Fractured and Fractal Like a Geode

Likes

Unbroken Vigil (my favorite trope ever)

Magic Whump

Sooo many other things related to Magic Whump

Nonhuman whumpee (merfolk, winged beings, any of the fun nonhuman beings you can play as in DnD...)

Bound and gagged

Kidnap and Rescue

Used as Bait (and Forced to Watch)

Caretaker x Whumpee (because I am a hopeless romantic)

Recovery Whump

Heroic Last Stand

Dislikes

Major Character Death (I need my happy endings)

Severe body modification (anything huge and unrecoverable)

Noncon

Masterlist!

Darius and Mianu stories

Used as Bait Part 1

Used as Bait Part 2

"Don't touch him" (ask response)

Control (song lyric prompt)

The Weight of the Crown (a response to a whump prompt)

Magic With a Price (for Magic Whump Week)

Cursed (for Magic Whump Week)

Collapse (for Magic Whump Week)

"Collapse" but from Darius' POV (ask response)

Random Darius and Mianu info stuff

Torture Ask Game response

Oc Ask Game 1

"Bold What Applies" tag game

Gail Carson Levine's Character Profile (tag game response)

"Find the Word" tag game

"Random Headcanon Generator" tag game

Darius and Mianu Picrew

Mianu Picrew

Two OC's in 15 (fun dialogue tag game, both bois)

OC Ask Game 2 (tag game, just Mianu this time)

Mianu's Scars (tag game response)

Characters and their room (tag game response)

Ask Game "for the cute boys"

More of that same ask game

And another one from that same ask game (you're all so nice!)

Darius and Mianu Smoochin' (picrew)

Unrelated Drabbles

Resurrection (for Magic Whump Week)

“Really, now? A group of the realm’s most powerful mercenaries, and you can’t even handle one little girl?” 

Everyone went still. Except for Robyn. She used the opportunity to redouble her efforts. And she almost made it. She almost broke free. But her captors wouldn’t stay distracted for long, not even with their boss walking in. One of them snared their arm around her neck, forcing her to go still or strangle herself. 

Not that their boss seemed to care. 

“You are all well aware that we are on a tight schedule,” the boss snapped. “We have no time for these foolish little games--”

It was the perfect setup for a little quip. Robyn couldn’t possibly resist. It was part of the fun of being a master thief, after all. So she hit the boss with her best, slyest, most confident grin. 

“Aw, someone getting bored?” she jeered. “I know I had so much fun playing tag with your little goons. Did you want a turn? Tell you what, I’ll even give you a head st--” 

She didn’t see it happen. She didn’t see the leader move. She just felt the pain. A ragged cough was forced from her lungs, her words immediately killed. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, curling in on herself. The mercs who had been holding her back were now very much holding her up. 

The second Robyn had enough air for her mind to catch up with what had happened, she internally cursed herself. How had she gotten so pathetic? It had been a long time since she’d been punched in the gut, sure, but since when had that been enough to take her down? 

“I have no time for your comedy act, either,” the boss said coldly. “I’m sure our little message has been found by now. We must put everything into place.” 

Robyn lifted her head. She refused to show any further weakness.

“A message, huh?” Gods, she hated that her voice trembled, even if it was only slightly. “If you’re after a ransom or a reward or something, you’re never gonna get it. Nobody would actually pay for my safety. And the wanted posters always over-exaggerate the--”

“If we were looking for reward money, you would have been dead by now,” the boss said casually. 

And once again, all of Robyn’s bravado was instantly killed. But she didn’t dare ask for any kind of clarity. That would just show how much of a failure she really was. 

Her unspoken question was answered anyway. 

“No, we’re looking for someone else,” the boss went on. “Someone much more important than you.”

Then he turned his back on her. And as he moved, Robyn caught the barest flash of gold on his uniform. A sigil. A very familiar sigil. 

That was the symbol of the very same order that her brother, Hayden, had been trying to stop for years. 

Robyn’s eyes widened in horrible realization. Whatever plans they had for Hayden, they would not be good.

“No...” the words felt torn out of her. “No! You can’t do this to him, I won’t let you, I’m gonna--”

“Ugh, will you shut her up already?” the boss snapped. “And get her into position. Before she wastes even more of our time.”  

Robyn tried to scramble after him, her boots scraping uselessly against the ground. She tried to cry out again. But something was snared around her head, cutting into the corners of her mouth-- a rope? They were gagging her with a gods-damned rope?-- painfully forcing her head back. 

But whatever pain she felt, whatever terrible position they were about to put her in, was nothing compared to what they were about to do to her brother. 

But, of course, Sibling only scoffed. He bundled his cloak closer to himself. “It’s probably just a rock.”

“Right, a rock that just so happens to be moving,” Caretaker said sarcastically. 

The dark shape was shifting, lifting itself up ever so slightly. Small trails of snow slid off of it. 

“Okay, fine, it’s some unfortunate animal, then,” Sibling grumbled. “Now come on. We have to get home before the snow gets-- hey!” 

Caretaker was already running over to the shivering form. She moved as quickly as possible, ignoring the snow seeping into her boots. That discomfort was nothing compared to whatever this poor soul must have been going through.

Caretaker had heard too many stories. Seen too many families torn apart. Animal or not, no one deserved a fate like that. 

The form shuddered again as Caretaker got closer. Caretaker crouched carefully, making sure she wasn’t just dropping into the snow and putting herself in greater danger. At least she was close enough to reach out to the figure. Her hand brushed against what she had assumed was a fur cloak... only to find feathers. 

Strange. She’d never heard of anyone wearing a feather cloak before. 

A soft, shuddering groan, almost too soft to be heard under all the wind, snapped Caretaker’s attention back to the matter at hand. 

“It’s alright,” Caretaker said softly. “I’m here to help. Can you hear me?” 

The figure hardly seemed in any state to answer. With another pained whisper, they pushed themself up. And what Caretaker had thought was a feathered cloak unfurled into an enormous, crumpled pair of wings. 

They were clearly damaged. One wing twisted in an awful way, all feathers utterly unkept, stained crimson in more places than Caretaker liked to think about. The other was folded carefully, feathers utterly ruffled. Caretaker’s breath caught at the state of them. 

Sibling swore behind her. “Caretaker, get back!” 

But Caretaker only reached out again, trying to help the creature into something closer to a seated position. The figure flinched back with a gasp. And their head lifted, turning to her, eyes wide in panic. 

It was a human... except for the wings, and the odd shape of their eyes, and the feathers in their hair. And when they swiped out at Caretaker in fear, their hands weren’t hands at all, but a bird’s talons. 

Caretaker didn’t care about any of that. They were in trouble. They were hurt.

And they couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. 

“Gods-- Caretaker, get away from that thing!” Brother shouted. 

Caretaker glared at him over her shoulder. “They’re not a thing. They’re just a kid!” 

“A kid?” Sibling spluttered. “That is not a child, that’s a-- that’s a monster!” 

The bird-child flinched. Caretaker glared at Sibling again. 

“I should call you a monster, after what a jerk you’ve been all day,” she snapped. “They’re hurt. It doesn’t matter if they have wings or not, they’re going to freeze out here if we don’t help!” 

The bird-child’s head lifted up just a bit. Caretaker turned back to them and tried to give them a reassuring smile. It seemed like they could understand her, which was a good start. 

Sibling scoffed. “You can’t expect to just take them home, can you? What will everyone say? What will they do when you waltz right back into town with a--” 

“They’ll deal with it,” Caretaker said firmly. She offered her hand to the child again. “Here. Let us help you. Do you think you can walk? I’m sure flying is a terrible idea right now...” 

The child’s wings ruffled, and they immediately winced. They curled further in on themself. Just for a moment. Then they put their trust in Caretaker. They took her hand. 

Caretaker’s smile widened. “That’s it. Up we go.” 

She did her best to get the child balanced on his feet, which were as bird-like as his hands. Sibling watched the pair struggle for a moment. Finally, he rolled his eyes and actually went over to help. He complained the entire way back home, but he still helped. 

No one knew what they would face when they returned, but it would be better than whatever the bird-child had gone through. 

Darius fought against his chains again. His wrists were bleeding. He didn’t let that stop him. He refused to stop fighting, refused to let Elore see the dread that coursed through his veins. 

He would not back down in front of her. Never again. 

“Mianu, don’t listen to her!” he shouted. “You know it’s not true. You know you’re more than that. You don’t need to do anything that she says!” 

His voice was ragged in sheer desperation, cracking with emotion despite all his efforts to remain stern before Elore. But Mianu didn’t say a word. He didn’t react at all. His gaze was harsh and cold, eyes nearly blank as he glared down at his knight. His magic curled around his arm. Wisps of shadow writhed like snakes. Ready to strike. 

Ready to obey.

The golden collar around his throat, melted down from his own crown, must have been more than just a show of power. The manipulation and mind games that Elore had used in the past weren’t enough anymore. Mianu had been freed from her influence... so now Elore had resorted to something new. Something far, far worse. 

Elore smirked. “He cannot hear you, little knight. He belongs to me now. Someone so strong, so powerful, was never meant to waste his days away with someone like you.” 

The words were a sharper blow than any dagger. Darius forced himself to ignore the sting. 

“She’s lying,” he cried. “You don’t belong to her. You don’t belong to anyone. You can break through this, Mianu! Whatever she’s done to you, you’re better than that! You’re better than her! Your magic is--” 

“Strong?” Elore laughed. “Stronger than any you have ever known? How quaint.” 

As Darius writhed fruitlessly against his chains again, Elore took a single step away from Mianu’s too-still form. She tilted her head ever so slightly, regarding Darius with a mild, dismissive curiosity. 

“Why not show off that strength of yours, little prince?” she sneered. Then she snapped her fingers. “Destroy him.” 

Mianu had no choice. 

He finally moved.  

The prince raised a single hand. His magic leapt to his command. Shadows rushed straight for Darius. 

Darius closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. There was nothing else he could do. He just had to believe that Mianu would snap out of it in time.