#antham

[our-epic-quest]

Took some time today to draw my new PC, Antham, and I really like how it came out. 😀

Antham is an Etherean (Griffon's Saddlebag Book 2) druid who is part of a circle guarding a spirit enclave (inspired by Book of Spirits which is still being written) on the ethereal plane. Sure hope nothing happens to it! (I'm the DM, that thing is toast.)

[neighborhood-goblin]

COF Highschool AU

I'm swapping out my college au for a highschool one (also if anyone has any prompts please submit them in my inbox lol I still have the ones that were sent before)

@subrosasteath @ravs6709 @abysmalartist @artitius @cassin-the-assasin @sketzalcoatl

Tristan

In his junior year (Eleventh grade)

Lives with his dad and cousins; he and his dad wanted to be closer to family after his mother died

Attends an after-school study group, which includes Nyk, Latham, Lysandro, Anders, Kade, Sev, Elliot, Sparrow, and Ronyn

Is a fan of schemes and regularly ropes Sev into them

Very afraid of disappointing his father

His dad is the principal

Has a 4.0 gpa

May have a crush on a member of his study group

Still a disaster bi

Has contemplated coming out to his dad but isn't ready yet

Nyk

In her/his junior year (Eleventh grade)

Lives in a halfway home after running away from her/his sister, Val

Met Sparrow at the halfway home and shares a room with her

Is trying very hard to not draw too much attention to her/himself

Genderfluid uwu

Prefers to go by Nyk

Is besties with Kade

Regularly discusses crushes with Kade ("Ugh he so annoying and heroic and the worst and ughhhhhhhh!" "Kade you like him." "I hate you for pointing that out.")

Is in an after-school study group

Either bi or pan

Sev

In his junior year (Eleventh grade)

His parents died when he was young and for a while he bounced between foster homes and was homeless for a while, before being adopted by Hestia

Highkey depressed

Spends a lot of time alone, despite Hestia's efforts to find him friends

Has a rivalry with Kade; they each find the other insufferable (or do they.....)

Basically his only kinda friend is Tristan

He knows all the kids in his study group but he's not actually friends with them

Unnaturally sneaky and very good at noticing/memorizing things

Petite lol

Very gay

Kade

In his senior year (Twelfth grade)

Lives with Illithya (Nyk does not know about this, but will eventually hehe)

Is getting roped into Illithya's plot to take down Rolan, the principal of Empire's Academy, for several things, including the murder of Sev's parents and Tristan's mom, and the kidnapping of Riella

Has heard a lot about Sev's parents from Illithya, and was expecting more from Sev

Despises the fact that he likes Sev

Knows about Val, and is supposed to keep Nyk safe from her (Illithya also told him to do that)

Is good friends with Nyk

Very serious

Demi and gay

Attends an after-school study group

Elliot

In his junior year (Eleventh grade)

Is secretly living basically all by himself in his house (His sister has been kidnapped and his father is rarely home. I can't remember what is mother is up to in the books but I've decided she's not there)

Very good at cooking

Misses his sister a lot ToT

Has a budding friendship with Sparrow

Jealous of Nyk for being so easily accepted into his friend group

Aroace

Has been receiving calls from Rolan, ordering him to get information for him, in exchange for Riella's safety

Attends the study group mainly to gather said information

Latham

In his senior year (Twelfth grade)

Lives with his immediate family, has a little brother that's a freshman (Ninth grader)

Is a jerk

Knows a lot of things that he should not

Is literally always with Anders

Has a HUGE crush on Anders but is terrified that Anders doesn't feel the same

Also has a blushing problem so that's very helpful in keeping a crush secret

Fights with his fellow study group members a lot

Anders

In his senior year (Twelfth grade)

Lives with his parents, but they're gone fairly often on tours and such so he is usually watched over by a nanny

Cheer captain and trumpet section leader in the marching band

Absolutely adores Latham and is 100% in love with him, but thinks Latham is straight

Has gossip sessions with his fellow cheerleaders and then relays what he's learned to Latham

Lives to be annoying

Demiboy (he/him pronouns)

Pan

Not explicitly out yet

[norepetitivebeats]

N-Joi - Anthem (Official Video) (1990)

[neighborhood-goblin]

COF Highschool au Chapter 1

“We can just put it back,” Sev said, studying the golden objects on the table.

“What do you mean ‘just put it back’? Look at it!” Tristan exclaimed. It was true that perhaps the trophy was a little worse for wear. The figure on top had snapped off the base pillars, and the side of it was splattered in mud. This is the worst day of my life.

“Let’s clean it off, glue the top back on and stick it back in the case. Easy-peasy.” Tristan was already shaking his head even before Sev finished speaking.

“It’s already daytime, people will see us, and I bet they’ve already noticed the missing trophy!” Tristan ran a panicked hand through his hair and spared the broken trophy another look. He froze.

“I know what to do,” He spoke slowly, carefully, glancing towards the closed door.

“What?” Sev asked, curious as to what Tristan could possibly have thought of.

“We hide it. We hide it somewhere where it won’t be found and we don’t tell anyone what we did.”

“It’s a trophy, not a murder, Tristan,” Sev reminded him, despite the fact he was already coming up with possible places to hide it. His house would be the obvious choice, since Tristan’s dad was the principal and they couldn’t risk him finding out about the broken trophy. “But I guess I can find a spot for it at my house.” Tristan’s face broke into a grin.

“Thanks, Sev. Will you be able to hide it for the school day?” Sev nodded and shoved the trophy pieces into the depths of his backpack.

The pair emerged from the empty classroom into the flooded hallways. Students were everywhere, clustering around lockers, chatting in the middle of the halls, and making their way to first period. Sev and Tristan nodded quickly at each other before separating and disappearing into the crowd.

***

Nyk had to sprint to Spanish in order to claim the seat beside Anders before Latham could. The older boy raised an eyebrow at her as she flopped down on the chair, panting.

“I want to join the cheer squad,” She breathed out. Anders grinned at her.

“Finally! We’re desperate enough for members that I even asked Sev to join. Sev!” He exclaimed. “Come to the gym during lunch, you can try out, and we can get you your uniform.” Nyk let out a relieved sigh and thanked Anders. The bell rang. A binder slammed down onto the table.

“You’re in my seat.” She looked up to see Latham glaring at her.

“Jeez, okay, I’m moving..” Nyk gathered her stuff and retreated to her usual spot in the back, next to Kade. He was reading something on his phone and glanced at her when she sat down.

“Have you seen the school’s website?” He asked. She shook her head and he held his phone out to her. She took it and skimmed the page in front of her.

Recently Auzerec’s High’s first place soccer trophy was stolen. We are asking any and all students involved to come forward and return the trophy by the end of the school day. If the trophy is not returned by the end of the school day today, then students may be pulled for questioning.

Nyk laughed and handed Kade back his phone. “This is ridiculous. It’s a trophy! They can just get a new one.” She quickly quieted as their teacher, Mrs. Dee entered the classroom. Nyk pulled out her phone and held it under the table to text Tristan.

Nyk: did you see the website lol

♥ Tris ♥: No? What does it say?

“His contact name has hearts in it?” Kade’s voice was practically disgusted. Nyk’s face heated.

“Mind your own business!” She hissed at him.

Nyk: some kids stole a trophy apparently

♥ Tris ♥: Did they say who did it?

Nyk: no but their gonna be questioning people

♥ Tris ♥: They’re*

Nyk: ok

A hand tapped on the wood in front of her. “Phone please, Veronyka. You can pick it up after class.” Nyk met Mrs. Dee’s eyes, quickly silenced her phone, and handed it to her, embarrassed that she’d been caught. Kade smirked at her as their teacher walked back to the front of the classroom. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her attention to Mrs. Dee as she began to write verbs on the whiteboard.

***

Nyk :) : some kids stole a trophy apparently

Tristan froze. Surely if he’d been busted he would’ve already been called to his father’s office. Right? He tapped out a response with shaking fingers.

Tristan: Did they say who did it?

It took Nyk an agonizingly long minute to respond. Tristan bit his nail and waited for her to finish typing. Did Sev get caught with the trophy?

Nyk :) : no but their gonna be questioning people

He grinned in relief.

Tristan: They’re

Nyk :) : ok

He rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone before the teacher caught him with it. It was far too early in the day for him to be doing statistics, but that didn’t stop Mr. Ellet from passing out worksheets. Tristan frowned at his, noticing that it was different from the sheet belonging to the kid sitting next to him. Again? I need to have a talk with my dad; he can’t keep doing this. Nevertheless, he picked up his pencil and began to fill out the paper.

The bell signaling the end of first period rang, and Tristan rose from his seat. He hurried out into the hall and shot Sev a few texts.

Tristan: They know the trophy’s missing.

Tristan: You still have it right?

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: SEV!

Sev: jhgfkdjhgkdjf

Sev: Yes I still have the trophy

Sev: You can relax

He opted not to respond to Sev’s last text.

***

“That was great!” Anders shouted at Nyk. She beamed at him. “Okay come over here so I can get your size and uniform.” She jogged over to the other side of the gym “Alright, you can go back to lunch now.” She nodded and grabbed her things.

She hurried to the cafeteria and slid into an empty spot at her table.

“Guess who’s officially a cheerleader!” Nyk exclaimed excitedly. Kade grinned at her and Tristan congratulated her. Latham didn’t bother to look up at her, probably still peeved that she had briefly borrowed his seat during Spanish. She glanced around for Elliot and Sparrow but they weren’t there.

“That’s cool, Nyk,” Tristan flashed her a smile. She offered one back, and could practically feel Kade rolling his eyes at them. Latham stood up and walked away, most likely leaving to track down Anders.

K: Ugh get a room you guys

Nyk smirked at her phone.

Nyk: someday youre gonna have a crush that i can tease you about

Kade took suspiciously long to respond.

K: unlikely

“Are you guys seriously texting each other while I’m right here?” Tristan gave each of them a mock offended look. Nyk and Kade rolled their eyes at him. “Very uncool, guys.” He paused and glanced at their table. “Hey, why doesn’t Sev ever eat with us?”

Nyk thought for a moment. The question was kind of out of the blue, honestly. Sev showed up for the study group and then they occasionally waved to him in class or in the halls. But that was it. He wasn’t really friends with any of them. She’d never really thought about what Sev did when he wasn’t with them. Did he even have friends at all?

“I was under the impression that he didn’t want to,” Kade said. Nyk had forgotten that Tristan was still waiting for an answer.

“Well I don’t think he’s really hanging out with anyone else. We should see if he wants to have lunch with us tomorrow,” Tristan nodded as he said this, as if confirming that he liked his idea. Nyk and Kade looked at each other. Kade shrugged and returned to his salad bowl.

***

Sev twisted the key through the lock and yanked the door open. Hestia would be home soon, so he quickly grabbed the trophy pieces and shoved them in the back of his closet, where hopefully she would be unable to find them. His phone chimed several times in a row.

Tristan: Did you hide the trophy?

Tristan: Did your parents find out about it?

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Sev: You have got to stop

Sev: Yes the trophy is hidden, no my mother did not find out about it

Tristan: Thank heavens

Tristan: Hey do you want to have lunch with the study group tomorrow? You don’t usually eat with us.

Sev: Hard pass.

Sev: Stop texting me.

Sev turned off his phone. He didn’t want Tristan to keep trying to convince him to hang out with the group. If he was being honest, he was pretty close to quitting it. He didn’t really fit in with them. He was always the outsider. It felt pointless to attend their study group if no one except Tristan was even going to try to engage with him outside of it. He tossed his phone on his bed and went to kill time before Hestia got back. He could probably fit a movie in.

***

This is so bad. I can’t do this. I’m going to say the wrong thing oh my-

“Come in, Tristan,” His father’s voice sounded from the open doorway. Tristan slowly walked in and sat down in the chair that was closest to the principal’s desk. Unsurprisingly no student had come forward and returned the trophy, so interviews were being conducted. Tristan met his father’s eyes.

“Now, obviously this is just a formality.” Cassian informed him. “But still. Where were you on the night before last?” Tristan began to panic.

We didn’t have a cover story! What am I supposed to say?!

“I was hanging out with my friend, Sev,” He began. Cassian nodded for him to continue. “We got some food and went back to his place to watch a movie.” He opened his mouth to continue, but his father held up a hand.

“That’s good enough, you can go.” Tristan thanked his father and quickly left. I did it!

His feelings of relief were quickly halted when he saw who was being interviewed next. It was Sev. Tristan hastily grabbed the other boy’s arm and whispered in his ear: “We got food and watched a movie at your house.”

Sev gave him a brief nod and disappeared into Cassian’s office. Tristan returned to class and worried about Sev and the trophy. Then he went to his next class and worried about Sev and the trophy. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Tristan: Okay I know you told me to leave you alone but please tell me nothing went wrong in your interview.

Sev: It was fine. We got burgers, fries, and shakes, then watched Spirited Away

Tristan: Studio Ghibli?

Sev: Yeah it’s a good movie.

Tristan: Never seen it.

Sev: Well don’t go around telling people that, we’ve got to keep our cover intact

Tristan: What, are you a spy now?

Sev: You’re the one who wanted to hide the trophy

Tristan: That’s fair.

***

When Tristan got home, it was clear that his father was frustrated with the theft of the trophy. He and the school’s safety officers had interviewed the bulk of the students and found no viable culprits. Tristan had never been a very good liar, and he was afraid that he might crack if his father continued to chase his own tail in an effort to find whoever had stolen the trophy.

Tristan: I think we need to tell my dad that we did it.

Sev: ???? why

Tristan: He’s getting very frustrated at the whole situation.

Sev: Ok? He is a grown man he can deal with himself

Tristan: I really just think we should

Sev: Ok then go tell him if it’s making you so upset

Tristan: I don’t know if I can.

Sev: Then don’t Tristan: I feel like I have to.

Sev: Then do it

Tristan: I’m worried about getting in trouble.

Sev: dude just stop

Truthfully, Tristan wasn’t quite sure of what to do. On one hand, telling his father would get the whole situation over with, and he wouldn’t have to worry about keeping any covers intact. But on the other, he was facing some probably pretty serious repercussions for what he and Sev had done. It had been his idea too, to take the trophy. He only wanted to take a picture of it, to send as a joke to the study group chat. Instead the trophy had fallen and broken, and he had gotten stuck in this mess.

Finally, he poked his head into his dad’s office. His father was on the phone with someone, so Tristan waited until he hung up.

“Who was that?” He asked, hoping to get a somewhat pleasant conversation going before he confessed. Cassian graced him with a rare smile.

“That was Sevro Lastlight, calling to tell me that he was the one who took the trophy.” What?

“Really?” Tristan responded after a moment. Why would he do that?

“Yes, really,” His father replied, sifting through a stack of papers on his desk. Tristan slowly retreated from the room. He still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. Why would Sev confess for me?

Tristan: You called my dad??

Sev: Yeah

Tristan: Why?

Sev: eh I’ve already done worse things than stealing a trophy

Tristan: That was really awesome of you, Sev.

Sev: np

Tristan: np?

Sev: No problem

Sev: How do you not know that

Tristan: Hey, have lunch with the study group. I know you already said no, but you’re my friend and I feel bad that you eat alone.

Sev: I don’t mind eating alone

Tristan: Please?

Sev: Fine.

Tristan cheered. Maybe today wasn’t that bad after all.

[neighborhood-goblin]

Latham: I don’t know how to tell you all this, so I’m just going to whisper it into Lysandro’s ear, causing him to shout it out in astonishment.

Latham: *whispers to Lysandro*

Lysandro: You’re dating Anders!?!

[neighborhood-goblin]

Lysandro: Want to play a game?

Nyka: Uh...Sure..?

Lysandro: It’s called “Lute or Latham”. I give you actual quotes I’ve heard Anders say, and you guess if he was talking to his lute or his boyfriend.

Nyka: Ok try me

Lysandro: “You are my one true love”

Nyka: Shit

[neighborhood-goblin]

Anders: Cupcake?

Latham: I told you not to call me that in public!

Anders: *holding a cupcake*

The rest of the riders:

Latham: Oh.

[neighborhood-goblin]

Latham: ARE YOU-

Anders: Fucking.

Latham: KIDDING ME? YOU-

Anders: Fucking.

Latham: IDIOT?!

Nyka: …what was that?

Tris: Cassian banned Latham from swearing so Anders offered to help him out.