𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓 【&】ᴇʀʀᴏʀ

Don’t let the size fool you..I’ve got ancient blood, a complicated past, and a knack for finding trouble

[clawthorncs]

。·ﾟﾟto awaken the kingdom, he must awaken himself ♛·。

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Inspired by: King (The Owl House), Dream of the Endless (The Sandman), Prince Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke), Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts),Bastian (The NeverEnding Story)

full name: king clawthorne human name: cassian holt faceclaim: charlie gillespie. dob: october 17  zodiac: libra occupation: hidden heir | outlaw dream-walker birthplace: isles of stone (vanished realm) orientation: demisexual song: “king” - florence + the machine film: big fish education: raised by a wild witch, taught by grief and stardust temperament: melancholic-dominant MBTI: INFP – “the haunted dreamer” alignment: chaotic neutral abilities: ancient titan magic, dream-walking, soul-scrying, astral resilience hogwarts house: ravenclaw emoji: 👑🌙

present ᯓ★

most know him as cassian holt: quiet, strange, too observant. the kind of presence that slips into corners and lingers there, just watching the city breathe. but sometimes, late at night when the veil between worlds thins, the last titan forgets how to hide. the magic hums louder. dreams pull harder. and the old starlight stitched into his blood begins to glow again. he writes to feel real. to leave something behind. not prophecy, not legacy; just fragments. truths. things too soft to say out loud. he doesn’t want to rule. he doesn’t want to be known. yet, something is waking beneath the streets of elias… and it remembers his name.

past ᯓ★

pieces of memory are missing, like entire constellations buried under passing time. he recalls his father’s voice sounding like thunder and the comfort of being held by someone wise and kind. Remembers the sky splitting open and his world crashing down with it. a child, too small to save anything and too stubborn to die. eda found him in the ruins, wild with grief and teeth bared. she gave him her name and all the love she could spare, teaching him to bear pain without becoming it. king isn't sure when his dreams began or when they stopped being just dreams, but he knows what he is- though he doesn't say it, and the world has forgotten. the last titan didn’t die; instead, he became unbearably quiet.

future ᯓ★

he doesn’t want to fight, doesn’t want a crown. but magic like his doesn’t go unnoticed forever. there is a door buried deep beneath elias. a gate between what was and what could be. king is no longer just a remnant. he is becoming something more... a sort of tether to what was lost- what must be remembered. his kingdom is still out there. waiting beneath the cracks, fast asleep. its bones are buried in ley lines. heart still beating in forgotten magic. and he is the last of its blood that can help restore it.

taken connections ᯓ★

eda clawthorne - found mother luz noceda - kindred spark riku park - silent guardian ariel nystrom– quiet gravity

wanted connections ᯓ★

the ghost of the crownᯓ★ a titan loyalist.. or descendant..who believed king to be dead. their devotion has twisted over the years into something bitter. maybe, they remember the kingdom not as legend, but as truth. and now that the last titan walks again, they want him to rise or fall trying. either way, they won’t let him disappear again. the anchor ᯓ★ one person who grounds him to this life. not because they try to fix him..no..but because they never ask him to be anything other than what he is. they keep him human. soft. just a boy. and that terrifies him. the archivistᯓ★someone obsessed with lost kingdoms, dead magic, and titan mythology. maybe they think king is a fraud. maybe they think he’s a relic. either way, they keep getting closer to the truth… and closer to him.

[clawthorncs]

。·ﾟﾟTask Four ♛·。

The Moon

“There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.”

this represents king because it’s the card of dreams, uncertainty, hidden truths, and wandering through darkness without fully understanding what’s waiting ahead. just like The Moon, king is guided more by instinct and visions than certainty - chasing answers, fearing what he might become, and struggling with the loneliness of existing between worlds. his journey isn’t really about finding another titan; it’s about confronting the parts of himself he yet doesn’t understand.

The Tower

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

as a whole because it is the card of collapse, revelation, and transformation through destruction. beneath his humor and chaos, king is carrying something ancient and unstable - grief, loneliness, titan magic, and the fear of what he might become. The Tower reflects the moment everything false falls apart: the belief that he could outrun destiny, that finding another titan would fix the emptiness inside him, that he could carry everything alone. his journey leaves him changed because The Tower is not just about ruin but it’s about surviving the ruin and rebuilding afterward. king himself feels like a tower struck by lightning: beautiful, haunted, and still standing despite the damage he has gone through.

The Star

“To the stars who listen and the dreams that are answered.”

The Star represents king overall; at this core. where The Moon represents his fear and confusion, and The Tower represents his collapse, The Star is who he chooses to become afterward. it is the part of him that still reaches for connection even after loneliness, grief, and disappointment. The Star is the card of healing after destruction. not because the pain disappears, but because in the end he decides to keep living through it. king is constantly surrounded by darkness: ancient magic, prophetic dreams, the fear of extinction, the feeling that he exists between worlds. but despite all of that, he never fully loses his softness. he still cares, still protects people. still searches for meaning instead of surrendering to bitterness. and this is what makes him The Star. this card also represents guidance and distant light, which fits the way he moves through the world. others are drawn to him not because he is perfect or powerful, but because there is something quietly hopeful about him - even when he doesn’t see it in himself. The Star is also deeply tied to home. for king, it represents elias and the people who keep him grounded when he feels like he’s drifting too far into something ancient and lonely. it's the realization that he doesn’t need to find another titan to justify his existence and that he was already loved way before he ever found any answers. at its heart, The Star says: “after everything collapsed, there is still light left.” and that is who king truly is.

[clawthorncs]

。·ﾟﾟTask Three ♛·。

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage.” - Letters to a Young Poet

[clawthorncs]

it had been 3 months since he had left elias, all thanks to a dream and an annoying pull. in hindsight, he should have taken that as a red flag, but him being who he is...that was not the case. normal people ignored ominous prophetic visions, maybe even told a trusted adult or friend, but normal people did not wake up at three in the morning, stare dramatically out a rain-covered window, and decide, you know what? maybe i should follow the horrifying celestial omen into the wilderness. unfortunately, king had never once been accused of being normal. he didn’t even know what “normal was”

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

[1nquirer]

being out in the middle of the night was never a good idea. however, the world reveals itself in a different way after the sun goes down and when everyone is asleep. it was like the world was more honest about itself. sadly, these truths would vary between good and bad and in between. it was important to keep yourself safe.

the 24-hour convenience store used to be scary for agnes, when she would visit it at night. now, between the silence and the darkness, there was a sense of calm in the midst of the busy-ness elias had become embroiled in. but agnes couldn't say the same when she stepped outside.

the person was yelling, clearly he had a vendetta against the universe (and who doesn't really?). it took her a few seconds to realise that it was a familiar face. at the thunder and lightning, agnes jumped slightly in shock—but she quickly composed herself again.

"being a dentist is good if you want to make a lot of money," she said, making her presence known. "i don't see you as a dentist, though." a click of the tongue. "you seem... riled up. you okay?"

[clawthorncs]

king blinked once at the sudden voice, shoulders tensing on instinct before he turned toward her..for a second, he just stared. then he pointed at her with the coffee cup like she had personally interrupted his dramatic monologue to the heavens. "thank you," he said gravely. "like finally someone who understands that dentistry is a stable and respectable career path." another distant rumble of thunder rolled through the city. he narrowed his eyes upward immediately. "keep laughing, coward."

only then did he seem to fully register agnes standing there beneath the flickering convenience store lights. she looked warm compared to him somehow..grounded in a way he currently was not. at her question, though, something in his expression shifted. the humor faltered around the edges.

"uh." he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, gaze drifting somewhere over her shoulder toward the rain-slick street. "define okay?" his laugh came out thin and tired. "because physically? fantastic. i only got chased by one feral dog this month, which honestly feels like growth." he lifted his coffee slightly "emotionally? spiritually? cosmically?"

"i think i got scammed by a prophecy."

[clawthorncs]

it had been 3 months since he had left elias, all thanks to a dream and an annoying pull. in hindsight, he should have taken that as a red flag, but him being who he is...that was not the case. normal people ignored ominous prophetic visions, maybe even told a trusted adult or friend, but normal people did not wake up at three in the morning, stare dramatically out a rain-covered window, and decide, you know what? maybe i should follow the horrifying celestial omen into the wilderness. unfortunately, king had never once been accused of being normal. he didn’t even know what “normal was”

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

[amityatelias]

the last three months seemed to go by in a blur. school took up so much of her time that she didn't notice how much she hadn't seen her friends. sure, she made as much time as she could for luz and sometimes willow, but she didn't talk to many other people outside her friend group or hang out with them as often as she had before the end of the semester. it came out of nowhere, the sheer amount of work that she had to do, papers and final projects piling up left and right. next semester she vowed to take less classes, but she knew she wouldn't. amity liked a challenge after all.

it wasn't to say that she barely noticed that he'd left, but that she was far too occupied with her own life. of course she did her best to reach out and make sure that everything was okay, but the witch had too much on her plate. she was waiting for some new sort of trouble to show up in this town. the few months of nothingness seemed too easy. maybe someone would say that she was too pessimist, but she was never the optimist in the equation.

"i can't see you as a dentist, unless you specialize in pulling teeth and not letting the patient take them home." Honestly, teeth were useful to have around. "i'm glad you're back." she took a sip of her tea. "you doing okay?"

[clawthorncs]

king looked over at her from beneath the hood of his jacket, blinking slowly like the universe had personally unplugged him somewhere around hour forty-eight without sleep. for a second, "wow. okay. first of all? incredibly hurtful." he pointed at her with the coffee cup in accusation. "i would be an amazing dentist. terrifying. but memorable. people would leave my office changed forever...in a good way"

lightning rumbled again somewhere overhead, softer this time, and he narrowed his eyes at the sky like he was actively in a custody battle with whatever god had it for him.

"i dunno." his voice came quieter now, worn thin from too many nights spent talking to himself and pretending it counted as coping. "i thought i was gonna find something." his thumb rubbed absently against the paper cup. rain tapped softly against the hood pulled over his curls. he looked older somehow... not physically.. but just in the way exhaustion settled into people when hope kept surviving longer than it should. "i kept getting led to these places that looked important until i got there and realized it was just another dead end with weird vibes and probably tetanus...”

he shook his head quickly before pointing at her tea instead. "what is that? if you say lavender i’m walking directly back into the woods."

[clawthorncs]

it had been 3 months since he had left elias, all thanks to a dream and an annoying pull. in hindsight, he should have taken that as a red flag, but him being who he is...that was not the case. normal people ignored ominous prophetic visions, maybe even told a trusted adult or friend, but normal people did not wake up at three in the morning, stare dramatically out a rain-covered window, and decide, you know what? maybe i should follow the horrifying celestial omen into the wilderness. unfortunately, king had never once been accused of being normal. he didn’t even know what “normal was”

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

[vinemagic]

⸻🍂 WILLOW WAS UNSURE IF THIS WAS AN omen or just another spring storm:

As she &. Clover had spent an few hours with Hunter &. Flapjack. While she walked beside Hunter with there hood half-slipped back with Flapjack tucked close under the hood like an small cardinal-heartbeat. Having conversations about everything &. nothing as she enjoyed listening to which somehow made it all the more important.  While she watched the way there facial expressions take shape under the dim-illumination of neon-shop signs. As Flapjack &. Clover at some point fluttered around creating there own chaos in the rainy-background making Hunter laugh like they'd forgotten to be guarded . . . just the 4 of them wandering nowhere beneath an rain that doesn't burn. She honestly adores them in the quietest way she knew how ⸻ which means she won't say anything at all.

&. everything was blurring grey past 10 ⸻ as grey swallowed everything ⸻ the gold from earlier turned grey. While the buildings around her were like soaked gravestones against an rainy-city as she moved through it with Clover &. the lonicera × ' mandarin ' ⸻ mandarin honeysuckle ⸻ threading into the gaps outside of apartment buildings gone silent.  Still breaking in &. rescuing animals with ribcages showing through fur ⸻ but not all get saved in time. The part that no spell can fix ⸻ it just sits inside her like she had swallowed-glass. As saving the ones left behind isn't really solving the disappearances. As its not even justice. It isn't even getting anywhere closer to answers she needs. Its just . . . standing in the aftermath holding up . . . some invisible structural-instability right before the whole damn thing collapses.

As it all happened so fast. While Clover found King first ⸻ because Clover had always been better at knowing what Willow needed. While she chased after an fire-bee palisman around an corner ⸻ past the blurry illuminated-glow of an 24-hour convenience store . . . where King ⸻ Cassian ⸻ looked like an like an cryptid who had robbed an lost-&.-found bin &. somehow lost. As they were alive in an way that made her own body forget how to move. However Clover reached them first ⸻ happy little tackle ⸻ vibrational-buzzing as they climbed &. settled on the top of there flattened-curled head with an soft-given headbutt to the forehead that would not have harmed or scared an leaf. As she felt happiness first ⸻ brightly ⸻ painfully ⸻ like she was touching an bruise to prove it still hurt.

Its worse when the rain made everything softer except the hurt ⸻ for 3-months ⸻ 3-months was not an number it was every unanswered worry ⸻ fear ⸻ &. ghostly-reminder of what she could lose ⸻ again. “ Start with you? ” As her voice came out to sharp &. trembling an little around the edges not knowing how to address them ⸻ King ⸻ Cassian ⸻ “ ⸻ I have been waiting 3-months! The storm can file a complaint &. get in line. ” &. for an moment she felt the way her magic restlessly ⸻ almost completely out of her own control ⸻ stirred the roots beneath the pavement desiring to break towards the surface. As she was to scared to move an single inch because she isn't so sure she's in control. As the rain slipped down her glasses . . . hopefully hiding her own fear behind smokey-quartzs ⸻ but it might not be enough.

“ You . . . scared me. ” 

[clawthorncs]

the city held its breath around them.rain softly hissing against the neon signs and cracked pavement. it turned the streets of elias into something half-drowned, yet dreamlike. thunder rolled like an old god shifting in its sleep.and king..he just stood in the middle of it it all..looking painfully mortal for once. mud line his boots as exhaustion stitched into the slope of his shoulders… eyes too tired to hide anything properly. clover chirped once from atop his head as if attempting to mediate the situation before emotions escalated into property damage. it did not help.

he felt something inside him drop straight through the earth. she was scared..not annoyed. or frustrated..scared..the kind of fear people only carried for things they couldn’t bear to lose. the last three months replayed in fragments sharp enough to cut: dead coastlines. empty forests. endless rain. hopeless dreams whispering his name like a curse. all those nights convincing himself he was chasing destiny instead of spiraling headfirst into another obsession he didn’t know how to let go of. and the entire time.. he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving.

not eda.  not luz. not willow…he had just vanished..as if that like that somehow made it easier. the realization hit him so hard he physically winced.“…oh, titan,” he muttered under his breath, sounding genuinely horrified with himself now. king stared at her for a long second beneath rain, lips parting slightly before shutting again. there were a thousand things he could say.. most of them terrible. one of them involved pretending he had actually died and come back somehow cooler, but even he knew that joke would probably get him buried alive beneath sentient vines tonight.

“yeah,” he murmured..lowering his gaze. clover buzzed softly atop his shoulder, tiny paws pressing against his damp hoodie as he stared at willow slowly understanding the shape of the damage he’d left behind. his grip tightened around the convenience store coffee until the cup crumpled slightly in his hand as the roots beneath the pavement began moving. “um..wow. okay. cool.” another helpless shake of his head. “i’m actually the villain in this story.” lightning cracked somewhere overhead.. “don’t agree with me.”

thunder rumbled anyway.“traitor.” he could feel the city reacting to her grief like a nervous animal pressed against a cage. his gaze dropped briefly to the cracks near her feet before lifting back to her face and thats when something inside him softened catastrophically.

there she was. still here. angry and frightened and shaking beneath the rain after three months of silence, and somehow she was still standing here looking at him like he was something worth being furious over. that was the part that undid him.

not the yelling. not the storm. that.

he ran a hand over his face with a tired groan. “okay..so… hypothetically speaking..” he started carefully, “if someone did accidentally follow a cosmic hallucination into the wilderness because they thought maybe the universe was finally handing them a life-changing revelation…”lightning cracked again"...but..there wasn’t anything out there.”

the humor slipped.just for a second. long enough for the truth to show through. “i kept thinking if i walked a little farther, or stayed one more night, or followed the dream one more time, i’d find…” his brows pinched slightly. “something that made sense.”

rainwater slid from the edge of his jaw as he laughed again, weaker now...sadness edging at this words…“instead i got attacked by seagulls in maine.” he pause. “which, by the way...they are demons..one stole my sandwich and looked me directly in the eyes while doing it.”

clover buzzed sympathetically.. “thank you. for understanding.” but the bit was unraveling already. willow was still staring at him like that. and he couldn’t joke his way around the ache in her voice. his shoulders lowered a fraction. the fight drained out of him like rainwater down a gutter. “i’m sorry..” he said again, softer this time. real enough that it almost disappeared beneath the storm. “i didn’t…” he swallowed once. “i didn’t think anyone would notice how long i was gone.” which was maybe the saddest thing he could’ve ever admitted.

[clawthorncs]

he had been sitting sideways on the bench just like a gargoyle someone had politely asked to act human. hood half-up despite the warm evening air. a tray sat abandoned in front of him fries gone cold, drink untouched. he was lost in thought, attention lingering somewhere far beyond the noise of the food stalls. eyes dream-heavy and a bit distant. that was... until she appeared. a stranger with pizza and the confidence of someone moments away from starvation.

king  blinked once as she sat before he could answer, gaze dropping to the offered pizza box like she’d just presented him with an ancient artifact.. a cheesy ancient artifact.. his favorite. 

“…you know,” he said slowly, “most people wait for consent before invading a crypt.”  he teased lookinng mildly impressed as he tilted his head, dark waves slipping into his face as he considered the pepperoni slice she offered. “this is either generosity..” he mused, “or the world’s least threatening assassination attempt.”

he reached over and picked up a slice anyway. “if I die,” he added solemnly, “i’m haunting you down..my ghost self is gonna have to follow you to make up for this murder.”

[mandyfellwyn]

mandy, in all honesty, had taken a gamble when she sat here. most of the surrounding tables were full of families, friends, and conversationalists that she didn't necessarily care to interrupt. but here, he had been sitting alone and staring off into space in a way that indicated that he might not even acknowledge her sitting down at all.

she was wrong, of course.

a beat of silence passed between them and the pizza box. she blinked. leaned in. squinted in a way that denoted challenge. "most people aren't taking up a whole table to neglect their tray." picking her own slice up, she took a bit that was a bit too big for her mouth and let a lull settle between them for a second as she chewed, swallowed, took a sip of her diet coke. "dude, if this shit is poisoned, we're going down together." she took another bite, not realizing how hungry she was until the first one went down. "i'm mandy, by the way. since we'll probably be roommates in the afterlife or whatever."

[clawthorncs]

king stared at her for a long second after the roommate comment, expression unreadable in the way cats probably must look moments before knocking something expensive off a shelf.. then ..just then..quietly..he laughed. low and a bit rough around the edges. the sound had caught him off guard. it wasn’t often someone managed to genuinely amuse him.

“that’s reassuring,” he added, lifting the slice in a lazy little salute before taking a bite. “nothing bonds people faster than mutual food poisoning.” a crooked smile surfaced briefly between bites as he leaned back against the bench, gaze drifting toward the festival lights blinking overhead like distant stars trying too hard to be magical. for someone who always looked faintly haunted, he seemed strangely at ease beside her now. less gargoyle and more exhausted cryptid.

“mandy,” he repeated, slower this time, as if testing the shape of the name against his own thoughts. “that’s one solid apocalypse-partner name.” his eyes flicked back to hers “i’m kin-...” he caught himself for half a breath. “...cassian.” the correction came smoothly, but not naturally.

he nudged the abandoned tray in front of him with one finger. “for the record, i wasn’t neglecting the fries.” a solemn paus. “Just contemplating. there’s a difference.”another bite disappeared before his voice softened slightly around the edges. “seriously, though… thanks for the pizza.” his attention dropped briefly to the slice in his hand, almost thoughtful. “i’ve been craving a good slice for, like, three months.” a faint huff of amusement escaped him.

[mandyfellwyn]

open event starter location: outdoor seating near the food stalls

mandy walked away from pizza planet with a pepperoni pizza in hand and a dream, scanning the picnic tables set up nearby for an empty seat. unfortunately she picked a prime time to eat, because everything seemed just a little bit occupied. against every introvert bone in her body, she approached the one table that only held one occupant.

"cool if i sit here?" she didn't wait for a response as she sat down, since empty was a luxury not afforded to her in the moment and she just wanted to eat. flipping open the box, she took a slice, took a bite, and then gestured toward the rest. "do you want some of this? i won't eat the whole thing."

[clawthorncs]

he had been sitting sideways on the bench just like a gargoyle someone had politely asked to act human. hood half-up despite the warm evening air. a tray sat abandoned in front of him fries gone cold, drink untouched. he was lost in thought, attention lingering somewhere far beyond the noise of the food stalls. eyes dream-heavy and a bit distant. that was... until she appeared. a stranger with pizza and the confidence of someone moments away from starvation.

king  blinked once as she sat before he could answer, gaze dropping to the offered pizza box like she’d just presented him with an ancient artifact.. a cheesy ancient artifact.. his favorite. 

“…you know,” he said slowly, “most people wait for consent before invading a crypt.”  he teased lookinng mildly impressed as he tilted his head, dark waves slipping into his face as he considered the pepperoni slice she offered. “this is either generosity..” he mused, “or the world’s least threatening assassination attempt.”

he reached over and picked up a slice anyway. “if I die,” he added solemnly, “i’m haunting you down..my ghost self is gonna have to follow you to make up for this murder.”

[sophia-becketts]

CHARLIE GILLESPIE as SKYLER in

⏤ Sidelined 2: Intercepted

[clawthorncs]

it had been 3 months since he had left elias, all thanks to a dream and an annoying pull. in hindsight, he should have taken that as a red flag, but him being who he is...that was not the case. normal people ignored ominous prophetic visions, maybe even told a trusted adult or friend, but normal people did not wake up at three in the morning, stare dramatically out a rain-covered window, and decide, you know what? maybe i should follow the horrifying celestial omen into the wilderness. unfortunately, king had never once been accused of being normal. he didn’t even know what “normal was”

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

[clawthorncs]

king announced his arrival the way only he could: by absolutely obliterating a pile of fallen leaves. a dramatic CRUNCH echoed across the garden as he stomped straight through them like a conquering warrior who was returning from battle. a swirl of gold and burnt orange fluttered up around his boots. one leaf stuck to his coat, while another landed in his hair.

he allowed it. even though the squirrels judged him.

his eyes narrowed. "relax, tiny forest goblin. i’m not here for your hoard." he spotted the bread and reconsidered "…probably."

he hopped onto the bench beside the stranger. king paused to squint at the trees before speaking."they’re loud today," he muttered, like it was a perfectly normal thing to say. "all that whispering. change is coming,something’s stirring, watch your step, blah blah blah. Very dramatic. rude of them to yell at me first thing in the morning."vhe plucked a leaf from his hair and flicked it away. golden eyes flicked back to aurora.

"i was hunting down a… situation," he said, waving a hand. "Little ripple of weird magic near the square. thought maybe something was cracking open again.…turned out it was just a spice merchant overheating their cauldron. smelled like burnt cinnamon and betrayal."

[fateofaurora]

Aurora  looked  up  as  the  leaves  settled  and  the  younger  man,  no  King,  made  his  declaration.  Her  laughter,  light  as  wind  chimes,  escaped  before  she  could  contain  it,  softening  the  wary  edge  that  had  lingered  in  her  shoulders  all  morning.  There  was  something  about  King  that  made  her  feel  like  the  world  didn’t  have  to  be  so  heavy  all  the  time.  "You  startled  them,"  she  said,  eyes  flicking  to  the  squirrels  that  had  fled  for  higher  ground.  "They’ve  only  just  forgiven  me  for  forgetting  the  cashews  last  week."

Her  smile  turned  knowing,  a  flicker  of  fondness  crossing  her  face  as  he  described  the  “burnt  cinnamon  and  betrayal.”  She  had  yet  to  fully  understand  magic  the  way  others  in  Elias  seemed  to.  Her  kind  of  magic,  the  cursed  and  inherited  sort,  was  slower,  older,  and  still  a  little  uncertain  in  her  hands.  But  she  was  learning.  Little  by  little.

She  tucked  a  piece  of  hair  behind  her  ear  and  turned  toward  the  trees  with  him,  following  his  gaze  as  if  she,  too,  could  hear  something  in  their  rustling.  And  maybe  she  could.  Elias  had  a  way  of  sharpening  her  senses  when  she  let  it.  “They  are  loud  today,”  Aurora  echoed,  quieter  now.  “It’s  like  they’re  whispering  just  out  of  reach.  I  used  to  think  the  woods  only  whispered  in  dreams,  but  now…  I  think  they  might  always  have  been  speaking.  I  just  didn’t  know  how  to  listen.”

Her  eyes  drifted  back  to  King,  curiosity  blooming.  “You  seem  to  know  how.  Listen,  I  mean.  That’s  rare.  Do  they  ever  say  anything  kind?”  she  asked,  with  the  gentle  vulnerability  of  someone  hoping  the  answer  was  yes.

[clawthorncs]

king tilted his head slightly with curiosity, listening again like the trees themselves might lean closer if he gave them any attention they deserved. for brief moment he looked almost serious.. some might even say, ancient, before the expression cracked into something softer. he crouched, picking up a fallen twig and twirling it like a tiny scepter.

“those squirrels were clearly spies. i saved you from a future coup. you’re welcome.” voice dramatic while his eyes flicked toward the branches where they’d fled, suspicious for half a heartbeat longer before the act dropped. when aurora spoke about the woods whispering, something quieter settled over him. the tension his shoulders loosened, the joking tone easing into something thoughtful.

“they do that,” he murmured. “whisper. not with words. but more like… feelings that get lost between the leaves.” he glanced up through the canopy, sunlight catching in his hair as he considered her question. for once he didn’t answer right away. “sometimes,” he said at last. “not often in the way people mean it.”

he nudged a leaf with the tip of his shoe. “the woods aren’t really nice. they’re just honest.” his mouth curled a little. “they’ll warn you when something hungry is nearby. they’ll point out which path won’t swallow you whole. that’s their version of kindness."

[luzuramagic]

#𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋 ›› ft. luz noceda location: Harmony Karaoke status: 0/5

——— striking her most popstar worthy pose, luz had just finished belting to her heart's content. the other patrons in the place were happy the performance was over. one too many microphone screeches had pierced their ears. she jumped on the stage a huge smile on her face and slightly panting from the adrenaline coursing through her. "come on you have to go up and sing!" she told the person she was standing in front of. "it's so much fun i promise."

[clawthorncs]

king scrunched his nose as luz bounced in front of him, riding the high of her performance. he glanced at the stage… then back at her… then dramatically flopped back against the chair. “that microphone just survived a near-death experience,” he declared. his tail flicked behind him..the universal sign he was already considering it. he did like the attention after all. 

he huffed, sliding off the chair and shifting halfway as he stood - horns briefly flickering before disappearing. “fine,” he muttered, pointing at her. “but if the crowd starts throwing things, i'm blaming you and your terrible musical judgment.” he grinned “…also we’re doing a duet. i refuse to die on that stage alone.”

[clawthorncs]

@castthestars

the library was too still in the hush hours, as king sat at a table he claimed was for studying (though really it offered the best view) his notebook was sprawled open, pages crowded with messy notes and jagged arrows leading to ideas he could almost name. he tapped his pen against the margin, then let it wander across the paper again before adding.

castor prefers the north entrance. is the ground going to betray him? why does he walk that way?

chin on his hand, eyes drifting across the room again just in time to catch sight of him..the moment he entered the room, something in his chest did that strange thing again..like a low note vibrating through a cathedral bell. constant. warm and a bit unsettling. king frowned slightly, pressing the pen harder to the page.

heart does the humming thing again. he underlined it twice. nothing about it made sense. he had met powerful people before. dangerous people. old magic, strange magic, impossible magic. yet, none of them had ever made his ribs feel like they were quietly singing..none of them made him lose his breath.lose. yet, castor barely spared him a glance as he passed and he almost lost it.

observation #12: possibly thinks i’m annoying.

king scribbled that down too. he wasn’t offended. if anything, it made the whole situation feel… safer. cold reactions were easier to understand than the strange pull that kept drawing his attention back to the other boy like gravity..his eyes followed him..for a moment..okay.. several moments before he shifted in his chair, flipping his notebook. fingers drummed against the cover as he watched castor move through the room with that same distant.  he let out a quiet breath, running a hand through his hair before glancing back down at the notebook.

he hesitated. before opening it again. question: why does my heart react to him like this? he stared at the words for a long moment in wonder.

[vinemagic]

⸻ 🎄 WILLOW FOLLOWED FIVE INTO TOYMAKERS ALLEY ⸻ AS the ✰sphere Droid swiveled in delightful jerks. 

Five trilled &. warbled with unmistakable joy ⸻ unbothered by the enchanted toys ⸻ magical curiositys from all sides. But she was bothered. Nervous? Finding her smokey-quartz's flickering down from her glasses every few seconds to track Five. As Five looked to much like the merchandise.

All polished green-metal ⸻ whirring parts &. transparent parts ⸻ see-through as an terrarium of plants &. mechanisms showed from within. As the last thing she needed was for some stall-vendor eyeing or someone attempting to take Five.  As she hovered close out of habit ⸻ just in case. 

Until she recognized the theatrical shouting ⸻ arguing with ⸻ smokey-quartzs squinted . . . something she wasn't sure from this distance. Slowly crouching down pulling her skirt with her as she went down beside Five gently giving the droid an nudge towards the larger-than-the-lane-itself-good ol'Uncle Cassian " Five. Go say hi."

" I'll be right here if you need me. "

She didn't need to tell Five twice.  As Five burst in an zip as there dome swiveled forward as Five took in the moment.  Everything-enchanted-&.-hostile was answered with an sharp prosecutorial ⸻ ‘ bzzzt-rrrp ’

Before-i-melt-you-with-my-dragon- breath ⸻ as Five made an accusational negative buzz (no) ⸻ ‘ bwee-ooo-woop! ’ As the toy_robots sensors flickered in what might have been confusion next to Five. As Five rolled back as there dome tilted in insubordination.

As Five shot an red-laser beam directly at Uncle Cassian.  As the laser-beam wasn't by any means harmful ⸻ just bright ⸻incredibly hostile ⸻ right into Uncle Cassian's left eye.

Feel-my-fire!!!. Five punctuated the theatrical-statement with an defiant little spin ⸻ with unmistakable smuggly ⸻ chirps &. beeps of victory.  As if daring Uncle Cassian to follow through on his threat ⸻ oh wait he can’t!

As she couldn't help but muffle her laughter within her scarf an few feet away. As she didn't want to give her position away . . . yet. &. she couldn't really tell what was going on ⸻ but either there was an rebellion happening or Cassian was just getting bullied by electronics at this point.

[clawthorncs]

king yelped as the red beam hit his eye, stumbling back half a step with a hiss. "AH-HEY-FOUL" he clapped a hand over his face, tail lashing once in pure, offended disbelief. "that was a warning glare, not a challenge!" peeking through his fingers, he squinted at five, blinking rapidly as his vision caught up with reality. when it did, his expression shifted. shock melting into recognition, then something dangerously close to delight. "…oh," he said slowly. "wait..you’re not a toy."

the mechanical menace at his feet whirred again, clearly reconsidering its life choices in the presence of a larger, smugger machine. king straightened, rubbing his eye, then crouched slightly so he was closer to five’s level, grin creeping back in full force. "okay. ookay. fine...i respect the audacity," he admitted. "laser to the face? bold. rude. and. iconic."

he glanced past five, eyes flicking through the alley until they landed on the edge of a familiar scarf, the smallest shake of his head betraying that yes, he absolutely saw her. "is this what it’s like when i’m not around?” he called lightly, pretending not to. "robots forming unions? open rebellion?" voice lowering back down to five like they were co-conspirators. "and for the record," he tapped his chest, "dragon breath is very real. i was just… giving you a sporting chance."

[amityatelias]

toy shopping was a lot more interesting than she expected it to be. she'd been quietly shopping in a booth with king when she heard the noise. although she'd been curious about the wooden toy in her hand, she sighed and set it down. amity knew that whatever mess was about to happen, she needed to make sure that people didn't exactly get in the way. she ran after both the robot and her friend, apologizing to anyone that was in the way.

"relax for like three seconds and i can help," she frowned, looking at the robot. she probably couldn't help, but the situation was far more dramatic. amity had never liked being the center of attention, unless it came to being the center of luz's attention. "is everything really that hostile?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. from where she stood, the only person being hostile was him. amity really had no idea what to do to help this situation.

[clawthorncs]

king froze mid-threat. the robot squeaked. slowly turning, coat still flared, finger still pointed, expression caught somewhere between ancient dragon terror and kid who absolutely started this. "…okay," he said, lowering his hand an inch. "in my defense.. the robot revved ominously. "it started it."

he shot amity a look, equal parts sheepish and dramatic. personally offended by her tone. "you didn’t hear it scream at me. very aggressive and very anti-holiday." the robot chose that moment to attempt another escape, wheels squealing but he lunged, planting a boot lightly in front of it so it skidded to a stop, then glanced back at her. "and i am relaxed" he insisted with a voice pitched louder than necessary. "this is me relaxed. this is my ‘not melting things’ voice."

[castthestars]

Castor blinked once, twice, pupils dilating ever so slightly as he studied the boy in front of him. Castor tilted his head further, eyes glowing faintly like frost catching moonlight, but the glitch in his form smoothed out. He stood a little straighter. “I don’t think we’ve officially met,” he said lightly. “But you feel familiar.”

“But then again,” Castor added, stepping half a circle around King, pretending to admire the lights on the tree again, “a lot of people look up and wish real hard this time of year. Maybe I just remind you of someone.” He stopped, finally turning to face him again with a soft smile. “You’ve got good eyes, though. Sharp. Curious. I like that.” His head tilted slight. “What’s your name?”

He wasn’t ready to tell him. Not yet. Not that he used to watch him from a distance, a streak of light cast in the cosmos, listening to a boy who never made small wishes. Not that Castor had kept track even after he fell. For now, he just wanted to know what kind of person King had become.

[clawthorncs]

the noise of the square softened all at once. it was weird how the laughter began to blur at the edges, bells dulling, the world tilting the way it did right before a dream decided to take hold. king’s tail stilled, not frozen but listening, and his brows drew together as he studied castor with a focus that felt far older than the moment deserved. "…yeah," he said quietly at last, certain in a way that surprised even him. "that’s the part that’s bothering me."

he lifted a hand between them. hovering. testing the air, the pull tightening behind his ribs like a memory that refused to finish forming. "i’ve seen..you" king said softly "maybe not like this..or here?" his gaze slipped past castor for a heartbeat, unfocused at stars too close together, a sky above bending. "in dreams..or something like them..." his form glitched once gold seams of old magic along his knuckles then steadied as he exhaled, a crooked smile sneaking back despite himself. "…cassian," he said, offering the name like a truth he didn’t use often. "but peo-..you can call me king.” this time, he didn’t hesitate. he extended his hand fully toward him, palm open, steady "feels kinda rude not to introduce myself properly."

[castthestars]

open starter for everyone

The scent of caramelized sugar and burning firewood drifted through the air, curling into the sleeves of Castor’s coat as he strolled between booths with hands tucked neatly behind his back. The winter festival, as the locals called it, had transformed the city center into a glittering maze of noise, light, and sentiment. Sentiment which, if he was being objective, seemed both excessive and inefficient.

Strings of twinkling lights cast fleeting halos over the crowds, and Castor’s sharp eyes took in everything, the way children tugged parents toward peppermint stands, the inexplicable popularity of artificially flavored cocoa, the mild chaos of a snowball toss game that was clearly rigged for entertainment over outcome. 'Curious,' he thought to himself, pausing to watch a trio of teenagers argue about whether reindeer were government-funded constructs or actual fauna. 'No measurable gain, yet they seem satisfied just by being near one another.'

His gaze flicked to a vendor sculpting miniature snowmen using enchanted frost. The magic was rudimentary. The joy it caused was not. Castor tilted his head.'Perhaps there’s more information to be gathered.' He did his best to keep his feet on the ground, literally, but he found himself floating at times as he was now trying to peek at what the person was holding.

[clawthorncs]

the cold tickled his nose just enough to make it scrunch, and the cheer in the air felt fizzy, he paused in the town square, half-eaten sugar cookie still in his hands, gaze lifting to the massive tree at its center. at the very top sat the star..bright, glowing, and unapologetically dramatic. he couldn't help but stare at it, head tilting slowly. studying it . his eyes narrowed, tail flicking behind him as his form glitched for just a heartbeat.. the tree was tall and regal. he crossed his arms, pretending to brood, but the smile kept sneaking back anyway. something warm settling in his chest that had absolutely nothing to do with cocoa and everything to do with this. he watched the people gathering beneath it. all laughing, smiling, and pointing..leaning into one another like gravity worked better here than anywhere else.

then...bonk.

he stopped short, nearly walking straight into something or more like someone that wasn’t supposed to be there. he leaned back instinctively, eyes refocusing until he realized...oh. it was a person..a floating person? directly in his line of sight. he stared up at them. then around them. then back again, slower this time. "most people use fee-..." tail stilling mid-flick as something behind his eyes shifted..searching..his form glitching as he squinted, head tipping to the side. "do i know you?" the question came out softer than expected. curious but with a certain in a way he couldn’t explain.