Hiya, AChronum here! Although I'm relatively new to rping, I have plenty of writing experience and love trying new genres and styles. I absolutely love high magic fantasy RPs and am pretty much willing to do anything so long as I can create a charaxter, not play an existing one, and develop lots and lots of backstory! I'm perfectly comfortable with all mature themes as well, although smut for smut's sake is out of the question.
Interested in an RP? Send me a PM and have a magically marvelous day!
Location: The Mutant Underground's New HQ Skills: Electrical Engineering
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
James sat face in his palms, reeling after the conversation with Jack. There were a lot of mixed emotions right now and guilt was one of the most prevalent ones. He knew he shouldn't reasonably blame himself. He didn't know. He had no way to know Casper was recently released from rehab for drugging himself to the point of addiction to avoid the very issue he faced last night. He had no way to know he was feeding into the very problem Jack tried to ensure didn't repeat itself. Excellent. Now he was an enabler and Casper was looking for a way to maintain his fix.
And then, two of the three people he knew prior to this mess up and left. To the very people trying to kill them. He'd thought Leighton was cool with them. They worked together well as a team during the training session and afterwards trying to take down Vulcan and Magik. Sure, she definitely had some attitude problems when they first met but that was reasonable. She just stumbled randomly into the Morlocks after her life turned upside down. Should they have seen something? Maybe how they worked together was just a fluke. Maybe her stuck up attitude originally was how she really was.
And Max. That caught him completely unawares. The guy was a loose cannon for sure and needed way more training or practice or whatever someone did when they had magic but whenever he talked, he always wanted to be the hero. He always wanted to help people, even if what he was doing ended up hurting more than it helped. To hear he defected to a group that launched an attack on a place holding children--Max still shuddered thinking about how badly some of them had to be patched up--it seemed like a lie. But the evidence was in this building. The entirety of the group was here.
And Max wasn't.
James trembled with the emotions he'd been holding inside as Casper pestered him for the drugs. There was too much going on: the relocation, the defections, the betrayal. And James had just about reached his limit. James looked up at Casper and tried to keep himself in check. "I don't have your drugs, Casper. If that's all you want from me, back off. I won't have any anytime soon." James snapped at him as he stood off the couch. He needed to do something. Sitting on round stewing was driving him up the wall. Blink said earlier they might be able to get the electricity going again so he might as well dive head first into that. "I'm going to try and get this place working again."
James made his way around the new headquarters, peering around and through the broken wall pieces, following chewed and frayed wiring through both floors, and frankly losing hope that they could get the electricity running. It would take a lot of equipment, time, and effort James wasn't sure they were able to or willing to pull off. "Damn, there's a fuck ton of work to do." He muttered to himself as he made his way through the rooms.
Ryner’s entire body rippled and suddenly she was standing back behind the desk,a duplicate of the chair she’d brought around next to her. She looked down at the offending piece of furniture, then to the one across from her, and back to the one next to her with an unhappy sigh. “Now why’d you go and ruin it? I was told to hold you until she got back and here I am, struggling with a punk ass vampy. One too many brews down the ol’ hatch, if you know what I mean! Haha!” Ryner cackled as she spoke, the words lining up less and less with Ryner’s mouth as she leaned over the table and poked Eris’ head. The sensation of touch never came.
“Oh, feisty boy in here tonight! Guess my little spell’s coming undone since I’m about outta magic here. They already cleared the building so my job is technically done.” The voice echoed around the room, the words coming slurred and choppy. Ryner became translucent and the room grew darker, colder. “Take the south exit and head to a dorm they won’t look for you. I’m sure someone like y’all has a friend or two to rely on. Or, you can just hide here until Princessy shows back up!”
The room when dark and the chill overtook them as whatever spell they were under disappeared. The three of them were just standing a few steps behind the chairs and nothing was set out like Ryner had done just moments before. Outside, a few voices could be heard murmuring, their footsteps loud with the sound of armor, before they passed down the hall.
They arrived at Dennis’ dorm unhampered. Several other students stood outside, staring at the pair as the approached. Dennis let go of Amaris and bowed. “Uh, thank you so much. I had uh a good time tonight before all…” He waved back at the campus. “Do you think uh maybe we could hang out again?” A fe of the others behind him rolled their eyes and slipped back inside while the others turned to each other without speaking. One girl stood stiffly, arms clasped tightly in front of her, as she stared down Amaris.
The vampiress drew back as if she was struck, mouth agape for a moment. “You think I loved her? Ha! I couldn’t think of anything further from the truth! Open your damn ears! What bit of what I said suggested I loved her? I loathe her. No, I wasn’t going to steal back into the night. I was working my way up to the bitch. I’d play with her toys, tear them all apart and liter them around for her to see, and then when she came sniffing around, I’d tear her limb from limb!” She shouted at him, lunging for him again and baring her fangs. In the background, the lights turned off. One by one, they flickered out and the darkness advanced on the ballroom. The wailing of emergency vehicles went quiet and the chattering of the investigation stopped once only the moon and the stars remained to illuminate the campus.
“And what does a worthless little worm like you think it deserves to know my name? You, who grovels at her feet, at the feet of this blasted Council who gave away everything they worked for-we worked for!-just to accommodate so worthless agreement? We are immortal and great! They are fragile, weak, and helpless. Their magic is a crutch! So why are they worth anything?!” She screamed at him. “I’m going to kill you anyways so what does it matter? The last damn thing you’ll hear is-”
“Valentina.” Ryner interrupted, arms crossed as she stared down the vampiress in faint amusement. She’d come up over the edge of the building as Valentina lunged and brushed a bit of dirt of her suit jacket. “I thought I had you killed all those years ago. You must have had a vial of that blood still. I must have missed one.” She walked steadily, unperturbed at the violence in front of her. As the Princess spoke, Valentina’s shock quickly changed to fury. “I’m sure we could have settled this a different way.”
“Settled? You condemned them to death! If we still had that blood, I could have put the whole crew back together!” The vampiress screamed, her attention off Victor and fully on Ryner. Ryner started walking away but paused.
“I suppose you could have. But that did defeat the purpose didn’t it?” She asked, considering the question. “You all were a fun distraction Valentina but my siblings were right. It was time to come back.” Ryner waved her hand dismissively, back still turned. “You can finish this right, Victor? I’ll start the paperwork for the whole mess. Try and hurry please.” With a strangled shout, Valentina pulled a blade from her boots and threw herself at the Princess.
Home was a bittersweet struggle for Varis. Antwone picked Varis up perfectly five minutes before he was expected, his preferred travel bottle was ready for him in the back of the car along with the glass Eloise brought him back as a gift the last time he sent her off to one of Edgar's show mage's soirees. They threw so many it baffled Varis how they got any work done but it gave his own show mage a way to show off however she wished, within her expected behaviors of course, and it made her happy to see some of them so her smiles weren't all forced, tight lipped, amateurish shows like a certain mage he had to deal with now. Varis opened the bottle with practiced ease and poured himself a tall glass.
He knew they had a deal but by the Queen's saving grace, the boy was a complete idiot. How did a mage with such an amazing pedigree turn out like that? There wasn't an original thought in the boy's brain! Varis took a deep drink. There were times when he wished alcohol affected vampires in a mortal fashion and this entire semester so far was one of them. Couldn't figure out where a link cuff was supposed to go when he didn't have cuffs! Eloise graduated from that bat shit thought process when she was three. He couldn't imagine Ryner let any of her mages act like that at home. Completely void of independent thought and any semblance of rational thought. The only thing the boy was useful for was holding things. Anything more complex and Varis had to hold his hand like a child. The boy did well once and nothing since. Pathetic.
Varis tapped his foot irritably against the passenger seat. How many times had he considered breaking their deal? Since meeting the boy, he'd turned so impatient but the Starag boy just didn't learn! Admittedly, Varis only had experience breaking Sinnenodel mages in but he couldn't imagine this primitive child any different than the others. The absurd loyalty to the Noilas was just another expression of their intellectual inferiority. Anyone with an advanced intellect knew that loyalty was a cheap and easy method of manipulation; rather, temporary alliances were the only thing that could be trusted. Anything else was just a ploy to bring you to heel. Things like trust and faith were misplaced in this world. They were what made all of humanity, mage or otherwise, excel in their servitude. A vampire could never last.
The ride home was silent. Antwone kept the privacy screen up, the AC running, the drive smooth, took the detour Varis enjoyed when he was stressed and drawn thin, and pulled home with no fan fair. The first days home Varis always prefer the silence of his own company. Varis stepped out and didn't acknowledge the servant opening the door and then scurrying away like the insect he was. Varis waited until he was alone again and sighed, letting a weary smile as his lavender garden washed over him.
"Finally home." He murmured to himself as he entered the garden, a sprawling maze his family kept up for generations. He'd slowly had the gardeners change out the original plants for the lavenders. He wandered through it, the paths familiar but he turned that off. It had been years since he let himself get lost beneath the soft moonlight in the well manicured garden. He let his thoughts wander, far away from the weariness of the boy, from the expectations of Court and Council, from the deal, from bothersome Dukes and Duchesses. Here in the garden, he felt closer to something he had before, a memory forgotten but the impression still there. It was bitter-sweet, an impression of laughter, of longing, of a broken heart, and of bitter fury. Mostly, it was betrayal but Varis had no idea what it meant.
The garden and the library had been his escape from a tyrannical father and apathetic siblings. Why he would feel this way here of all places always confused him but he did. Sometimes it hurt so much he couldn't stand it but he suffered through it to try and figure it out. Those nights he spent, picking the tangled web of emotions apart left him more confused than before, in more pain that before. Every thread brought him to another tangle, each tangle revealed more threads. Never tangible memories. Impressions. Reactions. A periodic thought. And always music. A piano. He didn't even know how to play the piano and yet he remembered it clearly. Some days, it infuriated him. Not to know your own mind was the hallmark of insanity in his opinion and he'd barely been alive a century. Time hadn't left its mark on him just yet.
Some days, it was reassuring. Knowing there was always another mystery to solve, that he could never truly be bored with eternity was a surprising comfort. More than one vampire lost their minds when everything stagnated. But Varis had his own little puzzle locked away where no one could find it. When vampires became predictable and his web wove itself without any help, he could always take a moment and try again and again and again because there seemed to be an endless supply of emotions of a depth he never thought possible. He'd never wish them on his worst enemies and he certainly wouldn't enjoy having them every night. Once in a while was perfect. A kickstart when things got boring.
The path he followed took him to his childhood spot, a secret little swirl of hedge that opened into a small space. A jagged piece of stone work carefully set into the center of a stone pagoda. His grandfather stole it from an archeological dig he funded before he reported the findings to the Council. The tablet was covered in archaic writings, something he didn't know and Ryner refused to teach him. If everything went well, that would change. Varis knelt, pressing for the loose board at the bottom of the structure, and pulled out a long thin box. He replaced the board and tucked it safely away. He spent a few more moments tracing the familiar lettering before he took his leave back to the castle.
The family's castle was dark and imposing, a design choice of his great grandmother's back when the vampire lords fought off hunters and other lords. It clawed at the sky with three long towers that spiraled out of the well fortified structure. Varis pushed his way into the main hall, picking up the letters that were neatly stacked at the table there. He flickered through them quickly, leaving more than one in the trash next to it.
Two stood out. Dutchess Fennilia demanding attention after he ruled against her in a border dispute. Typical. He expected it sooner than this but she was always one to sulk for a few years before she tried to garner favor with him. He slipped that on in his pocket as well but the other chilled him to his core. It took all his control to make his way through the silent halls as calmly and collected as he usually would until he climbed the stairs to his personal room. He shut the door. He placed the letter on his desk. He sat on his bed.
He screamed into a pillow. The Sinnenodel seal on the back was marked with the distinctive eyes that only she used in the family. Lady Sinnenodel sent him a summons.
The tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He'd just gotten home and arranged a few days off before he had to attend a business meeting and now this. He'd received summons before, plenty of times in the past fifty years, and summons with that symbol only ever meant she was displeased with him. Which was far more often than not because she expected perfection and nothing was ever perfect to her. Varis wanted to bash his head against the wall. He likely had to cancel the business meeting or at least arrange to conference call into it. If she permitted him to speak this time. He stood up and walked stiffly back to the letter, pulling out a snake engraved letter opener. He paused, took a deep breath, and opened the envelope.
Count Varis Sinnenodel,
Your presence is expected at Lady Sinnenodel's Raining Star Villa along with all documentation on the acquisitions of Green Vision Inc and plans for hosting Chaend. Lady Sinnenodel's attendant will arrive in three days. Arraignments for your meeting with the Astorio Counts have been made. Expect to return to the Noila Academy directly from the Villa.
Secretary of the luminous Lady Sinnenodel.
Varis reread the letter several times. His frustration and anger, his brief and naive belief this wasn't what he thought it was, all collapsed into a frustrated resentment. Set was exactly what he thought but she was taking it one step further. The irony was clear. Just as he forced the boy to handle a public reminder of his place, she was doing the same thing. He ground his fangs together furiously, threw the letter aside, and collapsed back on his bed. His luggage from school wasn't fully returned, likely being taken in from washing, but several other pieces sat in their place. Eloise must have seen the letter and known he'd be leaving. Thank the Queen someone knew how to anticipate his needs.
His violin was sitting in it's place on his dresser and Varis realized with a start he hadn't lifted it once from its place at the dorm. It was normally a key piece of relaxing but he'd been so stressed about everything that he'd forgotten about it entirely. He chewed his lip for a second as he considered and sighed again, putting all thoughts of everything else aside. He pulled out the box he'd brought in and set it carefully on his desk, sliding the box open and pulling out the carefully coiled sheets and spreading them open. The thin, wispy handwriting of his mother carefully transcribed one of his favorite violin pieces from his youth. He knew the notes by heart of course. He played it on the anniversary of her death every year without fail. Varis chuckled at the page. He could almost hear her, upset that he ignored everyone but her. He imagined she would tell him off about how much work he did, how much he let the Lady of the house hurt him, how much he hurt other people.
But she wasn't here. Only her memory and her grave. Varis shook away the nostalgia welling up in him as he picked up the violin, amused at the futility of the effort. He was bound to feel it, playing his mother's piece, and here he was trying to shove it away. He couldn't have his mage and drink too.
Varis spent a few moments applying rosin, making sure his strings were still good to play with, and tuning it. The violin firmly tucked under his chin, fingers on the strings, and elbow in its sweet spot. He held the bow just above the strings as he counted the beat in his head, a silent metronome that sounded far too much like his mother's counting for his taste.
The first pass of the bow felt as sweet as blood in his veins. The tension faded from his shoulders as the music sang away his worries with each pass, beckoning his mind far away from what his muscle memory could handle. Back in a time where he clung to his mother's skirts with every new face, when his room smelled like cookies and strawberries and cream, when the wild lavender was a playground and a reading nook all in one. Back before his father turned his attention on him, before his siblings loathed him, before he gambled his family's reputation and won. Before he schemed. Before he raised his walls. Back before he cared about more than the next book he read.
He played the rest of the early morning away, ignoring the tears that stained his cheeks again, ignoring the hurt and the anger pressing in around him, ignoring all the responsibilities he built for himself. He played for hours. Even when Eloise came in and closed his curtains, he played. Even when she offered him blood, he played. He played long into the day and even once he succumbed to sleep, he curled protectively around the violin.
Location: The Van/Mutant Underground HQ Skills: N/A
“Okay, we'll stay here. You just relax for a bit." James said, settling a little more into the seat. He was still wrapping his head around the concept of ghosts and honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to. It brought on a wide variety of questions that James was not in the emotional state to consider right now. What a way to bond with someone, not to mention the person you asked out on a date. Panic attacks leading to existential crises. At least its unique.
So he turned his attention to the conversations outside the car. The new headquarters sounded promising and it came with a built in distraction. The underground part was unfortunate. It made him think about the Morlock's, an involuntary shiver running through him, setup and he frowned. Preferably the could tag into the electrical line it used to be hooked up to or maybe they could set up solar panels. The idea made him perk up. He'd taken a few specialty courses on solar panels and getting to put that knowledge to work would present a fun challenge. And after this little "mission", he definitely needed some distance from… He looked at Sapphire, irritation bubbling up, but he took a breath and put a cap on it. It wasn't helpful to deal with that now. There would be other opportunities.
Ryner laughed at Eris’ wink, the tension easing out of her smile as she did. “A bold move, Mr.Samael, but it seems tonight at least, fortune does indeed favor the bold. I’ll have our publicist reach out to yours. We’ll probably make official statements tomorrow night but this way, you can better coordinate whatever steps you take to protect your image.” Ryner tapped on the desk as she spoke, the movements sharp and harsh but barely making any noise. Concern flashed over her face at Max’s comment.
“You don’t need a plan at all. I’m not about to make my students defend themselves when I’m standing right here. If for some reason someone comes into this room without my permission, it’ll be considered a violation of my privacy and I’ve killed for less in a darker time. As long as you three are here, no harm will come to you.” Ryner promised solemnly. “My students are more important than my reputation but clearly I trusted my subordinates too much and you all have taken the fall for my naivety. For that, I apologize. I know it's a far cry from anything substantial after what you've been through but it is all I can offer at this moment."
Though to answer your question Salem, yes they will use mind magic to interrogate you. It is one of the horrors I intend to protect you from.” Ryner knelt in front of Salem, a soft smile on her face. “You and I both know the investigation is nothing but my mother’s ego and Lady Sinnenodel’s sadistic pleasure. Tonight's event will not impact anything. You’ve stayed strong this whole time. Trust me for a little while longer.”
“Yes, thank you.” Dennis muttered as he clung to Amaris amid crowd, this face taking on a distinctly green tinge. “Princess Nox is here and she looks halfway ready to kill someone herself. Queen save us, that’s a nasty looking axe.” Dennis muttered under his breath. A few people around the pair glanced over at the commentary, realized who was talking, and shifted away, leaving a few paces of space around Dennis and Amaris.
“Apparently, our Princess hid Eris and the mages away. Princess Nox just finished clearing the admin building and it looks like she’s moving onto the lecture halls next.” Dennis kept a stream of information coming quietly under his breath, just loud enough for Amaris to hear. “I didn’t realize you could call someone stupid that many ways.”
The flow of students continued past the administrative building, dark and lifeless as several of the royal guard stood outside. More royal guards patrolled the walkways and the dorm area, shepherding students as quickly as they could. Tonight was a poor night to be caught outside.
She wrapped one hand around his throat and another dug into his still good shoulder as she pulled, straining to dig her fingers into Victor, but she struggled to leave a dent in him. She jumped back, wary and suspicious. “That is… unusual. You must not be a student then. I thought you were just another dumb pet of hers, prior occupation and all, but you’re a little studier than most aren’t you?”
Name: Artemis Harrington Aliases: Artie Age: 15 Birthday: November 25th, 1968 Birth Place: Kingston, England Gender: Male Blood Status: Muggle Born (Muggles) House / Year: Hufflepuff/ Fifth Year Alignment: Neutral Good Wand: Laurel, Dragon Heartstring (sibling core to Apollo's'), 14 1/2", Whippy Flexibility
A P P E A R A N C E
Height: 170.1 cm Weight: 59.88 kg Build: Lean Eyes: Green Hair: Dirty Blond Skin Tone: Tan Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: During his last holiday, Artie recently begged his parents into letting him get his right ear pierced and wears a little bell earring when he isn’t in uniform. Typical Outfit: While in uniform, he dresses like a model student. Not a crease in the wrong place and his tie done up properly, a struggle when he first started. His hair stays up in a tight bun and he uses a simple charm every morning to take off Nonna’s hair that gets everywhere. His prefect badge is always kept on display, just so his first years know where they can find help.
Despite his silly and carefree behavior, Artie dresses in sensible clothing outside of uniform: button ups and polos with jeans and boots. He prefers vibrant and bright colors, greens and yellows and pinks, over the dark ones of his birth season and enjoys clashing rather than complementary colors. He rarely dresses that way, only when his parents aren’t there to lecture him on the importance of appearance. He loves accessories, rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and his small collection is in absurdly bright colors.
Artie is known for dancing to his own tune, literally. Staying still has never been his forte and this bubbling energy extends out into all parts of his life. There is always a good side to things and focusing on those makes the world’s troubles fade away, instead preferring to move from one good thing to the next. He loves group gatherings and flitting his way around a room just to meet new people. Artie’s first concern is everyone around him, making sure they are taken care of and enjoying themselves.
However, leaving Artie alone too long is a dangerous thing indeed. His excitable ways hide his own demons: frustrations at the unachievable academic expectations of his parents, the need for constant validation from anyone, and the demand for casual physical affection sometimes drives even the most understanding away. When he feels isolated or left out, he tends to latch onto anything that shows him the smallest amount of appreciation and proceeds to drain it, sometimes forgetting that doing so exhausts the person in question.
Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Single Fatal Flaw: Dependency Hobbies: Cooking, Dancing, Swimming Patronus: Golden Retriever Animagus: Golden Retriever (If he becomes one) Amortentia: Strawberries and cream puffs and a salt sweet breeze Mirror of Erised: His parents more proud of him than his brother. Boggart: His mother, exasperated and on the phone. Dementor: The car crash, his mother’s thought, his inability to speak, and Apollo’s sensory overloads.
M A G I C a n d K E E P S A K E S
Core Classes:
Astronomy - 2
Charms - 5
Defense Against the Dark Arts - 5
Herbology - 3
History of Magic - 2
Potions - 4
Transfiguration - 3
Electives:
Muggle Studies - 4
Care of Magical Creatures - 3
Talents:
Patronus
Cooking
Legilimency
Possessions:
Wand
Bag with school supplies (books, quills, ink, parchment)
Small pouch full of muggle candies (usually butterscotch)
Jewelry box of accessories, including his favorite bell earring
Additional school supplies
Moving picture of the family from their first time at Diagon Alley.
Secret stash of muggle candy
H I S T O R Y
How did you come into your magic: The twins displayed their natural talent for mind reading almost from birth. They’ve lived longer in each other’s head than out and that ability quickly developed into reading other’s minds. Their speech development suffered for it; while their language comprehension developed at a rapid pace, being able to communicate instantly between each other slowed their interest in speaking. It wasn’t until just before the twin’s fifth birthday that they began to speak.
However, events that were more difficult to explain occured as well. Artie’s mother hit the wrong pedal and shot their car into the middle of an intersection, causing a truck to slam into the small car and sent it toppling. Artie’s distress caused his magic to trigger and the car slowed almost immediately, the debris dropping as it mimicked the arresto momentum spell.
General History:
As early as the twins could remember, separation was a forign concept. The twin sons of James Harrington and Olivia Harrington, the boys grew up in a world full of myth and magic of the muggle variety. Olivia Harrington, maiden name Evans, was a well known archaeologist, assisting Barry Cunliffe in his excavation of the Roman Villa, the Fishbourne Palace, in west Sussex and assisting the University of Jerusalem's Yohanan Aharoni in excavating Cave no. 8 (Cave of Horrors), that worked out of King’s College in junction with the British Museum on several Greek history exhibits.
James Harrington grew up in a family of historians. Like his mother, he inherited a deep seated curiosity and a sense of adventure. His father developed a focused mind and the fiery determination that drove him through his school years, despite a variety of financial and emotional setbacks, and resulted in him graduating from Oxford University with his Doctorates in Greek history. He caught a full time position at the British museum as a museum curator and would eventually ascend to director while continuing as a part time lecturer at Oxford.
An event at the British Museum brought them together, a showcase of the many artifacts that British explorers have brought back from their travels. The pair collaborated on the Greek section, working long hours with little time for other social interaction, but like they often said, it was a match made in heaven. The pair quickly fell in love, their busy schedules complementing each other well, and married a few years later. When they discovered they had twins, one boy and one girl, they decided on their names immediately: Apollo and Artemis. They painted blue wolves and dolphins and pink dancing bears, an homage to the source of their names and a blend of modern and ancient imagery.
Only to be wrong. In a surprise twist, both babies came out male. The first one, named Apollo, was born fifteen minutes before his brother and the parents kept the name, pacified by a nurse who assured them it sounded unisex enough. The tired but ecstatic pair returned home when Olivia was released, only to realize they needed to make some adjustments. The clothes and toys were returned and replaced but the nursery stayed the same. Painting was a chore neither parent wanted to go through again so soon.
The twins were inseparable, going everywhere together. Their speech facilities developed much slower than expected, to the bafflement of most doctors. They could comprehend as well as any child their age, possible even better, but they seemed reluctant to put those ideas into words and when they did speak, it was almost incomprehensible until 4 years old when they made sudden leaps and bounds past the standard development. It pleasantly baffled their parents and the pair set out on catching up the twins on an appropriate level of education.
The reason was, in fact, the pair displayed magic incredibly early. The twins were both Legilimens, wizards with an instinctive knack for the Legilimency spell. The pair practically lived in each other’s heads which removed the primary motivation to communicate verbally, negatively impacting their early speech development. It wasn’t until they realized not everyone could hear others thoughts that they stepped out of their heads, partially, and interacted with their peers.
They were still mostly silent at home and until the age of seven, the pair struggled to differentiate between the ‘inside voices’ and normal voices. Even once they did, it still wasn’t unusual for them to babble in response to an unwitting stranger’s thoughts. Their parents chalked their impromptu conversations to imaginary friends and encouraged their active imaginations. It was that trait that first drove both their parents into Greek History and it made them proud that their children also displayed it. But as time went on and the conversations turned darker and the twin’s supper questions more uncomfortable, the Harrington’s had to admit that possibly their children were a tad touched.
Their parent’s opinion took second place during the summer of of their eight year, when Apollo caught the flu and Olivia went to pick up his medicine, bringing Artemis along with her after he whined his way under her skin. He’d been bouncy all day, after the first few days of fretting over his quiet brother and being assured he would be okay with medicine, and it didn’t stop in the car. He talked about everything they passed, peppering the stressed woman with a million questions and the second she turned to snap at him, it happened. A truck collided with the passenger side of the car as she accidentally drove into an intersection after tapping on the gas. The force of it rolled the car twice before it suddenly stopped upright. Olivia was sliced with glass and metal. Artemis made it out with nearly no damage, his magic instinctively replicatiing the Slowing Charm on everything around him. And while the child made it out with only a few cuts, Artie still has nightmares to this day about the incident.
After the accident, Artemis regressed to the silence he maintained when the twins were younger and Apollo took the role of the pair’s mouth. Guilt wormed its way through him, eating Artemis alive as he blamed himself for the accident after overhearing a short lived thought that if only he’d been less annoying. Of course, the thought was dismissed as quickly as it came as completely unreasonable, his mother couldn’t shift the blame on him when it was her fault for taking her eyes off the road anyways, but the damage was done. Artemis sunk into his depression, barely sleeping through the night and avoiding other people as much as possible.
Apollo struggled then as well. Apollo often got overloaded with voices, struggling to keep himself out of other’s thoughts, and when Artemis started having nightmares and crushing guilt, it was a snapping point. He frequently stopped in the middle of public areas and crouched, covering his ears and trembling until it stopped. Or he could become irritable and confrontational, devolving into temper tantrums when everything became too much. Olivia and James had little option but to have a doctor see them, entering family therapy on a recommendation.
It was a rough climb back to some semblance of normalcy but family therapy helped. The therapist, although a muggle, their therapist picked up on the twin’s “highly empathetic natures”, noting that Artemis felt the accident was his fault and that Apollo was anxious about the growing rift in his family. Olivia and James were horrified to hear this but it was the largest step the family managed and with the help of carefully controlled medications, the pair managed to smile again and feel comfortable in their own home. Their grades and friends returned and life seemed to go on with the occasional episode.
And then the ministry official appeared, Hogwarts letters in hand. The twins accepted it in about five seconds flat, a barrage of questions that had the man wide eyed. But he could also explain that the conversations the twins had, the voices they spoke to, and the things they did were all very real. Their parents, still dealing with the aftermath of the crash, kept their thoughts well in order despite the initial discomfort of knowing their thoughts were not as hidden as they’d assumed. Apollo and Artemis could barely contain themselves, the younger one dancing around the house ecstatically as he screamed at the top of his lungs and Apollo gaped at the man and then promptly fainted.
Diagon Alley was an entirely different experience. Artemis got separated from the family no less than four times as he darted from shop to shop and returning to demand of the ministry man, a very helpful Mr. Hopkinson who Artie still writes once a month, explanations for every little thing that caught his eye. Which boiled down to… everything. His parents and brother seemed mildly concerned about knuts, sickles, and galleons. Why they were discussing plumbing stuff and ships he wasn’t sure; Artie was too busy begging and crying for the most adorable cat he’d ever seen. He won that fight but sadly lost the color changing robes. His new cat, Nonnie, comforted him through that trying time. Discovering his wand wiped the memory of his lost robes and he couldn’t help waving it around until Mr. Hopkinson finally made him put it away.
The train ride to Hogwarts was a trying time for his soon to be classmates. Artemis could hear the exasperation other students had when he would bounce around the train every few minutes, eagerly greeting everyone and everything, talking a mile a minute to the trolley lady, and to anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. The normal weight that built through the day from all the oppressive thoughts couldn’t even knock his mood. Once his brother made him sit down, he was more than happy to continue chatting the ear of the nice girl in the car with them.
He felt his world shatter around him that same night. The sorting ceremony, one of the most exciting things about the whole days, separated the twins. It was the first time they’d have been significantly apart without a clear time they’d be together in the future. Artie wasn’t sure if he screamed out loud but he definitely did internally as he sat shell-shocked at the Hufflepuff table, on the verge of sobbing. All through his first year, his depression flared again, he struggled to voice his thoughts and opinions unless his sibling was around, and he clung to Apollo harder than he ever had, going so far to skip some classes to hide when everything just got overwhelming.
The end of the first year brought some progress, though it was absolutely obliterated when he got home and his parents were overjoyed with Apollo. Artemis was found… lacking. They acted empathetic but the thoughts. Again, they were just initial reactions. The tinge of disappointment when their son couldn’t meet their academic standards, the flare of irritation at Artemis’ waterfall of disappointment. All gone and replaced with the logical conclusion that he needed a longer adjustment period but the damage had been done. He couldn’t wait to get away again.
The second year made it better. Apollo’s research over the summer unearthed the Patronus charm and after many, many late night talks with both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff heads, and an equal number of tears from Artemis, they learned the Patronus charm in order to send a piece of themselves to each other when the separation weighed too heavily on them. Learning the Patronus was a point of pride for Artie and it gave him a much needed sense of accomplishment to instill a sense of care in his work. His grades in the fun classes, Charms, Defense against the Dark Arts, and Potions, rose almost overnight but the not so fun classes dragged brutally. History of Magic, dramatic sigh. Astronomy, who cares. Herbology, a necessary evil. Thank goodness for his sibling.
Returning to school the next year was even better than the last. Celebrations went on as news of Voldemort’s defeat was carried across Great Britain and the world was a better place for it. Those who supported him were on the outs, his ideals and views unpopular, and another one of Artie’s problems fell away. Though, not all survived the dark, friend and foe alike, and a certain solemnity fell across the campus. Although he didn’t lose anyone himself, he could empathize with the pain of an unexpected separation and he made it his goal to help others through it. He recruited his brother and those who were willing in making a bit life a little more merry that year so at least for a while the seriousness of life didn’t make school room corners quite as dark.
The third and fourth years found Artie growing more into his magic and his confidence in his place in the wizarding world. His love for his favorite classes grew, his dislike for his others grew too, and his days of rolling out of bed disappeared. He put himself together, took pride in how he presented himself, cared more about his grades and put serious effort into even the ones he loathed, and actively made sure other like him and his brother, muggle born, were taught the ropes and given the same opportunities as those born into the magical community.
Artie assumed that was what earned him his prefect position. Though honestly, he didn’t really question it. It marked a tangible milestone in his growth as a wizard and a person and, as a grown and mature teenager, ran around the house screaming at the top of his lungs. It satisfied a jealousy that had been building inside him, a ugly feeling aimed at his brother for always being more successful and smarter than he. Artie was the prefect, not Apollo. For once, someone acknowledge he was more than just a fun kid, a joker, the accompaniment. But he shook that line of thought form himself, ashamed that he felt that way since he knew Apollo never thought of him like that. So he pushed it aside and got ready for a new, exciting year like always. Nothing could go wrong now.
*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.
Hiya, AChronum here! Although I'm relatively new to rping, I have plenty of writing experience and love trying new genres and styles. I absolutely love high magic fantasy RPs and am pretty much willing to do anything so long as I can create a charaxter, not play an existing one, and develop lots and lots of backstory! I'm perfectly comfortable with all mature themes as well, although smut for smut's sake is out of the question.
Interested in an RP? Send me a PM and have a magically marvelous day!
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hiya, AChronum here! Although I'm relatively new to rping, I have plenty of writing experience and love trying new genres and styles. I absolutely love high magic fantasy RPs and am pretty much willing to do anything so long as I can create a charaxter, not play an existing one, and develop lots and lots of backstory! I'm perfectly comfortable with all mature themes as well, although smut for smut's sake is out of the question.<br><br>Interested in an RP? Send me a PM and have a magically marvelous day! </div>
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