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ravenyenn19 · 1 year

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Six of Crows future head cannon:

Alby Rollins joins the Dregs.

Picture it: 1920’s-esque Ketterdam, 10 years post Sweet Reef/ Ice Court. Slick Rolls Royce cars line the cobbled streets, a city spiraling toward a new age. Rain drenches the obscure signs & hidden arrows pointing to the Speak-Easy halls. In a time of prohibition… down, down, down must one go in the Barrel to find the most notorious of them all. A slice of sin, six feet under. A crowd drunk off vice served in black tea cups.

The young man walks into Kaz Brekker’s office (after fighting his way there), sits himself in a chair opposite a great obsidian desk. Winded & lip still bleeding from his tousle with the men at the doors, Alby wheezes: “Teach me.”

In turn, A near 30 year old Kaz smirks. “I thought lions preferred their pride.”

Alby, barely pushing 17, gives a smile of a golden boy, nervous but strong enough to hold the gaze of a devil. (He’s practiced.) “I thought Crows scavengers. Here I am, a shine for the taking.”

“Still have that crow, little lion?” A feminine shadow whispers from the corner. Unnoticed by the young man previously, he clicks his teeth but still refuses to show fear. A serpent-like bead of sweat slides down his spine, a shiver chasing after. He holds firm, biting his cheek to hide the startle.

He knows this shadow, this phantom. She haunted him, once.

“I buried it with my father,” the Kaelish prince whispers, “or rather, in place of him. Never did find a body. Pity.” He shrugs.

Kaz’s eyes glint like a cat’s, his smile a loaded gun. A gloved hand stretches halfway across the table in offering. “All right, cub. What do you want?”

Alby reaches forward, feeling the cold black leather of Dirtyhands’ grip between his fingers. The moment is a stormy crossroads, a whip between his shoulders reminiscent of his father’s favorite belt. He smiles, for this is a pain Alby has been walking toward since the day he woke up clutching stuffed black feathers.

(His blood never did bleed emerald.)

More than one answer to Kaz’s stinging question come to mind, nettles along the path of his thoughts. Yet, only one pricks Alby into speaking, the rage in his voice real rather than bravado. “Revenge.”

The Wraith giggles roughly, slipping herself to the arm of Kaz’s chair on silent feet. Alby swallows.

“On me?” The leader of the Dregs rasps, a brow peaked with amusement. His wife smiles with closed lips, knives glinting along her body like hungry specters. For here, her teeth are shown. Alby knows she Captain’s a fleet of the deadliest ships in the True Sea. He drags his gaze from her quickly.

“No.” Alby stutters, but he does not lie. Kaz Brekker bested his abusive father, and he does not care about Pekka’s death. In fact, sitting with the suspected murderers, Alby finds he rather prefers their company.

Kaz reclines in his chair, a hand lazily splayed on Captain Ghafa’s knee. He regards Alby with black eyes, a sharpness that pierces through his strength but doesn’t shatter it. A blade meant to probe. A test of mettle. Alby has waited too long for this audience, he cannot lose it. A moment passes.

Dirtyhands looks to his wife, his Wraith. She quirks her head in the silent exchange. Six heart beats have passed, and Alby Rollins is certain he won’t leave this room. He waits for the snap of a cane to bank his vision, a warm blanket of red to cover him from the jugular down.

He waits for death, but does not invite it. It does not come.

Instead, a voice like choking smoke, “Then let us begin.”

Alby Rollins releases a breath. His knuckles loosen in parts. A tattooist is called in.

The Crow & Cup bleeds as it settles, accepting the fresh skin as it’s master’s tithe.

Alby sits taller, a prince of a different kind, a darker throne.

I don’t make the rules but this is now my personal agenda & important that u agree

Crap now I have to put it in a fic

Should I do it?

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smuttyaf · 4 months

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5sos Masterlist

✰ - most popular | ★ - series | 𐙚 - my personal favourites

hii! i no longer write for them anymore but these are all my oneshots and edits. they are veryyy old and definitely show cases my writing progression! (lol)

i apologize for any misuse of words, punction and grammar

𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝

how did you? | wc; 1k

calum sneaks into your room. fluff.

i'll be good | 3k

calum cheats on you, yet you keep running back. | part 2 | part 3 |

complete | 2k

calum is your body guard, you both are in a secret relationship because you are model but also a royal princess. | part 2 |

reflecting | 1k

calum and you make a trip to the bathroom.

secrets | 2k

calum eavesdrop on your conversation.

change your mind | 5k ✰

calum is the typical fratboy who wants to change your mind about him.

worked up | 1k

calum helps you relax after focusing on school too much.

fast learner | 3k 𐙚 ✰

you give calum head for the first time.

interruption | 2k 𐙚 ✰

you’re the wife of calum hood who is one the leaders of a mafia ring. | part 2 |

future | 4k 𐙚

calum’s life with y/n as a woc.

shameless | 3.7k 𐙚

calum wants someone to walk in.

vacation | 9.2k

your mom sends you off on vacation where you meet calum.

southside serpent | 5.8k 𐙚

calum invites himself over so you can help him study.

𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

enamoured | incomplete ★

in an alternate universe, luke buys aurora palvin and falls in love with her.

i'm sorry | 2k

luke makes it up to you after coming home late.

help | 3k ✰

in luke’s pov, he tutors y/n who was plotting all along.

angel | 4k

in luke’s pov, he falls for his new neighbour.

diamonds & gold | 3k

in luke’s pov, he’s protects y/n from the guy harassing her in school.

lolita | 3k ✰

in luke’s pov, he lets his step-sister give him a blowjob.

daddy's good girl | 3k

you disobey luke.

space | 3k

luke helping you study for science.

french study session | 5k 𐙚 ✰

you fail your french test and luke offers to correct were you went wrong.

the seven deadly sins: lust | 3.7k

overly religious luke meets you.

mr. hemmings | 5.5k ✰

you fall in love with your neighbour. | part 2 | part 3 |

southside serpent | 5.3k ✰

luke won’t stop bothering you.

heaven sent | 5.1k

you don’t want luke to leave. cmbrn inspired.

𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧

my little gift | 2k

ashton unwraps you in front of the fireplace.

silent | 3k 𐙚

ashton makes you wear a remote vibrator during class.

office escapades | 3k 𐙚

ashton admits he has feelings for his coworker. gymteacher!ash

southside serpent | 4.8k 𐙚

ashton is your childhood bestfriend who always had a thing for you.

𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝

confused | 2k

michael falls in love with you, but you only know french.

your day | 548

michael eats you out for your birthday.

unusual friendship | 3.4k

you want to try something new with your friend.

forbidden love | 4k

demigod!michael is in a relationship with you.

𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

he finds out you slept with another band member. | part 2 |

𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬

appreciation post ( this is so bad lmfao )

au; cal & his girlfriend

au; college cal

au; ceo luke

wink ( this is really terrible too )

why don't you? 𐙚

#5sos smut #calum hood smut #luke hemmings smut #ashton irwin smut #michael clifford smut

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maverick-werewolf · 25 days

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Folklore Fact - Wyverns

Another month, another folklore fact! Wyverns handily won the poll over on my Patreon this month (be sure to take a look if you'd like to vote in the next one or even suggest all new subjects!)...

(nearly all modern dragon designs seen in visual media, especially film and television but now quite often also video games, count as the traditional British heraldic classification of wyverns, really; see my post here for a discussion of that, although I could expand that post today and discuss things like Monster Hunter, etc, which I didn't really know much about at the time, and even further discuss some of the subjects already therein... Anyway, maybe I'll revise that sometime in the future and improve it)

Wyverns are often described as a dragon with two hind legs, two wings, no forelegs, and a barbed tail. There are varieties, of course; some say the wyvern has the head of a dragon, the legs of an eagle, and a barbed "serpent tail" or simply a long tail with no barb. There are many varieties. Traditionally, at least if you ask English heraldry, the requirement to be a wyvern is that it has no forelegs - unlike the dragon, which has four legs in addition to wings. However, this is a technicality that was obviously not always applied elsewhere, including the European mainland. More on that shortly.

The word "wyvern" is not in itself all that old; it originated around 1600, derived from "wyver" from 1300, so the term is not ancient. Like dragon, it essentially means "snake," though in this case it is derived from "viper." As mentioned, "dragon" itself is derived from "drakon" meaning serpent (and/or "giant seafish") [source: again, one of my favorite sites].

Stamp of Clifford, Anne, Countess of Dorset (1590 - 1676) [source], depicting a wyvern.

There was apparently some discussion around the rise of the heraldic wyvern in England, Scotland, and Ireland regarding what exactly classified a wyvern as opposed to a dragon. In 1610, the writings of John Guillim described a wyvern (then "wiverne") thus: "partake[ing] of a Fowle in the Wings and Legs … and doth resemble a Serpent in the Taile," and in 1682, John Gibbon agrees that a wyvern specifically has "but" two legs. It is noteworthy that both men in question were officers of heraldry, and these remarks are quotations from book on coats of arms, and thus it was specifically heraldry they discussed.

"Wyverns" as per monsters of myth and folklore were, for most intents and purposes of their time period, referred to as "dragons" and not thought of as their own sort of beast rather than just a variation of dragon for heraldry specifically or even exclusively. Were there any legends about something called a "wyvern?" I haven't found any in all my extensive research on dragon legends, and most all academic sources agree that a "wyvern" is a heraldic creature rather than something you'd find in a bestiary and/or folktale.

As mentioned, depictions of what we today might think of as "wyverns" were not always called "wyverns," of course, especially throughout a lot of Europe (as opposed to Great Britain). Here we see a depiction of what we would now think of as a "wyvern" referred to as a dragon ("drago"), from a work dated 1691, so during the same time period that heraldic wyverns were already being classified as such.

There are also bestiaries and other things that depict two-legged dragons as "dragons" rather than ever referring to them as "wyverns" specifically, and the creatures depicted therein were in fact meant to simply be "dragons." Older eras lacked the picky categorization that exists more recently, particularly myth and folklore. This is why there are no "categories" of werewolf legends, either, for instance, or different "types" of werewolves - except as put on them retroactively by modern scholars.

A "wyvern" from 1380 in the Chester Cathedral in England; given its hooves and head of a man, it isn't exactly a "standard" wyvern.

So, again, the idea of the wyvern as a unique creature as opposed to another sort of dragon likely stemmed from heraldry - which in itself has a lot of unique creatures and specifics, such as the enfield and bagwyn - and specifically heraldry from Great Britain and Ireland, which meant that such defined notions of a wyvern came about in later centuries. There are certainly depictions of dragons and dragon-like creatures without forelegs from other centuries, such as the 1300s, but these are not explicitly as sourced "wyverns" during their own time period. Rather, they are described as such now by people retroactively applying the wyvern concept onto them. Such a concept became common starting around the 1600s, as mentioned earlier with the heraldic writings of Guillim and Gibbon. There are plenty of examples of "dragons" with two legs and, sometimes, even "wyverns" with four legs floating around out there.

But since modernity also thrives on technicality, categories, and specifics, things like D&D for a while there often referred to a "wyvern" as a two-legged dragon (which I personally find preferable, despite my usual aversion to categorization of mythological things) - at least, until a lot of media is today started changing that ever since Reign of Fire in 2003. These days, outside of a handful of fantasy things, like D&D with their older established rules and a few other fantasy games that originated before this sweeping design change occurred, dragons very often have two legs instead of four. I could say a lot more about that, but I won't get into it...

And that covers a general overview on wyverns! Until next time. For June, expect to see a brand new werewolf fact.

( If you like my blog, be sure to follow me here and sign up for my free newsletter for more folklore and fiction, including books! And plenty of werewolf things.

Free Newsletter - maverickwerewolf.com (info + book shop) — Patreon — Wulfgard — Werewolf Fact Masterlist — Twitter — Vampire Fact Masterlist — Amazon Author page )

#folklore #mythology #wyvern #wyverns #dragon #dragons #fantasy creature #folklore fact #folklore thursday #myth #medieval #medieval folklore #heraldry #history #fantasy

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bestiarium · 9 months

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Rostron’s Sea Serpent [modern cryptid/urban legend]

One day when the Cunard Line ship Campania sailed into Queenstown, on what was to be an uneventful Friday evening, one of its crewmembers noticed something unusual in the water. Arthur Rostron - a future ship's captain who would later become famous for rescuing many survivors of the HMS Titanic - spotted what he would later describe as a 'sea serpent'.

The creature had a neck of about 12 inch thick and held its head roughly 8 feet above the water's surface. Rostron, along with a junior officer who also sighted the strange creature, reported their unusual find to the captain, who assumed the junior officer must have been drunk.

Rostron would never see the alleged sea serpent again, but the next Monday he came upon a newspaper article of a witness who claimed to have seen such a creature in the Bristol Channel. The man, whose name is not revealed, was supposedly attacked by the creature on Saturday (the day after Rostron's sighting) and fought it off with an oar. Given the time and location, Rostron assumed this beast to be the very same he had encountered.

The drawing that Rostron made after seeing the beast appears to have been lost to time, and I found no illustrations or other descriptions of the supposed sea monster.

However, I found that the incident is often compared to a similar story that happened a few decades earlier. In 1848, captain M'Quhae of the English frigate Daedalus saw a monster somewhere between St. Helena and the Cape of Good Hope. He had more luck than Rostron, in that several other crewmembers also saw the creature and could back up his account. The animal was described as follows:

Its body was about 60 feet in length, with an additional (estimated) 30 or 40 feet remaining underwater.

The creature's dark brown serpentine body was roughly 16 inch in diameter and its head was raised 4 feet over the surface of the water.

The head was equipped with jaws large enough to swallow an adult man, and fitted with many jagged teeth. The head was, he insisted, definitely that of a snake, and with a yellow-white throat. A seaweed-like mane protruded from its back, but no fins could be discerned.

Lieutenant Drummond would later back up the story of his captain in ‘Zoologist’, though he added a few details: the creature had a dorsal fin and its head was long (about 10 feet) and pointy with a flattened top.

Captain M'Quhae claimed that the creature came so close to the ship that if it had been a human acquaintance of his, he would have easily recognized their features. The creature was swimming to the south west in a relatively straight line. When I searched for M’Quhae’s story, I found some reproductions of the images that were originally published in the Illustrated London News.

Sources: Rostron, A.H., 1931, Home from the Sea, Cassel & Company Ltd., London, p.49-51. 'The Great Sea-Serpent' in Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Vol.3 No.1, July 3 1852 Edwards, A., 1990, Fish and Fisheries of Saint Helena Island, Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 152pp, p.14-17. (images 1 and 3: Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, image is a reproduction of an illustration in Illustrated London News) (image 2: Fish and Fisheries of Saint Helena Island, image is a reproduction of an earlier illustration in Illustrated London News)

#mythical creatures #urban legends #cryptids #miscellaneous #aquatic creatures #monsters #sea monsters #creatures

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hptriadfest · 2 months

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HP Triad Fest 2023/4 Anonymous Master List

An act of love

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54771832

Summary: AU where the war goes on longer. Harry appears on the doorstep of an old friend, asking for help.

Building Bridges

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53607814

Summary: Harry and Hermione have been together since the Tri-Wizard tournament. When Hermione goes back to Hogwarts for 8th year, she falls in love with Pansy Parkinson, who was a spy for her father, Severus Snape. Meanwhile, Harry is in the process of turning 12 Grimmauld Place into 'The Bridges,' a place where everyone is welcome. Harry and Hermione welcome Pansy into their relationship, home and bed.

Clearing

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54782968

Summary: In the face of Lily's death, James finds healing in familiar faces.

Fates Temporal

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54751654

Summary: The fates were kind to Hermione during summer solstice

Flavours and Expectations

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54319912

Summary: Ernie Macmillan once thought he’d lead the wizarding world into a golden era. That was before he grew up and before he’d resigned himself to a future of running errands for his office like a delivery boy. A chance encounter with a former classmate reminds him that not only can people change, but that they’re also capable of affecting change in others. She’s sexy and confident and everything he’s ever wanted in a lover and for himself.

With Ernie a bit of a mess at work and at heart, the chances of finding love this late in life seem low. Can a saucy chef and the serpent slayer who guards her prove him wrong?

Follow the Pawprints

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54154915

Summary: A man is sitting on the toilet in Victoria Park. Well, he’s also dead, but more importantly, he’s covered in pawprints. Luna and Susan go to poke the body. Cho tries to track down the culprit. You know, normal Tuesday things.

Harry’s Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Day

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54387730

Summary: A terrible day has not-so-terrible consequences.

-----------------

Harry hurled his bag in the general direction of his desk and threw himself face down on…a...person?

He exhaled all the air in his lungs and even over the pounding in his ears, he felt the exhale and heard a groan from the man beneath him. His forehead dropped in mortification for a moment before he inhaled, smelling the lemongrass scent that means that Nott’s boyfriend has been around.

Sagging even more, he mumbled into the chest he faceplanted into, “This IS my bed, right?”

---------------

The Imperfect Art Of Taking The Piss As A Love Language

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54718363

Summary: What better way to reveal your possibly very controversial but very happy relationship than just stopping hiding it and betting on which of your friends is the most oblivious and will take the longest to notice?

in the bend of your elbows.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53482153

Summary: Hari doesn’t feel like he deserves his soulmates but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have soulmates.

The Missing Mate

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53427460

Summary: Regulus can't seem to stay away from the lonely werewolf when he knows his brother is away. It's as if his animagus form is drawn to Remus.

pity the living

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54032410

Summary: When moving into a new flat, it's normal to check the bedrooms for space, the bathrooms for mould and the kitchen for that indescribable thing that will drive your loved ones in even when nothing is cooking on the stove. Harry, Ron and Hermione, though, should have been much more concerned about the state of their living room because, whether they knew it or not, all of the important bits are going to happen right in the centre of a space they may yet to grow to call their home.

or: a look into the Golden Trio surviving their first year after the end of the War

Show me the constellations in your eyes

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53646349

Summary: “I don’t need to look into your eyes to know my brother is fucking dead,” Sirius shouted, and his face was so cold, a futile attempt at hiding his sadness. “You need to leave.”

“I have Regulus’ eyes, don’t you see?” Regulus asked — begged.

“They look…” James began, walking closer to them now. “They look like his, Sirius.”

“They look like a Black’s eyes,” Sirius spat.

James shook his head. “Regulus had these little black flecks at the corners that always reminded me of a constellation… These are the same, Sirius.”

When Regulus is reincarnated, the first thing on his bucket list is to make his way back to the two most important people in his life. For answers and for love.

They are yours, you are theirs, it’s that simple

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54917875

Summary: They make it out like agreeing to live with someone is such a life-altering decision, such an adult thing to do, that when the moment comes you start to doubt yourself. It’s a war and I might only live so much, but do I want to? Do I really? Then someone dies, or someone’s house gets blown up and the only thing you think about is what if it was me? I’d have- they’re so- Why doesn’t in end already?!? And you realize that this big decision is you basically stopping drifting by and taking the reins of your life at least this one time.

The Unexpected

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54926353

Summary: “The most beautiful love is the one that’s kept hidden, like a precious secret. A secret love is like a rose, delicate and beautiful, cherished and protected.”

Hermione has to go undercover for a mission because of poisoning and attacking of both wizards and muggles. What was thought to be a simple mission turns into more then bargained for.

The Beautiful Unexpected

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54798061

***

Please don’t forget to leave our Mystery Authors some love and join us in the Discord to have some fun

Discord link: https://discord.gg/xnvYazKBxE

#hp triad fest #hp triad!fest #hp triad #polyamory #harry potter fests #Anonymous masterlist

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sinful-lanterns · 5 months

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I own Langley's and Shalom's fancy dress skins. Formal wear is so worth burning my wallet a bit

I have bought way too many skins for PTN and plan to buy more in the future 😭😭

Unfortunately, I missed Langley’s special skin because I didn’t play PTN when that surveillance order was happening, however I do have Shalom’s special skin because it’s too beautiful not to spend money on 🥺

Besides Shalom’s skin, I also have:

- Bai Yi’s scuba skin

- Zoya’s office skin with the borzoi dogs

- Enfer’s suit skin

- Wendy’s plague mask skin

- Oak Casket’s evil queen skin

- Chelsea’s vampire skin

- Serpent’s Christmas skin

These are all the skins I paid for with my own money. Excluding the skins I got for free 😅

#⛓️ interrogation complete

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miwhotep · 1 month

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I am still thinking on White Knight especially that how similar Milverton and Whiteley are actually while being on the exact opposite sides on the moral scale. Whiteley is pure good at the start while Milverton is pure evil - that already offers an interesting face-off between the two. But there is more.

Whiteley has a good grasp about people's personalities what he calls "a hunch" - and Milverton is also well-versed in human psychology what he use to analyze his future victims' weak points. However, Whiteley's skill is a passive one: he can tell if people are trustworthy or not, what intentions they hold but he doesn't manipulate them, doesn't use this knowledge in bad ways, he is fully honest despite being a politician. Milverton's skill, on the other hand, is active: he manipulates people all the time through his media power, he search for the people's weaknesses to utilize and use them for his own purposes. When Whiteley looks at people to analyze them, he sees what type of people they are - when Milverton does it, he sees what type of people they can be with his "little help". Whiteley's judgment about Sturridge was right when he chose him to be his bodyguard: Sturridge was truly a good person - but Milverton knew how he could turn his morals upside down to achieve his goals, what could he use to force Sturridge to act like how he wants.

Another point is the impact they can have on people while being commoners in the world where class is everything. Whiteley is a politician and as one, he has an influence on public opinion - what Milverton can change completely with his media power, since as he said...

Whiteley gives hope to people with his speech, Milverton can take it away with how he presents it to those who haven't heard the speech in person. He plants doubt and fear into the people's heart through his news.

They both attempt blackmail. Whiteley has clearly never done it before, only attempted for a good cause... and the first person he blackmails happened to be the King of Blackmail - Milverton found it really amusing as it shown at the end of their discussion. He is also able to see through Whiteley that he is unable to publish those documents - Whiteley is not a person like this.

Other than that, Milverton is only an agent who doesn't care about the people who hired him - so Whiteley's blackmail fell flat. Unlike Milverton's, who blackmailed both Officer Fowler and Sturridge which resulted in the death of Whiteley's family.

Both of them are close to their secretaries and care about them - Whiteley has Marcus and Milverton has Ruskin.

Whiteley being pure good at the start and Milverton claims himself to be pure evil - he tells the story of how the devil tempted the first man to sin - whose name was Adam, just like Whiteley's name. Good Bible reference. (And we got Eve mentioned later as well - the woman who asked for Sherlock's help against Milverton the last time was Lady Eve - like the ACD story, but with this context, we can see that Milverton, like the serpent in the Bible - Sherlock compares Milverton to a snake in the Conan Doyle story - ruins both Adam and Eve.)

Thinking this through, Milverton is like an evil Whiteley... but it's even more interesting to view on the other way around. Whiteley being a good Milverton... Milverton wasn't always evil, he might have been someone like Whiteley once - and like Milverton turned Whiteley to commit a crime with getting him through a trauma first, Milverton might became a villain in a similar way as well - because of a trauma he couldn't deal with.

I really love the game between Whiteley and Milverton, especially when they finally met. I enjoy re-reading White Knight because I keep finding details to pay more attention to. It's my favourite arc.

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #charles augustus milverton #white knight arc #i really just love this arc so much keep giving me thoughts

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ourcwnside · 7 months

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Aziraphale couldn't bring himself to believe the rumors. Not long after his ascendance back into Heaven as Supreme Archangel, there was word that a new demon had replaced Beelzebub as Prince of Hell down Below. This in itself was to be expected; after all, Heaven had filled their new vacancy, so why wouldn't Hell?

But it was who was said to have filled the vacancy that Aziraphale had trouble wrapping his mind around. Dagon had been his first guess, or maybe even Shax. But the Serpent of Eden? After all he'd said about not needing to rejoin Hell; not wanting to?

There was nothing for it. The angel had to go down to see for himself. He was certain it was the only way he would be able to reconcile himself to the idea. Being Head Archangel meant he had the right to go wherever he pleased. In fact, he was expected to meet with the new Prince in order to encourage future relations between Heaven and Hell.

Whatever he had imagined in order to brace himself, however, did not sufficiently prepare Aziraphale for the sight that met him when he got there. Atop the throne that Beelzebub had once occupied lounged a familiar redhead. Familiar despite the addition of shining, scattered snake scales and unusually long, sharp nails.

Those features combined with the slitted snake pupils and enlarged yellow irises hiding any glimpse of white sclera gave Crowley an overall more demonic appearance than Aziraphale had ever thought he could manifest. Looking at him then, it was difficult to even recall he had ever even been an angel at all.

Surely this was some sort of a trick. An illusion, perhaps; something to throw the newest Archangel off his game upon his first visit to Hell in his new position. After all, it was no secret by now that both respective offices knew that Crowley and Aziraphale had been in league with each other for millenia.

Perhaps this was some diabolical prank Hell had cooked up and Heaven hadn't opposed it if only to repay Aziraphale back for the trouble he'd caused them in the past. Just because the Metatron had promoted him didn't mean there weren't still some among the rest of the heavenly host who resented him. Yes, that must have been it.

Aziraphale cleared his tight, dry throat. "Supreme Archangel Aziraphale here on official business to meet with the newly-appointed Prince of Hell," he announced, trying not to choke on his own words. It was with no small amount of difficulty that he forced himself to look Crowley - or what resembled Crowley - in the eyes. "I...don't suppose you have an office where we can discuss our matters privately, Your Highness...?"

((Response to the Prince of Hell prompt

- aziracrow-omens))

@aziracrow-omens

Of course Crowley had not only known that he would, sooner or later, be seeing Aziraphale again. That had, after all, been the entire point of what he'd done.

He just hadn't expected it to go this way.

He thought there would be a planned meeting, that he would have time to prepare. Not that the Supreme Archangel would just march right into hell and request an audience with him without warning. There was, perhaps, a brief widening of yellow eyes, maybe a slight pursing of his lips, but nothing beyond that to betray his surprise.

Wordlessly, Crowley rose and, gesturing for Aziraphale to follow, led the way towards a door in the back of the room. Most demons stepped aside without prompting, clearing a path; those that didn't were met with a hiss and a baring of fangs that cowed them easily. Inside, Crowley was warring with himself---he'd chosen this, yes, and he'd known when he chose it that it would come with a certain amount of...theatrics to really sell the idea to hell that he was serious. But something about Aziraphale seeing him like this, leaning so heavily into this role, made him feel absolutely wretched.

The door was closed behind them, a quick snap of the prince's fingers ensuring it was locked and that their words would not be heard by any nosy demons who might be crowding outside or pressing their ears to it. Only then did Crowley turn to actually face Aziraphale, though his guard had not yet lowered.

"Showing up in hell unannounced, Supreme Archangel Aziraphale? Hardly seems professional. You must have something terribly important you wanted to discuss with me."

#aziracrowomens #✦ flash bastard — ⊰crowley⊱#✦ verse v — ⊰ prince of hell au ⊱#{ edited bc it wasnt letting me tag earlier but it is now. ok tumblr. }

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depizan · 3 months

Text

Creatures/people/things I would be surprised to find knocking on my door, in increasing order of weirdness:

corvid

bear

bigfoot

alien

fairy

Starfleet officer

walrus

the loch ness monster

Jedi

bantha

Explanation under readmore.

It's all about how much your understanding of the world needs to change to accept what's happening and/or how many odd things need to happen before who/whatever it is ended up on my doorstep and knocked.

No crow or other corvid has ever knocked on my door, but that's in the realm of things I can imagine them doing. Bears live around here, but they aren't known for knocking or getting into apartment buildings, so that's getting into weird territory. Bigfoot probably doesn't exist, but if they did, they're similar enough to humans that the knocking doesn't seem weird, just the existing.

With aliens, we're starting to have more questions. It's not just that they exist, it's that they're here, knocking on my door, having (presumably) passed a whole bunch of other doors they could have knocked on. If i lived in a house, if it was an important looking house, if I were a government official, if I were the leader of a country...it gets less and less weird.

With fairies, it's less the selection of a specific door--mine--than that for a fairy to be knocking on my door, that means that magic exists. I have to do some fundamental reconsidering of how I think things work that I don't need to do for an extraterrestrial. So even though it might be less weird that they're knocking on my door, it is far more weird that they're real.

With a Starfleet officer, I have to accept that Star Trek (or something akin to it) is real. Gene Roddenberry wasn't just writing fiction. WTF. However, it is a future fiction of this world, so at least they're in the right reality. And I'm a little more willing to accept them knocking on a random door, not just an important one. (Still works out to weirder than just an alien, or even than a fairy, because it calls into question what fiction is. Or at least it potentially does.)

There should not be a walrus in my (very landlocked) state. Walruses aren't known for knocking on doors. The walrus had to get into my apartment building before it could flipper its way to my door and knock. The logistics of this are melting my brain in a completely different way than Starfleet officers, fairies, aliens, or the like. In fact, I'd be likely to assume that one of the above has to be involved because how in flying frick is there a walrus on my doorstep!?

The loch ness monster (or other sea serpent type critter). All of the questions of the walrus plus it isn't something I know exists.

Jedi, or anyone else from a fictional universe that is not supposed to be our own, is even more mind bending. They're fictional! They're from another galaxy! In the past! What does this mean about fiction? About space (and time!) travel? What (if we go with Jedi) does this mean about magic? (Or something close enough to magic) A whole lot of things about how I understand things work are being called into question.

And with a bantha, we've now added the logistical and animal behavior questions that walruses and loch ness monsters bring to the fiction!? space travel!? time travel!? questions.

I mean, past the corvid, they're all weird and unlikely, and I'm going to be questioning my understanding of reality. But there are degrees.

#the great walrus vs fairy debate

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the-insouciant-scientist · 9 months

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@fallenlondonficswap @house-of-mirrors

For the general swap! You said you'd like to read about Irem, and my brain just went... a little nuts with this concept. Hopes this makes sense, and uh. Sorry in advance about the tenses.

Will You Greet The Daylight Looming

Unnamed zee captain character, General Rating, 732 words. Slight spoilers for Irem.

You will arrive at Irem. You will always arrive at Irem. You will leap from your ship onto her shores and you will reach out both hands and you will be welcomed like a stranger, like a friend, like a lost part of a whole. Your crew will not come with you, not here, you will assume.

You were given a heavy robe and lead along gold-garlanded paths and you watched as people parted before you like the sea, like the zee, like reeds. Some of them whispered to themselves as you walked past. The silk veil you wore fluttered in the faint breeze.

A young man stands before you. He has something to say. You nod, and he speaks.

“ What is time but string and Fate,

A key-to-heart, a broken crate,

Pandora’s Box has caused such grief,

But time heals all and brings relief. ��

So what is it we can’t abide

That causes us to run and hide?

Clocks will turn and things will change,

Does that make your soul feel strange? “

You will have stepped back, clutched at your robe, and turned away. When you will have looked back, he will have left. His words will be ringing in your ears.

Hands have been guiding yours, gloves smooth against yours. They have been soothing you to the best of their abilities. You have wiped a tear away from a shrouded eye, and you have been walking. You did not know how long you have been walking for.

The people of Irem will have spoken in riddles. They will always have done this, and you will always have known this about them, even before you disembarked. You will not have expected this riddle to cut you to the bone like it has.

You found your future in a tapestry. You weave your future yourself. You will discover your future.

Why did this hurt so much?

The warp and weft have shown you a warmth you had forgotten. Beams of sunlight have kissed your skin and you have squinted, up into the light. Up into the law. You have instinctively flinched, because you have died many times over, and light has no mercy. It had something to say. You have closed your curtains and covered your ears and huddled on the floor.

“COME BACK.” It will demand. You will shake your head. You will feel like a child being scolded.

“THINGS CAN NEVER RETURN TO THE WAY THEY ARE.” It said. You pulled your veil down further, buried your face in the lace. Was this a Judgement speaking, or just your own psyche?

“I want them back.” You tell it. Your voice is small, and cracks when you speak. You do not know if it can hear you. You do not care.

“MY LIGHT WILL NOT ABIDE IT.” It will have stated. You will have clenched a fist and stood, robes heavy on your shoulders.

“Then I will not abide your light.”

You had broken your shuttle, cracked it down the middle. Your weaving had been ruined. You had a bitter smile on your lips. Your crew had found you, even though you had told them to remain on the ship. You had been crying.

You will leave Irem. You will stride alongside your crew, your family, back to your ship. You will leave this city of roses and serpents and go home.

—

A knock sounds at the door to your cabin. You wince, because you have a massive migraine from Irem’s whole past-present-future tense thing. Your first officer comes in with tea, and you could nearly forgive her for that alone.

“Sorry for barging in, Cap’n. Just wanted to check on you after… All that.” She says. You don’t say anything. You don’t need to.

“...What did you see?” She asks, softly.

“The Sun,” You reply. You hear her breathe in sharply. “I saw sunlight.”

“Were they… I mean…”

You close your eyes. Your veil shifts against your cheeks. “They couldn’t be. Light is Law.”

“What are you going to do, then?”

“Whatever it takes.” You say simply. Your first officer gives you a long, sideways look, before going back to her tea.

“Never much minded the dark myself, you know. Eh, Captain?” she says, elbowing you gently.

You rub your thumb across their compass, where it hangs around your neck. Pointing you home. Pointing you back to them.

You smile.

#fallen london fic swap #fic #the scientist scribbles #irem #house-of-mirrors #sat down like 'ooh i wonder how writing about irem will be' and then blacked out and came to 700 words later #a copy of your bazaarine tale

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blueiskewl · 2 years

Photo

The Largest Group of Ancient Bronzes in Italy Found at Sacred Baths in Tuscany

Lying on the bottom of the large Roman 'vasca' or pool, the young and very beautiful ephebe seems to be sleeping. Next to him is Hygeia (Igea), the goddess of health who was the daughter or wife of Asclepius, with a serpent curled on her arm. A bit farther away, also partly submerged, you can see Apollo, and then other divinities, matrons, youths, and emperors.

Protected for 2,300 years by the mud and boiling water of the sacred pools, a never-before-seen votive array has re-emerged from the excavations at San Casciano dei Bagni, in Tuscany, with over 24 extremely finely wrought bronze statues, five of them almost one metre tall, all complete and in a perfect state of preservation.

"It's a discovery that will rewrite history and one which more than 60 experts from all over the world are already working on," archaeologist Jacopo Tabolli tells ANSA in an exclusive preview.

The young professor from the University for Foreigners of Siena has been leading the project since 2019, on a permit from the Ministry of Culture and the support, also financial, of the small town's municipal council.

It's an "absolutely unique" treasure trove, he underscores, which has been accompanied by an incredible quantity of inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin as well as thousands of coins and a series of equally interesting plant offerings.

After taking up office only a handful of days before, Minister or Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano has already visited the conservation laboratory that has just welcomed the statues and now applauds "an exceptional discovery that confirms once again that Italy is a country full of huge and unique treasures".

"The layering of different civilizations is a unique feature of Italian culture," enthuses the head of the Collegio Romano.

"It's the most important discovery since the Riace Bronzes and is certainly one of the most significant discovery of bronzes ever made in the history of the ancient Mediterranean," says, beside him, the ministry's director general of museums, Massimo Osanna, who has just approved the purchase of the 16th century palazzo that will house the marvels yielded by the Great Bath in the village of San Casciano, a museum which will be flanked in the future by a full-blown archaeological park.

Luigi La Rocca, general director for archaeology, shares their enthusiasm and stresses "the importance of the method used in this excavation", which as was the case of the most recent discoveries at Pompeii, also here saw the involvement of "specialists from all disciplines, from architects to geologists, and from archaeo-botanists to experts in epigraphy and numismatics".

Fashioned in all likelihood by local craftsmen, the 24 statues that have just been found can be dated between the second century BC and the first century AD, explains Tabolli, speaking alongside the field director Emanuele Mariotti and Ada Salvi from the Superintendency.

The shrine, with its bubbling hot pools, its sloping terraces, its fountains, and its altars, existed at least from the third century BC and remained active until the fifth century AD, Tabolli says, when in Christian times it was shut down but not destroyed, its pools sealed with heavy stone pillars, and the divinities entrusted respectfully to the water.

It is also for this reason that, having removed that covering, the archaeologists found themselves looking at a still-intact treasure trove, in effect "the greatest store of statues from ancient Italy and in any case the only one whose context we can wholly reconstruct," says Tabolli.

Partly arranged on the branches of a huge tree trunk set into the bottom of the pool, and in many cases covered with inscriptions, the statues, like the countless votive offerings, came from the great families of the local area and beyond, members of the elites of the Etruscan and the Roman worlds, landowners, local lords, affluent classes from Rome and indeed also emperors.

Here, surprisingly, the Etruscan language appears to have survived much longer than what has hitherto been assumed, and Etruscan knowledge in the medical field appears to have been recognized and accepted in the Roman era too.

In short, it is a great shrine that appears to recount itself as a unique place for the ancients too, a sort of a bubble of peace, if you think, as Tabolli explains, "that even in historical epochs in which the most awful conflicts were raging outside, inside these pools and on these altars the two worlds, the Etruscan and Roman ones, appear to have co-existed without problems".

Perhaps, the archaeologist posits, because of the fact that water had since its origin remained the presiding deity with its divination, force and power: "Here time passes, language changes, even the names of the deities change, but the type of worship and the therapeutic intervention remain the same." The excavation work will now stop and resume in the spring.

Winter will be used for restoring, studying and understanding.

"It will be team work, as it has always been so far," proudly smiles Tabolli.

The work will involve the university, the ministry, the local town council, and specialists from other universities from all over the world. All together, with a unique opportunity for writing an entirely new chapter in ancient history.

#The Largest Group of Ancient Bronzes in Italy Found at Sacred Baths in Tuscany #bronze #roman bronze statues #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeolgst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #ancient tuscany #ancient bath house #roman history #roman empire

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cordeliaflyte · 7 months

Text

How to Draw a Perfect Circle

By Terrance Hayes

I can imitate the spheres of the model’s body, her head,

Her mouth, the chin she rests at the bend of her elbow

But nothing tells me how to make the pupils spiral

From her gaze. Everything the eye sees enters a circle,

The world is connected to a circle: breath spools from the nostrils

And any love to be open becomes an O. The shape inside the circle

Is a circle, the egg fallen outside the nest the serpent circles

Rests in the serpent’s gaze the way my gaze rests on the model.

In a blind contour drawing the eye tracks the subject

Without observing what the hand is doing. Everything is connected

By a line curling and canceling itself like the shape of a snake

Swallowing its own decadent tail or a mind that means to destroy itself,

A man circling a railway underpass before attacking a policeman.

To draw the model’s nipples I have to let myself be carried away.

I love all the parts of the body. There are as many curves

As there are jewels of matrimony, as many whirls as there are teeth

In the mouth of the future: the mute pearls a bride wears to her wedding,

The sleeping ovaries like the heads of riders bunched in a tunnel.

The doors of the subway car imitate an O opening and closing,

In the blood the O spirals its helix of defects, genetic shadows,

But there are no instructions for identifying loved ones who go crazy.

When one morning a black man stabs a black transit cop in the face

And the cop, bleeding from his eye, kills the assailant, no one traveling

To the subway sees it quickly enough to make a camera phone witness.

The scene must be carried on the tongue, it must be carried

On the news into the future where it will distract the eyes working

Lines into paper. This is what blind contour drawing conjures in me.

At the center of God looms an O, the devil believes justice is shaped

Like a zero, a militant helmet or war drum, a fist or gun barrel,

A barrel of ruined eggs or skulls. To lift anything from a field

The lifter bends like a broken O. The weight of the body

Lowered into a hole can make anyone say Oh: the onlookers,

The mother, the brothers and sisters. Omen begins with an O.

When I looked into my past I saw the boy I had not seen in years

Do a standing backflip so daring the onlookers called him crazy.

I did not see a moon as white as an onion but I saw a paper plate

Upon which the boy held a plastic knife and sopping meat.

An assailant is a man with history. His mother struggles

To cut an onion preparing a meal to be served after the funeral.

The onion is the best symbol of the O. Sliced, a volatile gas stings

The slicer’s eyes like a punishment clouding them until they see

What someone trapped beneath a lid of water sees:

A soft-edged world, a blur of blooms holding a coffin afloat.

The onion is pungent, its scent infects the air with sadness,

All the pallbearers smell it. The mourners watch each other,

They watch the pastor’s ambivalence, they wait for the doors to open,

They wait for the appearance of the wounded one-eyed victim

And his advocates, strangers who do not consider the assailant’s funeral

Appeasement. Before that day the officer had never fired his gun

In the line of duty. He was chatting with a cabdriver

Beneath the tracks when my cousin circled him holding a knife.

The wound caused no brain damage though his eyeball was severed.

I am not sure how a man with no eye weeps. In the Odyssey

Pink water descends the Cyclops’s cratered face after Odysseus

Drives a burning log into it. Anyone could do it. Anyone could

Begin the day with his eyes and end it blind or deceased,

Anyone could lose his mind or his vision. When I go crazy

I am afraid I will walk the streets naked, I am afraid I will shout

Every fucked up thing that troubles or enchants me, I will try to murder

Or make love to everybody before the police handcuff or murder me.

Though the bullet exits a perfect hole it does not leave perfect holes

In the body. A wound is a cell and portal. Without it the blood runs

With no outlet. It is possible to draw handcuffs using loops

Shaped like the symbol for infinity, from the Latin infinitas

Meaning unboundedness. The way you get to anything

Is context. In a blind contour it is not possible to give your subject

A disconnected gaze. Separated from the hand the artist’s eye

Begins its own journey. It could have been the same for the Cyclops,

A giant whose gouged eye socket was so large a whole onion

Could fit into it. Separated from the body the eye begins

Its own journey. The world comes full circle: the hours, the harvests,

When the part of the body that holds the soul is finally decomposed

It becomes a circle, a hole that holds everything: blemish, cell,

Womb, parts of the body no one can see. I watched the model

Pull a button loose on her jeans and step out of them

As one might out of a hole in a blue valley, a sea. I found myself

In the dark, I found myself entering her body like a delicate shell

Or soft pill, like this curved thumb of mine against her lips.

You must look without looking to make the perfect circle.

The line, the mind must be a blind continuous liquid

Until the drawing is complete.

#poetry

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rottenprincessshura100 · 8 months

Text

The Time Key: The Baba Yaga.

Sample Chapter.

January 1998

Mephisto called Shiro with a very important assignment. The exorcist entered the Directors office and approached his desk.

"Why do I need to do this one." Shiro griped. "Lake Towada is in the middle of fucking nowhere."

"It's a tourist town headed into winter." Mephisto tossed him a scarf and a pair of gloves. "Dress warm. It won't be comfortable."

"Can't some second-class nobody do this gig?" Shiro growled. "This is hardly a job for me."

"I need it to be you." Mephisto shrugged his shoulders. "It's a very precocious Baba Yaga, and proven hard to catch. Not one team from the Order has been able to silence the little beast."

"What's so special about it?"

"It can wield a demon sword." Mephisto smiled, knowing that tidbit would pique Shiro's interest. "They say it's the Fang of the mighty Hachiro."

"You mean, that gigantic lake serpent?" Shiro thought intently. "He's a big deal."

"Indeed." Mephisto nodded. "It would be quite a notch on your belt."

"I'll say," Shiro laughed. "Imagine all the chicks I'd get, if I took down a giant hydra? I'd be the talk of the entire Order. Baba Yaga be damned."

"You best get going." Mephisto urged. "There are no key portals out there, you will need to take the bullet train."

"Who's payin' for that?"

Mephisto groaned in aggravation and opened his wallet. He handed Shiro his credit card.

"You can also buy the Baba Yaga lunch with this."

Shiro stared at him dumbfounded.

"I mean..." Mephisto backtracked quickly. "If you don't murder it, in a blaze of glory, dripping with machismo."

Shiro snatched the card out of Mephisto's fingers and stomped toward the exit.

"I'm buying myself a steak and a round of drinks with this, just so you know."

"If you do that," Mephisto threatened with a laugh. "You'll be sifting demon shit in the Himalayas, with a team of demon-loving outcasts."

Shiro threw his head back and laughed.

Mephisto was probably joking, but he'd be sure to test the theory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Entire Mission was Wretched.

Mephisto set him up, that tricky fuck!

Shiro butted out his smoke as he boarded the bullet train from Amori to Kyoto. Following closely next to him, was a filthy, street-rat child. The kid had been the one that saved both their lives. Hachiro had only allowed Shiro to leave, if he agreed to a betrothal. When the Baba Yaga was of age, they would produce Hachiro's future champion ninja.

Of course, it was never going to happen! The kid was only seven!!!

Shiro would be ancient by the time this kid was an adult!!

He slung his body into one of the train seats, scruffing the child up next to him. As soon as the train began to move, a hot gust of air blew from the vents. The girl held her hands up to the warmth with awestruck gratefulness.

The paperwork for this assignment was going to suck.

Shiro groaned with inward realization.

He didn't get his glory, instead, he got the shaft.

He could never breathe a word of this to anyone! They would laugh him right out of the Order!

Not only did he not kill the demon, but he was saved by a little girl.

Because the kid had a crush on him!

As a matter-of-fact, the she wouldn't let him go. The kid kept one hand tightly on his sleeve in desperation, like a barnacle. It was as if she'd never seen humans before. The crowds terrified her.

"Listen kid," Shiro sighed. "Just relax. I'm not leaving you here, my boss wants you taken to True Cross. There's other weird kids like you living there."

"Will you be with me?" She sniffed with tears welling in her eyes.

"Ya." Shiro grumbled, staring out the window. "Unfortunately."

The exorcist was exhausted after battling Hachiro for hours without end, the monster was too strong for anyone to vanquish. The Baba Yaga on the other hand, was just a human pet of the demon. Yet, the pet was more than a pouty little girl, she had a powerful temptaint and was in possession of demon sword.

There was something familiar about her, she reminded her of someone. She had strange pinkish hair, those swirling magenta eyes.

"What's your name kid?"

"Kirigakure." She answered matter-of-factly.

"No, I mean your first name?" Shiro prodded.

The child regarded him with confusion.

She didn't have one.

Shiro felt overwhelmed with pity, he too, didn't have a real name. His earliest moniker was a number from section 13. He was nothing more than an experiment, a test subject. Not meant to have a life or individuality.

"I'm going to call you Shura." Shiro sighed painfully. "Shura Kirigakure."

Yes, that's right. Shiro scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, he named the kid after a woman he met in a bar. But those are the only women he'd ever known, and thus the only female names he had to draw from.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"You named the Baba Yaga after a woman you met in a pub?" Mephisto laughed outright. "How original!"

"What are the odds," Shiro responded thoughtfully. "That this kid has the same colouring as her? She reminds me so much of that woman."

Mephisto shrugged his shoulders.

"Could this be her daughter?" Shiro gestured to the child sleeping on Mephisto's leather couch. "I mean, she has a demon sword. That's some rare shit."

Shiro pulled it from a sheath on his back and handed it to Mephisto. It's a Fang, the woman I met at the bar also described her sword as a Fang. Do you think her mother might still be up in the mountains?"

"No." Mephisto answered succinctly. "From the research I've been conducting into the matter, each Baba Yaga is an identical clone of their mother. Once each incarnation gives birth, she dies and the child takes her place. That child is around seven, the timeline does line-up."

"If this kid is hers, she's dead." Shiro lowered his head at the reality. "That Hachiro is a sick fuck."

"Yes." Mephisto answered. "I'm afraid so."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"She's incredibly powerful, even you have seen it." Mephisto reasoned. "If the Order finds out about her, they will send her to section 13. Fresh blood is hard to find, and this one has unique DNA."

"What are you saying?"

"Train her to be an exorcist." Mephisto urged. "So that she has the tools to keep herself safe."

"Are you for real?" Shiro raised his voice in annoyance. "That kid has a crush on me! I want no part of teaching her!!"

"Well, too bad, so sad." Mephisto replied. "She needs a proper teacher and integration into the human world."

"I'm not the guy to teach anyone how to be human!"

"I'm not so sure about that." Mephisto mused. "You had to learn to be human, if anyone can steer the child in the right direction it's you."

"How long do I need to train the kid?"

"Take her on your missions for the next two weeks." Mephisto smiled. "That'll be enough. Drill into her head, everything you know. She will hang on your every word, and will always remember your wisdom."

"You think I have wisdom?"

"You are a highly talented warrior and the most resourceful in my organization. That's why I chose you to be my champion, and freed you from section 13. In a couple of weeks, I will find her a spot at an orphanage and hide her from the lab. Until then, train her well."

"Fine, Mephisto." Shiro grunted. "But two weeks is all she gets."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 25, 2017

Shura put down her video game controller stretched her legs.

"It's Christmas Eve." She announced. "Not that this wasn't fun but, I got things to do."

"Oh?" Mephisto paused his player. "I thought we were having a lovely day, you stayed for breakfast and lunch."

"Yeah, you've got some good food around here." Shura nodded. "But, the kids are havin' a party. I should go. It's also the boys' birthday."

"I almost forgot!" He said with fake concern. "My goodness, what will you wear?"

"I gotta go home and wash my Santa dress."

"I see." He smirked. "You mean, that slutty Santa's sister dress? I highly approve!"

He continued to snicker mischievously.

"What's so fuckin' funny?"

"Belial!" The demon shouted. "Did you wash that Santa dress like I ordered?"

"Yes, Master." The butler walked immediately in the room with the outfit pressed on a hanger.

"Wow, are you just sneaking into my apartment, now?" Shura put a hand over her eyes. "Like, I mean thank-you for washing it--but I feel so violated."

"Rin and Yukio live in the same dorm as you." Mephisto explained without a hint of concern. "And as their parental guardian I have instant access to that apartment block, I had you move in there too, for convienence."

"I'm sure you did--"

"For the boys of course." He winked. "Rin is your apprentice."

Mephisto held up an ornate key loop and picked out a bright blue key. "This one takes us to the dorm." He twisted it in the lock and they walked through a portal into her building. It was, as if, the dorm was part of Mephisto's mansion.

"Well shit." Shura was impressed. "So, where do the other keys go?"

"I can't tell you that, yet." Mephisto answered. "Not until you become my champion."

"Pass." Shura guffawed. "But nice try, that deal is dead in the water"

"Ah well," He said wistfully. "It was worth a shot."

An awkward silence descended between them. Shura then raised her chin to Mephisto, and squared her shoulders.

"Mephisto...I have a question."

"Yes?" He answered softly. "What is it?"

"Do you ever try being friends with humans?" She paused, organizing her thoughts. "I mean, sometimes you're almost likeable. Couldn't you attempt to earn their trust?

He arched an eyebrow with interest.

"Say you wanted a demon contract with a person." She continued. "Couldn't they do it because they care about you? Not because it's a game they lose?"

"I suppose, in theory. But human company isn't that easy m'lady." Mephisto sighed. "The complications are endless, the stakes high. Love wanes after an eternity, having true feelings is hard after watching so many loves come and go. It would harden the softest heart, and the sanest mind."

"Wow, I'm sorry, Mephisto." Shura smile slid from her face. "I had no idea."

So, the demon did have baggage, she realized. Probably thousands of years of it.

"Don't be sorry." He squeezed her shoulder. "The reality is what it is. After years upon years of dealing with humans, I got to know how they think, their wants, dreams and desires. All of that knowledge makes love impossible, it takes all the fun out of it. It makes love boring."

"That's hard to believe." She challenged. "There must be some softness in your heart, somewhere. Something you'd find exciting."

Shura extended her hand, touching Mephisto's face with a newfound tenderness.

"M'lady?" He questioned, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Shura leaned in closer, closing her eyes. She brushed her soft pink lips against his, kissing the demon with a caring sweetness. When Shura backed away, she chuckled with slight embarrassment.

"What was that for?" He gifted her with a small amused smile,

"Oh, nuthin," She laughed good-naturedly, pointing upward. "Some asshole hung a piece of mistletoe there. Just doin' my festive duty."

"Festive duty?" He bit back a rueful laugh. "I see."

"Anyway, gotta change, see ya later!" She shouted, slamming the door to her dorm.

Mephisto stood alone in the hallway bemused. He reached above him and plucked the sprig of mistletoe within his fingers.

"Yes, Shura. Some asshole did hang it there."

He grinned evilly.

"And that asshole was me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mephisto emerged back in his mansion, and Belial was already waiting.

"The exwires have finally sent your party invitation."

"Those little bastards." Mephisto griped. "Talk about last minute!"

"I'm sure they saved their most important guest for last."

"Yes." Mephisto rolled his eyes at the butler. "I'm sure."

"What are your plans then?"

"I'm going to crash their party." Mephisto grinned wolfishly. "It will now have an "adult component."

"How should I proceed, Sir?"

"Raid the liquor cabinet in the barrister's lounge." Mephisto smirked. "I want the MaCallan 1926, Claze Azul, and some Crystal Pinstripe Black Bottle."

"But Sir!, that's incredibly expensive, if not priceless!" Belial was aghast. "What's the occasion!?"

"A new lease on life." Mephisto twirled with excitement. "It's a new beginning for all of us."

"Will Miss Kirigakure be joining you again tonight?"

The demon gave Belial some knowing side-eye.

"I want the best wine we have and two flutes in my room, for the afterparty."

"Yes, Master." The butler nodded. "Once you return, I will not interrupt you...."

"Good."

#blue exorcist #shura kirigakure #ao no exorcist #shiro fujimoto #mephisto pheles #aoex fanfic #alternate timelines

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hptriadfest · 2 months

Text

HP Triad Fest Master List

An act of love

Author: HadrianPeverellBlack

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54771832

Summary: AU where the war goes on longer. Harry appears on the doorstep of an old friend, asking for help.

Building Bridges

Author: @pookha

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53607814

Clearing

Author: cecilvn

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54782968

Summary: In the face of Lily's death, James finds healing in familiar faces.

Fates Temporal

Author: aleysiasnape

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54751654

Summary: The fates were kind to Hermione during summer solstice

Flavours and Expectations

Author: @sailtomarina

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54319912

With Ernie a bit of a mess at work and at heart, the chances of finding love this late in life seem low. Can a saucy chef and the serpent slayer who guards her prove him wrong?

Follow the Pawprints

Author: @lumosatnight

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54154915

Harry’s Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Slytherinbabe40

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54387730

Summary: A terrible day has not-so-terrible consequences.

-----------------

Harry hurled his bag in the general direction of his desk and threw himself face down on…a...person?

Sagging even more, he mumbled into the chest he faceplanted into, “This IS my bed, right?”

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The Imperfect Art Of Taking The Piss As A Love Language

Author: @annanother-thing

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54718363

in the bend of your elbows.

Author: CanYouHearMyFear

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53482153

Summary: Hari doesn’t feel like he deserves his soulmates but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have soulmates.

The Missing Mate

Author: ayanadailey

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53427460

Summary: Regulus can't seem to stay away from the lonely werewolf when he knows his brother is away. It's as if his animagus form is drawn to Remus.

pity the living

Author: @poljupci

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54032410

or: a look into the Golden Trio surviving their first year after the end of the War

Show me the constellations in your eyes

Author: cassetteinability

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/53646349

Summary: “I don’t need to look into your eyes to know my brother is fucking dead,” Sirius shouted, and his face was so cold, a futile attempt at hiding his sadness. “You need to leave.”

“I have Regulus’ eyes, don’t you see?” Regulus asked — begged.

“They look…” James began, walking closer to them now. “They look like his, Sirius.”

“They look like a Black’s eyes,” Sirius spat.

James shook his head. “Regulus had these little black flecks at the corners that always reminded me of a constellation… These are the same, Sirius.”

When Regulus is reincarnated, the first thing on his bucket list is to make his way back to the two most important people in his life. For answers and for love.

They are yours, you are theirs, it’s that simple

Author: consumedly

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54917875

The Unexpected

Author: RavenclawGreen28

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54926353

Summary: “The most beautiful love is the one that’s kept hidden, like a precious secret. A secret love is like a rose, delicate and beautiful, cherished and protected.”

Hermione has to go undercover for a mission because of poisoning and attacking of both wizards and muggles. What was thought to be a simple mission turns into more then bargained for.

The Beautiful Unexpected

Artist: RavenclawGreen28

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HPTriad5/works/54798061

***

Thank you to everyone for taking part in the fest this year and to our Authors for their brilliant works!!!

Discord link: https://discord.gg/xnvYazKBxE

#hp triad fest #hp triad!fest #triad #polyamory #harry potter fests #Author reveals

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ariellewm · 10 months

Text

Czar Agskaga Headcanon : A Modern Headcanon

....Mr. Czar Agskaga will be seeing you now...

You work for the Amber Lily Company, a large tea company well known throughout the world. They also run a multinational tea chain, Agskaga Tea House, and grow amber lilies and other tea plants not only for consumer consumption but for medical purposes as well.

Living in the bustling city you applied two years ago at their headquarters. Lucky for you, they hired you on the spot. The pay is good, benefits exceeding your expectations. You were finally able to pay off that college loan you've had since graduating. Even better, you got a new apartment of your own close by to your job.

Moving your way up at headquarters, you're given the role as executive assistant to the CEO. The former CEO had retired, leaving his nephew to run the company.

Before starting, Mr. Czar Agskaga wishes to conduct a final interview. Many have mentioned that this newer CEO was very...very appealing to look at. Nerves were setting in the night before.

You make sure to dress your best: a scarlet dress, black heels, hair tied up. You even wore your mother's golden charm necklace as a good luck charm.

The elevator doors open, making your way toward the large, long oak doors. Taking a deep breath, you push your way in walking down the hallway leading deeper into Czar's office. Deep wine and onyx wall printing surround you with framed black and white pictures of the Agskaga family. Achievements hung on golden frames and milestones the family has made over the years.

The oval office is large, luxurious. Bigger than any office you imagined. Gold and coal coloring with hints of mahogany. Sleek onyx marble flooring. High above the city the view is breathtaking. Skyscrapers close and far.

Closer to the back of the office was a vintage large sepia desk. The desk was scattered with documents, papers and a laptop flipped open. Next to that was a golden jeweled serpent figure coiled around a cup filled with ink pens.

You attention is immediately drawn to a dark figure leaning against the window overlooking the city. The very CEO you would be assisting.

Long sleek black hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail with some strands hanging loose. His skin tanned and glowing, even from the cloudy setting. Dressed in a black suit, intricate gold designs along the wide peak lapels. The cuffs, loose collar, even the tie, had the same mystical gold design.

He turns slightly toward your direction. His unique crimson eyes gazing at you as you approached the desk. A smile spreads across his face. For a moment, you weren't sure if you had seen small fangs as he grinned.

His movement was feline-like, graceful as he grew nearer. He extended his hand, decorated with silver rings. Nervously you introduce yourself, joining his hand with yours. His sophisticated, charming aura already drawing you in. You could even smell that rich coconut sandalwood coming off of him.

"My dear, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, have a seat." He gestures to one of the black armchairs before leaning against the sepia desk behind him, " This interview shouldn't be long. And my..." He glances at the golden necklace, the dress before meeting your eye's once more, "you look lovely this morning." You already feel a blush forming but you try to hold your composure.

The interview is going well. Czar learns a bit about yourself, your past, your education. He wanted to also know where you see yourself within the company in the future. Czar also tests your knowledge on the company, the teas, and their mission.

"I'm impressed darling. You know so well about the company. And yet you've only been with us for two years." He asks if you'd like something to drink, which you accept. After all, your nerves are causing your throat to dry. He returns back with two glasses of water, passing one to you. Your hand accidently touches Czar's, his warmth causes goosebumps to slither up your arm.

"There is only one thing left for you to learn, however." "And what would that be, sir?" You asked, taking a small sip of water. Despite his professional appearance, you are slowly growing entranced by him...and he can see as well.

Another of his charming smiles appears, his red eyes glowing, "Well, about me of course dear."

You go over your responsibilities, his preferences, etc. You are to be with him during executive meetings, tastings of new variants of tea and tea blends, and go over scheduling appointments. You'd also be joining him in luncheons and holiday parties. Of course, he'll give you time off if needed. He isn't that horrible of a CEO, and the company holds up to its standards in taking care of its employees.

He has an understanding about his employees, including yourself. Needing time away from the office to destress is number one if they need it. Your worried, but he tells you not to as he has known about how hardworking you are within the company.

As a new hire for the CEO, he sends you a special tea to your place. You've gotten to try a sample one time when you started two years ago. But being in a higher position, you were given a lifetime supply of the tea blend. It's a rarer variant of the amber lily, aged and mixed with other ingredients to help those relax.

You decided to brew some of the special tea before bed. You were able to get some much-needed restful sleep, and yet you still managed to make it on time on your first day as executive assistant for Mr. Czar.

#headcanon #OC - Szar Agskaga #original character #fiction #modern fiction #writer

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