#Healer Milly

[yellowocaballero]

What does knives even wear in this roleswap au. All i got is that he has a white coat (made of knives obvs) and horn-rimmed glasses. No idea what's underneath that so when his coat dissolved in that last chapter my brain was like ??? ERROR. ERROR. as i tried to imagine what kind of suit thing he had on. I had to tell myself he wasn't naked and then eventually stop thinking about it. Is he wearing that white bodysuit from stampede underneath? Is he wearing that suit og trigun knives had underneath? It's a mystery...

Oh! I probably don't say this quickly enough. He's just wearing a plain white button-up, brown corduroy slacks, and loafers. Think Milly's outfit. He definitely wasn't naked, but that shirt does get ripped up a lot. His hair is gelled back, but not always well. He doesn't wear suspenders because he kept on accidentally slicing them up.

The bodysuit makes an appearance, but not on Knives.

There is more to his outfit. But that's a spoiler. I am really, really looking forward to everybody's reactions when they do see the rest of his outfit, though.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Healing Hands // Nikolai Lantsov

Request: Hi Millie! S&B s2 left me with severe Nikolai brainrot 🫠 I love my pirate prince so, if it's okay, I'd love to request a Nikolai x healer!reader 💙 I am a sucker for the patching up trope so that would be amazing. Thanks in advance! ☺️ And happy belated birthday! 🎉

A/N: First time writing for Nikolai so pls be gentle! I’m still getting to grips with his character and I haven’t read King of Scars yet so I only know of the show Nikolai and the trilogy Nikolai. Anyway! Thank you so much for your request, I hope you like, lovely!

Warnings: injuries, mentions of blood, nausea, dizziness. Pining, mutual pining. Mentions of a duel, stabbing. Pain. This is fluff, I promise.

Word Count: 1.4k

Were the grounds to the palace truly that uneven, or was he losing more blood than he initially realised?

Nikolai pondered this as he took a steadying breath against the wave of nausea that washed over him when he placed his left foot on the step first rather than using his right foot to power through. A silly mistake, the prince thinks, but a mistake nonetheless when black spots dance across his vision.

He slumps against a marble column, resting his forehead against its coolness. He could tolerate pain, could stand the sight of blood and deal with the accompanying adrenaline. What Nikolai found hard to cope with, was that he let his elder brother get the best of him.

It was this thought that spurred him on. The anger at being bested by Vasilly that kept him putting one foot in front of the other even though his left leg protested with every single step.

——————

The Healing Room was rather basic in its layout. A row of six beds placed against the back wall; each bed positioned under a window for air ventilation. Across to the furthest side of the room, shackled to the wall, was an apothecary cabinet filled to the brim with plants and herbs that could aid in healing. Most Grisha didn’t have much use for traditional medicine, but the palace hired its fair share of non-grisha too.

To the left of the room, there sat a desk. It wasn’t overly large; big enough for two just about. It was at this desk that he finds you; your face buried in a book, a streaming drink to your side and a pile of unfinished paperwork sprawled across the rest of the desk. If it wasn’t for the blood dripping onto the floor, making him dizzier, Nikolai could stand there and watch you all day.

Nikolai slumps into the door; the dark wood banging against the sage green walls, alerting you to his presence.

“Your Majesty!” You gasp, rushing to your feet, knocking into your desk and spilling ink over the pages of your new book. You barely give it more than a second thought; hurrying to Nikolai’s side. “What happened?”

Nikolai remains silent as you aid him across the small room to the uncomfortable bench where you healed the more dramatic of injuries. Nikolai tries his best not to wince as he settles down onto the hard wood, feeling every bump and scratch laid into the wood. The ceiling lights only further his nausea so he focuses his gaze on you. His eyes follow your every move; bustling from draw to cupboard, pulling out anything you could need before healing his wound with your powers.

A small, pained smile adorns his lips as you draw your stool next to him. Instinctively, you brush his hair back from his forehead. Nikolai leans into your touch; relishing in your gentleness, wishing it could be the first he felt when he came to consciousness in the morning.

“What happened, Nikolai?” You question, turning your focus to the tear in his trousers. A two inch gash stretches across the front of his left thigh; blood runs freely down his leg. The flow seems to have slowed some, but he’d already lost too much for your liking.

Nikolai lazily waves a hand in the air, putting on airs and graces. “It’s nothing. A simple scratch that needs treating.”

You shoot the prince an unimpressed look. “When you want to tell me the truth, Niko, I’m ready and waiting.”

Nikolai groaned, hating the use of your childhood nickname for him. You so rarely used it now; the nickname, like his childhood, a bittersweet memory. “You’re not playing fair,” He complains, throwing an arm across his face.

You snort, shaking your head fondly at the prince. “I never claimed to play fair. I have to know what happened in case I need to treat an infection before closing the wound.”

Nikolai sighs, knowing he had been bested for a second time that day. “Vasilly…” Nikolai begins, quashing the sudden rise of anger as he thinks back to the events of barely an hour ago.

“What did your brother do?”

“It wasn’t what he did. Am I upset he stabbed me? Yes, but I let myself get distracted and lose the upper hand.”

“How?”

“He said something he knew would get a rise out of me and I took the bait.”

“You know better than that,” You chasten, running your hands through his hair again.

He sighs. “I know but I can’t change what’s happened.” Nikolai feels his anger surge once more, “He was spouting nonsense about Grisha and their talents, stating what he would do when he was king. He made a nasty comment about you, and that’s when I lost my temper.”

“I can fight my own battles, Nikolai.”

Nikolai grabs your hand, squeezing it tightly. “You weren’t there to fight this battle. Vasilly knew what he was doing, and I knew too.”

“Then why did you respond?”

“I always will when it comes to you. I won’t stand for anyone badmouthing you even if they are their heir to the kingdom.”

You pull away from his grasp. Shaking your head, ridding yourself of the thoughts rushing through them, you bring your hands up to the all too familiar position.

“Ready?”

The prince grins. “Ready.”

Your hands move in their familiar patterns; the movements so second nature to you that you do not give it a second thought as you watch the gash on Nikolai’s thigh close, leaving nothing behind but a faint, light pink scar. You fix the prince with a stern stare, “I may have healed you but I need you to take it easy for the rest of the day. No duelling your brother, no swords, no guns. Do you understand?”

Nikolai pulls himself up, swinging his legs off the bench as he salutes you with a cheerful grin on his face. The colour has returned to his cheeks and the usual mischievous gleam has returned to his eyes.

Your feel your heart begin to race at the sight, knowing that any Heartrender in a sixty mile radius could most likely hear it’s pounding. “You scared me out of my wits, Niko,” You confess, taking a seat on the wooden bench next to the prince, resting your head on his shoulder.

Nikolai rests his head on yours; taking your hand in his. “I’m sorry,” He murmurs, meaning it.

“It seems I’m always patching you up when you’re here,” You admonish before your tone turns softer. “Or when you return from your travels, you seem to have new scars.”

“My healers aren’t as adept as you, darling,” Nikolai compliments; his tone flirtatious as he brings your joined hands to his lips, pressing a quick and gentle kiss to the back of your hand.

You hide your face in his shoulder, hoping he doesn’t feel the heat from the flush of your skin. “Don’t tell me that or I’ll be stowing away on your ship next time.”

Nikolai stiffens as the idea comes to him. “That’s perfect!” He exclaims, jumping off the bench, dropping your hand in favour of cradling your face with both of his.

“What do you mean?” You wonder, confused to his reaction but not wanting him to move a single inch. His hands on your face feels like the closest you could get to knowing what the touch of a saint is.

Nikolai keeps your gaze steady. “Come away with me,” He all but begs. “I leave soon and I don’t know when I’ll be back again. Come away with me.”

Your hands cover his. Nikolai’s thumb brush your cheekbones; his eyes shine with sheer happiness as his mind races with thought after thought of what it would be like to have you on his ship, to have you so close.

“I need you to promise me something if I’m to do this,” You warn, arching an eyebrow at the blonde.

“Anything,” He responds immediately, desperately wanting you to say yes to leaving with him, to say yes to a future with him.

“You have to promise to only let me heal you,” You state, dropping a hand in favour for poking him in the ribs. “And only me.”

Nikolai laughs; the sound ringing loud and true through the healing room. As he draws you in for an embrace, he knows that that would be a promise he could certainly keep.

[peachy-posy]

Ride This Out - Vash x Reader (Chapter 1)

Summary: After putting yourself in a dangerous situation, you and Vash have one of your first major arguments.

A/N: Third Trigun fic, woohoo! This was my first time writing something with the 98 versions of characters specifically in mind, so I hope everything feels in character! I tried my best hehe Last chapter will have smut (my first time writing any hhhh), minors DNI!!! Cross-posted to my AO3 <3

Chapter Tags: Established relationship, canon-typical violence, minor violence/injuries, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 3.1k

Traveling with only men is decidedly… not very fun, in your opinion. At least not the ones you're with. You lean your head in your hands, listening vaguely as Vash and Wolfwood argue between themselves in their good-natured, but annoying way. You tuned them out about half an hour ago when the conversation started heading in that argumentative direction. 

You miss Milly and Meryl. When the boys start debating and arguing, the three of you have your own conversation, laughing and joking with each other. The insurance girls had been sent to a neighboring town several days ago, promising to meet back up with you three in a week or so. That day could not come sooner. 

Your eyes, which have been glazed over for some time now, focus as Wolfwood huffs, leaning back in his chair. Vash does the same, but you don’t feel any real malice between them as usual. Seems like they are finally done. 

You glance over at the blonde, feeling his turquoise eyes on you.

“Everything okay, Mayfly?” He questions with a smile, reaching across the table to take your hand. 

You smile, even as Wolfwood groans something to the effect of ‘Oh, here we go.’

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just thinking about Meryl and Milly,” you answer, prompting a bright smile from Vash at the mention of the two girls. 

“Aw, what, we aren’t fun enough for ya, sweetheart?” Wolfwood asks, his tone teasing. 

You glance at him tiredly. “Unfortunately not. Sorry.” 

He feigns hurt, over-exaggerating his reaction. “You wound me!” Vash chuckles to your side, and you share an amused smile with him. This ramps up the theatrics from the preacher, and he looks at Vash. “How can you lie down and take this? You’re included in that statement, you know.” 

Vash shrugs, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. Your heart flutters at the action. 

“Oh, please. Get a room,” Wolfwood remarks. You can’t help but snort, even as Vash puffs up. 

As he begins to reply, gunshots echo from somewhere outside: perhaps near the town square. You jump, slightly surprised, and Vash’s hold on your hand tightens as he hears shouting from outside. 

You know what comes next. 

Wolfwood grabs his Punisher, stretching casually as he stands. Vash stands as well, walking over to you briskly, kneeling at your side. He takes you by your shoulders, locking eyes with you, and calls your name.

“You’ll be okay on your own for a bit, right? Don’t come out unless one of us comes for you.” 

“I know the drill, Vash. Be careful,” you reassure, giving him a quick kiss for good luck. He smiles against your lips, able to get lost in the moment, but only for... well, a moment. More gunshots and screams ring out, and he stands up with renewed urgency, meeting Wolfwood at the entrance with long strides. 

Vash glances at you one last time before exiting. You blink and the two are gone, leaving you behind in the old tavern. The few patrons that were there as well had gone to investigate the commotion, leaving you alone. 

You sigh, unwanted frustration with your situation bubbling up in your chest. Unfortunately, it’s like this all the time. After all, you aren’t some incredible, talented gunslinger. You’re just a healer in love with one. 

You slowly stand up, leaving the table you three had been occupying, scrutinizing the room for a good place to hide. After a few minutes, you find yourself a nice little spot behind the bar. It’s not necessarily perfect, but it’ll do. 

You lower yourself to the floor, preparing yourself for the waiting game. You wonder how long it’ll take for them to come back today. Fifteen minutes? Thirty? An hour? 

You hear more gunfire and shouting in the distance, and you try your best to ignore it for now, despite the uneasiness settling in your chest. There’s nothing you can do for anyone until the danger is over. You know that this general course of action is what is safest for you. You hide yourself away, waiting for the ‘all clear,’ then tend to any and all wounded people who happen to get caught up in whatever happens, a reassuring smile plastered on your face all the while. This is how you do your part in the small group you’ve found yourself in. 

It also allows Vash to not be worried about your safety while actively dodging bullets. 

You’d worked in a small clinic before meeting the Humanoid Typhoon what feels like ages ago. Your role as a doctor’s assistant made you happy at the time; it made you feel fulfilled and helpful. And it still does! 

That said, you sometimes find yourself wishing that you could protect others the way Vash and Wolfwood can. Not that you want to throw yourself into the fray of battle, but you hate feeling so… useless at times like this when the fighting first breaks out. Weak. Like something that needs to be tucked away and protected. 

Vash adores that you are a healer. He’ll sometimes sit with you on quiet nights, his fingers rubbing affectionate circles into your hands while he holds them, saying that your hands were made for saving people. You tell him that his hands were too, but he denies it every single time. He says his hands were made for violence. For destruction. 

You couldn’t disagree more. 

Not when you see all of the good he does, protecting those around him with the very hands he swears will bring destruction to everything they touch. 

You are startled out of your thoughts by the sound of a bullet ricocheting particularly close by. You hold your breath, trying to gauge how far away the person who fired it is. You can hear voices in the distance that sound closer than wherever the main incident is. You bite your lip, considering if you are hidden well enough. Slowly, you begin to notice the sounds of… crying? 

You know Vash doesn’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way, but what exactly would looking through a window do? Besides, the crying sounds too much like a child for your comfort. 

You rise slowly from behind the bar, finding your resolve to investigate. Making your way over to a nearby window on light feet, you carefully peek outside. At first, there is nothing that you can see. Suddenly, though, a small child running down the street comes into view. He’s crying, dust coating his hands and knees. He’s bleeding from a few small cuts that you can see from your current view of him, but otherwise seems physically unharmed. 

You gasp as the boy trips, tumbling hard into the dusty ground. He sucks in a sharp breath, bottom lip wobbling. In the blink of an eye, four men concealing their faces with bandanas are upon the boy, one of them grabbing him roughly. 

The child shrieks, thrashing in the man’s hold. To your horror, another one of the men points a gun at him. He can’t be more than five years old. The sight of it makes you nauseated. 

“You’re gonna regret running, you damn brat,” one of the men rasps angrily at the sobbing child. 

“Bring him back to where the other townspeople are. Make sure you don’t lose any this time,” one of the other men orders. 

“G-got it,” one of them replies nervously. 

“If it happens again, it’s your head.” 

It seems like this gang took some hostages when they got here, and this boy escaped. You can’t let them take him back. They don’t seem to have any issue shooting him, as you heard that gunshot earlier as they chased him. Your hands are trembling and clammy, but you know you have to do something. 

But with what? You don’t have a weapon. You desperately look around the tavern, and your eyes land on a knife and empty bottles. Acting quickly, you grab one of each, a messy and dangerous plan forming as you go. 

All you have working for you is the element of surprise. You can’t fight, but you know where to hit someone to make it count due to your medical training. You just hope you’re fast enough. 

You look outside once more, and you notice that two of the men are gone. The other two that remain are talking to one another for the time being, distracted. One holds the child in a punishing grip, surely causing bruises to form on his small wrist. He's wailing in earnest, despite the captors' barking at him to quit. 

It’s now or never. You open the door as quietly as you can manage, gripping the bottle. You’ll have to hit one of the men as hard as you can in the head with the bottle, then use the knife you’d pocketed to strike the other. Your plan is to slash the ligaments behind the knee, immobilizing the person. The bottle isn’t very ideal, but you’re worried your lack of skill with a knife will cause you to accidentally lose the weapon in a body if you try to use it for both men. 

Unfortunately, you know your plan has little chance of success. Once you attack one, the other knows you’re there. Your best bet is to incapacitate the one holding the child first and to assess in the moment if you can deal with the other. There is a large chance you’ll just have to grab the kid and run as fast as you can, hoping you find Vash or Wolfwood if you make it to the town square. You look down at the threshold of the tavern, trying to will your legs to move forward. Your body is frozen, unable to walk outside. 

Suddenly, one of the men turns on his heels, striding back down the street where they originally came from. That gets you moving. 

You hide yourself behind the door hastily, praying you haven’t been spotted. Several terrifying moments pass where you wait for them to descend upon you. You can hear your heartbeat thrumming in your head, throbbing in anticipation of the worst. 

The attack never comes. They haven’t seen you.

You can’t believe your stroke of luck. You may actually be able to pull off incapacitating a single person, even with your limited capabilities in combat. 

You carefully set the bottle on the ground, reaching for the knife you grabbed. You peek around the door, eyes finding the man and boy immediately. The man is yanking the child, trying to get him to cooperate. His back is towards the tavern. 

You grip the kitchen knife firmly, trying to control your shaking hands as you emerge from behind the door. You approach as swiftly and quietly as you can, soon finding yourself within striking distance of your target. 

Just slash the back of his knee. He shouldn’t be able to chase you if you tear a ligament. 

Steeling yourself, you aim for the back of the man’s knee, slashing with as much force as you can muster. 

You know you succeeded when he howls in pain, immediately letting go of the child and grabbing his knee, falling to the sandy, dusty street. He is bleeding, gripping his knee tightly, and he turns to look at you with a shocked glare, his eyes filled with malice. 

You drop the knife in shock, your bloody hands making you nauseous. 

Time to go! 

The child is pale, shaking like a leaf as you scoop him into your arms. The man shouts from the ground, and you see him start fumbling around, looking for something. 

“Get back here! You bitch!” 

You turn on your heels, sprinting as fast as your legs can go. You hear a deafening gunshot, flinching as a bullet hits the dirt nearby. You realize that he had been trying to get his gun, and unfortunately for you, he found it.

He shoots again, but you have already begun weaving as you run, hoping to throw his aim off. The child is clutching onto you fiercely, burying his head into your shoulder. More bullets hit the ground around you, and your heart is hammering wildly in your chest. As you turn the nearest street corner, you find yourself shocked and relieved your plan is working. You just might actually be able to save this child. 

Your thoughts come to an abrupt, violent halt when you notice a dark blur in your periphery. A man slams his gun into your head with a snarl, and you are thrown towards the ground. On your way down, you attempt to shield the boy as best you can, wrapping your arms around him tightly and trying to absorb the shock of slamming into the ground. The breath is knocked from your lungs as you collide into the street with a groan of pain. Your head is swimming, but you unwrap your arms, trying to sit up as quickly as possible and get the boy to his feet. He seems relatively unharmed, but terribly shaken up. 

“Run! Now!” You scream, and he thankfully listens. 

He darts off, right as the man reaches you. You see him start to move after the boy, but you lunge for and grab one of his legs, causing him to stumble with curses spilling from his lips. He whips his head down to look at you, and you do your best to not recoil from his gaze. 

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” He scowls, kicking you off him. You gasp, hitting the ground once more with a painful thud. Your ears ring, and your vision is blurring. 

“Just who do you think you are?” He kneels in front of you, gripping your shirt’s collar and yanking you up. You whimper in pain, your head throbbing as he jostles you. 

“I hope it was worth it. You can take his place.” 

“I’m not scared of you,” you lie, managing to catch his eyes. Truth be told, you're terrified. But you’d never tell this scumbag that. 

He lets out a low, threatening laugh. Chills race down your spine. “Oh, you aren’t very smart, are you?” He laughs again, gripping your collar tightly. “You’re lucky I haven’t killed you yet. I’m still deciding. How about I rough you up a little till then?” 

You feel the burn of tears in your eyes, and blink quickly to dispel them before they can form. You refuse to cry in front of him. 

You desperately hope the boy is safe. You’re so close to the town square. Vash and Wolfwood should be right near here. 

Through your blurring vision and pounding head, you see the man rear his hand back. You shut your eyes tight, bracing yourself. 

Instead of feeling the collision of his hand, you hear a sharp intake of breath. You crack open your eyes hesitantly, vision blurring. 

Your breath is pulled from your lungs, tears of relief flowing immediately. Because even with blurring vision, you are able to recognize the long, red coat blowing in the wind. Standing behind the man who tackled you is Vash. He’s holding the man by the wrist, and he looks furious . 

“Vash,” you breathe out, voice trembling. 

The man drops you from his grip, and you fall into the ground, immediately using your heels to scoot away from him. After blinking several times to focus, you take a good look at Vash. You’ve never seen him so angry before. The hand he’s using to grip the wrist of your assailant is trembling with restraint.. 

“I-I know you! You’re Vash the Stampede!” The man realizes with wide eyes, his face pale. 

Vash says nothing, his eyes narrowing. The man continues his nervous rambling. 

“L-look, I didn’t… we didn’t know you were here. If you want this town, it’s all yours. We’ll leave.” 

You hold your breath, watching to see what Vash does next. Your heart aches for him, knowing that he is bothered by the rumors that precede him. That said, that infamous reputation is pretty convenient right now. 

Vash uses his gun to knock out the man without a word. He immediately goes limp, crumpling to the ground as Vash releases his wrist. You release the breath you’d been holding, noting the pain in your head and body, but mostly feel great relief. Vash’s gaze remains trained on the unconscious form before him, his expression complicated. Several beats of silence pass, and you feel yourself becoming slightly anxious. Why hasn’t he said anything this entire time?

“Vash?” You call hesitantly, voice quiet. 

Your voice snaps him out of his daze. His eyes flicker up to yours, relief washing over his features as he races forward, throwing himself on his knees in front of you. 

“Oh Mayfly, god, look what they did to you,” the words spill from his mouth as he holds you in a bone crushing hug to his chest. 

You let yourself be cradled in his arms, disappointed slightly when he pulls back after a moment. He looks pained. 

“Your head,” he murmurs, hand gently reaching for your temple. You hiss when his fingers graze the throbbing, painful area. He retracts his hand, the blood on his gloved fingertips making you realize you’re bleeding. 

“I am so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” he whispers, holding you close again. 

You furrow your brow and shake your head, trying to ignore the dizziness it causes. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. It was my-” 

The words die on your tongue as you hear a familiar voice chattering animatedly around the corner. Both you and Vash turn to face the noise, seeing Wolfwood strolling around the corner of the building nearby, holding a child in his arms. You feel the tension drain from your body fully at the sight of the familiar little boy unharmed. 

You hastily stumble to your feet, trying to get over to him, doing your best to ignore the dizziness that overtakes you from the sudden movement. Vash scrambles after you, holding onto you as you sway. 

“Easy, easy! I think you have a concussion,” Vash implores, but you press forward stubbornly. 

The child sees you, squirming from Wolfwood’s grasp to reach you. With dried tears on his face, he looks up at you with big, worried eyes. You feel Vash’s hand at the small of your back, gently steadying you. 

“Well, looks like we found her! Good job, bud!” Wolfwood praises, ruffling the kid’s hair. 

A bright smile forms on his little face. He reaches out and snatches your hand. 

“Come help me find my mommy!”

[deathbxnny]

◇《Honkai: Star Rail Masterlist 2》◇

-----♡

》Masterlist Navigation

》Honkai Star Rail Masterlist 1

》Honkai Star Rail Masterlist 3

-----♡

》Started: 07/06/2023

》Finished on: 19/08/2023

-----♡

》General headcanons:

Hsr men with a reader, who's scared after they watched a scary movie together.(Jing Yuan/Blade)

Hsr men with Reader, who has a niche phobia.(Jing Yuan/Blade)

Hsr characters with a stressed out reader!(Kafka/Yanqing)

Hsr men with Gunnhildr clan leader reader!(Jing Yuan/Blade)

Stellaron hunters with an Alice Bosconovitch-like!Reader.(Blade/Kafka/Silverwolf)

Hsr men with a reader who dies protecting them.(Blade/Jing Yuan/Welt/Dan Heng)

Hsr MC's x Genshin Impact MC!Reader.(Caelus/Stelle)

Hsr men with a Elsa-like!Reader.(Jing Yuan/Blade)

Stellaron hunters having a crush on you!

Hsr men babysitting your child.(Jing Yuan/Blade/Sampo)

Stellaron hunters with a reader who has a smooth voice!

Hsr men choosing between the world/their goals and you.(Blade/Jing Yuan/Welt)

Hsr/genshin men with Elysia-like!Reader.(Blade/Kazuha)

Blade/Jing Yuan/Welt/Dan Heng stopping their s/o from unaliving themselves.((TW!SUICIDE/SUICIDAL THOUGHTS))

Astral Express crew with a Genshin Impact Mc!Reader.

Stellaron hunters + Himeko with a girlboss reader!

Hsr men watching Disney movies with you!(Blade/Dan Heng/Jing Yuan)

Hsr men with a Sirin-like!Child!Reader, who's having a nightmare!(Blade/Welt/Gepard/Dan Heng)

Jing Yuan and Yanqing with a Yanqing's younger twin!Fem!Reader.

Stellaron hunters with a reader who rizzes up all their enemies.

Stellaron hunters with a Kenny-like!Reader.

Hsr women with a reader, who has a resting bitch face!(Asta/Kafka/Silver Wolf)

Hsr men with a quiet reader, who's loud when their little brother is around.(Jing Yuan/Blade/Dan Heng/Gepard)

Stellaron hunters with a Veliona-like!Platonic!Reader.

Astral Express crew with a Teen!Reader, who just completed their first mission on their own!

Self-aware characters watching you write fanfics about them!(Blade/Serval/Caelus/Yanqing)

Hsr men with HOHE!Elysia-like!Reader, who dance after a sparring session together.(Blade/Jing Yuan)

Yanqing and Jing yuan with a Senti-like!Reader.

Hsr men with a Ruby Hoshino!Reader.(Dan Heng/Blade/Jing Yuan/Gepard)

Hsr men with a reader who has Tachycardia!(Luocha/Jing Yuan)

Hsr men with a Nene Kusanagi!Teen!Reader.(Blade/Jing Yuan/Dan Heng/Gepard)

"No thoughts, head empty for silence." With hsr men!(Jing Yuan/Blade/Dan Heng)

Stellaron hunters with a Teen!Reader, who turns back time after dying.

Stellaron hunters with a Stocking-like!Reader.

Hsr men with a s/o that's like Millie from Helluva Boss!(Sampo/Blade/Jing Yuan)

Astral Express crew with a warm and kind healer reader!

Hsr men with a Momoe Sawaki s/o!(Blade/Jing Yuan/Yanqing/Caelus)

Hsr men with an Asuka!Teen!Reader.(Blade/Jing Yuan)

Hsr characters with a s/o who has a dendro vision!(Himeko/March 7th/Welt/Caelus)

Hsr women with a princess-like!Reader.(Kafka/Serval/Fu Xuan/Silver Wolf)

Stellaron hunters with a Ray-like!Child!Reader.(TW!ATTEMPTED SUICIDE)

Stellaron hunters with a Teen!Vampire!Reader.

Yanqing and Jing Yuan reacting to you being pregnant!

Stellaron hunters with a Ai Hoshino-like!Teen!Reader that dies the same way.

Hsr characters having a duel with a HoHE!Elysia-like!Reader, that ends in a dance.(Kafka/Dan Heng/Welt)

Hsr men with a Klee-like!Reader.(Dan Heng/Blade/Jing Yuan/Yanqing)

Jing Yuan and Yanqing with a twin!teen!Reader, who joined the Stellaron hunters, only to be betrayed by them.

Hsr characters with a child!Reader, that follows them around and acts like them.(Himeko/Gepard/Jing Yuan/Blade)

Hsr men with a s/o, who's the travellers (from genshin impact) older sibling!(Blade/Jing Yuan/Gepard/Luocha)

Astral Express crew with a youngest member!Teen!Reader, who has robotic limbs.

Platonic!Hsr men with a Mafuyu!Reader.(Jing Yuan/Blade/Welt/Dan Heng)

Blade and Jing Yuan with a Khaenri'ahn!Reader.

Yanqing's mom!Reader being attacked with her child and nearly dying!

Hsr men with a HoF!Reader!(Welt/Dan Heng/Jing Yuan/Blade)

》Jing Yuan:

Jing Yuan with a reader who smacks him over the head daily.

Jing Yuan marrying Yanqing's mother!Reader.

Jing Yuan simping for a Yanqing's mom!Reader, who defended themselves unexpectedly.

Jing Yuan with a Yanqing's mom!Reader, who was wrongly executed by him.

Jing Yuan with a Yanqing's mom!Reader, who was reincarnated, after being wrongly executed.

More shenanigans with Jing Yuan and Yanqing's mother!Reader after marriage.

Jing Yuan with a fem!Reader, who's pregnant with twins, but won't rest.

Jing Yuan taking care of the reader during their period.

Jing Yuan adopting Jingliu's child after her death.

Jing Yuan with Yanqing's mother!Pregnant!Reader, who nearly gets assassined.

Jing Yuan with Yanqing's mother!Reader, who gives birth to his daughter, whilst he and Yanqing are gone!

Yanqing being "Kidnapped" and Jing Yuan nearly declaring war over it.

Jing Yuan finding out that Yanqing was Kidnapped by some cultists.

》Blade:

Blade with a Mitsuri-like!Reader.

Blade with a God-slaying!Entity!Reader.

》Yanqing:

Yanqing breaking his swords for you out of sheer jealousy!

Yanqing with a HoT!Reader.

Vidyadhara!Yanqing with a hibernating reader.

Yanqing with a Muichiro-like!Reader.

Yanqing with a Lin Zhaoyu!Reader.

Mind controlled!Yanqing accidentally hurting his s/o!

Mind controlled!Yanqing killing his s/o!

Yanqing with a reader who has a hydro vision!

Yanqing with a reader who's vision got taken away!

Yanqing having to put down his lover, who was striken by Mara.

Yanqing with a horror enthusiast!S/O.

Yanqing with a twin, who betrayed him for the Stellaron hunters.

Yanqing returning home to you!

Yanqing with a s/o who was Kidnapped by the devil archers!

Yanqing with a dimension traveling reader!

Yanqing with a dying nature deity s/o!

Yanqing with a crystal gem!Reader.

Yanqing and fem!Reader meeting their future kids!

Yanqing with a pacifist!S/O, who secretly can protect themselves.

Yanqing with an Aeon-like!Reader, who sacrifices their physical form for him.

Yanqing who gets mind controlled and forced to betray everyone by Kafka.

Yanqing being killed by Reader after they get Mara-struck, Jing Yuan then putting down reader.

Yanqing with a Vidyadhara/Dragon-like!S/o, that nearly dies from his ice abilities.

》Welt Yang:

Pinning!Reader who's worried that they'll burden Welt with their troubles.

》Gepard Landau:

Gepard with a Dimension traveling!Reader, who saved his sisters life!

》Dan Heng:

Dan Heng with a sibling reader!

》Luocha:

Luocha's s/o being in a coffin and getting robbed from him, after he gets jumped.

-----♡

●》REQUEST INFO《●

[kirkshouseplant]

When I really think about it, Trigun feels like a DND game that got really out of control.

Wolfwood started out as a healer/Cleric, but got sick of being a punching bag/"squishy" in terms of health points. So during a session he claimed "Okay, I have a gun now." "You can't-" "I have a gun" no one questioned it again.

Vash somehow has made his character basically a God on complete accident and now we are too deep to fix it. He can't die no matter what happens and everyone finds this hilarious

Knives is the member who thought it would be funny to betray the group and is just running with it much to their annoyance/his brother's dismay.

Milly is the player with absolute wild luck. She rolls D-20s like no one's business. She is alive and no one knows how but she has saved the squad from more critical moments then they can count.

Meryl is our tired DM who honestly has no idea why she allows these people in her house every week.

[pinovapie]

DRDT Warrior Cat Au

So i used to be obsessed with Warrior Cats as a kid and uh. I still really like the concept so... Here's my Warriors Despair Time AU! Forgive me if everything is really rambly,,, ft. Redesigns of the cat designs i made before- also, feel free to ask questions, talking about it will probably help me expand it.

Words: (just in case you don't know warriors, if there's anymore i missed lmk-)

Kittypet -> House cat, a pet belonging to a human

Twoleg -> Humans

Nest -> Bed or Home (a Twoleg Nest is a house)

Den -> House (Warriors den is where warriors sleep etc.

Medicine Cat -> Healer, Clan doctor. They can also (usually) communicate with the dead as well as receive visions and omens.

Medicine Cat Den -> Infirmary /Hospital for cats

Starclan -> Where the dead cats go. Heaven for cats ig?? Starclan cats are covered in stars c:

Twoleg Place -> A collection of houses, street, town, city, etc.

Thunderpath -> Road

Monsters -> Cars, Vans, Trucks, etc.

Mono TV -> Monostar

The ' leader' of the newly formed 'Despairclan'. Really they're the deputy for the true leader. No one knows why the leader stays hidden but they do. They're kind of incompetent but they do a decent enough job (despite their love of violence...). The clan is a mismatch of random strays and kittypets/house cats.

Eden Tobasia -> Thymeleap

A very friendly Kittypet that joined the clan by mistake after getting lost. She keeps trying to persuade her clanmates to come back to her twoleg nest so they can find proper, warm, safe homes for everyone. So far it hasn't really worked but in the meantime she'll do whatever jobs are required to help everyone. She has convinced Butterflylake, Orchidgleam and Lilypetal to occasionally wander near twoleg place to look for her home. They haven't found anything yet but her friends (and Lilypetal i guess?) are always happy to try and help her home.

Arturo Giles -> Lilypetal

A medicine cat. He's not the best medicine cat in terms of personality and ability to speak with starclan, but he knows a decent amount about herbs and healing. He's not a fan of healing and prefers to use non essential flowers to cover wound dressings so he doesn't have to look at cats' 'disgusting mangled fur' whilst they're in the medicine cat den. He's also a fan of decorating his own fur to look prettier. In this AU he's obsessed with Kittypets and their 'pampered' lifestyles.

Veronika Grebenshchova -> Veronika /Centipedeslaughter

A Kittypet that's obsessed with clan life. She constantly tries to help the clan by bringing them more prey or fighting rouges and loners. She's regarded as an honorary clan member by Monostar and usually spends more time in camp then at her twolegs' house. She usually decides to sleepover with Lilypetal or Horsejump (who do not like her one bit-). She often recounts the horror films her twolegs' watch as some kind of spooky story to scare her clanmates. She chose the warrior name Centipedeslaughter herself.

Ace Markey -> Horsejump

He used to be a farm cat named Horse. He got abandoned because he kept getting scared of the mice rather than catching them. He was given the suffix 'jump' after joining the clan due to his skittish nature. Despite being terrified of them, he can speak to and understand horses (like how Millie could talk to dogs in canon warriors). Rather than having an ED due to jockeying, in this AU he doesn't like eating 'raw meat' (he's used to cat food-) so he tries to avoid eating it as much as possible.

Teruko Tawaki -> Stumblespark

A very clumsy and unlucky cat. She stumbled into the clan by mistake and decided it's safer than wandering stray. Stumblespark seems to suffer misfortune after misfortune. Lilypetal is not fond of the near permanent medicine den patient. Thymeleap, Xander and Rosecurl all to their best to help her feel welcome. Veronika often pesters her for her 'dramatic scar stories'. Due to her luck she's been hit my monsters and survived multiple times.

Charles Cuevas -> Charles -> Viperfang

He used to be a kittypet until a tragic event left him wandering alone. He became a medicine cat due to being de-clawed (he doesn't remember why). However, he only handles small cuts and non bloody ailments due to dislike of blood (he closes his eyes when eating -).

Whit Young -> Whit -> Heartwing

Was a kittypet living near Charles. Originally, they didn't get along but after Viperfang's trama was brought up by a certain event, they bonded due to Whit helping. He used to pester and annoy Viperfang by just showing up on the territory and following him around. After the event however, he joined the clan officially to help his friend. He's taken on the role of a part time mediator (not a canon thing in the books as far as i'm aware but shush-). He usually just listens to cats vent rather than giving advice but it usually helps a lot.

Rose Lacroix -> Rosecurl

The lead medicine cat. She's an expert at creating the right mixes to cure things. Her perfect memory also allows her to know exactly which herbs to use and where to find them.

Hu Jing -> Hu Jing ->Butterflylake

An elegant kittypet that was mistaken for a stray and released miles from home. To respect clan traditions she picked a name similar to the translation of her kittypet name. She's taken on a deputy-like role in the clan by organising patrols and sharing prey evenly between clanmates. She often tries to comfort and care for new arrivals and quiet members of the clan. However, her lack of patience and experience when dealing with stray cats often causes her to see things with a black and white mindset. Enjoys hunting to provide for the clan and often goes with Eden as a hunting partner.

Nico Hakobyan -> Quiettuft

A cat that was abandoned by a breeder after being left for months, after all their littermates were bought. When they first came to the clan they were quiet and kept to themselves. For some reason, Horsejump hates them. Is he just a bully? Did they know each other before the clan? Who knows. Quiettuft is annoyed by them constantly picking fights with them. However, for some reason, even though they've noticed Horsejump's dislike of 'raw meat' they haven't told anyone.

Xander Matthews -> Xander

He was the leader of a gang of rouges before being dragged into the clan. Before he joined the clan he was part of a colony of cats. However, he was caught by twolegs due to disease running rampent. He was the only one they managed to save. He still feels guilty about it. He had a truce with Pebbleroll when they were both rogues. When joining the clan he immediately respected Hopeeye due to a past incident. Hopeeye distracted a pack of dogs by being super friendly then darting away once the confusion wore off. This action saved Xander as well as a couple of fellow rouges. Even after joining the clan he insists on keeping the name Xander.

David Chiem -> Hopeeye

He used to be the leader of an old clan. He was a loved an respected leader, always inspiring and supporting his clanmates. Until one day a giant flood hit at the same time as a whitecough (lethal disease) outbreak. He tried to stay positive and reassure his clanmates that they could make it out! Many cats passed away, believing in Hopeeye's reassurance. After 2/3 of the clan were wiped out, he retired and left the clan, feeling like a liar and a poor leader for letting them down. After meeting Xander properly, however, he's regained a little bit of spirit.

Levi Fontana -> Orchidgleam

A very large fluffy stray, was orignally from a 'bad' clan but left for unknown reasons. was one of the ones to find Horsejump on patrol. Up until a bad argument (and even afterwards-) he saw Horsejump as a cat that needs protecting. As a result he tends to follow him around (even if Horsejump is not happy about it-). Before the argument, Horsejump would pick fights with clanmates and then immediately run and hide under Orchidgleam's belly. Unfortunately, that argument seems to have stopped that from happening and Orchidgleam feels a little guilty that he's no longer considered a safe space. In other news, he's a big fan of decorating his fur with plants and tends to annoy Lilypetal by tagging along to find flowers.

Min Jeung -> Minnowfur

A cat that prefers sticking to the warrior code. Learned a decent amount of herbs after learning who the clan med cats are. She doesn't get along with Xander due to his tendency to break the code, often for his own morals that she doesn't quite understand.

Arei Nageshi -> Pebbleroll

After being tormented by her siblings, she left her previous clan and became a feared and respected cat among rouges. Eventually, after opening up to Hopeeye and defending Thymeleap during and argument with Lilypetal, she joined the clan with the goal of making genuine friends.

J Moreno -> Jasmine -> Jayshadow

A kittypet of a celebrity that hated the attention and her owner. So she ran away. She hates her kittypet name since it's 'too girly' and instead chose the name Jayshadow because it's 'cool' and 'badass'. Lilypetal constantly bothers her about her previous life which she hates. One of Xander's rouges bit part of her tail off. On one hand she thinks it makes her look badass, on the other she's pissed at Xander for being obnoxious and reckless. She rolls in plants to make her fur so scruffy she can't be recognised by her owner. Ryan is the replacement cat her owner got, she even called him Jasmine as well.

Obviously, once the killings happen the deceased go to Starclan. From my memory canon Starclan is a mess so y'know- i would include the Dark Forest (cat hell-) but i don't think we know enough about why characters are the way they are to say they definitely deserve cat hell y'know?

[alma-amentet]

Hi! I saw in the tags that there's no Millicent and her sisters in your AU Haligtree fam. Can I ask why? Tell me your headcanons!

Oh, thank you for the ask. I love headcanon dumping! Though still can hardly find time to do more often... Need to do better (asks like this could help 😉)

I liked this theory. Always thought the same: Millicent and her sisters were parts of Malenia, they had to return to let her recover and live. So it was a right and noble decision for Millicent in the end.

In my headcanons, don't see Malenia doing parenting. Just saw an interesting short vid on themes of motherhood in Elden Ring, they said Malenia was an 'unwanting mother', to the kindreds, to Milli and her sisters. An interesting thought. At least it made me remember to finally finish editing this post ☺

I'd rather focus on Malenia's relationship with Lyra. They are like children themselves in some ways, despite everything (learning to live a more peaceful happy life bc the girls deserve it!).

Not that I'm opposed to maternal characters. There are some, including Loretta, who has an adoptive daughter and cares for her greatly. Or some of my OCs: Waldemia (one of Miquella's best healers), mother Svenja (crucible touched lady, more human-looking than our typical misbegotten, which helped her survive, also a healer).

Then there's Miquella. In my AU he's really a chill and reasonable guy, def more maturte than his ladies 😆

Millicent played important part in Lyra's story, helping her fully regain her memories. When Lyra just awoke, at first, all she could recall was her name, her death and bits of recent life prior to it (one distant kingdom across the sea from the Lands Between, she was exiled there and tried to return later, but died in the storm - other story. Probably she's been to Roderika's homeland, that would be a nice detail). Many important things were lost. How in the older pre-shattering days she left Caria to serve the Haligtree (enough in common with Loretta 😊 Maybe that's why they became friends later). Slowly, one by one, she could recollect those bits... Millicent offered the last and most important piece of the puzzle: after meetimg her, Lyra remembered something crucial. Including her devotion to Malenia. Then she decided to return to the Haligtree, to serve it again.

Lyra felt that part of Malenia in Millicent, that's why she grew attached to her. But all good must end... for the sake of something bigger. Sacrifices and losses are needed, too.

Then, I consider this story a 'sunshine AU', the one with a more or less good ending and brighter tones - something we can't naturally get in a Fromsoft game... But too much sunshine is no good, it's blinding and burning.

It's just the way I feel it. Of course, I enjoy other people's headcanons, including those where Millicent is actually present alongside Malenia.

I def like drawing her, so here's one of the studies I did:

[minty-mumbles]

Little Wings

Summary: Time and his flock have been sent to deal with a band of monsters terrorizing the countryside. When they arrived too late, there's nothing they can do to do but look for survivors.

A/N: This is set in @breannasfluff's Wing AU, but focuses heavily on an OC I made up for this fic

(Read on AO3)

~~~

Milly was ten years old, and she was very mature for her age. She could look after Brin- her four year old brother- all by herself. She was very good at helping her Mama in the fields. She even knew how to read better than some of the adults in her village.

In short, Milly knew she wasn’t stupid, so she didn’t know why Mama had thought that she could keep the news of what had happened to the neighboring towns away from Milly. Mama probably hadn’t wanted to worry her and had been careful not to mention the attacks in front of Milly or her brother, but in such a small village there’s no way to keep gossip spreading like a wildfire. 

For someone as observant as Milly was, it was easy to pick up on important news. Her brain always felt like it was going as fast as a racehorse, trying to pick up every little detail there was. 

Mama had told her it was part of her nature. Both she and Mama were Swifts. Swifts were meant to fly for days and days without ever needing to land. That extreme endurance took energy, energy that just built up and up and up in Milly. Mama said that once Milly was old enough to fly, her extra energy would finally have an outlet, and her mind would calm. 

Milly couldn’t wait until she could fly. Maybe then she might finally be able to concentrate on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time. When Mama was too full of energy and needed to blow off steam, she could go flying for hours and hours.

For now, Milly was stuck on the ground. All that energy was cooped up in her body with nowhere to go and that made her very distractible, which in turn meant that she ended up hearing a lot of gossip she wasn’t meant to. 

Milly had overheard the older teens talking about the attacks on the villages to the north, and she’d even caught the adults murmuring uneasily about it when they thought that the children weren’t listening. 

There had been two monster attacks in the past month. Small military patrols had been sent out in response, but the monsters were smart enough to flee before any sort of organized response could be launched. All the soldiers had been able to do was help with the clean-up and keep watch for a few nights to make sure the monsters didn’t return. As far as anyone knew, the monsters were still stalking the countryside, and no one could tell where they would strike next.

Mama had been even more restless than usual after she’d heard the news. She’d started jumping at every loud noise, and became more and more reluctant to leave Brin and Milly alone. 

Milly would’ve had to be stupid to not pick up on the general atmosphere both around the village and at home, even if she hadn’t heard the gossip. Even Brin had picked up on the fact that something was wrong. He’d become quieter than usual, which was an achievement seeing as he hardly ever spoke in the first place.

So when it all accumulated in a monster attack on her own town, Milly was scared- really scared- but she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. 

~~~

It was almost dusk, and Milly was playing out in front of her house with Brin, tossing a ball back and forth. She’d been expecting Mama to call them in for dinner, but what she heard instead was nothing at all like Mama’s comforting calls. 

Instead of hearing a familiar flock call from her mother, there was a distant alarm call. Then another. Then a shriek of pain. 

Then, all at once, the sounds of warning shrieks and frantic calls from what seemed like the entire town washed over her. 

She didn’t know that Hylians could get that loud. The closest thing she had to compare it to was when one of her neighbors had broken his wing. He’d screamed so loudly when the healer had set the bone that Milly had been able to hear it, even though Mama had sent her inside.

But this? This was so much worse. 

Her neighbor’s scream had lasted for a few seconds, and Milly had been partly expecting it. These sounds were loud and panicked, and they seemed to surround her from all sides, and they didn’t stop after a few seconds. They just kept going, somehow growing even more panicked as the seconds passed. 

It was so loud that Milly dropped the ball she’d been about to toss back to Brin as her hands went up to cover her ears. Her wings fluttered, smokey gray feathers puffing up as she instinctively crouched, making herself a smaller target. She felt frozen, the fear and confusion that coursed through her body making it impossible to move.

She didn’t know who was screaming or why, or what was going on. 

She wanted Mama. Mama would know what to do. Mama would protect her.

Brin looked just as scared as Milly felt, but he seemed unaffected by the paralyzing fear that kept Milly rooted in place. He darted over to her, shoving his body the best he could under her small wings, burrowing into her puffed-up feathers. She could see him looking up at her, the same fear she felt covering his face. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything reassuring. She didn’t think Brin would be able to hear her through the screams if she did say something.

Milly didn’t know what to do. Something was wrong. People were screaming and wailing not too far from where she was. Pain, panic, and grief-filled calls mingled together into one overwhelming oppressive sound. 

After her brain had a few seconds to process, Milly knew what must be happening. She couldn’t imagine what would cause so many birds to send up an alarm call all at once other than the village being attacked. Once she got over her initial shock, she wasn’t surprised it was happening, but it was so much more terrifying than she thought it would be. 

She desperately wanted to fly away.

She wanted to take to the skies where she would be safe. But she was still too young to fly. She couldn’t even reliably glide yet. And would flying even be a good idea? Monsters always had bows and arrows with them, and Milly had heard horror stories about how they liked to shoot down Hylians who took to the skies to try to escape them.

Someone grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to spin around. 

She let out her own alarm call that was lost in the din, but stopped when she realized it was just Mama. She’d never seen Mama look so frazzled before. Her wings were arched over Milly and Brin and her feathers were puffed up as much as they could be. Frantic hands ran over Milly’s arms and sides, and she realized that Mama was scared Milly had been hurt. 

Milly threw herself at Mama, trying to hug her, but she was pushed away. She opened her mouth- to cry, to complain, to say something- but Mama made a sharp hiss along with a cutting motion, instantly silencing her. She’d never heard Mama make that kind of noise at her before, and it shocked her into silence. Mama reached down, gathering Brin into her arms, and turned away from Milly.

For one horrible moment, Milly was struck with the fear that Mama was going to leave her there, but the moment passed quickly. Mama looked back over her shoulder at Milly, making a beckoning gesture with her wing.

Milly realized abruptly that Mama was still kneeling with her wings spread, and she knew immediately what Mama wanted. She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Mama’s shoulders, hitching her legs around her hips the best she could. Milly realized that Mama had a bulky bag slung across her back and a sword strapped to her waist. The bag pressed hard into Milly’s stomach, and the sword made positioning her legs a little awkward, but Mama didn’t wait for her to get comfortable.

The moment she was firmly on her back, Mama was shooting into a standing position, and darting across the yard in front of their house. Her wings flapped hard, gaining the momentum she needed to take off. Mama could usually take off from a standstill, but the weight of Milly, Brin, and whatever was in the bag made it too difficult to take off without the extra boost. Milly did her best to tuck herself against 

Mama’s back in order to decrease wind resistance.

Before she knew it, Milly was in the air. As she felt the familiar swooping sensation in her stomach that meant they’d lifted off the ground, Milly peeked out from under her arm, catching one last look at their house as it quickly shrank in size beneath them. 

The last thing she saw was how the door to their house had been left ajar. Milly frowned. Mama had left the door to the house open? She never did that because she said that the old seagull who lived to the left of them would take it as an invitation to riffle through their pantry. 

The feeling of air buffeting against her face was familiar, but it brought with it none of the joy that usually came when Mama brought her flying. Instead, she just felt sick.

Mama was flying nearly vertically, beating her wings as hard as she could. Milly could feel the strain of Mama’s muscles under her arms, and suddenly wished that she weighed less than she did. If she was younger, it would be that much easier for her Mama to carry them out of here. 

As Mama gained height, more and more of the village below came into view. It was a familiar sight, one she had seen from the arms of Mama or one of her neighbors many times before. But the familiar scene had been transformed into one from her darkest nightmares. 

Many of the houses were on fire, and the smell of smoke was already drifting upwards on drafts of burning hot air. The heat made Milly cringe away, but Mama noticed the updrafts from the fires, and turned to fly into them. With the extra boost from the updrafts, the three of them started rising even faster.

But not fast enough that Milly couldn’t see the terrifying monsters that had invaded her town. Dark shapes were crawling everywhere. They were unlike any creature she’d ever seen before. Some of them looked like big lizards that walked on two legs, while others looked like grotesque pigs that had been stretched out and squished into an unnatural shape. Swarms of large bat-like creatures flapped around on leathery wings.

Milly whimpered at the sight of that, hoping none of the monsters saw them and chased after them. Mama would probably normally be able to outpace them, but with all the extra weight she was carrying, she might not be able to. Thankfully, the monsters seemed clustered towards the other side of town, near the forest. That must be where they’d come from. None of the monsters noticed the three of them as they slowly gained height. 

There were too many monsters for anyone in the village to hope to stand a chance against them. The people who lived here were farmers, not fighters, and Milly knew that the only other sword the town had was kept in the mayor’s house, which was currently up in flames. 

The noise from the attack was slowly fading as they got further away, but she could still hear some shrieks. She didn’t want to imagine who was making those noises. The town was small, and everyone who lived there knew everyone else. Those people who were dying below her were people she knew. 

Milly ripped her attention away from the streets below her. She didn’t want to look anymore. Right now, she needed to focus on Mama and Brin. She was more afraid for herself and Brin and Mama than she was worried for the other people in her village. Her flock mattered more than anything else.

The best she could do for those below her was pray that some of them were able to escape the notice of the bat monsters like the three of them had. The smoke around them was too thick to see if there were any other birds in the air. Milly hoped so.

Soon, Mama seemed to decide that she’d gained enough height and circled around until they were facing south. With a few brisk beats of her wings, the three of them were heading towards the mountains to the south, in the opposite direction from where the monsters had come from. 

Milly had always said that she would go visit those mountains when she was older and able to fly. Now though, heading to the mountains was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to be safe on the ground, without any of the events of the last ten minutes having happened.

Soon, the sounds of shrieking faded completely. The only sounds to be heard were the wind whistling past them, Brin’s crying, and Mama’s heaving breaths. There was nothing to distract Milly from the horrible thoughts running through her mind. Milly tucked her head against her Mama’s back, finally letting out the tears that her shock had been suppressing. Her arms started shaking, and not because she was struggling to hold onto Mama.

Her crying was too quiet for Mama to hear it over the wind, but her shaking and the tears soaking into the back of Mama’s shirt must have given her away. Mama gave a soft, breathless version of their flock call, adding a shrill undertone of worry, worry, hatchling hurt? 

Their flock call belonged only to her and Mama and Brin, and it always helped Milly calm when she was upset, letting her know her flock was there and would keep her safe. Milly took a second to calm down enough to echo the call, with additional chirps to reassure Mama she wasn’t injured. Brin was still crying and didn’t respond to Mama’s inquiry, but that didn’t concern her. He’d been huddling beneath Milly’s wings before Mama had got to them, so Milly knew he hadn’t been hurt.

She desperately wanted to ask Mama questions- where were they going, what were they going to do now, where they were going to live now that their town was on fire- but she could tell Mama was out of breath. Her wings were beating hard, struggling to keep all three of them aloft. So Milly kept her mouth shut. Instead, she sang. 

Swift’s singing voices weren’t the prettiest, but Mama had always said that Milly’s voice was beautiful, and Milly always thought her Mama’s songs were beautiful, even if they weren’t as charming as some of the songbirds that lived in their village. She kept up a steady stream of meaningless chirps. From Mama’s arms, Brin made quiet peeps in response to the singing of one of his flock mates, his sniffling finally slowing down. 

Brin’s chirps were less shrill than Milly’s were. He was a longspur, like his father, not a swift like her and Mama. 

Milly could vaguely recall when Brin’s father had come to town about five years ago. She had met him a few times, but the most she could remember about him were the pretty rust-colored feathers in his wings, and the stories he told about all the adventures he’d been on. That was what had drawn Mama to him in the first place, Milly thought. She had been a wanderer when she was younger, just like Brin’s father was. His itchy feet soon lead him away from the village, but not before he left Mama pregnant with Brin. 

When Milly was younger, she didn’t really understand what had happened, but as she grew older, she grew to resent Brin’s father more and more. When Mama told the story of Brin’s father, she never seemed to mind the fact that he left, but Milly did. 

Regardless of what Milly thought of him, she couldn't deny that he had definitely passed his genes onto Brin. Especially when it came to his singing voice. He certainly didn't get that from Mama.

Brin gave another sweet little whistle, this one conveying love, love, flock! He seemed to have calmed down now that he was away from the immediate danger. He was still too young to be thinking about the long-term danger. All he knew was that the alarm calls had stopped, and Mama was taking them flying.

Milly felt a spark of pride in her chest that she was the one to get Brin’s sobs to turn into cheeps. Mama spared a breath to direct a grateful coo up at her, and Milly’s feathers ruffled with pride against the strong winds. 

They flew for a while more before Mama started to descend to the rocky cliffs that were passing by underneath them. They were officially in mountain territory now.

“We’re stopping?” Milly asked. It was the first words any of them had said since before the attack had started. Her voice cracked as she spoke, but she cleared her throat and repeated herself. 

“I’m sorry, Mils,” Mama replied, voice strained. “You’re getting to be such a big kid, I can’t carry you for long. And it’s getting darker. If I could reach a higher altitude, I could fly without worrying about hitting anything, but this close to the ground it’s dangerous to fly in the dark.

Milly squeezed her arms around Mama’s neck. Not enough to choke, just enough to acknowledge what she said. “Is it safe here? We’re still kind of close to the village.” Mama didn’t say anything in response to that.

They touched down on a rocky outcropping. The ledge they landed on proved to extend deeper into the cliff than what they could see from the sky. The crevasse cut deep enough into the rock to form a little cave, hidden in the side of the mountain. 

Instinctually, Mama moved toward the safety of the back of the cave before she let Milly slide off her back. The bag was also dropped to the ground and Mama passed Brin off to Milly so she could stretch out her wings after the rough flying. Neither one of them dared to set Brin down on the ground, because they both knew that after all that had happened, Brin would probably start crying again if they tried that.

When Mama was done, she turned to Milly, taking Brin back into her arms. “Sometimes I forget you’re growing up, until you surprise me with how mature you are.” Milly was about to protest Mama acting all sappy, until she was drawn into a hug. Mama’s wings enveloped her in a cocoon of darkness, and for a moment Milly felt like a chick again. She closed her mouth immediately, soaking in the comforting feeling of being surrounded by the warmth of Mama’s feathers.

From the way Mama’s wings were shaking, she was sure Mama was getting just as much comfort from this hug as she was. 

~~~

The flock could smell the village before they were close enough to see it. The scent of smoke hung heavy in the air long before even the sharpest-eyed among them could see the remains of the town.

When the village did come into view, Time quickly gave a sharp whistle, ordering the rest of the flock to follow as he descended. None of them argued, or lingered in the air for longer than they had to. Time touched down in an open patch of land that he was fairly sure used to be someone’s garden. Ash puffed into the air as his feet hit the ground. He moved back to make room for the rest of the flock to land, and was careful to keep his wings raised slightly to make sure none of his feathers touched the soot layering the ground.

When the flock had agreed to do a favor for Artemis and hunt down a pack of monsters that were terrorizing some of the outlying villages, they hadn’t been expecting to arrive to find this. Time doubted that the Queen was even aware this had happened. It looked like whatever attack had happened had occurred a day or two ago, right about the time the flock had left Castle Town. 

From what the Queen had told them, the monsters were responsible for lighting a few buildings on fire, some injuries, and only one death. He was sure she wouldn’t have sent them off to deal with this band of monsters if she knew the level of destruction they had wrought. 

Nothing like this.

Not an entire town destroyed, houses abandoned and burnt to the ground. Time didn’t want to think of what they would find if they entered the town. He would be doing his best to keep his flock away from that. He suspected he knew what they would find there, and it was nothing he wanted the younger members of the flock to see. 

They had seen enough death in their short lives. They didn’t need more. Collecting the bodies and counting the dead would be the job of the army. Time was sure the Queen would send more people after she heard about this, not just the small patrols she had mentioned sending before. If she was anything like Lullaby, she wouldn’t stand for the mass death of the civilians under her watch. 

Time kept a watchful eye on his flock as they landed. Mentally, he kept a tally, making sure all eight of them were present and landed safely. Everyone was quiet as they regrouped. The passerines were huddled together but were strangely silent. None of their usual chirps or calls filled the air. Wind and Four both huddled under Sky’s wings, even if it was a little awkward to stay under them as the group moved around. Sky didn’t protest, despite the awkwardness. They all needed the comfort now. 

Warriors and Twilight were the last to land, and the crowded space forced them to touch down uncomfortably close to the nearest buildings. 

Or rather, what used to be the nearest buildings. There was nothing left of them now but piles of ash and a few charred wooden beams which stubbornly stood upright, but looked like they could topple at any moment. 

The fires that swept through this village had burned long and hard. Even now, a full day later, and possibly even more, the ashes were still smoldering. Time gently started herding his flock mates away from the building, not wanting anyone to be caught unawares if a strong wind knocked over the last beams.

The group was quiet. No one seemed willing to break the silence. They had come here expecting to find a bustling farming town, someplace they could rest before hunting down the monsters in the area. Now they were left with nothing to greet them but ash and ruined lives.

No one suggested the search for survivors in the remains of the town. If anyone had stayed in the village and the monsters hadn’t gotten them, the fires would have. If by some miracle someone had escaped the initial monster attack and the subsequent flames, they wouldn’t have stuck around here. They would have fled into the nearby woods- which were blessedly untouched by the fire- or up into the mountains to the south. 

Time sighed. In many ways, Warriors’ era was safer than many others. There was a functional military, towns and cities for the flock to take refuge in, and they rarely had to spend a night sleeping under the stars when they were in Warriors' era. 

But in other ways, it was just as dangerous as Wild’s or Hyrule’s eras were. The war of ages had been won, but that didn’t mean that Cia’s forces had been completely destroyed. Roaming bands of monsters still stalked the land, and despite Warriors’ and Artemis’ best efforts, they hadn’t all been eradicated, even several years after the war’s end.

It was one such band of monsters they were tracking now. This was the third village they’d attacked in as many weeks, and they were growing bolder. Unlike the other two villages, this town was completely destroyed. The fire had even spread to the nearby fields. The survivors- Time prayed there would be survivors- wouldn’t be able to return to this town. Their homes and livelihoods were completely destroyed. 

The mood was even more somber as the group split up. The passerines and Four volunteered to search in the forest on foot. Normally, Time would be worried about Wild and Hyrule convincing Legend and Four to wander, but he knew the mood of the flock was too somber for that. They would stay on task. 

The remaining four, including Time, took to the air. They would head to the mountains to look for survivors who took shelter there. As each of Time’s flock mates took off, a cloud of disturbed ash floated in the air, stirred from the ground by the beats of their wings. 

They wouldn’t be able to do an exhaustive search- that too would be left for the army- but they could look for any injured birds who might need immediate medical help. 

Artemis had told them that this village had a population of a hundred and twenty-six birds, according to the latest census. As Time flapped, working his way up to a comfortable cruising altitude, he could help the pessimistic thought that the flock would be lucky to find even ten of them. 

~~~

Milly was cold. 

The winds in the mountains were fierce, constantly whipping through the space she and Brin were huddled in, stealing away all the warmth they managed to find as they snuggled together.

Milly’s feathers were still too downy to provide any warmth, but she did her best, wrapping them tightly around Brin. Her wings weren’t quite big enough to cover him completely, and his feet peeked out from under her wings, but there was nothing she could do about that. A thin blanket covered them as well, but it provided little protection either.

At least it had warmed up since last night. 

On the other hand, they had Mama there with them that night, to block out the chill. She had sheltered them with her wings, keeping the worst of the winds off of them. In return, they had snuggled up against her, all three of them sharing their body heat.

But Mama had left in the morning, telling them she needed to find food. Apparently, there wasn’t any food in the bag she'd been carrying. Just the thin blanket that currently covered the two of them, some medical supplies, and various other things Mama had apparently deemed necessary for survival.

At the moment, Milly would trade all of it besides the blanket for some food. Her belly rumbled and she shifted uncomfortably from the hunger pains. None of them had eaten since lunch yesterday, since the attack had happened right before dinner. 

They would need to find a way to get enough food to survive for however long they would be hiding out here. A nearby mountain stream provided water, but food was still a major problem. 

Mama had taken her sword and some rope, and had told Milly she was going to go set some snares in the foothills of the mountains, then try her hand at hunting.

“I haven’t had to hunt for myself in years. Not since before I had you, Milly,” Mama had said. “But I think I might be able to find a hare or two.” Then her mother did something Milly hadn’t expected. She’d taken a knife from the bag, and pressed it into Milly’s hand. The cold metal of the hilt bit into her palm, and she reflexively took it from Mama, even if she was stunned she was being given it in the first place. Mama never let Milly touch her sword, or any kind of knife that wasn’t used for cooking or farmwork. Mama had told Milly that she would teach her how to defend herself when she was older. Mama looked like she regretted it now, as she handed a knife over to her eldest child who had never been taught how to use it. 

“I’m trusting you to be smart with this, okay? I need you to be strong for your brother, and I need you to keep both of you safe. This is only for emergencies, do you understand? Keep it sheathed unless you really need it, and don’t let Brin have it.” Mama whistles, a stern warning. Listen, listen, hatchling. 

Milly nodded solemnly, but she felt an anxious twist in her chest that made her wings flutter in response. Did Mama think Milly would need the knife? Did she think the monsters would find them here?

She hadn’t asked those questions, and Mama hadn’t elaborated. She’d fussed over them for a while more, adjusting the blanket and absently preening some of Milly’s soft feathers. Then she gave both Milly and Brin a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She lingered close after she pressed a kiss to Milly’s cheek, and Milly could feel something wet drip onto her face. 

Milly wiggled, but Mama’s grip was too strong for her to get out of, so she settled for cheeping unhappily. Worry, Mama okay? Worry! Brin added his sweet song to the mix, not understanding why Milly was vocalizing her unhappiness, but copying her nonetheless.

Mama didn’t pull away right away, but answered with a reassuring coo. “I know, I know, my precious chicks. I know it’s hard, but please? You have to be so strong and look after Brin right now.” Milly wanted to protest that she wasn’t worried about herself or Brin, she was worried about Mama because she was crying. 

Mama didn’t give her a chance to protest, because she was already letting Milly go and turning to leave. With a flap of her wings, she was gone, and Milly and Brin were watching her fly away until they couldn't see her anymore. 

Milly was really wishing that she had asked Mama those questions about the monsters. Every shadow of birds passing overhead- real birds, not hylians- made her worry that the bat monsters had found them, and the sounds that echoed down the mountain side made her fidget. The knife was clutched tightly in her grip. The metal had warmed now, no longer bitingly cold against her flesh.

There wasn’t much to take her mind off her fear. Brin wasn’t exactly a good conversationalist, and it was too cold to try and play any sort of game. All she could do was keep huddling under the blanket, ignore the hunger gnawing at her gut, and hope that Mama came back soon.

~~~

When they reached the base of the mountains, the five of them split up. Twilight, Sky and Wind trailed behind to search the foothills, while Warriors and Time plunged ahead to try their luck at finding any survivors in the cliffs. They agreed to meet back up before dusk, hopefully with a few extra stragglers following after them. 

They hadn’t seen anyone in the air or on the ground on their way there, which wasn’t surprising, but didn’t reassure Time of their odds of finding anyone alive. They hadn't seen any monsters either. Time was even less reassured by that. Just because they couldn’t see the monsters didn’t mean they weren’t there. 

Two hours into searching, he tried to keep that sentiment in his heart. Just because they hadn't found any survivors didn’t mean there weren’t any. Maybe the three searching the foothills had found someone, or maybe the group who had stayed behind in the forest was having more luck. Hell, maybe there were hylians camped out in the mountains, but they were hidden too well to see them from the sky, and were too afraid to come out when Time or Warriors called. 

Time had already steeled his resolve for another few hours of fruitless searching when his loud call of searching, searching, come here, friendly! was answered by a distant wail.

Warriors, who was flying slightly lower than Time, called an alarm and beat his wings hard to bring himself level with Time. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes,” Time called back, eyes already scanning the ground below him for any signs of life. He slowed his flight as much as he could and started slowly circling above the area they heard the call from. Warriors echoed his searching call from before. This time it was answered almost immediately. 

The call and response slowly continued as they narrowed down their search area. Eventually, they came to a ravine in the rocks. The sides were too close together to fly down directly. They had to land outside the ravine and walk in. 

It didn’t take long to find the source of the calls.

A short hylian woman lay face down on the ground ahead of them, her gray-black wings so ruffled that Time couldn’t even tell what kind of bird she was. Blood smeared on the rocks around her, and the scent was thick in the air. For a horrible moment, he thought both of her wings were bleeding, but the fear faded when he realized the russet color at the base of her wings was part of her natural feather pattern and wasn’t blood seeping into the black feathers.

Warriors pushed past Time, jogging over to her. Time let him and kept a distance himself. Warriors was good at quickly assessing injuries. Time would just get in the way at the moment.

Warriors rolled her over so he could get a better look at her and her injuries. He was careful not to jostle her wings as he did so in case they were injured in a way the two of them couldn’t see just from looking at them. 

The woman’s main injury became apparent immediately. An arrow was stuck all the way through the woman’s calf. Time gave a sympathetic hiss at the sight, his wings pressing tightly against his back. Even for him or one of the other heroes, who are used to pain and injury, something like that would have grounded them. 

For a civilian who was unused to injuries on this scale- Well, Time was just impressed she was still conscious after losing so much blood.

The woman had at least been smart enough to leave the arrow in her leg and not pull it out. If she had, she would have bled to death long before anyone would have found her. 

Warriors left the arrow alone for now, gently examining the rest of her, looking for any other injuries. The woman mumbled something as she was shifted around, but she sounded delirious. Time couldn’t make out what she was saying. 

Time wasn’t sure if she could even see them in front of her. It was a miracle she had been conscious enough to respond to their calls. Or perhaps her wails in response had been purely instinctual. 

Suddenly. Warriors dropped the arm he’d been running a hand along, checking for broken bones. He leaned closer to the woman, brows furrowed with more worry. Time moved closer, curious. 

“What did you say?” Warriors asked, tone sharper than TIme thought was really necessary. Before he could interject, the woman spoke again. He could hear her now. 

“My chick…” she moaned, twitching as if trying to sit up, and suddenly Time understood Warriors’ concern.

“You have a chick with you? Where? Where are they?” Warriors’ voice was urgent.

“My…” She trailed off, her voice growing breathless as her head lolled, and Time worried she would pass out. If she passed out and couldn’t tell them… Time felt his heart squeeze at the thought of a chick being left all alone. With any luck, they would have another flock member with them, but Time rarely had good luck.

Warriors tapped her cheek firmly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to jerk the woman out of her haze. “Your chick, where are they?”

“My chick?” She blinked, seeming to finally register the sight in front of her. She gasped, wings trying to flare as if she were going to take off. “I have to go! I have to-”

“Calm down,” Warriors instructed firmly. “We’ll find them, you just have to tell us where they are.”

The woman settled down, though her body was still tight with anxiety and no small amount of pain. “They’re further into the mountains, south of here. I was hunting for them, but I think-” She frowned, brows furrowed as she tried to remember. “I think I got shot out of the sky. There must have been monsters hidden in the cliffs.”

The confirmation that there were monsters lurking around made Time even more uncomfortable with the idea of a chick being all alone.

“You go.” Warriors spoke, Time cocked his head at him. Warriors gestured back to the opening of the ravine with a wing. “You’re a faster flier than I am, you’ll be able to search quicker. I’ll bring her back to the rendezvous spot.”

Time turned to leave, but the woman called out. “Wait!” Time turned back. “Call for them like this, and they’ll respond. It’ll make it a bit easier to find them.” She sang a short and simple tune. The notes were strained with pain but still clear; it was a flock call. 

Time would be uncomfortable using the call of a different flock, but it would certainly get the chick’s attention if they heard their flock call.

He nodded to the woman, who slumped back into Warriors arms. For a moment, Time thought she might have passed out, but he could still see her eyes moving, flicking back and forth restlessly. Her adrenaline must have worn out again, now that she knew her child would be found. 

Time took his leave swiftly after that. The woman would be in safe hands under Warriors’ care, and there was a child out there all alone who needed to be found.

~~~~

It had been hours since Mama left, and Milly was starting to become truly afraid she might not come back. The hunger that gnawed at her insides was unignorable now, and she was just as cold as before. A new worry was appearing too- it was getting colder as the sun sank toward the horizon. Mama had kept them warm the previous night, but if she didn’t return by nightfall, there would be nothing to keep them warm besides the too-thin blanket, and they could freeze to death.

Brin wouldn't stop crying, small hands tugging on the front of her shirt as if begging her to make Mama magically reappear. Milly knew he was just as hungry and cold as she was. She couldn't be upset with him, but she didn’t know how to help him any more than she knew how to help herself. The only thing she could do was keep them hidden. 

The blanket became their only source of comfort as the sun sank lower on the horizon. It smelled like Mama. The warmth it provided was minimal, but it was comforting if only because of the familiar scent. Milly was tired of smelling smoke, and she knew Brin must be too. The smell of smoke- the smell of their home burning- had followed them all the way to the mountains.

Despite the discomfort of the cold and hunger, Milly could slowly feel tiredness creeping into her mind and body. She’d been tense all day, and the little sleep she’d managed to get last night wasn’t enough to keep her going for much longer.

Even Brin was quieting down now. 

Maybe it couldn’t hurt to take a nap. Just until Mama came back with food… 

Suddenly, a faint whistle reached her ears, causing them to twitch. All at once, all the tiredness she felt fled, leaving her feeling more awake and alert than she had before. She remained tense and silent, wondering if she had imagined the sound.

But, no- there it was again. 

The voice wasn’t Mama’s familiar harsh whistle, but the pattern was achingly familiar. 

Without thinking, Milly popped her head out from under the blanket and whistled back. Brin, who had been staring up at her, confused at the familiar song coming from an unfamiliar bird, started chirping as well, copying her. 

It didn’t take long for the song to grow closer. Milly kept answering it until the song cut off. A shadow passed over the opening of the small cave, then was gone. The sound of rocks crunching underneath heavy feet broke the stillness. 

Suddenly, Milly felt oddly reluctant to go greet whoever had just landed. Just a moment ago, she had wanted to see any Hylian, even if it wasn't Mama. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t have a choice, because she and Brin were once again cast into shadow as a figure blocked the light from the entrance. 

A soft call echoed through the cave. Safe, come here, protect hatchling, it said. Milly wavered, not knowing whether to believe the call or the fear that pounded through her. The stranger must not be able to see them well, tucked into the shadows as they were, but Milly could see him perfectly fine. 

He was tall, with blonde hair, and a long scar stretching over one side of his face, keeping one of his eyes closed. Most notably, his wings were large. Much larger than Milly was used to seeing. She shrank back, barely stopping herself from hissing at the man. He hadn’t realized they were here yet, so if she kept quiet, he might think they were hidden somewhere else and leave. 

The sight of such large wings… scared her, Milly realized. 

There was only one raptor in Milly’s entire village, and she was a kestrel- famously one of the smallest kinds of raptors. She’d moved to town a few years ago to get married to a girl with chickadee wings. The two of them lived across town, so Milly rarely saw her, but she was nice and very unintimidating.

 She was probably dead now. Milly forced down the nausea and tears that welled in her eyes at the thought. 

She had to be strong for Brin now. There was no time for crying. 

She must have made some noise, though, because when she focused back on the man, he was looking right back at her. 

“There you are,” he murmured, taking a step towards the two of them. 

Milly let out a fearful peep. Her wings automatically came up to arch over herself and her brother protectively. She regretted the movement the instant her wings pushed aside the blanket covering the two of them. Brin let out a complaining chirp, burrowing even closer to her. Milly shivered from the rush of chilly air, her feathers puffing up even more. Not only had the action exposed them to the cool air, she realized. It also espoused Brin to the keen eyes of the raptor. She tried to shield Brin from sight with her wings, but it was too late. 

The man seemed taken aback. “Two hatchlings?” he murmured to himself. He shook himself, taking a step forward, pulling his wings closer against his back in order to fit into the cave easier. No longer having the large wings of a raptor looming over her, Milly relaxed a little. 

“Your mother sent me to look for you.” His voice was soft and calming, and hearing his voice forcefully reminded Milly how badly she had wanted Hylian company just a few seconds ago. This man looked intimidating, but now that she could look past his looming presence, he wasn’t as scary as she first thought. Something deep inside of her told her that he would fight to protect her and Brin if it came down to it.

The raptor stopped several feet from where Milly was cowering. “You two are too small to be out here all alone.” Despite her apprehension, Milly felt miffed at that. 

Lacking her earlier fear, she spoke up. “Mama gave me a knife. I can protect Brin if I need to!”

“I’m sure you can,” the man hummed. Milly can see the corner of his lips twitch in amusement, but elected to ignore that. “But it’s getting cold. You two are too small to keep yourself warm all night.” 

Milly couldn’t deny that, not when she had been fearing the same thing before the man had arrived. She didn’t tell him that, though. 

The man cocked his head at them, before slowly reaching for the bag he had attached to his hip. Milly wanted to hiss a warning, but the bag was small. It didn’t look like it could contain anything that could hurt them. Still, she watched him warily. When the man pulled his hand back out of the bag, he withdrew a piece of fabric. And the fabric kept coming. And coming. 

By the time the man was finished, holding a large fluffy cloak that could not have possibly fit in the tiny bag, Milly’s eyes were wide with shock. That must have been magic. Magic was rare to see in the village. Milly cast another appraising eye over the man again. Maybe he was a soldier from Castle Town? 

And he had said that Mama had sent him to find them…

Milly made the decision then and there that she would go with him. He was probably a soldier or something like that. She could trust him. Especially if it meant getting back to Mama

The man slowly approached, holding out the cloak as an offering. “You two must be freezing. You can take this. It’ll keep you warm while we fly back.” 

His approach made Brin push away from Milly’s chest, and wiggle around behind her as if to hide from the man. “Mils,” He mumbled in protest, clutching so hard at her feathers it almost hurt. He always had been shy around strangers. 

The raptor shifted, glancing back and forth between Brin and Milly. “Mils? Is that your name?”

Milly gave the raptor one last cautious look, before deciding she could trust him. She shuffled forward to accept the cloak offered to her, to Brin’s protesting cheeps. “It’s Milly, actually.”

The man smiled, and it made Milly feel truly safe in a way she hadn’t since she’d heard the first alarm calls in the village.

[ninjamonkeystudios]

Week 1 of OC-Tober

If you're curious about any of my characters or their settings, feel free to ask!

OC-tober Day o1, Getty Through Oct, I will be featuring my OCs. This is Getty from a current Cyberpunk ttrpg. As a college student, she dabbles in work as a Fixer on the side for fun money. However, a recent mission gave her a nose for journalism, so she may be changing majors!

OC-Tober Day o2: Bastia Bastia Agrippina came from a once prestigious family of healers who worked in service to Ilmater. Since the Great War, the family suffered loss after loss until their lauded mountain monastery dwindled to a shabby abby. That's when Bastia set out to restore her family.

OC-Tober Day 03: Prisha Once an island nation revered the tigers in their jungle as motherly protector spirits. Those blessed with the blood of the tiger were the holy spokespeople of the forest. However, after the nation was colonized, most of those werefolk were wiped out. Still, Tiger waited.

OC-Tober Day o4, Millie Millie was a character from a hybrid Warhammer Fantasy/D&D game. Millie the Milkmaid started life as a simple farmgirl, but was hired to be a playmate for the local nobility's daughter. She learned to read and write and perhaps assert herself above her station.

OC-Tober Day 05, Monki Monki is the titular character for my webcomic Ninja Monkey. He's a single-minded, dark humored member of a quickly dwindling clan. In the comic he is tasked to escort another monkey to the safety of the Dragon clan. Many obstacles stand in their way.

OC-Tober Day o6, Orange Orange Tang is from my comic Ninja Monkey. She starts the story performing in the circus as a silk dancer. Though she has been happy with her circus family, her past is a mystery. One day, disaster strikes and the Ox clan scatters her family as she is whisked away.

OC-Tober Day 07, Wang Here's my precious little boy Wang from the Ninja Monkey comic. He may not be smart, but he can lift heavy things. He also has a weakness for dumplings of all kinds. Wang is the shortest of the group but makes up for it with his big heart.

[annachum]

Some more HCs about the Sigyn variants in tow in my Loki S2 ideas :

. Classic! Sigyn becomes like a Mary Poppins like aunt figure to the rest. She understands what all her variants have been through and shit and tries her best to offer them empathy

. MCU! Sigyn defo is a rebel leader in this Loki S2. However, Even tho she becomes a Princess by marriage. She lacks experience in comparison to Classic! Sigyn, which can sometime leads to tough spots. Nevertheless, she often looks to Classic! Sigyn for advice and is an empathetic person who tries her best to make everyone feel included

. 616! Sigyn.....sadly becomes a deconstructed version of a Classic Princess trope and basically, at those points, becomes a shell of herself and even FORGOT what it's like to enjoy some of the things she enjoyed before. Through the rest of the Sigyn variants in tow, 616! Sigyn remembers who she is, and her life changed forever

. Fox! Sigyn is a playful and sometimes flirty fox who also loves animal fashion related shit and can be FERAL in attack. She is sweet AND fierce

. The Sigyn variants in tow basically become a superhero group that leads a Rebellion against the TVA

. They all just eventually came to hate Sylvie altogether cuz honestly Sylvie has become insufferable

. Like Sylvie constantly whines about her struggles while all the Sigyn variants in tow are like, '.....We get that you been through shit but they way you keep whining about it is becoming REALLY annoying. "

. Justice Friends! Sigyn aka Sigrid kinda reminds me of Glinda the Good Witch, Sugar Plum Fairy and Millie( Helluva Boss ) in some ways. She basically loves space pop related matters, got a beautiful silvery magic wand and also has a sweet tooth

. Valhalla 1986! Sigyn becomes a therapist of the Sigyn variants - defo is skilled in Healer related shit and TRIES her best to offer solace to the rest of the Sigyn variants. She defo SOBS with 616! Sigyn after hearing about 616! Sigyn's heart wrenching story

. These 2 Sigyn variants may not appear in Loki S2 - it's just a fun idea of mine

. Ofc they defo regularly compliment each other on their magic styles

. And then they probably bet on WHEN Sylvie is gonna turn her back on the rest of the Loki variants in tow

. Cuz ALL the Sigyn variants in tow sensed something fishy with Sylvie from the start

. ALL of them would LOVE the Barbie movie ( I LOVE THAT MOVIE TOO!!! ) 🤩🤩🤩🥺🥺🥺

[cryptidclaw]

A bit off-topic, but how are cats with disabilities treated in Roc?

This kind of depends on the Order and the type of disability, but I would say overall they deal with it better than in canon! I think overall, disabilities are handled pretty well, but the Order's main issue is they can sometimes be babying with disabilities and overprotective, especially with young cats, which can be quite stifling (ex: Jaywing and Dovesong being constantly babied by their Orders as kits-apprentices).

The thing the Orders know most about, especially Thunder Order is deafness. All the Orders share a form of sign language made from body language and a sort of kitty morse code which they use to communicate, not only with deaf cats but also just when they need to be quiet during hunting and fighting!

Thunder Order is actually the best with disabilities, they are pretty accepting and have a lot of knowledge on how to help, train and aid disabled cats. This is especially true when it comes to deaf cats as Thunder Order has been the Order to have the most deaf cats, as the white fur blue eyes gene runs trough the Order. I think this is a big reason as to why they have learned the most about disability!

However things aren't GREAT, Jay still faces a lot of doubt and overprotectiveness from his Order, which causes him to be extra determined to prove he can be a warrior (though I will say they Jay has far more supporters, especially from his family). Briarlight still faces some of the bull her mom throws at her, but Sandstorm nearly divorces her over it which snaps Millie out of it and she actually starts trying to learn and care for her kit correctly. Plus the Order is able to invent a sort of mobility device for Briar!

The Orders generally believe that all cats have their importance and use in their Order and even if a cat isn't capable of being a warrior or doing some jobs, they still are able to be a caretaker or do a mix of jobs that make them happy and keeps them healthy (ex: Briarlight becomes a sort of Caretaker though she likes to help out the Warriors on her good days) !

I also think I wanna adopt some of @bonefall 's herbal remedy ideas for different chronic illnesses and such! i think that kind of thing is very cool and also great rep!

oh also when it comes to mental disabilities the Orders are pretty much a vibe. Healers and some caretakers take on therapist roles plus things like Autism and ADHD are pretty useful to have in a hunter gatherer society "woe a cat who knows everything about this one topic, amazing! this will be so useful to our survival!"

And the Orders definitely have some herbs they can prescribe for things like anxiety and depression !

[massacr3machin3]

TOTAL DRAMA REBOOT CAST AND WHO THEY WOULD MAIN IN BRAWL STARS (and why)

Caleb = Colt ("he just like me fr")

Nichelle = Maisie + Lola ("they just like me fr")

Julia = Emz ("she just like me fr")

Bowie = Angelo (first "openly gay" contestant, first "openly gay" brawler... "he just like me fr")

Wayne = Buster ("he just like me fr", matching with Raj)

Raj = Fang ("he just like me fr", matching with Wayne)

Emma = Janet + Piper +Amber (I couldn't decide lol but I feel like she can't decide either and would play all these)

MK = Belle ("she just like me fr")

Priya = Shelly (basic choice, like her, sorry Shelly and Priya fans... "she just like me fr")

Millie = Nani ??? (honestly I have no idea...)

Ripper = El Primo + Tick (because he thinks it's a gigachad choice, and he likes to piss people off )

Damien = Brock + Ash ("he just like me fr" and D&D interest go brrrr)

Axel = Bibi ("she just like me fr")

Chase = Mico + Edgar (ANNNOOOOOOOOYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING (just like him fr...))

Zee = Doug ("he just like me fr" and he loves being a healer)

Scary Girl = Colette ("she just like me fr" but so much worse...)

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

Supernova - Sneak Preview/Snippet

Based on this poll, one of the two winners for snippets was Supernova! I'm giving you all a snippet, and I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!! No context, but I think you can guess what's happening ;)

“First things first—Millie’s a Muggle. She doesn’t know anything about magic, and it’s got to stay that way. That includes your morphing.”

“What?” Dora sputtered. “You’re married to her!”

“Yes, and we live in a Muggle neighborhood. I don’t need a letter from the Ministry every time they detect magic here. I’m the only wizard for miles. We do everything the Muggle way here.”

“What if you have kids? Won’t they—”

Ted’s lips came together and he shook his head. 

“That’s not a topic I need to visit anytime soon,” he said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I need you to promise me you won’t perform any magic—you shouldn’t be doing so anyway—and learn to do everything by hand.” 

Dora gaped at Ted, aghast at what she was hearing. She had nothing against Muggleborns, but to spend her summer without magic? 

“That’s a non-negotiable,” Ted said sternly. “I promised your mother I would keep you safe. She understood my limitations.” 

“Wait—Mama actually wanted me here? Here? Not Iris’s or, or—”

“Here, Dora.” Ted sighed and put his face in his hands. “This house. This is your home now.” 

“Home? I hardly know you! I want to go to Iris’s—or Maisie’s, even, if I’ve got to live like a Muggle—” Dora stood up to get to the guest room, but Ted grabbed her wrist to hold her back. 

A sudden sense of terror overcame her. She was transported back to the library at Travers Court, and instead of Ted grabbing her wrist, it was Claudius. 

“No, no, no! Get off! GET OFF!” Dora screamed. She fell to the floor in a heap, terrified and abruptly crying, her wand too far away for her to protect herself. She crawled on the shaggy carpet, desperate to get away from the madman her mother wrongly trusted, but she hit an invisible barrier. 

“Dora, Dora, stop!” Ted shouted. “I’m not going to hurt you! I’m not your brother! I’m still Ted—Ted Tonks—a Healer! I’m not Claudius, and I will never hurt you, I promise!”

The mention of Claudius had Dora’s head spinning. No one had known about that, much less believed it when Andromeda tried to defend herself in her trial. The Aurors dismissed the story, even when Dora tried to corroborate it, but Ted believed them. 

The man who had just dropped his wand on the floor and put his hands up believed Dora and Andromeda. Ted fell to his knees, keeping his hands up in the air, and blinked at her. 

“Dora, I’m sorry. I know he hurt you. I didn’t mean to frighten you, and I promise, on my own life, you’ll never be hurt here. I promised your mother I would take care of you if something happened to her. I won’t hurt you, sweetheart. We need to talk about a few things, and I need you to listen. Can you stay for a few minutes and listen? If—if you don’t like what I say—I’ll take you to your friend’s house. Please hear me out.”

Dora was backed into an invisible corner. She held her knees against her chest, her face wet with tears, and tried to focus her gaze on Ted. But the feeling of his hand on her wrist, and all the nightmares it inspired, continued to terrify her and made her tremble against the wood-paneled wall.

“You know me. I’m still just Ted, the Muggleborn Healer from St. Mungo’s,” he continued, falling back on his heels. He kept his hands visible and his gaze on hers. “Your mother and I knew each other, long ago when we went to school together. We were friends—very close friends—and everything had to change when we were out of school.”

Ted sighed and rubbed his eyes with his palms. Dora wiped away the tears from her face and found his eyes glistening, much to her astonishment. 

“I was in love with your mother, Dora. I loved her more than anyone I ever knew. She—I think she felt the same way, even if she said she didn’t—and she had to live a life that I couldn’t give her because of who I am. She had to marry your . . . Byron. She had to marry Byron Travers.” 

The revelation of Ted’s love for Andromeda was enough to momentarily let the terrible memories of Claudius disappear. Dora sat up straighter, but still holding herself tightly against the wall, and stared, her attention transfixed on the Muggleborn declaring his love for her pureblood mother. 

“I moved on as best as I could. That day you met me in Diagon Alley—that was the first time I had seen her since we had to say goodbye—that was the day I learned a secret your mother had been keeping from me for over eleven years.” Ted’s body trembled and he closed his eyes briefly. Taking a deep breath, he continued. 

“What I found out . . . it changed my life. It’s going to change yours. No one but your mother and I know the truth . . . and before you ask, even Millie doesn’t know what I’m going to tell you. I’m going to tell her when she gets back—God only knows how she’ll take it. It’s not going to be easy for any of us.” 

Dora had stopped crying and her vision cleared somewhat. Her nose was running, but she wiped it against her knees and gaped, openmouthed, hanging on every word that Ted was telling her. He ran his hand through his hair and tilted his head back. 

[gentle-giant-swag]

Gentle giant swag

Apricot bracket semifinals battle 2

GIRLBOSS BATTLE1: MILLY THOMPSON (trigun) vs HOLLY (super lesbian animal rpg)

Propaganda under the cut!

Milly propaganda

Big silly women win forever

Best girl :)

She’s a lovely himbo with a big ol gun that shoots these metal restraint things? I dunno it’s basically a giant stapler. She’s very gentle

Cute, optimistic, carries a huge gun under her dress

Because when I was a 5'11" goofy spacey ten year old girl I saw milly thompson on my TV and damn near cried. There really weren't many Big Huge anime girls back then and she's SO. GOOD. and she's gentle!! and wants to do right by others!! and she's strong and competent and a career woman too!!

I believe she qualifies as a herbo.

Holly propaganda

She's an enormous woman, like takes up 2 game tiles in width and has extra dialogue if you talk to her from the side asking you not to speak into her armpit huge, and she's the most absolutely buff character I have ever seen rendered in pixel art. She is a massive mound of muscle who is fond of wrestling. She works for the Paladin Brigade as a healer and town guardian. She's super friendly and gets along really well with Allison in particular. She's such a fun character. She gives Melody her starting weapon for free, the bent staff she has in the promotional art (which was originally designed that way so it would just bend out of the way of covering her face), and even the tooltip says it's quite obvious how it got bent that way.

She's big and buff and she's a healer. Her hat is just a tiny knight helmet that couldn't fit on her head, so she wears it like a fez. She holds cage matches. She has so much love in her heart.

[oflights]

wip snip 2.3

thank you for the tag, @m0srael! i'm still plugging away at turkey baster fic, wherein draco is still on his quest for a suitable sperm donor (but hasn't taken harry up on his offer. yet.)

in this (rather long, sorry!!) snippet, harry has dropped off ginger foster kittens, and he and draco are talking, as they often do in this fic, about getting pregnant.

“Are you going to try it for yourself? You seemed interested.” Draco doesn’t clarify what he means, mostly because he wants Potter to. While he can admit that Potter would, will, be a brilliant father, he doesn’t love the idea of Potter stealing his idea and making a go of this, either on his own or with someone else. All right, he hates the idea of Potter making a go of this with someone else, purely for the sake of young 20-year-old Draco who learned the hard way not to fancy blokes like Harry Potter, but doing it on his own doesn’t sound good to him either; chances are he’ll be better at it than Draco, because that’s how their lives have always worked.

Potter shakes his head, and Draco all but Occludes to hide how relieved he is. “No, that wasn’t quite what I was interested in.” He gives Draco a significant look there, and Draco just blinks back at him, missing whatever implication he’s supposed to glean before narrowing his eyes.

“Ah. You don’t want to be the one to carry?”

“No, I don’t—never mind. No, it’s more like I’ve taken your advice; I shouldn’t give up on doing it with the partner I want. I’ve just felt a bit—stuck, I suppose. I’m not sure what to do next.” Potter frowns thoughtfully, the kitten back in his big hands, rubbing absentmindedly through the tufty fur.

“Well, you’re not on a time limit, like I am,” Draco says, going slightly cold at the thought. He’s lost nine weeks to using the Book of Sperm; less than four months is a terrifying lack of time. He knows he’ll have to discuss different options with Healer Harper the next time he visits, but he’s dreading the thought.

“I understand, a bit, why you don’t want to lose this place,” Potter tells him, looking at the pet room all around them. “It’s so—you. And the garden—I would kill for your garden.”

“Bertrand’s going to rip it up,” Draco says. It’s satisfying how pinched Potter’s face goes, like he really does understand how devastating that would be. “He knows how much I love it; he’s told me how he wants to destroy it. I can’t—I won’t let that happen.”

“And there’s no other way?” Potter asks, before scrambling to add, “Not that I think you won’t—I mean, you’ll be fantastic with a baby, no doubt about it.”

“Really? No doubts at all?” Draco grins, expecting Potter to join in on the joke, but he just raises his chin stubbornly, nodding firmly.

“Not even one.” The moment hangs between them, oddly charged. Draco, of course, can’t help thinking that Potter has changed his tune, though he manages not to snipe that out. He knows that, rationally, knows that how Potter feels about him has changed; it’s the only reason they’re in this same room together, surrounded and covered by kittens Potter is entrusting to Draco’s care.

“Thank you,” Draco says, and then he clears his throat and gestures at the kittens, dipping his head to nuzzle the one at his shoulder slightly, stroking the one in his hand. “And thank you for—them. I needed this, really.”

“I did promise you were next up, and you’re always brilliant with them. Though, I should warn you—I don’t think you’ll have them for very long. Kneazle hybrids usually get snapped up fast, and Millie has a friend who might want two.” Potter’s shoulder slump apologetically, but Draco waves at him dismissively.

“I know how this works, don’t worry. I won’t get too attached.” Out of the corner of his eye, Odette seems to appear from nowhere on the wall, a dark gray cloud swishing her tail teasingly, proving him wrong. He ignores her pointedly to grin at Potter. “Do they have names yet?”

“Nope. Be my guest.”

“Excellent.” Draco sets down the kitten he’s holding next to the one between his legs to rub his hands together greedily, and he watches with delight as the two of them immediately curl up together, the feather toy held between them and poking out from between their little kitten bellies. “All right, since these are Weasley kittens, and there are seven of them—”

“Oh, you git—”

“—I think these two are Fred and George. This one up here—” He reaches up to stroke the one on his shoulder, smiling at the purring that elicits. “—is the dragon one, what’s his name? The fit one who said I was cute that time—”

“Charlie,” Potter bites out, face clouding, though he’s clearly also holding back a laugh.

“That’s right, you’re Charlie, aren’t you? Perfect. And those over there, the sleepy ones—Ronald, of course, he’s the one getting his turn at a bath from Beau, surely he needs it—and which ones are girls?”

“There are two girls; this is one,” Potter says, holding up the one that Fig is so fascinated by. He grins over at Draco. “George is a girl, too.”

“Wonderful. That one’s Ginny, then, of course—the one all over you—”

“She’ll punch you out for saying that, you know.”

“Yes, she does often resort to violence, that works perfectly. And that leaves Percy and Bill over there with Beau, right? Have I got them all?”

“You have.” Potter is faintly beaming at him, and Draco can’t help his slightly dopey smile back, forgetting to be self-conscious about it. There’s something too delightful about all this, too comfortable and joyous.

[courtney-deserved-better]

gen 4 overwatch main headcanons

mk - the most annoying yet effective sombra main ever, constantly sneaking onto objectives to capture them and hacking ppl and then killing them, so frustrating to play

caleb - lifeweaver who forgets he can do damage sometimes, always says you're welcome when people thank him for heals

emma - bloodthirtsy dva main, will get distracted from the objective to chase down players that annoy her

axel - dps moira with insane mobility skills. or maybe orisa. either way she has the most kills on the team. but if someone is rude to her when she's playing moira she'll refuse to heal them for the rest of the game even if it costs her team the win

zee - mercy so they doesn't have to shoot ppl unless they're backed into a corner, very distractible but it kinda works cause they bounce from teammate to teammate. caleb has had to lifegrip them out of certain death multiple times

millie - widowmaker so she can hide away from the fight and pick people off, will switch to ana if her team needs a healer but refuses to put herself in the line of fire to heal people

bowie - pharah who is incredibly hard to hit but has fantastic accuracy with his rockets. also zarya because he heard zarya was hard to play, went "bet" and became a great zarya

chase - bastion solely because he can easily get play of the game and brag about it.

wayne - lucio mostly for the vibes and the speed, loves booping people off the map

raj - hammond because he thinks it's awesome he can be a hamster and to match wayne's speed

scary girl - you would think reaper, but no, it's tracer, because she likes to jumpscare people by suddenly appearing next to them

julia - says she's a mercy main if anyone asks but she actually plays reaper because she loves killing people

ripper - mei because he likes to annoy the hell out of people. he's actually a really good reinhardt and his team always begs him to switch

nichelle - tried playing as kiriko once, did terribly, spent months practicing, and now she's an unholy terror as kiriko

damien - zenyatta because the controls are simple and he'll panic if he has to worry about too many things. he's a very jumpy player and if someone sneaks up on him he'll scream and fire blindly but still manage to headshot them 65% of the time

priya - has somehow mastered every single character and picks whoever best fits her team's composition and counters the enemy team. but she really just wants to play hanzo (she never gets the chance)