#c: Althea | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

void-botanist · 3 months

Note

ALSO trolley problem answers for spinder & anyone else who you think has a creative solution 👀

from this ask game

Spinder gets the point of this thought exercise but if they're going to ask such a contrived question, he's going to give a contrived answer. Which means he would learn a lot about trolleys and how easy it is to derail them (I am far from an expert but I think it would depend on the landscape. I suspect a trolley with a cable grip, like in San Francisco, is harder to derail if the cable grip is active, but idk). He's got a whole plan for derailing, or otherwise mechanically disrupting the trolley (if it stops pulling power does it stop moving? how fast can he get on the roof?). Aside from his absolute pettiness he also can't help but imagine the fallout from having vehicularly manslaughtered one or more people and he doesn't think he could deal with that.

Christina "now you're thinking with warpals" Larousse would just warp the trolley. Ideally this would happen after she already was not in the trolley, but if she has to die with it, so be it. In general, if sacrificing herself would save everyone else, she'd probably do it. But if there are other people in the trolley, as in some versions of the problem, because she's not going to sacrifice them to warp. Hypothetically she could just warp away the split in the track, thereby derailing the trolley and saving everyone. But that's a much smaller target than a trolley and harder to hit when she's moving. If she had to actually abide by the rules of the exercise she would kill the one person. Unless that one person was her father. Then she'd be so paralyzed about it that she'd do nothing and the five people would die. Which is still a lot less people than she indirectly enabled Althea to kill, but that's cold comfort.

Althea would let the five be killed without hesitation if there was a single person among them that had ever pissed her off. She doesn't really care either way, but it would feel better to get a little revenge. However, she would also switch away from a track Christina is tied to, an absolutely frigid comfort for Christina.

Vic, among others, has pointed out that if you do nothing, you're not responsible for what happens. Which is a tenuous position, but he would like it to be true. But he'd also rather kill one person than five, so make of that what you will.

Celia and Allison are still wondering what kind of Gotham-ass trolley line this is, like, first of all, how did these people get tied to the tracks? Is this some kind of a trick? Are the five people all robots and the one person a human? There's just not enough information here.

Dez would be extremely dismayed by the idea that the five people could be robots. But if they were, they have backups, right? Right? Syndy is already holding him back from steering away from the five probably-robots, because she considers herself an expert on how humans die, actually, so they can't run over the human. If the robots turn out to be humans, they are both scarred for life and also the first androids to go to jail, probably. They develop a weird game of chicken where they keep saying they're going to delete the memories but come up with reasons not to. Doing this only deals them more psychic damage.

"You just gotta kill the one person," Avis says, with total conviction and complete boredom. "That's how these puzzles work. You gotta do a shitty thing, so you have to do the least shitty version of the thing." It's a toss up if she'd automatically run over the five if she was considering whether or not to run over Sid as the one person, though.

@jezifster @kk7-rbs

#me remembering in my crack superpowers AU Cady and Tristan have time/velocity manipulation powers #Celia and Allison are extremely different and yet deep down they're the same guy #I don't think jail exists on Pajiir. but you get the idea. first androids convicted of crimes #if they deleted all of the memories related to the incident would they then lose all of their feelings surrounding the incident #c: Spinder #c: Christina #c: Althea #c: Vic #c: Celia #c: Allison #c: Dez #c: Syndy #c: Avis #backstory & motivation ask game

9 notes · View notes

devourable · 6 months

Note

drunk cuddly darling + sober yan

sober darling + drunk yan

do yans have any preference on either scenario or is it just no bueno either way

im just gonna simplify this ask down a bit. m!yanderes + f!yanderes x cuddly drunk gn darling 🫶 (no poly/non humans for the sake of my sanity)

⛪️ ;; abe is not the type to drink, never has been and never will be, even if you pressure him to drink more, so while he doesn’t exactly approve of you getting drunk either, he just cant bring himself to be mad at you. not when you’re being so sweet to him! he’s happy that you’re content to just be held by him until you fall asleep rather than get into any trouble that he’s not prepared to deal with. be ready to wake up to a scolding by him though, you could get sick if you go overboard! even if he kind of likes it when you do.

[cw dubcon] 🖥️ ;; god bless any darling who gets drunk around gene because if he can tell you’re inebriated he’s either trying to fuck you or is equally as hammered (if not more). so when you get drunk and start getting all touchy with him he sees it as an invitation to take things further. you wanted the attention, you can’t get mad at how he chooses to give it! it isn’t his fault, you just make really cute faces when you’re wasted. he’ll give you a little apology gift for your sore insides when you’re up the next day — one most likely made up of painkillers and your favorite takeout.

🪶;; it irritates sterling to no end that you got drunk. don’t you know you have an image to uphold? he’s prattling on and on about how he’s sick of your disgraceful behavior and how unbecoming it is for you to waste your time fucking up your brain, until your arms are around him and you’re snuggling up against him. then his words are all caught in his throat and hes tripping through his sentences, half heartedly trying to reprimand you still, but he eventually settles down and (begrudgingly) holds you until you’re asleep. he’ll swear to himself its only this one time; if you remember the next day and try to tease him about it he literally wont talk to you for a week.

💪 ;; valentina had already planned to simply cuddle you till you went to sleep, so the fact that you initiated it makes her elated. she likes how it feels when you squirm in her arms, too out of it to be able to do anything but what she wants. it’s like she’s handling a living doll! she carries you around like one, too, going about her day with one hand and holding you you with the other. yes, it makes doing things way more difficult and yes, the arm she carried you with will be sore for days, but it’s well worth it to her.

[cw dubcon, again] 👑 ;; althea ordered you to go to bed the moment you stumbled into her presence in your inebriated state. when you instead clung to her and insisted on cozying up instead, while it annoyed her, she took it upon herself to make sure you got to bed and couldn’t get into any trouble. but you insisted on her staying with you! and the way you tangled her body up with yours and dragged your hands across her form in a move that couldn’t have been entirely innocent (to her, at least), allie couldn’t help but help herself to your body. you practically owed it to her, anyway; and the way you whimpered and sighed for her proved that you didn’t seem to mind too much anyway.

🥩 ;; rhodes doesn’t particularly care for drunks, they’re used to them being loud and obnoxious. so they’re not exactly happy when they find you after having a bit too much to drink. they’e expecting a tedious night of making sure you don’t hurt yourself or others, so it’s a pleasant surprise when you seek them out for comfort instead. they still would prefer you being sober so you’d be able to better appreciated them taking the day off to be with you, but they’re satisfied with the time you spend with them regardless.

#anonymous #god i had this in my drafts for ages #yandere headcanons #yandere imagines #yandere x reader #yandere x oc #yandere boy #yandere oc #yandere x you #yandere x reader smut #⛪️ abraham a. ;; the church boy #🖥️ gene e. ;; the hacker #🪶 sterling c. ;; the prodigy #💪 valentina e. ;; the gym bunny #🥩 rhodes w. ;; the butcher #👑 althea c. ;; the princess #xxi ;; the world — asks #xv ;; the devil — my writing

378 notes · View notes

shipwreck-letters · 1 year

Text

Happy Birthday! 🎂🍰🎇✨

For my amazing friend @bennytotting Happy birthday!! I hope I did Althea justice, and I hope you have a fun, happy and wonderful birthday!

Word Count: 1,161

Everything was almost complete. It would just be a matter of minutes, now. It was Althea’s birthday, and the two monsters of the House had already planned long before to make it a memorable birthday.

As best as they could, anyway. Neither of them had actually celebrated their own birthday, but Althea was special to them. They were determined to try their best.

Casimir followed the smell of baked goods--Sweet and airy, and the warmth of the oven opened, just as he suspected before peeking around the kitchen door.

He wasn't quite prepared for the feast set out across the kitchen island; Tiered cakes, roasts, ranging from tooth-aching sweet and delectably savory, all aesthetically pleasing to the nines.

"Nom de Dieu. When you said you would handle the food, I didn’t expect you to go this far.”

“Is it too much?” Rainier’s eyes widened. Casimir quickly shook his head before Rainier’s spirit could be dampened.

“Not at all! I’m just surprised, is all. The dining room is all decorated, everything is ready.” Although Casimir feared he would need to set up even more tables than the four he had already arranged. He walked around the kitchen island, peering at the multi-tiered birthday cake.

"It seems like you're almost finished?"

"Not even close!"

Casimir's eyebrows raised; Rainier was focused more on working, but the shock in his voice was clear.

"Humans always have huge feasts, right? And birthdays are important? And I like to cook! Win-win."

"I suppose. I cannot remember the last time I celebrated my own birthday… Is there something I can do?"

He wasn't sure what exactly he could do, as all that seemed left was the guest of honor to be celebrated.

Before Rainier could answer, Casimir's stomach growled instead, and Rainier's ear twitched, a grin blooming on his lips.

"If you want to, I'll handle everything here. You can find Althea, and bring her here. Oh, but keep it a surprise! Is that alright? Are you hungry now? I can hurry if you're hungry!"

"Non, that's alright!" Casimir quickly interluded, shaking his head. "I, ah- I'll let you finish in peace. It looks fantastic, Rainier."

Tail thumping against the counter, Rainier's grin stretched even more. Casimir took his leave, ignoring his stomach growling again, to duck out of the kitchen and wander the House once more.

Quiet sounds of paper filled the room, as Althea carefully removed faded wallpaper from the empty room, lost in her thoughts and the task at hand.

She jumped slightly when Casimir knocked softly on the doorframe, relaxing her shoulders when she realized who it was.

"Good evening, Casimir." She smiled, setting tools aside to rise. "What's got you looking like that?"

"Like what, mon cher?" Casimir asked, although he was failing to hide the soft smile on his lips as he watched Althea's face warm. "Seeing you simply makes me happier than ever."

He leaned over, lacing his fingers with theirs and planting a kiss on their cheek, then the other. Althea squeaked, covering her face with her elbow to hide her flustered state.

"Casimir!"

She squeezed his hand, taking a moment to come back down before facing her love. "You're up to something."

"Me? How so?" Casimir hummed, and Althea poked his chest. "I only came to remind you that dinner is almost ready."

"Is Rainier cooking?" Althea parted from Casimir to tidy up their workspace, listening to Casimir as she did so.

"He is. It's quite significant this time, he says. A spring festival, I believe."

"That's the only occasion?"

"Hm...I believe so." Casimir cleared his throat. He waited patiently for Althea to clean up, before extending his hand once more in invitation.

"You've been working all day. Let us take a break tonight, and celebrate something special."

Althea gently took his hand, smiling at their fingers intertwined. "That sounds lovely, Casimir. I'm excited."

Casimir smiled. He felt a little bad about dodging the real purpose of the dinner, but he remembered Rainier's request to keep it a secret.

Together, they headed back through the halls of the House towards the dining room.

Althea could smell Rainier's cooking from a mile away. Always delicious, but there was an air of difference--She glanced at Casimir, tilting her head. She passingly remembered it was her birthday, but as long as she could spend time with Casimir and Rainier, she was content and satisfied.

Casimir stopped at the doors, knocking first. Althea tilted her head.

"Is it a surprise?"

"You could say that." Casimir said, before the doors flung open inward, and Rainier scooped up both Althea and Casimir in his arms.

"You made it!!"

Althea peeked over Rainier's shoulder and her eyes widened.

'Happy Birthday!' banners fluttered, strung up across the room with balloons in her favorite colors, hanging decorations and galore, including the mind-boggling food set out across multiple tables.

"Wha...?" Althea blinked as she was set on her feet again, one hand in Rainier's and the other in Casimir's.

"It's your birthday, right?" Rainier said. "Casimir and I made this for you!"

Althea's face exploded in blush, and even Casimir's face reddened as he cleared his throat.

"We, ah- We wanted to give you a proper celebration. You deserve it, after all."

"I don't know what to say..." Althea felt her chest flutter with so many emotions, all hard to contain, but she smiled, hoping she could show it through her shyness. "Thank you both, so much."

Rainier's tail waved with glee. "Did you see the cake? Do you like it? Do you want to eat? I hope I made enough for everyone."

Althea glanced between Casimir and Rainier, laughing quietly. "I love it so much. Are we ready to eat?"

"Yes, please." Casimir's stomach growled again. "I'm starving."

“You light the candles on the cake. Every year you add another candle to wish upon, and one more for the next year.” Althea explained, gently pushing colorful candles into the cake.

Rainier watched with awe, and Casimir hummed as he helped Althea.

“Now…” Althea stepped back. “We light it. Ah…Would you like to do the honors, Rainier?”

“Please be careful.” Casimir warned, not wanting to see the table be set aflame. Rainier puffed out his chest.

“I was made for this! Watch!”

Althea could see Casimir tense as flames billowed out, lighting all of the candles in one breath (And melting some of the candle wax, and the icing…). She laughed, winding her arm around Casimir’s, her other hand embracing Rainier’s.

“It’s perfect. Um…” She took a deep breath, looking at the both of them. “I can’t thank you both enough. This is…This has been really special to me. I don’t usually celebrate my birthday but…I’ll definitely remember this forever.”

Althea closed her eyes, her chest warm and fuzzy. “I wish…”

For all the things she could ask for, she couldn’t think of much that hadn’t already come true.

She took a deep breath, and made her wish.

#abzu's writing #fictif monster manor #monster manor #fictif #whoo birthday writing!!#I actually loved writing this it was super fun and so sweet #I think you mentioned Althea's LI being Casimir so I tried to incorporate that but not go like overboard #while also including Rainier b/c he's super sweet

10 notes · View notes

madebysimblr · 2 years

Photo

Raina: Who’s Hektor?

Althea: Ah, my newest apprentice. Hasn’t quite gotten the hang of everything yet, bless his heart.

Althea: Hektor! Tea going?

Hektor: Yes ma’am.

Althea: Excellent, this is my previous apprentice, Raina.

Raina: Nice to meet you! Althea’s the best-

Hektor: .... Wait a second.

Raina: [??]

Hektor: [bows frantically] yoUR ROYAL HIGHNESS.

Raina: [sighs]

#simblr #ts4 #ts4 story #the sims 4 #the sims 4 story #cortes legacy #the princess and me #the princess and me: act 2 #althea #raina #cordy #hektor #HOO #im bacc #and im determined to get ~moving~ on this #i want to get back to sorella as a teen sooner rather than later b/c... new pack.... shenanigans

12 notes · View notes

ascalonianlightbringer · 1 year

Text

Gwen is about to encounter Queen Jennah for the first time in the personal story!

IIRC, all human PCs are pretty much immediately railroaded into being uncritical monarchists. That was one thing for Althea, my aristocratic human PC, who I imagined coming from a firmly royalist family. But Gwen grew up in abject poverty on the streets of Jennah's capital, and one of her closest friends from the street origin story is an open revolutionary.

I've always imagined Gwen as not quite as extreme or prone to conspiracies as her friend Alice, but like her, skeptical about Queen Jennah and basically hostile to royal and aristocratic power. It's reinforced in her case by her strong Ascalonian partisanship; she's no Separatist, but like many Ascalonians, Gwen does not accept or appreciate Jennah's claim to be regent of Ascalon. In my headcanon, this was actually one of the ways she was at odds with her Seraph sister Deborah before Deborah went missing.

Gwen doesn't want Jennah dead and she's not actively working against her or anything, in part because she's more interested in fixing small-scale wrongs than in open revolution, and in part because her political feelings are mostly focused on hating aristocrats and Charr at the moment.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure her default feeling about some minister vs the queen is basically 🍿, so this is the first point where the story in my head really conflicts with what's going to be on the screen.

#t: greetings friend #h: everyone has a secret #jennah critical #gwen is anyway!#c: gwen velazquez #c: deborah velazquez #c: riot alice #c: althea fairchild #long post #gw2 spoilers

4 notes · View notes

yourgirlsfriday · 1 year

Text

Rogers-Wilson kids mutation chart.

Jemma - touch telepath, capacity for touchless but has no desire to advanced that far. Serum enhanced physiology genetically inherited. Malcolm - mimicry, serum enhanced physiology Althea - her charm is her mutation, s.e.p as always Natasha - mental link with TImothy, mechanopath, s.e.p Tim - mental link with Nata, florapath, s.e.p Gabriel - magnetic manipulation s.e.p Antonia - s.e.p mutation unknown Edith - s.e.p exponential strength and stamina gain/sustain ability

Pls not the boys mutations belong to goddamnmuses

2 notes · View notes

traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors · 3 months

Text

Struggling with self-compassion?

Recommended Reading:

Bluth, K. (2017). The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Overcome Self-Criticism and Embrace Who You Are. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

Brach, T. (2003) Radical Acceptance: Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam.

Brach, T. (2020). Radical Compassion. NY: Penguin.

Brown, B. (2010). The Gifts of Imperfection. Center City, MN: Hazelden.

Desmond, T. (2015). Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy: Mindfulness-Based Practices for Healing and Transformation. Norton.

Germer, C. K. (2009). The mindful path to self-compassion: Freeing yourself from destructive thoughts and emotions. New York: Guilford Press.

Germer, C. K. & Neff, K. D. (2019). Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion program: A guide for professionals. New York: Guilford Press.

Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind. London: Constable.

Hickman, S. (2021). Self-Compassion for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

Neff, K. D. & Germer, C. K (2018). The Mindful Self-Compassion workbook: A proven way to accept yourself, find inner strength, and thrive. New York: Guilford Press.

Neff, K. D. (2021). Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. New York: Harper Wave.

Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. New York: William Morrow.

Pollak, S. (2019). Self-Compassion for Parents: Nurture your child by caring for yourself. New York: Guildford Press.

Shapiro, S. (2020). Good Morning I Love You. Boulder, Sounds True.

Silberstein-Tirch, L. (2019) How to Be Nice to Yourself: The Everyday Guide to Self Compassion. San Antonio, TX: Althea Press

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Beltzner, E. (2019). How to tame the tumbles: The mindful and compassionate way. Ontario: Mosaic Press.

Garcia, G. (2017). Listening with My Heart: A story of kindness and self-compassion. Gabi Garcia Books.

Marlowe, S. (2016). My new best friend. Summerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.

O’Leary, W. (2023). It’s OK: Being kind to yourself when things feel hard. Bala Kids.

Source

#q #mental health #recovery #resources #books #mental health books #reading #mental health reading #self compassion #self care #self love #mod misa #healing

273 notes · View notes

silkkorchid · 25 days

Text

What went down in TWST rp in a week-

4/27 - 5/3

Things are going missing across the dorms I presume. (Better not fall to your death people)

Someone placed a cat spawner in every NRC dorm and probably at campus…

There was knock off version of the Great Seven in anime…

NRC Book Club, Trystia, has became one with nature.

NRC Book Club seems to be setting up Trystia for something ~

The rebellion against Crowley failed, and Lucius got ban from NRC. MAY HE SNEAK BACK IN!

A beef between @royalswordacademyconfession 🐰 got beef with @nrc-therapist .

RSA confession mod 📖 got a boyfriend! (Meanwhile us single pringles are just looking at the lovebirds)

⬇️

Nvm mod 📖’s boyfriend died…

It’s confirm, Crowley cannot use technology correctly.

Crowley disown one of his children.

Lucius (@lucius-official) made bbq fish fillets, I wonder how it would taste like.

Lucius is dressed up fancy~

Professor Crewel is allergic to cats, and a cat pushed him off.

Hedgehogs are gone from Heartslabyul. Well, everyone there is gonna have their heads off.

Trey didn’t realize there was an uprising against Crowley, so he kinda in disbelief.

Trey loosing his shit thanks to someone placing a Cat Spawner.

Trey’s sanity is on a thread that can easily break at any given moment-

Deuce got addicted to coffee now…

Deuce made someone to a size of a doll since he dropped a cauldron on them.

Deuce became an egg-

Cater and Vil getting somewhat along??? What did I missed there?

Cater cheesed Professor Crewel, he dead…

Ruggie being a taste tester for the 1st years of Diasomnia.

Ruggie lied about his age several times during to being looking young, which he took advantage to it.

Azul being embarrassed by the leak baby photos that been going on.

There is two Azul now. Oh dear…

Kalim at it buying random stuff but, this time is… bird seed?

Another Jamil came, and he isn’t too happy knowing he got a child despite being busy…

Vil being disappointed in people, classic.

Vil being shocked there is a Cat Spawner and hoping it was in a Minecraft server, it wasn’t..

Vil on the look out of Epel eating something that he shouldn’t have.

Idia got Arlecchino, but the cost is the fact he is now broke-

Idia loosing his mind with cat photos.

Someone called Idia a walking campfire.

Malleus got another child.?

Malleus got turned into a cat box-

Silver still being a decent person in NRC

Silver had been buried from several cats.

Cheka is gonna break Ruggie’s back soon.

Cheka got grounded for playing a long “hide and seek” game…

Che’nya(@your-local-grinning-cat) wants to adopt Gidel

Mr. Rosehearts is disappointed in Ms. Rosehearts’ actions. + his son in his current family is top 3 in RSA.

Yuu got a bear. Nice 👍

Grim trying to show off that he can read and write(more over type) but failing a bit…

A pomefiore student (@pomefiorestudent-a)made their debut! Enjoy this recognition for being here.

Castor(@castaway-achlys) and Atamai (@atamai-twst) are having beef with each other..?

@blind0raven is going to murder someone…

Castor cannot do laundry.

@quartztwst in jail.

quartztwst being accused of several crimes

It’s confirm, @the-possum-of-rsa is in Sebek’s walls majority of the time-

Althea and Aclestris came back after a very long nap or break???

@jaytoonarchives is hosting a party at Ramshackle! And the children are invited…

@comediano-o got catnip, better keep it away from Lucius and Grim…

R. C. and Yuu is planning to prank Crowley within his office.

Atami got Trystia as his date for prom!

B0njourbeach showed that Leona is bald without his wig.

B0njourbeach is making cursed photos of NRC students…

Serena(@imafrealinrainbow478484), don’t use the decay incantation…

“Armaros here, I would like to remind you all that this series just has one person involved. So if you think that 🍮 missed something, tell her and she will probably put it in a reblog post. Ok, I’m gonna go now. You will see me later on.” -💫💤

#twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney #twistedwonderland #🍮 speaking #disney twst #twst rp #twst wonderland #twst oc #twst oc rp #twst oc roleplay

75 notes · View notes

thelov3lybookworm · 10 months

Text

You Deserve Better (part six)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

•○🌑○•

Cassian's pov

Cassian had just finished his bath after a gruelling training session and sat down on the couch next to Az, opposite Rhys, when Rhys's mom walked in with a little girl hiding behind her skirts.

"I'm home boys." The Lady of Night Court said in her soothing and gentle voice, her wings tucked behind her. She tugged on the small hand holding her larger one, but the girl didn't budge from her position. The lady sighed. "Rhysand, come get your sister. She insisted on coming to meet you, but now she won't stop hiding."

Rhys stood up, grinning, walking towards them and peeking at the little girl. "Hello sweet pea."

The little girl's smile turned into a scowl, and honestly, it was so adorable Cassian couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"I don't like peas Rhysie. Don't call me that."

"Alright fine. Now come here. Let mother go." She reluctantly let go of her mother's skirts and raised her arms towards Rhys, waiting to be picked. He obliged and walked back to his place."I'm going to change and the go cook dinner. Don't get into any trouble."

"Us? Trouble? Never." Cassian said. As she passed by him, she ran a hand through his hair, patting Az's shoulder before entering her room.

"How have you been Thea?" Rhys questioned, setting her in his lap.

"I've been fine. Father got me more new toys and candies yesterday. Don't tell mother, but I sneaked some for you as well."

"Is that so? That's so nice." Then Rhys angled her so she could look at Cassian and Azriel. "That is Cassian. And that is Azriel."

Cassian smiled at her and she clung harder to Rhysand, as if they were going to eat her. Cassian walked over to them and knelt next to Rhys. "Hello Althea. How are you?"

"I'm good. Cassian." She said hesitantly. She looked up at her brother when Cassian held out his hand, who nodded. She slid her tiny hand into his.

"You can call me Cass." He said raising her hands and placing a kiss on her knuckles. She began giggling.

"Cass... can I call you Cassie?"

"C–cassie?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded seriously. "Like I call Rhys Rhysie, you'll be Cassie. Otherwise you can't be my friend."

"Oh mother. That's sad. I guess you can call me Cassie then."

She then turned to look at Az, who smiled. "You'll be Azzie." She didn't wait for his response as she hopped down from Rhys's lap and grinned at him before pulling out candies from her pockets and setting them on the table. "For all of us. We should eat them before mother sees." She said gravely.

•○🌑○•

As the inner circle waited for Rhys and Feyre to arrive with Nyx, Elain spoke up.

"Can I ask something, if you don't mind?"

"Sure Elain." Cassian said as he settled between Mor and Nesta. Everyone had arrived and already taken their seats. Azriel angled his body towards Elain as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Who is the seat on the left side of Rhys's for? Its always empty and no-one sits there."

Cassian smiled as memories flooded him from back when Althea was still living in Velaris with them. How she always loved to bicker with him, but loved him just as much. How, since the first time he had met her, she had always insisted on calling him Cassie, rather than just Cass.

After she had left, it had become an unspoken fact that the seat next to Rhys's was only reserved for Althea.

The flap of wings could be heard but no one paid attention to it as they knew it would be Rhys. They didn't realise there was a second pair of beating wings.

"That seat is for–"

"Me." Someone said from near one of the many balconies. Cassian whipped his head around, and his heart stopped dead in his chest.

There she stood, next to Rhys and Casteel, in a sleeveless turtleneck flowy white gown, grinning at them.

"That is my seat."

Cassian was out of his chair and halfway to Althea before he even realised he had moved. She also moved and the next moment, she had her arms thrown around his neck and he had completely lifted her off the ground.

"Cassian! I swear if you dare drop me– you asshole!" She screeched when he twirled her around. He laughed, but set her down. He flicked her nose and she swatted his hand away. "Well, hello to you too Cassie."

She looked behind him and smiled. "Hello Mor." Althea walked to her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry–"

"Shh. Its alright." She pulled back to look at Mor and grinned. Then waved her left hand in front of her face. "I'm engaged."

Mor squealed and hugged her again. When they parted, Althea barely had the time to turn before Amren pulled her down for a hug. Althea gaped, looking at Cassian before hugging her back.

"About time you returned, girl." She let go as suddenly as she had grabbed Althea.

Althea grinned, turning to look at others that were gathered. Cassian walked to Rhys while Feyre introduced Althea to her sisters.

"She really is back?"

Rhys shook his head. "I'm not sure."

He glanced at Casteel who stood next to him.

"We might stay for today, and maybe meet frequently, but we are needed at the camp. She helps with the girls' training. I've told her she doesn't have to and that she could stay here, she hasn't decided yet."

Rhys nodded while everyone proceeded to sit at the table, an extra chair next to Althea's having been summoned by the House.

•○🌑○•

Althea's pov

They had moved to a sitting room after the dinner, having brought out Rhys's wine. They were all talking and laughing about some story Cassian was telling, and Althea grinned. She had missed this.

It wasn't as awkward or scary as she thought it would be. And seeing Azriel didn't bother her at all, which she was not really surprised to realise.

She was sitting between Rhys and Casteel, her head on Rhys's shoulder, Feyre next to him with Nyx playing with the ornaments on her chest. Cassian was on the couch next to Casteel, his arm around Nesta. Elain sat next to Nesta, Azriel next to her. Amren and Varian sat on the other couch with Mor.

Everyone fell silent, smiles on their faces, thinking about what to say or do next. Then Cassian spoke up again, serious, as if he were planning a war.

"Let's play truth or dare. If you don't answer or do the dare, you take a shot."

"Alright." Althea sat straighter, while the glasses and liquor appeared and Mor filled all of them up.

"I'll go first." Cassian grinned, turning to Casteel. Althea poked Casteel's back.

"Be prepared. I'm pretty sure he's going to ask what I think he is."

He nodded. "Truth." Raising his wine glass, he took a sip.

"Have you ever measured your wingspan? If yes, how big is it?"

Casteel sputtered, choking on the wine as soon as the question was out of Cassian's mouth. Althea had to pat his back, and he took a deep breath.

"Didn't I tell you how serious these people are regarding wingspans?"

"I didn't realise." He muttered. "No. I haven't ever measured it. Didn't need to."

"Why?" Nesta questioned.

"I know how big parts of me are, which I'm pretty sure is the reason you're asking." This time, Althea choked on the tea that she was drinking, opting out of drinking wine, knowing she couldn't handle it.

Casteel leaned back, grinning while she glared at him. The smug bastard.

Nesta's interest seemed piqued while Mor was grinning too. Cassie had narrowed his eyes, and Elain looked around questioningly. When she turned to Azriel, he looked away.

"Anyway, it's my turn. Thea, truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Hmm." As he was wondering what to ask her, Cassian leaned over and whispered something in his ear, making him grin. "What's the most embarrassing thing that has happened in front of someone you were interested in?"

"Drinking. That's all. I drink something, and I do all the embarrassing things imaginable." She paused before continuing. "Only once has me drinking led to anything good."

"And when was that?" Mor asked.

"The night we confessed." She sent a cheeky grin at Cas before turning to Rhys. And so it continued, till it was again Cassie's turn.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to compare your wingspan to the one with the biggest wingspan here. That would unfortunately be Azriel. Not me." He sighed sadly.

"Told you they were obsessed with wingspans." Althea murmured as Casteel stood.

"What do you mean unfortunately?" Azriel grumbled as he walked over and stretched his wings. A measuring tape appeared in front of Cassian and he stood, everyone's focus on the Illyrians stretching their wings.

He started measuring Azriel's wings first, then, saying it out loud, he walked to Casteel, who extended his. Everyone watched with bated breath as Cassian measured it, his eyes widening.

"Holy shit."

"What?" Azriel and Rhys asked simultaneously.

"His is fucking bigger. Two inches, to be precise."

Rhys shot up, walking till he was next to Cassian, gaping when he realised he wasn't lying.

Althea shook her head as all the Illyrians settled back in their places, all of them except Casteel grumbling. When Cassian turned to look at Nesta, she shook her head at him, frowning. Which was not really the best thing to do, as he started arguing and bickering with her. Althea yawned, her eyes drooping.

As the game went on, it was Casteel's turn, making him look at her. "You wanna go sleep?" He asked when he realised she was halfway to falling asleep on Rhys's shoulder. Althea nodded, sitting up straighter. As she announced that she was going to go rest, Casteel stood up. Being mostly tired, but also craving his attention and love, she raised her hands, wanting to be picked up. He raised a brow.

"Come on. I need some affection, alright? You've been ignoring me the whole day."

Casteel grinned, bending to pick her up. "Is that so, princess?" He mumbled in her ear.

"Yes." Her arms wrapped around his neck as his one of his hands went behind her knees and the other braced her back.

"Oh Mother, never thought I'd see something so scandalous!" Mor whisper yelled.

The retort on the tip of Althea's tongue died down as she again nodded of, before she buried her face in Cas's neck.

She had no recollection of what happened next other than hearing everyone deciding to go to sleep and Casteel following Azriel because his and Althea's rooms were pretty close.

•○🌑○•

Casteel set her down on the bed, a set of folded night clothes appearing at the foot of the bed. Casteel helped her change into them, which was code for he dressed her, because she was dozing off the whole time. When he was done with her, he went into the adjoining bathing room to change into his own night clothes. As he came out, he found Althea sleepily reaching for him. He smiled, climbing in next to her and pulling her into his chest, covering the both of them with his wings and falling asleep.

What he didn't realise, was that a fuming spymaster, the one who had been quiet and indifferent throughout the time they had been in Velaris, was hiding in the corner of the room, where the shadows were the thickest, wondering how and why the hell he had rejected the female in Casteel's arms.

•○🌑○•

The wedding was in two days.

Althea was ecstatic. Impatient. But also nervous. Panicked. What if things didn't go as planned? What if something happened? What if Casteel decided he didn't want to be with her?

It was a stupid thought, because everyone knew that would never happen.

They were just finishing some last minute shopping and picking up the wedding outfits, when it happened.

Althea was deep in conversation with Feyre, Mor and Nesta, the men following behind. Elain had chosen to stay back at the River House, tending to her garden, and Amren and Varian were doing whatever they did in their free time at Amren's apartment.

A tiny meowing sound drew Althea's attention, and she peeked around Feyre, finding a tiny white cat shivering in the shade of the building. It looked so scared. Althea pulled away from the group who slowed down and crouched next to the cat, picking it up. It was a boy.

Althea rubbed his head, holding him close till he stopped shivering. Then she stood and turned to Casteel with a pout.

"I can't leave him here Cas. Look at him. He looks so frail. Can I keep him?"

He looked like he wanted to say no, but then he sighed. "You think I can say no?"

Althea squealed, kissing his cheek before whispering in the cats ear that she was taking him home, like one would talk to a child.

"Never realised you wanted a cat." Rhys mused.

"Yeah well, now you know. I think I'll name him Silas." She looked up at him, her eyes meeting Az's in the process of looking back down at Silas.

SNAP.

•○🌑○•

A/n: I know I said I would take some time in posting this as I'm reading the new book in Casteel's series but I felt like not being bad. So here yall go loves.❣️

Taglist: @bubybubsters @Act1839 @we-were-beautiful

140 notes · View notes

miralines · 3 months

Text

One thing I think is interesting/useful to note about the Rose Red book is that it is a book that was published in the OUATIS galaxy a little under ten years after the war, and that it has an in-story author— and, crucially, that author is not necessarily an entirely reliable narrator.

More rambling about this under the cut

The author, Althea, is a normcivilian with an unusual amount of sympathy for the now-decommissioned Rose Reds. This is not a popular position, and between:

A) her rhetorical goal of changing the minds of people actively against the Rose Reds being allowed to survive

B) the constraints of mainstream publishers, who are under social/political pressure to not threaten the new government, requiring her to be both neutral and not too challenging,

C) her own corresponding bias in believing that neutrality is both possible and desirable,

and D) her limited viewpoint as a normcivilian (not a Rose Red) from a privileged background,

There are quite a lot of places where events, people, and viewpoints are presented in ways that are somewhat misleading. Althea has a degree in journalism, but she does not live in an entirely free society, and both external forces and her own biases do color the narrative she presents throughout the book.

In short, she’s the equivalent of a left-leaning ally to a marginalized group who’s a bit more centrist than one might hope and is presenting herself as even more centrist in order to be published at all through mainstream channels and taken seriously by people who are biased against her cause.

#my fic #one thousand and three #rose red book #I figure she’s willing to bargain the constraints of traditional publishing for the reach they offer #in service of her greater goal of humanizing the rose reds to other norms #this is a compromise she can make. I think many rose reds would feel differently #including several she interviews #it would also fundamentally be a different book if it were written for rose reds #Althea’s biggest flaw in approaching this is attempting to be palatable to an audience who is hostile to the people she writes about #and this creates some. problematic dynamics in how she handles some of the issues she’s discussing as an outsider #I have. a lot of thoughts about the politics of the book #and also how they intersect with broader galactic politics #(especially when it comes to freedom of ideas and censorship)#anyway thanks to anyone who’s read all this meta rambling about rhetoric and narrative in this project #hope you enjoy the book itself lmao

20 notes · View notes

pintoras · 1 year

Photo

Here are the most popular paintings on this blog for 2022:

Louise Abbéma (French, 1853-1927): Allegory of Spring (1902)

Maria Fedorova (Russian, 1859 - 1934): Memory

Dorrit Black (Australian, 1891 - 1951): Corner of the garden (c. 1936)

Anna Althea Hills (American, 1882 - 1930): Springtime, Almond Trees, Banning, California (1916)

Eva Gonzalès (French, 1849 1883): Pink morning (1874)

Clarice Beckett (Australian, 1887 - 1935): Moonlight and Calm Sea (1931)

Marie Müller (Austrian, 1847 - 1935): Portrait of an Egyptian Woman with Tanbura

#women artists #women painters #art #painting #long posts

170 notes · View notes

devourable · 1 month

Note

Requests are not being accepted, but I'm crazy about the evil princess and she hardly gets asked, I love her. I would like to see more of Althea and her fiancé (I don't know if you're making him masculine, if not it can just be gn) who isn't really committed to this whole "getting married and living together forever" thing that interests other people

sinceramente - W.V. 💖

allie is super slept on so i appreciate this ask 🫶 for future reference i exclusively write gn nondescript readers unless im commissioned to write ones with specific traits so people of all identities can still enjoy :p

👑 ;; althea x reader with commitment issues

· thats funny, you really think you have a choice in the matter?

· althea’s always dreamed of having a big flashy wedding between the two of you. something extravagant to show the world just how much you loved each other. she’s not giving you the chance or the right to take that away from her.

· if you start expressing some hesitance to marry her when she starts putting serious thought into it, she straight up ignores you. you can tell her to her face that you don’t think it’s a good idea and she’ll ask you what color dress you think she should wear. she’ll be well aware of your lack of desire to get hitched and she won’t even slightly care.

· she loves you, and you know it. she’s done so, so much for you. why can’t you just do this for her? it’s not like anything will change, you’ll just have to be loyal to her and do as she says and kiss her and love her and treat her like she’s your world. what’s so difficult about that?

· if she even suspects you won’t show up, she’ll have guards watch you 24/7 in the days leading up to the big event. don’t even think about trying to turn her down at the altar, either, she’s more than happy to remind you who’s in charge in front of everyone. you’re not getting out of this, and that’s the end of it.

· althea doesn’t care about how you feel if it doesn’t align with her interests. she loves you (in her own twisted way) and she doesn’t care if you don’t feel the same. she’ll be everything to you, whether if you want her to be or not.

#👑 althea c. ;; the princess #xxi ;; the world — asks #willvandomguardian #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere oc #yandere imagines #yandere headcanons #yandere girl #yandere girl x reader #yandere wlw #sapphic yandere

70 notes · View notes

breaniebree · 5 months

Text

Kismet Characters & Family Trees Part Nine:

Draco Malfoy (5 June 1980) SLYTHERIN m. Astoria Malfoy (7 December 1981) SLYTHERIN (2004) m. Circe Castellanos (4 August 1990) RAVENCLAW (2040): 1. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (6 January 2006) SLYTHERIN m. Albus Potter (1 June 2006) SLYTHERIN (2031): a) Lyra Astoria Malfoy (1 June 2037) RAVENCLAW b) Celeste Ginevra Malfoy (5 March 2039) RAVENCLAW c) Archer Kai Malfoy (6 July 2044) SLYTHERIN

Alexandros Castellanos (1915) m. Diana Ioannou (1917) (1945): 1. Acheron Castellanos (1949) m. Athena Katsaros (1953) (1974): a) Adara Athena Castellanos (1975) b) Alida Althea Castellanos (1978) c) Alexandros Acheron Castellanos (1983) d) Archer Alexander Castellanos (1985) 2. Aristokles Castellanos (1952) m. Vanessa Addams (1956) (1976): a) Eros Alexandros Castellanos (1978) b) Desdemona Eustice Castellanos (1978) c) Adam Aristotle Castellanos (1982) d) Thaddeus Aristokles Castellanos (1985) e) Zora Vanessa Castellanos (March 1986) 3. Adonis Castellanos (1955) m. Atlas Creed (1961) (1993): 4. Apollo Castellanos (17 February, 1959) m. Medea Gataki (1960) (1983): a) Daphne Grace Castellanos (7 November, 1989) b) Circe Althea Castellanos (4 August 1990) m. Draco Malfoy (5 June 1980) (2040): i) Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (6 January 2006) SLYTHERIN m. Albus Potter (1 June 2006) SLYTHERIN (2031): aa) Lyra Astoria Malfoy (1 June 2037) RAVENCLAW bb) Celeste Ginevra Malfoy (5 March 2039) RAVENCLAW cc) Archer Kai Malfoy (6 July 2044) SLYTHERIN 5. Althea Castellanos (15 September, 1962) m. Alexander Papakonstaninou (1947) (1989): a) Nilo Alexander Papakonstantinou (7 February, 1991) b) Niko Alexander Papakonstantinou (7 February, 1991) c) Nicholas Phoenix Papakonstantinou (12 April, 1992) d) Basil Kai Papakonstantinou (17 August, 1994) e) Bryony Iliana Papakonstantinou (17 August, 1994) f) Calla Gallina Papakonstantinou (1 September, 1995)

Thanks to @ellieoryan7447 for taking the time and effort to create these!

#harry potter fanfiction #breanie #the world of asc #the kismet trilogy #the kismet trilogy by breanie #characters and family trees

13 notes · View notes

clarabowmp3 · 5 months

Note

the nicest thing that happened to you this year?

this is going to be a lil cheesy but I have to say it’s forming stronger bonds w my mutuals!

I’m too embarrassed to tag them but 🙈🙈 when I got my first uni rejection Z was so kind and so sweet and even now I still feel how she’s always looking out for me. Whenever I post abt the littlest of things Althea is always so ready to hype me up and is just sooo bubbly and it still amazes me how a blog as famous as hers could care so much abt meee 🙈 April and I are I like literallll twins we have so much in common and she always entertains every single thought/ramble I post LOL and also is the first person to cheer me up when I face the sliiightest setback in life

Veeeee omg darling vee whom I connect with so deeply 💕 a signature INFP trait is feeling like nobody else understands/feels things the same way u feel them and that feeling made me drive away so many ppl until I met VEE with her gorgeous gorgeous art and having someone to exchange my aggressively melancholic feelings with helped me become more emotionally stable ish? Then there’s Elyn (still don’t know how to pronounce it) who’s also so sweet and kind and always immediately understands me. I can’t begin to describe how comforting it is to think of her as so close to me, even geographically speaking. And VIOOO who’s so so cool and who I’m still confused abt how she found me??? (It was so out of the blue 😭😭) she’s so so nice and caring and I KNOW this sounds repetitive but yall are!! I posted abt being teased for my Spotify playlist titles and yall rlly came up in arms in like 2 seconds 😭😭😭 it’s things like these that make me feel sooo secure that there’s always someone looking out for me, making me feel a little less alone and a little less weak

And ofc im still so blessed to stay in touch w some of my og moots nandini and hazel your vibes are SO immaculate ✨ and the way we’ve stuck through over the years makes me feel some type of way, like I’ll love yall forever 💕

also so so thankful for the l&c mutuals I’ve made this year!! Lizzie LOML, Eli, mentallyillsodapop, strawberrycowgirly, Scarlett, Lisa, Allie and so many more!!!!!!!

Y’all truly make it difficult for me to completely fall in despair or hit rock bottom (like I’ve had before) and I feel strong/confident enough to be my own person 💕

So YEA all that was the highlight of my year and also being freed from the shackles of pre-tertiary education GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE

#in the beginning of the year I felt so alone cuz I felt like I had no friends online or irl #Like I rmb avoiding tag games where I was tagged cuz I felt soooo embarrassed (?) to tag any of my mutuals #Cuz I felt like I was so annoying or completely forgettable #and these are just some of the wonderful ppl who showed me so much love and pulled me out of that low self esteem #Like I could never repay yall #okay done being emo 😝#personal

8 notes · View notes

ascalonianlightbringer · 1 year

Text

Last time, Gwen spent her second "day off" with her sister Deborah, who is still recovering from her ordeal and even on half-duty, struggling to fit back into the Seraph and worried about the threat of the Elder Dragons. Gwen herself is confident she made the right choice in joining the fight with the Order of Whispers, but remains deeply ambivalent about her rapport with Tybalt—neither of which she could mention to Deborah.

So she heads back to Lion's Arch—her way through the Asura gate has not-so-mysteriously already been paid—and passes through the tavern, chatting lightly with the comparatively few people there at that hour until Tybalt shows up at the expected time.

"Looks like you've been here for awhile," he says.

"I got up early," says Gwen. She lifts her tankard of cider. "It's not fermented, don't worry. I'm perfectly sober."

He sniffs a little. "Smells like apples."

She pushes it over to him. "You can finish it up for me, if you don't mind. I'm full. Let me go pay and I'll be back."

He doesn't mind, or at least can't bear an apple product going to waste, and is happily guzzling the last half of the cider when she returns.

Gwen hides a smile. "Are you ready? I was hoping our new friend might be downstairs."

They get permission to go through the door that connects to the Chantry of Secrets portal, and then head through the portal.

"Our new friend?" says Tybalt, once they're safely inside. "Do you know more than me, or are we talking about Demmi?"

"Demmi," says Gwen.

"She's nice-looking for a human, I gather," Tybalt hazards.

Gwen bursts out laughing, forgetting her reservations for a moment. "Not like that, Tybalt. I just wanted to check up on her, after everything."

"So did I, actually," says Tybalt. "I'm sure the Order's looking after her, but, well ..."

"Exactly," Gwen replies.

They head forwards into the Chantry, exchanging the occasional greeting with fellow agents. They don't see Demmi before their meeting with the Preceptors, which is brief; they're just given an assignment to travel north into the Harathi hinterlands and rescue a valuable captive from the centaur camps.

"Am I going to be disguised again?" Tybalt asks warily.

Preceptor Valenze laughs. "No. Agent Gwen or I could do it, but it's better that you're seen, as a Charr, to be helping a major figure from the Ascalon Settlement."

"Maybe news of your heroics will get to the peace talks," says Gwen.

Valenze still seems more amused than anything else. "All going well. You should head out in an hour."

Tybalt and Gwen both bow to her and are released to prepare for the journey and the adventure. When the door to the preceptors' chamber zaps closed, Tybalt glances back in some satisfaction.

"Great!" he says. "Now, where's Demmi?"

After a moment of casually glancing around, they find Demmi on the opposite side of the main chamber, talking to a shorter human woman. At some point, somebody must have given Demmi new clothes—a slightly faded and slightly ill-fitting Order uniform. She's evidently not expected to go anywhere, any time soon.

The woman with her could not pose a greater contrast. She's bedecked in a purple and brilliant peacock-blue gown lined with gold. Large blue-green gems glitter on her hands and at her waist. Her brown hair is piled on her head and held in place with a long jeweled pin.

Gwen, who has an excellent eye for fine things, tries not to look like the ex-bandit she is as she and Tybalt approach. Once they get a little closer, she recognizes Demmi's companion as Lightbringer Althea, the noblewoman (boo! hiss!) she'd briefly seen in the Order safehouse when they brought Demmi there. Back then, Tybalt had said Gwen might end up working with Althea at some point, since they have some important things in common. Gwen (privately indignant) had been doubtful.

Demmi and Althea turn towards them as it becomes clear that they're here to chat with Demmi.

“Lightbringer Tybalt,” says Althea, with a peculiar mix of deference and coldness. “Lady Demmi was just telling me of your successes, and Agent Gwen’s.”

“That’s Tybalt to you, Lightbringer,” he says jovially. Gwen suspects he’s mentioned it before, but maybe Althea isn’t used to her status. At least not her status in the Order.

Althea straightens, though her full height isn’t much, least of all before a Charr. Now her expression reveals nothing but faint hauteur. Gwen has seen the expression countless times before—on different faces, but that doesn’t matter much. Arrogance is arrogance.

“Of course,” says Althea. She clears her throat. “Tybalt.”

Demmi glances a little uncertainly between them, then starts talking about how she's known Althea for years, but she had no idea that she was in the Order, or a spy of any kind; it wouldn't have entered her head for a moment.

"That's the idea," Tybalt says.

Althea blinks.

Demmi, with barely concealed excitement, asks, "Is Faren here, too?—oh, I bet you can't say."

Gwen may not bother keeping up with the nobility, but it's hard not to know at least a little about Lord Faren, the flashiest noble to ever noble. He has a residence in the noble area of the Salma District, where Gwen used to sneak around to plan (and sometimes execute) robberies, so she's even seen him swaggering around now and then. If the whole thing is a front, it's a very thorough one, even for the Order.

Althea's lips twitch. "Faren is Faren."

Gwen and Tybalt then ask how Demmi is holding up, and she cheerfully says that she's working on analysis, just the way she hoped, and it's fascinating and thrilling to do. She seems a little naive still, but enthusiastic, and willing to do whatever she needs to. Gwen rather doubts the same could be said of Althea, despite her greater composure. Even here, she's so much the aristocrat that it's odd to think of her as a lightbringer at all. Maybe she's a good spy among her own, where she knows their ways and is accustomed to duplicity; Gwen doubts she's much use elsewhere.

After a reasonably short conversation, in which Althea is friendly in a dignified way towards Demmi, cordial enough to Gwen, and coldly civil towards Tybalt, she takes her leave and heads away towards the preceptors' chambers. Tybalt and Demmi chat a little more with Demmi before leaving her to her work and heading to Tybalt's quasi-office in the Chantry, where he used to work on various projects. He starts gathering materials and half-explaining the cluttered bits of his projects to Gwen.

When he pauses, Gwen says,

"Does she have some kind of problem with you? Lightbringer Althea, I mean."

Tybalt's quick glance up is peculiarly unreadable. He goes back to digging through mechanical plans.

"Not personally," he says neutrally. "She just doesn't like Charr."

Gwen says, "She's like that towards all Charr?"

She gets not liking Charr—Gwen has spent much of her life loathing them as a culture. But making such a point of showing it, in a situation where the contrast with her manner towards the two humans was so glaring, strikes her as foolish and careless in a very aristocratic way. Gwen supposes she should have expected that.

Tybalt says, "The dragons will kill or corrupt Charr as soon as they will humans, or anyone else. Some people in the orders understand that better than others."

It's not particularly pointed, and he certainly doesn't sound angry, but Gwen still feels uncomfortable.

"You don't seem offended," she says.

“Althea was born in Ebonhawke,” he says, with a shrug. “The humans there have courage. And cunning, many of them. I can respect that. But I’d have built machines to blast through their walls if my legionnaire had told me to. We all fought too long for either side to forget. You haven't forgotten, either, right?”

“Well, I—” Gwen quickly recovers herself. “No. That would be foolish and dishonorable. But you don't take orders from your legionnaire any more, do you?”

“I don’t have one,” he says briefly. “My warband—never mind. I get my commands from the Order now. Charr, human, some Asura I could squish with one foot, it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about my loyalties.”

She isn't worried about them, which she thinks should alarm her more than it does. Gwen nods firmly, but instead of replying to that, she says,

“So La—Lightbringer Althea’s from Ebonhawke? That doesn’t cause any problems?”

“Not really,” says Tybalt, returning to rifling through papers. He hands a map to Gwen that's instantly recognizable as northern Kryta. “She keeps most of her opinions to herself, I gather. And she’s brought a lot of information to the Order. If we didn’t let in anyone with a grudge, we wouldn’t know half of what we do. Anyway, she’s not actually from Ebonhawke. Born there, got kin there, but she grew up in Divinity’s Reach, same as you.”

Gwen thinks about the jewels scattered across Althea’s gown, hands, and even her hair-pin.

Not the same as me at all.

#t: greetings friend #h: everyone has a secret #f: lightbringers of the order of whispers #long post #c: gwen velazquez #c: tybalt leftpaw #c: althea fairchild #c: demmi beetlestone #c: valenze

1 note · View note