2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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art blog(derogatory)
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@feliscus
#FELISCUS! magic should be mysterious, surprising, and defy logic. an independent & mutuals only roleplay blog for lyney of genshin impact, as written by qiu ( 18↑ + they/them ) please read my rules before following!
navi : carrd 🌢 prompts 🌢 icon border blogroll : march 7th ( @mrch7th ) 🌢 multimuse ( @songwept )
been busy with finals these past few weeks apologies for the radio silence haha but with the dust from that mostly settled, i’ll be catching up on drafts across all my blogs soon! in the meantime, i’d love to grab a few new interactions on lyney so if you send in a meme i will respond to it with the intention that it might be replied to if you’d like
「 RP MEME : NONVERBAL PROMPTS. mix of violent, caring, touching and non-touching prompts. 」 SEND PROMPT '+ REVERSE' for the inverse to happen. for example 'bandage + reverse' for the receiver to bandage wounds on the sender.
[ BANDAGE ] : sender bandages a wound on receiver.
[ GUIDE ] : sender puts a hand on he receiver's back to guide them somewhere.
[ WAVE ]: sender waves down receiver to get their attention.
[ SIGN ]: sender raises their hand to sign to receiver. what follows can be anything the sender desires.
[ LIFT ]: sender lifts receiver's chin to look at them.
[ LIGHT ]: sender lights receiver's cigarette/candle/etc.
[ FIND ] : sender finds receiver beaten and/or bloodied.
[ PIN ]: sender pins receiver against the wall during combat/sparring.
[ GET DOWN ]: sender tackles receiver out of the way of danger.
[ TAKE ]: sender takes a hit meant for receiver.
[ CAUGHT ]: sender finds receiver somewhere they aren't supposed to be.
[ TRAP ]: sender traps the receiver somewhere they don't want to be.
[ DARLING ]: sender touches receiver's cheek.
[ SNATCH ]: sender snatches receiver's wrist as they turn to go.
[ STAB ]: sender stabs receiver.
[ DRAG ]: sender drags receiver from point a to point b.
[ SIT ]: sender sits on receiver's lap.
[ EN GARDE ]: sender and receiver get into some kind of fight.
[ DRUNK ]: sender finds receiver drunk.
[ BLOOD ]: sender walks into receiver's room covered in blood.
[ FLOWER ]: sender offers a flower to receiver.
[ HOLD ]: sender reaches to hold receiver's hand.
[ BRUSH ]: sender brushes a strand of hair out of receiver's face.
[ NOTE: ] sender writes a note for receiver. the contents are whatever the sender decides.
[ EYES ]: sender notices receiver looking at them.
[ STOP ]: sender raises hand to signal the receiver to stop in place.
[ TAP ]: sender taps receiver on the shoulder to get their attention.
[ WAKE ]: sender gently wakes receiver from a nap or otherwise.
[ MORNING AFTER ]: sender and receiver wake up together for the first time after a night of passion.
[ BLANKET ]: sender drapes a blanket over receiver's shoulders.
[ HUDDLE ]: sender and receiver huddle together in an effort to stay warm.
[ TUG ]: sender pulls receiver away from them.
[ PUSH ]: sender pushes receiver away from them.
[ BULLET ]: sender shoots receiver in a non-lethal area.
↪ 𝑺𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 , HISTORICAL 〳 FANTASY edition ! ( a collection of 25 settings based upon the period 〳 fantasy genres ; meant to inspire drabbles or be used as prompts . WILL be updated . )
001. the interior of an elegant carriage .
002. seated at a large dining table set with an elaborate meal .
003. the shadowy corner of a lively tavern .
004. the top of a light house during a raging storm .
005. along the dimly lit corridor of a large manor .
006. the damp , dark brig of a pirate ship .
007. the ruins of an ancient structure lost to time .
008. a theater hall brimming with attendees .
009. the bustling streets of a market town .
010. a sun - drenched vineyard .
011. along a boardwalk overlooking the sea .
012. a moonlit cemetery full of weathered graves .
013. on horseback , deep in the woods .
014. a luxurious drawing room smelling of tea .
015. a sprawling dragon roost , hidden atop craggy mountain peaks .
016. a war - torn battlefield .
017. a beautiful cathedral bustling with churchgoers .
018. within a crammed opera box during a performance .
019. an elegant tearoom serving afternoon refreshments .
020. a lakeside pavilion on an especially hot day .
021. a sprawling network of underground catacombs .
022. a hidden glade in the middle of the woods .
023. the deep , dark dungeon of a castle .
024. a market square full of fruit and fineries .
025. a baker's shop smelling of wonderful pastries .
026. the quiet stables of a large estate .
027. on the outskirts of a magnificent water fountain .
028. in a dimly lit library , hidden amongst the books .
029. among the high walls of a hedge maze .
030. at the front desk of a warm , homey inn .
031. under the protection of a gazebo as it rains .
032. on the landing of a busy train station .
033. a gambling hall alight with raucous laughter and drink .
034. a pristine infirmary , mostly empty .
035. on board a huge ship making a long voyage .
+ 20 more setting prompts : 6 / 01 / 2024
036. in a sunlit garden adorned with blooming flowers .
037. at the edge of a serene forest lake under a starry sky.
038. within a quiet corridor of a castle during a lavish ball .
039. in a bustling blacksmith's forge , sparks flying .
040. on a rocky cliffside overlooking a vast ocean .
041. in a quaint village square during a festival .
042. within a secret chamber hidden behind a bookshelf .
043. in the grand atrium of a luxurious hotel .
044. along a narrow brick alleyway in a crowded town .
045. within a busy marketplace in a desert town .
046. on a tranquil beach at sunrise .
047. in a cozy cottage with a crackling fireplace .
048. at the helm of a majestic airship soaring through the clouds .
049. in a grand library filled with ancient tomes .
050. on a bustling harbor dock as ships come and go .
051. within a magical forest where the trees glow softly .
052. in an apothecary's shop filled with herbs and potion .
053. at a secluded cabin by a dangerously quick river .
054. within the opulent throne room of a powerful ruler .
055. in an enchanted glade where fairies dance in the moonlight .
whwre is rizzgod9000 💐 (this is for rosseland :) 🐟)
meow meow!! meow meow meow!!! (everyone always asks where is rizzgod9000 >:( no one ever asks HOW is rosseland)
...! meow meow meow... (but maybe mr. albedo isn’t so bad...)
meow meow meow meow meow. (give me my café back)
...mrrrrrrow! (MY café now)
🌢 call & response.
birds are meant to fly free. if the archons blessed you with wings, wouldn’t it be a tragedy not to use them? so thinks the jailer hypocrite of his doves, gesturing toward the birdcage with his usual magician’s flourish. empty and ajar, it’s clear something has gone wrong here though.
“they shouldn’t have gone far,” lyney says with a tired smile. it’s been a very long morning and forgetting to latch the birdcage is but the cherry on top. “they’re trained to return home, so they’re likely still within the city. and if not...” the sentence falls away there alongside his smile as a gloved hand shuts the cage with a clang.
in the past, he let them fly free and paid the price for it. today, he traded their freedom for their safety and it still had not been enough. how does he give them both? if a caged bird has only ever known its cage, it will later come to long for the sky beyond. and how would it know better between its gilded safety and a dangerous freedom?
“i really do appreciate your help, miss rosaria,” he continues, the smile fixed once more upon his expression. lyney holds out a hand to shake, cordiality second nature even when his patience is fraying. this, too, is another act he has learned over the years to perfect. “you’ll be compensated regardless of whether or not you’re able to bring them home, of course. and if there’s anything else you’d like as compensation i’ll see what i can do.” / @gggno
🌢 like ... y’know. nyah.
“is this the ‘next time’ i had been promised?” there’s an amused twinkle in lyney’s eye and a pleased hum in his voice to accompany it, gloved fingertips drumming gently against the underside of the hat he has cradled in an arm. “i hope you’ll forgive me if i’ve brought along a plus one. i’m afraid he’s quite partial to the hat, and i wouldn’t dare part them.”
the he in question, of course, can be no other than the magician’s smallest partner in crime: rosseland, who offers his owner a slow, cursory blink from where he is curled up quite contentedly atop the grin-malkin puppet but makes no move to show himself beyond the brim of his self-appointed home to present company. for all that rosseland enjoys the spotlight, they were both supposedly off the clock whilst in mondstadt—and he had promised his feline companion a vacation.
mondstadt, of course, is both everything he might’ve expected it to be from word of mouth and also nothing at all like the picture in his mind. such is how it goes. some things are best understood by being there yourself, and having a local’s knowledge at your disposal doesn’t hurt either. “well, won’t you surprise me once again, monsieur albedo? this is your city, after all.” his gaze turns back briefly to the expectant cat still lounging in his hat and he adds, “though if i can make a request: a cat-friendly surprise, maybe.” / @spidergourmet
"brother."
lynette's voice peeps from over his shoulder. at the break of dawn, nary a soul should be awake. even so she is soundless as ever, light on her feet, a slip in the shadows until her family would call upon her. she holds her tongue until he is aware, until she makes known her presence just enough for her twin and only her twin to discern, the way only he can to begin with.
today is a joyous occasion if only for how she can celebrate him. every year she still has him is one she finds with gratitude and warmth, heartaches and all— for the heart only aches as much as it loves. (lynette loves him more than her ribs know what to do with.)
"something's under your hat," she tells him plainly. when did that get there? an assistant's lips are sealed even tighter than their magician's, or perhaps that assistant just happens to be lynette. underneath the brim regardless sits a ribboned package of pâte de fruits. the little fish and star shapes give away their chef.
she holds out her arms to lyney. what does she want? her expression, ever inscrutable, gives away little. but her ears twitch expectantly.
"happy birthday. before they all start crowding the kitchen, i made sure to wake up even earlier to make those." she makes sure to point out, gaze trained upon his own expression. if they don't taste good, she'll know. lynette always knows.
(the only thing she doesn't is how much longer she's allowed to stay by his side. hopefully long enough. hopefully always. and won't he at least indulge his lonely sister in a hug before then?)
"if they aren't good, i'll make you something else that you like next year." and the next, and the next, and then the next again. each will carry her feelings and wishes just as this year's treat. just as her arms that stay open to catch him.
a magician rises early. the performance, after all, begins before he ever appears onstage. he fixes a smile to his face at the same time he rights the hat upon his head, sorts every ruffle and ribbon of his clothing with the same care he combs his hair back into its braid. in the scant few hours before the house of the hearth truly comes to life, lyney becomes lyney the magician.
but not yet. so when lyney’s gaze shifts idly over his reflection’s shoulder in the mirror without a hint of alarm—and not a moment before she allows him to, of course, nor a single second after—it is because he already knows, the way only he can as her twin. after all, before he earned the vision that allowed him to light flames bright enough to cast shadows twice as deep for her to hide within, those very same shadows were his home just as much as they were hers.
when he turns to face lynette, it is simply her brother that stares back. there is a familiar expression on his face, his sister’s twin: blank and inscrutable and unblinking.
and then he smiles, soft and warm. “good morning, lynette. i was just about to go find you.”
two twins conjoined at the heart still make one whole, and so a birthday has never been so important for how it marks lyney’s own birth, more so for the fact that it marks his sister’s too. a patient audience awaiting the magician’s grand reveal, he leans back against the dressing table with an indulgent hum, hand running against the brim of his hat in consideration. and at lynette’s prompting, he finally plucks it from his head and turns it over, laughing merrily at what he finds.
my, what have we here? when did that get there indeed? it seems his sister has been practicing tricks without him. “how did you bribe rosseland?” one bare hand takes the package to set aside, the other replaces his hat to its proper place atop his head. “you know he doesn't like to share.”
he steps forward all the while, into his sister’s open arms. his own curl around her out of habit to pull her close, his body fitted against hers the way he used to when they were still little and huddling together for warmth—and the way he hopes he always will, now that he is able to keep them both warm. a hearth is a home in as much as his sister is still there, and he meets her gaze with the easiest smile in the world, one hand pulling away briefly to tug at the ribbon of her gift, and snag one of the candies between his fingers.
“of course they’ll be good,” he replies as though it is the simplest truth in the world, the sweet hovering at his lip. “you made them, after all.” of course, the way his eyes light up as he pops it into his mouth may make for more convincing evidence, but even for a habitual liar there are moments when other habits are simply stronger. lynette, as ever, is his exception: lyney does not ever lie to his sister.
oh, he misdirects. he withholds. he insists on ways he believes will protect her and smiles in lieu of answers they should both already know. to both their chagrins, perhaps, he would sooner spend forever and an age dancing around the truth than speak blatant lies to his sister’s face. maybe it is another form of a brother’s sorry sense of protectiveness, that he wishes to shield her from terrible truths as though she could not read them all on his expression anyway. she can, of course. there is nothing that he can hide from his sister. no matter how lyney tries to hide, lynette always knows.
lyney has many sisters now. brothers, too, of course. amidst their little cradle within the hearth is every beating heart that will one day rest squarely upon his shoulders. but lynette had been his sister before he was ever a magician or an heir, and she will be his sister for long after. there are truths only she will ever know, from now until their graves. the question is only one of how far the distance between them might grow until then.
but today is their birthday. soon their siblings will begin to wake in eager anticipation of the celebrations, and he is still only half of the done up magician he is meant to be to greet them.
so lyney only exhales, resting his head against her shoulder. “...happy birthday, sister.”
and then, the performance must go on.
🌢 onward, 'til the end.
soaring heights / finale ⸻ hook, welt, & lyney
Uuuuu, can't things just be normal for once in this city?! This has to be some kind of bad dream... If this keeps up, Hook won't be able to tell left and right!
Their group separated into two teams, and the girl chooses to follow Magic Hands ( who she's been working with for the past week ), Uncle Ezio, and Mister Welt. She hasn't figured out a cool title for the old men yet, but after this is over, she'll definitely get some inspiration...
When Magic Hands does those cool card tricks of his, she watches him with anticipation. In a blink of an eye, just like that, the smaller chumps vanish into flames. "Wh- You can do that?! You HAVE to teach me the way of the cards after we beat this sucker to a pulp!"
Right on his signal, she unlocks the wheel from the middle of Diggertron's hand and slams it onto the ground, its engine raring to go with a loud VROOOM!
Offffff sheeeeee goeeeeeees!
"Make way for Pitch-Dark Hook the Great! GYAHAHAHA!" Hook may look like she's dangling for her life off Diggertron, but little did they know that this boss got her own tricks up her sleeve. "Here comes the fire!"
The flames rise, and soon Hook flies into the air, setting of a big, ginormous, spectacular explosion throwing that big fella off their game! With Diggertron's help, she steers her way back to the ground, joining the rest of her crew.
"Hit 'em, gramps!"
[ @secondsovereign ]
HE STALLS, ALLOWS HIMSELF TO TRAIL BEHIND THE OTHERS AS THE ONCE CANE IN HIS HAND RISES TOWARDS ASHEN SKIES. Welt can hear the voice in his mind, the memory that the 300,000 within him have long since latched onto to guide him in every endeavour, so he blinks, lets the world fade away as Ein's words echo in his ears, the guidance that so long as he understood gravity it would continue to bow to him. A snap of his gaze, letting crimson envelope the cane as all lulls to a sweet nothingness, "Third power..." A coldness in the air, stalling all and everything as metal warps beneath his gaze, watching as weapons are reduced to little more than lumps of steel by his hand. "... Singularity Rebuild."
The myriad abandoned cars screech in terror as the world shifts for his gaze alone, watching as the honkai stored inside his body lashes out unrepentantly, layer and layer, pattern after pattern forming and evaporating like stars doomed to die under his observation. Yet, when he blinks, the world has returned to its rightful ruin, leaving no sign of the power unleashed other than rendered armor and goons struggling to stand under the weight of that which they have experienced.
"Towards block 8, go! It's open enough to fight unrestricted." No longer does he hide under the guide of the elderly, lifting Ezio from the ground and beginning to move at a past often unseen by other beings. The Herrscher persona has always come easy to him, to disregard his hold on humanity as the energy in his limbs flows unbidden, wild and untamed with little more than the change in eye colour to show for it.
Still, Welt always comes prepared, manifesting the replicated weapon he'd found earlier and tossing it into the air as a distraction, letting the fake bullets laced with his power fly in every direction as he turns down the alleyway. "Lyney! I trust you know what to do!" He's seen the young man fight before, seen the deathly power held in those arrows, so the once sovereign is comfortable with youth taking the lead.
-> @feliscus
he doesn't wait to be told twice, barely needs to be told once. this time, there are no flashy tricks and pyrotechnics, just a bow in hand and quickly drawn. a twinkle sparks in his eyes, a grin upon his lips as the arrow flies. “of course!”
magic is a precise art. it only takes a single slip for an entire illusion to crumble. and so, his aim must be perfect—lyney never misses. be it on the stage or on a battlefield, he simply cannot afford to.
the magician doesn't look to see if his arrow lands, already sprinting after his retreating allies. a hand raises, head turning just a fraction to wink before he snaps his fingers. a spark, then fire. “show's over, thanks for coming!”
“the others,” he starts in a gasp as he catches up with the group, twisting back every now and then to keep an eye out for any other stragglers, “do you think they'll find their way there too?” / @leaderofthemoles · @secondsovereign
🌢 onward, 'til the end.
soaring heights / finale ⸻ hook, welt, & lyney
every shift of the city is enough to make his head spin, soaring heights molded and melted down and remolded yet again. how many times can a city change before home is no longer home? if all its residents are gone, who will carry it all in their memories?
lyney bolts down an empty street, familiar pathing, familiar roads. three shadows of his companions follow after him, and further behind them still, a sizable group of their foes in pursuit. good. a performer needs his stage, and the magician has long since graduated the shadowed alleyways and quiet street corners. a wide, open area that they can take advantage of—it comes into his line of sight before long, there, in the distance...
not a moment to waste. the moment he crosses into the park, lyney spins sharply on his heel, fire following the raised flourish of his hand. “would you like to see a magic trick?” his pursuers charge, ready for a fight. but the magician has never been much of a fighter. with a snap of his fingers, the illusions of his companions vanish into a flurry of cards. and all at once as their foes stumble straight into them, they are set alight.
the smaller of their foes fall quickly to the flames, but they hadn't been his concern. one still looms above them all, shrugging the fire off like an inconvenience. “now, quickly!” lyney cries out, spinning to find his actual allies. / @secondsovereign · @leaderofthemoles
🌢 fire escape.
soaring heights / week 2 ⸻ hook & lyney
“Hah! Good luck trying to beat the Boss of the Moles!” She smirks to herself, already shoving her hands into a pile of dusty goods sitting in a crate. “When it comes to finding scraps and useful stuff, Hook knows just where to find ‘em!” Oh, this is gonna be good!
…
…..
Some time later, Hook is dragging her little feet up down one of the storage room aisles for what felt like the hundredth time.
I’m. So. BOREEDDD-AH!
It’s been HOURS and none of us found ANYTHING…
Obviously, this store had been abandoned for a while. A long, LONG while! There’s food packaging that’s been expired for more than a year! What kinda store owner must this person be to not track their own goods? Or have they really been gone for that long? She doesn't understand how grown-ups have all the patience to stick to one activity for more than a couple of hours, much less the entire day. Not even the thrill of competing with Magic Hands and Cat in the Hat can keep her going anymore...
But then, just as Hook was about to kick the bucket and give up… She notices a box that’s left perfectly unopened among the old, beaten up ones…
Could it be…?
“Lyney! Look, look!” She springs to life and eagerly calls out to him like an excited dog, pushing a box across the floor out of the doorway with her whole body weight. When she can see his attention successfully grabbed, she pulls the cardboard flaps open and peers into the box as if they’d just found a real treasure. “Look ~ what ~ Hook ~ Found… Hehe!”
Inside were untouched, unopened bottles of water. At least it was a start!
every second seems to drag like an hour, pacing back and forth through the aisles, checking and rechecking the same shelves that he's looked through a thousand times. rosseland has long since retired from the task, curled up in the hat that lyney's set off to a counter on the side.
so much for competition—neither of them have found very much at all. even lyney's seemingly endless energy has nearly exhausted itself. still, he shakes himself back into focus. one more look around, then he'll suggest that they try somewhere else...
“lyney! look, look!”
he jolts at hook's voice, tensing in preparation for bad news, but there's no warning or panic in her tone. indeed, when he turns to find her in the doorway to the storage room, box in tow, he greets her with a ready smile, striding over as she pulls the flaps open. “oh? what have we here?”
the magician doesn't think he's ever been happier to see water before, even when he'd been watching the floodwaters of fontaine recede. “that's a point for you then,” he concedes. but now...how to transport it all between the two of them? “wanna see a magic trick, hook?” lyney asks like he would an audience as he returns to retrieve rosseland and his hat, reaching within to draw out a magic pocket before replacing it back on his head. “watch closely. if you blink, you might miss it.”
it takes a moment to move them from box to pocket, but in the end, it all fits with space still to spare. it's certainly the more practical of lyney's many tricks. hefting the straps over a shoulder, he flashes hook a sharp grin. “i'll race you to the next store. and i bet i'll find something before you there too.”
the next few stores are similarly devoid of life, though at least more fruitful endeavors than their first. a few more drinks join their collection of water bottles, alongside some wrappers and cans of food that have yet to go past their date. there had even been some medical supplies tucked away into a corner of one of the stores. it's a sizable enough haul, lyney thinks, to help sustain their small group.
“it's getting late,” he calls out as he finishes checking over the last of the shelves. there's nothing left that might be useful. “we should start heading back to the bus stop before the sun sets.”
🌢 fire escape.
soaring heights / week 2 ⸻ hook & lyney
There was so much chaos, so much destruction happening that these buildings looked like the abandoned buildings in the Underworld. Was it really that long ago since they arrived here?
“Hmm, nothing special yet…” She peeks at him from an empty space in the aisle between them. “There’s so much grey stuff all over the place…”
Her voice softens, and it doesn’t have the same punch to it as her usual style of speaking. “Mister Magic Hands, do you think this will be over soon?”
While getting to rough up one of those goons back then was fun, the longer this went on, the more it’s settling in that they may be in bigger trouble than Hook expected. If there’s something so dangerous that even those thugs ran away, would it be possible to even get through this? If the old witch or Daddy knew about what she got herself into, they’d probably be super mad! … Or sad.
But! It does Hook no good when she’s thinking like this and feeling down! She just has to keep going, like grown-ups do!
The girl firmly shakes her head, the determination returning to her eyes. There HAS to be something they can do about all of this! Even if Hook, admittedly, has her own limits…
“Ooh, ooh, when we return to the others, we’re gonna show off ALL the cool things we found! I bet I can find more stuff than you, Magic Hands and Cat in The Hat! Like... this!” Hook wiggles her arms, doing a little 'tada!' at a bag of... instant coffee packets?
lyney turns as hook calls back, falls into a crouch to find her in the aisle across him. no luck for her either, then. one side of his lip quirks in a faint smile as he calls for rosseland from wherever the cat's since wandered off to. “we'll help these people as much as we can,” he promises when she asks, expression softening too.
in the end, hook is just a kid, after all. even the youngest of his siblings are too, no matter how they have been raised in the warmth of a hearth. but just like them, hook has that same spark of determination in her eyes. “so, don't worry too much. it'll be over soon.”
after a beat, rosseland arrives with something caught in his mouth, picking his way across the shelves to reach his perch on lyney's shoulders as the magician rises back to his feet and brushes off the ash. when he holds a hand out, the cat drops it into his waiting palm obligingly: a pack of...expired nuts.
“well, it looks like you're already ahead of us,” lyney says as he deposits the packet back onto an empty spot on the shelf. “all we've managed is some food that's too old to eat.” and then, a grin, a slight tip of his hat. “but don't think rosseland and i will make it easy for you to win! we'll turn it around, just you wait!”
and so the magician and cat go, venturing further into the next aisle for treasure. or at the very least, something still edible.
🌢 fire escape.
soaring heights / week 2 ⸻ hook & lyney
this store must've still been open, not too long ago. it is not the tells of abandonment that litter the quiet building. when lyney brushes a finger against its half-empty shelves, his gloves come away covered in ash rather than dust. it must've been one of the buildings to catch fire amidst the chaos, though there's no sign of the flames now save for the soot.
“rosseland, don't eat that!” he calls over his shoulder as the cat paws at something on the ground, reaching for a tin of crackers left behind on the shelf to turn over in search for a date. but whatever he finds only makes his face wrinkle as he sets it back down and moves on. no good, then. but he'd been expecting to not find much from what was left behind on the displays by previous scavengers. they'd have better luck breaking into a storeroom to find their stock in the back.
and so he rounds the end of aisle to glance around for his companion, the youngest of their little tour group. “find anything yet, hook?” soaring heights is no place for a child at the moment, really, but lyney has seen his younger siblings through situations more dangerous than scavenging a store for supplies. the most danger she'll face here might be a collapsing board from the ceiling or two. / @leaderofthemoles
sending this in place of an ask (because tumblr is evil and cruel and unusual)
Sounds of chaos reverberated throughout the city. Gunshots, explosions and the screams of the many had sounded off throughout Soaring Heights. Yet Seele had drowned those noises out. All she could hear- or rather focus on- were the sounds of boots to ground as she and Lyney ran through the streets in a hurried, though focused, search for Mylene.
They ran towards the park where they had first met the little girl, both operating on assumption, and some hope that she would be there. As they made it, another sound began to process through Seele’s ears: calling. The magician and the butterfly began to call out Mylene’s name as they walked through the park.
They needed to bring her to the Bus Terminal, she needed to be with Ezio and the others, that way at least her safety could be ensured. Her safety is what I promised Milo…
It took a moment, a moment of panicked searching, Seele had spotted Mylene hidden under a bench close by. Seele relief wash over her entire being as she found solace in her safety. She tapped Lyney, an alert to let him know that she found Mylene, before the two ran over to the little girl, kneeling.
Despite the chaos that rang in the background, Seele’s voice held a calmness. To protect another, she herself needed to remain calm. Inhale, “ Hey- Mylene! Thank the Aeons you’re okay… ” exhale. “ It’s not safe to be out here right now, okay? Come with us, please, we’re meeting with a few other friends we came to the Heights with at a close by Bus Terminal. ”
She gave a gentle smile, trying to provide further reassurance in her suggestion, “ there should be another little girl there, she’s kind of like my own kid sister, that I think you’d get along with. ”
@revelation-heights | @feliscus
"Seele?"
Mylene recognizes that voice, though she still doesn't move from her hiding spot. The big boom scared her—the gunshots scared her even more. It gets even worse without Milo. Now she can't help but wonder if he's still alive. Her fear paralyzes her. She sits still, very very still, until Seele stands right in front of her.
Mylene is wearing Milo's jacket. It's three sizes too big for her—its hem falls right above her knee, and the hood covers half of her face—but she refuses to part with it.
"The bus terminal... are you going on a trip?" Mylene looks around. The sounds have stopped. The adults that were fighting were gone—or maybe they were now bodies on the ground. But the city was undeniably dangerous right now. "I don't think they'd let the bus go anywhere."
Still, even if it doesn't make sense, even if it's really scary outside of her little park bench, Mylene finds herself wanting to go. Because if Seele and Lyney are there, somehow she feels she's going to be okay.
Her knees wobble a little bit as she crawls out from beneath the seating. But she manages to stand after using the armrests to prop herself up.
"But okay. Let's go to the bus terminal. I... really want to stay with you both... Let's just move fast. But I might stumble a bit..."
@feliscus
relief overcomes him in an instant, his knees buckling as he sinks to his knees by the bench, one arm braced upon it. lyney lets seele do most of the talking, keeping one eye out for any danger that might come their way even if some of the more immediate chaos has since calmed.
but she doesn't mention milo. time and place, the magician supposes—there are more urgent matters at present—but he wonders if he should. lynette would, if she was here, wouldn't she? after all, what sister like to be left behind? lyney should know the answer to that best—he's always doing the leaving. maybe it's in a brother's nature to leave his little sister in the name of her protection.
lyney never means to hurt his sister. he doubts milo ever does either. it never does change the fact that they do.
but time and place. when they're somewhere safe, he can mull it over. until then, milo's half of the locket still sits heavy in his pocket.
“well, the bus driver is one of the friends we're meeting.” a faint twitch of his lips, shifting away from the bench to leave her room to crawl out. “so i suppose we'll have to see what he has in mind.”
and so, lyney pushes himself back to his feet, hat shifting on his head as he nods. “all right, we should hurry before something else happens. come on—we won't let you fall.” / @revelation-heights · @dream-of-butterflies
well aren't you a bleeding heart?
GH Revelations 2025 | Seele & Lyney -- Fragile Heart
The man tilts his head at Seele. "Huh? I dunno. It's just a thing that happens sometimes, for different reasons. Sometimes it's because of a gang trying to set up ransom, other times it's because the kid runs away from home." He shrugs, "Like I said, they usually get returned to their families, or we at least get to figure out where they are. There was only one a long time ago that didn't get solved, I think the kid didn't get home from school and never turned up again, but the cops will probably know that better than me."
With that, he takes the money on the counter, and turns to make your order. Mylene looks at Seele and Lyney. Seems like she's been thinking of something while the man was talking.
"If the police don't have Milo, we should go back to the park." She says, holding that jacket of his tight around her arms, "It's getting late. It's not good to stay out when it's late. That's when the bad guys start walking around."
You'll realize she's right—it is starting to get late. From the window, you can see the sun is turning the sky into a bright orange, and while it has yet to meet the horizon, you see that it's well on its way. The precinct is likely another long walk away, so it may well be the final place you get to search through for today.
"I hope we find him. I don't know if I can look for him again, tomorrow…"
The owner returns from the kitchen, and rings the bell at the front of the register even though you're the only ones here, "One club sandwich, and a water cup, both for takeout. That's 27 dollars. With tax and a service fee, it becomes 30." He hands Mylene a bag and a receipt, then glances at Seele. "No change."
Mylene frowns. "Thank you…" she says, clearly not meaning it. Then, she digs her hand into the bag and takes out the sandwich. It's nothing special. It looks a little flat, honestly. But Mylene takes a big, starving bite out of it.
"Mm… that's so good…" She takes another bite before she's finished with the first, "I haven't eaten in so long… Thank you so so much!" She swallows down her food, and puts on a more mature tone, "Okay. I'll finish this while we walk. Let's go to the precinct. I think… I know where it is."
You all walk out the door. The owner calls from behind you: "What, no tip?!"
No tip. Just you three kids walking through a city in shambles.
@feliscus
“we'll find him,” lyney promises. he may tell many lies, but this will never be one of them. “i'll look as long as it takes.”
the setting sun as their backdrop, lyney follows mylene's directions to the precinct, filling the air with chatter all the while—tales of his most recent performances, stories of his siblings' mischief from back home. ever in motion to keep their spirits up, an idle trick or two as he speaks, like the coin rolling between his fingers that seems to disappear between one blink and the next.
all the while, a magician's keen eyes never stop moving, scanning every shadowed corner and sunlit street. maybe that is why, as they begin to come upon their destination, he steps ahead of them, spinning to face seele and mylene as he gestures along to the story he's telling—something about an experiment of one of his siblings going up in literal smoke, his arms waving up through the air as literal smoke follows to draw their attention up, vision warming at his back. the coin reappears in his hand then, goes flying further down the sidewalk.
“ah—” the surprise at the slips seems as real as anything as he turns and hurries after it, the story stuttering into an abrupt stop. “hold on!” but when he stoops smoothly to snatch it off the ground, gold blinks back at him twice. the first, the coin. the second...
the half of the locket in his hand, mirror to the one mylene had showed them earlier in the day, tucks into a palm to hide it as he flashes the coin at them between two fingers. “got it! ah, but has my sleight of hand really gotten so bad with just a few days out of practice...?” when he straightens and returns to their sides, he's all smiles as he picks up the story where he left off, the locket tucked into a pocket without a word about it.
to have lost it right outside the precinct... maybe milo made it here and simply hadn't noticed that the chain had broken. or maybe it's something worse. either way, if the sight of her brother's jacket without him had nearly sent mylene back into tears, he can't imagine what seeing his locket without him would do.
so, no need to worry her just yet. it'll be his secret for now. he always seems to collect many of those.
but his smile strains slightly as he opens the doors to the precinct, fades entirely as he steps inside. perhaps he is too used to the order that monsieur neuvillette commands in fontainian courts; the soaring heights' enforcement of justice seems a bit sorry in comparison. a mess of papers covered in red, names volleyed back and forth through the air, pictures pinned across corkboards—his gaze flicks from one face to the next, searching for a match only to come up empty. that would be too easy, wouldn't it?
he pauses a beat to take it all it in, then finally clears his throat pointedly, offering a pained smile. “...sorry to bother you. we'd like to report a disappearance. this girl's brother, a boy named milo. he hasn't turned up here, has he?” / @revelation-heights · @dream-of-butterflies
well aren't you a bleeding heart?
GH Revelations 2025 | Seele & Lyney -- Fragile Heart
"Eh?" The woman turns around again when she's called, and she looks at Seele with a quizzical look, "Not a lot, honestly. This diner was one of the last ones left but then the owner's idiot son closed it down." she taps her chin, "I think maybe Bird's Eye is still running? Though…" she glances down at Mylene, then at Seele and Lyney. No way these kids are 21, right? They look 15, maybe 16, tops. "Yeah, don't go there unless you want the cops on your tail."
Mylene tugs at both Seele and Lyney's sleeves.
"Maybe he didn't get to find food…" she says, frowning, "I didn't know places were being closed... But then why didn't he come back after he couldn't find food?" Mylene shuts her eyes, "Let's just go to the canteen."
The canteen Mylene mentions is about a block or so away from the diner. It's more expensive than the diner, since it's next to a big office building, and it seems like the owner's been capitalizing off the fact that those suited businessmen have a good few dollars lining their pockets. Mylene's knees are starting to buckle a little bit, but you three have made a far enough distance that she doesn't say anything about it. You can see the inside from the windows—the lights are on, and there's a single man behind the counter. She knocks on the glass door.
"Hello?"
The man startles from the noise. He hasn't seen customers in a while, so he's quite roused. He makes his way over to the door in quick, eager strides, though grumbles when he sees Mylene.
"Oh, it's just you. Are you here to actually buy something now?" he flicks his head to Seele and Lyney, "Huh... Who are these kids? Where's your brother? He still owes me from last time, you know."
@feliscus
bird's eye? he catches the woman's glance at mylene and frowns. not a place for kids, then? what was it, a bar? “we'll stay out of trouble,” lyney says before mylene tugs on his sleeve. if his heart drops at her question, he doesn't show it. still, there's an answer that's sure to be echoing in all their heads: maybe he couldn't come back.
“maybe he thought he could find food somewhere else,” he offers instead. “i was that kind of stubborn, when my sister and i were struggling. maybe a bit too overconfident, she would tell me.” he laughs. “lynette always found me when i took too long to get back, though. so we'll find your brother too, okay?”
he thanks the woman over his shoulder as they head off, but after walking enough steps out of her earshot quietly asks, “what's the bird's eye, mylene? think it could be worth taking a look?”
it's hard not to jump to help when mylene's knees start to buckle—she's not one of his siblings; he can't hover too much that she's uncomfortable. still, he holds a hand out wordlessly as an offering, the gesture slight enough for her to ignore if she prefers.
when they finally arrive at the canteen and its owner comes out to greet them, he dips his head in greeting. “we're asking ourselves the same question,” lyney says. best to cut to the chase—if they're in debt to this man still, it's probably for the better that they not bother him too much. “they've been separated—we're trying to reunite them. you haven't seen her brother recently, then?”
his gaze flicks briefly to mylene, starting to flag even if she hasn't admitted it yet, then back up to add, “and do you have something light that we can take to go? i'm starting to get a bit hungry, aren't you as well, miss seele? we'll pay, of course.” / @revelation-heights · @dream-of-butterflies
