#I expected to get this far with like a warrior cats thing seeing as that's been my most consistent obsession lately

[weirdnerdygoat]

Oh look, a younger ford blushing picture...

I... may or may not be making something...

[leroiestmortvivelareine]

Strap in if you dare, I’m going to talk about Riko.

Yes, he is a Bad Person. Nothing I’m about to say counters that. However… evil isn’t always so obvious as to dress in black and torture everyone you love. Evil is insidious and nuanced - it can creep in when you aren’t expecting it and have no defences. We’ve been given this incredibly complex and interesting example of it, and we’ve been given it for a reason. Riko is a character worth trying to understand.

Could Riko ever have been saved, and if so what would it have taken? What if he’d been able to follow the Fox path to redemption instead of the Ravens to perdition?

Except both Foxes AND Ravens were traumatised… the thing that ruined Riko was power. Lincoln said it: “nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man��s character, give him power.” Who was Riko without power? It’s hard to see.

So I’m fascinated by a different question - how did Riko see Riko?

We know how the Foxes saw him: a low-functioning sociopath with zero coping skills and the personality of a cat trapped in a wall cavity. Presumably that’s not how he saw himself. What kind of headcanon did he construct for himself, what was his own personal mythology?

We know he wanted his father’s approval, he wanted to be number one. We know how badly he dealt with those desires being thwarted.

I know how it feels to be an abandoned child. You feel like the outer edges of a person, with this gaping hole in the centre. It’s not just that you lost a loved one, it’s - how can I say it - it’s like the clasp that lets you hold on to people has been torn out too. Everyone will leave now, and you know it.

(I didn’t cope by turning my bedroom into Abu Ghraib, though.)

It’s the worst of both worlds. His father is far enough away to cause that gaping wound, yet not sufficiently gone for it to ever close over and heal.

But… despite his impossible situation, Riko wasn’t withdrawing into himself. Resentment ate away at him and he liked doing side-projects of revenge, but it was hope driving him on. I see Riko as someone with a very hot flame in them, someone determined to succeed (like Neil). He was driven, even if the goal he chased so eagerly was an illusion. I think he saw his situation as a challenge, an opportunity to prove himself and eventually take his rightful place at his father’s side (surely that’s what Kengo really meant, surely this was a test, a test he can pass if he just wins one more time...)

Imagine something like… the second son of a Roman emperor, sent to some far-off outpost to get him out of the way subdue rebel tribes. A chance to make a name for himself, an opportunity to create an elite unit where violence and skill are everything, where winning is everything. A challenge he accepts with savage excitement.

And the world views them with the kind of awe once reserved for ancient Sparta. Unsurpassed warriors, impossibly focussed. Yes, they endure conditions no one else could even consider but they always win, and everyone loves winners. They are the legends of legends. Surely his father will see.

Kevin was his Lancelot, his shining sword, his right hand. Kevin added to Riko’s status, assured him he must be a hero if he had such a splendid champion at his side.

But Kevin is beautiful, so perhaps Riko’s feelings were more complicated than that, perhaps they were feelings he couldn’t admit he had. He could still work those feelings into the overall picture though… it’s all part of Kevin being his beloved champion.

Until the champion started edging him out of his own story and had to be sacrificed. A necessary sacrifice, but losing Kevin struck a huge blow to the mythology Riko built up about himself. He could no longer look in the mirror, side by side, and see Kevin’s glory (and, yes, Kevin’s dad) reflected back as though it belonged to him too.

Despite this Riko finds a way to keep winning, even without his champion. Surely that is even more impressive? Can his father see that?

Still no response. In the story Riko constructs for himself his father does no wrong, so this towering rage he feels has to crash down on someone else. He tells himself he is punishing his troops for daring to be unworthy.

Then there is Jean, someone from a caste so low as to be unclean, even subnormal, someone it would hurt Riko’s prestige to treat with any kind of respect. But Jean is also beautiful, and those feelings can’t be worked into the myth. Their outlet is the darkness behind closed doors, along with all the other feelings that don’t fit the story of the hero.

Harming his people, his intimate possessions, was Riko’s coping mechanism for rejection and humiliation the way self-harm in many forms is to many others. (Are you hearing me if I say hurting yourself is hurting your own Perfect Court, and there is collateral damage even if you think it’s just you, because people love you and suffer because of it? Are you hearing me if I say stop being Riko to yourself?)

And maybe his enjoyment of that cruelty was, deep down, a form of denial that the cruelty arose from anguish. ‘No I’m not upset, I’m not a loser, I’m in control, I’m doing this because I like it…’ Maybe even to the point where rendition becomes sexual.

But it’s starting to unravel. He’s lost his only friend and can no longer unleash his mounting frustrations on Jean the way he wants to; he’s running out of pieces for his board.

Then he finds the fugitive his family were chasing for so long. This is his big chance. He’ll have a brand new champion for his stable or a valuable offering to please his father, he wins either way.

He captures this feral child who tells him there is no empty throne waiting by the side of the emperor, Kengo never mentions his son’s name, Riko is nothing more than a joke in that far-off capital. So much scorn in those words that the carefully constructed mythology withers before it.

First the would-be rook took the queen, then the wild-card knight escapes again, and now the whipping boy / concubine / bishop is taken by a girl with a cross around her neck. The king has lost all his men… because that’s your REAL story, isn’t it: everyone leaves you.

And then… Kengo dies.

Yes, Riko is a Bad Person. No, I do not like him. But Nora gave us two boys who met their brother for the first time, two boys who cried out their brother’s name only to see their hopes shattered. And in that moment they were one, so I cannot dismiss this monstrous, horrible abomination no matter how hard I try.

I can however dismiss anyone who says Nora is not a goddess of writing.

[scourgebff]

more from the hollycinder partners in crime au, their little family ( original concept/au idea by @the-owl-tree )! i imagine dovewing got cinderheart’s build with hollyleaf’s striking features while ivypool is leaning more towards hollyleaf’s tall stature but cinderheart’s recognizable markings.

holly’s disappearance into the tunnels after upending the entire normalcy of thunderclan had left quite a stir in her wake. ivy and dove grow up trying to make sense of and deal with her legacy in their own ways. cinder is in the middle, fiercely protecting her daughters’ youth from a world which wants to press the weight of everything on their shoulders far too readily while also struggling to figure out her own identity.

very detailed brainrot under the cut

it seemed like an ironic twist of fate in the eyes of lionblaze and jayfeather that dove was to take holly’s part in the prophecy, quickly sweeping her under their wing and closely guiding her paws. the lingering worry that she would stray from them and onto a dangerous path as holly had- doubly so since lion was made dove’s mentor. lion is fiercely protective of dove, seeing in her a bright potential and genuinely wants her to succeed. however it is quite clear to everyone that he’s projecting his sister onto her, for all her talent and resourcefulness going beyond the shadowy pelt and leading to heightened expectations. dove swallows down her discomfort at the pressure, wanting to make everyone proud and live up to their expectations, not only as warrior but as part of a prophecy so much larger than herself. one that she feels is partially to blame for driving her other parent away, as jay eventually reveals to her to full truth, leading to feelings of guilt she doesn’t even particularly understand. torn between stars and shadows, her paws wander over clan borders in search of an answer or escape for herself while discovering things she’d never expect.

meanwhile ivy feels like a spectator in her own life. listening in on near constant rumors and gossip about her family that she isn’t even included in, instigated by a cat she doesn’t even know. getting even further frustrated by just how passively helpless to remedy anything she is. while cinder treats the two girls completely equally, ivy isn’t blind to the practically palpable anticipation thunderclan holds towards dove. she’s a prodigy, with the undivided attention of both the clan’s healers and one if not the strongest warrior as a mentor, sent on journeys and given extra assignments as cats discuss how promising she is- yet also the level of suspicion cats hold towards her for being related to both a traitor, a healer, and a windclanner. ivy is of course of the exact same blood, yet she might as well not exist to anyone but dove and cinder bar a few extended family members. feeling isolated yet reluctant to try and burden her already troubled closest kin with insecurities she feels are ‘insignificant’, ivy meets hawkfrost who seems to not mind listening. in fact he says he relates to her, having a controversial family history himself. ivy asks for advice, ending up gaining confidence with his helpful suggestions and in turn drawing closer to the dark forest. she seems more well adjusted, yet in truth she’s merely getting better at lying and giving cats a spectacle to notice her by. while her social life improves, the unease in her grows as she’s gradually lured into working for the dark forest. ivy with new confidence and supposedly trustworthy new friends feels as if she can balance the danger despite rising escalation.

cinder, ivy, and dove remain extremely close. there is certainly friction between ivy and dove, however cinder is incredibly involved in their lives. refusing to let them lash out at each other and drift apart, she’s reminded all too painfully of her bitter last interaction with holly. she regrets how they ended, strangely enough considering how she didn’t regret dirtying her paws with blood to cover up holly’s sins. what she will not tolerate however is disrespect against her kits, growing estranged from her childhood friends jay and lion upon seeing how oddly they treat dove. it’s an uncomfortable situation, yet dove and ivy both are incredibly grateful to always have cinder in their corner. just for her they’ll set their reservations towards each other aside to form an at least temporarily stable truce. that being said, cinderheart being a reincarnation of cinderpelt actually has relevance to her character here that can be a whole other post on its own so i won’t go into it.

holly is more washed than a rack full of clean dishes icl. fleeing into the tunnels was a temporary solution, made at the peak of her mental crisis she initially tries to ignore how horrifically she treated so many cats. pushing it aside, and trying to restart herself. yet she can never forget cinder, even when she leaves the tunnels to become a wanderer cinder’s loyalty always sticks out so clearly. the kindness that holly had pushed and pushed and pushed until it broke and now here they were after that blow-out argument upon the gathering’s aftermath. a lot can be said for the time she’s out living as a rouge, but she eventually will have to come back and face her horrible past mistakes. unfortunately not before meeting a cat who might change everything for the worse- darktail C:

there’s some more i could mention because the cinderholly brainrot is infectious but i already rambled enough sorry TY IF U ACTUALLY READ THIS LOL UH </3 reward for making it down here is the fullbodies of these very normal not tortured individuals i consider them an equally normal amount

[queenpiranhadon]

A/N: okay NOW two more chapters left lol because chapter seven is turning into a pain to write 😭 Luckily school's out for the summer so I have more time to write :) TY @cashmoneyyysstuff MY ICON ILY Here's the masterlist!

Warning(s): Cursing, reader is the daughter of Aizawa, Shinso and Eri are biological siblings, reader is 20 years old, reader befriends Kaminari and Sero, Reader uses "Cattus" as her alias, reader's nicknames are Cactus, Cattus and Cat, reader's down bad LMAO, war, reader gets hurt, blood, reader wears a bra, bad war descriptions lol what do you expect from me, reader is AFAB and female, bakugou finds out 😀👍, ANGST, reader goes home, family reunion, Aizawa gets sick from grief, PTSD, KATSUKI'S NOT SEXIST I PROMISE

Pairing(s): Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪx: Cattus

Time seemed to stop.  

The red color of his eyes, such a warm color, turned so cold. 

“Y-Yer a fuckin girl?!” he spat, aghast, disgust clouding his features, he turns away, refusing to look at you. 

You couldn’t even more, nor speak. 

How could you have been so careless? 

Bakugou lets out an irritated snarl and looks back at you briefly. 

“If the others find out, you’ll be killed.” he says, tone icy and filled with venom. Your heart drops.  

“I-” 

“Get changed and get out.” He cuts you off, not wanting to hear what you had to say. “Now I don’t owe you anything.” 

He exits the tent swiftly, as if he couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as you. 

*** 

You were given a horse, and nothing else, leaving without saying farewell to your friends. They would be informed that you had died, and that your body was being disposed of.  

It gave you an icky feeling, faking your death- which was weird, considering you left your family in a similar manner.  

As far as they knew, you might as well be dead.  

Would they be happy to see you? 

The same thought had plagued your mind for days now, yet you never imagined they would come to reality so soon. Your heart sinks with the realization that as of now, you basically let down everyone you knew.  

A tear slips down your cheek, from your discharge, and from that loathing look in Bakugou’s eyes.  

Stupid feelings.  

You knew it would end badly when you found yourself falling for the captain, but just the acknowledgment wasn’t enough to prepare you for the pain brought on by your heart being ripped in half, only for those halves to be shattered beyond repair. 

It was moronic of you to even be feeling these things, just as it was to crush on your superior like you were a schoolgirl and not a warrior.  

But at least now, you didn’t have to pretend.  

You weren’t going to lie, you were going to miss Genken, Denki, and Hanta.  

But now, you were Y/N. And though you were yourself again, there was no doubt Cattus would still be a part of you.  

He always was, you reckoned.  

Cattus was the fiery side of you that defended his (?) friends when they needed protection. He was the side of you that took charge and cared for your family when they couldn’t take care of themselves. Cattus was a warrior. 

And you were too.  

Tightening your grip on the reins, you will your horse to go faster, riding into the night, returning home to your family for the first time in months.  

*** 

You found yourself staring at the border of your village after 5 days of travel, the sun setting and your brain half asleep, running purely on adrenaline.  

It was lightly snowing, signs of winter’s presence, though the cold didn’t nip at your skin as much as it used to before. 

Pain didn’t feel the same anymore after what you’d been through.  

Your wound still stung, but you refused to acknowledge the pain- telling yourself you deserved it after everything. Is this how your dad felt after the war? You didn’t know. Though your situations were vastly different, one spending more time fighting than the other, and one almost convicted of a war crime, you knew that the pain was all the same.  

But right now, you didn’t feel pain.  

Instead, anxiety clawed at your heart, dismounting your steed to let it graze freely among the nearby fields, where other horses resided nearby. He would be fine living there with his new friends.  

You walk along the streets of the village you grew up in. You’d one been gone for 7 months now, and yet it felt so foreign to walk down the cobbled streets you walked across so long ago. When you find your home, a pang of sadness washes through you- it looked so empty and lifeless now. You missed you family dearly during the past few months, and yet you refused to acknowledge the feelings because they were a sign of weakness. 

But here you were now, a truckload of emotions crashing into you as you walk up the steps to your porch, the same steps you sat on when you had the conversation that started all of this. The wood creaked under your feet, a sound so familiar and so wrong at the same time. 

So much had changed over time- it was hard to feel like yourself again.  

You gingerly placed your hand on the doorknob, feeling the bumps, ridges and crevices you memorized, your pounding heart was deafening as you sucked in a shaky breath and finally opened the door.  

It was quiet. There wasn’t a buzz of the happiness and joy that you always felt in your home, instead it felt null and void.  

The first thing you notice is the figure sleeping on the couch.  

Hitoshi. 

Your younger brother looked exhausted, the dark circles he usually sported were now so prominent that it was unhealthy. He was skinnier, and a little taller, your heart ached to know that he wasn’t eating well and that he had grown up and you weren’t there to see him.  

Making your way over to him, you brush his hair out of his face softly, only for him to startle and jolt upright, freezing as his lavender eyes widened it realization that it was you.  

He slowly brings a hand to cup your cheek before patting the rest of your body, as if to ensure you were genuinely there.  

“Y/N...” he croaks, tears spilling from his eyes. “Is it really you...?” 

You want to sob, he sounded so broken, so helpless, guilt threatening to consume your every being. Tears slip from your eyes as you nod, letting out a choked laugh as he encircles you in his arms, whispering “You’re home... you’re finally home...” more so to himself than to you, as if to ground him. 

You and Hitoshi end up falling asleep on the floor that day, and you numbly allow him to redress your wounds and receive an ear load of yelling and scolding from your actions the next morning. He isn’t furious as you expected, however, he was extremely worried though.  

“W-What happened while I was gone...” you murmur, refusing to look at him as you sit on the side of your bed.  

“It’s...been a lot...” he sighs, telling you to get comfortable as he fills you in.  

Hitoshi had slept in the living room every night, in hopes that you would come home. At first, he slept on the porch, but Eri insisted he sleep inside saying that he was only harming himself. It was true, as he had gotten a nasty cold the next morning, leaving the ticked off 9-year-old to take care of him.  

Eri was upset with your departure, rarely going out after you left and taking up the chores you did to maintain the household, even though Hitoshi insisted he could do it. She slept in your bed every night after that and was currently sleeping as you and your brother were catching up. 

Your father, however, was a different case. He fell apart after you left, never talked, never ate – Hitoshi was terrified and had asked Hizashi for help, the usually humorous blonde now deadly serious as he and your father had gotten into a terrible argument. The only thing your brother was able to hear was “I lost my wife; I can’t lose my daughter too.” 

You sobbed uncontrollably as Hitoshi held you again, resenting yourself for the pain you caused your family, and resenting yourself for the hateful vermillion stare that you were sure would haunt you for the rest of your life.  

Though scalding tears burned through your skin, it didn’t hurt to cry as much as it used to. They didn’t feel suffocating, instead they felt liberating as you finally unloaded months of negative bottled up emotions.  

Your family was safe, thanks to you, and you were going to make sure it stayed that way.  

*** 

Eri wakes up a few hours later, her red eyes lacked their usual luster until they noticed you, the nine-year-old ran up to you and hugged you tight, her tears bleeding into your clothes.  

“Y/N...?!” she gasps in surprise, burying her face into your chest, inhaling deeply as if to memorize the way you smelled. Usually, it would have been weird, and uncomfortable considering you hadn’t showered in a week, but you allowed it, stroking her hair comfortingly, as a few more tears escape your eyes and roll down your face.  

“M’not going anywhere Banana.” you whisper, and she snorts and punches your arm weakly.  

“You know I hate that name.” 

You stayed like that for a while, before letting each other, drinking in each other’s appearance.  

“You look terrible.” she quips and you can’t help the laugh that erupts from your mouth.  

Eri and Hitoshi look at you in surprise – the you that they knew was more reserved, but they had to admit, they liked to see you let go more. You looked happier, and your joy was always contagious.  

Your siblings usher you into the washroom to finally shower, saying you smelled like shit (not really- if Hitoshi cursed in front of Eri you probably would’ve whipped out your sword) and you roll your eyes at their antics.  

You look into the cracked mirror on the way and get a good look at yourself- the first time you had to liberty to do so before you left.  

You truly didn’t look like Y/N anymore, you knew that much. But you didn’t feel like Cattus either. It was the strangest feeling, feeling like two people and neither at the same time. You sigh, dismissing it- knowing that maintaining another identity for so long would clearly have its side effects, but it was still uncomfortable to deal with.  

You were Y/N. But better. And happier with yourself.  

When you finally exit the shower, looking and feeling more like you, clean and in fresh clothes, a thought strikes you.  

“Hey... Toshi...?” You murmur, approaching the purplenette. “Where’s Dad?” 

Hitoshi looks away from you momentarily, before looking at you with sadness in his eyes. “He’s staying at Chiyo’s. Ever since you left, he hasn’t been eating well, and he’s been bedridden for a while. Hizashi says that he isn’t really stable for us to visit him.” 

You don’t listen to the last part- slipping on some random pair of shoes and bolting out of the house before heading over to Chiyo’s home.  

Your heart raced, in sync with your footsteps, one after the other.  

Your mind was even faster however- thoughts of worry and anxiety so strong you felt like you couldn’t breathe.  

Was your father okay? 

Was he mad at you? 

What if he doesn’t make it? It would be all your fault. 

As soon as your mind comes across the thought, your legs move impossibly fast, racing all the way across town until you reach the apocarthy center, also where Chiyo lived, and where she treated those in unstable conditions.  

You knock rapidly on the door, hearing a faint “I'm coming I'm coming...your generation is so energetic these days...”, the few seconds it takes Chiyo to open the door feel like a millennia each- as soon as the door opens, you see the small older lady look at you in surprise, but you pay no mind, slipping past her immediately and running down the hallway, turning the corner to find the room where Chiyo let her long term patients stay.  

And yet, you can’t bring your shaky hand to twist the doorknob and open the door. 

You feel terrible, knowing that any caring daughter should rush in immediately, but guilt wracks your mind, and your heart.  

You feel a hand on your shoulder and look down to see Chiyo looking up at you which a solemn look on her face.  

“He’ll want to see you, Y/N” she says softly, and you swallow thickly and nod.  

Twisting the knob, you finally push open the door and see your father sitting on a bed by the window. Turning his head, he sighs, “Chiyo, I told you I don-” he stops talking once he sees you. 

“Y/N.” he whispers, his voice shook and his eyes were wide.  

He was frailer than he was the last time you saw him, his skin that you always complained made him look half dead was now sallow and sickly. 

You walk over to him slowly and kneel in front of his bed, taking the man by surprise.  

“I’m sorry.” you sob, letting all the guilt and sorrow you felt wash over you. “I know I shouldn’t have left but I couldn’t just let you die.” 

You hear a small laugh and look up to see your father smiling while wiping incessant tears from his face.  

“Come, my warrior.” he says warmly. “You have made me proud.” 

*** 

It’s been a month since you returned home- news of the war spread through the village.  

You’d hear about the famed War Dragon and how he valiantly led his troop into battle, without losing a single soldier. It relieved you to hear it, knowing that Denki and Hanta were alive and well – but you still missed them.  

You reunited with Izuku and Ochako, both extremely worried but overjoyed to see you, nonetheless. Ejiro was still fighting for his country, and you missed him, worry bubbling in your stomach at the thought of getting hurt, but you trusted him. Ejiro was strong, and brave, no doubt a courageous soldier- he would come home.  

It was almost like everything was back to normal, but it wasn’t. 

You still jumped at everything, scraping a chair, someone’s limp brushing against yours, even a voice disrupting the silence, everything set you off.  

Eri was significantly more mature now, no longer the bubbly and hyper girl you knew, now more reserved and calmer. She reminded you of yourself, the knowledge was painful, but you were glad to see she retained her voracious appetite and distaste for bananas.  

Your father was recovering slowly, as you were now working overtime to stuff both him and Hitoshi with the food and nutrients, they needed to be healthy again. After you left, they deteriorated both physically and mentally, and so you decided to help them in any way you could.  

You tried your best to forget about the battle in the Chira Woods after that, but something just didn’t add up. 

How did the enemy know you were planning to ambush them? 

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[fallenclan]

lol sorry to get you falsely excited, but yup Fernstar is Pondshine's dad! Here's the drawing I did of Pondshine's immediate family, though it sounds like you've already seen it

As for Shallowclan taking Pondshine back, it's not made any more likely by the fact that his dad is leader--in fact, it actually makes it less likely. Fernstar has always been a very strict cat who is very focused on clan loyalty (think Ravenstar but less silly and less murderous), and he holds his kits to a very harsh standard. They are extensions of him, and if they can't be good, loyal warriors, then they can't be his kits at all. Pondshine knew this when he left.

Fernstar and Ravenstar are actually very interesting characters to me because of this! They're parallels of each other in that they're both extremely focused on being "loyal warriors", they're both power hungry, and they're both a little bloodthirstier than is usually acceptable (though Ravenstar Significantly more than Fernstar. Fernstar isn't the type to kill someone in cold blood).

Where they differ is in how they see their families. Ravenstar is almost obsessive about protecting them, going to frankly absurd lengths to do so. His family is Perfect because they're His Family. They can't really do any wrong. If Canarywish or Littleleaf or whoever did something horrible? Well, whoever they did something horrible to probably deserved it. (Makes you think about how he'd react if the "horrible" thing was betraying him. Looks at Flamefall)

In contrast, Fernstar expects his family to act a certain way and think a certain way. If they don't? They might as well just fuck off. He doesn't have time for any cat that would sully his image. For his son, his blood, to do the unthinkable? To leave Shallowclan for another clan? It's despicable. Pondshine might as well have shoved dirt in his muzzle before he left. As far as Fernstar is concerned, he only has one kit.

[gabessquishytum]

Okay so I have seen the Warprize Au and I would like to say I have a decent understanding of it. But I have a different idea for it! It’s perfectly okay if you don’t like it, you can just delete this.

But what if King Cow!Hob and King Cat!Dream are already married and have a whole union with their Kingdom’s. And everything is actually really good! Except for the fact that they’re different species so they can’t have kids together like they wish. This bothers Hob, but he does not try and let it show.

Until they get War declared on them by another Kingdom. It’s pretty brutal, but of course with the constant supplies and powerful warriors from Hob’s Kingdom and many skilled spies from Dream’s they are able to defeat the other Kingdom. 

So the King offers them one of his sons as a Warprize, to which they accept. Mainly to understand more about this royal family and see if they could get any secrets from the Prince. 

Dream is the one who the Prince will meet first, and because of how violent the War and the information that had been given from spies. had been Dream is expecting some sort of large man who had been in many battles or perhaps a spoiled brat. So he has the throne room decorated in weapons, spikes and he himself has completely covered himself in his own armor. 

Which was a complete mistake when *ten* year old Orpheus enters the room.

Dream: *Surrounded by heavily armed guards and has darkened the throne room to make it appear more intimidating.* 0_0

Orpheus: *Trembling and sobbing.*

While different people are hurrying about to hide all weapons and pulling open the curtains. Orpheus is standing in the middle of the room, unhealthily skinny, filthy, and properly terrified. So the plan of scaring the Prince worked?

Dream doesn’t know what to do, so he does what any normal King would do and calls his husband for help. And the moment Hob sees this child he has decided he is adopting. (“No Dream this is not negotiable.”)

From Orpheus–when he finally calms down–they learn that he does have older brothers, but his father had said they were far too important to give up. Then told Orpheus that if he had to send one of his sons to their death it would be the one that he could care less about. - RB (Ima just leave this here because emojis dont work-- Sorry...)

This is a really good elaboration on the idea of a warprize au, and I absolutely love it! I have a wonderful feeling that Hob and Dream will spend the rest of their lives "collecting" war prizes in the form of other neglected, abused or orphaned children.

Orpheus is also a cat hybrid, just a different breed of cat to Dream - so they have many things in common. After he realises that he's not going to be killed or tortured, Orpheus basically imprints on Dream and follows him around with a very serious expression on his little face. He wants to be just like Dream, to fight and hunt like him and be strong! Dream quickly becomes equally attached to Orpheus, nicknaming him "little shadow", taking him to counsel meetings, showing him the best nap spots and generally tutoring him. But Orpheus also quickly grows to love Hob just as much, despite being scared of his size at first. Hob is warm and smells really good, and he always has milk for Orpheus to enjoy. He's determined for Orpheus to have a proper childhood where he's loved and spoiled (Hob has always hoped to have children with Dream, even though he had no idea how it could be possible. You can bet he takes every opportunity to enjoy fatherhood.) Every night Hob falls asleep with two cats sprawled on top of him, soaking up all of his warmth, and he has really never loved his life more.

A few years later, King Hob and King Dream happen to meet Orpheus's birth father at some kind of diplomatic gathering, and they have a proper argument about who gets to bite the horrible, awful asshole first. The rival King never even bothered to ask for Orpheus back after the war, just abandoned him in another kingdom! But Orpheus calms his beloved adopted parents down. He's a strong, healthy cat prince with glossy brown fur and a talent for music, and he's not interested in raking up the past. In fact he's much more interested in one of Hob’s distant relatives, a bovine princess named Eurydice...

Hob and Dream are truly the proudest parents. And although wars are to be avoided, they will never regret the conflict that brought sweet Orpheus into their home <3

[ronearoundblindly]

Okay, so, hear me out.

I know I've got a Beauty and the Beast AU coming for skinny!Steve, but @darsynia gave me/let me have this idea of a Cinderella AU with him, too, except he is the Cinderella character who gets transformed to live his dream for a day.

I present to you the setup of:

*All photos from Pinterest

Steven is the only child of an exiled prince, and due to happenstance of the aged Warrior King Phillips having no male heir of his own, Steve becomes true royalty overnight.

His cousins, Princesses Margaret and Sharon, angry at the circumstance of their demotions at court, offer no help to the young, small, and often sickly new king.

No one is allowed to see him until his coronation. The few knights and advisors who have laid eyes on Steve are sworn to secrecy, and though he has a mind for strategy, Steve is burdened by his appearance.

Given the coronation crown the night before the big ceremony, Steve stares deep into the massive yellow gem at its front and wishes to look like the "ruler they all want to see."

And he does.

He wears the heavy crown easily, he stands tall over most of the court, and he carries a heavy, steel sword at his hip for the first time ever without the blade dragging across the stone floor.

The court is elated. No one looks twice, not even the handful of men who knew, but that's the magic of the stone...

Steve meets a seemingly endless stream of people, but the most curious is the apprentice of King Phillips' military advisor, a young man he saw befriending a stray cat in the courtyard while everyone else ogled and angled for him. The apprentice's eyes...there's just something about them...

After a long celebration feast where he charmed the nobility with humility, practicality, and honor, Steve falls asleep small again, but certain he can win over the whole realm if he can simply be known for his actions, not his physique.

That becomes the plan; Steve will work behind the scenes, make the kingdom better for people high and low, and then he'll be loved and accepted for who he is. In the meantime, he, in his natural form, can act as a sort of messenger or page boy 'for King Steven' and move around freely. Why not? They all are on the lookout for a man standing two hands higher and broader than him.

One of his first visits is to his inherited military advisor. Of course, Steve doesn't expect the apprentice to live inside the family home, possibly somewhere on the estate maybe, but after a long ride to get there and a long discussion while sitting in the man's study, Steve asks if he might walk the garden before leaving.

He asks about the woman by the roses, and his advisor simply replies "that's my daughter."

Of course, he won't bother to introduce him. Steve's an untitled nobody like he's been his entire life thus far.

Steve might not have seen the resemblance, truly, if not for the exact movement of your finger to gently lift a wilting petal back into place.

It's the move the apprentice made when scratching beneath the cat's chin, and he'll never forget that smile.

"You," he blurts, startled at the otherwise drastic change in your appearance.

You jump back before composing yourself, shielding your eyes from the bright sun above as you look him over.

He's more alarmed by your curtsy than you are by him, watching you bow deeply where moments ago your father dismissed him offhand.

"Your Majesty," you say to the ground.

You...

You recognize him like this? How? How is that possible?

His wish was granted. They all saw a perfect soldier, but that's just the thing: you didn't want to be ruled by a perfect soldier.

You wanted a good man.

You, who secretly longs to offer more to your father and family than a bartering chip for marriage, same as his cousins, need the king to be a good man because then he'll understand this...

A/N: Ok, full disclosure, I might already be very protective of this one, so we'll see if I can bring myself to put it all out there. Anyway! Thank you for the gif, Brandy! It was a great opportunity to get this down.

Also, if it's just an idea/intro, do I include the taglist? Idk. I hate pinging y'all if it's not like a lot of content.

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[the-doctor-3000]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 {The Witcher x F!Reader}

1: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐝��𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 (pt. 1)

The chirping of birds woke the nineteen-year-old y/n up. She cracked her eyes open, having a difficulty to do so due to the light of the sun, and found herself laying in a forest. She sat up slowly, clenching the pendant that was hanging around her neck tightly and looked around in sheer confusion.

How did she even end up here? She was on a mission with her siblings. Knowing that it didn't include the woods. She quickly searched around for her stuff. She had her seraph blade, her stele was on her jacket's pocket along with a sensor and her witchlight stone. She stood up on her feet with a small stumble and continued to look at her surroundings confused. 

The air was clearer, deprived of pollution. It was nice but scary too.

Where was she? Had she been teleported there and how?

Not expecting to get any answers from just standing there and staring, she walked her way out of the forest. Or at least tried to. No sign of a city but a small village. Too medieval-like for her own liking.

Hopefully the mundanes were just filming a movie with that theme. As she approached, her nostrils picked up some unpleasant smells which caused her to gag in disgust. 

It smelled worse than a farm or litter boxes. She had been to villages before but none of them smelled like that.

She went pass a few locals, all of them dressed in medieval styled peasant clothing, and some gave her some odd looks while others minded their own business. Y/n's brows furrowed. She looked around, expecting to see some cameramen filming the entire thing or the staff.

She saw none.

What she did see was a cart, drawn by two piebald mares. She tilted her head to the side as she cautiously followed and examined the people on it. 

Three. The driver. Nothing too unusual for the theme of the movie - if it was a movie; he was wearing sheepskin over his bare skin and his hair reached his brows. Next to him sat another man; that one was slim, he was wearing a fancy bonnet with a heron's feather decorating it. She noticed that he was holding a lute. A troubadour, she mentally noted. 

Her eyes trailed to the man next to him. He was skinny, unhealthy pale and had milky loose hair. What she could make of his appearance from the far back was that he was a warrior of sorts.

She didn't know what but there was something about that man that piqued her interest. If her brothers were there they would be able to restrain her from going off to satisfy her curiosity. Her sister, though, would go along with her.

The white haired male spoke to the driver and he brought the horses to a halt. Y/n didn't know why but she felt like the white haired man could tell that she was following them.

Her suspicion was confirmed as he jumped out of the cart, daggers on each side and a steel sword on the back, and approached her. 

She came to a halt as she gasped instinctively. His face. She had seen worse but there was something unsettling about him. His eyes were frightening and cat-like and there was something about him. . . Cold and threatening. 

Her fingers tried to reach for her blades but he spoke. "Why are you following us?"

His voice was just as unsettling as the rest of his appearance. It was very unpleasant and hoarse. Y/n never had encountered anyone like him. She had seen things and yet this man made her feel afraid.

Why? She had killed demons, a man with a disturbing appearance should be nothing compared to her previous encounters. 

He asked her again. More demanding but still calm. "Well?"

She flinched but finally found her voice. "I am sorry." She apologised and thought that the truth would be the best answer. "I am new around. . . . here and you three looked like an interesting bunch. Would it, ah, be alright to tag along until I find a way back?"

He seemed to think about it. His inhuman eyes stared into hers as if he were examining her. "Where are you from?"

"Manhattan, New York."

He arched a white brow. "Come again? Is this a new kind of joke?"

"Why would---? Listen, if you don't know where it is then just say so." She said, irritation building its way to her chest. "Don't have to act as if it doesn't exist."

"That's because it doesn't. Never heard of such place."

The seriousness in his tone made it difficult for y/n to tell whether he was messing with her or not. She crossed her arms over her torso, trying to keep a straight face and mask her worry. "Then where exactly am I?"

"Near Lower Posada, Dol Blathanna."

She barked a laugh. "Okay okay! That's creative but, for real, where am I?"

"Do I look like someone who is joking?"

Her hair went up like wires and a chill went down her spine. She croaked nervously, "Probably not."

There was a long silence between. The man's travelling companions were observing this interraction from afar, seeming quite interested to see how this would evolve. The bard was the most intrigued by it out of the two. Y/n avoided making eye contact with the man standing in front of her, her gaze was fixated on the medallion around his neck. It was made out of silver and had the shape of a wolf's head. 

The longer she thought about it the more scared she became that maybe she was indeed in another universe and/or time period. Everything looked far too real, they smelled like it too, to be just a film production and the actors decided to mess with her. 

Then it hit her. How could he, a mundane, see her? The glamour should have made it impossible unless, of course, he wasn't human himself but he didn't look like any of the Downworlders she had known of. The only distinct feature about him which only fit the warlocks' was his eyes, which were cat-like, but she could tell that he wasn't one. Mostly due to the fact that he was carrying weapons and, as far as she knew, warlocks needn't any of those. Not when they had their magic.

She gathered up some courage and spoke, "Do you---" She cut herself, thinking carefully of her next words and tried to make eye contact without flinching. Her mother and father always told her to stare someone in the eyes when speaking or else it would make her seem like a fool. "Is it alright to stay with you until I figure a way to return to my home? I promise that I won't get in the way of whatever it is that you are doing."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "And what is that you think I'm doing?"

Y/n shrugged. "Don't know and don't care. It's not my business either way as long as you don't cause any trouble that is."

"Hm."

He just hummed. No comment or any reply, just a hum. Y/n didn't know what to make of that guy but she followed him when he nodded for her to do so. They went to the cart and there was yet again an uneasy silence.

"I'm y/n Lightwood, by the way." She introduced herself to him, with a smile, hoping to at least learn his name. When he didn't respond, she quickly added. "Sorry if I crossed over any boundaries. It's just that people usually tell their names when they make an acquaintance." No response still. "So, ah, what's your name?"

"Geralt of Rivia."

"Geralt of Rivia." She tested his name, mispronouncing it completely, sounding like 'Jerald'. She noticed from the corner of her eye, his scarred eye twitching a little. 

At least she got a reaction.

Not wanting to make things worse, she decided not to speak any further. When they reached the cart, the troubadour was the first one to acknowledge her. 

"Ah! And who is your feminine friend, Geralt?" The bard asked, his cornflower blue eyes though were fixated on her.

He seemed pleasant, he looked like it too. His attitude so far was also friendly. She gave him a small smile, "I'm y/n. Y/n Lightwood."

As Geralt climbed on the cart, the bard hopped out. He took her hand and gingerly planted a kiss on the back of. "Charmed. I am Master Dandilion! A poet, a minstrel and a bard."

She chuckled, her cheeks flushing red a little. "Yeah, I got that. The lute gave it away."

"Would you be interested in hearing one of my ballads, my fair lady?"

An exasperated groan came from Geralt. Y/n was yet again curious but also bored.

"Music is the perfect way to pass the time while driving, so yeah!" She said with a warm smile gracing her features.

Dandilion beamed with joy.

She climbed the cart, Dandilion followed, and she was inbetween him and Geralt. The driver did not question her and continued. Y/n continued paying attention to Dandilion, too scared or uncomfortable to look at Geralt.

Disclaimer: I don't own the The Witcher nor the pictures/gifs, all credit goes to the original creators. This is a crossover between the Witcher and the Shadowhunter Chronicles. This will be based on the books and *not* the Netflix series and the story will be according to the books (though I'll add some scenes of my own and/or change some things in order for the mc to fit in the story).

This fanfiction will be also published on quotev.

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

What are your opinions on each of the songs? (you can answer with as much or as little detail as you'd like)

Big shocker that the songs from the 2 good episodes are in S and the only one that isn’t is still B tier/sar

The first 2 songs in S made me either tear up/shake violently or cry, and therefore they deserve to be up there IMO. Out for love is also just genuinely catchy and had actual build up to it. Also God “Ready for This” just. OOUGGGHHH IT SCRATCHES MY BRAIN SO GOOD LIKE A WARRIOR CATS MAP. I like it a lot. You cant have multiple characters sing about working together and expect me to NOT cry.

“Stayed Gone” isn’t one I listen to often but it’s so peppy and fast and full of hatred I can’t help but enjoy it. Also everytime the song starts my brain does this

I dont know anything about Welcome Home

I have. Issues. With “Loser, Baby” but aside from those the song holds a lot more weight to it than I usually give it credit for. And for as cheesy as the start if it is, the line before of Angel talking about self destructing resonates with me a lot. Also Husk lays down in a puddle of vomit and no one talks about that ever.

I think the first song in B is “Happy Day in Hell” and I’m adding it there 1. Because it is the first song 2. It gets a reprise thing 3. Charlie almost gets hit by a truck. Other than that it’s not really my favourite but I respect the impact it has.

“Hell is Forever” just fucks. End of story. Alex Brightman killed it.

“Respectless” is good I love Velvette’s VA, but the sudden start of the song and the ending are so out of left field the first time me and my friends watched this show we had to pause cause we lost our fucking minds. Could’ve been better but I’d listen to it again, yeah.

“Hell’s Greatest Dad” is silly and funny and maybe I’m biased as a violin player and jazz enjoyer but a lot of the instrumental tickles my brain so nicely. I will say though it confuses me so much because why does Alastor care about being seen as a father figure?? My mom said it could just be him wanting to show up Lucifer and that’s it but I dunno.

“More than Anything (Reprise)” AKA “Charlie and Veggie Kiss Scene - Hazbin Hotel”

This song sounds like it’s straight out of Barbie & Th Diamond Castle and I’m honestly pissed the girls in the movie didn’t kiss so I’m coping with this. ALSO THE FACT ITS A REPRISED SONG ABOUT LOVE MAKES ME A BIT CRAZY. I never noticed this was the same song Lucifer sang to Charlie SOMEHOW but that’s actually really cute.

“It Starts With Sorry” Has a big part in Sir Pentious’s character growth and just his character in general. I’ve been working on this in my Pentious rant but I never see people mention how much this song probably meant to him. Yeah it’s super corny, but he was fully expecting to be killed and had just been told to kill himself. This was definitely huge for him and I’m not gonna be convinced otherwise.

“You Didn’t Know” is really good but Lute’s part is by far the best and I pray to GOD she gets her own song in S2 her voice actor can SING. GODDAMN! I am very interested in Lute’s character development and I love seeing what people do with close-minded characters like that and hopefully Vivzie doesn’t condemn her to Vivziepop Woman Syndrome. If she isn’t important in S2 I’m going to be pissed but I dunno maybe S3 if we get one.

“More Than Anything” Wish my dad was like this! This song is incredibly sweet and I appreciate it a lot. Honestly might go way higher on the list if I keep thinking about it.

“Whatever It Takes” Sorry you will never be Imagine Dragons. Vaggie doesn’t sound anything like herself cause her VA is making her voice so much more gruff for her character, which is fine! I like her voice (the voice direction is not very good but I digress) it’s just her voice is so high in this I can’t even tell it’s Vaggie.

“Welcome to Heaven” is boring, but we got a Molly cameo!

“Poison”. Read this and this and this. -10/10. I’d rather make out violently with Elon Musk.

[clangenrising]

Month 2 - Newleaf

Prev | First | Next

Yarrowshade padded just ahead of Pantherhaze through the tall grass on the hill that led up to the thunderpath. As the clan’s best hunters, they had taken to going out together to see how much prey they could catch.

“We’ll make it a game,” Yarrowshade had said with a taunting grin, “a competition. To see who’s better.” 

“And I suppose you think you’ll win?” Pantherhaze had raised his brows in amusement in response. 

“Um, yeah,” Yarrowshade had replied. “Why would I propose a competition I thought I would lose?” 

Pantherhaze had laughed. “Fair point. Well, it sounds like a good way to get everyone fed so… deal. Get ready to lose.” 

Now, about a month into their bet, Yarrowshade was behind by about ten catches and he wasn’t going to let that stand so today he had dragged Pantherhaze to the southern border looking for a plentiful hunting ground. 

“You’re sure you want to go over the thunderpath?” Pantherhaze asked again, tail twitching slightly with worry. 

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Trust me, there’s a bunch of birds and things just over it that don’t expect to get eaten. It’ll be easy pickings.” 

“It’ll take more than a good hunting spot to catch up to me,” the other warrior huffed with exertion, watching his paws as he climbed the steepest part of the hill. Yarrowshade paused at the top to look down at him with a smirk.

“Oh, I’m not just going to catch up, Hazey, I’m going to take the lead by thirty fox-lengths!” He puffed up his chest and purred smugly. Pantherhaze jogged the rest of the distance to him and reared to batter his ears with playful strikes. He laughed and swatted back before pulling away to continue leading their little patrol towards the bounty waiting on the other side of the thunderpath. 

“You’ve got bees in your brain, Yare,” said Patherhaze fondly as he fell in behind the ginger tabby. They marched through the tall grass in a relaxed manner, the only sound being the reassuring quiet rustle of plants in the breeze and birds somewhere nearby. However, as they slowed to poke their heads out of the sheltering grass, both cats felt their hackles rising at the smell of blood. It wasn’t an uncommon smell on the thunderpath, but it was unsettling nonetheless because it wasn’t the tempting scent of prey blood but the distinct smell of an injured cat. Yarrowshade reared up on his hind legs to look over as much of the thunderpath as he could and spotted a limp ginger body in the middle of the path, a few fox-lengths away.

“Look,” he said and dropped down to start creeping closer. 

Pantherhaze bristled anxiously. “W- Careful!” 

“I’m being careful,” he murmured back. For some reason, he felt the need to keep his voice soft and his pawsteps light, as if trying to stay hidden, even though the strange cat was probably dead and there were no monsters in sight. Glancing back, he asked, “Keep watch, yeah?” Pantherhaze frowned deeply but, after a moment, nodded, and cast his eyes down the thunderpath in both directions. 

Knowing his friend was watching his back, Yarrowshade refocused on the task at hand. He crept up on the body - a she-cat by the smell of it - with wide, curious eyes. Her long, feathered tail was a deep ginger but as he got closer, he saw that her pelt was mostly a dusty brown. He’d never seen a cat like her before. Her pelt was a little scraped up, but as far as he could tell there weren’t any mortal wounds. He hovered over her, mouth open to scent for the source of the blood as he lifted a paw to gently prod her side. The she-cat groaned blearily and shifted, causing him to flinch backwards.

Pantherhaze noticed and called over, “What is it!?” 

“She’s alive!” Yarrowshade called over his shoulder. “I’m gonna try and wake her!” Carefully he shook her shoulder a bit, eliciting more pained groans. 

“Uh, hey there…” he ventured. “You alright?” 

She shifted again and managed to pull her feet underneath her, crouching defensively as she turned to face him, revealing a trail of thick blood rolling between her striking blue eyes. “Wh… What…” she tried but couldn’t make it much further into the sentence. She winced and ducked her head, clearly in a lot of pain. 

“Hey, it’s alright. Let’s get you off the thunderpath, yeah?” 

“The… what…?” she looked around and then swallowed. “Oh. Yeah, o…okay.” Yarrowshade sighed in relief and gave her shoulder a few reassuring licks, ignoring the acrid taste of monster that clung to her fur. He came up behind her and nudged her side and she instinctively moved away. He shepherded her back to Pantherhaze this way, only pausing to let her rest once they were safely hidden among the grass at the top of the hill. 

“Are you alright?” Pantherhaze asked, sniffing at the messy wound on her forehead. The stranger pulled away from him but winced at the sudden movement and lowered her head, looking sick to her stomach. 

“I’m fine,” she managed after a moment with an attempt at a smile. 

“You should come with us,” Pantherhaze said quickly. “We have someone back at camp who will know how to help you.”

Seeing the suspicion in the she-cat’s eyes as she regarded the offer, Yarrowshade added, “At the very least, we have herbs to help with the pain.”

 She glanced at him with her eyes only, holding as still as she could, and thought for a moment before she closed her eyes and huffed, “I guess why not. Not like I could stop you if you decided to make me.” 

“We would never,” Pantherhaze assured her and Yarrowshade chuckled at his friend’s naivety. 

“Yeah, it would be much easier to leave you to die,” he joked. Pantherhaze scowled at him but, surprisingly, the stranger laughed. 

“I ‘spose so, huh…” she did her best to stand up straight and open her eyes so she could look at them as she said, “You can call me Scorch.”

“Good to meet you, Scorch,” Yarrowshade grinned. “I’m Yarrowshade, this is Pantherhaze. We’re from RisingClan.”

“Oh… you’re those cultists I’ve been hearing about.” 

“Cultists!?” Pantherhaze blustered, tail lashing. “What do you mean, cultists?” 

Yarrowshade brushed his tail against his friend’s leg. “You can interrogate her about it once she’s had a few poppy seeds, Hazey. Come on.” And with that he pressed up against Scorch’s side, allowing her to lean on him on the walk back to camp.

UPDATES:

- A rogue named Scorch is found on the thunderpath.

[raayllum]

One thing I noted watching The Dragon Prince is that the intro splits the same continent in half with the elves/humans so they started with the same amount of magical animals/plants each. There’s still some magical animals the human side but their presence is far, far reduced comparatively so do you think that’s specifically because of dark magic harvesting leading to more “normal” to our eyes species dominating?

I’m fairly surprised there isn’t a visibly established livestock industry’s for magic animals too (that way say your lunar moths can be renewably hatched each year, or a sheep population equivalent kept etc).

You seem very immersed in much of the lore so thought it’d be fun to at least pose as a query.

I think there's a few different things here to consider (that we'll probably never get a definitive answer on) but this is my best guess + what we do know about how dark magic operates:

Both regular animals and magical creatures can be used for dark magic. We know this because we've seen human blood be used in a couple of spells, Claudia puts grasshopper goop in Soren's mouth (2x08), and then later uses the deer in its entirety to undo Soren's paralysis.

That said, it does seem that magical creatures are more potent and preferred for dark magic spells. This makes sense - while you can use the life essence of anyone/anything for dark magic, creatures with magic inside them (any arcanum) are inevitably going to have more to "squeeze out" than a non magical creature would.

With that in mind, I think canon gives us a few answers and subtextual clues.

The most important one is something Viren refers to 2x05 (which has haunted me ever since), in which he cites that, "After centuries of fighting amongst ourselves, the five human kingdoms finally found balance, an era of peace." The Book 2 novelization gives a little more information about this period on conflict, explaining that "The first summit of the Pentarchy had been held centuries ago, and it had brought an end to the Mage Wars and created the modern order of the human kingdoms" (Ch17).

We don't know, of course, if this is precisely the same period of time. Maybe by helping to imprison Aaravos (and presumably disposing of the last king of Katolis), the Orphan Queen likewise helped put an end to the mage wars. Maybe she only came on the scene centuries after the mage wars! Who knows. "Held centuries ago" could mean three, which matches up with the Orphan Queen / Aaravos imprisonment timeline (and no more mister startouch elf preying on mages) or it could go back closer to 700-800 years. We'll just have to wait and see if we ever get more details!

Regardless, the Mage Wars and the fact they were likely fuelled by dark magic, since it was humans fighting amongst themselves, might answer why we see so few (known) magical creatures in the Human Kingdoms other than maybe glow toads: mages went after the most potent magical ingredients during the fighting, and reduced those numbers to virtually nonexistent or extinct.

I would imagine before the Mage Wars / even before Xadia split, maybe, more magical creatures were held and domesticated as livestalk. (Elves certainly do keep some animals as pets, such as Janai's flying hot cat, though I'd expect something like a Moonstrider to maybe have evolved as a sort of hunting companion.) However, humans on the eastern side and elves on the western side were likely forced to abandon any farms / communities they had in regards to animal care when the Exile / Schism happened. Information and resources might've been lost, as animals on one side of the continent were likely different compared to others, although some humans (who already lived in the west) and some elves (who already lived in the east) wouldn't have had to have moved.

That said, I think the simplest and shortest answer is just that there's not a lot of mages within TDP's world. For each group of people, we see a lot more warriors or diplomats than mages and they don't seem to regularly be employed in the military of kingdom we've seen, Sunfire or Pentarchy troops or otherwise. We can also guess that in the Pentarchy due to the specificity of the ingredients needed, sometimes, that Katolis by virtue of being closest to the Border would be primed to have the most dark mages and dark mage traffic / travellers (although I've HC'd that Evenere due to its isolation has a fair bit of lingering magic more than say Del Bar or Duren). But due to the amount of knowledge and ingredients required to seemingly do most dark magic spells, as well as the toll it takes on the body, I think it makes sense that most people wouldn't have the interest, access, or ability to pursue that kind of path when there's plenty of others that are less gruelling / easier

Magic is everywhere, and small pieces of magic (like Ruthari's moon opals) are everywhere, but outside of the specific skillsets of each primal (Moonshadow illusion spells and forgery, maybe cooking, forgery and healing for Sunfire elves) it doesn't seem like magic is something they readily depend on for food or livestock in their day to day lives. And if that's not the case for the majority in Xadia (only used in times of crisis, etc), I can see that need plummeting in the Human Kingdoms simply because it takes a lot more time/energy to maintain than might be necessarily utilized because of the low demand

This was all long winded speculation and hopefully mostly coherent. If you're interested in more deep dive worldbuilding thoughts I'd really recommend some of @kradogsrats stuff as it's great and a lot more eloquent / all encompassing tbh

[scarfacemarston]

saw your post saying that you want ideas for Fenris, so here's my 5 cents;

You know the romance ending for Fenris? Whenever I see it and I hear Varric say "a hero was born" for some reason that makes me think that it is giving us the idea that Fenris has become a dad, soooooo, any thoughts on Fenris as a dad?

Have a good day/night

Hey! I LOVE that idea. Seriously, that is so heartwarming to think of. It's been months since I've written hc and I've never written for Fenris before, but I hope you like it! I have bonus hc's from the crew below the cut. Background: Despite being together for over several years since Act 3 and the fact that they might as well have been married, Varric and crew still found themselves surprised to hear that Fenris and Hawke were pregnant/adopting. "Broody with a Broody Jr on the way? I knew it'd happen at some point; you owe me 50 coppers, Rivani."

If pregnant - Hawke was initially worried Fenris would leave them because of their first night together, but he had proven himself loyal to a fault numerous times, the thought thankfully disrupted quickly.

Fenris is the worrying warrior until after the baby is born, or if adopting, til they bring them home.  His mind is always going a mile a minute risk calculation and problem-solving for things that haven't yet happened. Hawke has to get him to snap out of it. He's extremely attentive partially because he tries to think about any possible situation and discomfort and how to avoid it. If Hawke is pregnant, he's ready, whether through ginger tea, soothing balms, hot towels, massages, craving outings, you name it.

It's not original, but the baby would definitely be named Bethany, Leandra, or Malcolm if it's a son. With adoption, he feels a little more in control. (I love the idea of Fenris having a daughter, so that's what I'm using her. Feel free to hc differently!)

The baby loves his voice. Adores it. She perks up whenever Fenris speaks, even if it's the quietest of murmurs or humming. Fenris would talk to the baby if his partner is pregnant, calming her down, especially if she starts kicking.  

He doesn't mind getting up in the middle of the night to take care of her. He's lived on such little sleep before, but this was something worth it. He sometimes likes the quiet to reflect on his new life and gaze at the miracle in his arms.

Fenris has to be reminded to put her down sometimes so Hawke can hold her ---then Hawke has to be reminded to put down the baby so they can get work done.

Definitely lots of story time together and time spent reading books together. 

He wants his child to be curious about the world and not be afraid to question why things are the way they are. He encourages her to ask difficult questions, even if it's something he doesn't always want to answer. He will try to answer in an age-appropriate manner anyhow.

Incredibly protective. He never thought he'd have a family, and now he has someone who depends on him more than anything. He is never far from her; if he can't chase after them, she's in a playpen where he can keep watch. However, he also tells himself that falling and making mistakes is okay. Scratched knees or messes are to be expected. Fenris becomes very good at toeing the line between being protective and allowing her to pick herself up and figure out solutions "by herself." (Of course, he'll still be there to kiss it better or give her a boost.)

He and Hawke agree that they'd rather gift her love and time than gifts.

Somehow, Fenris has ended up with an extra Malbari, 2 cats, and a goat as pets.

He teaches her a lot of skills, Lots of nature excursions, and teaches her things like navigation, plant identification, starting a fire, and helping her learn a language. 

He and Hawke agree to teach her self-defense once she's old enough. He's a firm & thorough but patient teacher.

He and Hawke believe she should do whatever she pleases with her body. Does she want long-flowing hair? He'll show off his braiding skills. Does she want chopped hair like FemHawke? Done. 

If she turns out to be a mage, Fenris would accept it. He would know that was a possibility whether she was biologically theirs - because of Hawke's mage line or, if adopted, that it is a randomized gene. He would be lying if he didn't think their lives would be easier if she wasn't a mage - but that is because he is worried for her and the current politics - not so much because of his past treatment of mages. It would take him a little time to process it, but he would love her just the same……….he only hopes that Hawke or one of their friends can help with the magic because turning the floor into an ice rink or the smell of burnt hair can only be tolerated for so long.

Bonus:

The Hawke crew isn't always around, but I like to hear them stay in touch and visit. Maybe they still travel together. I hated the idea of them breaking up.

Varric has most definitely written a few adventures with her in mind - one being a talking animal version of Hawke's adventures. Another about griffons and another about malbari adventurers.

Merrill brings the sweetest gifts and loves telling stories and taking her foraging. Flower crowns are a must.

Isabela develops a liking for stuffed plushies. It started with a stuffed parrot, and before they knew it, the bed was crowded with stuff like Malbari, parrots, griffon, cats, and whatever she could find. Isabela also gives her her first pirate sword. Baby Hawke loves her jewelry.

Aveline - mage or not - offers to train her in combat. Of course, Hawke laughs and says, "She's a baby. I think she's fine for now." She'd offer to babysit - Hawke having a child really has her curious about starting her own family with Donnic when they can find the time. Donnic makes her a set of cards so she can "play" diamondback with them.

Anders offers medical care if he is around and also offers to tutor her in magic - but I think we all know what Fenris' thoughts on that would be. Still, Fenris would begrudgingly be thankful for any care he provided.

[awakened-omen-art]

Okay so... I've gotten into a little thing called "Clan Gen" which is a warrior cats generator game and a modded version of it called "Life Gen" which is basically the same but lets you follow a specific cat as a main character of sorts.

Long ass ramble under the cut:

I have quite a few Clan Gens and a few Life Gens but none of them have stuck with me quite as hard as Wolfpaw of Spiderclan has.

He's my second Life Gen, the first one I was doing a project on in obsidian and decided to make a side one for fun.

This save file is so beautifully cursed and I'm only on Moon 13

Wolfkit's story starts out on Moon 1 as a newborn orphaned kit on the side of a road. His parents were tragically killed by a monster and then he was found and taken into Spiderclan by the deputy Blotchminnow and her mate Rookpelt alongside their adopted daughter Condorkit

Condorkit doesn't really like to share the spotlight with Wolfkit and is often mean to him and it sucks but his new parents are wonderful to him. Literally, Rookpelt and Blotchminnow take care of him so well. Whenever Blotchminnow is too busy, Rookpelt steps in, but she always tries to make time for her kits. A very sweet working mom.

As he grows up he finds a fascination with the three medicine cats Icicledart, Robinpelt, and Spotfade. Especially when one of the patrols brings home a poisoned rabbit and many cats get VERY sick, including both Icicledart and Spotfade AND Rookpelt.

Wolfkit is constantly underfoot trying to help Robinpelt and he promises his dad that when he's old enough he'll train to be a medicine cat and make him all better.

Rookpelt gets worse. He starts coughing up blood and is asleep more than he's awake. Wolfkit is anxiously awaiting his apprentice ceremony and when the day finally comes he races to the medicine den to tell his dad only to find him completely unresponsive. The others seem to be getting better but his dad won't wake up.

Wolfpaw was too late. He was too late and he blames himself.

Completely overcome with grief Wolfpaw shuts down for several moons, unable to leave his nest to train or learn. At one point he starts getting near constant nightmares and can't sleep.

On moon 10, at 9 moons old, Wolfpaw looks to silverpelt and finally comes to terms with the fact that Rookpelt is gone. The morning after on patrol he senses a presence nearby and is overwhelmed by the scent of his dad. If he concentrates hard enough he can almost see a starry outline.

Things are finally okay.

Until the next moon when he climbs onto a branch of a tree to help Robinpelt collect some leaves, he slips on a patch of ice and plummets, breaking his jaw in the process and leaving him nestbound... AGAIN

Even though he can't go out on patrol to train, Wolfpaw tries his hardest. He's exhausted and in pain but he doesn't want to lose any more time.

He works himself to the bone, so much in fact that Icicledart comments on his tiredness and offers him sleeping herbs, and one of the kits begs him to take a break and play with them.

Even though he has so many cats looking out for him, Wolfpaw still struggles.

On moon 13 he's 12 moons old now, an adult, the age most cats earn their full name. His sister has been a full warrior for several moons since she even got her name earlier than expected at only 10 moons old.

A part of him wonders why his life has panned out this way, worried about what will happen if his jaw doesn't heal properly. He wants to prove himself, he doesn't want to let anyone else down.

Another part wonders if the darkness in his life has something to do with the dark forest. If someone is messing with him, making him miserable for some unknown reason.

All he hopes for in the future is for him to get his full name one day, he doesn't want to remain a 'paw forever.

...

So yeah that's his story so far. He's my tragic little guy and i love him so much.

There is a ton more I left out like the whole war thing that was going on between Spiderclan and Oddclan but that's a tale for another time <3

[morningmask27]

Yarrowleaf X Sleekwhisker!

from left to right Hemlockstream, Oleanderheart and Lobeliabite

Hemlockstream is a quiet, but caring cat. most warriors of shadowclan kinda forget she exists

Oleanderheart is hurt a lot by everything that happened. They are very timid and withdrawn to most cats in the clan, fearing theid dislike of them.

Lobeliabite is so angry at everything that happened that she decided to flee shadowclan, but not without a last fight with poor Oleander, leaving Lobelia with a small cut, but blinding Olly in one eye.

The story I have for these three is kinda vague, but Yarrow and Sleek arrived asking for shelter since Yarrow was expecting kits, their kits. Yarrowleaf was always truly in love with Sleekwhisker, but slowly began seeing Sleek for who she truly is, but not before they managed to be accepted in SkyClan. Sleekwhisker stole the kits and held Tawnypelt and them hostage, threatening to kill Tawny and take the kits, Her kits with her away from the clans. Rowanclaw died like in canon, the kits were reunited with Yarrowleaf, but things were definitely not going to be better now.

Yarrowleaf hurts whenever she sees Lobelia; she looks so much like her mother, who hurt her and betrayed everyone. She also can't take proper care of her other two kits ngl, but her family do try to swoop in (Sleek's side of the family have disowned the kits). Snowbird and Berryheart are at Yarrowleaf's side to take care of the kits, but bring a sentiment of shame in Yarrow. She (and Berry and Snow and the rest) betrayed the clan and these kits shouldn't have been born, she loved a cat who hurt her and these kits are as much her kits as they are the kits of her abuser.

Yarrow begins falling for Berryheart's points, joining her in the extreme conservatism in ASC, but her kits had to bear the heaviest load. all three were raised by a mother who struggled massively to even look at them, a judgemental aunt and a strict grandmother; it was never the best environment to grow in and they show it. Lobelia sought constant confrontation, was always acting out to gain attention, Oleander was meek and timid and didn't want to do anything, which annoyed Lobelia and Hemlock was just there in the middle, but more often than not choosing Oleander's side in arguments between the two siblings.

ngl, how ths kits manage to not fully rip appart before getting their warrior names is even a myserty to me, but the thing that fully sets things going is the time around TBC and ASC. Hemlock was one of the rare cats who were kinda on friendly terms with Shadowsight and she just wanted to support her poor friend. Lobelia, acting like a very mean bully to everyone, was mostly out to hurt Shadow whenever possible. things were on an awkward stalemate between the three siblings as things became more dangerous for everyone, but as soon as Ashfur was dealt with and the code changes began being rolled in the tensions became WORSE.

Lobelia is a contrarian; Lobelia wants what her family doesn't want, so the code changes themselves were not of interest to her, but being a pain to her family was definitely the point.

Oleander was still so chained to everything happening in their family. They want so badly to be seen as worthy by them that they will roll over for them in many ways. They definitely had a crush on a cat from another clan (reciprocated!!!), but would Never fight back against their family.

Hemlock again was just in the middle; avoiding conflict, doing the peacekeeping, being a bridge between both siblings, even if she didn't really like how far Lobelia was going.

eventually all three siblings had reached their breaking point. Lobelia was fed up with ShadowClan and everything and wanted to leave, Oleander didn't want to lose a part of their family and begged her to stay, but Lobelia refused. Oleander for physical, Lobelia fought back, Hemlock could only watch as Lobelia clawed Oleander's eye before running away.

both siblings know she's looking for Sleekwhisker; their infamous mother that the entire clan doesn't dare to speak of, but were always reminded of her existence by Lobelia. Lobo was always compared to her silently and she wanted to know who this cat, her mother, is to be such a hated figure to the clan.

Maybe if in ASC Sleekwhisker returns, it'd be because of Lobelia in this au, or maybe Lobelia would never want to return, hoping to find a better environment to live in at her own pace.

--

for their names I immediately knew I wanted plants; plants that are toxic to cats. I also dabbled a bit in floriography for added meanings.

Lobelia is a flower that means arrogance/malevolence. the name lobelia also always made me think of the Spanish word for wolf: "lobo" and it made me think of that one tumblr post of the black sheep who becomes a wolf since everyone treats them like one

Oleander means desire, but also caution; something that is dangerous. I also decided to listen to Oleander from Mother Mother because it kinda fits the vibe of whatever Olly has going on here.

Hemlock is one of The Poisonous plants. even used to kill humans, it's just a deadly plant in general.

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I feel like Swiftpaw gets more recognition than he deserves. Everyone paints him as a child martyr who died because he thought he was doing something to save his clan. I think that is an incredible mischaracterization.

Firstly, he was old. Like your recent post said, he was not a teenager like the fandom says. Granted he definitely wasn’t a fully formed adult, but I’d consider him mid to late 20s in Warrior cats years. He was old enough to know logically that the plan to kill multiple large dogs as inexperienced warriors wouldn’t have worked. He should’ve known exactly what he was doing and that he would ultimately die.

I get the world dealt him a shitty hand. He could’ve gone about it so many other ways, though. He could’ve talked to firestar more, tried to convince bluestar, or simply bided his time. All of those options seemed more viable than the choice he made. There’s no way Splashtail would go up against large dogs and expect to win, so why do we praise Swiftpaw for doing the same thing and killing himself? I understand these are diff situations, but swift had all the hindsight (knowing brindle was “killed” by the dogs)…

Did Swiftpaw deserve the hand he was dealt/to die? Absolutely not. But does he deserve the reputation he has amongst the fandom? Not in my opinion.

I will say that as far as the clan was concerned, the dog situation was just one dog, and these dogs were much bigger than the dogs they’re used to seeing. So I don’t think Swiftpaw thinking he and Brightpaw could beat one medium sized dog is unreasonable. Swiftpaw’s death is what made Fireheart and the rest of the clan realise that this was a serious problem beyond just lost prey.

Throughout the book the dog situation is an issue but more important things keep happening so it gets brushed aside as that problem becomes secondary to the others ThunderClan have going on. Throughout most of the book, it is referred to as a singular dog, even after the incident with Swift and Bright, they still refer to the threat as “that dog” it’s only when Longtail tells Fireheart about seeing Tigerclaw at snackrocks, is it revealed that this is not one dog, but a pack of dogs which are bigger than any dogs anyone in the clan has ever seen.

That said I do think Swiftpaw is overrated within the fandom. The only thing of note he did before dying was blab at the gathering about Brokenstar. He really didn’t do all that much apart from die. Obviously his death is huge and does reveal a lot to use about his character and internet struggles, but his character up to then is very minimal and is just mainly “Longtail’s apprentice.” That isn’t to say I don’t think he’s a bad character at all, I personally do like Swiftpaw myself and think the story that is revealed to us after his death is a good one but the amount of attention he gets from the fandom compared to the amount of time he’s actually doing something in the books. is massively disproportionate.

[writernopal]

🩸Quye’ck, Starved Son of Clan Lexlar🩸

Hailing from a long line of proud warriors, Quye'ck follows in his forefather's footsteps by joining and rising through the ranks of the Hantaphian Armed Reserves. Their forces are the first to respond when the call for battle comes, ever proud to serve the famed House of War. Wild, fierce, and purpose-driven, these men will fight to the last breath in the name of their kin and the Goddess Kava herself. But shrouded under such heritage is another, less spoken of but no less present.

Over many generations, Clan Lexlar, proudest of these forces, discovered a way to edge out their brethren: Consumption. But such a thing does not come without a cost. That supernatural hunger must be controlled, lest it be sated in other ways. And for some, that is far easier said than done...

cw: drug use

“He’s just here, sir.” The man raised his lantern, tossing a glance at the warden trailing just behind him.

The official sighed, spotting the semi-lucid teenager just off the marked path. He was nearly slumped over, speaking to a rock in his hand. 

“I think he might be Sire Mitha’s boy, but I’m not sure.” The man said as they came to a stop beside the reported vagrant.

“I’ll take it from here. Thank you.” 

The man nodded, hefting the A-frame pack of freshly gathered firewood onto his back with some difficulty, and reluctantly took his leave. The warden squatted opposite the young man and lifted his head to meet the light shining from his lantern. He grimaced, dropping the rock that entertained him just moments earlier. Another sigh.

“Markham Vintar Lexlar of Hantaph. What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

He grinned, somehow recognizing his name in his dazed state. The warden released his chin and sucked on his teeth frustratedly—he reeked of starshoot. Pureleaf, by the smell of it, and clearly far too potent for the likes of him. 

“And how did you end up all the way out here?”

This path was rarely traveled even during the day and normally only used by merchants coming into Miranx from Hantaph. But it wasn’t trading day. And men like the one who’d come upon him were the unfortunate sort who’d had gotten caught out by ill weather or some otherwise difficult circumstance on their way back from the wilds. Another sigh.

“We have a few options, boy. I could book you for the night and you can get a reaming worse than the last from your father when he comes to collect you tomorrow. I could leave you here for some hungry jungle cat. Or,” He sighed, unsure of where the next words were coming from, “I can bring you to my house. Let you sleep off your high and see you off in the morning.”

The troublemaker offered his response by way of a grunt. Unhelpful. The warden set down his lantern and, with some effort, lifted the young man from the ground. He strained under his weight, altogether reconsidering his benevolence. He was taller than he remembered and already thickening to resemble the massive frame his clansmen were known for. He groaned as he looped his tail into the handle of his lantern and lumbered his way home. 

Breakfast the next morning was…difficult. Not because the young man was bad company, but because he was less interested in having any sort of conversation with the warden, choosing instead to fiddle with his listening stone. No good contraptions, in his opinion, but he guessed the young man’s sweetheart had its pair, judging by the speed and the whispered nature of  his responses.

“You’ll be a man before you know it.” His head snapped up. “You should start acting like one. You can’t expect others to look out for you forever. You’ll drive your wife mad with worry someday if you do.”

The young man swallowed the bite he’d taken and laughed as he wiped his mouth clean. “I’m not gettin’ married, sir. Anyway, thanks for the food and for not rattin’ me out.”

The warden sighed, deciding that his attempt at a lecture had gone about as well as it was going to go, and dismissed the surprise guest from his table. The young man got on his feet, listening stone to the side of his head and a smile on his face. Part of him wished he could warn the poor creature on the other stone she was being strung along, but he supposed she would find that out soon enough. He watched as he made his way outside but, oddly, did not rush to give any sort of response to the message he’d just received. Though the reason why soon became clear. 

Just through his window, he spotted the infamous Eiph’ck, a troublemaker of a different variety, carrying with him a bottle of some dark liquid and what looked to be another meal. The two greeted each other with a laugh and the Lexlar boy quickly told some story between gulps of whatever drink his friend had brought him. He sighed again, hoping that he hadn’t given him alcohol or some nonsense like that. Though he supposed neither of the thoughtless individuals were his problem. Another sigh.

Character art by: https://twitter.com/Azraels_Art

Graphics made with license free images from Unsplash and formatted in Canva.