing ruffled collars for fancy occasions

the tie/bow thingy on his collar is so pretty also and matches it perfectly and the gemstone matches the rose attached to the little bow.. everything is matching each other and its so cool SIRIUS YOURE SO COOL

anyways 😊 i wanna talk more about the colors thing because sirius only seems to wear neutrals (white, gray, black but notably not brown) and dark, faded versions of blue and purple,, purple is his theme color so that makes sense but i think its cool that he has a fixed color palette

like even when he was younger he wore those colors and i think its very nice that he sticks to certain colors

even when he goes swimming he still sticks to his general style (popped collar shirt, same color scheme) but i hope hes not too cold..

moving on i wanna talk about this outfit.. while sirius didnt pick it out himself im pretty sure he likes this outfit (from what i remember) and it seems to be within his general style with the colors (except for the red but it is sort of a deep one so i dont think he minds much) and also i think hes wearing two shirts.. hes turned to the side so you cant see much BUT i do wanna talk about his cape thing

he also wears a cape in his regular outfit but its a lot shorter than this one.. then again this one IS a costume and capes are definitely costumey but i do think he'd like to wear capes occasionally when its a special occasion (also that cape looks so soft and comfortable i want it)

ALSO i wanna talk about his halloween outfit its very pretty.. again it falls under his general color scheme and style with the undershirt vest blazer combination and also he has a little bow with a gemstone on it again 😊 he also has that on his regular outfit so maybe he likes to attach those to his bow/tie things (maybe he diys them at home with a hot glue gun and it goes terribly wrong and looks awful but maybe not)

also this is the only time ive seen him wearing gloves which makes me a little sad i feel like hes the kind of person to wear gloves a lot because hes probably kind of a germaphobe.. i think he should wear gloves more because they look nice on him

+ HIS HAT IS SO CUTE i forgot to talk about his witch hat earlier oops ITS ALSO SUPER CUTE WITH THE STAR DETAIL AND EVERYTHING and also THIS hat is like.... a sort of top hat thing?? idk what to call it ill just say the hat anyways it is so pretty with the ruffles?? the rose?? the matching gemstone?? the feathers?? the pumpkin?? ITS SO CUTE I WANT IT SO BAD

anyway i think he matches the rose with claire noel and surprisingly ashe but not wilardo which i think is a little weird?? it might just be because wilardo's color is a warm color (red) while claire noel sirius and ashe all have cool colors so it just doesn't match him but it doesn't really matter

so yeah sirius has a very consistent style.. ALSO i wanna bring something up: on sirius' wiki it says that his fashion resembles victorian men's fashion and I AGREE looking at some victorian men's fashion it makes sense that sirius draws inspiration from it

here is like an example.. i can see how its very similar with the undershirt + vest + blazer combination and also maybe the hats just a little.. so i just wanted to add that in because its a nice detail and i feel like sirius would definitely be into vintage fashion and collecting old stuff and things like that

anyways overall here is how i would style sirius (although i don't really think he needs a stylist because he seems pretty sure of his style already):

sticking to his color palette of neutrals and dark/faded blues and purples

a LOT of undershirts (with popped collars), blazers, and also some vests because he seems to get cold really easily

and also a lot of jackets and coats because of aforementioned coldness

shorter shirts (still with popped collars) for summertime and also maybe shorts? but only like 1 pair because hes still cold all the time

bows/ties (maybe some with ruffles) with pretty gemstones on them to wear with his undershirts

maybe some shorter capes like the one he wears on a regular basis for more casual wear and a long dramatic black one for special occasions 😈

LOTS OF PRETTY DANGLY EARRINGS obviously some astronomy details like the moon and maybe stars probably in silver but also maybe he'd like to try out other earrings?? maybe like a little dangly bow or one with like a broom shape

pairs of short gloves that he can wear casually and also maybe longer ones for dramatic effect (because he is very dramatic)

a couple hats (like the witch one or the one he's wearing for his halloween outfit) with gemstone, rose, or ruffle details (or maybe a combination? or maybe even all of them..)

#sirius gibson #i like how much you can see looking at the characters' clothing #LIKE THE FACT NOEL IS LIKE A COMBINATION OF CLAIRE AND SIRIUS' FASHION IS SO ADORABLE #i love sirius' style actually #its very cool #I LOVE THE DETAIL IN THIS GAME #EVEN IF ITS NOT ON PURPOSE YOU CAN STILL SEE THEIR CHARACTERS THROUGH THEIR CLOTHES!!#LIKE HOW NOELS IS A COMBINATION #AND HOW SIRIUS' IS VERY FIXED BECAUSE HES STUBBORN AND DOESNT LIKE CHANGE #AND HOW CLAIRES AND ZIZELS ARE SIMILAR #i love this game #piper clothes

15 notes · View notes

faresong · 2 months

Text

eve of the sun.

(spoiler) musings on my design choices below <3

✦ CLAIRE ELFORD —

Oh, my girl... I love her so much. I changed up her design slightly to draw in a gold tone due to my adjustment of her neck accessory: instead, it is part of a earring she was gifted by her grandmother that then broke. Though she doesn't remember why she had it, nor why it was only one of a set, she still holds a lot of sentimental value to it and couldn't bear to throw it out or sell its pieces, instead transforming it into a necklace.

I also gave her boots which, despite their look, are customized to better track up the mountain. These are her personal hiking boots! Additionally, since she lives up there, she has gotten into a few scuffles. While she's learned to hold herself well, there have been times she gets a bit overzealous—and the scar on her face is one of those cases. A nasty rock she was trying to remove had split her lip open and completely dragged down her shoulder before she could hit the floor and regain her standing. Nothing too dramatic, she'd say, but it reminds her to be careful... sometimes :P

Of course, because she's canonically the strongest of the group, I gave her more obvious muscles and fat to pad it out. As I've stated before with her living situation, eating is important to help her keep her strength up—and is also just something she enjoys! There are so many lovely recipes to try out, and before they died, she had loved bringing down ingredients of something new for her adoptive parents to try. They were all fresh, too, from her garden.

Here, despite the timeline regarding typical real-life immigration, I've portrayed her as mixed Indian/Portuguese. Her mother and grandmother were simply Indian immigrants, with Claire as the fourth-generation (Lady Dorothy had taught her Hindi, but with years without practice... she's lost much of it). Unfortunately for them, this was an additional motivator in the main town to persecute them sooner rather than later despite their people settling on the outskirts of Levine's ruling.

✦ SIRIUS GIBSON —

Onto Mr. "Bah!" now... As I've already mentioned, his moon earring is part of a set with Claire as a gift from Lady Dorothy. It was a gift in her hopes of bringing the two closer together.

Now, whether or not that worked out fully, Sirius feels he owes nearly everything to Lady Dorothy. Not only to provide him housing after his parents' demise, but tend to his leg injury wrought from when he'd been nearly crushed in the crowd. Everyone had pushed forward to see the alleged witches' deaths and hadn't cared when he'd fallen—Dorothy was there just in time to act as a barrier of sorts before they'd broken his ankle... but she still ended up crafting a small cane for his use.

As he grew up, however... the cane became more difficult to use. He was taller, and thus he began using Lady Dorothy'd old cane for himself. Whereas she had only needed it for balance, Sirius uses it to offset the pain/pressure on his left leg. Neither cane is pictured here, but it is still a crucial part of how his past pains continue to affect his present life—in a very literal way, albeit.

Due to how cold he tends to run within the mansion, he wears many layers. I've simplified his outfit to simply be: dress shirt, vest, pelerine. The last one is cut from the same cloth as Lady Dorothy's cloak (hence the slight star motif shared in both of their cloaks) and was initially a proper 'cloak' tailored for his younger self, though he still cannot let go of it.

I've added more prominent red to his design to tie in the ruby crest, as well as represent his resentment toward most others. In a literal sense, 'seeing red'—the reasons behind him becoming a demon clear. Unlike Claire who stands for nobility, Sirius cannot allow himself or Lady Dorothy that disgrace of leniency.

One last note: Sirius is portrayed as mixed Bengali/Portuguese. His great-grandparents had been one of the first Portuguese immigrants, with his grandfather brought over as a contracted engineer to figure out the water supply line for this area. He had never been given the chance to learn Bangla, as his mother didn't speak it... but Lady Dorothy had taken time to teach both Sirius and Claire Hindi, and he still reads some of the few books the Elfords had brought over. It's made him feel closer to the family, and he takes great care in trying to refine his language... even if it's difficult without another to practice with. (...I like to imagine, post-Sirius Conclusion, he teaches Claire again. It's only right.)

#I will get to the other three of the main cast... sometime soon <3 I had to get my favorites out of the way first #I hope you enjoy...#||#witch's heart #whnoc #sirius gibson #claire elford #my art #wall

44 notes · View notes

illym · 1 month

Text

Translating the Human Side introductions for Witch's Heart, because I've always wanted to know what they said. If someone else has translated these without DeepL, please let me know.

[ translated with DeepL. ] [ localized by me. ] [ DeepLで翻訳 ] [ ローカライズ ]

Claire Elford

"I'll take care of it!"

The main character of this story.

She loves pretty and beautiful things,

and longs to live in a fairy tale world.

She lives alone in the forest on the outskirts of town.

She is earnest at heart and quite good-natured.

She also works out on a regular basis and is extremely strong.

and I'll include the Japanese text as well, because there's no reason not to. The golden text [ 操作キャラクター ] is just [ character ].

クレア

エルフォード

『私にどーんと

任せてくださいっ!』

この物語の主人公。

可愛い物や、綺麗な物が大好きで

メルヘンな世界に憧れている女の子。

町外れの森で独り暮らしをしている。

根は真面目で、かなりのお人好し。

■また、普段から体を鍛えており、

力がとても強い。

Ashe Bradley

"You know what they say about researchers.

I can do anything for the sake of research.

I can even camp in the wild…………….!"

A man who travels around the world for one reason or another.

He is energetic, cheerful, and friendly.

However, he is a bit too talkative.

He likes to cook.

アーシェ

ブラッドレイ

『研究者って言うのはね、

研究のためなら、何でもできるんですよ

野宿だってします……………!』

とある理由で世界中を回っている旅人。

元気で明るく、人懐っこい。

が、お喋りがすぎるところが玉に瑕。

料理をするのが好き。

Wilardo Adler

"How much fun is it to go to the same place over and over again?

It doesn't change."

A taciturn, unsociable man.

He only speaks the bare minimum.

It is unclear why he came to the mansion.

ウィラルド

アードラー

そんな同じとこ何回も行って楽しいか?

たいして何かが変わるわけでもないのに』

寡黙で不愛想な男。

必要最低限のことしか喋ろうとしない。

何が目的で屋敷に来たのかは不明。

Sirius Gibson

"Do you people really believe those fantastical rumors?

They're absolutely ridiculous."

A man who claims to be the owner of the mansion.

He is misanthropic and hysterical.

He is especially hostile to Claire.

He reveres "The Witch Dorothy",

and is sensitive to any mention of her.

シリウス

ギブソン

『皆さぁ、そんな夢物語みたいな噂を

本気で信じてるの?

馬鹿馬鹿しいね』

屋敷の主と名乗る男。

人嫌いでヒステリックな性格。

特にクレアのことを目の敵にしている。

『魔女ドロシー』のことを崇拝しており

彼女の話題には過敏に反応する。

Noel Levine

"Look, look.

The stars are so beautiful tonight!"

A soft-spoken man from downtown.

He is a sensible man with no venom in his voice.

However, due to his work, he is nocturnal and sleeps all day long.

ノエル

レヴァイン

「見て見て、今日はね

星がとっても綺麗なんだ!』

[ Obsessed with Noel being from downtown... And Sirius' hysteria ]

下町からやってきた、

物腰柔らかな男。

毒気が全く無く、常識人。

だが、仕事の関係上、

夜行性で昼間はずっと寝ている。

#witchs heart #witch's heart #claire elford #ashe bradley #wilardo adler #sirius gibson #noel levine #illym translation

20 notes · View notes

kirvia · 9 months

Note

hiii i love your art!!! i was browsing your etsy shop and i loveeeed the rpgmaker keychains that you have on there. i was wondering if you had any plans on restocking some of the sold out characters in the future? i would love to get sirius gibson and joe and sara!!

thank you so much!! i do have plans to restock but it won't be until i'm back at school this august/september :)

15 notes · View notes

conceptualoblivion · 6 months

Text

I love Sirius Gibson so much… he’s so silly. Would he actually do some of this stuff? I don’t know… maybe when he’s all alone, but that’s it… either way, I love drawing him being cutesy or silly because he deserves to be happy

#witch’s heart #sirius gibson #silly doodles #You can tell I struggle with positioning hands but it’s okayyy #sirius would be very mad if Claire or anyone caught him doing silly stuff #don’t ask why I think he would hate mashed potatoes either #he just does

4 notes · View notes

miss-steelmind · 2 years

Note

Ik i don't count as one of your mutuals, but who is your favourite WH character, and why?

i think we are mutuals actually haha:]

i believe in sirius gibson supremacy!! funny lil man. seriously though i love this boy so much, get ready for some rambling because!! him.

i may be a bit biased considering only his story is finished so far but i loove the development he got, his backstory is absolutely heartbreaking and i was so happy for him in his conclusion, he deserves all the happiness your honor

it's interesting because i normally don't like tsunderes? many people were the same way though, he's just so well-written and caring that even people that don't usually like characters like that ended up loving him

i really really enjoy characters that slowly learn to trust and love others. cold characters that have no reason to have faith in people, finally finding/being found by someone that truly cares for them, and they can allow themselves to be happy, because goddamn, they deserve it? good shit. 10/10. i'm also a sucker for the childhood friends trope, so there's that

i quite like what they did to him as sort of the weakest character of the cast. he's not a fighter, he's not strong or brave and he admits that. yet he STILL he wants to and is willing to protect what's important to him. he cares. so much. even if he doesn't want to admit it.

and yes, he's also just really funny without trying, and as much as i want to seriously analyze him i HAVE to talk about this because this man thinks cinderella is a horror story.

so yeah. love him a lot:) (and please tell me who your favorite is i really want to know!!)

#TYSM FOR THE ASK it gave me an excuse to ramble about the funnyman #witch's heart spoilers #sirius gibson #ask #nine's wish #long post

20 notes · View notes

beyondbinaries · 27 days

Text

my canons that I adore to the moon and back and think yall should appreciate too. Not tales of bc we know I could talk for 999999 yrs ab my fascination with mithos, symonne, silva, eizen, and meebo

Sirius Gibson - We love a purple and moon themed boi. He's someone who knows his weaknesses and he comes off as standoffish but he is genuinely good man. And his actions can be well explained by the fact he has to protect his home from strangers constantly. But he is loving and loyal to those he deems his friends.

Sherlotta - This would not be my blog if I didn't talk about her. She was 16 [headcanoned based on in game dialogue anyways] when her life went to straight hell. Losing everyone she loved and being experimented on to the point she cannot see or walk. And just aaa she really shows how love can make someone strong. And how love makes life living. And aa yall should befriend the immortal cat mom who created a paradox to save her child.

Usopp - Im gonna be real, he has always been my favorite OP character. And it always hurts me to see people call him useless or a waste of a crew member when he has done so much. He is a Brave Warrior of the Sea and all he needs to do to realize that is look past the Imposter Syndrome,,

#❝ ooc ❞ ✧ ೃ༄#✧˚ · . Sirius #✧˚ · . Sherlotta #✧˚ · . Usopp

1 note · View note

carewyncromwell · 2 years

Photo

“There are shadows everywhere And memories I cannot share... Nevermore alone -- nevermore apart -- You have warmed my heart like the sun: You have brought the gift of life And love so long denied me... Suddenly I see what I could not see -- Something, suddenly, has begun.”

~“Suddenly (cover)” by Jeremy Cain

x~x~x~x

Featuring Lee Pace as Bat Varney @carewyncromwell and Naomi Watts as Adelia Selwyn @thatravenpuffwitch -- ficlet also references Danny Gibson @catohphm and Teddy Ellison and Atticus Grimsley @cursebreakerfarrier

Happy belated birthday, Adelia! ❤

x~x~x~x

Adelia Selwyn-Ellison hadn’t heard from Bat in a few months. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for the vampire scholar to disappear without much warning, but Adelia had known him long enough to know that it often meant he was feeling particularly emotional somehow and was trying to distance himself. Being a very mind-oriented person, she understood how difficult it could be for Bat to express sorrow, anger, or other strong emotions, especially considering his vampiric state that made it difficult for him to be close to people at all. All the same, Teddy always lamented it.

“Considering how many friends Uncle Bat has made all these years,” he’d said in frustration one night, once he and Adelia had put Bertie to bed, “it seems wrong, that he chooses to suffer alone.”

But Adelia knew that, in some ways, was the problem. With how long Bat had lived, he’d seen people age and die before his eyes -- how could anyone else but him ever truly understand that kind of pain?

It was a relief to both Selwyn-Ellisons when they awoke that a letter in familiar dark blue ink and sweeping, neat penmanship arrived through owl post. Teddy immediately opened it and read it aloud over breakfast.

Adelia,

Forgive me for the lateness of this. I was traveling, and I realized too late that I’ve missed your birthday by a week. I hope that you and Teddy had a fair time celebrating it, and that your little one is doing well.

I know this request is spontaneous, but would it be possible for you to come by Honeydukes at some point this month for a visit? The holidays are upon us soon, so perhaps I could escort you while you do your shopping. I would be happy to carry any particularly large packages, should you have the need.

Hope this finds you well.

Bat

The overly calm writing style was familiar, to Adelia. For as wonderfully passionate as Bat could be, even now, it seemed, he still had difficulty showing that passion openly sometimes. Despite this, the invitation surprised both Adelia and Teddy -- it was much more common for Adelia to ask Bat when it’d be appropriate to see him, rather than for him to ask to see her. So Adelia rather quickly followed up with a response accepting the invitation and proposing a meeting later that week, when she was off work.

That weekend ended up being a perfect day for Christmas shopping. The wind was light rather than biting, and all of the buildings were dusted with snow and framed by twinkling fairy lights. The crowds were heavy, but everyone was in good spirits, chatting amongst themselves and wishing perfect strangers a happy Christmas.

When Adelia arrived in the little wizarding village, she headed straight for Honeydukes. The vampire called Bat Varney had roosted in the attic above the sweet shop since before she started at Hogwarts, so she knew that was where she’d be able to meet him, when the night was fresh. And sure enough, when she got there, Adelia spotted him waiting outside very quickly -- not a difficult thing, when the man in question was 6′5″ with pasty, bloodless skin and illuminated by the light coming from the colorfully-decorated shop’s window.

Bat stood beside the windowpane, his eyes closed as he leaned back against the brick wall. He wore a newsboy cap to partially obscure his pointed ears and a knit scarf wrapped around his neck -- likely a gift from someone -- as well as his usual silver gorget clasp affixed to his collar and red poinsettia brooch fastened to his lapel, and he carried a package wrapped in brown paper under his arm. He was singing a carol under his breath with some difficulty around the odd white stick poking out of his mouth.

"O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by thine advent here -- Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death's dark shadows put to flight... Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel...”

"...Shall come to thee, O Israel.”

Bat stopped immediately hearing Adelia’s voice finishing the line. She offered him a smile.

“Happy Christmas, Mr. Varney,” she said gently.

“Happy Christmas,” said Bat quietly.

Oddly, though, the vampire hadn’t opened his eyes -- instead he took a very deep breath and sucked at whatever was in his mouth for a long moment.

Adelia raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat anything before,” she said curiously. “Even drinking-wise, it’s only ever been blood from your flask.”

The silver flask enchanted to hold a seemingly endless supply of blood that Bat kept inside his waistcoat had been his constant companion since long before Adelia had first met him.

Bat’s Adam apple bobbed up and down in his throat as he swallowed.

“...That’s because there was no reason to,” he said at last.

There was something odd in his voice -- something almost shaky. It made Adelia want to rest a hand on his arm, to comfort him, the way she might for Teddy -- but she knew that wouldn’t be appropriate.

“...What is the reason now?” she asked hesitantly.

Bat took one more very deep breath before finally opening his eyes. Amazingly, despite being relatively close to Adelia and not having drank any blood since she arrived, the sclera of his eyes were oddly, humanly white, rather than the sinister-looking blood-shot shade that signaled blood thirst. His red eyes ran over her face, considering her, before he reached out a large hand and extended it to her as if offering to take her hand.

Adelia was noticeably taken aback. “Bat?”

Bat offered her a very small, weak smile around the white stick in his mouth.

“It’s all right. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Adelia fixed him with a rather piercing look, almost reproachful. “Well, of course I know that! You’ve never needed to assure me of that.”

Her eyes then narrowed that bit more out of concern. “But...being too close to humans is painful, for you. I know that’s why you’ve always held us at arm’s length -- me and Teddy, Danny and Professor Grimsley...”

Bat’s red eyes softened. “It’s not so painful, now.”

He held his hand out that bit closer to Adelia.

“Please,” he said very softly, “may I?”

Adelia looked up at Bat, considering him. His face was somehow even paler than usual, and there was something almost uncertain there: something lacking his usual confidence. Something almost frightened...

Setting her jaw, Adelia reached out and very gently placed her hand in his.

Bat held it for a moment, almost awed by the fact he could. Then -- to Adelia’s surprise -- he slowly brought her hand up to his lips and placed a light, gentlemanly kiss of greeting to the back of it.

He brought her hand back down gently, giving it a light squeeze without releasing it. As he slowly straightened up, Bat closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. It was only when Adelia looked closely that she realized he was trying not to cry.

“Uncle Bat?” she said in concern.

Bat’s breathing was very quiet and faintly shaky as he looked up at her. His red eyes were oddly moist, around the edges.

"I’m sorry,” he said through a fanged smile. “It’s...the first time I’ve greeted a lady properly in a hundred and fifty years. I reckon I’m a bit out of practice.”

The self-deprecating humor couldn’t mask the emotion in Bat’s face, nor the one lone tear that escaped out the side of his eye. Adelia immediately reached into her coat and pulled out her handkerchief -- Bat released Adelia’s hand so he could accept it, dabbing at his eye with a chuckle.

“Look at me...getting emotional, over such silly things,” he said offhandedly.

Adelia frowned deeply. “Oh Uncle, don’t say that! It’s not silly at all -- why, after a hundred and fifty years, I’m sure anyone would be a bit emotional, being able to hold someone else’s hand...”

She looked at the stick still poking out of Bat’s mouth.

“Is that what that is, then?” she asked. “Some sort of candied medicine for your blood lust?”

Bat smiled around the stick. “In a way. One moment -- ”

He took the bare stick out and tossed it in the rubbish bin beside the door before immediately taking out what looked like a piece of red hard candy melded to the top of to another white stick. He stuck it in his mouth and sucked at it a few times before speaking again.

“...The youngest Honeydukes lass made them for me. They’re called Blood Pops -- she was inspired by these candies she saw in America, when she went on tour, visiting different Muggle confectionaries. They’re made of about 90% pig’s blood, with just enough sugar and water so that it crystallizes and hardens into an actual candy. She said she’d originally wanted to use human blood by accessing St. Mungo’s stock meant for blood transfusions, since she thought it might taste better, for me -- but under the circumstances, I’m not surprised she couldn’t get permission. It’s far more important to save lives than to give me a gourmet meal -- and really, pig’s blood is far more accessible and just as satisfying to my appetite, so it’s no loss.”

Adelia’s face brightened. “So keeping one of those ‘Pops’ in your mouth is like drinking blood from your flask, without even having to take it out. You can constantly consume blood, without stopping.”

Bat nodded. Adelia beamed.

“Oh Bat, I’m so happy for you,” she said. “It’s got to be so much easier for you now...”

Bat smiled around the stick. It was a kind of smile Adelia almost never saw on his face -- a kind that made his hollowed-out, sickly-looking face seem oddly youthful and handsome.

“It is.”

He looked down at the package still under his arm, before taking it out and holding it out to her.

“I...was even able to go into some shops, while I was traveling,” he said lowly, “pick up some spare fabric and some thread...”

Adelia accepted the package, blinking down at it curiously. She very delicately undid the ends so she could open the package without messily ripping the paper. Inside was a soft-looking quilt made of white and light blue patches, decorated with embroidery.

Adelia gasped softly, delighted.

“Bat -- did you make this?”

“Well, I sewed the pieces together, at least,” said the vampire self-effacingly. “Most of the patches I found as is. I thought a quilt might be useful, to keep the little one warm at night.”

“Uncle Bat, it’s wonderful...”

Adelia looked over the quilt more carefully, her eyes combing each of the patches. Some were covered in stars, others checkerboards and colorful zigzags. On the largest patch was what looked like a large boat, being rained on by a puffy looking cloud.

“Noah’s Ark,” explained Bat. “I don’t know if you know the tale from the Bible, but I heard it a lot, in my childhood. A boat stuffed full, carrying two of every animal on Earth, sailing on an endless sea for forty days and forty nights -- until finally, at long last, a dove appeared to Noah, carrying an olive branch: hope that land was within reach...”

Something oddly fond flickered through his expression as he looked down at the boat.

“I’d...once hoped to use the story, to teach my daughter how to count by twos,” he admitted. “Counting every pair of animals on the Ark -- 2 by 2 is 4; 2 by 3 is 6; 2 by 4 is 8; and so on.”

Adelia looked from the quilt to up at Bat. He looked at her, his fond smile fading.

“...I...don’t think I ever told you this,” he said softly, “but you remind me of her. My daughter.”

Adelia’s blue eyes softened. After only a second’s hesitation, she very slowly extended a hand to take hold of his and gave it the lightest squeeze. The physical contact made Bat close his eyes and bow his head, almost like a bat hiding itself with its wings.

“I never got to see Irene grow older...get married, have children,” he murmured. “Yet I have...am...seeing it, for you. It’s a joy, of course. You...have grown into a very respectable young woman, Ms. Selwyn-Ellison.”

He paused. It was clear he was considering his words very carefully.

“I realize...that as a vampire, I cannot live as you do. I’ll probably always miss important days, simply because of how fast they go, and with my condition, there will always be some need for separation. I had to go through a whole pack of these when I was spending time with Grim last night,” he indicated the Blood Pop in his mouth, “and even then, I still had to drink from my flask, when I picked him up and carried him to bed...”

Adelia couldn’t completely bite back a laugh. “Are you sure Professor Grimsley wants you talking about that in public?”

Bat gave a smirk. “He fell asleep in his armchair. You could hardly expect me not to pick him up and put him to bed. Particularly with how light he is -- tinier than Loretta when I carried her over the threshold...”

Adelia couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of her “uncle Bat” carrying the overly serious DADA professor Atticus Grimsley bridal style across the room. Bat grinned fully, his white fangs gleaming nearly as brightly as his amused face, before he got back on topic.

“Regardless...as much as I know that I can’t live like an ordinary man does -- that I’ll always have to be on the outside looking in, to a degree...”

His red eyes became a lot more serious when they met Adelia’s head-on, giving her hand a light squeeze.

“...I...would like to be in your life -- in your family’s lives -- even if only on the outside of it. My usefulness to you may be limited, but I know I’m not devoid of it. And now that I have these Blood Pops, it should be safer for me to be around the little one now -- ”

Bat halted mid-speech, his voice choking in his throat, when Adelia purposefully brought both of her arms around the taller man’s chest in a hug. When she looked up at him, her expression was confident and firm, but very warm all the same.

“You don’t need to prove yourself, Uncle Bat,” she told him. “Teddy and I want you in our lives too -- in Bertie’s life. We don’t need any action on your part to justify that. Our justification is that we care about you. That’s all there is to it.”

Bat stared at Adelia as her lips spread into a soft smile.

“I understand if it’s not easy for you, to be close to others,” she said kindly, “particularly after everything you’ve been through...and I understand if sometimes, you have to pull away. But we love seeing you as you are -- when you make fun of people, when you turn up your nose at rules, when you get so excited analyzing things...even when you downplay everything you are, thinking you have to be useful, in order to be someone worthwhile.”

Her eyes grew a bit smaller.

“I don’t know what it’s been like for you, to live the life you’ve lived, and I know I never will -- but I hope you know that you’ll only ever have to be alone by choice, now.”

Bat stared at Adelia for a long, long moment. Then, bowing his head, he fell into silence. Adelia could sense once again he was trying to contain his emotions -- she waited patiently for him to compose himself, even if it took him several minutes to.

Finally, at the end of those minutes, Bat reached into his pocket and switched the spent white stick in his mouth for a fresh Blood Pop. Only then did he raise his head again. Despite the faint moisture in his eyes, his lips were spread in a broad fanged grin.

“My nose detects the smell of apple cider, coming from the direction of the Three Broomsticks,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Shall we stop there and pick some up, before we do our shopping?”

Adelia beamed. “That sounds lovely.”

Bat extended his arm to her, which she accepted, and escorted her down the snowy lane toward the wizarding pub.

“For the record, though,” said Bat rather coolly, “turning up one’s nose insinuates I show active contempt for rules, and I don’t. I just don’t pay them any mind at all.”

#my writing #fanfiction #other people's mcs #hphl #hogwarts legacy #adelia selwyn #teddy ellison #danny gibson #atticus grimsley #bartholomew varney #gaaaah I'm a day late for dear adelia's birthday I'm sorry erin love ;~;#but I hope you like this all the same!!#uncle bat loves his honorary niece so much #I also have a christmas-centered ficlet in the works for ed chess and sirius but that's probably gonna come down the road somewhat #I want to write some other stuff first since the last time we've seen ed and 'mutt' interact was september lololol #and well a good chunk of stuff happens with the order in those months #I figure it'd also be fun to do more with ed's relationships with snape and lupin respectively

10 notes · View notes