RESONATE

★ . * — independent oc dualmuse. est july 2019. written by pen.

[magefaux]

❝ listening to everyone GET MAD ABOUT STUFF is really stressful. why are we fighting again...? ❞

[magefaux]

cyprien was originally supposed to be a very serious, grim and borderline humorless character, but now i’m leaning more towards the twins      SHARING  A  SINGLE  BRAIN  CELL      and bouncing it back and forth like a game of pong.

[magefaux]

mysterion​:

⤮ | Fruity / Rubblebucket @magefaux​

         “ I’ve said I’ll make it to the party-                                      But I’ve got a lot going on.”     He spoke and then spun hands tucked behind their head as they spoke.                  “I’d said we’d walk around the city and catch a cab at exactly dawn.”

❝ parties are      A  LITTLE  OVERRATED      in my experience, anyway. ❞ the raven mused, scrunching up his nose a bit. ❝ but to be fair, i’ve only ever gone to more formal affairs. the kind you leave hungry because the only food they have is bite sized and carried around on a platter. i always feel like the servers are judging me      FOR  EATING  ALL  THE  CHEESE  AND  CRACKERS . ❞

[magefaux]

cosmosfated​:

Ah ─ well, would you look at that? Something he’s done has made the young mage grace him with a smile. That’s good. It means he said something that resonates with him on a positive level. A good start.

“sounds like i would be quite the strange  NOBODY  then, having the blood of an outsider and yet, were i to possess strong magic… what a conundrum i would put them in, hm?” The idea of catering to someone’s blood is odd to him. He’s met nobodies who act like royals and royals that act like nobodies, humble to arrogant, noble to disgraceful, all sorts of people of all walks of life, and some of them didn’t belong in their positions, good or bad. Why is it that  POWER  makes people turn into such assholes?

“i’m more ova man ‘f tea, m’self.” He answers with a soft smile and chuckle of his own, glad to see that someone is willing to sit down with him and have a nice chat about all the things he’s missing about the world around him. Not very many would indulge the weirdo who claims to not know such basic things, he’s learned from experience how bad people can be when someone’s not like them. First-hand. “thank you f’ settin’ aside your time for lil’ ol’ me.”

He tilts his head. Oh, what a name. How delightful the taste! Fleur nods at the name and uses his free hand to place against his chest and offer a brief half-bow. “i’m fleur. it’s a pleasure to meet you, cyprien. lead the way, mate.”

❝ it’s      QUITE  THE  INTERESTING  LITTLE  PARADOX ,      is it not? ❞ cyprien mused, the other’s wry observation giving him the nerve to tentatively make one of his own. ❝ nothing is more important than blood and family —— until       SOMEONE  EVEN  BETTER      comes along. then suddenly securing that power for themselves is the only thing that matters. ❞ it was a bit thrilling, saying as much aloud. basking in the freedom to voice his criticisms —— as opposed to bottling them up within the confines      ( and safety ) of his own head.      BEST  NOT  GET  TOO  CARRIED  AWAY ,      though. there was no telling who could be listening.

thankfully, cyprien already had an easy solution to that troubling little inconvenience.

❝ please, it’s hardly any trouble. ah... if anything,      I  SHOULD  BE  THE  ONE  THANKING  YOU . ❞      there was a mix of amusement and embarrassment in his voice as he continued. ❝ after all, you’re giving me an excuse to ignore my school assignments and drink tea. i can’t ask for much more than that. ❞ he was only partially joking. ❝ follow me, then.      I  THINK  I  KNOW  A  GOOD  PLACE . ❞

the aforementioned place turned out to be a nearby cafe —— one that fit the description of being a hole in the wall      SO  CLOSELY  IT  BORDERED  ON  LITERAL .      ❝ it’s called, hah... perkatory. i come here in my free time whenever i have the chance. ❞ cyprien explained, holding the door open for his guest out of habit. ❝ sadly that isn’t as often as i’d like. on the bright side, it’s always fairly quiet, and      MOST  OF  THE  CUSTOMERS  ARE  MUNDANE  FOLK ,      so we probably won’t have to worry about any unwanted eavesdroppers. ❞ he still chose a table that allowed him a good view of the door, just in case.      ( not that there were many options for seating to begin with. )      IT  NEVER  HURT  TO  BE  CAUTIOUS ,     cyprien reasoned.

❝ they have a decent variety of tea and coffee on the menu. not a lot, but it’s always been enough for me. ❞ he pretended to clear his throat. ❝ that aside...      WAS  THERE  ANYTHING  YOU  WANTED  TO  KNOW  ABOUT      in particular? ❞

[magefaux]

@cosmosfated​:

"chug three five hour energy, a redbull, and a monster of any kind, and we'll call each other even." Is he messing with Cyprien? Perhaps. Will he say so? Oh absolutely not. It'll be FUN.

cyprien blinks —— slowly. he      SWIRLS  AROUND  THE  MURKY  CONTENTS  OF  HIS  CUP      thoughtfully. ❝ ... i could try mixing them. for... maximum efficiency. ❞

[magefaux]

❝ ... one venti coffee cup fits approximately      TWENTY  FIVE  SHOTS  OF  ESPRESSO . ❞      without breaking eye contact, he sips at his drink. the words sound... disturbingly hollow.

[magefaux]

he dropped his toast      PEANUT  BUTTER  SIDE  DOWN ! ! !

[magefaux]

one more thing and i swear i’ll stop with the headcanons tonight.

the way the whole demon vessel thing works is      AMATUS  IS  TRANSFERRED  TO  THE  FIRSTBORN      of each generation in the lovelace bloodline. a child is born, the old vessel dies immediately and so on. pascal and cyprien being twins came as a complete surprise to everyone —— and to make matters worse, multiples had never happened before, so no one was sure how the transfer would work. the vessel only begins to physically manifest demonic traits      ( horns, fangs and claws ) during their preteens, so      THERE  WOULD  BE  A  GOOD  TWELVE  YEARS  OR  SO      before they knew who was the next vessel for certain.

the family handled this... badly, to say the least. i’ll likely write another post going into different aspects of their upbringing      ( pascal and cyprien were presented to the public as one person, for starters ) but for now, i just want to talk about      THE  PSYCHOLOGICAL  IMPACT  OF  NOT  KNOWING      which one of them was possessed had on the twins. especially because they were only children, and their understanding of what being the vessel meant was terribly limited. 

they were born with the knowledge that one of them      WOULD  INEVITABLY  BE  TAKEN  AWAY  FOREVER .      that they would lose their only friend. it really didn’t do them any favors. cy in particular didn’t deal with it well at all —— he was utterly convinced that it was him and      HE  WAS  EVIL .      while pascal has always been more or less the same personality wise, cyprien was a very melancholic, anxious child. he struggled with the idea that he was wrong and tainted —— the prospect of becoming the vessel only fed into his self-loathing, and made it a hundred times worse than it could have been. this, compounded with the fact that the rest of their family was deliberately distant and provided      LITTLE  TO  NO  EMOTIONAL  SUPPORT  WHATSOEVER      was a recipe for an incredibly harmful mindset.

then pascal turned out to be the vessel instead.

pascal, who was the closest to      A  LITERAL  RAY  OF  SUNSHINE      in their otherwise dark and dreary upbringing. pascal, the only one who ever treated him kindly or tried to quiet his fears. pascal, the stronger twin. cyprien was so resistant to the idea, that it turned into the catalyst that sent him down the path of questioning his family’s self-righteous bullshit.

HE  SECRETLY  STILL  BELIEVES  HE’S  EVIL ,      though. but now it’s because he’s a lovelace instead.      ( and he intends to embrace it —— by ridding the world of them for good. )

[magefaux]

What is the worst injury your muse has ever had? What is the story behind it? If asked, will your muse talk about it, or do they try to avoid the subject?

pascal has more or less gotten off scot free in terms of major injuries. granted,      HE  SPENT  SEVERAL  YEARS  IN  MAGICAL  CHAINS      that permanently scarred his wrists and ankles, but otherwise, the demon he shares a symbiotic relationship with is fully capable of healing most ordinary injuries.      ( in general, amatus is actually quite friendly and functions more as pascal’s parent and voice of reason. ) the shackles were      DELIBERATELY  MADE  TO  RESTRAIN  HIM ,  WITH  SPECIAL  ENCHANTMENTS .

unfortunately, cyprien is a different story.

as a bit of backstory, house lovelace first rose to prominence when they      DEFEATED  THE  RAMPAGING  DEMON      known as amatus. supposedly.      ( the true story is a bit different. ) many of the noble houses tend to specialize in one area —— healing or training soldiers, and so on. when a mage incorrectly preforms a summoning ritual, there’s a chance whatever being they pulled through to the other side will go rogue.      THE  DUTY  OF  PUTTING  THESE  DANGEROUS  CREATURES  TO  REST      typically falls to house lovelace. in short, they’re all monster hunters. because members of the lovelace family are prone to developing more proficiencies      ( magical talents, basically ) than average, their natural versatility makes them perfectly suited to the task.

cyprien is only      THE  MAGE  EQUIVALENT  OF  A  COLLEGE  STUDENT ,      so he still has a ways to go before he’ll be expected to do any real combat. he’s gotten into a few scrapes on school assignments, but nothing major.      OUTSIDE  OF  SCHOOL  IS  A  DIFFERENT  STORY .

being the heir to such a prestigious family, cyprien is expected to be nothing short of perfect —— in most ways, really, but with magic in particular. unfortunately, his father often      SEES  FIT  TO  TEST  HIM      to see if he’s keeping up to his standards. he never tells cyprien when he plans on doing so —— he just has one of his assistants summon him for a chat. they always have trained healers on duty at the family manor, but it’s hardly a blessing. if anything,      IT  ONLY  GIVES  HIM  AN  EXCUSE  NOT  TO  HOLD  BACK      whenever they spar.

cyprien has been burned, electrocuted and thrown around like a ragdoll.      ( and that’s only the beginning. ) arguably the worst injuries have been the      LITERAL  STAB  WOUNDS      from icicles, but none of it has been especially pleasant. he doesn’t have any scars from these experiences due to the aforementioned healers —— something cy views as a blessing because he absolutely WOULD NOT jump at the chance to tell anyone what he’s been through.

HE  DOESN’T  WANT  TO  BE  PITIED .      he knows it’s wrong, but there isn’t anything he can do about it at the moment.

[magefaux]

another very important headcanon —— neither of the twins      HAVE  EVER  HAD  A  CAPRI  SUN  BEFORE .      tragic, i know.

[magefaux]

What is your muse’s aesthetic? Have they chosen this aesthetic for themselves, or did it just end up that way? Do they wish they had a different aesthetic?

the twins actually have this really interesting contrast in regards to     THEIR  RESPECTIVE  AESTHETICS .      namely when it comes to choice —— and whether they actually have one to begin with.

cyprien, for example, is the heir to one of the most prestigious families in the entire magical world.      ( practically equivalent to royalty by mage standards. ) as a result, his aesthetic and public image needs to be carefully cultivated      TO  MEET  THE  INCREDIBLY  HIGH  STANDARDS      that come with such a distinguished role. to say he hardly has a hair out of place would be an understatement —— he can be seen frequently adorned with a small fortune’s worth of jewelry.      ( mages have an obsession with gems and precious metals. ) his clothes are made out of the finest materials money can buy. expensive furs. silks. soft velvet. furthermore,      THE  MAJORITY  OF  HIS  OUTFITS  ARE  PREDOMINANTLY  WHITE      and the moment one of them incurs so much as a stain, it’s safe to assume it will be disposed of entirely.

if it sounds      WASTEFUL  OR  OVER  THE  TOP ,      it is. unfortunately, cyprien doesn’t get much of a say about the contents of his wardrobe. it’s all picked for him by his family —— or the employees that assist them. it’s especially ironic, because      CYPRIEN’S  TASTES  ARE  ACTUALLY  FAR  MORE  GEARED  TOWARDS  THE  PRACTICAL ,      rather than the extravagance his family and society at large tends to favor. the most he can get away with is a simple pair of boots. they aren’t especially pretty to look at, but they let him move around comfortably and that’s what he feels is the most important thing.

pascal, on the other hand, has      COMPLETE  FREEDOM  TO  DRESS  HOWEVER  HE  WANTS ,      provided his budget has room to accommodate it. and boy does he ever take advantage. he’s a travelling magician, and he basically looks like he either escaped from a nearby renaissance fair, or is on his way to entertain at a birthday party. big capes, big hats, big shoes. there was this running joke in a server i used to write in where      PASCAL  KEPT  FALLING  ON  HIS  FACE      because his heels are ridiculously huge to compensate for how small he is, and he’s too clumsy move faster than a brisk walk in them.      ( not that it stops him. )

pascal actually does tend to use the magician aesthetic to his advantage, though. for example, most people assume he always wears his hat to keep in character, but it’s really      TO  HIDE  HIS  HORNS .      little things like that.

both twins also have a bit of a celestial theme going on.      THEIR  OUTFITS  BOTH  INCORPORATE  STARS ,      for instance. cy has star shaped earrings and clasps on his robes. pascal’s hat also has a star shaped earring dangling from it      ( a parting gift from his twin ) and features a constellation-themed pattern —— so does his cloak. it’s kind of a subtle way to tie them both together.

also of course cyprien is associated with blue, and pascal is red. there’s a third major character i may add to this blog if the plot develops to that point, and his main color is purple.      THE  LOVELACE  FAMILY  IN  GENERAL  IS  ALSO  ASSOCIATED  WITH  LAVENDER .

[magefaux]

❝ whys it so hard for everyone      JUST  TO  BE  NICE      to each other, huh? ❞

[magefaux]

something probably important to note for the sake of future interactions ——      PASCAL  AND  CYPRIEN  AREN’T  IN  REGULAR  CONTACT      with one another. they haven’t seen each other since pascal escaped from imprisonment, and don’t have a reliable way to keep in touch. they also don’t make it a habit to announce their relation.      ( cyprien because no one knows he has a sibling his age, and pascal because he’s trying to keep a low profile. )

that being said,      THEY  HAPPEN  TO  BE  IDENTICAL  TWINS ,      so if a muse ends up interacting with both brothers on different occasions, it’s fairly easy to make a connection. pascal is a bit smaller than he should be due to years of anemia and poor eating, but their faces are almost exactly alike. if anything,      BRINGING  UP  THEIR  SIBLING      is actually a good way to get the twins’ attention and      ( in pascal’s case especially ) trust, because they’re both pretty concerned about how the other is doing.

[magefaux]

CYPRIEN  [ REDACTED ]  AND  PASCAL .      i’ve had this sitting in my drafts for quite a while now, so i thought i might as well post it!

[magefaux]

mcrtimersmith​:

“Yeah, a planet.”

“Supposedly there’s an interesting race of aliens there that change their appearance based on the season.” A grin himself. “I want one.”

❝ ch —— change appearance? how does that work? ❞ it took the raven a moment to catch himself,      EMBARRASSMENT  FLOODING  HIS  FEATURES      at his enthusiastic slip. ❝ i mean... ❞ another unconvincing cough.

❝ then, perhaps i’ll      ACCOMPANY  YOU .      you should know, protecting the populace from odd creatures falls under my family jurisdiction. ❞

[magefaux]

cosmosfated​:

@magefaux​   //   continued from this ask.

Brows raise ever so slightly at the confusion in the boy’s eyes;  so it’s uncommon for someone to not know of these so called ‘nine houses’. Or worse yet, it’s unheard of. He knows that announcing his strangeness to people, especially those with any sort of power, can lead to people misleading and giving him incorrect information, so he can only hope that this child he’s talking to isn’t like most adults. From the sounds of it, he can only  HOPE  that the disdain in his tone extends only towards the topic.

Fleur’s careful about absorbing information in this manner. There’s always a chance that there’s something he’s missing, something important to the tale being woven. His gaze drifts down to the ground at his side, where his shadow is. What a strange land he’s been tossed into; what curiosities may bare themselves to him. Don’t you agree?

“no, i completely understand.” He responds, finally looking back at Cyprien, with an even tone, shifting his grip on his cane as to not lock up his wrist. He’s suddenly very glad he’s in much less noticeable garb  ─ that is to say, a teal shirt, multicolored pants, black sneakers, with a long beige trench coat that seems to fit him a little  TOO WELL  (ignoring the chain connected to his lapel of golden charms of gods unusual to worship) ─  so that people don’t give him a second glance due to his wardrobe. 

“you don’t want people t’judge ya based on your ‘ouse name an’ what they believe ya t’be. ya want to forge y’own path an’ make genuine connections and build a respectful and respectable friendship between you an’ another.” He shrugs, finding that something he’s also wishing for these days. “i don’t see what’s so wrong about that.”

He pauses, considering his next words. “are you free for a spot ‘f ‘ealthy discussion? i’m afraid i’m out ‘f th’ loop wit’ the ‘ouses and who… runs them? heads them? an’ i wouldn’t wish to be caught off guard an’ insult anybody, should someone from a ‘ouse approach me.” Unintentionally answering an unspoken query about his  MAGICAL CAPABILITY  .  “i can understand if you’re too busy t’indulge a stranger, though.”

ah. that was precisely the case.      HIS  DESIRE  SEEMED  LIKE  SUCH  A  SIMPLE  IDEA      in concept. wanting to lead a life based on his own accomplishments rather than the prestige of his bloodline seemed so innocent —— yet cyprien knew his family      ( filled with greed ) and peers     ( filled with envy ) would struggle to understand. oftentimes it was just easier      TO  KEEP  HIS  WANTS  TO  HIMSELF      and play the role that was expected of him —— that of the dutiful, perfect heir. expressing his true feelings had been a risk, and one he only decided to take because he was dealing with a self-proclaimed outsider. he was glad to see it had paid off.

... more than glad, really.      IT  TOOK  CYPRIEN  A  MOMENT  TO  REALIZE  HE  WAS  SMILING ,      as if the feeling was completely foreign to him.

❝ yes. exactly that. ❞ the raven replied, nodding. he quietly reminded himself not to get too carried away ——      NOT  TO  DROP  HIS  GUARD     so quickly, but this stranger seemed rather promising. ❝ you would be surprised by how difficult it is for most people to wrap their heads around such a thing. ❞ his family would think him a fool, no doubt —— and everyone else would see him as a privileged brat. ❝ they’re all accustomed to living in      A  SOCIETY  THAT  BENEFITS  PEOPLE  BASED  ON  BLOOD     and rewards those who cater to them. ❞ again, the mage was careful with his tone —— covering his simmering disgust with a neutral facade. the implication of dissatisfaction was clear as day, but never stated outright. never framed in a way that could be used against him.

❝ would you, uh, be interested in a bit of coffee or tea? ❞ the words felt foreign in his mouth;      CYPRIEN  WAS  NOT  ACCUSTOMED  TO  SPENDING  TIME  WITH  OTHERS ,      but he at least understood basic etiquette. ❝ to my knowledge, i’m not needed anywhere. i’ll gladly answer any questions you may have. ❞

a pause. a blink  —— abruptly, as if startled by a sudden thought. ❝ oh.      WHERE  ARE  MY  MANNERS ?      i’m cyprien, by the way. ❞

[magefaux]

due to sharing his body with a powerful demon,      PASCAL’S  BLOOD  IS  NATURALLY  IMBUED      not only with an absolutely ridiculous amount of raw magical power, but in a form that can easily be manipulated to suit one’s needs. it can be added to potions to make them that much more potent, or even orally ingested to give a mage a noticeable boost in power for a time. disturbingly,      HOUSE  LOVELACE  MADE  IT  A  HABIT  TO  HARVEST  THE  VESSEL’S  BLOOD      regularly to boost their already considerable strength. both pascal’s blood, and that of all the vessels before him.      ( he is, after all, only the fourteenth; one is born every generation. )

this also means cyprien was forced to     UNKNOWINGLY  DRINK  HIS  OWN  BROTHER’S  BLOOD      on occasion. his father told him it was a simple potion, but the taste was off.