Here’s a quick rundown of my interests in the fandom!
My favorite LI is Muriel, but I enjoy content for all six.
I really enjoy Villain!Lucio, however I also like his route.
Here is a list of the tags I use in my mini-fic/short story/creative writing posts.
Important Tags
(#arcanarubinaito) - All of my posts. (Non-Reblogged, aside from anything I’ve reblogged from my main account.)
(#auric the apprentice) - All content with my MC, Auric Alnazar.
(#auric x muriel) - All content involving Auric and Muriel.
(#my art) - All of my art posts.
(#rubin rambles) - All of my text posts.
(#rubin’s writing) - All of my creative writing posts.
(#incorrect quotes) - My incorrect quotes series.
Series - “Imperfect Relationships”
A series of posts dedicated to the relationship dynamics between the characters in “Fool’s Gold”.
Auric & Asra (Link)
Asra & Julian (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
Writing
Ask Box Mini-Fic - Muriel x Extroverted MC (“Home”)
If it helps this post (your reblog specifically) showed up in my “for you” feed. Which is the first time in a little while I’ve seen a post from you cross my dash. Hopefully that’s a good sign…?
I should draw Muriel and Auric in an Arcane AU. I just think it’d be neat. There’s some loose ideas for how it would look in terms of a plot, but I’ll save those for later.
Lol! Valid enough mistake, it's only one letter off. (Only reason I haven't made an arcane sideblog is because I'm trying to figure out what to name it.)
I just haven’t had much content to post for The Arcana recently. I have been working a little on updating Auric’s appearance, but the line-up isn’t ready yet. I still wanted to post something though, so here’s a sneak-peek of his updated face + the older design for comparison.
People help, I have a question regarding the plotline of The Arcana, especially around Asra's route. Please vote and share, I'm so curious about your answers!
During the plague, would you have run away with Asra or stayed behind to help?
This is not always a bad thing. My flight response is stronger than my fight response and it’s because I know I’m not equipped to handle a lot of things.
So I would run as far away as possible to get away from the Plague. Can’t help people if I’m dead.
Conversely, Auric (despite originally being based on me) stayed behind. While we both have a fair amount of anxiety, he doesn’t do ‘flight’ as often as I do. He had the stance of, “we have this ability, this magic—and we could help people with it, even if we can’t cure it maybe we can make their final days better, or slow the spread, or something instead of nothing!”
He and Asra would have had several spats and arguments about it, until eventually Asra couldn’t take it anymore and left. They couldn’t help anyone if they were dead.
Funnily enough, Auric would get pretty close to figuring out how to cure the Red Plague, only to oh-so conveniently fall victim to it himself.
I haven’t planned this far ahead for their story, so I’m winging it. Idk if this will stick or if I’ll change it, but I enjoyed writing it :>
Summary:
Auric and Muriel had spent months out in the Southern wilds alone together, and attended a masquerade ripped straight out of a fairytale, slept in the same bed together multiple times; yet they have yet to share their first kiss. Sometimes, things are just slow to happen—and that’s not always a bad thing.
Tags:
SFW (<18), 1.2k Words, Vesuvia Weekly, First Kiss, Muriel, Auric Alnazar, Apprentice OC, Original Character(s), Romantic Relationships, Muriel/Auric, Muriel/OC, Fluff
By now, Auric and Muriel were used to nights like this—huddled together in front of a fire, Inanna dozing at their feet while embers swirled within a smoky haze. He had long since adopted the habit of burrowing himself under his companion’s cloak to help conserve heat. It wasn’t necessary anymore now that they were back in a warmer climate. However, Muriel didn’t object to it and it seemed both of them needed that familiarity and comfort right then. The only thing missing was the sound of a whetstone scraping along the edge of a spear.
Their tent was tucked away from the rest of the encampment to give them some semblance of privacy. Being around crowds again was just so exhausting; the noise of other people alone made it hard for Auric to sleep. Muriel wasn’t faring much better, the shadows under his eyes deeper and more pronounced than usual. His gaze fixed upon the fire, the light reflected in amber against a deep, somber forest green. Muriel’s eyes always seemed to carry a sadness Auric could never hope to extinguish. Even with all the progress they’d made together, Muriel was still haunted by his demons in a way that wasn’t so easily shaken. In a way, Auric was too.
He must’ve been staring because Muriel’s distant gaze slid quickly away from the flames to focus on him. It was one of those rare times where he made eye contact and held it longer than a few fleeting seconds; and Auric couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. “Are you okay?” Muriel’s voice rumbled softly, just barely breaking the silence. His hand twitched towards Auric’s, loosely looping their pinkies together in a tentative request for contact. The apprentice was more than happy to oblige and he slid closer, wrapping both of his hands around Muriel’s outstretched one. They slowly laced their fingers together and Auric rested his head over the other’s shoulder. He then pulled Muriel’s cloak closer and pressed in against his companion’s side with a long-suffering sigh.
“I’m… tired.” He responded after several seconds of silence. “Mostly just tired.” Words were never rushed between them, something he’d grown to appreciate in moments like these. There were plenty of other emotions and troubles, but Auric didn’t care too much to try and sort through them right now. He began to drag his thumb slowly over Muriel’s knuckles and felt every little raised scar. Little nicks from working with his hands mingled with larger, older splits from various fights. It was only a small part of a larger tapestry that made up Muriel’s life, one that Auric had woven himself into.
They lapsed into silence again, though it was more comfortable than before. Muriel made a motion to lift his arm and Auric reluctantly let go so that he could wrap it around his shoulders and pull him in just a little closer. Through the bushes, they could see the lights in the camp slowly flicker out one-by-one as fires were extinguished and people began turning in for the night. Auric watched for a little longer before he spoke again. “Are you okay?” He asked quietly.
“No.” Muriel's answer came almost immediately. And why would he be? It was just one thing after another, and they didn’t have any room to breathe. To think. To feel anything other than urgency and stress, and stars above how Auric wanted to feel something else for a change. The hermit shifted his weight slightly to turn towards Auric, looking like he wanted to say something more. His mouth opened slightly, and after a few seconds of struggling the words finally slipped out. “But I’m glad you’re still here.” The fire crackled softly, throwing Muriel’s features into wild shapes and shadows. He was still looking directly at Auric, with the softest expression he’d ever seen on that man’s face. There was a little flutter in Auric’s heart, an emotion that he hadn’t felt before he met Muriel and yet it felt familiar in an aching sort of way. He’d been experiencing it a lot recently, and it was only after talking to Asra that he could put a name to it.
Auric had experienced crushes before, but he had never fallen in love. Not that he remembered, at least.
“I’m not planning on leaving any time soon.” He replied in a murmur.
Muriel’s hand slowly slid from Auric’s shoulders to carefully tuck some loose hair behind his ear. For a moment the man’s hand hovered with uncertainty before Auric slowly pressed his face into his palm. Relaxing, Muriel stroked his thumb gently along the scar that was cut into the smaller man’s cheek, one that had only recently healed over. “I still don’t really understand why.” Muriel’s voice was still just a soft, rumbling whisper. “… but I believe you.”
The apprentice’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Good.” He said quietly. Auric’s hands lifted, one wrapping over the hand Muriel held to his face, and the other reaching up to cup his in turn. His eyes briefly flickered down to Muriel’s lips, the rare, faint smile that creased them. Something about their proximity right now was electrifying, and all the worries and fears of the past few days began to melt away.
“Can I kiss you?”
The question fell from Auric’s lips, unbidden, and the effect it had on Muriel was monumental. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open, and slowly but surely a soft red began to overtake his features. It started in his cheeks and slowly spread out, to his ears and down his neck; then grew more intense, as the poor man began to stutter and stumble over his words. Eventually Muriel snapped his mouth shut, giving Auric a wide-eyed stare.
He nodded slowly, and Auric leaned in.
It was very hesitant at first, a soft and quick brush of lips against each other. When Muriel didn’t flinch or pull away, Auric braved something a little longer; and in response, his companion—no, his partner pulled him in closer. All the nights they’d shared together, curled up in one another’s arms for more than just shared warmth. All the times they’d held hands with entwined fingers, the laughter they shared, that loving warmth that had slowly grown in Muriel’s eyes over the weeks. They weren’t just companions, they were something far more by now. He slowly ran his fingers through Muriel’s hair, tangling them in the darker strands and being careful to not disturb the braids and ties in place. It wasn’t a desperate, lustful exchange; it was slow and gentle, cautious even. Not too unlike how their relationship had panned out up until this point.
Lifetimes passed in a few fleeting seconds, and they slowly pulled away from one another. He could still taste the mead lingering on Muriel’s lips from earlier that evening, mingled with citrus and spice. Muriel’s hand was still gently cradling Auric’s face, and his other hand was steady at the apprentice’s waist. “… I—uh… um… thank you.” The man mumbled in a slight daze, averting his gaze quickly. His blush seemed to deepen with a hint of embarrassment this time.
Before Auric could say anything back, Muriel leaned down to steal another quick kiss—and this time it was Auric who was left in a stunned and flustered stupor.
With a lot of time on his hands and the bounty of the forest at his doorstep, it shouldn't be any surprise to anyone that Muriel knows his way around a skillet. He's not a five star Michielin chef, and he prefers simple meals over complex ones, but he's not a bad cook by any means.
Really, he prefers to make food that can last him a while. When he gets his hands on some good meat, whether through hunting or Inanna bringing him something, he'll set aside parts of it to dry out into jerky and use the rest in a stew.
Toss in some mushrooms, wild onion, and other forageable ingredients and you have something hearty that doesn't let anything to waste.
And of course, eggs. His neighbors are kind enough to let him use their eggs for breakfast in exchange for some extra feed, or corn if he can afford it.
He doesn't have the energy to cook often though. So it's not until you've moved in with him that you find this out about him; and it's a very pleasant surprise. Muriel starts to cook a little more often until it becomes a weekly occurrence; you even begin going out with him every Sunday morning to forage, and if you have the stomach for it he's willing to teach you how to hunt.
... of course, as nice at it is, stew and jerky can get a little old sometimes. You both begin fishing, trying out different ways to cook the ingredients you hunt and forage for.
One evening, you try your hand at making some bread. Muriel is there with you, helping you knead the dough. The consistency seems off but you don't think much of it until you put it in the little oven he built for you both... and it doesn't exactly turn out well. (Still, it was a wonderful way to spend time together.)
You end up asking Portia for some advice; she insists on coming back to the hut with you with some supplies to teach you both yourself.
It ends up working out well. There's a small mishap with the flour; all three of you are COVERED in it, and for the first time you hear Muriel break out into loud, deep-bellied laughter.
The bread you end up baking isn't perfect, but it's edible and tastes fine. Like the first attempt, it's more about the time you spent together. (And honestly, he and Portia are starting to become friends. An extrovert adopting an introvert sort of situation?)
This is rough, unedited, and kinda rushed! I’ll probably edit it later because there’s a lot of missing content, but I wanted to get the rough parts in before the deadline XD
For this Vesuvia Weekly prompt, I thought I’d indulge in a bit of writing that isn’t necessarily canon to Muriel and Auric’s story, but sweet nevertheless.
This takes place in what I’d call the “Heart Hunters/Tales Universe”, where it’s clear the routes haven’t taken place but there’s still a relationship between any given LI and the MC. Great for writing character dynamics and interactions, in a sort of nebulous adjacent setting without a clear storyline.
Summary:
It’s a cold day, and Auric wants to spend it bundled up with his favorite person.
Tags:
SFW (<18), 1.2k Words, Vesuvia Weekly, Borrowing Clothes, Muriel, Muriel of the Kokhuri, Auric Alnazar, Auric the Apprentice, Apprentice OC, Original Character(s), Romantic Relationship(s), Muriel/Auric, Muriel/OC, Fluff
It was an unusually cold day. Auric shivered as he made his way down the trail, gripping his shawl around him for what little warmth it could offer him. A basket was slung over one arm with a loaf of Selasi’s pumpkin bread wrapped in cheesecloth, a small bottle of black mead, and some smoked eel parcled off to the side. It was a rare treat to visit Muriel’s hut these days, so he figured it called for something special. A little something in exchange for how often Muriel had to come into the city just so they could see each other.
The shop kept him busy, but with any luck Auric would be able to rent the space out to someone else soon. He just needed the chance to discuss it with Asra first.
A gust of wind buffeted against Auric’s side, carrying with it the salty sea air and a few leaves that found purchase in his hair. With a huff, he swatted at the stray vegetation and tried to clear it all away and make himself look at least a little more presentable.
The door opened before Auric had the chance to even knock, Muriel’s massive form lurking in the doorway. He was wearing his cloak, a sign that he had been about to leave. Surprise flitted over Muriel’s features as they stared at one another, before the larger man shuffled awkwardly to the side to let him in. “I didn’t think you were coming today.” Muriel murmured, watching Auric step inside. He glanced out at the overcast sky, and Auric understood what he meant.
“I said I would, didn’t I?” Auric replied, bustling over to the table to set the basket down. Inanna was stretched out by the fire, lazily swishing her tail back and forth as she watched both of them. Their eyes met for a moment before Inanna huffed softly and turned to rest her head lazily over her paws, closing her eyes. The apprentice smiled faintly before turning his attention back to unpacking the basket.
“You did…” Muriel pulled his cloak off, hanging it back up on the wall. He made his way over to where Auric stood, hesitating for a brief moment before wrapping his arms around the smaller man from behind. As always, the hug was as loose as possible; and as always, Auric rested one hand over Muriel’s arm and leaned back against him, guiding his arms to hold him a little closer. “It’s also cold.” The hermit murmured against the top of Auric’s head. “You’re cold.” There’s a brief pause before one of Muriel’s hands lifted, picking a stray leaf out of the apprentice’s hair.
Auric’s mouth twitched. He could tell Muriel’s eyes were fixed solely on the food he’d brought, and Auric carefully unwrapped the small packages. The smell of spices and eel wafted through the air, a very odd combination but not entirely unpleasant. “Ah, but I’m warm now.” Auric took one of Muriel’s hands and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. “I’m already forgetting how chilly it is outside.” Muriel grumbled softly in response before he pulled away to fetch the two plates and cups he owned.
“... are you staying tonight?” Muriel asked quietly, setting the wooden dishes out carefully. Auric cut a couple slices off the loaf, serving it and the eel onto both plates while Muriel uncorked the bottle and poured a bit of mead in both cups. While the question was worded one way, it meant another thing entirely; ‘I don’t want you walking home tonight in this weather.’
“I’d like to.” Auric reached across the table after they both sat down, and Muriel took his hand. Three soft squeezes; I love you. Muriel gave four more in return; I love you too.
-<>-
They slept in. Or well, Muriel slept in. Auric could never sleep too long once the sun was up, but he was more than content to rest in Muriel’s arms until he woke. He gazed out the window, taking in the swirling patterns of frost and light amount of snow that had settled in the clearing just outside. He snuggled in closer to Muriel, pulling the furs a little further over them. The fire had died down during the night, making the morning a bit chilly against his bare skin.
Muriel stirred a little, pulling Auric a little closer with a soft grumble. He pressed his face into the pillow with his mouth resting against the back of the apprentice’s head and his warm breath blew through Auric’s hair in soft huffs. A few minutes more, and Muriel’s eyes finally fluttered open with reluctance.
“Morning.” Auric brushed a soft kiss against Muriel’s cheek, taking quiet delight in the way the hermit’s cheeks reddened. He crossed his arms over Muriel’s chest and rested his head over them, idly tracing a heart over where Muriel’s beat.
The larger of the two men blinked the sleep out of his eyes, not yet sitting up. His hand lifted to brush some of Auric’s hair out of his face, curling the multicolored strands around his fingers loosely in an idle gesture of affection. “Morning.” Muriel’s voice rumbled, deep and croaky with early morning drowsiness. Auric could see the other’s lips curve slightly, a warm and sleepy smile.
It took a while for them to get up and moving, but Auric wasn’t in a rush. The shop was closed today and he didn’t have any errands to run until later that afternoon. There were plenty of little sleepy kisses exchanged between them until finally Muriel was awake enough to get up. They both shivered a little in the chilly morning air, and Muriel was quick to tuck the furs back around Auric until he could get the fire started again.
Breakfast was leftover pumpkin bread warmed by the fire, filling the hut with the scent of warm spices mixed with myrrh. They ate on the floor near the fire this time, Muriel listening as Auric rambled about his dreams.
When it finally came time for Auric to leave, Muriel gently grabbed his arm to stop him before he reached the door. In his other hand, the hermit held the scarf Auric bought him months ago. “Wait,” He murmured, draping it over Auric’s shoulders and fussing with it for a moment. “It’s still cold out.”
Auric was frozen for several seconds before he reached up to take his hands, his eyes shining softly. “Thank you.” He said softly, stretching up as far as he could to brush a kiss against Muriel’s cheek. The man’s face was flushed, his eyes focused on everything else but him for a little bit before he finally dragged his gaze to meet Auric’s.
“Just… bring it back when you visit next time.” Muriel mumbled, dipping down to brush a very brief kiss against Auric’s cheek in return. His hand reached out to open the door, the other pulling out of Auric’s grasp to grab his own cloak. “I’ll um… walk you to the city.” He added quietly.
The apprentice smiled, taking Muriel’s hand. With his other, he gently grasped onto the scarf wound around his neck and pulled it up to partially cover his face against the cold as they set out together.
Inspired by the “Who Broke It” meme from Parks and Recreation.
This week I’ve decided to do a reader insert fic! I was originally planning to do a special Incorrect Quotes post, but I ran out of time to even start editing it together. I’ll probably do what I planned eventually, but to meet the deadline I switched over to a mini-fic.
(I’m still figuring out how to format my mini-fic/creative writing posts so please forgive the inconsistencies.)
Summary:
It’s the start of a new day and the familiars have all gathered in the Palace to play and run around the mostly empty halls while you and the M6 share drinks and relax on the Veranda. Unfortunately, while they were romping about and having fun, you discovered one of the familiars broke a very expensive vase Nadia was planning to auction off for charity…
Tags:
SFW (<18), 1k Words, GN Reader, Reader Insert, No Established Relationship, Asra Alnazar, Nadia Satrinava (Mentioned), Faust, Chandra, Malak, Inanna, Pepi, Mercedes & Melchior, Camio, Reader's Familiar, Whodunnit, Parks and Recreation, Who Broke It?
“So. Who broke it?”
The pack of animals in front of you all exchanged guilty glances. You’d caught them running through the halls in a panic, a mess of feathers and fur as they frantically tried to get your attention; and they had led you back to the scattered shards of what once was a very expensive, very delicate vase. Nadia had planned to auction it off, raising money to instate a proper orphanage; she wasn’t going to be happy about this. You sighed and crouched down, so you weren’t towering over the frenzied herd. “I’m not mad.” You said soothingly, reaching your hand out. Pepi was the first to rush forward, pressing into your hand with an apologetic purr. “I just want to know.”
They were all quiet for a long, long moment before your own familiar tentatively broke the silence. “I did it,” They said, but you knew it wasn’t them. They didn’t know who it was, either; the creature was attempting to take the fall for their friends. You huffed out a slight, gentle laugh.
“No, no you didn’t.” Your other hand found the top of your familiar’s head, and you gently scratched at it soothingly. Glancing up at the rest, you swept your gaze over the sea of guilty faces and focused on Malak. The raven looked a little more disheveled than usual, his beady black eyes darting around and his head cocking back and forth anxiously. “Malak?” You prompted. You regretted it almost instantly when you saw the look in his eyes.
“Don’t look at me!” Malak shot back, and his wings flared out. His talons clicked against the marble floor as he began to pace, eyeing the other familiars with a paranoid and scrutinizing glare. “Look at Chandra.” He swept one wing towards her, and the other animals turned to focus on the owl. Her eyes widened further, both surprised and indignant at the accusation.
“I beg your pardon?” Chandra brought herself up to her full height, glaring down at Malak with cold, dark eyes. “I certainly didn’t break it. Unlike yourself I watch where I’m flying.”
“That’s weird, how’d you even know it was broken?” Malak said, almost smugly. As though he thought he’d caught Chandra in the act somehow. You glance at the scattered pieces of sharp ceramic in front of you all, and then back up at the two bickering birds.
The owl extended her wing, feathers flaring as she gestured towards the broken vase. “You imbecile, it is right there in front of us and it is clearly broken.”
“Suspicious.”
“No, it is not–”
“If it matters.” Another voice interjected quickly, and you all turned to look at the two Borzoi standing just off to the side. Melchior had spoken up, Mercedes pressed up against his side and eyeing Pepi. “Probably not… but Pepi was closest to it when we ran past.” Mercedes nodded in agreement.
You saw Pepi’s tail slowly puff up, her pale blue eyes widening in disbelief. “Liar!” She yowled at them, and her ears flattened against her skull. The fur on her back spiked up. “I don’t—push things off of tables, that is a stereotype!”
Mercedes looked amused now, baring her teeth in a grin. “Oh really? Then what were you doing up on the table earlier then?”
“Cats like to be high up to watch things, everybody knows that Mercedes—”
You sighed and held up your hands. “Alright, let’s not fight…”
“Well…” Camio bobbed his head thoughtfully. “Inanna’s been awfully quiet–”
“Really?” Inanna snarled, whipping her head in the cockatiel’s direction. The bird only cackled as the rest of the familiars broke into frenzied arguments, pointing claws and feathers. You could hardly hear yourself think over the uproar, the squabbling animals making so much racket it was a wonder the others couldn’t hear them from the veranda. With a long, suffering sigh you rubbed your hands over your face.
“Okay, that’s enough!” You called out, loudly and clearly enough that your voice rang through the entire hall and shut the bickering animals up. The guilty expressions returned tenfold this time as everyone quieted down, paws and talons shuffling. Your thumb and finger ran up the bridge of your nose, pinching together while you took advantage of the quiet to think. There were a lot of fingers being pointed—so to speak—but none of them were admitting it; and you were inclined to believe they were all speaking the truth as well. You opened one eye to survey the small crowd again, doing a brief headcount. Your own familiar, Malak, Chandra, Camio, Melchior, Mercedes, Inanna, Pepi… no sign of Faust.
“Found help!” Ah, there she was. You turned your head to see Faust slung over Asra’s shoulders as he walked down the hall, the periwinkle serpent waving her tail cheerfully at everyone.
“Faust told me what happened.” Asra crouched beside you and skimmed their fingers over the shattered pottery. “Why don’t we get this fixed up before Nadia sees, hm?” They threw a wink at the other familiars, all of them relaxing just a little bit now. Asra held their hands over the shards, and you watched alongside the familiars as the pieces began to glow softly and draw back together. Glowing golden lines formed where the cracks were as the pieces fit together, melting away to reveal a perfectly uncracked and unbroken surface. They picked up the object carefully and set it back where it belonged. “There we go, good as new. Nobody has to know.” They flashed a toothy smile towards you.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter who broke it then.” The familiars relaxed completely. The only reason you wanted to know was so that whoever broke the vase could properly apologize to Nadia; now there wasn’t any reason for that. You took a moment to give everyone some pets and ear scritches before standing up. “But let’s try to not break any more valuable objects, okay?” You chided them all gently and they murmured their agreements. As you turned back to Asra, you gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“If they’re all together like this, it’s hardly surprising that something broke.” Asra chuckled, guiding Faust off their shoulders so she could rejoin the other familiars. “I was waiting for it to happen. Murphy’s law,” They held their finger up as you both began to walk. “Anything that can go wrong, will. It’s just a matter of how, isn’t it?”
