#Fluffy Feline Tale

[great-book-review]

"Why Did Buffy's Fur Go Flat?" - A Whisker-Twitching Tale of Environmental Discovery

Delve into the enchanting world crafted by Erin Hill and Dr. Russ Hill in "Why Did Buffy's Fur Go Flat?" as they weave a heartwarming narrative that not only captivates young minds but also imparts crucial lessons about our interconnectedness with the environment.

Summary: The journey commences with a foreword that serves as a clarion call to the importance of instilling environmental consciousness in the younger generation. As we venture into the lives of Jade and her feline companion, Buffy, perched on the rocky cliffs, the authors set the stage for an exploration into the delicate dance between environmental health and personal well-being.

Jade's ordinary life takes an unexpected turn when Buffy's once luxuriously fluffy fur loses its vibrancy. The tale unfolds as Jade embarks on a mission to uncover the mystery behind Buffy's ailing health. Through a series of whimsical encounters, the authors seamlessly integrate environmental concepts such as pollution, the food chain, and the significance of clean water into the narrative.

Characters: Jade and Buffy emerge as delightful protagonists, with Jade's curiosity and Buffy's endearing fluffiness serving as anchors for young readers. The characters are thoughtfully crafted to resonate with the target audience, effectively guiding them through the exploration of environmental themes.

Plot and Story Background: The plot unfolds with a perfect blend of adventure and education, creating a symbiotic relationship between storytelling and imparting knowledge. The central mystery of Buffy's fur serves as a gateway to discussions about pollution and its impact on the ecosystem. The story acts as a valuable tool for parents and educators, initiating conversations about environmental responsibility in a manner that is both engaging and accessible.

Details about the Authors: Erin Hill's extensive background in teaching language arts, math, and science, coupled with Dr. Russ Hill's experience in podiatric medicine and pre-medical science, enriches the narrative. Their collaboration ensures a well-rounded book that resonates with its intended audience, combining storytelling prowess with scientific insights.

Illustrations: The collaboration with illustrator Sky Kezmoh breathes life into the narrative. The whimsical illustrations complement the storytelling, providing young readers with a visual feast that enhances their overall reading experience. Sky's personal touches, drawn from her own feline friend, add a layer of authenticity to the illustrations.

Educational Value: One of the book's strengths lies in its seamless integration of educational elements. The authors navigate complex environmental topics with clarity, making them accessible to young minds. The book becomes a gateway for fostering a sense of environmental stewardship in the next generation.

Editing Quality: The book stands out for its impeccable editing. Not a single typo or grammatical hiccup mars the flow of the narrative, showcasing the authors' commitment to delivering a polished and professional product.

In Conclusion: "Why Did Buffy's Fur Go Flat?" stands as a testament to the potential of children's literature to educate and inspire. The harmonious blend of storytelling, endearing characters, and valuable environmental lessons makes it a commendable addition to the genre. It not only entertains but also plants the seeds of eco-consciousness in young hearts.

[tenderleavesbob]

This was inspired by some lovely non-Hylian Wars fics, including warrior cat Warriors and swan Warriors. <3 Please check them out if you haven't already!

Princess Zelda introduced the new arrival as "Link." While Twilight had expected to meet a Link in this new era to continue their chain, he had expected someone less... fluffy.

Link stared back at the chain from his spot at Princess Zelda's feet. He was beautiful, Twilight admitted. He was happy to admit that the new Link was probably the most beautiful Link of the chain with a gorgeous white coat and a regal bearing. His tail was also so fluffy that Twilight felt his thoughts stuttering.

The new Link was a cat, and Twilight was dying to scoop him up and cuddle him. Unfortunately, the new Link with his furry little scowl, adorable cat-sized armor and blue scarf, and deliberately flexed claws looked like he would claw Twilight if he tried. Twilight still really wanted to try.

The new Link was also staring intently at Twilight. There were few things as intense as a cat staring unblinking at someone.

"I think he likes you," Princess Zelda said. She smiled at Twilight and clasped her hands in front of her. "He --"

Link stood up and stretched, and Twilight bit his tongue before he could coo about Link's big stretch! Link licked his mouth with his pink tongue and flashed tiny sharp fangs. His tail swished in the air behind him as he walked over to Twilight, rubbing against him once before trotting toward a door behind the throne. He paused and looked pointedly back at Twilight, tail flicking.

"He really likes you," Princess Zelda finished. "I think he wants to show you something."

"He seems very intelligent for a cat," Legend said. He sounded suspicious. He always sounded suspicious.

"He's quite intelligent," Princess Zelda agreed. "He might be in an... unusual form for a chosen of the Goddesses, but --"

Link had continued to walk away. Twilight hastily and clumsily bowed and excused himself to follow the cat. Link held his long, fluffy tail in the air as he walked in a dainty question mark behind him. All Twilight desired was to pet it and see if it was as soft as it looked.

The cat eventually stopped in a dark room. It had a single window which overlooked the stable. Link sat in the middle of the room and stared at Twilight, tail still twitching.

It was just the two of them. Twilight broke. He closed the door behind them and touched his crystal. The cat didn't flinch as Twilight transformed into his wolf form. Immediately, he crouched to the ground, his own tail wagging wildly behind him. "Hello," he greeted.

Link stood and offered a small, feline bow. "Hello. When you were introduced as the Hero of Twilight, I hoped you still had the ability to transform."

Twilight's tail slowly stilled. He sat down. "You... knew I could transform?"

"Yes. There are tales of the heroes of old, and Cia had a temple dedicated to those who held the spirit of the hero." Link's left ear twitched, and Link groomed it with one paw. Now that Twilight could see him better, he saw faint, old scars marring that ear. "One statue was of a wolf with strange markings."

This conversation wasn't going as Twilight expected, but cats had always proved strangely wise and clever when Twilight spoke to them in this form. "That sounds creepy. Who was Cia?"

"An insane sorceress." Link cocked his head and lowered his paw again. "One who trapped me in this form years ago when I refused to join her."

Twilight stilled. His ears pressed against his head. "Trapped in... Are you a Hylian?"

"I was years ago," Link said. "Before the war began, when I left my home to come to Castle Town. I met Cia on the way and she grew angry when I scorned her advances." Link's tail twitched behind him. "I've been trapped in this form ever since. I hoped the Master Sword would be able to free me, but no."

A whine rose in Twilight's throat. "Shit."

"Shit," Link agreed. "And since I've found at least one person who could understand me at last... I would like a saucer of cream, please."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Trey, Leona: The Cat's Meow

Ooooh, I see the vision now... Maybe?? It looks like each member of the same dorm might have a similar default image in the bottom frame of their initial art? Both Ace and Trey have the Queen of Hearts… I guess we’ll have to wait until Cater’s birthday to see if the pattern keeps up?

nfdbwjccwbxgak How fitting to see Trey posed alongside a painting of the Cheshire Cat considering who he’s childhood friends with… and also that Trey’s VA also goices Lucius www (Side note: they fr always gotta have Trey claim he’s “normal” right before he pulls the sussy face which is most certainly NOT normal 😭)

A Tale as Old as Time.

A rotund feline stood on hind legs in a platinum frame, one paw curled under its round chin and resting on its fluffy tail, the other flicked out in a devil-may-care gesture. Purple, pink, purple, pink—its fur was striped in a repeating pattern. Eyes raised upward, the cat looked inquisitive among the gnarled trees, as if posing a riddle to the viewer. Why is a raven like a writing desk?, perhaps.

Huh, I wonder what he's wondering about. Trey rested his chin in one hand as he pondered the painting—and the question.

The longer he gazed at the cat, the more familiar its silly smile seemed to be. How difficult he was to read. A thought crept up on him, one lazy stride at a time.

"... Reminds me of a certain guy," he muttered.

"I hope you’re not talking about me," came a sarcastic drawl from beside him. It, too, was cat-like in its own right, a different flavor of feline: more languid than whimsical. “Because I won’t be laughing like a hyena at jokes made in poor taste.”

"Leona." Trey immediately made to step back, making space for the dorm leader. Leona's immense presence practically demanded it. "No, of course not. I was thinking about a childhood friend.“

“Hmph. You’ve got a childhood friend like this?” He made a face at the Cheshire Cat. A frown to challenge its foolhardy grin. “… Now I almost feel sorry for you, having to put up with a guy like that.”

“Oh, Chenya’s not that bad,” Trey said dismissively. “He’s a troublemaker, sure—but he’s got a good heart beneath all of that, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. The worst is gets up to is playing a trick or two and stealing snacks.”

“What an exciting life,” Leona snorted, clearly not convinced. “He sounds like a real rascal for his age.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes it feels like he never really grew up from the times him, Riddle, and I were rolling around in clover fields and stuffing our faces with cake. Still, he’s our friend—even if we’re far apart for schooling.”

“It was already hard enough to believe you’d be friends with him, but Riddle too?” A smirk rose on Leona’s lips. “Life works in mysterious ways.”

There was a chuckle from Trey. “Ahahah… Does it surprise you? We all come from the same hometown. The community there’s very welcoming. I guess that’s why we ended up reaching out to Riddle one day and… I’m sure you know how the rest of that story goes.”

He didn’t—and nor did he care to know, so he said nothing. Instead, Leona inclined his head. In the dimness of the museum, his eyes glinted a bright green.

He gave a command.

“… Oi, herbivore. Tell me more about this hometown of yours. Tell me what it’s like.”

Trey blinked, slightly flabbergasted at what he was hearing. Leona stared at him expectantly. He clicked his tongue.

“Well? Don’t keep me waiting.“

Huh, I didn’t think of Leona as the curious type. If that’s what he wants though, who am I to deny it?

“Okay. so…”

Trey returned a hand to his chin. His words, he considered. How to best arrange them to paint the most flattering photo?

Green, so much green. A scattering of red dotting the landscape. Saturation, cheer. Something warm and fuzzy whenever he imagined those scenes—like the sun upon his face.

“Imagine a place bursting with flowers. Every color, every shape, every smell. Some remind you of cotton candy that rots your teeth, others of old shoes and skunk."

Leona's sensitive nose wrinkled at the suggestion. "Real poetic there."

Trey continued. "Everyone knows each other not because the community is small--I'd say it's a decent size?--but because people see each other and talk. They ask how you are, how your family and business are doing. They come over with a platter of cookies to welcome new neighbors, ask if your kids want to come over and play with theirs."

Fond memories played out in his head: the time he had eaten a whole bottle of mustard to prove a point, messing up his signature spell and imparting a loaf of bread with a bad flavor, his first cake at four years old. Everyone had told him he had such talent for baking--but looking back on it, hadn't his "cake" been a lumpy, gooey mess?

"You could screw up pretty badly and they'd still pat you on the head and tell you it's fine, it's just an honest mistake or what a good job you did. My parents are like that too. It must come with the territory."

Leona listened and nodded to every piece of information Trey presented. He appeared bemused as he watched the vice dorm leader, a fleck of sunlight caught in his emerald eyes. Like that of a silent predator stalking innocent prey.

“How picturesque. No wonder you’re so well-adjusted and normal,” Leona purred, his gaze half-lidded. “It must be the power of true love at work.”

“You could say that. The community I grew up in was very loving and supportive. I’m thankful for that.” Trey smirked so briefly that onlookers could have easily missed it. "... It lets me get away with a whole lot more."

"You don't strike me as the kind of guy to act out."

"Not often," Trey corrected. "Only little acts when it's deserved."

"You and your bleeding heart." Leona's scoff gave way to an eerie quiet. From it came a soft, contemplative sigh. "... Must be nice, being able to afford to live so contentedly."

"Ah, you probably didn't have that kind of luxury," Trey recognized. "The life of a prince is different from us common folk."

"There’s pressure to perform and social politics to navigate. Complicated webs that span several circles, grace and relations to uphold, airs to wear. Aaaah, it’s such a drag," the lion beastman groaned.

"Yeah, I can imagine that." Trey smiled sympathetically. "But even though we come from very different places, I'm sure that you also had loving and supportive people in your life, Leona. Everyone does."

"Hah. Are you listening to yourself? You sound as mad as him." Leona jabbed at thumb at the Cheshire Cat. "It's the first-born prince--the one destined to be king--that they all adore."

“… That’s not completely true, is it?” Trey adjusted his glasses. A stray beam of light reflected off the face of them, casting the glass in pure white for a fraction of a second.

The reason Leona was asking about my hometown... It must be genuine curiosity. He's never known something like it. But the fact that he asked must mean he wants to learn, right?

The prince's eyes were angry, suspicious slivers now. "What are you suggesting?"

“I heard from Ace and Deuce that you have a cute little nephew that adores you. A lot of the Savanaclaw underclassman as well. And from Lilia—there’s a grand chamberlain you used to be close with as a kid. Playing chess and getting you out of trouble. Your brother too, he must care for..."

Leona bared his teeth, raised his voice. "Don't act like you know--"

Me. What I've been through, what I've suffered.

"Whoa, whoa!" Trey held up both hands. "Sorry. I said too much. I shouldn't have let my own curiosity get the better of me."

A growl--colored with residual anger--emanated from Leona's throat. "If you understand that, then don't stick your hand into a lion's den a second time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Trey pulled back, the fingers of one hand curling into a loose first. The other hand found its way to perching at his waist as he leaned his body forward. He attempted an apologetic confession--but instead produced something slightly sinister.

"What are you doing now?"

"Cat to cat communication," Trey said, deadly serious. "You know, like 'nyah'!"

A pause.

"... Is that good enough of an apology?" Trey inquired.

"Don't screw with me," Leona muttered, batting away at his peer's poised "paw". "In the first place, your posture's all wrong. Are you trying to piss me off?"

"Looks like I failed to lighten the mood."

"You're really terrible at it," Leona grumbled under his breath. "You sure that childhood friend of yours is the troublemaker of the group? Cuz to me, I see another troublemaker in the trio."

"I'm a normal high school boy. You even said it yourself."

"And which one of us started meowing at the other out of the blue?" Leona expertly countered.

Trey stifled his voice, which had started to work its way up into an awkward laugh. "Pfft, alright. Point taken."

"Here I was, thinking you were 'normal'," Leona simpered. "The red young master sure has a way with picking the company he keeps. You're all odd to balance out his rationale."

"That's the role a card soldier plays for his queen. Friend, baker, cat, trump card--I'm here to be them all."

[liminalpebble]

Stray (A Lokitty Tale): Part 2

Part 1 link

A/N: Hi all. This began as a prompt suggestion by @mischief2sarawr and has since grown three heads and answers to no one. It's now a multipart, very fluffy, story about Lokitty. I have no idea where I'm going with this except definitely to the comfort district of fluff town...maybe driving through a little traffic jam of angst on the way there.

Synopsis: It's 1971 and you're a single shop girl living in the tumultuous, often damp, city of Seattle, feeling lost and alone. Meanwhile, Loki (under the guise of D.B. Cooper) is on the run from Thor the moment he jumped out of that plane. After crash landing in a dumpster and disguising himself as a stray cat to lay low, he becomes your beloved feline room mate and an unusual friendship begins to grow.

Stray: Part 2

While the human was away, Loki sprawled out his long Asgardian body across your floor, passing the time with your extensive collection of books. It felt good to him, having arms and legs to stretch again, and opposable thumbs to turn the pages. Staying in a conjured form for too long could be taxing, and the breaks would be welcome, especially since he couldn't be sure how long this little arrangement might continue.

The god of mischief smiled a bit to himself, recalling how you had bustled around in your little uniform, getting ready for your day. You were obviously in a hurry, but you still took the time to stroke his fur and scratch under his chin while you talked to him.

“Good morning, little guy. I left some food out for you and the heater on. I'll be home late...hopefully with all the stuff you might need. Please don't pee in my shoes.”

Suddenly you stopped and rolled your eyes, raising up again to hurry out the door. “Jesus Christ, I'm talking to the cat again.”

Loki chuckled at that (well, meowed with amusement) and found, to his horror, that he was actually sad to lose your company for the day. He found he was becoming very curious about you.

Well, come on, he told himself, it's just that you're naturally curious and it's not like you have much else to occupy your time for now. Might as well observe the mortal.

Satisfied with his rationalization, he listened for the door to click shut and your heels to click down the hall. Once he was sure you were gone he returned to his usual body, and busied himself with your bookshelf, running his pale graceful fingers over the spines with delight.

She certainly has eclectic taste, he mused. The little apartment was crowded with books of all kinds; everything from Shakespeare to comic books, and where there weren't books, there were tidy stacks of records (again, a very eclectic assortment). His took it all in with gusto, fascinated by his choices of entertainment.

He blazed through several mystery novels (which were underwhelming as he was always well ahead of the reveal). Seeking the next read, his perceptive eyes landed on an antique volume, Norse Mythology. He smirked as he slid the book into his palm.

Now this should be interesting.

In a predictably self-indulgent move, he looked for an entry about himself, landing unfortunately on a beautifully illustrated page about Thor. He crinkled his nose in disgust and let the book drop to the floor, but as the tome landed with a thunk, it dropped open to the chapter with his name as the title. He lowered himself to the floor, laying on his belly as he read about his glorious self.

The description wasn't the most flattering. It painted the trickster god as a cruel and violent nuisance, but he had to admit that wasn't entirely inaccurate. There was, however, a glorious illustration in the style of an illuminated manuscript. Green and gold calligraphy snaked out the letters of his name and below it was a very handsome illustration highlighting his bright kaleidoscopic eyes and sharp rakish face (although they always got the hair wrong by painting it a garish shade of red). Oh well, what could one expect from foolish mortals.

His musing was suddenly interrupted by the sound of heels clicking down the hallway. In a panic he looked outside and realized it was already dusk. He had lost track of the time. As he heard your jostling and struggling to unlock the door one-handed, he quickly changed back to his feline form. Loki realized, a moment too late, that he hadn't had time to put the books back from where they laid sprawled out on the floor where he had been reading.

You finally shouldered your way inside, huffing and puffing, arms loaded with a heavy shopping bag. You set it down carefully and kicked your heels off forcefully, feeling weirdly satisfied that they smacked against the wall. (You always hated the damn things, and tended to punish them like this for the pain inflicted on your feet each day).

You smiled to where the sleek black cat was laying with his paws crossed delicately over the pages of a book, tail flicking lazily as if this wasn't at all odd. Loki noticed the quizzical expression on your face as you noticed the books on the floor. “Hey, buddy,” you chirped sweetly, “How the hell did you knock these off?”

“Mrrow,” the cat grumbled.

“Okay, okay. Keep your secrets you little magician,” you said, joining him on the floor and collecting the books. When you came to the volume under his paws, he refused to move them. He thought indignantly, I'm not done reading this! Though he was well aware he wouldn't be getting his way.

“Hrmmm,” you hummed, “Loki, the trickster...” as you traced your hand over the gold script. “He was always my favorite of the Norse gods, you know?”

“Meow?”

“Yeah! The tricksters always make life interesting, right?”

“Meroww.”

“See. I knew you'd agree with me.” You put a pensive finger to your lips. “He'd probably be a good namesake for your, huh, you mischievous scamp? I guess it's better than calling you “buddy” or “little guy” all the time.”

I should damn well think so, madam.

Loki watched curiously as you rose you to your feet, digging something out of your kitchen junk drawer. “Aha!” you exclaimed as you pulled out a green leather watchband (the clock was broken then lost long ago). Pulling out a marker you carefully wrote the name “Loki” in clear block letters on the tattered leather, then gently fastened the band around his neck. Smiling and stroking his fur with your warm hand you said, “Okay, Loki. You look very handsome,” you declared massaging his velvety cheeks with your thumbs. In return, you introduced yourself, saying your name and shaking his paw. “Nice to meet you, Loki.”

Loki wanted to protest this patronization, but your affection felt so pleasant, and it gave him a warm feeling to hear you call him “handsome”.

“Oh! I have...uh...stuff. I think this is the right stuff...Here, look, I've got a litter box and a little bed for you and I got a few different kinds of food. I'm not sure which one you might like best.”

You stopped abruptly, saying once again under your breath, “Jesus Christ...talking to the cat again, you lonely weirdo.”

Loki shot a paw out, tapping your arm and then nuzzling into it. And although you knew it couldn't be more than an animal trying to use you as a heating pad, it seemed like he was trying to say thank you, trying to say that he liked you talking to him and doting on him...and that he wanted to be held.

Crazy...I'm going crazy. I'm a crazy lonely cat lady, and I'm gonna die alone here someday and this cat is going to eat my eyeballs.

Still, it tugged your heartstrings as the little tomcat reached out its paws to your shoulders meowing and purring gently as it attempted to climb into your arms...and who were you to deny him?

Hesitantly, you reached out and held him against you, stroking gently and nuzzling your face against him.

You said quietly with a note of grateful awe, “Awww. I didn't expect you to be such an affectionate little guy.”

Neither did I. Loki thought, even more surprised than you were.

@mischief2sarawr @ladyofthestayingpower @acidcasualties @unlucky-number-13 @goblingirlsarah @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokihiddleston @lokischambermaid @lokisgoodgirl @marcotheflychair @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @littlespaceyelf @loopsisloops @joyful-enchantress @eleniblue @loz-3 @the-haven-of-fiction @sweetsigyn @muddyorbs @icytrickster17 @holdmytesseract @thenerdyoldersister @thedistractedagglomeration @sailorholly @peachyjinx @coldnique @sarahscribbles @peaches1958 @infinitystoner @mischiefmaker615 @coldnique @jennyggggrrr @tripleyeeet @itsybitchylittlewitchy @mochie85 @huntress-artemiss

[arredusworld]

Loongs speculative biology is breaking me a little bit

im adding Loongs (Chinese dragons) to Arredus right, cuz they look cool, are cool, and i refuse to be euro-centric in my fantasy worlds

problem, the way i want to go about it is ruining my life (hyperbole), see part of Arredus is to have implied speculative evolution to back up the speculative biology, and Loongs are making that really hard

lets examine this depiction, scales are seen along side whiskers on the snout, spikes along the back, (presumed) feather coverage on the tale and face, and ears

this creates some issues, see the scales assert that this is a reptile of some kind, the (presumed) feathers make it likely that this is a dinosaur, but thats a guarantee, maybe lizards on Arredus have feathers, maybe its in the class of true dragons, or maybe those arnt feathers at all, and are instead real weird scales, tho considering all the more detailed art ive seen depicts it as fluffy-

-like this, <sidenote, there is so much ai slop of eastern mysticism out there> and while i acknowledge this is a modern piece of art, it appears to be representative of wat ppl think Loongs look like

<another sidenote, some art depicts the dragon with horns but this is inconsistently done so whether its s thing is up in the air>

one more thing b4 i begin speculating is that this project has no respect for modern preconceptions of the fantasy u know and love, only science and even thats a vague impression, so if that means making pegasus a dragon that convergently evolved to look like equines with wings, so be it

with that said lets get into my ideas for how to get this thing to exist at all, firstly lets talk environmental pressures, Loongs are suppose to be water gods of some sort and closely tied to alligators, turtles, and fish, so it is semi-aquatic, and being from china in our world, its likely accustomed more specifically to lush jungle environments

next lets talk niche, every animal in an ecosystem has a niche, wats this guys, well clearly its an apex predator, i dont think this needs much elaboration

next is its behaviors, and again i think its fairly intuitive to say Loongs are ambush predators, like cats and alligators, also most likely making it a solitary animal

finally for the hard part ive been procrastinating on all post, wat friggin animal is this at all, the first thots are obviously a reptile of some kind, if the non scaly bits are feathers, than its a dinosaur, most likely a dragon, however his native land is in Lushia, a continent with very little reptiles at all

another option is to make the Loong a mammal of some kind, maybe a monotreme, which would make it fairly distinct and also give me more freedom to be creative, or a feline, very similar in lifestyle of a jaguar (reminder that these nightmare animals are not only good but happy swimmers)

the issue i run into repeatedly is that no answer makes me happy, while a feline is my fave of the choices, it raises more questions for me, why is its snout so long, is the "scales" just fur pattern? or did this feline specifically evolve armadillo fur, if so why, if its a monotreme, wat does that mean at all, its a neat idea and allows it to lay eggs still but is that all that important? do all monotremes have beaks? does the Loong? is it bioluminescent like platypuses? if its a reptile, why is it one of the few on this continent? it didnt fly over like the dragons did, unless this is a dragon who lost its wings, if so why? why not evolve fin like wings to help swim like sea serpents? if its not a dragon, wat reptile is it? it has to be a dinosaur of some kind thats where feathers are from, but its clearly not any other dino other than a dragon, which circles us bacc around, and wat about them ears, are they false ears like the horns on a horned owl? if so why did it evolve that other than to look cool? does it even look that cool?

in short the Loong is making me tear loong strainds of hair out of my head, so here poll, decide ur thots and please tell me more in the replys/notes/watever else you wanna use to communicate with me

[vampiremeerkat]

not sure if you've caught up much to Vivziepop's work lately, but got any thoughts regarding her Helluva Boss show, or her upcoming Amazon Prime version of Hazbin Hotel?

Said this: https://vampiremeerkat.tumblr.com/post/188696192708/hazbin-hotel-came-out-thoughts-aye-watched-it https://vampiremeerkat.tumblr.com/post/665027239768899584/since-youve-seen-hazbin-hotel-what-do-you

But I've still not watched Helluva Boss, only about two or three few second snippets out of curiosity for the animation quality. My knowledge on it is based on a review from Just Stop, and if the show is like he describes, I won't be turning on episode 1 soon. It appears to me like Helluva Boss just does things to look or sound exciting in the moment, without caring about previously established rules or how stupid these decisions make a character look in the face of past or upcoming episodes. Then again, my mind has been poisoned by anime, and I like Cars, so I can also imagine none of it would keep me up at night. But even before Just Stop's video, I've not felt particularly interested. If I had to give a reason, perhaps I just don't enjoy Vivziepop's interpretation of Hell enough to want to know about its residents. Just Stop gives a sensible list of reasons what's wrong with her Hell, but like I said in one of the linked messages above: I find many of the characters too approachable/aesthetically pleasing and already don't think that's what Hell should be like. I want disfigured gremlins no one wants to draw porn of. Hell should be Hell, not a (slightly) less bearable version of some big city you can find on Earth. A good example of Vivziepop's work is the character "Beelzebub". I happened to come across an image of her not long ago, which is a fluffy neon-rainbow fox with insect wings, instead of an actual bee with beastly features, which would've made more sense. Why is someone who's called "(queen) bee" a fox? We know why, and I cry for all the sexy bees in the world. You don't always have to cater to the furries, my friends, please, just try something else for once, leave the canines, felines, and dragons alone! There are so many different kinds of animals walking the planet to sexualize! And you.. furries.. You're all conveniently inhabited by the soul of a wolf -an animal that so happens to appeal to most humans in terms of appearance- while there's infinite times more sea life and insects that existed throughout time and in present day, that died and could've reincarnated into what is now you! That's right loser, you are a literal worm! Anyway, the characters draw the attention of teenagers, but at the same time, the show mishandles the use of swear words and throws them around like it's all good, which I also can't stand. I think the latter is what initially turned me off from sitting on stand-by for the upcoming Hazbin Hotel show, because why should I care about anything you have to say if you're always going "fuck" and "shit" in my face? A sliver of positivity in this rant: I think the owl looks cool. Again, he does not look like anything Hell would produce, I'd design something like him if my intention was a "mysterious, forest fairy tale creature", but still cool. I contemplated looking up his scenes under the belief there's a complicated, emotional story attached, but if you're telling me they did this hooty boy wrong by making him a sexually dissatisfied whore, with Blitzo's only aim being his magic book, and yet further episodes proclaim there's an actual connection between the two without the writers having put in the work, then never mind. I'll find myself a different hooty boy. 💔🦉

[1uckygold]

Changing One's Tune (15)

Summary: Hybrids have always been known to humanity after scientist decided to test the limits of the animal genetics on humans. Now the world uses them as adoptable companions, which is why a group of friends found their way at a Hybrid Shelter. Though one trip turns into an ugly fight involving Yoongi to walk away—But what happens when that same male finds a cat hybrid that is scared out of her mind with a dark past. Who said that dark past was over?

~Pairing: Min Yoongi (BTS) | Suga x Hybrid f! Reader

~Genre: Angst & Fluff, Hybrid au

~Word Count: 3.6K

~Tag List: @tanumiki @yummiethedragoon2 @llcalumllhoodll @darkmangoo @kurochan3 @wooya1224 @lilacdreams-00 @fangirl125reader @halesandy @aviwasabi21 @mrcleanheichou @loveyoongles @queenthorin1 @rosquilleta @a-golden-sunflower-vol-6 @sockie-the-dumbass @jipwark02 @malewife-supremacy @tinyoonsblog @becomingbts @lenafarn @ultralillylove @deathkat657 @janeelizabeth1216 @sumzysworld @beach-bitch-bitch-beach @agustdjoon @ironrosestylist @d-noona @matchat3a @zae007live @friendlywraith @bangtannie7 @bangtanswrld @marieebarbzz8 @quokkahideout @that-author @honeybxes @kim-jias-den @loner0907 @artgukk @jaiuneamesolitaiire @readers-posts @chieftoadturkeynickel @matchat3a @almosttoopizza @pb-n-jujuu @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered @btsiguess-kpop @kisskissshutmydoor @adeptiixiao @avadakabra93 @khjcoo @kimahjung98 @murkydoesnotloveyou @bbl32 @fluffy-canada-pancakes @schokoshaker @theonethatlikeskpop @yoursoontobestepmom @purplewinterluv @rosiepetalss

Part: 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 16 / More Chapters Soon...

That damn thing was there to torture you, wasn’t it?

Wild eyes narrowed, tail swishing as your ears twitched from the ticking sound… The big numbers staring right into your very soul—Ugh! Can time move any slower?!

Whining, you slumped further onto the carpet ground—You spent nearly all of December with the boy’s family, having come back into the city just last night. Although it was quite nerve wrecking, you managed to let your guard down more. It felt like a big weight has been lifted and for the first time, you’ve felt… Free.

And that’s exactly why you couldn’t stop thinking about your Christmas gift—Today being the day you’ll finally receive it.

The only problem? It was still too early, and the appointment wasn’t until another hour as you glared at Yoongi’s new wall-clock, watching the third handle tick by. A snicker fallin’ from your delicate lips seeing the clock was in the shape of a familiar record design, exactly the one Hoseok gifted him. During that time, while he smiled, you knew Yoongi was secretly too excited about hanging it up—Your guess was correct, considering that was the first thing he did when coming home.

Normally, right now, you’d be sleeping next to the man in question while transformed… Dozing off in a ball of fur as your tail smacked his face—But how could you sleep in a time like this? Knowing this was the exact day you’ll get adopted, officially! The thought had you squealing in delight, rolling on the ground with your favorite blanket. Feline eyes darting out the window to see the first morning sunrise, snowflakes lightly flyin’ in the wind.

Winter was still ongoing, but not as strong… Remembering two days ago Taehyung skipping in excitement among the snow when seeing a few purple crocus sprouting, the tiger hybrid telling of a tale how it was a sign of good-luck. The flower ‘celebrating the coming forth of springtime’ and how it represented ‘new beginnings’. You didn’t even have the heart to prevent him from plucking the flowers as he made a small crocus crown for the both of you.

Sighing, your attention flew back to the clock—What the hell? You jumped in pure shock seeing how it was well past an hour. A tightness building up in your throat, fearing that maybe it was too late to make it for the appointment. What if it was…

No.

Nothing was going to stop yourself from getting adopted today by Yoongi—There are some people that complain about adoption for hybrids, you hear them whispering among themselves whenever going out with Yoongi as they point at your proudly-displayed collar. But they don’t understand… In this world, you can’t just be a stray-hybrid.

You’d need an owner... Friend, to live the freedom a hybrid can live without the fear of being sheltered or worse.

Shaking your head, a smile broke out when yelping as you slipped in the hallway before getting right back up and bursting into Yoongi’s room—It was dark and although harder to see without your night vision, it was nearly impossible to miss the big lump on the bed that snored softly.

So, you pounced.

“Yoongi… Yoongi, wake up!” You shouted, nudging the man as a groan escaped from underneath the covers as you continuously jumped on Yoongi. Frowning at the nonexistent movement, you tried pullin’ the blankets away only for a squeal to leave your lips. A rough shake practically pushing you off the bed with a huff—Alright… That’s it!

Peeking up from the other side as you sat on the floor, anyone would’ve expected the bed to catch fire at the harsh glare you were giving when needing to climb back up. “Yoongi,” You hissed, pulling at the blanket once more as Yoongi’s face showed, his facial expression scrunching at the lost of warmth. Calculating, you smirked almost evilly when soft jet-black hair had gracefully fallen upon his forehead.

Tail flickering in mischief, you grabbed a handful and yanked… Yoongi cussing and hissing in a faint whisper, eyes immediately snapping open with an icy-glare before softening to see you and not one of the guys he believed—Then again, if he saw Jungkook, Yoongi doesn’t think he’d even be able to say no… Kick him, yes, but not no.

“And what do you think your doing kitten?” Yoongi grumbled, voice coming off in a low and hoarse tone, a shiver running down your spine and tail standing puffy/tall in alarm at the affect that was going through you. Ears perking with a slight twitch feeling a lazy, but innocent gesture of his hand resting on your leg—Your eyes widen, this was new, weird, and… something else.

“A-Adoption… Adoption day,” You muttered, feeling the sudden confidence lessen as your face felt extremely hot… Tail instinctively reaching over to hide your bashful expression. The sight had Yoongi confused for a split second, only to scramble up in a sitting position when realizing what was said.

“Oh shit! What time is it—”

“Yah Yoongi, we just let ourselves in. Are you almost ready to—” A new presence broke into the room, attention turning to see Seokjin standing at the entrance of the bedroom door… Water spilling from his mouth like a waterfall—From his perspective, it might’ve appeared like Yoongi, and you were in a compromising potion from how his hand was lazily draped on your leg and unconsciously slidin’ to your thigh during the movement. The fluffy covers being the one to cover the true aspect of the position you both were closed-in.

It sure didn’t help the fact that your face was red as a freshly-bloomed rose, or how Yoongi’s hair was a bed-mess.

“Sorry!!”

Embarrassment filled within, gaping in pure horror while Yoongi was still half-asleep to fully comprehend what was going on that had Seokjin slamming the bedroom door. Although an idea slowly started forming once argument was heard outside, the doorknob rattling as if they were fighting to open it or not.

“I just want to see Y/N—” Jungkook whined, the other hybrid boys whimpering in response… The bunny hybrid, surprisingly, being stronger than all seven of them combined as he practically burst through the room. Each hybrid tripping over one another as they fell to the ground, Namjoon hesitantly peeking inside as well only to instantly turn to leave with a nope seeing your position. “Ugh, Y/N are you—Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!!”

“Listen, it’s not what you perverts think!” Yoongi shouted, lightbulb finally going off on what everyone seemed embarrassed about. Jimin snickering, a sly smirk gracing his handsome features while Taehyung looked in clueless confusion… Hoseok didn’t waste time to run out with apologies fallin’ like a marathon. Though Jungkook stared with mixed emotions from confusion, embarrassment, to apologetic and finally devious.

“Hyung! How dare you take advantage of our Y/N like this? Shame on you,” Jungkook spat, grinning when Jimin burst out laughin’ as the fox slapped his back in a fit. The bunny hybrid tutting, jumping to his feet and rushing to lift you off the bed, dashing out as he went to tell the others. Yoongi complaining to himself how wrong they were, huffing as he slumped against his dashboard.

“You know Yoongi, if you wanted to play,” Jimin teased, showing off his canines… Crawling on the bed in a sinful manner as he tilted Yoongi’s head up by the chin with an evil glint. Red-fox tail swaying around them in a captivating way for a predator about to attack their prey. “We’ve always have operation… I’ll be the doctor.”

“Shut up,” Yoongi rolled his eyes, shoving Jimin off the bed as the fox landed with a thump. Jimin’s laugh echoing throughout the silent room causing Taehyung to giggle at his contagious personality, despite not knowing what was going on still. “Get out so I can get dressed.”

“Don’t get shy now. We’ve all seen you—”

“Jimin, I swear to fuckin’ god!!”

A transformed tiger and fox practically threw themselves out the room, barreling into each other as objects flew out in the hall—Yips, yelps, growls, and howls being heard all around as the ones in the living flinched knowing Yoongi got to them.

~

You were actually here; You couldn’t believe it… Eyes widening in delight seeing the hybrid shelter sign. Namjoon and Yoongi chuckled at your excitement, fixing your jacket and bucket hat to make the other hybrids inside more comfortable—Jungkook, Taehyung, Jimin, and Hoseok bundled up already, gaining the stamp of approval from Seokjin that the four were good to head inside.

“Alright, alright. I’m good!” You insisted, smiling and jumping out of their grasp in a sprint, catching up with the rest of the boys—However, it turned out to be a huge mistake going forward.

Staggering back, you winced, letting out a caterwaul from all the different exotic scents that hit your nose in full force. A hand slapping over your face… God, it felt like you wanted to vomit at the intensity. Pathetic whimpers escaped, tears forming as everything became a blurry mess—How did all the pack of hybrids handle this here?!

A gentle hand touched your lower back, the action making you flinch and tense.

“Shh… It’s okay,” Yoongi—His voice immediately cutting through the fog, an arm draping over your shoulder that brought you closer. The music producer not caring about the tickle against his chin that your ears were doing, waiting patiently for you to calm down before making sudden movements. Your nose twitching, inhaling Yoongi’s familiar cologne and vanilla scent. “What happened? You were just excited two seconds ago kitten.”

“Shut up,” You muttered, a shaky laugh bubbling out at the teasing tone—Yoongi had known exactly what happened… He’s experienced it multiple times with Jungkook. But rather than discussing it, Yoongi did what was a normal occurrence to show he cared and formed the situation into a joking manner. Wishing to ease your discomfort, he took off his black mask and adjusted it on yourself.

The filtered-cloth didn’t get rid of the smells completely but dimmed it enough were it was tolerable, helping your overwhelmed state. Namjoon—with such a gentleness—instructing for you to take a couple of deep breaths.

Wild green eyes, that were glowin’ slightly, snapped open to see Jungkook in a similar situation. The tall-bunny practically buried in Hoseok’s hair, cotton tail rustling among his oversized t-shit with the sound of feet thumping against the floor—Hoseok’s scent being the only one strong enough to keep Jungkook sane… Everyone else, except you, had a too strong of cologne, pheromones, or just had a flowery scent that he hated.

Yoongi led you toward the front desk, where no one was in sight, and rang the bell. Your tail flickering in an anxious manner as a woman (Finally) came out from the back with a clipboard.

“Good morning! How can I help you?” She smiled, nearly stunned to see about eight of you waiting in the lobby—Her eyes widening at Jungkook’s trembling form… Instinctively rummaging through the drawers and handing Seokjin a brand-new facial mask for the bunny. Something that was always kept handy in case hybrids were sensitive to smells.

The sight had you awing—You could practically feel a “mother’s caring nature” vibe from this woman.

“We’re here to see Sujin… We have a meeting with him,” Yoongi explained, the lady humming in understanding, not minding the near cold exterior he was unconsciously giving. Her fingers going straight to work, the computer granting access to the much-needed information.

“Ah yes, here we are! For Mr. and Mrs. Min…” She trailed; snickers being heard in the background that caused Yoongi to turn with a glare—The guys straightened as they tried to act casual, shaking shoulders giving them away, along with their mischievous smiles twitchin’ to break out. “Sujin will be with you all soon! He’s currently finishing up with a couple that came in earlier… Lovely people, so sad what happened to them.”

Frowning, everyone cocked their heads to the side at the extra comment—Curiosity filling them on what had happened. Although before the guys could question it, a door opened, your ears perking underneath the hat… You recognized that scent, yes, he was at the hospital!

“Ah. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin! It’s good to see you three again, along with your hybrids,” Sujin greeted, smiling warmly with a shake of their hands. Although, you’ve noticed the man taking one glance at you in suspicion before gesturing everyone to follow—Yet one step in his office had you wincing, Yoongi staring at you in concern before hesitantly giving Sujin his attention.

There was a certain smell in the air… Something that had you wanting to hide, but it was mixed with other scents that you couldn’t recognize it—Maybe you were just overthinking, after all, there are a ton of predator hybrids here.

A windshield laugh had you snapping back to reality, finding Seokjin red in the face from whatever Sujin said. They were making small talk… The sight had you scrunching up your nose—Either a dumb or brilliant idea came to mind, gently tugging for Yoongi’s attention as you excused yourself for the “bathroom��.

Taking a deep breath, you quietly got up as the guys continued and left through a door that wasn’t entered before. Eyes widening seeing the long hallway that had multiple doors, but with a wider one at the end.

Something inside wanted you to explore, but another was whispering how this wasn’t a good idea and to go sit back in the safety length of the guys—You can guess what side won, your feline instincts forcing you to walk toward the door… It helped that the closer you got, the more hybrid scents seem to fade.

You don’t know what you expected, but it sure wasn’t to find hybrids on either side of glass panels—Hamsters, bunnies, sugar gliders, and so on… All going about in a playful manner, some hanging out inside or running back and forth through the open doors that lead outside.

Despite them in the Rodentia and Leporids family, you stiffened when all their attention was directed at you with calculating eyes—They knew what kind of hybrid you were, but something about how tense you were didn’t seem to scare them. Most felines walked like the world was their kingdom, but you appeared as if you’ve barely belonged on the runway. It was an odd sight for them to say the least.

Coughing, you straightened up and headed to the next room—The Felidae family…

“Well aren’t you cute,” A voice broke the silent walk, grabbing your attention to see a cougar hybrid. A grin upon her face and tail swishing in nothing but mischief… She was older than you and came off like a big sister than anything. “Are you lost?”

“No. I’m waiting for my…” You hesitantly trailed, flickin’ your collar as the hybrid seemed to understand with a nod. Not at all resentful that you had someone to leave with. In fact, the feline seemed to relax in almost a relief that you weren’t wandering around by yourself—That’s where it started, not being long until the cougar had you laughing, giving stories on the multiple pranks she pulled until Yoongi came for you.

“Darlin’ look! A lost little kitty-cat.”

Your whole body turned to stone, eyes widening as you stopped breathing for a moment. The cougar hybrid sensed your distress and change of mood… Eyes narrowing and growlin’ behind you—No… Please no… Please.

…” I’m sorry if you don’t mind us asking. That lady earlier had mentioned you were with a couple earlier—What happened to them?” Namjoon questioned, calming the boys down as Sujin eyes sadden. The shelter owner giving a tight smile as he looked anywhere but at them.

“Oh them… It hurts thinking about it, but about a year ago, this lovely couple actually lost their hybrid—Apparently there was an incident in their neighborhood and hybrid poachers broke into their home. The couple fought tooth and nail to protect their little one but… God, it’s awful evening thinking about it. The two barely were able to step in here, unsure if they were even ready to reminisce and care for another hybrid,” Sujin muttered, shaking his head to rid of the horrid images that currently ran through his mind. The story had Taehyung, Hoseok, Jungkook, and Jimin shaking, while the other three guys stared with a solemn expression. “…I pray that Y/N is at least resting in peace.”

Yoongi’s head snapped up, jumping out of his chair as it fell to the ground from the sheer force—Sujin’s eyes widening seeing an odd look upon his face… On everyone’s faces.

“What was their hybrid’s name again?”

Everything felt like slow motion for you, scrambling and slipping across the hallway floor as hybrids noticed your fearful state—Their calls as they all banged on the glass panel were mute to your ears, the pounding of your heart being the only music that was actually heard.

You’ve barged into the last door, coming face-to-face with multiple canines that jumped to their feet at your sudden entrance. Their curious eyes watching you twist around, shrugging off as much layers you could to free your tail and ears. It felt like you couldn’t breathe!

“Here kitty-kitty~ We’ve been so worried about you…”

…” Hurry the hell up!!” Yoongi shouted; fist clenched in pure white as Sujin frantically pulled up a file on his computer as the four hybrids glared at him with a predatory glint.

“I can’t control the speed of the internet!!” Sujin snapped, slamming the monitor in stupid hopes that it would speed up the loading process as it tried retrieving the information that was filled out for the last client as they did a background search. Eyes darting away from the computer screen in sheer worry hearing faint barking, roars, and growls in the background—Every hybrid starting a sudden ruckus.

“That’s it! I’m heading—”

“There!! It’s done—It says that Mr. and Mrs. Hyun owned a feline hybrid (black) that went missing around a year ago on a rainy day. Her name was…”

“Y/N! How we missed you… Now, why don’t you be a good little thing and come home—Oh? What’s this…?” A sickeningly chuckle rang throughout the room, your back against the glass as you sat on the ground in pure terror. Wild eyes staring up at the couple that was a mere inch away (Collar reflecting in the light), banging heard all around as each hybrid tried to break through to defend you. “A collar? You’ve got to be kiddin’.”

“Don’t worry, I know the perfect remedy that will take care of that,” The man sneered, body shaking as you saw the woman open her purse—Your face paled… She was holding a noose like a leash, hand instinctively reaching for your throat in a protective manner.

Then… You screamed, a bloody curdling scream that had the hybrid’s eyes turning into slits as they all transformed—Animal instincts running through their veins and throwing their bodies against the barrier between them, glass starting to slowly crack.

You’ve kicked, clawed, and reached for something to sink your teeth in as you fought to at least transform—It’ll help in multiple ways to bend for an escape… You were, in fact, faster on all fours.

“Nope! We can’t have that now, can we,” A giggle sounded, stepping on your wrist as her heels dug into your skin that had you hissing, already recognizing the signs of what was planned. Your eyes squeezing shut, teeth grinding together in hopes that this was a horrible nightmare.

“Y-You’re not real… You’re not—”

“Oh… Sorry to disappoint, but we are very much real,” They both said in sync, your breath hitching as one of their nasty fingers unclipped your collar to throw across the room—The familiar texture of rope touching your skin replacing the empty space. Although before they had the chance to tighten it like you knew they would… A screech and hiss was heard, their presence disappearing that had you snapping your eyes open.

“Do. Not. Fuckin’. Touch. Her,” Yoongi growled, shoving your old abuser against the wall with a tight grasp upon his shirt—Hoseok, Jimin and Taehyung transformed, all three corning the fearful woman as they showed off their sharp canines while Jungkook simply cracked his knuckles.

Sujin ran off to call security while Namjoon and Seokjin rushed to your aid… Only to back up when you screamed and flinched at their touch as if they just burnt your delicate skin.

Trauma is personal… It does not just disappear.

It’s forever engraved into the depths of your soul.

But…

Yoongi shoved the bastered into the open arms of security, glaring until the two were out of sight until whimpers and screams finally reached his ears. Turning around as Yoongi softened seeing the state you were in, curled up on the floor with the noose still around your neck.

When someone hears the screams.

Entering the pain of torture with a delicate hand…

Can the healing begin.

“Kitten…?” Yoongi whispered unsurely, crouching right next to your form as the crying stopped… Body freezing in place. Your eyes snapped up and through the blurriness you could see the familiar colors of him. The sight had you tearing up once more when Yoongi, with a softness, removed the rope around you—

“Yoongi!! I-I was…” You hiccupped, throwing yourself into his awaiting arms with a soft. Yoongi combing his fingers through your hair, whispering comforting words and humming, placing a gentle kiss among your temples.

And that’s… That is when you can truly be free from the dark past that haunts you.

“I know… I know. It’s okay,” Yoongi hushed, rockin’ you back and forth.

~~~~

Welcome to the fifteenth chapter of Changing One's Tune! It's been a while... So I decided to add a little angst to the mix. The past resurfaces, but sometimes you need to face it to properly heal.

Likes, Comments, Reblogs, and Follows are very much appreciated if you enjoy the story, its always exciting to know that you like my writing and gives me more motivation to update faster!

See you all soon, Stay Gold! <3

[greypetrel]

So.

I'm reading History of Middle Earth - The book of Lost Tales.

And apparently the very first version of Sauron was Tevildo, the Prince of Cats.

Melkor had his army of huge cats, with their castle built for felines.

I know it should be scary, but when Beren reaches the throne room, it's described that there's loud purring coming from all around and I'm there like AAAAAAAW they're purring. 🥺

The cat-cook is called MIAULË.

You know what does it mean.

Barad-Dur in my Dark Lady AU will be filled with cats. Cats, cats everywhere, of all shapes and dimensions. Little cat doors installed in every door. You can't sleep alone because there's always a fluffy ball of fur purring at your feet. You will stumble on tiny toys they spread around, but there won't be a mouse in sight.

The Wargs are all grown to be friendly to the cats, of course. And it's very common for Orcs to have cats as pets. You can see them, in Mordor. Some trained theirs to walk on a leash.

[dhr-ao3]

Penultimate

Penultimate https://ift.tt/8MEDwsg by cassiopeia_xafod It starts with a mysterious event at a Hogwarts reunion that drags Hermione Granger and the recently reformed Draco Malfoy into the thick of a new mystery. Just when they thought they could coast through life post-Voldemort, a sinister remnant of the past throws everything off balance. Meet Apollo, the Potters' old family cat, who’s more than just a fluffy bystander. Apollo is the unwitting keeper of a dark secret—one that's about to turn the wizarding world upside down again. As random wizards and witches begin acting strangely, it's clear that the troubles of the past aren't quite finished with them yet. Dragged into the chaos, Draco, now a professor with a dark history and a penchant for brooding, finds himself working alongside Hermione, Ministry auror and the brains behind their unlikely duo. As they navigate this new crisis, the lines between old enemies and allies blur, sparking not just a hunt for the truth but an unexpected truce. With a mix of dry wit and a dash of reluctant teamwork, Penultimate isn't just a tale of magical mishaps and feline foes—it's a story about finding light in dark times and changing one's destiny, one spell at a time. Words: 4878, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Padma Patil, Blaise Zabini, Original Characters, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fluff and Humor, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Pining Draco Malfoy, Romance, Drama & Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Protective Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy is Bad at Feelings, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Supportive Narcissa Black Malfoy, BAMF Narcissa Black Malfoy, Jealous Draco Malfoy, Co-workers, Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, HEA, Using Humor as a coping mechanism, Action & Romance, Crookshanks is a Little Shit (Harry Potter), Crookshanks will fight god or become him, the cat lives, Apollo is the devil but we love him for it, Sarcastic cats, Sarcastic Hermione Granger, Auror Harry Potter, Professor Draco Malfoy, BAMF Hermione Granger, no beta we die like men, Horcrux Hunting, Mystery, Spice via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/bIfMhKc July 01, 2024 at 05:29PM

[ladyramora]

New Beginnings

T'lira x G'raha PWP ❤️

Rating: Explicit

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Main Characters: T'lira, G'raha Tia.

Minor characters: Y'shtola Rhul, Krile Mayer Baldesion, Mentions of Thancred

↓↓↓ Spoilers for FFXIV Shadowbringers & FFXIV Endwalker below the cut ↓↓↓

Tags & NSFW warnings:

Love Confessions, Kissing, Aethersand used as a meaningful gift, Teasing, Pet Names, Wall Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex, Oral Sex, Cunnilingus, Table Sex, Doggy Style, Creampie.

.....

....

...

Today would be the day.

Yes, today would be the day that she would finally confess her heart.

Or so T'lira had hoped.

She arrives in Sharlayan with her purpose held firmly in her mind, using the walk to the Baldesion Annex to put her thoughts in order of just what she wanted to say to a certain someone.

She asks around for him just to be sure he would be there, and finds herself standing outside of the door to his room within the annex. She raises her hand to knock and does so, her confidence and surety lasting right up until G'raha opens the door.

He seems pleased to see her as he ever was, ears perking in surprise at finding her knocking at his door. A delighted smile stretching across his full, kissable lips. "Lira, you are a sight for sore eyes!"

T'lira forgets entirely what she had planned to say. Her mind goes blank, her heart pounding so loud in her ears that she can barely hear the words that G'raha speaks to her. She finds herself fumbling through conversation with the man she means to finally express her feelings to, and somehow ends up with a random book in hand that she did not need. Blurting out in a moment of panic the excuse that she had come to borrow it.

Wanting this embarrassing, frustrating time to end, T'lira expresses her thanks for the book and bids him goodbye.

Of course it was a book of faerie tales. Tales of romance and adventure not unlike the book that had inspired her to become an adventurer.

She holds the book in both hands and groans quietly outside of Raha's door, thumping herself in the head with it. Why, why, why? Why was this the hardest thing she had ever attempted to do? She had fought literal gods, she had saved the world! Why was admitting her feelings so much more terrifying?

T'lira shakes her head and goes back to her own room within the annex. She slumps against her closed door, groaning loud and thumping her head again, but this time against the sturdy wood she leans on when she feels a knock on the other side of it.

T’lira startles, her fur prickling. The long, fluffy expanse of her tail floofing in surprise as her feline ears perked and flattened with embarrassment.

A hot flush colors her face. T’lira hoped whoever came to visit hadn't heard her thunking her head against the door.

She straightens up, takes a breath, and turns to open the door.

G'raha stands on the other side of it, hand raised in the air as if he was just about to knock again.

"Raha?" T'lira blinks, watching as the redheaded miqo'te fidget and rub over his wrists in what seemed to be nerves. "Did you need something?"

G'raha clears his throat and straightens up before her eyes. Projecting a sort of confidence that was very much Exarch-esque as he says to her, "Yes. I forgot something when you came to my room just a moment ago."

T'lira tilts her head. "What did you forget?"

"This," G'raha says, stepping forward over the threshold into her room and closing the space between them. His hands reach out to cradle T'lira's face as he draws her to him in a sudden, passionate crush of lips.

The book of faerie tales in T'lira's hand slips from her fingers and drops to the floor as her hands fly up to clutch him to her. The man in her arms is more real and wonderful than anything she has ever read in any book.

"R–Raha," she groans his affectionate name in a surprised, breathy gasp as his lips move over hers in a frenzy of hungry, dizzying kisses.

"Forgive me if I have overstepped," G'raha tells her in a deep, rasping growl, but does not stop kissing her as he moves further into her room, sending T'lira nearly stumbling as she steps backwards to match his forward stride.

G'raha kicks the door closed with the back of his foot and then spins her around to press her against it, pinning her there with the warm, solid weight of his body.

There was not much disparity in their height difference, perhaps he had a few ilms on her at most. It was the surprising amount of muscle she felt under his clothes, pressed up against the plush softness of her curves. Perhaps he had kept up with his archery, after all.

His lips do not leave hers throughout it all, nipping and then sucking at her bottom lip as T'lira makes a whimpering sound in her throat.

"Tell me now if you wish to stop," G'raha hisses out on an exhale. T'lira shakes her head. No, no. That was not what she wished for.

"There is something else I have wanted to tell you," she attempts to say between the passionate press of their lips, grasping at his adventuring attire to pull him even closer. To keep him with her. “I meant to tell you–”

"Later, later," G'raha positively purrs with an accompanied feline rumble in his chest, kissing over her chin and down her throat. Plainly so very pleased that T'lira wanted this, wanted him.

Indeed she did. T'lira tips her head back with an encouraging whimper, her fingers knotting in the fabric of the scarf he wore as G'raha peppers her skin in wet, open-mouthed kisses. His fangs occasionally scrape ever so gently over skin, inspiring such a pleasurable sensation that it made T'lira shiver all over, the spiced-copper of her hair and fur prickling pleasantly.

"Raha," She moans out the affectionate shortening of his name, pulling him even closer to her. Craving him even more now that they held one another in an embrace. Now that he was finally kissing her, touching her. Gods, she had to tell him now or it would burst out of her. All her feelings of love and affection would not be something she could contain any longer in such a blissful, passionate moment as this.

"Raha, I—" T'lira starts to say, only to be interrupted in a very G'raha fashion that was so much his younger, impatient self that T'lira felt hysterical laughter bubble up in her throat. At least until his words truly registered.

"—T'lira. Lira," G'raha gasps out between hungry, passionate kisses trailed over her decolletage. T'lira had never been so thankful to wear something a little more comfortable, fabric that was easily pulled aside so that G'raha—her lover!—could more easily touch and kiss her skin. "Pray, allow me to confess something to you that I have long wished to. For all the time I have known you, and for all the years I have waited, for the time that I was the Exarch, as well. Lira, I…"

Was he intending to… confess to her? T'lira blushes hot, her heart pounding in her chest. Falling quiet as she gazed at him with wide lilac eyes. Hopeful and expectant.

“Yes, Raha?” She breathes out.

G’raha lifts his head to meet her eyes, his crimson gaze intense, searing with his desire and brimming with long held emotions that had T’lira catching her breath in her throat. She could see plain in his face how he felt, but gods did she need to hear him speak the words like nothing she had ever needed so desperately before.

“Tell me,” T’lira murmurs gently, pleadingly. “Tell me?”

G’raha cups her face in his warm hands, and T'lira melts into his touch, sinking into his embrace. Basking in his warmth and breathing him in.

"I told myself I would tell you when the time was right," the redhead tells her, then sighs, "but before I knew it the time was never right! I kept pushing it back, holding my tongue when all I wanted to do was tell you, to tell everyone—all the people of the first and the source, too—how I felt!"

T'lira's cheeks grow hot under the man's palms, her lilac eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. "Raha…"

G'raha presses his finger to her lips, then strokes over them with the pads of his fingers. "Please, Lira, let me speak all I have held back till now. I feel as if my heart will burst if I do not tell you now, in a moment so special as this."

T'lira leans into his touch, her soft lips parted and her eyelashes gently fluttering. For a moment distracting the red haired miqo'te from what he meant to say as he cannot help himself from leaning in to steal yet another kiss.

T'lira gets lost in it for a moment herself.

"How many years have I waited," G’raha murmurs as their kiss breaks, resting his forehead against hers, their hair mingling together—ruby red to spiced-copper—and sharing air as he stays intimately close, a hair's breadth away from kissing her again.

"My dreams were ever of the past. I carried the hopes of many, including my own. So focused was I upon my goal, I had forgotten how it felt to be in your company. How every moment at your side was so captivating, so utterly exhilarating. Another adventurer, side by side, was all I wanted. I told myself I could be content with that. That it would be enough."

G'raha takes a breath, his forehead nuzzling hers, "Yet T'lira… Lira. It only made me yearn for more. I craved every second for your company. Another moment, another hour, another day; more and more of your time. To bask in your presence, to gaze into your face. To know more of you. The time we spent together before I sealed myself within the tower was much too fleeting. I want more. I have for a very long time. It has… dawned on me that I… I want forever with you, Lira. I want to wake each day and see your face the moment I open my eyes. To hear your voice as you bid me good morning. To hold your hands in mine, to kiss your lips…"

T'lira leans in to kiss him again, urgent and full of passion. G'raha groans, clutching her tightly against him.

"Lira… Lira," he sighs out, husky and breathless.

T'lira can barely hear him over the throb of her own pulse in her ears, but she does the hardest thing in this moment, breaking away from another passionate string of kisses so that she might calm herself down enough to listen to his words.

"Please," T'lira says softly, breathlessly.

The way he looks at her makes her breath hitch. His heart was in his eyes, his love for her written clearly in the expression on his face. Still, Lira would hear the words for herself. She would know his feelings, spoken true.

G'raha, sweet, dependable Raha, never did disappoint her.

"I love you, Lira."

Gods, he was adorable the way his voice trembled on her name. She can see his nerves in the way clenches his fists at his sides, looking at her with eyes wide and feline ears pinned back in wait of her answer.

Did he think she would reject him? For all his experience and being such an accomplished scholar and leader, he really was not so different from that silly boy she once knew.

Now was not the time for teasing. T'lira steps forward into the warmth of his body, reaching out to fiddle with the aethersand necklace she had made for him, its matching pair dangling from her neck.

"Of course I love you, Raha," she tells him simply, with no desire to drag things out with long speeches. That was more G'raha's specially. T'lira had wanted to say the words to him for so long. Knowing that Raha loved her made it suddenly all too easy when before it had been a struggle to formulate the words, let alone speak them.

"How could there be any doubt? Truly, I thought my feelings would have been far too obvious. I've loved you for a long time, and most everyone knows by now. Even Lyna, who was quite intense in her interrogation. She demanded to know just what my intentions were towards you."

"Truly?" G'raha laughs at that, head ducking bashfully as he runs his hand over his hair. Tail swaying and ears wiggling with positive emotions.

"Gods, Lira. I am just... so relieved."

T'lira smiles helplessly, curling her finger through the cord of his aethersand necklace and tugging meaningfully.

"So am I. Come here."

G'raha dips his head with no further need of prompting, kissing her with feeling. The press of his lips against hers is only soft for a moment before he becomes more insistent, coaxing her mouth open with a groan as he plays over the seam of her lips and lit her every nerve alight with the slick slide of his tongue.

T'lira grasps for him greedily, her fingers curling into the fabric of his adventuring attire and making fists to keep hold of him and drag him even closer.

"Raha," she moans encouragingly. Giggling breathlessly at the way his ears perk and twitch every time she says his name. So she says it again and again, "...Raha. Raha," just to delight in the way he reacts.

His skin colors to such a pretty shade, his fur prickling so cutely. What an honest reaction.

"You're so cute, Raha," T'lira murmurs affectionately. Her love overflows from her heart and leaks out into her voice as she speaks to him. Twelve, she adored him so.

She is rewarded with the sight of his embarrassed pouty face. Such an expression evokes in her a feeling of fond nostalgia. T'lira cannot fight the impulse to squeeze his face in her hands and kiss his pouty lips.

"You tease me overmuch, Lira," G’raha sighs, but smiles for her so sweetly. Heart meltingly.

T'lira does not expect him to turn the tables on her by cupping her face in his hands and kissing her until she melts into him.

"You are the cute one, Lira. My Lira," G’raha calls to her with an edge of a playful growl in his voice.

T’lira shivers all over, blinking wide eyed as her cheeks flush hot under his palms.

G’raha pauses, seeming surprised himself at inspiring such a response from her.

A look of triumphant mischief comes over her lover's face. Aught that surely spelled trouble for her. Her sweet Raha still had that playful spark of mischief within him.

"Lira," G’raha's voice rumbles low, the redheaded miqo'te tugging her close to purr directly into her ears, "Finally. You've become mine."

T'lira's stomach swoops, and her teeth press into her bottom lip as her eyelashes flutter with the desire that rushes through her.

She yanks him in by the grip she has on his clothing, their lips crashing together in a hot, frenzied string of kisses that was all tongues, and teeth, and gasping breath.

"Fair is fair. You call me yours, I'll have to call you mine," T'lira growls in kind, tugging on his lower lip with her teeth.

"Yes," G'raha groans in his throat and pulls her flush against him, the physical evidence of his desire for her pressing against her. "I have been yours for a very long time, Lira. How many years I have waited, yearning to meet you again. Even so, I dared not hope that you would accept me like this…!"

T'lira laughs, reaching out to place her finger over his lips before he can go off on another tangent. Smiling so large her face aches at the adorable expression of surprise that comes over her soon-to-be lover's handsome face.

"Well, I have. We two have expressed our feelings for one another, so won't you tell me just what were you intending to do before that grand speech? Pray, continue where you left off, my lord," T'lira says, deliberately teasing in her words and actions as she wiggles against him. Her best attempt of recapturing the mood before it could become derailed with more talk of their feelings and the colorful history between them.

Fortunately, it works like a charm.

G'raha clutches her to him, hissing out a breath between his teeth as he matches the roll of her body against his with a desperate grind of his hips.

"Lira," her name is a prayer from his lips as he lifts her up abruptly in a show of impatience as well as strength.

T'lira wraps her arms and legs around him, laughing in her throat as he pins her to the nearest wall and ruts against her.

"Hahh, yes!" T'lira moans encouragingly, squeezing her legs around him as she bucks her hips to meet him. The friction felt delicious, but it wasn't enough.

T'lira wanted more. She wanted to feel his hands on her, his body against hers, skin to skin.

"Too many clothes in the way," T'lira pants out. Yanking at his scarf, his tunic, her nails scratching at the red hairs of his nape, fingers tugging. She leans in to nip his jaw, purring in her throat, "I want to feel you."

G'raha's jaw ticks with the grinding of his teeth, his throat bobbing. Tempting her all the more to sink her teeth into the purple mark decorating his skin. To stain him in her color, mark him with the shape of her bite.

"My, so impatient," G'raha laughs, pressing his pretty mouth to her salty skin and licking at her. "Mayhap I want to savor this moment, my dear Lira."

It seemed they were of the same mind, wanting to stake their claim on one another.

T'lira drops her head back, gasping as he sucks marks into her skin. Pleading with him. Or, rather, making demands of him, "Nng, savor it later! Touch me, Raha. Touch me right now!"

G'raha laughs into her skin, seeming utterly giddy as he presses her hard into the wall with his body and frees up a hand to wriggle between them. A one track path to that heated place between her thighs that was aching for his attention.

T'lira whines out in slack-jawed pleasure as he cups her through the layers of cloth between them and rubs her roughly. Giving her more of that sweet, sweet friction through their clothing.

T'lira cries out, a curse wrung from her lips as her hips jerk into the firm press of his fingers against her.

Gods, she wanted those fingers inside of her so bad!

G'raha shushes her, giggling gleefully to himself as T'lira reacts to his touch so strongly.

"I should have done this ages ago," he mutters with eyes wide open to T’lira's every shift in expression, his feline ears perked at attention to catch every note of her pleasure.

"Don't you pull at that thread," T'lira huffs, balling a fist into his scarf and tugging, "We'll be here all night if you start with should haves and what ifs!"

G'raha grins, all cat-like mischief in the sway of his tail as he leans in to steal a kiss. "Oh? Did you think I'd be leaving here before morning?"

T'lira bites at his cheeky mouth, those too-full lips just far too tempting. "Full of yourself, aren't you?"

G'raha's smile turns wicked. A full fanged grin. "Mayhap I would prefer you to be full of m—"

T'lira covers his mouth, red cheeked and gasping, "Where has my shy, sweet Raha gone to? What rakish rogue has taken his place? Have you been taking lessons from Thancred?"

She meant to tease him by her words, but the look in his eye has her breath catching in her throat.

G'raha gives her tingles by kissing her palm, then scraping his teeth over it.

"If I told you that the sweet, shy young man you once knew desired you as I do now, would it shock you? Would you have blushed knowing the passion you stirred in him? How shameful he felt, thinking of you in his lonely moments of desire, wishing you were there beside him?"

T'lira does indeed blush red hot at the portrait that her lover paints for her. Endless scenarios fill her mind, the ache of her own desire only increasing.

"Was it me, for all the time we were apart?" T'lira asks him, surprising herself at her own boldness as surely as she does G'raha. "What did you think about?"

G'raha makes something of a moan in his throat, whether it was desire or embarrassment was unclear.

Perhaps it was both.

"You, it was always you," G'raha speaks into her throat as he buries his face into her neck. His breath is hot and shaky against her skin as he works her up into a needy frenzy with his words and his touch. "I would have no other. You were always in my thoughts."

His kisses are a clockwork over her skin, hot enough to leave her all too feverish as his fingers rub at her relentlessly, slow then quick, slow then quick.

T'lira knew he was strong, but to feel it for herself, firsthand… Gods, his hands! It was as if there were no layers between them at all with how keenly she could feel his touch. She would not last at this rate, but that seemed to be her lover's intention.

"Raha," T’lira mewls out, feeling all too weak to him. Craving more of that feeling, of his words. "I want to know more, I want to feel more…!"

She can feel his breath quicken, the scrape of his teeth over her skin followed by the slick drag of his tongue.

"You were all I could think of, Lira," G'raha declares in a passionate gasp, spurred on by her desire. "I was endlessly plagued by such lustful imaginings. Moments just like this, here and now. I imagined how I would touch you, what you would taste like."

His groan rumbles through her as his fingers press against her, seeking her clit. Through these layers it would be far more stimulating to grope and squeeze, but G'raha only pets her there, fingers stroking barely hard enough to make her wiggle and ache for more.

T'lira lets out a blissful whimper. "Don't tease me."

G'raha laughs at that, as if the sound were pulled from him. A bright, humored bark accompanied by the wiggle of his feline ears and the playful sway of his tail. "For all you have teased me, it would surely be just desserts, my dearest Lira!"

T'lira makes a small grunt in her throat, bothered that she could not refute him there. So, maybe she had teased him rather often.

"Perhaps if your reactions were not so terribly endearing, I would be less inclined to do so."

G'raha grins, eyebrows arching. "Oh? Am I to understand you are placing the blame on me? That is hardly fair, Lira my dear."

T'lira nods, sucking in a breath as his fingers tease against her purposefully. Just enough pressure to drive her wild.

"Mm! You… are just… too cute to resist! All the faces you make, the responses you give me are different all the time. I…hahh!…want to see them all."

The look in G'raha's eyes spells trouble for her, but T’lira cannot find it within herself to worry as her lover slips his fingers under her clothing to caress her skin to skin.

Ohh!

T'lira's head tilts back, her mouth falling open on a moan as he swipes his fingers through her folds and is instantly greeted by the warm wetness of her abundant desire spilling forth to coat his fingers.

"Gods, Lira, you're so warm. So wet," G'raha groans, sliding a slippery finger over her clit and chuckling to himself in satisfaction at the whimper she lets out.

"Do you intend to torture me?" T'lira whines, bucking her hips in want of more, more, more.

"Of course not, my love," G'raha murmurs, and sinks a finger inside of her slowly.

T'lira moans.

"To tease you now would simply be the same as torturing myself. I simply want to bear witness to your pleasure with full focus before I find myself too… distracted."

T'lira trembles as he works her open, dipping into her again and again. A second finger soon joins the first to curl inside of her, making her hips buck and legs shake with pleasure.

"Raha, Raha, Raha!" She chants between labored gasps, shaking all over and grasping at him desperately as he stirs her up into a lustful frenzy, his fingers thrusting inside of her and his palm grinding against her.

"You sing for me so prettily, Lira," G’raha growls to her, drunk on the rush of pleasing her like this.

T’lira could not stop the sounds she was letting out if she tried. Why fight it, why hold back at all? T'lira saw no point in denying her pleasure, so she let go. Allowing herself to get lost in the moment, to get lost in G’raha and how he made her feel.

"Sing for me, too, Raha," T’lira gasps, surging into him to kiss his mouth hungrily. "You've always had… such a gorgeous singing voice."

G'raha obliges her with a gorgeous moan. T’lira rarely had the opportunity to relish his singing, but to hear him moan was an entirely new and blissful experience. His voice was made for such sounds as these.

T’lira felt blissful in the knowledge that this duet was theirs, alone. Together, their voices harmonized so beautifully.

The air is filled with the sounds they make, the lustful music of moans and sighs breathed out, low and high. The crash of their lips as messy and wet as the lewd sound of Raha's fingers thrusting inside of her.

T’lira's whole body trembled, her muscles coiling tight as tension built fast inside of her.

"Close," she mewls, rolling her hips forward with need. Aching, throbbing on the edge of release; a tether pulled taut, close to snapping.

"Raha," she whimpers.

A little more, she needed just a little more…!

"I have you," G’raha tells her in a guttural growl. Pressing her against the wall snugly as his hand moved faster, her abundance of arousal making an absurdly wet sound as he fingers her in a furious pace.

T’lira's mouth hangs open in a helpless, lust-addled cry as she jerks and bucks in uncontrollable pleasure.

Yes, yes, yes…!

Pleasure swept her up in a wave of orgasmic bliss. She can only hang onto Raha for dear life as she rides out the overwhelming intensity of it.

He pins her to the wall with his body to still her uncontrollable writhing, laughing breathlessly in his throat as T’lira let out such incredible sounds in her passion-drunk delirium.

G’raha drinks it all in, eyes wide open and flushed redder than his hair, beside himself rapturous joy.

"I have you, I have you," he breathes out, half in awe that he truly did. That he was holding her fast to him as she slowly relaxed into the afterglow of that first peak. That he had been the one to inspire such such pleasure in her.

One of many to come, if he had his way.

T’lira murmurs contentedly, entirely limp and held up only by Raha's determined strength.

G'raha breathes shakily as he slowly shifts, attempting to be so very careful as he slips his fingers free.

T'lira mewls, squeezing at his fingers. Just as reluctant to let him go.

G’raha gulps, his thumb grazing her clit as his fingers sink back inside of her with a wet squelch, his eyes lit with hungry desire as he watches her twitch and shudder in response.

His hand was drenched with her juices up to his wrist, and though he was desperate to taste her—to savor every drop of her pleasure—G'raha curls his fingers inside of her again. Seeking her sweet spots. Wanting to bear witness to the addictive sight of her pleasure building to another orgasmic crescendo.

"Hnng… W—wait… I just came," T'lira whimpers, hips jerking.

"Ohh?" G'raha's tone of voice suddenly shifts, "Is this all my champion—my inspiration—can take? Surely you have more stamina than an old man such as I?"

"Don't you use your Exarch voice on me." Lira huffs.

"But I thought you liked it? You told me yourself that you thought it was impressive," G’raha chuckles.

"I recall what I actually said was that your ability to take control of a situation was impressive," T'lira squirms as she reminds him of what she had said, blushing and regretting her past self being so candid about admitting such things to G'raha's face. Though, it was certainly true that his ability to remain calm and step into a leadership role in the midst of chaos was undoubtedly a useful skill to have.

G’raha grins, entirely smug. "Very good, Lira," he coos in dripping saccharine praise with his calm, composed Exarch voice. "You remember well what you said from your own lips. Such is why I imagine you will not protest as I take control now." He punctuates his words by thumbing her clit, watching her reaction with a composed expression that was all the more devastating with the bright red blush coloring his skin.

T’lira cries out, hips jerking in what must be another smaller orgasm. Her whole body shivers and shakes, a feverish heat rushing through her.

Did he really intend to continue on like this? T'lira wanted more, right this moment. They could savor one another all they liked later.

If they kept at this pace, another apocalypse would be at their door before G'raha gave her what she wanted!

"Raha, I need you," she groans desperately, truly aching for him. Perhaps playing it up a bit to nail home just how much. She would be getting her way, she almost always did when it came to him, "Please, don't make me wait any longer."

That certainly did the trick.

G'raha makes the sound of a man knowing he was being manipulated, but going along with it anyway, somehow perfectly conveyed without words. It was all in the tone of his long-suffering groan, but it made T'lira grin like the cat that got the cream. Got him.

T'lira savors her victory as G'raha unfastening his trousers with surprising dexterity, obviously feeling it for the way he fumbles a few times before getting it right.

“Hurry,” she moans.

“Impatient,” G’raha huffs.

T’lira has a retort on the tip of her tongue, but loses it like a candy fizzling on her tongue as G’raha presses up against her and sinks inside with one smooth thrust of his hips.

“Ohh!” T'lira gasps, clutching at him. Her nails scratching over the layered fabric at his back.

“How is it…?” G’raha groans out.

T'lira whimpers.

His answering chuckle rumbles through her, and T’lira can do nothing but hold on for dear life and make sweet noises for him as G’raha pulls back and thrusts forward, again, again, and again.

“Was… this… what you wanted?” He asks her, every word punctuated by a snap of his hips that presses her firm against the door.

Sharlayan architecture was certainly something, here G’raha was putting his back into giving T’lira what she asked for with gusto, and the sturdy wooden door did not once shake in its frame.

“Yes, yes, haah… Raha!” T’lira moans encouragingly. Nor is she idle, either. She grips the doorframe behind her—and with G’raha braced against her—she lifts herself to bounce on him. Her arm wrapping around his shoulders as she lifts and falls, lifts and falls.

G’raha gasps for her so prettily that T’lira gives into the impulse to crush her mouth against his, stealing his breath as they both become lost to the frenzy of pleasure.

She tingles from her finely furred feline eartips to her curling toes with how he moans for her, murmuring her name so desperately even though he could hardly catch his breath at all.

“Raha, Raha,” she moans for him in return. Her whole body burned, that familiar feeling building up again far easier now that her body was in a state of consistent stimulus and arousal.

“I… I’m—!” her legs squeeze tight at his waist as another peak takes her by surprise. She ducks her head, yanking his scarf aside to bite hard at the muscled meat between his neck and shoulder.

G’raha must lose the strength in his legs as she grips him so tightly in the throes of her orgasm. Or perhaps she has simply made him weak in the knees with her teeth in his skin.

He groans as if he were dying and stumbles sideways, causing T’lira to shriek and laugh as she flings an arm out to catch them before they take a tumble, sweeping pinned papers and portraits off the wall as they slid across the wall and away from the sturdy frame of the door.

“Raaahaaa!”

G’raha is shaking with laughter as he rights them both in a show of strength and balance. “I have you, I have you,” he giggles boyishly. Resting them against the wall a moment to catch his breath before he was hoisting her up again and carrying her deeper into the room.

T’lira half expects him to take her to the bed, but is surprised as she finds herself perched upon the nearest table not entirely packed with clutter. G’raha sweeps his arm out, sending whatever populated the surface clattering to the floor as he lays her down upon it.

T’lira's cheeks ache with the force of her grin as she joins in, swinging her arm wide over her head and sending a stack of books tumbling over the ledge.

“I have wanted to do this for an age,” G’raha admits, pausing to lick up over his wrist and across his palm of the hand he had been fingering her with before sighing hotly as he leans forward to kiss her.

T’lira laughs, holding him in her embrace as she kisses him with lazy heat. “Mmm, I can tell…”

G’raha smiles with feline satisfaction, his tail flickering behind him. Mischievous.

What was he…?

“Pray excuse me, my love. I have some pressing matters to attend to that are well overdue,” G’raha says, and grasps her by the hip to flip her over onto her belly. It was easy enough for him, as T’lira was the smaller of the two at just under four-fulm and eleven-ilms.

“Ah! Raha!” T’lira gasps, blood rushing to her face as her lover grasps her bottom and spreads her open from the back. Her voice pitches high in a squeak as he leans into her and buries his face against her.

“Ohh..!” T'lira slips her hands up to grip the edge of the table for dear life as G’raha treats her to the talents of his tongue, groaning deep in his throat like she was the most delectable thing he had ever tasted.

T’lira's heart thunders in her chest, her own voice loud in her ears as she cannot keep quiet the sounds that her lover pries from her lips.

“Gods, Lira, you taste divine,” G’raha sounded blissed out himself, drunk on her flavor. “I could feast upon naught but you for days at a time.”

T’lira twitches and bucks, squirming in place with helpless pleasure as he makes a meal of her.

“Please, please, please,” she whimpers and whines. So sensitive, but craving so much more. She would surely be sore tomorrow but T’lira was not ready to stop now. G’raha would certainly not be leaving her room until the morrow.

“You beg so prettily, Lira,” Raha chuckles, sucking at her folds and tonguing her slit. His hands are hot on her skin, strong as he spreads her open for him.

T’lira cries out, seeing stars as he sucks and licks at her clit. “Fuck me!”

G’raha gives a husky laugh. “As you wish.”

She moans in her throat as G’raha pulls away, barely able to miss him as he promptly lines himself up again, sinking back inside of her to resume his good work.

The table wobbles with the snap of his hips, groaning under them as it scrapes across the floor. It was barely sturdy enough to bear the brunt of their passion, adding a sense of hilarity to the situation that had T’lira giggling between moans.

“We might… break this table… Raha!”

His hands had a firm grasp on her hips, the table jerking under them with every thrust. “‘Twould be… a worthy sacrifice…!” Raha grunts out with humor.

The next creak the table makes is particularly loud, as if to protest the idea of its destruction by the overzealous actions of the two amorous lovers.

T’lira bites back her laughter, holding fast to the less than sturdy table in a white-knuckle grip as G’raha well and truly did his best to make up for the time they had not been all over one another like this.

She shivers as G’raha leans over her, pressing kisses over her spine. His hands caress her skin, sliding up from her hips over her sides to lay his palms over the backs of her hands, their fingers slotting together.

“I love you,” he murmurs into her neck, brushing his lips across her shoulder blades. “I love you, Lira.”

T’lira gives a soft whine in her throat, overcome with emotion. “I love you,” she whispers fervently, lifting her arm to cup the back of his neck. Her head turns a bit awkwardly, but her desire to kiss him overcomes any discomfort.

The table gives a loud, ominous crack!—and T’lira squeaks as she finds herself snared in G’raha’s magic—caught before she could fall as the table collapses beneath them, no longer able to bear the weight.

A sacrifice, indeed, to the brunt of their passion.

They stare at the pile of wood scrap, formerly a table.

“...Shall we break the bed next?” G’raha laughs.

….

“Ah…! Haahh… Nngh!”

The bed springs squeak under them, the sound of their panting breath almost drowned out by it.

The bed thuds against the wall, shaking paintings in their frames and T’lira along with it as she grips the dowels that made up the headboard with sweaty hands.

Gods, how much stamina did this man have? T’lira had lost track of how many times he had brought her to peak, yet he remained harder than steel inside of her.

“Can't… much longer,” T’lira groans, the bedclothes rumpled beneath her and damp with sweat and other such salty secretions.

“Once more, Lira,” G’raha pleads with her.

She sobs a bit, her knees and thighs aching from rocking back against him. “Are you a man or a machine? I'm exhausted, Raha!” Her voice pitches on the edge of whiny, but she was shaking just holding herself up. She did not have much left to give.

“Come here, I shall handle the rest,” G’raha laughs, dragging her back into his lap.

He is sweaty, flushed hot, but T’lira only makes a mild grumbling sound as he tips her head back to kiss him.

“Rest assured, I am more flesh and blood than I have been for centuries, my love.”

T'lira sighs, her head lolling against G’raha's shoulder as he bounces her in his lap. He felt even bigger like this, settling deeper inside of her.

T’lira finds herself squeezing around him, reflexively at first, but then with wicked intention as G’raha hisses and groans. The steady pace he had set faltering. His sweet voice whimpers for her so cutely.

“Enough already,” T’lira sighs, wriggling on his lap with purpose. “You have… nothing left… to prove. Why do you… torture yourself so?”

G’raha grasps at her hips, his voice catching. His hands shake as he jerks and trembles beneath her. “A—Ah…! My love, mercy…! I merely wanted… to show you how I might please you!”

T’lira laughs, tugging at his neck to press her lips to his jaw. Setting her teeth against his skin and nipping. Delighting in the way he shudders for her.

“You have already done so. This will hardly be the last time we share a bed. Let go, Raha,” T'lira whispers to him sweetly, rocking in his lap just so. Squeezing how she now knew he liked.

G’raha gives a strangled groan and bucks his hips under her, his whole body spasming as he does as she bids him. Letting go and finally giving into his pleasure.

T'lira gives a soft little sound of pleasant surprise as he crushes his lips to hers, pulsing inside of her as he fills her up with his hot, sticky spend.

T’lira mewls as he reaches around her to rub at her clit, making her clench around him all the tighter as he eases another orgasm out of her even as she milks him dry.

“R—Raha… ah!”

G’raha squeezes her tight, riding out the high along with her. “Lira… I…!”

They cling to one another in a final peak, swept up in the all consuming swell of pleasure.

They drift, their breath syncing up as they slowly calm.

T’lira moans as G’raha shifts, plopping backwards instead of lifting her entirely off of him. Too tired to move beyond rolling to settle more comfortably side by side.

T’lira stares into his eyes, gazing at his satisfied face with some fair bit of smugness herself.

“You always have to take the lead, don't you?” G’raha sighs before she can be the one to speak, reaching out lazily to tuck spiced copper strands of sweaty hair away from her eyes.

"I think I restrained myself quite well up till now. Besides, you're not the only one who knows how to take control of a situation," T’lira replies, showing her hand by admitting she had led him; but she was much too satisfied about things proceeding how she had wanted them to.

G’raha's ears perk, a small grunt of mock outrage pulled from his throat. "I know very well, Lira. Like a talented bard, you know which strings to pluck for the precise arrangement you wish for," he sighs, but does not seem too bothered by playing into her hands yet again. T'lira was simply too skilled at getting people to do what she wanted, so subtly that it was nearly imperceptible unless one was paying enough attention.

“We can all but dance to your tune,” he murmurs, straying close to steal another kiss or twenty. He simply could not get enough of her.

T'lira felt much the same.

“Well, I am rather fond of how you dance for me,” T’lira gives a besotted laugh, wrapping her arms around him and stroking the raised marks where her nails had scratched him.

G’raha shivers at her touch. So cute.

“Oh dear, I seem to have marked you up quite a bit, my lord,” she remarks teasingly.

G’raha huffs, thumbing one of the many hickeys he had decorated her skin with. “Fair is fair, my dear Lira. I seem to have done the very same.”

T’lira drags her fingertips over the indent of her teeth on his shoulder. That one would certainly become a purple bruise to match the signature tattoo on his neck.

“Shall I go fetch us a washcloth?” G'raha murmurs, pressing his lips to her cheek.

T’lira smiles and nods her agreement. Propping her head up on her hand, she watches the sway of his tail and the curve of his backside with a warmth in her chest and a flush to her face as he hops from the bed and hurries off towards her washroom.

Gods, she loved this man.

T’lira rolls onto her back as he returns to her in short order with a wet, warm washcloth to wipe her down with.

T’lira cannot stop staring at him, drinking him in. The focused expression he wore, the slight flicker of a feline ear. The bashful face he pulls as he catches her staring.

“What is it?” G’raha asks, almost seeming shy.

Even after all that? He was so adorable.

T’lira smiles. “I'm just so happy. I had a plan today, but it all fell apart. If it weren't for you coming to my room, perhaps we would have spent many moons more dancing around one another.”

“W—Well, I…” G’raha straightens up with obvious pride, the hand holding the washcloth raised towards his face as he clears his throat. He takes a breath. “I will not claim to have suspected such. Merely that… I had hoped you might feel even a fraction of what I feel for you. That you would not turn me away even after overstepping in that manner.”

T’lira hums in her throat, her tail swishing playfully. “You were indeed quite bold. Kissing me out of the blue like that?” She cradles her cheek, only half teasing. “You were so forceful, my heart was pounding!”

G’raha goes red in the face, blushing up to his ears as he wrung the cloth in his hands. “You never tire of teasing me, do you?”

T’lira plucks the cloth from his hands and tosses it to land on the floor with a splat. “Never. Come here,” she pats the bed.

G’raha pauses. “I thought we might change the sheets?”

T’lira grabs him by the wrist and drags him into bed with her.

“Perhaps later,” G’raha sighs, gathering her up in his arms as T’lira rolls into him.

“Yes, much later,” T’lira agrees. “I’ll allow you your rest for now. But you had best prepare your regenerative magicks soon enough, my lord, as I have no intention to allow you to leave this bed until the next sun greets us.”

“Lira!” G’raha’s spluttering reply is lost to the press of her lips as T’lira tugs him in for a fur floofing, ear perking, toe curling smooch.

….

In the hallway, two figures come to stand before G’raha’s empty room. A hand raised to knock pausing, a pale head of hair turning as milky eyes glance in the direction of the doubly occupied room now belonging to T’lira.

“Is aught amiss, Y’shtola?” Krile asks her. “Is Raha not in?”

Y’shtola shakes her head, a smile tugging at her lips. “He seems to have stepped out, Krile.”

Krile sighs and shrugs. “Well, I suppose we can drop by later.”

Y’shtola hums. “Indeed. In the meantime, I shall collect on a bet that Thancred owes to me.”

Krile chuckles. “‘Tis good to see you two getting along, I suppose.”

“Not quite as well as some of us. There must be something in the air,” Y’shtola remarks.

“Something in the air?” Krile hurries after the miqo'te sorceress, not quite sure what her fellow Scion was talking about.

“New beginnings, Krile,” Y’shtola says cryptically. “For all of us.”

Yes, it was about time.

T’lira deserved to find her happiness.

[caxycreations]

Another Tylvinian Tale update

Character customization is fully done and we're about 3/4 of the way through Day One!

For those curious about the player customization, read below the cut to see all the options!

Customization Options for Player Characters:

Name (player text input, anything you want)

Species (Canine, Feline, Bird, Reptile, or Custom.) Custom Species options: Species name (player text input, anything you want), feathered/furred/scaled/chitinous, paws/hooves/talons/reptilian feet/tarsus (bug feet), wings or no wings

Prosthetics: yes or no

If yes: one hand, one arm, one foot, one leg (each of these offers choice of left or right), both hands, both arms, both feet, both legs.

Combination choices: your choice of any combination of left hand, left arm, right hand, right arm, left foot, left leg, right foot, right leg.

Character colors: one (leads to player text input to choose your fur/scale/chitin color) or two (leads to player text input to choose the primary and underbelly colors of your fur/scale/chitin.

Eye color: player text input, any color

If you are playing as a furred character, you'll also have the option to choose skin color (pawpads, inner ear, nose, etc) through text input

Tail: curled, standard, or fluffy canine tails, slim or fluffy feline tail, tailfeathers, dragon tail, reptile tail, bug abdomen

This then prompts a confirmation listing your selections so far with a "Yes" or "No" choice. Picking No will take you back to the start of character customization, picking Yes will progress to the next stage.

Then you're prompted with the following choices:

Biological sex: male, female, intersex, or null

Gender: gender, independent of biological sex, player text input, can be anything

Player text inputs for choosing your subjective, objective, possessive, and reflexive pronouns (he/him/his/himself, ae/aer/aers/aerself, they/them/theirs/themself, etc, can be literally any pronouns you want)

Orientation choice: straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, aromantic, aro/ace, pansexual, omnisexual, demisexual

Then you'll be taken to a confirmation listing the options you've chosen so far, asking if they are correct, with "Yes" or "No" options. Picking No will take you back to the biological sex prompt, and continue customization from there like before, while picking Yes will conclude character customization.

And that will begin your game! I know it sounds like a lot to go through before you even start the game, but having gone through it a hundred times during building it, I can assure you: it only takes a minute or so to get through. <3

[stranded-labyrinth]

Hannibal adopts a stray cat

hi yes i was excited about this one :] i would've made it longer to accomodate more detail but if i extended this any amount, it would be a much bigger one shot

------------------‐

Given it was a rather urban area, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when a stray came around.

It began when winter set in, requiring Hannibal to start his car in advance to get the heat running, lest he be stuck driving in the cold. He had happened to mention it offhand when vehicles in the cold were brought up (poor Will having a mishap with a frozen car door), leading to a piece of advice he'd yet to receive, but was grateful to hear.

"Make sure to check your tires and stuff for strays," Will told him. "Cats and other smaller animals like crawling up between the tire and the car to try to stay warm."

Hannibal had, of course, noted the advice. Coming from the resident stray expert, he was sure the advice was sound, and he would never hope to extend the cruelty he was typically capable of to an innocent animal that was merely escaping the cold.

He had gotten in the habit of checking around his car in the coming weeks. Upon reporting his lack of stray activity, he was met with one of Will's rare genuine smiles, visibly pleased that someone had actually heeded his advice. Hannibal, of course, beamed beneath the attention.

He continued his new habit afterward, even though he found nothing. He would hate to risk it and one day find a red splotch on his Bentley and driveway where once lay a fluffy bundle of innocence.

He stepped out of his home, making his usual rounds, and then–

Hissing.

He stepped back slightly, just enough to process what he'd just heard. He bent down just enough to see beneath the outer car body.

Lo and behold, atop one of his rear tires lay a rather fluffy ivory colored cat.

The little beast glared at him with only one blue eye, the other either obscured or missing altogether. The feline remained where it was, rather annoyed at having its rest disturbed.

Hannibal had never known himself to quite click with an animal before, but with this one, their similarities were quite clear.

This was a creature of survival, one that valued its comfort, and one that did not take kindly to its general boundaries being impeded upon. That, and despite its position, it laid with a certain elegance about its being.

He only had one place to be that morning, and he was rather certain that a particular profiler would take well to his excuse for not being on the case on time.

He reentered his home, sending the required text to his now fellow lover of strays, before turning to his refrigerator.

--------

It was almost shameful for him to admit just how little time it had taken him to understand Will's immediate closeness with his latest stray, except Hannibal found himself feeling precisely no shame at all. Even as he stood in his kitchen, slicing away at fresh tuna while his impatient dinner guest sat on the floor beside him, staring up with her one wide eye and licking her lips.

Rosemary had clearly been domesticated before, given the near immediate liking she'd taken to being spoiled. She had been lured in with various bits of meat, including a piece from Hannibal's much more personal set of cooking materials, and had eventually settled on her favorites once inside. She didn't exactly turn her nose up at trout, but had a clear preference for tuna given the speed at which she would finish eating.

The tale of how he'd procured the trout to begin with was something he found himself revisiting in his mind palace rather often within the past couple of days. He could still remember the second day of Rosemary dwelling with him, in which he did finally attend a case on time, and was met with Will holding a small cooler.

"I wasn't sure how much fish you had at home," he'd said, looking slightly bashful at presenting the gift. "I figured you'd be the sort to feed her as fresh of food as you could get."

Hannibal had smiled then, gratefully accepting the gift. Even so, he couldn't help noticing the way Will lingered nearby, the air of an unasked question hanging around them.

Hannibal smiled at him again. "I'm afraid I have yet to take any photos of her, but I will be sure to do so once I get home."

Will laughed, looking away. "Was I that obvious?"

"No shame in curiosity," Hannibal assured. "Besides, you are better versed in the art of strays than I am. Perhaps you can meet her soon."

In the hall of his mind palace, stored in a large frame, was the image of Will's eyes lighting up at the invitation.

--------

Rosemary observed her father carefully, tail swishing from the top of her tree-style scratch post, as he moved about the kitchen in the next room. He had already set the table carefully with two sets of dishes across from one another, and was currently finishing dinner preparations.

Perhaps, in some ways, she knew a stranger was coming. Whether or not she could see the two individual pieces of dog hair that had managed to stubbornly cling to her father after his interactions with the stranger, he couldn't tell. He was sure she would come to love his guest regardless.

The hour finally came, and she watched curiously from the hall between the kitchen and the foyer as her father waited in the foyer. Rosemary wasn't sure how to interpret his actions that evening, and thus it was in her nature to feel as though her dear new father was anxious.

At last, the doorbell sounded, and he opened the door, any sense of unease immediately swept away.

A stranger stood in the door, looking in her direction. She remained where she was, eyeing him curiously yet cautiously. He stepped inside, but allowed the distance. He crouched, inviting without being overbearing.

He blinked slowly, and her cautiousness dropped. She trotted off to the kitchen to fetch her own dinner at last.

Hannibal hummed as Will rose. "I suppose she will have to get used to you."

"Well she's not antsy about me, so that's a good sign," Will replied. "She seemed to understand I wasn't gonna crowd her."

Hannibal tilted his head, amusement tugging at his features. "You're familiar with feline behavior as well?"

"Well yeah," Will said with a shrug. "You just have to learn the way they express themselves is all. They're different to read."

"And yet you have none of your own."

"Dogs don't tend to have a say in their abandonment," Will said, grimacing. "Cats tend to sort of…stay outdoors if they like it out there. Still terrible, but they tend to choose you as opposed to the other way around."

"I see," Hannibal said with a grin, turning towards where Rosemary had gone off to.

Truly, he could understand the sentiment. Rosemary was a creature of instinct and comfort, and she denied herself none of it. Just as easily as she could lay in front of the fireplace for a nap, she could slaughter some poor bird outside and bring it to her father as a gift.

Hannibal couldn't help but let the thought linger in his mind that this may say something about the two pet fathers. Hannibal's feline was clearly more in line with his own behavior, even down to the attempts at feeding another using their kills. A dog, on the other hand, would not drag their kill over as a gift. A dog would kill to protect or to defend.

Hannibal allowed himself to smile. Yes, it reflected them indeed (even if Will did not quite yet know it).

Dinner had gone by without much update, Rosemary lingering along the outskirts of the room until she at last allowed Will to put his hand near her, which she rubbed her head against with a purr.

Hannibal had insisted on clearing the table himself, setting Will up with a glass of wine in the drawing room. He didn't comment on the signs of Will's tiredness, though he had a guess at where it would lead.

When he returned, Will was sound asleep in the chair he'd been left in, Rosemary curled up on his lap, emitting contented purrs.

Looking at his two loves, he imagined he could get used to pet hair in the house after all.

[chirp-a-chirp]

Court of Darkness: Basket Full of Troubles

Description: A short story featuring Toa and Knight in honor of Knight’s birthday. @jaysquid @voltagefandomproject if y’all are interested 🙂

…

Toa walked to his chambers, pondering a matter of utmost seriousness—Knight’s birthday gift. Each potential gift that came to mind—imported milk, spellbooks, Qelsan chocolate—he dismissed as not worthy enough or something he knew Knight would likely receive from one of the other valets. Toa sighed as he undid the magical lock to his room and reached to open the door.

Hmm. The door was manually locked. Quite unusual. Toa then heard noises from within.

Mew! Mew mew!

“Oi, shhh! Get back here! Toa’s gonna kill me if he finds you here!” Knight’s voice rose anxiously as he scurried throughout Toa’s room.

“Knight, what is that commotion inside?” Toa knocked on his door, feeling ridiculous at requesting entrance to his quarters.

“Now’s not a great time! Ah, don’t do that!” The sound of something falling and breaking echoed behind the door. “Gah, nooo!”

“You’re forbidding me from my own chambers?” Toa raised his eyebrows in annoyance.

“Um, no of course not, more like—“

Mew! Meeeeeeew!

“Knight.” Toa tapped his fingers on the door knob. “Are you incapacitated?”

“Obviously not!”

“Has Avari somehow rendered you immobile? Or, is Fenn in there preventing you from moving freely?”

“No…”

“Then open the door this instant.” Knight shuffled to the door, opened it a crack, and quickly pulled Toa inside before locking it again.

“Knight, what is going on?” Toa turned to Knight. It was then he saw them. Carnage in fluffy feline form.

Kittens. Kittens everywhere. Two black and white kittens were leaping over one another atop of Toa’s bed. A kitten’s head popped up from within a teapot on a side table, its whiskers twitching. A black kitten with a white patch on its chest sat on the edge of a bookshelf, looking at Knight with its bright yellow eyes. The kitten tilted its head, smirked, and began knocking books onto the floor. Two more kittens darted across the floor, running underneath the couch. And finally, a pure white kitten rolled playfully on its back on Toa’s desk. This kitten purred contently at the jar of blue ink it had spilled all over official Qelsan documents. The kitten’s paws and the tip of its tail were stained blue, a string of paw prints all over the desk.

“You have obviously not been taught manners.” Toa gingerly picked up the white kitten from his desk and removed the ink from from its fur with magic. “You are too proud of your mischief.”

“Opal hasn’t been able to tend for them as she normally would!” Knight defended the feline as best he could. “We’re sorry!”

“Opal?” Toa started wiping off the ink from his desk. He groaned as he saw a set of paw prints on a letter meant for King Gilbert. Knight sheepishly retreated to his room and brought out a beautiful long haired black and white female cat in his arms, her right front paw in a makeshift bandage.

“Opal’s one of the friendlier cats at the peer. She hurt her paw.” Knight scratched behind Opal’s ears, eliciting a contented purr. “I brought her back to see what we had at the infirmary to help her, but I couldn’t leave her kittens behind! So, I brought them all in a basket and—“

“And clearly they escaped the confines of your room.” Toa filled in the remaining gaps to Knight’s tale. A kitten emerged from under the couch and began climbing Toa’s leg.

“I beg your pardon. You were not given permission to climb me like a tree.” Toa looked sternly at the kitten. Opal mewed warningly at the kitten and it promptly let go of Toa and ran away.

“Thank you Opal.” Toa inclined his head at the mother cat. It was clear Knight and Opal were bonded—this cat was the first one he knew of that Knight had named. A bolt of inspiration hit Toa.

“Knight, what will happen to the kittens after Opal recovers from her injury?”

“I, er, I’m still figuring that out. I’ve been asking shopkeepers throughout Colde if they need good mousers or want a pet.” Knight bit his lip. “Haven’t had any luck yet.”

“What if I found the kittens homes, as your birthday gift?” Toa petted a kitten on his bed. “I will throughly investigate all potential adopters before the kittens are given away.” Toa mentally started thinking of a number of noble families, professors, and students not associated with his fanatic fan club that would likely be the best candidates for adopters.

“Toa, thank you!” Knight beamed with joy and squeezed Opal.

“As for Opal,” Toa continued, “she can remain here with you Knight permanently if you wish.” Opal seemingly understood and nuzzled against Knight’s chin. Knight smiled wider.

The perfect gift for Knight was perhaps not so difficult after all.

…

CODA: In case y’all are curious, this is the image I had in mind for Opal the cat 🐱

[kine0001-art]

I made a piece of my favourite fluffy couple! Very happy with it! I even wrote a small story to accompany the piece, it was a lot of fun, hope you like it!

"Ehm, do you want me to take my boots off...?" Chewby asked, standing before the doorway into Dover's bedroom. "Meh, doesn't bother me." "I don't w-want to mess up your carpe-" "Chew-chew, look at me, do you really think I care if a dirt gets on the carpet?" They smirked, looking at the various faint stains already scattered across the ground. "Ha, uhm... if you say so." They shuffling in and slowly shutting the door, now twiddled their thumbs. "You should really clean up every now and then, y'know..." Dover shrugged, kicking their own shoes off and then tossing their jacket to the side. "It's habitable, don't see why you're concerned." They smirked again, falling back and landing in their beanbag chair, sinking in without and concern for getting back out. "You might get sick though, remember when you got that flu? At least let me clean your room for you..." Chewby's ear twitched, a showing sign of them worrying. Dover had a growing mental list of Chewby's physical quirks that gave away how they felt. Seeing this, they sighed. "Yeah. You're right. But I don't want you to clean, you do enough for me as it is. I want to do it." "But I can-" "Nono, really, Chewby, I insist. Thank you though. I do appreciate it." "... Mkay..." There was a couple second silence, where Chewby looked towards the ground awkwardly while rubbing one of their arms. It was another one of their tell-tale signs Dover had observed many time before, so they broke the silence. "Cm'ere, Chew-chew!" They grinned widely, opening their arms up invitingly for Chewby to snuggle into. Immediately, they went all flustered, their eyes darting back and forth while their tail flicked from side to side, they'd definitely be blushing beneath that blue fur. They made an awkward laugh. "I- uh- ha, ehm- I-" They began to tease the blue cat. "Aww, d'you not want to cuddle? I thought you loved it when we cuddled!!" Their smile grew wider, while their arms were now a death-trap for anyone that dared approach. Chewby grew yet even more flustered, now unable to announciate a single word while a wobbly smile took over their face. Their feet one by one took small steps towards Dover, still lounging in the beanbag. Once they were within reach, Dover's arms couldn't hold back any longer, the red dog lunging forward and seizing the jittery feline. "Got you!" They announced, their arms wrapped around Chewby tightly, the two sinking into the beanbag a little further. "Can't escape me now, can you?" Dover's tail wagged aggressively - unable to contain their excitement - meanwhile Chewby was paralyzed by the surprise, their fur stood on end. After a few seconds, they had calmed down, though still jittering every now and then, resting their head on Dover's shoulder. "D... Dover?" "Yeah, Chew-Chew? "... I'm g-glad to have m-met you." "Aw, so am I!! Uh- I'm glad to have met, um, you, I mean." The two shared a small laugh with each other, still embracing their significant other. Chewby's jittering had stopped, now at ease while leaning further into the embrace and shutting their eyes. "... I really love you." They quietly whispered, before then emmiting a soft pur. "What was that...?" "..." "Chewby?" "..." "Chew-chew, you're slipping, did you fall asleep again...?" There was no response, only the soothing purring of the love of their life. Dover sighed, resting an arm on them. "I love you, Chewby."

[liminalpebble]

Liminalpebble’s Masterlist Library

Sex and Death (Masterlist)

A Wallander fanfic (Magnus Martinsson x Original Female Character)

Synopsis: Detective Magnus Martinsson and Noura Harik (a forensic linguist) are racing to find an enigmatic serial killer before he sets his sights on one of their own, but when Harik reaches a breaking point with the temperamental Inspector Wallander, everything changes.  

A/N: Magnus Martinsson x OFC, slow burn to smut, murder and violence (from the killer, not our protagonists), Minors DNI

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Violet (Masterlist)

 Will Ransome (The Essex Serpent) x Original Female Character  

Summary: The solitary Reverend Ransome leaves the empty nest of his home in Essex, beginning his life as a professor in London. His expectation of a contemplative religious life as a pious widower is complicated by an odd and alluring foreign student, Violetta Vespero. How can the conflicted vicar keep his gaze and worship skyward with such delicious temptations before him on Earth?

CW: Sacrilege all over the place, slow Burn to smut, angst, multi-parter, probably pretty historically inaccurate. Minors DNI

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The Refugee (Masterlist)

AU Loki x Original Female Character (COMPLETE)

Summary: In a timeline where Loki, the prodigal prince of Asgard, struck out to establish his vast and powerful Laufeyson Empire, he stumbles upon Lenora, a refugee scarred by his bloodshed. One of the few surviving Morhari, she is captured and forced to use her considerable intelligence in service to the fearful warlord who destroyed her nation and her life. Will the peasant turned captive asset find her way to freedom and her own power, and will the cruel and scheming god of mischief discover that he can be more than a villain?

CW: Non/dubious consent. slow burn to eventual smut. violence and torture. Loki is very unambiguously bad, morally complex but bad, and does bad things.18+ readers only.  

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Eddie's Education (Masterlist)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) x Original Female Character

Summary: 15 years after the events in the upside-down and Eddie's unlikely survival, he's still left with scars and an uneventful life working at his uncle's garage and as a part-time bartender. Although he planned to get out of Hawkins like a bat out of hell, he's still there and feeling stuck. At Uncle Wayne's suggestion, Eddie goes to night school to finally get his GED. Little does Eddie know that his life is about to get a lot more interesting when he meets his tutor, Leia, and realizes staying in Hawkins might not be so bad after all.

A/N: Eddie Munson x OFC, slow burn to eventual smut, multi-parter. Cannon divergent. morbid subjects discussed. Eddie's a sweetheart, Eddie Lives! Minors DNI

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Stray (A Lokitty Tale)

(Complete!)

A/N: Hi all. This began as a prompt suggestion by @mischief2sarawr and has since grown three heads and answers to no one. It's now a multipart, very fluffy, story about Lokitty. I have no idea where I'm going with this except definitely to the comfort district of fluff town...maybe driving through a little traffic jam of angst on the way there.

Synopsis: It's 1971 and you're a single shop girl living in the tumultuous, often damp, city of Seattle, feeling lost and alone. Meanwhile, Loki (under the guise of D.B. Cooper) is on the run from Thor the moment he jumped out of that plane. After crash landing in a dumpster and disguising himself as a stray cat to lay low, he becomes your beloved feline room mate and an unusual friendship begins to grow.

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Between the Lines (An AU Loki Story)

Summary: The exchange of concubines amongst the noble houses of Asgard is nothing new to the royal family, however, it is to Asgard's solitary younger prince. Since Loki had always openly declared the tradition barbaric and loathsome, he shocks the court to its core when he changes his mind.

The trickster had yet another surprise in store when he selected you, a librarian from a noble house to occupy his bed.

You're stunned, intimidated, even afraid, of the sly second prince, but you know as well as anyone that to deny a royal decree is to court death.

And so you go, only to find that this mysterious man is not at all what you expected.

Pairing: Femme reader x Loki Pre-Thor 1 AU

CW: Allusions to sexual slavery dubcon/noncon within the society. Power imbalance. Eventual smut with questionable consent. Minors DNI.

AN: This will be a multi-parter but not a particularly long one, so if I leave you hanging between chapters, I promise it won't be particularly long before it all comes together.

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Lock and Key: A Professor Pine Story (2 Parts)

Part 1

Part 2

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One Shots, Requests, and Short Works (coming soon)

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Love Letters From... (coming soon)

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Memes What I Made (coming soon)

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And finally, a special appearance of The Holy Order of the Sacred Mango's mascot, Mew Mew the Mango. 💚

[thingummies-and-whatsits]

Lewis Fic Recs: Cats

Where would our favorite detectives be without their feline companions? This list is far from exhaustive, so please feel free to add your own favs!

The Cat Who Came To Stay (art) by mortmere

Fanart, James/Robbie & Monty, Not Rated, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings A tender moment with Robbie and James reading, curled up together on the sofa, and an inquisitive cat who wants attention.

Of Cats And Coppers by ComplicatedLight

100 Words, James/Robbie & Monty, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply A relaxing evening on the couch, music playing in the background while Monty sprawls across Lewis' lap, leads to a slip of the tongue and some revelations.

Cat's Eye by Hyarrowen

1,714 Words, James/Robbie & Monty, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply Monty pov. Monty could never understand why James went home in the evening, when even a dog could figure out that both men wanted him to stay. Eventually, he decides to give them some encouragement.

I Really Don't Understand People Sometimes by Somniare

3,338 Words, James/Robbie & Monty, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply Monty pov. A worried Monty has had enough. Robbie is increasingly out of sorts and working late, and James hasn't spent an evening there in ages. But what can a cat do to fix things?

Cat Napped by valancy_joy

707 Words, James & Robbie & Monty, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply A domestic moment is interrupted when Monty races in and drops a tiny ball of fluff into James' lap. Further investigation is required, but James becomes attached despite himself.

A Copper and His Cat (series) by RickardoTheAvacardo

10,571 Words, Gen, Rated G-T, Animal Death (old age) Sweet and bittersweet in turns, this series follows James' cat Emily from kittenhood to her elder years, and highlights the comfort she and James bring each other.

1000 Ways to Kill a Cat by kvikindi

6,669 Words, James & Robbie & Monty, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply: Allusions to Abuse (Crevecoeur), Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, No Actual Cat-Killing Occurs A raw, powerful exploration of the aftermath of Crevecoeur and the memories it provokes. Robbie leaves Monty with James for the weekend, and the two do not get along. His emotional walls are far too thin, James thinks, not to get caught up with worrying over all the ways a cat can be killed.

The Case of the Missing Moggy by wendymr

3,378 Words, James/Robbie, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply On New Year's Eve, a very out-of-sorts Robbie calls James for help: Monty's gone missing during the fireworks display. But if they're lucky, they might find more than their missing cat.

Oxford Tale by Hyarrowen

1,583 Words, James/Robbie, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply Established relationship. What if Moxie the cat found a home with two Oxford detectives after the events of The Subtle Knife? A His Dark Materials crossover without the daemons. Familiarity with that canon is not necessary to read.

Sunday Morning by Ygern

1,994 Words, James/Robbie, Rated M, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Established relationship. Part 1 of a series. Robbie reflects on his life the morning after another of Laura's birthday parties, leading to a domestic, lazy weekend with James. But the real star of the story is Six Dinner Sid, the neighborhood cat con-artist.

Bearing Gifts by wendymr

1,119 Words, James/Robbie, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply Established relationship. Part 3 of a longer series—which I highly recommend—but can also be read on its own. Robbie and James throw a party to officially introduce their new house (and new relationship) to their colleagues. Laura and Jean arrive with a rather fluffy housewarming present.

Em Dash by dogpoet

983 Words, James/Robbie & Laura, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply Laura pov. Established relationship. Part 9 of a longer series, and is probably most impactful if you've read those first. Laura house- and cat-sits for James and Robbie while they're away in Manchester. Featuring some delightfully nerdy and romantic poetry about punctuation, and a cat named Em Dash.

Love's Fool by Somniare

200 Words, Gen, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply A certain intelligent blonde has stolen Jean Innocent's heart. How on earth is she going to tell her husband?