#I kinda wish he had tail feathers as well as the wings

[834k]

You know, the only questions Teo answered during the dinner with Fauna was the bug question and the cloaca question. He didn't say anything about the others.

[flowercrown-bard]

Thank you for the prompt @joeys-piano! It kinda reminds me of this silly series I started ages ago XD

Jaskier was a gorgeous cock, if he did say so himself. Of course he didn't have to say it himself all that often. Everyone else was happy to do it for him. There were many things to compliment him on: his exceptionally red coxcomb, the extraordinary size of his tail feathers and, of course his pride and joy - his voice.

There was no rooster who crowed quite as loudly or melodiously and knew how to wake the hens and other animals as well as Jaskier. He was, quite objectively, the most perfect and desirable rooster around.

The thing was, Jaskier himself was not objective in his judgment. Because as confident as he was, there was one rooster he would consider more perfect than himself.

Sure, his coxcomb wasn't colorful at all. In fact, all of his feathers were a milky white.

And yes, maybe his tail feathers looked like a cat had taken a bite or two out of them.

And alright, Jaskier could admit that the one time he had heard this other rooster utter a crow, it had been croaky and not at all impressive. That didn't change the fact that Jaskier dearly wished to hear it again.

He only feared that he wouldn't get much chance to do so. This new rooster had only arrived at Jaskier's farm the day before and the hens had already started hacking at him, ruffling their feathers to chase him away. The white rooster had scraped the ground with his claws - longer and sharper than any Jaskier had seen before - but he hadn't made a move to attack any of the hens to defend himself. And, well, Jaskier had been intrigued. At the beginning it had been nothing more than a little interest. Who was this rooster who was so very different from him?

But then, things had changed. The other chickens had taken notice of Jaskier's refusal to help chase the white rooster away and consequently, they had turned against him. Jaskier wasn't used to beaks hacking at him or claws trying to scratch his gorgeous plumage.

He hadn't known what to do.

The white rooster, however, did. He had fluttered his wings and flew to Jaskier, landing in front of him.

And he had crowed. The silent rooster had actually opened his beak just to defend Jaskier. And once the hens had fluttered away, the white rooster had picked up a beakful of grain and dropped it somewhat close to Jaskier, before simply turning away. When Jaskier had hopped after him, the white rooster had snapped at him. Clearly, trying to get close to him wasn't a good idea and would come with all sorts of dangers and unpleasantries.

Now, Jaskier was an exceptional rooster, but he was no chicken. He would do whatever it took to get to know the white rooster, who had stood so bravely in front of him.

[ominous-feychild]

OC Facts Tag

Thank you for the tag, @honeybewrites!

Rules: Make a list of fun facts about your OCs. Like a headcanon list, if you will! Except it's actually canon lol.

Characters from Sun and Shadow: Freya, Crow, Daleira, Faer

Freya:

Knows a lot about sailing, but has mostly worked on ships by herself. Is she self-taught? Well, kinda--it's because of her dad basically being a god of the ocean. It's literally in her blood, and she's blessed to have good luck on the ocean. Not that it helps her if "luck" doesn't come into play...

Has mostly figured out how to translate three different forgotten languages by using only her own intelligence and libraries

Has anger issues but thinks of herself as a very calm person

Has a lot of nightmares, but remembers very few of them. Doesn't have very many good night's rests

For some reason, half of what she thinks and knows of her past contradict each other...

Sleeps curled up in a ball; likes cuddling with stuffed animals but left it at home when going to Lynsmouth because she thought her fiancé would judge her for it. Joke's on her, it's a fiancée, and she has way more than just one!

Would forgive her dad for his neglect if he just gave a sincere apology, a hug, and spent at least a few months with her every year

Hates standing out

Was previously in a toxic relationship with a man who groomed her. It caused a lot of her modern-day issues. Her dad is not aware of this, and she hopes to keep it that way.

Crow:

Both hates and loves the smell of blood

Forgot how to cry years ago

Is a fantastic actor and liar; thinks their lies are terrible and obvious, but is able to fool even some of the people best at reading body-language

Knows how to fight with two different types of weapons. Also knows hand-to-hand combat--that, and using a simple dagger, are what they're best at

Always has a knife/dagger within reach, but it's usually hidden behind one of their wings or their tail feathers

Their humor is, in reality, an act they put on to make people underestimate them. They are hyper-alert and constantly on guard

Is most comfortable sleeping on top of something spherical; likes wrapping their arms--and so their wings with them--around it, resting their cheek over their shoulder/wing, and splaying their legs out

However, is used to sleeping in terrible conditions. Just always needs to sleep on their stomach; it's painful to lay on their wings

Daleira:

Is almost certainly ADHD and is probably on the spectrum; I'd have to write more of her before I say the last part for sure, though

Doesn't have very many friends and is aware of it; most of the people in her life are either humoring her because they're afraid of her or because they want political power

Her obsession with magic originated from her trying to figure out if she could change what she is--aka, stop being a faerie and turn human

She's terrified of her own magic and refuses to use it. Most of the magic she uses in-story is during moments of panic (ie, used on reflex) or through a conduit

If she ever managed to "turn human", would cry for weeks about no longer being able to shapeshift. Her ability to shapeshift is one of the few things she likes about being a faerie

Has never been in a relationship before

Doesn't like to sleep because she's afraid of what her magic will do while she's unconscious. Lucky(?) her, she can literally make it so she doesn't have to sleep

Wishes she had a sibling or other people to relate to

Loves sweet food; lucky her, she won't ever gain weight unless she wants to

Faer:

Figured out engineering over time from reverse-engineering half-destroyed machinery

Likes cooking and sees it as very similar to engineering

He loves his hair and would cry if he had to cut it. Has not cut it once in over 5 years, not even to trim it.

Loves soft textures and wears an oversized cloak to hide his constant fidgeting, to generally keep his actions hidden, and to be able to pet it

The more I write about him, the more certain I am that I accidentally made ANOTHER goddamn autistic character istg--

Although he claims the cyborg bobcat that follows him everywhere is his familiar, it is not. It is an actual bobcat. They bonded over a series of incidents of saving each other's lives and refuse to part from each other

Refuses to set foot in a forest until his life depends on it. Thankfully, now lives in a city.

The giant scar over his face is far from the only one he has.

Has PTSD and is constantly aware of his surroundings

Met Daleira when she saved him, but actually likes her as a friend and person

Is suspicious of Valyarus, but doesn't know how to tell Daleira that her dad gives him major creep vibes

"Faer" (pronounced "fair") is not actually his name

Tagging (with no pressure): @the-letterbox-archives @the-golden-comet @yourpenpaldee @darkandstormydolls @themboty + anyone else who wants to join!

Divider by @cafekitsune

[atlasofthestaars]

What do you think the mk1 characters pokemon would be? (in earthrealm since i dunno if outworld could have pokemons)

IMO bihan could have a glalie or something lol and liu kang would maybe have a shiny gyarados.

oh god I did a whole list for pokemon I associate with genshin characters let me do this for mk1. I'll try to explain my thoughts as best I can but these are pokemon I just kinda think would fit with them, whether it be oh them as a pokemon or a pokemon I think would work with them well.

Liu Kang - Reshiram

He's a god, I just HAD to give him a legendary pokemon. Reshiram fits both the dragon and fire stuff he is associated with. Plus Reshiram being the pokemon representing truth makes sense (though I kinda think ideals fit better for Liu Kang, I like the matching with Reshiram more).

Sub Zero - Chein-Pao

I like the ice vibe with this pokemon, and the description feels like it vibes enough with me. "The hatred of those who perished by the sword long ago has clad itself in snow and become a Pokémon." Idk!! I think he'd look neat with it :).

Scorpion - Centiskorch

I tried to incorporate some ideas of bug into the pokemon since the existing scorpion pokemon aren't that funky imo. I had to go with a fire type because, yeah, so this is what I settled with. I think I could have done better but eh none of the other fire pokemon imo fit his vibe.

Kitana - Oricorio Sensu form

Elegant, has flying elements, matches with the new feather aesthetic they put in 1, and the wings kinda look like fans! I think it's neat :)

Johnny Cage - Incineroar

This is mostly because of smash bro's influence but this pokemon is a heel archetype. They're showy, cocky, and like to taunt others! I think it kinda works. There's probably another show offy pokemon that's slipping my mind though.

Kenshi - Honedge

I wanted to give him Aegislash but there is no shield on Kenshi so oh well LMAO. I also think that the pokedex entry fits well "Honedge’s soul once belonged to a person who was killed a long time ago by the sword that makes up Honedge’s body." So yeah!!

Kung Lao - Honchkrow

I'll be honest. It's just the hat. But I think this man could use a funky bird. Idk!! I think he'd like a bird :)

Mileena - Mawile

I like the steel theming along with the jaw parts in Mawile. I thought it'd be neat to give Mileena a pokemon that can mega evolve since despite how cool it looks it apparently hurts them, which fits with Tarkat. "It has an extremely vicious disposition. It grips prey in its two sets of jaws and tears them apart with raw power."

Raiden -Jolteon

Had to go with an electric type. Idk! I think the idea of Raiden turning from a simple farmer (think eevee) and turning into an electric user fits!

Rain - Slowking

I had to go with a water type, and i also went with a psychic type because of the whole mage thing! I think the pokedex entry would appeal to Rain's ambition well too, "When its head was bitten, toxins entered Slowpoke’s head and unlocked an extraordinary power."

Smoke - Torkoal

Has the ability white smoke, and can learn smoke screen. Idk! I think it fits better than stunky line or wheezing line. There's not much in the way of pokemon with a smoke theme.

Li Mei - Arcanine

It's the pokemon (well, growlithe is) that is associated with the police in the pokemon world. That, and it kind of resembles a tiger which is part of the lion dog she uses. I do wish there was a better pokemon that is closer to fireworks than Blacepheon but oh well.

Baraka - Mega Houndoom

I like the idea of a leader of the pack pokemon, one that is dark type. I made the idea of a pokemon that is mega permanently since it fits with the whole "thing that is hurting them" and when it is mega evolved houndoom can hurt itself with how hot it's inner temperature can get. "Its red claws and the tips of its tail are melting from high internal temperatures that are painful to Houndoom itself."

Tanya - Tsareena

Thought it'd be appropiate to give her a pokemon that is a female only line. I also think it'd fit her being a more "ruthless" pokemon to match her willingness to fight those who might hurt the royal family "This feared Pokémon has long, slender legs and a cruel heart. It shows no mercy as it stomps on its opponents."

Geras - Celebi

I thought it'd be cool to give him a mythical pokemon since he's pretty close to godhood/will become the next keeper of time. That, and the whole time thing fits too.

Reptile - Krookodile

Crocodile, that's pretty much it.

Havik - Staryu

It fits the whole regeneration thing. "As long as the center section is unharmed, it can grow back fully even if it is chopped to bits." and "An enigmatic Pokémon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle." Also I think it's a nice call back to when Chaosrealm worshipped water

Ashrah - Togekiss

I thought it'd be nice to give a pokemon that looks like an angelic theming (well, as close as it gets). Idk I think they'd get along :)

Sindel - Exploud

Screaming. Uh, that's really it! I also think it fits her commanding prescence I guess haha ^^ I couldn't find a pokemon that fits her hair thing so we're going with her screaming.

Shao - Bisharp

It commands pokemon, and looks like it fits the vibe of a general as well! Plus it'd match with his axe. "This pitiless Pokémon commands a group of Pawniard to hound prey into immobility. It then moves in to finish the prey off."

Nitara - Gliscor

Resembles a vampire bat. Also according to Legends Arceus, it does this: "It glides soundlessly on pitch-black wings and sinks sharp fangs into the throat of its prey. It takes on a look of satisfaction once it has entirely drained its prey of blood."

Shang Tsung - Arbok

Snake theming. I also like how the stomach can be used to transfix others and to intimidate them so it can poison others. Feels befitting.

Reiko - Pawniard

Fits the whole thing with Shao's pokemon and how it is loyal and ruthless. Follows him no matter what, I think it makes sense to me.

[xxx-sir-pentious-xxx]

Sir Pentious x reader. Clean.

A preening session.

You had been desperate to get an ounce of relief, itching and resisting the urge to pull your feathers out.

It wasnt until you spotted a giant serpentine angel preening the small wings on toddler winners that you considered asking for some help. It looked relaxing and maybe this pretty creature wouldnt be too tired. Settling down you watched to learn how its done.

Sir Pentious was gentle, laying the next child over his tail and gently rubbing the joints of their wings, then progressing to the pin feathers. Gently plucking broken feathers and straightening the good feathers into place.

"Goodness little one... did you fly into a tree?"

He hummed as he spotted a few bits of wood and a single leaf. The small child didnt answer as they were half asleep, and by then the process was over and ready for collection by their adoptive parents. Pentious watched the little tikes toddle off or be carried away by their parents before getting up and stretching, his own wings stretching beautifully, they were fluffy and soft so he had to be new.

Once you got the courage you went up to him and tapped his back, to which he whipped around extremely fast almost scaring the heavens out of you.

You scrambled to apologize but he cut you off quickly,

"Ah! Ssorry I'm very antsy, didnt mean to ssscare you!"

He was really pretty up close, you entirely forgot your manners as you reach and stroke his face, a smooth scaly texture you've never felt covered him. A small pushed in snake snout was almost missed by your touch, you pulled your hand back when his forked tongue licked you when it flicked out.

"Ew!" You squealed.

"You sssmell nice. But maybe dont touch me like that, I dry out easily! Everyone keepss doing it and I'm about to ssshed!"

He huffed but wasnt really annoyed, truth be told it was kinda nice knowing people felt safe around him, enough to just outright touch him at that.

"Anyway! What did you need from me? A preening? Everyone seems to keep asking me to.. something about how my claws get that itch they cant reach? You know if your just gentle you can do it with ease-"

He was explaining the process but you weren't following at all, you just ended up asking him to please show you how by doing one wing. He gave in to the request after promising to get him some food after since he's feeling a bit peckish.

The two of you went to a somewhat private cafe, the windows were a bit tinted and had a secluded booth only really used for people who were feeling a tad overwhelmed. You came to this booth often what with the brightness of heaven.

You got him some food and he positioned you against the wall to start on your wing while he ate a sandwich and tea.

Your legs almost fell asleep from holding still in your position for him, a soft blush forming as he rubbed your back. His palms were kinda soft but not warm. He wasnt warm at all, just cool as a breeze, makes sense since hes a snake and cold blooded. As you thought about it you felt his tail around you.

"Sssorry it's a bit chilly in here.. lemme do your other wing."

You folded the good wing and turned around so he could lay your other wing over the table. He was back to working at it and you took to rubbing his tail, it was very muscular. Despite it looking chubby it was dense and tight with muscle that somewhat rippled as he moved.

Eventually it was over and he left after wishing you well.

[aurumacadicus]

@winterironmonth prompt -- NSFW Monday: Word

Word: Tryst

Cheers to @not-close-to-straight for reminding me that I love angel/demon fic. I haven’t done winteriron yet except for a hilarious blurb, and this is a massive oversight on my part. Technically they don’t need to have secret rendezvous, but both Bucky and Tony enjoy the thrill of hiding and maybe getting caught. Because they’re both sluts. Don’t forget to blacklist ‘long post’ and ‘lemon’ if you don’t want to see it!

--

Tony spread his wings and fluttered his feathers nervously. He always hated being the first to a meeting spot, as beautiful as the secluded little waterfall was. He’d been in enough ambushes to always be wary. He trusted Bucky! Of course he did, and Bucky had friends that Tony found himself trusting, too. But… Tony was an ancient. And some younger demons thought it a rite of passage to pick a fight with him. And he hated smiting what was the equivalent of a child in demon terms. It was possible that Bucky had been waylaid, that he’d had their meeting spot tortured out of him—

“Stop catastrophizing,” Bucky said, finally stepping out from between some trees. “Steve started crying about something and I had to stay to pat his back.”

Tony frowned, immediately concerned. “Is Steve okay?”

“He’s fine,” Bucky sighed, rolling his eyes as he came closer. “Natasha finally said yes to a date with him.”

“Oh! He’s been waiting for a long time,” Tony began cheerfully, wings perking up. “Natasha said she was only putting off answering because she wanted to see how earnest he was, since you were kinda, you know—”

“A slut?” Bucky asked, raising his eyebrows.

Tony frowned. “I didn’t say that. Just because you wanted to have lots of casual sex doesn’t make you a slut.”

“It wasn’t lots,” Bucky began, then sighed, running a hand down his face. “Tony, we only have so much time.”

“It was lots,” Tony muttered, mulish, but then happily spread his wings when Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. “I saved some molts for you. I know you like to keep some when you go home.”

“Doll, I wish to all places holy and unholy that you knew how to talk dirty to me,” Bucky said, strained.

Tony scowled, tucking his wings in tight again. “I know how to talk dirty!”

“You absolutely do not,” Bucky told him firmly. He reached out to grab Tony’s wings by the wrist and hold them open again. “I should singe your hair with how dirty I talk, just so you know how dirty it’s supposed to be.”

Tony huffed and flapped his wings weakly to test his grip, glowering up at him. “I doubt anything you say could surprise me.”

“I’m not intimidated by how old you are anymore, doll,” Bucky drawled, tightening his grip so he couldn’t free his wings. “’sides, you know I like challenges, ‘specially if the reward is you gettin’ all flustered.”

“I won’t get flustered,” Tony huffed. “And I’ll just take the feathers with me then, if you don’t want them.”

Bucky used the grip on his wings to yank him in, until they were pressed chest to chest, hip to hip. “No, back off,” he growled threateningly. “Those are mine.”

“Ha!” Tony crowed triumphantly, then let out a startled little squeak when Bucky’s tail whipped around and smacked across the back of his thighs. “Oh!”

“You keep sassin’ me and I’m gonna leave your entire ass with pink stripes,” Bucky warned.

Tony scowled at him for a moment, just for good measure, but then he smiled, coy, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s neck. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, beloved.”

Bucky buried his face in Tony’s neck and bit down, just hard enough that he heard the angel hiss in surprise, fangs pulling the skin lightly before releasing it. “Just for that, I’m on top today.”

“Like I said, don’t threaten me with a good time,” Tony purred, rocking his hips up against him.

“Yeah, well, you’re gonna be singing a different tune when I don’t put my dick in you,” Bucky replied, shrugging.

Tony jerked back to scowl up at him. “You said you’re topping. That means you’re putting your dick in me.”

Bucky smirked, the incredibly smug one that he knew made Tony want to tear his face off sometimes. “Maybe, if I decide my tail’s not good enough.”

Tony started to pull back, probably so he could tear his wings free of Bucky’s grip to beat him into submission with them, but then what Bucky said registered, and he paused in his struggles. He looked Bucky up and down slowly, lips pursed in thought. “…Your tail?” he finally asked, skeptical.

“Hey,” Bucky began, offended.

“It’s just…” Tony reached down and grabbed it where it was lashing irritably about their legs, as if he hadn’t seen Bucky use it to smash rocks before. He held it up in one hand and raised an eyebrow when he held up his other hand to compare it to the width of a finger, finally settling with his pinky.

Bucky stared at him, speechless. Finally, though, his lips spread into a wide grin, just this side of mean, and he used the grip on Tony’s wings to ease him back in. “Are you afraid I won’t be able to properly satisfy my pretty size queen?”

It had the exact effect he’d been hoping for. Tony dropped his tail in shock, face flushing bright red. He sputtered, probably trying to argue that he wasn’t a size queen and it wasn’t his fault that Bucky had a huge dick or something, but then he let out a startled little noise as Bucky’s tail circled his back and tugged him in again, until their hips were forced together tight enough to almost hurt, his squirming useless under the powerful grip. Bucky finally released one of his wings so that he could grab a handful of Tony’s hair and yank his head back, pressing his sharp teeth to the angel’s vulnerable throat as he sucked in a shaky breath.

“Doll,” Bucky drawled against his skin. “Don’t you trust me? Have I ever done anything that hasn’t made your eyes fuckin’ cross?”

Tony whimpered, flapping his free wing uselessly. “No,” he finally mumbled when Bucky didn’t let him go, sounding like it was pulled out of him against his will. “I always like what you do.”

“’s ‘cause you’re a slut,” Bucky offered helpfully, as if he wasn’t constantly teaching Tony new and interesting ways to get off.

“Yeah, but no one ever believes me when I say it,” Tony muttered, scowling petulantly.

“I believe you,” Bucky cooed, and gave Tony a few seconds to preen at the acknowledgment before he used the grip on his hair and wing to spin him around.

Tony yelped, wincing a little at his hair being pulled and ignoring the thrill is sent through him, his lover being unafraid to manhandle him like this despite knowing how powerful he was. “Ow,” he complained, just to be contrary, and then repeated it, louder and with more sincerity, when Bucky rolled his eyes and let go of his other wing to give his ass a sharp slap through his robes. “Ow!”

“Stop sassin’ me,” Bucky ordered, reaching down to grab a handful of Tony’s robes in each hand and yank it up so he could get him exposed. “It’s been years since I’ve gotten to have your ass.”

“Human years,” Tony mumbled, rolling his eyes, then mewled when Bucky’s tail struck the back of his thighs again—without the protection of his robes, it sent a rush of heat through him, and he couldn’t help but hope the marks would stay. “Ouch!”

“You say that as if keeping track of human years means anything other than you were kept away from me by humans,” Bucky muttered, and this time it was him that was petulant. He didn’t have much to do with humans anymore—they didn’t amuse him as much as they had when they feared him; monster fuckers had made them lose most of his interest—but Tony did, because he remembered when they were created, and he loved them, which meant he sometimes went down to help and take care of things. Bucky had only known it had been human years passing because he had gone to the human plane too, to keep an eye on Tony, because he was so easily taken advantage of in his desire to look after his favorite creatures (by other demons, of course, humans were too stupid to know how to take advantage of him; Bucky had just stuck to the shadows and growled and gnashed his teeth when he saw other demons approaching).

“I like them,” Tony began, only to cut himself off with a startled noise as Bucky finally wrested his robes up over his hips, exposing him to the cool air. “Fuck, you couldn’t pick somewhere warmer?!”

“Like the way your nipples get hard when it’s cold,” Bucky shrugged, because climate didn’t really affect him, and he saw no reason to lie about it.

“Asshole,” Tony huffed, scowling. “Taking advantage that I don’t have hellfire in my blood.”

“I think you’re cute when you get gooseflesh,” Bucky cooed, and then said, more sternly, “Babe. Why are you wet.”

“What? Is it against the rules to be a little excited?” Tony snapped, as if he was not flustered enough to be flailing his wings. “I’m not allowed to touch myself a little? Can’t take the edge off?”

Bucky growled, deep in his chest, and yanked Tony back against him so he couldn’t flail anymore. “I like when I can get you off in two strokes,” he hissed, and Tony let out a strangled noise. “I like taking my time to open you up and get you off, when you’re oversensitive and twitching for me. I brought lube and everything.”

“Lube you got in the human world?” Tony couldn’t help but ask smugly, and then squawked when Bucky slid a hand up and pinched one of his nipples—sharp, but tempered by the cloth of his robes. A warning. Luckily(?), Tony had never known a warning in his life, so he cheerfully continued, “It’s okay, you can say they created something good—”

“What’d I say about sassin’ me?” Bucky drawled, adjusting his stance so he could lean back against the cliff beside the waterfall.

“I’m more powerful than you,” Tony began as Bucky wedged his knees inside of his, reaching back to grab the thick horns curling around his head like a crown. “I’m not scare of yOU!” he yelped as Bucky spread his legs, wings flailing out as Bucky forced his feet forced off the ground. “Bucky!”

Bucky took a moment to let him stop flailing, then reached down to hook his hands under Tony’s knees, holding them up and out, spread open with his robes rucked up to his waist. “You might be more powerful than me,” he agreed, happily leaning back more against the stone holding them up. “But you’re also more sensitive, so, I’m still counting it a win.”

Tony opened his mouth to argue that it wasn’t a win, but all that came out of his mouth was a broken noise as he felt Bucky’s tail rubbing between his cheeks, each rib of his ridged tail rubbing over his hole in a way that made his toes curl and his breath catch in his throat. “Oh…!”

“Can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner,” Bucky mumbled to himself, except that he could, because Tony might not have hellfire in his veins, but he was sinfully hot inside, and Bucky could never wait to get his dick in him. “Too bad you got yourself off earlier, otherwise I might not tease you so long. Take a breath.”

Tony sucked in a wet breath, fingers tightening around Bucky’s horns. It was immediately punched back out of his chest as Bucky decided not to waste time, shoving his tail in as far as his own finger would have gone, each ridge in his tail rubbing over his rim in a way that sent a little zing up his spine with each one. “Oh-!”

“Aw, doll, is my skinny little tail more than you can handle?” Bucky teased, tightening his grip on Tony’s knees so his thighs spread a little more.

“Shut up. Shut the fuck up,” Tony hissed, sucking another breath in through his teeth. Then he tugged at Bucky’s horns with a wail, toes curling as Bucky set a brutal pace with his tail, the ribbing against his prostate making each stroke that much more intense.

Bucky nearly stumbled to the ground with how hard his horns were yanked, but he managed to keep his tail moving even as he struggled to keep himself upright. “Stop tugging.”

“I can’t,” Tony wailed, but he did stop pulling as hard.

Bucky managed to finally lean back against the cliff again. “Do I need to stop?”

Tony yanked at his horns again, turning his head so their cheeks were pressed together as he growled, “Don’t you fucking dare.” His eyes were glowing white-hot, making the blush on his cheeks seem even brighter. His glare was only broken when Bucky, terrified, whipped his tail down harder than he meant to, and Tony threw his head back with a strangled noise at the speed of his ridged tail passing over his prostate.

“Fuck,” Bucky croaked. Sometimes he forgot that Tony was actually an ancient being more powerful than his mischievous smiles and guileless laughter let on. In his defense, it was easy to forget when Tony was writhing beneath him and mewling helplessly as Bucky fucked him through orgasm. He slowly eased his head back, and Tony let him, so he focused more on his tail still thrusting in and out, adding a little more depth. He cleared his throat to try and cover the fact that he had nearly collapsed in terror. “How’s that, huh?”

“Good,” Tony moaned, making a valiant attempt to roll his hips enough to ride his thrusts. “More.”

Bucky tightened his grip under Tony’s knees just so he couldn’t, finally feeling like he’d gotten the upper hand back. “So greedy for it even after your sass,” he muttered, mostly to himself. He slid his arm under Tony’s knee, so it was resting in the crook of his elbow and freed up his hand. He regretted not pulling the robes from Tony’s body, but only for a moment, and only because he liked watching Tony’s muscles flex. He shifted the robes around Tony’s waist slowly, because Tony was at a point he might actually just pop, and while he enjoyed the fact that angels (and Tony especially) were sensitive, he was also feeling a bit like he needed to regain control after having his head yanked around like it took no effort. He grinned triumphantly as the cloth finally slid away so he could wrap a hand around Tony’s cock, sliding from the base to the tip and back again.

“Ah, oh, oh!” Tony flapped his wings, back arching, but thankfully he didn’t wrench Bucky’s head again. “Yes, yes, yes, Bucky, I’m going to—”

“You are not,” Bucky replied, tightening his grip around the base of Tony’s cock.

Tony howled like he’d been mortally wounded, releasing Bucky’s horns to reach back and grab the rocks of the cliffs, each handful crumbling to dust in each fist. “No! Bucky don’t do this I’m sorry for sassing you—”

“Too late,” Bucky purred, smirking. “Beg me, sweet thing.”

Tony’s wings flapped irritably as he shook his head. “You fucking asshole,” he ground out, crushing another handful of stone. “Should smite you where you stand.”

“Do it,” Bucky said, voice full of challenge. He tightened his grip around Tony’s knee and sped up his tail, until it was making an obscene, wet sound with each thrust. “But then you’ll have to get yourself off, and I know you’re greedy.”

Tony crushed another handful of stone, eyes glowing again because for all that he was incredibly generous he was also incredibly greedy, and he hated being called on it. “I hate you,” he whispered, trying to squirm.

“Sure, doll,” Bucky said, not believing him for a minute. “You know what you have to do if you want to come.”

Tony flapped his wings again, but it gave him no purchase, and his frustrated growls quieted into petulant whimpers. He grabbed Bucky’s horns again, squeezing just enough for Bucky to feel it. Bucky twitched his head and hissed out an ‘ouch’ that was entirely fake, but Tony loosened up immediately, just like he knew he would. Tony let out a wounded keen, attempting to thrash in his grip, before he fell limp with a sob, sagging in Bucky’s hold.

“I hate you,” Tony whispered again, defeated.

Bucky watched, delighted, as a frustrated tear rolled down his cheek—Tony always looked best when he was desperate. He pressed his lips to Tony’s ear and hummed as he listened to him suck in a shaky breath. “Don’t you want to come, baby?”

“Yes,” Tony breathed, wings wilting, and then, “Please.”

“Please, what?” Bucky asked, using his thumb to rub around the head of Tony’s cock.

Tony jerked his head back, letting out a wounded noise, before he whimpered, “Please let me come, Bucky.”

Bucky trailed a few kisses down from his ear to his shoulder, then kissed back up, murmuring, “I said beg.” He punctuated the order by angling his tail a little so each thrust over his prostate was a little more direct, almost brutally so if Tony’s resulting scream was anything to go by.

“Bucky, Bucky, please!” Tony wailed, hands clenching his shoulders and then releasing again when Bucky hissed, this time in actual pain. He clawed for the cliffside again, rubble sprinkling over them until he got a grip and held on. “Please let me come, please let me come! Please!”

“What’ll you give me?” Bucky asked, more out of curiosity than to tease, tracing his thumb along the vein standing out on Tony’s cock to give it one last squeeze.

“I’ll let you do that thing with your tongue!” Tony screamed, back arching, wings flapping uselessly.

Bucky loosened his punishing grip immediately in response, stroking Tony’s cock one, two, three times before Tony came with a scream that blew some of the leaves off the nearest trees. He rammed his tail into Tony’s prostate a few more times, just for good measure, before he slowed to a stop, pressing kisses to Tony’s shoulders and neck as he shivered in his arms. “Let go, sweetheart,” he murmured, rubbing his cheek over Tony’s shoulder. “Let go.”

Tony stayed limp a few minutes longer, but finally, he pulled his hands free, pebbles falling from his hands as he let them drop to his sides. He let out a broken little sob as Bucky finally pulled his tail out, head tipping over his shoulder.

“Oh, baby,” Bucky cooed as Tony sniffled and nudged his wet face into his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not,” Tony whispered mulishly.

He wasn’t, but Bucky had figured out that Tony was a lot more amenable if he even just pretended to be sorry. “I’m gonna set you down, doll,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Tony’s trembling lips. “Gonna take your robes off all the way, lay you out and open, and then I’m gonna do that thing with my tongue until you’re begging again.”

“I should have topped,” Tony whimpered miserably as Bucky moved over to a spot that wasn’t covered in rubble and carefully placed him down on the grass. “You’re so mean to me.”

“Yeah, but you like it,” Bucky purred, and bit back a laugh when Tony wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him down to kiss.

[hazbincalifornia]

Not trying to alter the timelines here but oh w-what if possessive Stolas in this whole awesome shitshow with pregnant Blitzy

I’ve been doing episode spinoffs already, so this is just an au thing! Anyway, I'm gonna kick this fic to you real quick before doing my own. 

_______

There was ragged nylon and kevlar cutting into his wrists. Not always a problem, especially when a guy liked rope play, but it sure as shit was right now when he was trussed up like a turkey, wrists and ankles pressed together above him and stomach hanging lower than the balls of a participant in No Nut November. The rope traced around his stomach, making a circle around where it jutted out from his body but leaving it entirely unsupported.

"So, y'all gonna tell me what the deal is here? Kinda got shit to get to, and all the blood's pooling in my gut. Trust me, you don't want me thinking even less, because instinct's telling me-"

"Hey, hey, hey! It took us ages to maneuver you with-" A voice asserted before a throat cleared and the human woman that the voice belonged to stepped forward. "Anyway. You're going to tell us what we want, or else!"

"Or else what?" Blitzo raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I've gotten out of blind dates worse than this on this on an average Tuesday night."

"Maybe this could convince you?" Something sharp dragged along his stomach and his head immediately snapped down to see a pale hand holding a blade that was slicing through the fabric of the shirt. He growled deep in his throat, and the man attached to the hand chuckled.

"Ha, I knew you'd be protective of your weird demon spawn. Do guy demons reproduce or do you just have a really deep voice?"

"Good question! How about you shove it and that knife up your puckered asshole, you fucking dipshit?" Blitzo's tail snapped like a whip, catching the man with a yelp as the knife was knocked out of his hand. 

“Hey! I’m not into anal!” The man scurried over next to the woman, and she patted his shoulder. 

“So, where’s the guy who came with me?” Blitzo’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s still unconscious,” The woman said. “It must be weaker than you. Maybe stronger demons are the ones to carry the young? Is that your mate?”

“Fuck, sometimes I wish,” Blitzo muttered before clearing his throat. “Okay, lemme make this simple: You let me go, and I kill you in a slightly less painful way than usual, sound good?”

“No, that sounds terrible, actually,” the man replied.

“Trust me, it’s a lot better than you’d think. I can get real creative. You ever seen anybody get their ribcage pulled out their throat before?”

They grimaced in unison, and Blitzo squirmed in the rope. No dice, and his stomach was starting to ache even more than usual- without any kind of support from his limbs, it was like the weight had been doubled. Something was compressing his lungs, but if it was the position or some kind of drug he had no idea. 

“Come on, what do you chucklefucks even want? I’ve got tips on how to get horses to trust you and how to make a body into a pretzel, but-”

“Information.” The man stepped closer. “Who you work for, how you got here-”

“What you are,” the woman chipped in, and Blitzo snorted.

“I’m a catch is what I am.”

“Sure you are.” The man flipped some switch and the ropes cinched tighter. Blitzo bit back a yipe, stomach bubbling acid as the weight dropped lower. “And we caught you.”

“Nice one, One.”

“Thanks, I was saving that one.” 

Blitzo struggled, but any movement just pulled the ropes tighter, circulation starting to chafe as his hands got hot- and so did the ring around the now-squirming baby gut as the kid inside started kicking up a fuss at the restricting space.

Losing oxygen to the gut region would... probably be bad.

“Feel like talking yet, demon scum?” The woman had borrowed the blade from her partner, running it along Blitzo’s cheek, and a single drop of black blood oozed over the blade.

Things got... a tad blurry after that. Blitzo knew that he swung forward, trying to bite at the woman, and that she swung with the blade, slicing through his face. Blood oozed over his eyes, and no amount of blinking could get rid of it without access to his hands. 

The lights flickered, then went out, so even if his eyes had been working, they might not have helped that much. The humans yelped, and a warmth swelled up in Blitzo like he’d swallowed lava before he coughed up a single feather. From what he could see, the woman was doing a lot worse, bent double and pounding on the floor before her knuckles split and she started smearing the blood everywhere.

“T-Two? What are you-”

Two didn’t respond, even when the man shook her shoulder- she just swatted it away.

The fountain of feathers erupting from her throat before she vomited black blood was thick, and Blitzo just stared slack-jawed as they kept coming and coming, twitching his eye muscles to try and get the blood off his eyelids. 

“Who dares to harm my precious little impling?”

“Impling? Really? I’m not five,” Blitzo muttered under his breath and entirely without thinking as the feathers formed into a black and red form seething around the edges with deepest Hellfire, the kind that would keep burning for decades if touched even once. The thing was impossible to describe, the edges shifting every millisecond, but it had far too many teeth and wings and eyes, and a roar at the humans made them piss their pants. Blitzo could smell it.

It took mere seconds for the thing to spin itself into a more familiar form, and Blitzo gulped as Stolas lifted him up and sliced through the bonds with a hand.

“Are you alright, darling?”

“I’m fine, they just got my face. That’s the worst place to leave cuts, though, don’t want to ruin this pretty mug.”

Stolas gave a little chuckle, scooping Blitzo up with ease and running a hand over his stomach. 

“I can heal it for you, and I believe that I told you to be careful while carrying.”

“Yeah, well, I believe that they snuck up on us. I’m not trying to get junior whacked any more than I’m trying to off myself, alright?” 

“D-demon...” The man muttered, and Stolas turned.

“Ah, are you two the ones that tied my Blitzy up and mussed his face?” He raised one hand and the man’s brain exploded inside of his head, bits of brain chunk flying out of his ears and popping out of one eyeball. They made a squishy splatter on the floor and the nearest object, which happened to be his partner. Two didn’t even have enough time to scream before the same happened to her.

“...Holy shit, Stolas,” Blitzo said, and Stolas grinned.

“I couldn’t let anything happen to my favorite Daddy, now could I?”

[develation]

SCP AU

So @emeraldtrainer1 (Ao3), @writingforfunandbecauseboredom (Ao3), and DarkstarWolf53 (<-Dunno if they have Tumblr) did an SCP AU three-way Convo fic some months ago. I really enjoyed the outline and concept and asked if I could expand on it. With their permission and about a month of research into what the actual SCP Foundation is (and holy cow there is so much, no wonder people are all over this) I've finally managed to get a start on this. There is a decent amount of things that are different from their original Convo (via their permission) but it will basically follow the same storyline that they created. Please go check their Convo out, it's a very long and fun read with a lot of good fluff and Angst mixed in.

I will hopefully be drawing some of my designs soon but for now, writing seems to be the way to go. Here is a link to it on Ao3 -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/33213928/chapters/82464553

I'll also have it below in case you would like to read it on Tumblr instead.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Error: (The End Of All But Me.) There are too many unworldly traits that spiders have that I couldn't just not give to Error, so I've kind of combined their Puppetmaster concept to my design. He has 4 arms with clawed fingertips, his tail is prehensile and his jaw can split open. He has 5 tongues still, 2 of them are spear-like, and can shoot out and impale victims. The saliva produced under the tips of the barbs on the two tongues can liquidity a prey items insides so he can drink them up (still a clean freak, using the skin as a cup and drinking up any mess leaving a skin bag behind). His other three tongues are prehensile and can extend to an unknown length, they are barbed aswell but do not carry the venomous saliva. Strings wrap along his bones from his eye sockets, which he uses to create a nest atop the ceiling of his cell.

SCP-002's (Apollyon class) cell is a blank room (it ask for a TV later on) that goes up vertically 2 floors. The top half is required to be shrouded in darkness as it likes voids of either white or black. It has filled the darkness of its cell with a nest of strings that it spends all of its time in, even when feeding. It does not attempt to attack staff, when asked why it replied with, "Not yet." Personal have not been able to decipher what it means by that statement. In an interview via speakers and mics within containment cell, it was asked why SCP-002 stares off at seemingly nothing for extended periods of time and never touches the ground. Subject responded with, "Busy." When asked what it was busy doing- "Watching." When asked what it was watching- "The world. Everything." Due to this experience, it can be concluded that 002 can view any place in the world and perhaps beyond via "screens". These "screens" are unviewable to anyone but 002 and 001 as the latter SCP had called them so, hence their given name. SCP-002 has a strange relationship with SCP-001 and it can not be determined if 002 likes or dislikes 001.

Ink created Error on accident. In the beginning, Ink didn't know what he was doing, and the brutality of Earth's natural forces of destruction were uncontrollable. If he wanted to bring life to his chosen planet he needed a way to control the chaos. And so through the storm, a new force was born. And even if Ink didn't create it, he did wish for it.

Error is a ticking time bomb for extinction. He waits and watches until he decides it's time for a "spring cleaning" and starts his work. The Ordovician, Late Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous mass extinctions were all him. He deemed the human race ready for a "cleaning" a long time ago and Ink agreed with him, ready to see and make something new. But Nightmare threatened the both of them by stating that he would make the earth forever inhabitable and they would have to kill him before he stoped his rage. Nightmare fears that if another extinction event were to occur he'd lose his boys.

Ink: (God doesn't care about what's right or what's wrong. God just wants to watch interesting things happen.) His form is always changing, different traits from different animals and organisms he's created. Ink is basically Gaia. Born when Theia crashed into Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, he made everything that ever existed. Since he's made A LOT of organisms he has a ton of favorites and the traits from them are what mostly show up when he mutates. Sometimes it's Kaprosuchus with belonged snout and fangs. Sometimes it's Tylosaurus with its marine reptilian posterior. Sometimes it's Chital Deer and their antlers. More often than not though, his tail has consistently stated having bristle-like hair at the tip of it, which is basically his brush. The concept of paintbrushes is pretty new to him since the human race has been around for a short time compared to other species, so while he does have one, his tail is his broomie. If his next from doesn't have it then he just uses his hands and his blood.

Ink can't be contained. It's that simple, he just can't. He just sticks around because it's interesting and hilarious to see his creations so intelligent but so stupid. (remember how humans are still young in terms of Earth's age, so the fact that they're so smart... on a thought level that could almost match his own is so very interesting to see and watch. even if there ruining his planet.) The SCP foundation just has to let him do his thing and hope that he doesn't override 003's and 004's decision to not have an extinction event.

His cell is basically a mini-ecosystem, with all of his favorite organisms living within whether they are extinct or not. He loves his little sample of the world and it keeps him in his cell for a good amount of time so the foundation let him have it. If any of them even touch what is HIS without permission then he rips them apart and feeds them to the baby Rhamphorhynchus. Don't touch his babies.

...Cross though... he can touch his babies... and Dream... and maybe Error... That's it though!

SCP-001 (Apollyon Class) is a being older than all living things, despite his toddler-like mannerisms. Even more infuriating, within an interview, 001 openly admitted to being the cause of all SCP's and their anomalous effects. It stated that they were all just mistakes and/or experiments, testing the limits of their own abilities. 001's quoted response- "You don't get it do you? I made everything here! All of your little "SCP's" are just of my creation as all of you. Sure there all mistakes but, it just proves my point that it's time to start over again. A clean slate y'know? Pfft- wow you look mad! If it makes you feel any better, I don't like most of them either. They were cool at first but... it's like flicking black paint over a finished painting. Sure, you can try to get over it but eventually, it will just bother you so much that you just can't stand it! Well... I do kinda want some of them to stay... If I could just convince Ru..." -shows evidence to this conclusion. Termination trials were approved by the 05 Council, though have not been able to start since 001's creation of a barrier around its cell, preventing entry of anything that tries to pass.

[Note: Error, Dream, and Nightmare are not included in what Ink views as "mistakes". Y'know when you're trying something new and you don't know what you’re doing, yet it works somehow. That's them, happy accidents. Ink adores them.]

Ink finds the attempt of Termination trials on him to be absolutely hilarious. The fact that humanity's insecurity about their lifespan and control is so great that they'd try to KILL HIM. Amazing. He can't believe he's managed to make the simultaneously best and worst organism ever.

Dream: (When day breaks.)  Again he was accidentally created by Ink’s actions in an intense solar storm. The flare drifting over the earth in combination with Ink’s magic still working to bring life brought him to existence. Dream’s design is almost harpy-like, with beautiful golden, sun-like wings with a small feathery crest atop his skull. Two tail-like feathers sprout from the crest that can rise up and down depending on expression and mood. He also has bird feet and legs, and a tail.

Dream adores all life, his is the warmth and growth of the sun (original form being a ball of light and plasma that literally looks like a mini sun). He is basically like a piece of the sun on earth. His cell is kinda like Ink’s, only in the fact that there are just a couple of animal species. Some deer, birds, and insects mainly. Ink obviously just appeared in his cell one day and made it for him. While Dream could be considered to be a Safe SCP, his ability to damage or completely ruin the planet if inraged prevents that classification.

SCP-003 (Apollyon Class) has proven to be a relatively docile creature. It is elegant in nature (like that of a bird) and shows greater empathy towards all life in general. Unlike SCP’s 001, 002, and 004 who view it as more interesting and admirable, more like a pretty crystal than an actual being with its own consciousness. 003 can not be fully contained and has shown the ability to travel through light rays. Its aura has also shown to be some form of anesthesia, and exposure for prolonged periods causes victims to feel more at peace and calm. 003 does have the capability to travel through the “dreamscape”, what exactly that in tails is unknown.

Dream doesn’t agree with the extinction event thing because the Holocene period hasn’t lasted for nearly as long as it should. On the other hand, he does distaste humanity/monsterkind for all it has done to the planet. Even so, he feels like they deserve more of a chance.

Nightmare: (Does the Black Moon howl?)(Death) Complete with the theme of being Dreams opposite, Nightmare was born from a black moon and the combination of Ink’s magic bringing life to the earth. He isn’t an evil force or anything, just the night to the day. His design is pretty true to OG nightmare, although his legs and feet share the same digitigrade format. His tentacles are more ghostly than slimy and they drip upwards instead of towards the ground. His bones also have a ghost;y wisp to them, but it isn’t that noticeable. Instead of only having a turquoise glint in his magic, there are sparks of purple aswell. (His original form being a black sphere of what looks like smoke).

His cell is basically an entrance to a cave system that Ink had made for him. Inside is a galaxy of crystals and gemstones that glow and sparkle like the night sky. A small stream runs through, the light refracting off of the water, adding to the glow effect. It is a nice calm place for Nightmare to just chill in, his separate own little world.

Nightmare is kind of mysterious, in the realm of Error in which he likes to watch things happen. Just lurking in the shadows, a quiet observer. Though, he wasn’t as fascinated by life as the others. So to prevent his boredom Ink made him a present- Killer. Nightmare hated the little thing at first but it didn’t take too long to grow fond of the little guy. Not too long later Ink pronounced his joy in watching Nightmare sigh in frustration by sending 2 more bundles his way -Dust and Horror- and Nightmare had to threaten Ink to stop before any more joined the fray.

SCP-004 (Apollyon Class) is an entity whose intentions are completely unknown. A mysterious being that chooses to dwell in the cave system 001 made for it. The entity refuses to interact with personal unless in interview. And when it does respond, it does so in riddles and metaphors. It seemingly takes joy asking more questions than the interviewer, turning the conversation in its favor. On such question that has been repeated multiple times - “Does the Black Moon howl?” has puzzled personal. Though 004 states that if answered correctly and explained why, then it will share its secrets with that person and that person only.

004 proves to be uncontainable like its counterparts, able to travel through shadows. SCP’s 012, 032, and 024 seem to be “followers” of 004, and regularly go missing from their cells. Most likely 004’s doing.

[Ink created Killer, Dust, and Horror during the era where dinosaurs were still alive, so they have some traits from them.]

Killer: (War) Was created by Ink for Nightmare to keep him entertained. Killer was born as a baby in Ink’s very hands, a little skeleton with curved blades for hands and digitigrade legs and feet (and little quills on his back). Growing up under Nightmare’s care was an interesting experience, but he thought Kill’s everything he needed to know.

-[SCP-012, Keter]-

Killer is fast, very fast. And he enjoys killing things (what a surprise). He’s pretty much the same cocky boi as always. His more SCP side is that he doesn’t seem to ever feel pain and the black liquid that leaks through his eyes. That can be used as a type of venomous toxin to whatever he pleases.

Dust: (Pestilence) You know Epidexipteryx and Therizinosaurus? Those are Dust hands, long with even longer claws. He can also turn into literal dust, more of a phantom or wraith in nature. He can walk through walls, and turn others to dust and grow himself if he wishes.

He and Horror could be twins since Ink made them both at the same time. Holding his little creations in his arms as they wriggled and whined in confusion at suddenly being alive.

-[SCP-032, Keter]-

Dust is pretty quiet and tame. He has his episodes but he stays pretty much the same as bookwrym’s, writing’s, and Dark’s Dust.

Horror: (Famine) Since Horror is a vent crawler I based his design on that. Horror’s second set of arms are like a praying mantis with an extra joint, hands serrated blades almost like Killer’s. He used to sit in trees and wait for prey to walk underneath him, plucking them from the ground with his long arms and eating them alive.

Same thing when in vents, just waits over the openings and plucks a person off of the ground and into the vent (if personal don’t keep up with his feeding times)

-[SCP-024, Euclid]-

Other than his design Horror is pretty much the same as bookwyrm’s, writing’s, and Dark’s concept.

Outer: [SCP-044, Safe] His stardust makes him have luminescent galaxy and star patterns on his bones. He floats regularly without control over it and can sometimes make other objects float, in rare cases people, aswell. Ink made him a jacket where pieces of its hood and aglets float off like a sort of fluffy foam. The pieces orbit him like planets to a star before joining back, making a continuous cycle.

(And yes writingforFUN, he will still keep his anime sparkling eyelight’s).

Cross: [SCP-00X, Thaumiel] Was created by Dr. X to help contain and terminate Keter SCP’s. Being forced to kill his brother when he turned Keter, not completely in control of his actions. Dr. X’s “programing” making him see his brother no longer as such, just an object to be eliminated. When Cross became uncontrollable Dr. X put wiped his memory without the 05’s or administers permission and an MTF was sent after him that came back empty-handed. Cross was brought back soon enough and had his memory wiped.

They bring him back in as a staff member and that’s when the story kicks off, mostly following bookwyrm’s, writingforFUN, and Dark’s original outline/convo.

(I apologize for any typos)

[kyanitegemverse]

Reunion - Ark AU -

Here we are! A bit about two idiots in love seeing each other again. 

some things will have links to help with some context! 

It was dawn when Avry woke up. The little makeshift camp she and Bishop had set up was hardly comfortable, what with the two of them and Bishop’s Argentavis all huddled under one roof. She groaned as she sat up, her back making a loud snap as she stretched. How long has it been now that she and Bishop had been stuck away from the rest of their little group? She wasn’t too sure. The days all seemed to blur together since she woke up here. How long exactly had it been? A few months? It had to have been considering the lunar cycle had gone through at least a few times. Her brow furrowed, a frown making its way onto her freckled face as thoughts came rushing back. Sometimes it was impossible to not think of how she was so far from everyone she cared about. All it took sometimes was the littlest things to remind her.

A stupid pun here, an excited tangent there. Thoughts of orange fur, red hair Avry had dyed, and long black expressive ears came bursting through. A reminder of a friend who put everyone else before herself. A reminder of warm fuzzy hugs just when Avry needed them. Off key duets belted out at the tops of lungs without a care in the world, and tired blue eyes that hid the stress the twitching tail betrayed. Sure they made her sad and gave her a dull ache, wishing for nothing more than for one of Aurora’s bone crushing hugs. But this? This was different.

The Moon and stars were a nightly reminder of the one person she loved more than anything. The one person who had stuck with her through everything. It reminded her of countless nights in her teenage years, looking up at the stars and the full moon, wondering if she was looking at them too.  The tears of joy the two shared at their first in person meeting at the airport that one spring. The many many nights they had stayed up way too late, talking about everything, nothing and all in between. Of how the sun shone on her skin and the wind tossed her hair during a Totally-Not-A-Date flight around town. Where one glance over at her with those violet eyes had stolen the breath right from Avry’s lungs and set a fire under her skin. If it weren’t for the whistling wind around them Avry was sure her pounding heart would have been heard. ‘Oh’ she had thought at the realization, and the questions that swarmed her mind as she could have sworn she saw the faintest dusting of pink on the shapeshifters cheeks. A first kiss, awkward and clumsy, with foreheads crashing into one another. Giddy nervous laughter as a second attempt is made with better results. 

The thoughts made Avry wonder. Did the others know she was stuck here? Did they care? ‘No of course they care!’ a voice cried out inside, trying to reason with her doubts and worries. But what if they didn’t? We’re they looking for her? Was she thinking of all their shared experiences too? ‘Does she miss me like I miss her?’ 

Something hard and cold brushed against her shoulder, snapping her out of her thought spiral. She was curled up against one of the shack walls, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. How long had she been crying? Red eyes looked over to see the beak of Macaw resting gently on her arm. “Hey buddy don’t worry I’m okay.” Her voice croaked out, reaching over to give the giant bird a scratch on the top of its head. The poor thing had been through just as much as Bishop and herself. A broken wing was objectively worse than an aching heart, especially now that the bird was their only real  means to getting back to their camp. Something did strike her as odd though. It had been at least a few days or so since the trip out to scout out the area just south of them. Surely the other three would have at least tried to look for them? She looked over at the bird again, noticing the expectant look in its eyes. “You must be hungry  huh. How about I try and get us something to eat.” 

With that Avry stood up, Stretching as best she could in the cramped space before grabbing her spear. Macaw turned to follow before Avry held up her hand. “You stay here okay? Make sure he doesn’t get hurt.” She said, nodding over to where Bishop was curled up. She made her way outside of the shack before the bird could attempt to follow her and set off hunting. 

It didn’t take her long to scavenge a decent amount of the edible berries Colby had taught her about. “Red, Blue, and Yellow. Don’t eat the black or purple ones.”  came the voice of the cook in her mind. 

Avry rolled her eyes at the phantom reminder. “But what if I want to try the purple ones.” She eyed the one on the bush in front of her. It was just sitting there. Taunting her with its inability to be eaten. Just one wouldn’t hurt right? She could finally figure out why her stegosaurus was so wild about them. They had to taste good then right? Right? Was she really going to try this? Avry looked up and around, knowing full well she was alone and far enough away from the prying eyes of her group mates and their judgement on these sorts of dumb ideas. Yes. She absolutely was going to try this. Plucking the purple berry from the tree, she held it up, sticking her tongue out to give it a little taste test. Or at least she would have if a loud thunderous roar didn’t cause her to toss the thing as it shocked her out of her concentration. Whipping her head around to the direction of the roaring, her eyes widened as panic set in. It wasn’t hard to see the Carnotaurus  in the distance, hell she could practically feel the ground shaking beneath her as it walked this way. If she moved on from here now she could avoid running into it for longer. “Alright I guess I’ll have to figure that out another time.” She muttered to herself as she wandered off, away from the destination of the titanic carnivore. 

A few hours passed and Avry was beginning to remember why exactly she left the hunting side of this to Cheddar. These obnoxious birds had been ever so slightly out of her range for who knows how long now. Perhaps longer than Avry would like to admit. But she had them now. There was no escape for these little dodo bastards. Finally some good fucking food. Or at least it would be if she could just catch the thing on the end of her spear. She broke out into a sprint from her hiding spot at one of the little flightless birds. It squawked and bolted off in a random direction in a panic with Avry close behind. It ducked past a few trees and took a sharp turn to the right, missing the sharp tip of the spear by a feather. “Are you kidding me?!” the woman growled in frustration before continuing her pursuit of the stupid bird.  Taking the sharp turn she found herself tumbling to the ground. She had tripped on something. A root? This was just her luck. The carnivore earlier, now losing her  potential dinner? She frowned as she sat up. “Good one Rayne. Can’t even catch a bird that has no self preservation instincts. Oh yeah Avry Rayne, hunter of the year right here.” She stopped herself as she turned to look at what she had actually tripped on. 

That was no root. Oh. Oh no. No.. that was absolutely a foot. A foot belonging to a rather familiar looking carnivore. “Oh fuck.” she muttered under her breath, unsure of what to do. How had she not heard the Carnotaurus coming? Was she really that focused on her hunt that she failed to see the danger that was so close to her? Wow this day really was getting worse by the minute wasn’t it. 

It was about to get a whole lot worse as the dinosaur above her moved as she was stuck frozen to the spot. The creature let out a low rumbling, almost sounding confused as to what had just happened itself. Avry could only watch from her spot on the ground as it turned. This was no place to stay but she really had no chance of out running this thing. If she remembered all the books she had as a kid, this thing could run at a max of fifty kilometers an hour. She always wondered why that exact fact stood out to her after all these years. Maybe she was about to figure out why. Funny how things like that work out.

Given there really was no hope in running from this beast, the best hope Avry had at not becoming lunch herself was to deter it with the spear. Backing up against one of the trees, she used it to stand herself up, shaking hands pointing the spear up at the thing that was absolutely going to send her back to the camp in just about the worst way she could think of.  The beast seemed to be eyeing her, a low growl in its throat as it stepped closer.

“S-stay back!” She warned, knowing full well the thing wouldn’t understand a word she said. “Trust me buddy I’m kinda lanky. “ She let out a nervous laugh. “Y-yeah that's right. I’m all stringy and gross and probably taste really game-y. There's really not enough meat here to be a snack! You’d be better off with a few dodos!” 

The Carnotaurus was still looking at her, moving its head from side to side, as if it was curious in its own meat eating way. The low growl continued to rumble in its throat as it stood up a little straighter, causing Avry to flinch. She held the spear out, tensing her muscles and shutting her eyes tight. This was it. This was how she died. Died stumbling through unknown territory doing her best to survive. But as with most things it seemed like her best just wasn’t good enough. She hadn’t felt this small and helpless in a long time as she waited for the feeling of sharp teeth clamping down on her.

But the feeling never came.

In fact the low rumble had stopped as well. But it hadn’t wandered off or she would have felt the heavy steps of it walking off completely disinterested. So what was it doing? Why was it taking so long?

“Avry?”

The sound of a familiar voice made her heart miss a beat. Daring to open her eyes, the sight before her caused Avry to gasp. The large prehistoric predator that was staring her down in her final moments had all but vanished. In its place however, was a person. Someone she had figured she may never see again. Was she dreaming? Because if she was this would be the point where she’d wake up back in her bed at camp. She did no such thing however as she stared at the shapeshifter in front of her with disbelief, shoulders slowly lowering as the tension in her body was let go. Avry opened her mouth to speak, hardly able to form words due to the emotional whiplash she was experiencing. 

“Avry is that really you?” The person called out to her again, sounding on the verge of tears herself. She too was frozen in place, mind racing probably much like her own was.

“Jess?” The name escaped her as if on its own, And Avry watched as the person responded. Straightening their posture a little bit, the hint of a smile making its way onto her face. Avry’s vision blurred as the mix of emotions came welling up to the surface. Without so much as a second thought, she tossed the spear to the side and broke out into a run. “JESSI!” 

“It is you!” The shapeshifter exclaimed, breaking out into a run towards her girlfriend. The two met in the middle, practically crashing into each other as they met in the middle of the space that had been between them. Avry wrapped her arms around Jessi the moment she was able to, burying her face into the crook of the other woman’s neck. She was openly sobbing at this point, hands grabbing at the fabric of Jessi’s shirt, as if needing some way of knowing this was all real. A moment later she could feel the shapeshifter’s arms wrap tightly around her, trying to pull her impossibly closer. Time seemed to stand still for the pair as they shared their first embrace in who knows how long. No words could exactly describe the mix of emotions Avry was experiencing. How long? How long had Jessi been there just ever so out of reach? Could she have found her sooner? If she had only looked then maybe just maybe the pair of them could have been surviving together from the beginning. 

“I thought I’d never see you again.” Avry said, voice muffled slightly from being up against the were-dragon's neck. She felt one of Jessi’s arms move, hand going to gently play with Avry’s hair - an action that did wonders for calming her down. 

“I’ve missed you so much Raynedrop.” Jessi murmured, tightening her grip around Avry’s waist. “There hasn’t been a day that's gone by where you weren’t in my thoughts.” The shapeshifter let out a shaky breath. “Everyday and night I that I could was filled with wishing to have you in my arms again.” The shapeshifter chuckled at her own mushy bullshit. “And now here you are, stumbling into my life by pure chance once again. It's almost like you’re supposed to be here or something.” 

Avry didn’t need to look at Jessi to know there was one of those lopsided grins on her face. “Oh can it you big sap.” She said with a laugh, moving to look into those stunning violet eyes. “I missed you too.” Sure enough, that lopsided grin had made its way onto Jessi’s face. She brought her hand to cup Avry’s cheek, thumb wiping away a stray tear. Avry leaned into the affectionate gesture, a lovestruck look on her face. For once the world was still. Nothing seemed to dare disturb the pair and their reunion and for the first in a long time, everything felt like it was going to be okay.

 The shapeshifter let out a happy sigh, placing a gentle kiss to Avry’s forehead. “Just wait till you meet the others at camp. I’m sure they’ll be surprised to see another person with me.” Jessi said with a grin.

“Wait. Others?” Avry questioned, raising an eyebrow. Then the realization hit her. “Oh fuck. Jess I can’t go! Not yet. I still have to get back to the makeshift camp! I’ve got another person and an injured giant vulture with me. Ah shit Bishop’s gonna kill me if I don't come back with some sort of food. They’re both probably starving.” A worried look made its way onto Avry’s face as Jessi moved her hand to brush some of her bangs out of the way and tuck them away behind Avry’s ear. 

“Woah hey it's all good! Tell you what. I have some extra rations with me. We’ll get something on the way back for the bird and all of us can head back to my camp. Okay?” The shapeshifter let go of the embrace, walking over to pick up the spear Avry had dropped not that long ago. “You also might want this. Just don’t point it at me alright?”

Avry turned to watch where Jess was going and put her hands on her hips at the remark. “Oh well excuse me. Need I remind you that you were a giant meat eating dinosaur? What the hell were  you even doing transformed like that? I didn’t realize you could shift into dinos!” She took the spear as the pair began to walk back the way Avry had come from earlier. 

“I couldn’t. At least not before waking up here. Now I can’t really change into anything else.” She answered with a shrug. “Now come on let's get travelling in style.” Jessi stretched out her arms as the changed, bright red scales flowing down them like a wave out to her hands which now had talons adorning each digit. A pair of wings stretched out from her back, ripping part of her shirt in the process. Lastly a long scaly tail with that iconic arrow head tail tip protruded from the base of the shapeshifters spine. “It’s been awhile since we did this so I thought it might be kind of nice.” 

“You want to sweep me off my feet again? Aww babe that's so sweet!” Avry leapt into Jessi’s outstretched arms without hesitation, wrapping an arm around her neck. “Hope you don’t mind me backseat flying again.” 

“Oh no don’t worry. I expect you to navigate at least part of the way back.” The response came with unfurled wings and a running start as Jess lifted off the ground, the pair setting off back to the makeshift shack. Together.

[kinkyacademia]

Can you write a fic were Hawks x Male reader were the reader loses their dog(Preferably a large breed) is a villain attack. Hawks ends up finding the dog, returns it, but is surprised to see that the reader is actually the nerdy kid from his old high school and now the reader looks hot and just go on from there. Don´t judge me.

bI don’t really know who this was for, but I snatched it up because BAM it was cute :)Okay after writing this, I have to say: I didn’t expect to make Hawks such a bottom, but he is SUCH A BOTTOM IN THIS IM SO SORRY-Orange warning. This has fairly lewd content in it, but since there isn’t any sex, it’s less of a lemon and more of an orange.

-Mod Pasta 🍜🍝

🌪”Charles!” You shouted when you got home. There had been a villain attack near your house and you rushed home to check up on your purebred Newfoundland named Charles. Upon not finding him, you got worried, calling the police. They told you that they would look for the dog among the havoc the villain had caused. Anxiety plagued you, but alas there was nothing you could do. It was in the hands of heroes now, probably that up and coming new hero you heard about: The one with wings.

🌪Takami had been flying around for a while, lazily collecting distressed civilians and checking up on people around the firefight. It had been an odd villain: some rando had gone rough and used his attraction quirk to pull builds together. Hawks had neutralized him, then joined the rescue squad. It was a high-injury event because of the violent power, but all injured civilians were now in care. It was near the end of the day, right when Hawks was going to leave and go home for dinner, when he got a heads up from the police that a dog was missing. Some huge, fluffy dog a boy had called in about. He immediately swooped down to look for it.

🌪Finding the dog was a breeze: it had just been accidentally pulled out of the yard of its owner and run directly into the danger. It was trotting along in the rubble, sniffing around for a tasty snack. He landed, giving the dog his hand while he reported to the police that he had found it. The dog barked happily, trotting right up to him and promptly leaning the side of its body all the way into him. He hadn’t expected it to be so loving, and he stumbled back with a shout of surprise, then delight. It was such a sweetie! He cooed at the big puppy, ruffling its ears until the police notified him that they could still hear him and gave him the address of the owner.

🌪The dog seemed comfortable with Takami flying, so he set off towards the owner’s house with it in tow, a little uncomfortable because of the weight, but able to manage. Once he set it down, he had to stretch his arms, his joints popping. The dog barked as it happily looked up at him. Almost immediately the door of the little house opened, the light blaring through the dark dusk as the owner rushed forward, hugging their pet. He proudly crossed his arms, “I found him in the rubble, he’s pretty cute.”

🌪When the owner looked up, he definitely didn’t expect to see (L/N) (F/N) from his old Hero course. You looked up with surprise, “Takami…?”

🌪You two caught up quickly, and you offered him tea as he followed you inside. You had settled as a sidekick to a hero agency, and he raved about how nerdy you had been back in high school. You had worn thick-rimmed glasses, always corrected him on minor arithmetic details, and had a problem with self-care and acne. Now none of those things were present, especially the problem with self care… Yeah, as you poured the willow tea, he admired your ass from your couch as he removed his suddenly stuffy jacket. You took care of yourself alright, very well.

🌪You seemed indifferent to his interest, happily talking about old times and relating them to your new job. Charles ended up laying his body across the both of you, and you laughed, giving his back end a slap. The puppy barked, wagging his tail. Both of you laughed at that, and Hawks rubbed the dog’s head, still infatuated with the baby. His eyes didn’t stray from your own for long, however: yours just seemed so much brighter without the glasses. How could puberty hit someone so late and so hard?

🌪You calmly smiled, drinking your tea serenely, “Thanks for returning Charlie. I bet he’s pooped from running around the city.”

“Probably,” Takami nodded, blinking a couple times before realizing that he still had his goggles on. He removed them, placing them in his jacket on the table in front of your couch, “I’m probably imposing-”

“Never! It’s so cool to see how far you’ve come, Takami, even if we weren’t super close back in Uni,” You exclaimed, and his breath hitched. Boy did he wish he knew you better in Uni…

🌪Hawks was suddenly conscious of his hair. It was all over the place - and your own was quite obviously styled. Wait - did you just push it back to tease him? He felt his body grow hotter… That damn nerd from his old school was sitting in front of him, laughing his cute little ass off at Hawks’ horrible jokes.

“I had started a pot of rice before you arrived, you can stay for dinner if you like,” He didn’t like how narrow your sly eyes were when you suggested that. You were so tantalizing that he had to stop himself from literally ruffling his feathers.

“I’d love that, heroing is hard work.”

🌪He never thought the day would come that the annoying geek from Uni’s mouth would look so inviting. Did you keep the chopsticks between your teeth when you laughed because you knew he was staring? He hoped that was the case, because he wasn’t about to stop. Hadn’t you had braces? They were definitely gone now, and your entire face was just enticing him…

🌪You could definitely tell Takami was attracted to you. You had run into another old peer from High School and they blatantly commented on your improved physique and looks. You had put a lot of effort into them over the last few years, and you were glad that they paid off. Finding out that an old classmate was now the No. 3 Pro Hero and was practically drooling for you was another achievement you were quite proud of.

🌪He had taken his jacket and goggles off, his gloves soon following. His wind-blown hair seemed all too perfect to run your hands through, but you didn’t quite remember if your peer was attracted to men or not. He was popular with the girls ever since he was in Uni, but had he ever went after one? Not that you remember. You listened to him talk about his latest mission with wide eyes and fascination, and he continued to beef up the story until it sounded fantastical, obviously trying to impress you. You’d never seen him so flustered, his voice shaking a bit and his eyes fleeting.

🌪So you took a leap of faith and called him out on it, “Takami,” He paused, his eyes immediately looking to your own across the dining table, “Are you nervous?”

“Ah shucks, you caught me. Well come on, you know you’re hot, right?” Your heart fluttered. That was so upfront, and your cheeks flushed as you smiled to yourself.

“Thanks, I was beginning to think you just wanted to leave,” Your smile formed into a smirk, and you rested your chopsticks against your teeth as your tongue stuck out. You cocked as eyebrow as his obvious strain to not look at your lips.

“I kinda like it here. You know,” You hummed to let him know you were paying attention as he took another mouth full of rice, “My person motto is that I think heroes should be able to relax and have leisure time.”

“Hmm?” He nodded at your inquiry, and you chuckled deeply, “You don’t seem very relaxed. I could help you with that,” He quite obviously was gawking now, his cheeks flushed and sweat beginning to gather on his brow.

“Really?” His voice was hoarse, and you ended up laughing as he looked away from you, realizing how needy he sounded. You twirled a chopsticks between your fingers, then glanced at the man’s lap, eyes wandering back up to his wanton eyes, “Yeah…” He trailed off, his small pupils now fully blown.

🌪To say the least, Takami’s dinner snack was long forgotten. Once you had gotten up, slowly stalking around the table toward him, he was like putty for you. You took his hand, and he followed you anxiously to your bedroom. You had exceptional taste in style, your bed being plush as he fell back into it. He leaned up, and you cocked an eyebrow, “Finally found a shred of dignity?”

“Never, but I can’t be on my back,” He ruffled his wings, and you rolled your eyes, leaned down to place a caste kiss on his lips that left him breathless, “Fuck,” he whispered.

🌪He remembered being compared to an angle one time in bed. Sweet, flustered, but never submissive enough to back down from a fight. You ended up straddling him, and the blood that was left in his body travelled to his groin. His back was against the headboard, and you were ravaging the hero’s pride by leaving love bites down his neck, his lips swollen from a long, deep make out session, “Where did this… Even come from?” He had to gather his scrambled thoughts together.

“I had expected you to take the lead, but this was just too easy,” He relished in the purr that escaped your lips, and he took a deep breath. You pulled back, looking at your work with smug pride, “Beautiful.”

“Don’t underestimate me, (F/N), I’ve been known to bite back.”

🌪His own love marks were less intense than your own, his touch less rough and more calculated. He had flipped you positions, but you obviously still held the reigns. You were just too much for him to wrangle. You pulled his hips against your own, grinding into him. The gasp that escaped his lips sent shivers down your arms: This was happening. You were going to fuck the pretty boy from Uni.

🌪“We still have a lot of clothes on,” You ran a hand down his chest, and some form of a coo came from him. You gave him an incredulous look, and his cheeks darkened.

“I can’t control the sounds I make, (F/N),” You cackled, ordering him to take his shirt off. He obliged, and you made sure to leave a few marks along the way as you removed your own top. Both of your bulges were now straining against your pants, threatening to pop a button.

“It’s cute. I wonder if I can pull another one out,” You teased, and the awkward, flustered smile you got back confirmed that you were going to pull many noises out of this hero. Your hands travelled down to his belt as you planted another kiss on his lips.

“You’re so different than I remember,” He whispered, and you nodded slowly as you undid his buckle, pulling the belt out and inspecting it. His eyes followed your own down to it.

“I am,” You ran a hand along the buckle, “Every been hit with this?” Your eyes snapped back to his own. The bewildered look he had confirmed that he hadn’t, and you threw the leather behind his neck, pulling him close to your lips, “Maybe next time,” You bit his bottom lip, then tossed the belt off of the bed. At this point you were just torturing the man.

🌪You both had to get out of your pants before one of you went insane. You opened your nightstand, pulling out the bottle you hadn’t expected to use and a condom. You held them up to his face as he was yanking a shoe off. He looked to them, then you, “Nice size.”

“Oh,” You chuckled, forgetting that the size of the condom was labelled.

“Definitely for you, though,” He glanced at his own boxers that were still on, “I can take it.”

“Cute,” You were waiting on him, and he could tell. You pulled your own underwear off, and his eyes travelled to your length. You could see him chewing on the inside of his cheek, and you hooked a finger into the elastic of his boxers, laughing, “C’mon, embarrassed? I’m sure you’ve done this a million times.”

“I’m not a player, contrary to popular belief,” He crossed his arms, and you gave him a cocked eyebrow.

“I’ve heard otherwise,” You pulled his boxers down an inch, and he seemed nervous, “Are you… sure?” You held the condom up once again, “You can back out if you want, I won’t hold it against you.”

“I’m just remembering how you used to be. I thought you were going to be some weird scientist with warts when you grew up,” He laughed dryly, and you gasped, grinning.

“Oh really? I’ll fuck that expectation away, I promise,” You threatened, “C’mon, if you’re going to take me, you gotta be prepared,” You swore he cooed once more, nodding. You pulled his boxers down to see his semi-erect length, and he stepped out of them obediently.

“Yeah, alright, yeah,” His voice was practically shaking. You put a hand under his jaw, pulling him toward yourself. He followed immediately, and you felt a wave of dominance fall over you. Most heroes would feel shameful being so submissive, but this boy practically held pride in it. You were going to love this.

“Let’s start.”

[takeflight-hermitcraftau]

Chapter 2-Two Brain cells with a Death Wish

Grian looked back at Mumbo, the words resonating in his head for a second. “Well… You see.” He started out softly, sitting up straighter and wrapping his wings loosely around himself. “In my other world, Evolution, We started finding these pillars. These symbols made of bedrock and obsidian. If we did good deeds, if we followed what they told us to do, we were rewarded. Any sign of selfishness or cruelty was punished.” Grian scratched at the back of his neck, looking at Mumbo for any signs of annoyance.

“So they were… essentially the gods of your world?” He asked, Grian nodded.

“Essentially yea. They watched over us and made sure we got through updates at the pace they wanted us too. Everyone on the server told me my wings were because of them, that I should be happy, and that I might be like them. But I don’t wanna be. It seems so boring. You build the same pillars, the same towers, without any change. You don’t seem to have any worldly ties. It seems… lonely. Besides, with my nature I’m pretty sure they hate me.” Grian curled up into himself a bit, his voice trailing off into a mumble.

“You’re nature? You mean your playful and silly attitude? You mean your work ethic and your willingness to try new things and learn?” Mumbo asked, a small and comforting smile pulling onto his face. Grian looked up at him, almost confused by what he said. “Do you not believe me?”

“No, yes- i mean-! I don’t know. I’m not used to all this. Everyone back home kinda just ignored me until I decided to blow up their base or steal diamonds. When they needed me to rebuild or replace stuff. People usually didn’t call me over to just have a chat.” Grian said, sighing as he shifted to face Mumbo. “But what about you? What about everyone else here? Why do you all have wings?”

“Well… I shouldn’t tell everyone’s stories. Some are a bit personal. But I believe most of them come from a glitch. Something happened and we were spawned in with them. We don’t really question it.” Mumbo shrugged, “But people like Doc and Cleo have a bit more of a troubled history with their glitched parts. Not to mention they were already player hybrids to start. But hey, those sorts of things are in the past, and they make us look bloody cool don’t it?” Mumbo grinned, listening to Grian’s high pitched laugh as his head was thrown back.

“Right. Now… just cause i’m curious. How fast can you go?” Grian asked, trying to change the topic. Mumbo perked up proudly.

“I’d say a solid 50 blocks per hour.” He said, the feathers of his wings ruffling a bit. Grian just laughed.

“Only 50? I can get to a solid 100 without breaking a sweat!” Grian challenged. Mumbo stood up.

“You wanna test that mate?” he asked. Grian stood up as well.

“First one to the fantasy district and back wins?”

“Deal.” The two shook hands, readying themselves at the top of Mumbo’s base, hands firm against the white concrete, legs bent and ready to snap at a moments notice. Their wings were open, Mumbo’s only slightly so he didn’t slam Grian into the ground on take off.

“Three…” Grian started, a grin pulling at his face.

“Two…” Mumbo glanced over to the dirty blond, not liking the look on his face. Chaos was aflame in his eyes, and it was almost unnerving.

“ONEGO!” Grian yelled, his feet pushing against the concrete as he launched himself into the air. He sped off, leaving Mumbo screaming in the distance. “EAT MY TAIL FEATHERS MUMBO JUMBOLIO!” Grian yelled behind himself, before looking straight ahead. He expertly dodged mountains and tall trees, hands out in front of him and helmet secured tightly to his head.

Wind whipped passed him, and he had to yell an apology to Scar for nearly crashing into him, but the two narrowly avoided each other. Grian smiled widely as the smell of the ocean faded into grass and trees, then back into that salt like scent. He saw the starting of False’s base, the start of the fantasy district. “HEY FALSE!” Grian called out to the building blond. He landed on top of her little mountain, grinning widely. He couldn’t even see Mumbo.

“Oh! Hey Grian what’s up?” False flew over to him.

“Oh I’m just beating Mumbo in a race. I’m waiting to see him before i bolt back.”

“You cheeky sod.” False laughed, and Grian joined in. “Oh I see him now!” False pointed out, and Grian just waved to Mumbo happily.

“See ya!” Grian laughed, taking off once more and blasting past Mumbo.

“You little bas-!” Grian didn’t hear the rest of Mumbo’s sentence, laughing hysterically has he flew onto Biffa’s mountain. He landed carefully.

Or tried too.

He screamed as he was flying far too fast, collide face first with the ground.

Grian experienced kinetic energy

Docm77: gg

MumboJumbo: hA

MumboJumbo: OHNO

MumboJumbo experienced kinetic energy

Grian respawned inside of his shipwreck, laughing wildly. He held his stomach and laughed until he fell out of bed.

Docm77: GG

Falsesymmetry: Omg i caught that on camera.

Grian clutched his stomach, his head thrown back in wild laughter. “Oh my god. That’s too perfect!” He stood up slowly, rushing over to Mumbo’s base. He swam up onto his platform and took off. He was still laughing by the time he got there, Mumbo standing frazzled by his bed. “Oh my god that was too funny.” Grian wheezed, landing on the little treehouse Mumbo had made. Mumbo just burst out laughing as he realized what exactly just happened.

“Oh my- Oh my god. That was perfect. I should’ve been recording!” Mumbo laughed, the two just sitting on the platform and taking deep breaths to calm themselves down. “Soo i totally won that.” Mumbo grinned, yelping as he was hit on the shoulder.

“No you did not! If we hadn’t died I totally would’ve won!” Grian protested. He stood up. “Come on lets go get our stuff back.” He took off quickly once more, never seeming too loose his energy. Mumbo smiled at the new hermit as he flew off, sighing softly. Just another day in the Hermitcraft world.

Grian landed on top of the mountain, quickly collecting his things as the sun went down. He pulled on his armor, held his sword in his hands and went back to his base after he messaged Mumbo that he’d be going to bed. He dived down into the ocean, using his wings to propel him underwater. His wings were sleek and rather small, nothing compared to people like TFC and Doc. His wings were built for speed and agility. He swam in through the neck of the bottle, popping out into his cramped base. He pulled a nametag out of one of his chests, and quickly took out a marker, writing ‘TAG’ in large and bold letters over it.

He pulled out his camera again, starting it up and going to record. He explained the rules of his new game, writing them down in a book as he did so. He was grinning like mad, a fire in his eyes he didn’t even know his soon to be chaos was fueling. Grian was giggling to himself as he wrote everything down, quickly flying out of his base and onto the little platform. He shook out his clothes and wings once more, taking flight and rushing over to Mumbo’s base. He looked onto his communicator, finding Mumbo’s gamertag and noticing he had went afk for a while. He groaned loudly, just for now hiding in a corner and watching the chickens that had suspiciously filled Mumbo’s base.

Grian ended up perching himself onto Mumbo’s enchantment station, one knee to his chest while his other leg dangled off the bookshelves. He kept throwing eggs everywhere, the occasional chicken spawning in. He hummed softly to himself, and was rather surprised that he had the patience to wait for Mumbo instead of just flying off to get someone else.

Docm77: Does anyone have a few books to spare? I only need l 3.

MumboJumbo: Oh yea! Just come into my base and snag them.

Grian pressed himself against the wall, hiding out of Mumbo’s sight just in case. He went to peak around the wall, only to find he was still afk!

Being afk was a sleeplike state that was induced after a few minutes of standing completely still. For some people it allowed them to retreat into a mind space, for others it was just like meditation. But it allowed mobs to spawn near a player, or for machines to continue working. It was bad edicate to do anything to people while they were afk.

Grian sighed, deciding to go for Doc instead, hiding next to Mumbo’s ladder and sitting there, waiting for the player hybrid to climb down the ladder into the place. He groaned loudly, walking over to Mumbo and poking at him.

“Mumbo jumbo you are afk.” He sang boredly, “I’m gonna take your mustache away-” He puffed out his cheeks as he got no response. God. He felt like a needy girlfriend. But he was so bored! You can’t blame him!

A loud squeak rang past his lips as he heard a accented voice complaining faintly, the sound hovering above him. He quickly rushed back to his spot, practically bouncing up and down as chickens walked around the whole place. He heard a loud explosion, before a death message popped up. Shit. Grian quickly climbed up the ladder of Mumbo’s base, quickly getting Doc’s scattered things and rushing to put them in a chest before everything despawned.

It was normal practice for him, as it had been mostly ingrained into his head that because of his speed he needed to help others with when they inevitably died. He sighed softly, making a sign and putting it on the chest, giving Doc directions to Mumbo’s base. He quickly slipped back into Mumbos base, and waited another ten or so minutes before he heard Doc’s grumbling as he climbed down the ladder. He pressed his wings into the wall behind him, seeing the creeper hybrid walking towards Mumbo. He rushed him quickly.

Grian reached out a fist, punching Doc in the shoulder, threw him both the tag and the book, before bolting back up the ladder. “I GOT YOU!” Grian yelled in victory, laughing hysterically as he quickly climbed. Doc didn’t even manage to get a word in before Grian left, but he started laughing as well, rubbing his shoulder.

“What the hell?” He asked, looking at the book that had been thrown at him. “A tag game hm? Interesting.” His voice drawled menacingly, and he looked over at Mumbo. He took the items he originally came for, and left. Hey, he might be an evil genius but he’ll play by the rules.

Grian landed on his platform, laughing hysterically. He let out a small sigh to calm himself down, fluttering his wings a bit to let out some pent up energy. He plopped down onto the cobblestone ground, looking up at the sky with a wide grin. So far he wasn't getting any typing in the chat from Doc. So he knew the other wasn’t angry at him for being hit.

He stretched out his wings, looking to them. His wings were small compared to Doc and TFC. But he was pretty damn confident he could out fly either of them. He hasn’t been able to talk to Stress much, but he’s pretty sure her wings are smaller than his. It really didn’t matter though. What did matter, was that they were a group of people, all who had been deemed out-casts by others, or felt as such. And they found a home with one another. He found a home with them. And frankly, he kind of didn’t want to go back.

[atamascolily]

The cover for Junior Jedi Knights #4: Anakin's Quest has Anakin and Tahiri on Dagobah with Ikrit and Artoo while a giant spider looms in the background. Because goodness knows that a series ostensibly about Jedi training can't have our heroes stay on the same planet for more than a book at the time! That would be... boring. And since Dagobah is a Movie Planet we haven't visited yet in this series (or in Young Jedi Knights, iirc) - it's time!

This book is written by Rebecca Moesta, co-author of the Young Jedi Knights books with Kevin J. Anderson (and incidentally, married to KJA), so I assume there will be some continuity between the two series. Let's find out!

(cut because this got super-long)

Anakin's restless. He tries to meditate, only to see Palpatine and Vader in a vision. Tahiri wakes him up. Apparently, this is a running theme through the series?

Tahiri was off exploring with Tionne which sounds very interesting, and they found holos and written records but Tahiri's more focused on having to wear shoes. LOL. This sounds fascinating and I wish we could see more of this! Oh, and apparently Ikrit told Tahiri that Anakin needed her?

“… and so I told her that I would bring you with me and we could start training again right away. Well, aren’t you going to say anything? Tionne is waiting for us.”

Patches of mist still clung to Anakin’s mind.“What? Who?”

Tahiri giggled.

“Tionne. You know-long silver hair, big pearly eyes, Jedi historian? The one who found me on Tatooine?”

“Yes.. I know who Tionne is,” Anakin said, his groggy mind not catching her point.

“Well, she’s waiting for us. Ikrit is with her. We’re starting lessons again right away.”

YEAH TIONNE!

Ikrit was obviously as pleased to see Anakin as Anakin was to see the little Jedi Master. He climbed nimbly onto Anakin’s shoulder and draped his tail around Anakin’s neck.

“I think he’s glad to see you,” Tionne said in her beautiful musical voice.

“We all are.”

The breeze blew around them and stirred the white vapor so that Tionne’s fine silvery hair looked as though it might have been spun from the mist itself.

“So what are we going to learn tonight?” Tahiri asked.

She sounded excited. She grinned at Anakin.

“I’ve been begging Tionne for three months to give me more lessons, but she wouldn’t. She said I was too young to study all the time and that I needed to take a break.” Tahiri snorted. “As if I wanted to take a break from studying the Force.”

Ok, so there's been a time skip between story arcs. Good to know. I love Ikrit and Anakin having a bonding moment, and Tionne doing stuff! Yeah! But what was Tahiri DOING if she wasn't studying??

Tionne said nothing. She lit a torch that she had brought with her from the Great Temple and then winked at Anakin as if they shared a secret-that sometimes it was best not to answer Tahiri, that it was enough just to listen.

Did I mention I love her?

Tionne closed her eyes halfway and Anakin could sense the Force flowing through her. Then, to his amazement, the ground mist wrapped itself around her, spiraling and climbing upward. The mist wound itself like a vine around her arm and the base of the torch.

Finally, the mist circled the tip of the torch in a glowing white halo. As the fire burned away the water vapor, more mist drifted up to join the hazy ring. Anakin found himself fascinated by this display. It wasn’t until Tahiri said, “Wow!” that he realized it was over.

“Now it’s your turn,” Tionne said. “This may be a bit new and strange to you. It might surprise you how hard it can be. You’ve practiced lifting objects before, heavy things and light things. But mist is not an object.”

THIS IS AWESOME. But I can't help notice that this is a Dagobah book, and so this skill is inevitably going to come in handy later on.

Suddenly, there before him, through his half-open eyes, he could see it: a small, transparent, but perfectly formed tree. Then, beside his tree he saw a misty replica of the Great Temple appear. Tahiri had added her own mist picture next to his.

Amused, Anakin let the mist flow again. This time he decided to form the shape of his father’s ship, the Millennium Falcon. Within seconds Tahiri made a little X-wing fighter to hover beside the Falcon. Then her craft shifted and became a misty light - saber with a ghostly blade. Anakin let the Millennium Falcon flow and transform into a second phantomlike lightsaber beside Tahiri’s.

The two energy blades drifted toward each other and crossed. Anakin and Tahiri both made a misty streamer shoot out from the point where the “lightsabers” touched, as if the clash had released a crackle of energy.

Aww, this is so good! But then Anakin slips and Palpatine's face shows up in the mist, and we cut to Anakin sitting in Luke's office with Artoo. Ouch. Anakin's cold and shivering and Luke feeds him soup and MY HEART.

Hey, a continuity nod (with Dark Empire, of all things):

“Is it-” Anakin swallowed hard. “Is it true that my mother was touched by the Emperor before I was born?”

Luke Skywalker pursed his lips. A frown creased his forehead.

“A clone of the Emperor touched her,” he said carefully. “That clone was a copy of the Emperor’s body.”

Anakin angsts. Luke tries to calm him, but to no avail. Anakin asks how Luke learned about his own dark side, and Luke brings up the Dagobah cave. Anakin insists on going. Luke says he's too busy to take Anakin, but Anakin insists. Luke says Anakin should talk to his parents.

The next day, Anakin and Tahiri use the Force to unload the Lightning Rod. I can't help but think about Master Yoda making Whie and Scout use their muscles in Dark Rendezvous. I suspect he would not approve. There's a boy in an extra shipping crate.

Anakin opened his mouth to say something but was too stunned to find the right words. As usual, Tahiri saved him the trouble.

“Hi, what’s your name? What planet are you from? I’m Tahiri, and this is my friend Anakin. What are you doing here? Do you always travel in a box?”

“I am Uldir.” The boy’s voice squeaked when he spoke, as if it couldn’t decide whether it was high or low. “I have decided to be a Jedi. Take me to Luke Skywalker.”

I'M HOWLING.

Anakin frowned.

“It doesn’t really work like that. I mean, I don’t think anyone just decides to become a Jedi. But I’ll take you to him.”

“And if you really plan to become a Jedi,” Tahiri added, “you’d better start calling Luke `Master Skywalker.’”

This subplot is NOT GOING TO END WELL, but I'm sure this happens ALL THE TIME at the Academy. Poor Luke.

“Excuse me, Master Skywalker,” Anakin said, entering the large, echoing chamber. Anakin always used his uncle’sformal title when Luke was teaching. The Jedi Master turned off his lightsaber and looked at Anakin. Luke’s tall, violet-feathered student stepped back to wait, still holding her own glowing blade.

Nice character note from Anakin. And yes, that's Brakiss, isn't it? Who else would be "violet-feathered"? Or maybe it’s a random alien, LOL.

[[Calling it now: Brakiss is going to twist/corrupt Uldir and use his pain and frustration over not having the Force against the Jedi, isn't he.]]

“I’ve brought someone who wants to meet you,” Anakin said, indicating Uldir. “He came in on the Lightning Rod with old Peckhum.”

Surprise showed on Luke Skywalker’s face.

“He’s a stowaway,” Tahiri supplied helpfully. “His name is Uldir and he wants to be a a Jedi.”

Luke’s eyebrows went up. If anything, he looked even more surprised than before.

“Hello, Uldir,” Luke said in a soft, serious voice. “It’s not an easy thing to become a Jedi. But if you think you can do it, I’ll test you later. I need to finish this lesson first, though. I’m sure you’re tired and hungry after your journey. Anakin and Tahiri, please show our guest around. After he’s had a chance to clean himself up a bit in one of the rooms, make sure he gets something to eat, and then bring him to my office. “

Have I mentioned how much I love Luke recently??

Uldir reveals he's a military brat, moved around a lot, and has lived on Coruscant (he's kinda snarky when Tahiri introduces a turbolift like it's a big deal and I love it). Uldir's rebelling against his family by trying to be a Jedi instead of a shuttle pilot. All three of them bond over droids and travels. They go to the cafeteria and Uldir eats a lot. Uldir is described as a "teen", so I guess he's 13-15ish, compared to Anakin (11) and Tahiri (9)?? I really love cafeteria scenes so it's nice to get one here - all hustle and bustle, full of aliens, food, and love.

Tahiri and Anakin try to let Uldir down gently, and it goes nowhere. Uldir insists they accompany him to his meeting with Luke. It goes poorly.

“If being a Jedi is that glamorous, why shouldn’t everyone become one? “

Uldir put his hands on his hips.

“They don’t have what it takes,” he said. “No guts, I guess. No guts, no glory.”

“And you have what it takes?” Luke Skywalker asked.

The sturdy teen threw back his shaggy chestnut hair and squared his shoulders.

“Yes, I do.”

Luke Skywalker closed his eyes and drew in a calming breath

I feel you, Luke. I feel you.

Luke tries to let Uldir down gently, but it doesn't take. Uldir vows to stay, lies about his parents Luke is not amused.

Luke fixed him with a stern look and frowned ever so slightly.

“If you want to stay at the Jedi academy, don’t ever lie to me,” he said in a soft voice.

But he gives in because Uldir clearly has parental issues and Luke’s a softie, so they make a deal:

“All right, Uldir. If your parents agree, I’ll let you study for a while at the Jedi academy. But everyone here has a job to do. We all have assignments: teaching, taking classes, unloading cargo, cooking. If you’re willing to put in an honest day’s work, you may stay at the academy and attend lectures and classes and learn about the Force. If by the end of three months you have learned enough about the Force to lift a pebble or light a flame, then I will accept you as a full-time student-if you still want to be one.”

Luke calls Uldir's parents, and they agree, but hilariously admit they were afraid he'd joined some pirates. I think they are relieved it was the Jedi instead.

More Jedi Temple stuff:

Anakin Solo stood on top of the Great Temple, panting from his climb up the outer stairway. The late-afternoon breeze dried the sweat that trickled down his forehead. From this high above the ground there was a wonderful view of the surrounding jungle and the river not far away. But Anakin had not come for the view. He had come to be alone. To think-or maybe to brood. There was no railing around the platform on top of the pyramid, but Anakin was not afraid of falling.

He knew how to use his Jedi powers to keep his balance. He sat at the edge of the stone platform and removed his shoes, in the hope that going barefoot would give him at least a little of the positive bubbliness that Tahiri always seemed to have. He waited a minute to see if he would feel any different….

Hey, somebody remembers there are steps on the outside of this thing! Anakin watches lightsaber practice from his perch. He's so absorbed that he doesn't notice Ikrit at first.

“I guess I should have noticed you. I mean, normally I would have. It’s just that I’m not really myself right now.”

There was a long pause. Finally Ikrit asked, “Who are you, then?”

Anakin could sense that Ikrit wasn’t making a joke. It was an honest question. Anakin searched in his mind for an honest answer. He sighed.

“That’s just it: I don’t know. I always thought I did. I mean, I’m a kid whose father just happens to be one of the hottest pilots in the galaxy, whose mother is the leader of the New Republic, whose twin brother and sister just happen to have more Jedi potential than anyone else at the academy under the age of sixteen, and whose uncle also happens to be the most powerful Jedi Master alive.” Anakin grinned at his own words. “You know-I’m just an average kid.”

Anakin angsts about his vision and repeats his desire to go Dagobah, because of Luke and Yoda. Ikrit perks up. Cut to:

Planetshine from the orange gas giant of Yavin streamed in through the narrow window slit of Master Luke Skywalker’s chambers at the Jedi academy. The night air was still warm and Luke had pulled aside the heavy curtains to let in the soft breeze and the spicy scent of jungle flowers. Although he had been lying down for at least an hour, sleep would not come. He relaxed and let himself enjoy the beauty of the soft light. Somehow, when the furry white form of Jedi Master Ikrit appeared on his windowsill, Luke was not surprised.

Ikrit says that Anakin needs to go to Dagobah. Luke agrees.

“Anakin needs more time and training than I have to give him,” Luke admitted. “When Yoda taught me, he had no other students, but I have so many to train it could be months before I can break free to take Anakin to Dagobah.”

Luke thought for a moment.

“I might be able to send Tionne with him. She could leave sooner than I could.” He sighed. “But I’m not certain she can help Anakin face this test. She’s a wise Jedi, but she has never come face-to - face with the dark side in the same way I have… and as Anakin has.”

“I will take the boy to Dagobah myself, if you will permit it,” Ikrit said.

DELEGATE, LUKE, DELEGATE. That's what other people are there for! To be fair, Luke is still getting used to having Ikrit around. Ikrit says he's going to take Tahiri and Anakin in the Lightning Rod with Peckhum (of course!) and Luke sends Artoo along for the ride because Artoo hasn't suffered ENOUGH, LOL. But first he has to call Han and Leia and make sure they're okay with him sending their son into potential danger (unlike, say, the last book?)

Han namedrops Zekk, who's been helping Peckhum with ship maintenance. Han and Leia agree, mostly because Anakin insists. Our heroes embark on the journey.

“This is really kind of cozy, isn’t it?” she said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t bring Uldir along. He looked kind of unhappy when we told him we had to go away for a few days. Do you think he’ll be all right?”

It's fine, kids. I'm sure Brakiss will take care of him!

Peckhum is surprised that Ikrit is a Jedi master and can talk. Ikrit asks what he thinks Jedi masters look like and Peckhum doesn't say "human" but you can tell he's thinking it. Ikrit provides some backstory about how he saved his villages' harvest with his Jedi powers even after he was teased for not being useful earlier. Meanwhile, Uldir has stowed away AGAIN because that's what he does??

Uldir figured it was easier to apologize afterward than to get permission to go along.

Yes, this is going to go well, isn't it.

Dagobah hasn't changed. Apparently Luke sent Artoo along because Artoo is familiar with the place? LOL. Anakin still can't understand Binary, which is annoying. Peckhum lets Artoo land the ship and the droid lands in the swamp and the ship falls into the water. Peckhum is annoyed and we have some excellent Artoo sass: "this is the best place to land"!

Peckhum insists on staying with the ship, but at least Anakin and Tahiri have Ikrit for some competent supervision this time! Tahiri refuses to wear shoes on principles, but caves when Ikrit reveals that Tionne packed knapsakcs for them, including "a pair of buttery-soft leather boots". Oh, Tionne. The narrative doesn't say, but I assume they're Chanel. They are going to get ruined in the muck, but 10/10 for style.

Dagobah is buggy! Ikrit tells Anakin and Tahiri to use the Force to steer the bugs away, and it works. Artoo starts to lead them to the cave. They end up rescuing Uldir, who fell into the swamp because he didn't look before opening the cargo doors and jumping out. Now he's being attacked by some sort of furry snake monster. He throws algae but it doesn't go away. Anakin realizes the algae is food, and uses it to lure the creature away while Tahiri fishes Uldir out with a vine. Tahiri injures her foot and Uldir is patronizing about her injury and about Ikrit.

Ikrit makes them stop and listen to a lecture on the Force, which annoys a restless Anakin. Ikrit says he's going to let each of the kids lead them back to the ship. Tahiri and Anakin have no major disasters, but Uldir nearly leads them into a butcher bug web - an invisible, razor-sharp silken mesh. Ikrit leads his chastened charges back to the ship.

Cave trip, take two! Ikrit is riding on Artoo this time. Tahiri is wearing the boots, and surprised to find that she likes them because they have flexible soles. Go Tionne! Uldir continues to be a jerk.

“The way Uncle Luke explained it,” Anakin went on, his eyes rolling up and to the side, “the cave works kind of like a mirror, to show you what’s inside your own mind. He said he learned some really important things about himself that day.”

Uldir snorted.

“You mean you needed to come halfway across the galaxy and go into a cave to figure out what’s in your head?”

Their argument is interrupted by a storm, so they all take shelter "beneath the gnarled roots of a massive tree". Anakin is struck by how much the roots resemble a spider. Kid, do I have some news for you...

Ikrit can apparently make fire with the Force! I guess this is where Anakin gets his torch from the cover. Ikrit senses danger. Uldir is dismissive when a spotlight sloth shows up. I kinda hope the reason we don't see him on the cover is that he gets eaten. Of course the spider shows up then and captures the sloth, paralyzing it and eating it. Anakin is a city boy, and he's so out of his element. Uldir is also a city boy, but he decides to look because he thinks he's so cool, and his gagging noises draw the spider's attention.

The spider starts uprooting random vegetation and is getting close to the tree. Artoo gets stuck. Uldir runs away and Anakin and Tahiri rescue Artoo. The spider rips the tree away and throws it in the swamp, and starts chasing them. Artoo yanks on the spider's stinger and the spider retreats and goes back to destroying vegetation. They find Uldir, and Ikrit says he's convinced the spider that it's no longer hungry. The spider stabs the ground and plants its legs. Anakin realizes the spider is going to become a tree!

(I love this, by the way. The gnarltrees themselves are in ESB, but I couldn't remember where the gnarltrees = knobby white spiders thing came from... turns out their first appearance was in KJA's Darksaber! To give KJA credit where it's due, he's pretty good at coming up with characters and neat ideas, he's just not so good with description or execution.)

Conveniently, they end up right outside the cave. Uldir doesn't think it's important.

“You know, maybe your uncle was just in a thoughtful mood that day. I don’t think he could have learned anything in this cave that he couldn’t have learned if he had spent the day flying or swimming or climbing trees.”

LOL, nice try, Uldir. Uldir and Tahiri want to go in, too. Ikrit says sure, but one at a time. Of course, Uldir goes first, and doesn't see anything. Tahiri has a vision of her parents on Tatooine. Her mother is barefoot, lol. She also sees her grandfather (a Jedi) pursued by stormtroopers on a diffeent world and she sees him die. I have so many questions, but keep in mind this was 1997, and Lucas didn't insist on a celibate Jedi Order until 1999.

Then it's Anakin's turn. He sees a vision of a Light Jedi fighting a dark figure, only to discover--wait for it!--that both faces are his own. Cut to Ikrit making a fire as they discuss their visions.

“As different as you are from one another, my young students,” Ikrit rasped, “the things you each saw in the cave are not as unlike as you might believe. And for each of you, the lesson is much the same. Your learning and heritage mold you. No one is either entirely good or bad. Your parents, your experiences, your past and your present all combine to make you the person that you are.

“We each contain the potential for great good or great evil. We each hold the shadow of darkness… and the flame of light. Our destinies are not set, and life offers no guarantees. It is the choices that you make… that will determine what you become.”

After that inspiring moral, Anakin says, Welp, let's go home now, but Ikrit says there's one more thing. Artoo takes them to the ruins of Yoda's old house. Ikrit is so depressed, his fur turns black. Turns out Yoda was Ikrit's old master from his story at the beginning! Wow, what a twist! Good for Yoda!

Peckhum is grumpy about having another passenger, but they make it work. Tahiri is relieved to be barefoot again.

“I’ll have to remember to thank Tionne for thinking to send those boots for me.”

And she did.

What a great character moment. Oh and I guess the mist manipulation wasn’t actually useful on Dagobah after all, huh? 

Back on Yavin 4, the kids scrub the Lightning Rod to remove all the Dagobah mud. Tionne hugs everyone. Luke looks relieved (probably didn't want to have to explain to Uldir's parents that their son stowed away YET AGAIN, lol).

Anakin, Tahiri, and Uldir each had a long private meeting with Luke and then with Tionne. In fact, there was so much talking and meeting and hugging that at the end of a few hours, Anakin was convinced that there was no one left who hadn’t already talked to everyone else. But he was wrong. Anakin was still in his uncle’s office when Ikrit showed up…

Uldir has a rare moment of self-reflection:

“Do you think I’ll ever become a Jedi?” he asked.

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence.

“Maybe,” Tahiri said. “I don’t really know enough about how it works.”

Anakin shrugged.

“It’s possible,” he said. “Even Jedi Masters can make mistakes."

Anakin and Tahiri vow to do what they can to help Uldir. They genuinely want to help, but there is no way this is going to end well. Uldir goes to get more river water, convinced if he dresses the part of the Jedi, the rest will follow while he's gone, Luke, Ikrit, and Tionne show up and congratulate Anakin and Tahiri. And that's... pretty much this plot arc in a nutshell - Uldir missing the point/missing out, while Anakin and Tahiri get stuff. Ow.

So I admit my expectations going into this book were SUPER-LOW, but even though the plot was mostly predictable, I loved all the continuity nods and there were lots of great character moments--and there were a few bits that surprised me, too. Overall, the writing is definitely a step up from previous installments, and none of the adults are idiots. Tionne gets some cool stuff to do and takes care of Tahiri, and Luke and Ikrit are also great. And the Uldir plot is handled realistically and sensitively, even though I *know* it's not going to end well. I enjoyed reading this, and would definitely do it again.

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider OOO Episodes 17-32

I'm really holding myself to not make a joke with a Katy Perry song.

Yes, I'm late. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I was taking care of that for the past three days so I didn't finish writing this post on time, I'M SORRY. But here I am now so let's get to the juice.

You know, looking from the point we left in the last post I expected things to go downhill and I was prepared to have another W's mid-season experience. Aaaaand I was wrong! And thank god for it.

The complaints I had from the first part are still present here, but they picked on the good points already present and expanded so much on them that when you put things on paper the positives more than compensate for the bad ones. As I mentioned before, arcs introducing a new "ranger" in the middle of the season are for the most part very hard to me, I usually don't like those, and the way they introduce Birth sure was rough in some edges. But despite the elements I dislike still being there, I've grown to like Akira/Birth and I think their inclusion to the cast played a big role in making this second part as solid as it was.

The come and go of the medals is still confusing and hard to keep up with, the antagonists are still kind of a mess, some of the MOTW plots are weak, but each one of these negatives come with a positive. Yes, is hard to keep track of the medals, but the new combo forms Os got in these episodes were amazing both in visuals and in powers. Yes, there are still many "factions" acting as antagonists, but each one of them had something added to them so they don't look just like a bunch of pawns trying to act like a king and just looking like a bunch of ants who broke formation coming back to their colony. While some MOTW didn't have a very engaging story, each one of them had at least one quirk that made them interesting.

If there are things I'd consider fatal flaws in this particular block of episodes I'd say they are: how they didn't know how to manage the GREED, Gotou's storyline, and those horrible episodes celebrating the 1000th episode.

Regarding the GREED, this is a problem I had in the first part as well, they're completely underused. First, they quickly ditched two generals (the ones with most personality) at once, so I thought we would see Uva and Kazari as two different forces going against each other, but no Uva was pushed to the side for the most of it and we only saw Kazari doing his things. Then there's the matter of Ankh's body who's sitting on a very thin line and sometimes it's pending more to the interesting side and in other times is just sitting in the "really, queen?" side of things. Now not everything is bad, adding a new GREED that wasn't one of the original 5 and having this GREED be merging with both Eiji and Dr, Maki is very interesting and I'm quite curious to see how it'll develop, I feel like they're building up for Maki be the final boss and I'm kinda thorned about it since I really like Kougami and I wish he was the final antagonist, but episodes 29 and 30 shed a new light on Dr. Maki and I started liking him a little more so I think I'm okay if that's the path they'll take.

Gotou is a mixed bag of feelings for me. I really started disliking him around episode 12, and I disliked him more when they started to hint him as being the next Rider to join, and I still think he's a very weak character and he's definitely not in my favorites' list. But I started to get more sympathetic towards him and a huge part of that is because of his interactions with Akira, I'm still not interested on seeing him becoming Birth but thanks to this period he spent with Akira I think when the change happens I'll be more open-minded for it. I also can't deny that he had a great part in on of my favorite stories of the season (Episodes 21 and 22) that made me soften my heart for him, seeing his internal conflict about his own sense of justice was very cool, the conclusion he came to wasn't what I wanted but it was still great nonetheless.

The 1000th episode arc was... just boring and embarrassing, I'm sorry. I know I don't have the knowledge of this franchise to catch all the easter eggs and such, but with easter eggs or no is a very weak plot and I wasn't interested in anything. Again, I'm sorry.

But now let's talk about the good stuff. First of all, I wanna take a moment to talk about the power-ups, Os got two new combos in these episodes and they're both great. Seeing that I'm a sucker for water powers I thought ShaUTa would be my favorite, and while it looks pretty good and the fight underwater we got as cool as heck my favorite form is TaJaDor, I love the design of the suit, I love the design of the wings, I love that attack with the peacock feathers, I love when he goes to the sky and start looking like a phoenix, that power-up is *chef's kiss* perfecto! I don't know if PuToTyranno is considered a power-up, but the form is also pretty darn good, I think the ptera wings are a bit weird and attacking with a tail is a bit too much for me (especially with that CGI), but I love the ax/gun weapon he got, and I can't wait to see more. (also PuToTyranno is a very fun name to me because "puto" is not a family-friendly word in Portuguese and I just can't help but crack every time I think of it XD)

Talking about characters, Eiji is as great as ever, his smartness continues being on point, he has great comedy moments, and the delivery on the emotional moments is very well done. What I liked the most about him in these episodes was seeing how he could gave some very strong speeches about justice and helping other people and said speeches didn't sound generic or fake like in the many other shows with a young male target audience. They were a bit idealistic while staying very grounded in reality which I loved. We also got to see the full scope of his backstory too, I don't necessarily love the part about he coming from a wealthy family, but I can see that this also adds a lot on his shoulders so I'm okay with it, is still a very strong character point. I thought it would take long to another Rider to dethrone Shotaro as my favorite, but Eiji is coming very close to it, let's see how the show will handle his character in this final third.

Ankh... is still Ankh. I thought they were building a narrative of him betraying Eiji, and I thought that could be a very nice point to make him grow as a character but that didn't come true so, I'm still kinda meh about him. Hina is still boring, but this time I'll blame all on the actress/direction they gave to her because there are good moments for her here but the delivery is very lackluster. Chiyoko is still a very nice side character, I really liked her participation in episodes 29 and 30 with her interactions with Maki, I hope we can see more of this in the future.

The things in Kougami foundation are still a high point for me, Kougami himself seems to be becoming more crazy and obsessive as time passes and I just love it. Erika is by far the best support character, and I love that badass action scene they gave her in episode 20! I wish the booty shots didn't have camera angles that weren't so IN YOUR FACE, but I guess is a fair trade considering the many closeups on Eiji while he's on his underwear so...

I already talked a bit about Akira but I feel like I need to highlight him again. I wasn't expecting to like him this much, especially seeing how he crashed this party without previous notice, but I really enjoy him. He's so upbeat and straightforward, yet he's not just an easygoing character, we can see his dept and whenever he goes serious it doesn't seem like a very drastic change. It's kinda impossible to dislike this guy. I'm a bit afraid for him, because the signs that he's going to die are all here, and I don't wanna see him go because I like him so much, I hope that if they do it it'll be on a nice way and it'll make him justice, BUT I'LL TRY TO STAY POSITIVE TILL THE LAST MINUTE AND I'LL BELIEVE THAT HE'S NOT GONNA DIE (pls OOO, don't crush my heart).

I believe this is all I had to say, I can't believe I'm already so close to the end of this wonderful series, I really hope they won't drop the ball in this final stretch. How yall feel about the middle portion of OOO, anything you agree or disagree with? Let me know in the comments. See you, folks. o/

[ask-ivory]

Chapter one: Welcome to Shade

Those hunk muffins earned it! I don't care what they thought. If they were so worried about their little dust company, then I would have sided with the Schnees.

"I'm done with dust." I told my stepfather, as we parted ways, "I want to be a huntress; a hero. And nothing is going to stop me!"

Those days were far behind me. Weeks of prepping and training were way in the past. I had passed the entrance exam, my real parents filled out the paperwork, my documents were handed in and I was on an airship bound for Shade Academy, in Vacuo.

My bags were packed the previous night (courtesy of my sand servents). I had barely slept last night, because questions like "what is Shade gonna be like?", "Who will be on my team?", "How many friends will I make?", And many more floated in my head. Now I was actually going there, flying at a hundred miles an hour towards my dream come true.

I wasn't the only one here on this airship. A hundred people, at least my age or older, were here on this airship with me. The Vacuo news was on the screen systems near the windows, (probably to keep the passengers from getting bored, because if so, things tend to get pretty ugly). The news was announcing the latest robberies from the technical laboratories in Vacuo. Normally the news doesn't really interest me, but now that I'm training, I'm beginning to wonder if a huntress fought more then just the Creatures of Grimm. If so, then I would also stop crime.

"Focus on the task at hand," I told myself, "Train and prepare to be a huntress first, fight evil Grimm and other junk like that later."

I gazed out the window, thinking about my brother Basin. He was already at the academy, starting on his third year. He told me about how great Shade Academy is, and sent me pictures of the school.

He also sent me pictures of his team, Team BLCK (Pronounced Black), and told me about each teammate. On his team, he had a pair of fox faunus twins, whose names were Larry and Kerry Steel (get it? Steal? Steel? I just got that). He also had a another guy named Cade Blackstone. All of them were the same age and followed in Basin's leadership (well, most of the time anyway).

He even snuck some pictures of his classes that he had attended in his first and second years (spoiler alert, he got into detention for that, but with a semblance like his, that rarely happened).

Anyway, before the day came to move here, I looked at the pictures over and over again, memorizing the school grounds, my brother's teammates (just in case they decided to kill me with pranks), and teachers' mad faces when they caught Basin taking illegal pictures in class (heh heh).

I thought about pulling my scroll out again to look at the pictures again, but then the news shut off on the screens and a holographic image of a woman appeared. She was tall with long black hair. Her bare arms were adorn with golden bracelets and she wore a sleeveless dress that faded with purple to blue at the waist, all the way down to green at the bottom. In her hair was a golden headset, decorated with peacock feathers. She had a pair of, what looked like fans, strapped to her golden belt. She had golden high heels that were so ridiculously high that she looked like she had ballerina slippers on. Her face was beautiful but in a harsh mother-knows-best-now-don't-cross-my-path-or-i-will-have-to-step-on-you, kind of way. She wore blue eyeshadow, which matched her eyes.

"Welcome back all returning students and greetings to our new first year students." Her voice sounded stern, like she had spent her free time yelling at bad puppies. "I am Professor Hera Peacock, your combat trainer for this year. You are all very privileged to be attending this excellent institution. The world of Remnant is moving at an incredible length of pace, maintaining it's peace and prosperity. As future hunters, your training here will be vital to your future career. I wish you the best of luck"(I don't think she meant this part)" and welcome again to Shade Academy." The hologram turned off after finishing the welcome speech.

I looked out the window to find that the airship was just yards away from the landing docks. I ran to get my bags, but I bumped into someone.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"Ohff!" My accident responded. We both fell backwards.

"Sorry." I apologized, getting up, "I'm soo-" then my voice left me speechless. The girl I bumped into stood up.

The girl wore a sleeveless dress that started at gold and faded to orange and ended with blue. The dress itself was short at the knees. Her hair matched her dress, but only matched to the fading orange part. She wore a black belt, with pouches for dust on the side, and a pair of golden swords, that appeared to be folded in half, were attached to the back. She wore dark blue shoes with star patterns on them. Her eyes were a light crystal blue. But her wings were the thing that unnerved me.

On her back was a blinding white pair of wings. She was definitely a faunus, but she was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. In the few months that I lived in Vacuo, I had seen faunus of all types and traits: everything from ram's horns to lizard's tails. I had only heard of faunus with wings from the stories my father told me, the tales of the Great War. One of the things he said was that after the Siege of Vacuo, the winged faunus who fought with Vacuo just left and never returned. I heard people say that the chances of a faunus born with wings were pretty rare.

But here I was. And here she was.

"You can stop starring now." the girl said. "Just please, don't make any jokes."

"Oh no!" I protested "I wasn't planning on making jokes about your wings. It's just, I've never seen anything like this before. Their beautiful."

The girl seemed to brighten up at this comment, "You really think so?"

"Of course! I heard that having wings is a really rare trait. I've never seen it in person before."

"Yeah..." the girl muttered "That's what everyone thinks. Their not exactly right though...."

"Wait. What?"

"Nothing." the girl held out her hand. "I'm Lyra by the way. Lyra Phoebus."

"And I'm Aliar Ivory." We shoke hands.

"Oh!" Lyra exclaimed,"you are a first year student, are you?"

"Of course." I responded. "I'm so excited to start the year. But..." I hesitated "I'm also kinda nervous too. Even though my brother told me what Shade Academy's like, I still don't know what to expect."

"Is your brother a huntsman?"

"No, he's a third year. His name is Basin Obsidian, and he's the leader of team BLCK." I pulled my scroll out of my purse. "I've got pictures of him and his team. And..." I added with a smile, "He managed to sneak some pictures of the classes we'll be attending. Wanna see?"

She was about to respond when the speakers overhead turned on, "Attention students, we are about to land. Please bring all personal belongings with you as you leave the airship. Another reminder to reclaim your baggage and suitcases before you enter the school. For returning students, please meet up with your team leaders and move your things to your assigned dorms. For first years, once you have retrieved your items, please drop them off at the Great Hall. All students will meet in the auditorium for the ordination speech in eighty minutes. Welcome to Shade Academy."

People started flocking towards the exit. I could feel the ship landing slowly under my feet.

"Come on!" Lyra grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the door,"The pictures can wait. We're about to see the real thing!"

She dragged me out the door into the golden sun. The cool atmosphere of the airship turned to scorching desert heat in a heartbeat. Momentarily, I was binded by the shinning rays of the sun. When I adjusted to the light, I couldn't find the words to describe what I saw, or how I felt.

In front of me was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. Shade Academy was a huge palace-like building, maby eighty years old, it was several stories high, surrounded by a tropical court yard. It looked really good which is saying alot because nowadays, it's hard to find beauty in Vacuo. Now I'm not saying that it was perfect, because it wasn't. Some of the sandstone benches were broken, and the marble memorial wall was well worn. Not to mention the entire courtyard had a decent layer of sand covering it, but this was Vacuo, so there wasn't much they could do about that, (but that kind of thing doesn't really bother me very much.) Despite all it's flaws, I loved it. It was even grander then Atlas.

"This place is great!" Lyra exclaimed.

"And packed." I added, "come on. Let's get our things."

One thing I learned the hard way about Vacuo: all sence of order and organization is tossed out the window.

There was no line or anything. Just a crowd of people trying to get to there things before any of it got stolen. We squeezed through the crowd and barely managed to get our stuff (not-so-cool fact: it took us at least twenty minutes, which is generous because it probably took longer.) The airship wasn't too tightly packed, but other airships were coming in, some had even more people than our airship. All of the luggage was delivered in a big package mess of chaos, so we had to shuffle through hundreds if not thousands of bags and hope we didn't grab the wrong luggage. It was so crowded that at one point, Lyra said that she needed air. So she climbed on a random guy's back while he was leaning over to grab a suitcase, and leaped into the air,(yes, dear readers, we somehow managed to stay together the whole time, though, I'm still not entirely sure how.)

Much later, we finally stumbled out of the crowd. I was sweating so hard, I wondered how I didn't faint. We collapsed on one of the stone benches. Small groups of students (probably teammates, probably friends) were walking around the courtyard talking about their vacation time, or maybe some of them were new students becoming friends. Most of the students were trying desperately not to trip and fall as they hauled their things indoors. A few managed, but others had no such luck. One poor guy accidentally opened his suitcase while he was pulling it out of a sand dune, and all of his things fell out. Another guy, maybe a friend or family member, dropped his things too help his buddy out. It made me glad to see that, even though it was a rough start for everyone, the school and the students still kept the same respect that Vacuo had for it's people.

Well... almost everyone.

"Hey! Your in my seat!"

Startled, I turned to see a tall blonde girl barely managing to stand straight and tall in her fancy clothes. And when I say fancy, I mean something a casual Atlisian citizen would wear: a sleeveless pink dress with a faint flower print towards the bottom. She wore a pair of hot pink high heels that were so ridiculously high, that I thought she was going for the floating princess look. Her face was covered in a super heavy layer of makeup. Her blonde hair was streaked with pink all over the place, and she was oviously wearing hair extensions, because there was no way that her hair was long enough to touch her butt.

"I'm sorry," I said as I looked at her sideways, "you must have the wrong bench."

"And the wrong school." Lyra added.

The blonde gave Lyra a distasteful look. "No one asked for your opinion, weirdo. By the way, are those pillows on your back? Or are you supposed to be some kind of 'rare' species or something?"

Lyra's face burned with hate "They're wings. And before you ask, yes, they are real."

"Well," the blonde sneered "I don't know what kind of trash is going through the headmistress' mind, recruiting freaks like you into one of the most famous combat schools in the world. You're definitely not worthy of even being here."

I was so mad that I got to my feet in an instant. "Well at least this is the most friendly kingdom in Remnant. In Atlas, they don't give a dime about anyone unless your rich. They definitely don't like faunus. And because of that, I think that Atlas is a crappy kingdom. I bet that you come from a rich, spoiled, ignorant, family who only cares about themselves. I wonder what would've made them hate you so much for them to send you to place that's to low for your standards."

She was so mad, that I thought she was going to blow a fuse. "What?! How dare you just assume..."

"I'm not assuming!" I snarled. "I was raised in Atlas. And I know first hand how awful the people are."

"You traitor!" She shrieked. "How dare you betray your home kingdom like..."

"Like what?" A taller girl walked up. She had deep red eyes, which shone behind a pair of circular spectacles. Her long brown hair was tied back in twin braids, and her bangs with red streaks were parted. She mainly wore dark red and brown colors, with gold as an accent. The only thing I could say was different about her, besides her clothes and her neat appearance, was her accent. I wouldn't say she sounded atlesian. Maybe she was half and half? I don't know. I couldn't tell how she felt because she looked pretty emotionless, but my guts told me she was far from pleased. I could tell because her position was rather tense and her tone was rather stiff.

"This little brat is talking trash about her home kingdom! She needs to be put in her place!" The blonde shook her head, flouncing her overdyed hair. The other girl rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. She used her other hand to push her spectacles in place.

"Sounds more like you need to be put in your place. If you wanted people who looked, walked and talked like you as friends, then you should have gone to Atlas. You made a poor choice in Academy chosing. Your physic doesn't even look huntress worthy. It's a surprise you even passed the Shade academy entrance exam." The girl bluntly stated, causing the blonde to glare daggers right through her newfound enemy.

"I-it's not my fault I was sent to this garbage kingdom! I was forced to! By my parents!" The blonde protested.

"Huh, how fun. It's a shame really. If this is an Atlesian tradition, then it must suck like crazy. What forced your parents to send you here, when you could have been at home, spoiled rotten to the core?" The girl grinned wryly. Boy, there was no end to the shame this girl could endow upon that blonde.

"And besides," I added, "Technically, I was born in Vacuo. So that gives you no valid excuse to call me racist."

"And I've visited Atlas in the past." Lyra said in a sour tone. "Do you want to know what I think of Atlas? It's an illusion. An illusion to all the people outside and in. People look at Atlas and think it's the best and most advanced kingdom of the present. But like any illusion, it can shatter in an instant. If you think Atlas is a great kingdom, then you can believe that if you want to. Nothing lasts forever."

"I've been born and raised in Atlas, and I will say that my lifestyle sucked, which is why I left to live in Vale. My only friend was a faunus, who was beaten and discriminated because of her faunus traits and family status. I agree with the standard that Atlas is nothing more then a mere fantasy. You can enjoy your beliefs, but watch where it will lead you, because it may lead you straight to your doom." The dark girl joined in. She wasn't even fazed by the Barbie girl's reaction. She just glared laser eyes through her plastic frame.

The blonde girl was looking at all of us with a murderous glare, "Well, I can't stand for any of this trash. I'm heading inside to find more sensible people to talk to. I think you all are a bunch of a..."

Her cuss word ( I'll let you guess which one,) was cut off by a squeal of joy that was so loud, that I almost had to cover my ears. It came from all the way across the courtyard, where the students were being dropped off from the airships. I couldn't see who exactly screamed, but she was definitely loud enough to silence the whole courtyard.

"Wow." I said in a small voice, "Someone's definitely excited."

"I bet even the people inside heard that, too." Lyra added. The dark girl nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, the blonde said, "Let this be a warning to you. If I see you ever again, then I will beat the stuffing out of you."

She gathered her four hot pink colored bags, and started struggling to get her things to the academy.

"What a jerk," the dark girl said, "I hope I'm never on a team with that girl."

"Um..." I looked more closely at the stranger and instantly realized something: the only luggage she had was a leather backpack. "Hey. Where are your bags?" I asked.

"I dropped them off at the Grand Hall." She said casually, "I kept my backpack on me just in case."

"Huh." Lyra nodded, "ok, who are you?"

"I'm Dracella. Dracella von Burgundy."

"Hi, there." I said "I'm Aliar Ivory." I helt out my hand. Dracella took my hand, and we shook.

"And I'm Lyra Phoebus. " Lyra shook hands with the new girl.

"Are you an Ivory?" asked Dracella.

"I am." I responded, "but I'm not into business, I'm a fighter."

"Interesting." Dracella said. "My uncle told me about the Ivory family. My parents don't like you guys."

"Um... Does this make us enemies?"

"No. In order for us to be enemies, we have to hate each other. I don't hate you."

Lyra let out her breath like she was relieved, "Thank goodness. Cause I thought you were gonna..."

"Take a selfie!!!" A squeaky voice behind me exclaimed.

I almost jumped out of my shoes. Behind us was the girl with the exact same voice that echoed throughout the courtyard. Except, she wasn't a girl, she was a faunus. She was wearing a vertically stripped skirt patterned with black and white. She wore a magenta colored shirt with short puffy sleeves, and a darker purple button-up vest on top of that. She had a pair of dark purple high heeled boots on. Also, she was wearing a tie across her neck. I usually thought that ties were worn by business workers, but she wore it like a practical joke. Her crazy, purple colored hair and matching colored cat ears only made her look more unprofessional, but in a good way. Maybe it was her black gloves that gave off the message that she wasn't here to mess around. With a folding fan on her belt, a scoll in her hand, and a look of pure craziness on her face, she looked like she was ready to fight an army of Grimm, then take a bunch of selfies of herself right next to the decaying corpses. Then, she'd probably take selfies with her scroll on every inch of the campus.

All in all, she looked like someone from the lower classes of Atlas, or maybe someone from Minstral.

"How did you get here?" Asked Lyra.

"I took the scenic route." She sounded like a girl who was living the life of a party. "Oh! And my name is Catness Magenta."

We all exchanged names. Then Dracella said that she had to go text her cousin before the welcoming ceremony, and she ran into the school.

"So," Catness asked, "Why aren't you two inside the building?"

I face palmed myself. "Right!" Then I turned to Lyra, "We should get our bags to the Grand Hall."

"Well if you wanna talk later, then I'm always available." Catness offered. Then she smiled, flashing two rows of shiny white teeth, and disappeared.

For a minute we didn't say anything. Lyra piped up first. "Huh. That was a thing."

"We should probably go drop our stuff off." I suggested. I picked up my black duffle bag and slung it over my shoulder. Then I grabbed my two white suit cases by the handles and got to my feet. Lyra grabbed a golden suitcase and a blue duffle bag.

"Yeah," she agreed, "We don't want to be late."

I amplified my Aura and the sand beneath my feet solidified, creating a solid ground for me to walk on.

"Lyra," I told her, "I may have just met you and I think you're a good person. I hope maybe we can be on a team together. Or at least be friends."

Lyra smiled. "Well we can be friends. And I think I could definitely live with you on the same team as me. But..." Her smile faded, "I don't know how they pick the teams. Let's just hope the system's friendly enough to at least let us make a choice."

"One can only hope." I muttered. "Wanna meet me at the auditorium after we drop our stuff off?"

"Sounds fun to me." Then she took off, flying over the scorching sand, with her suitcase dangling in the air.

"Oh yeah." I smiled as I walked towards the Grand Hall. "This may be a tough first year, but it's gonna be fun."

@saiyoyuutsume, @cinnamon-pineforest, @taiyang-too-long, @doctoroobleck, @fallentitan98, @ask-stjerne-a-fallende, @ask-dracella-von-burgundy, @ask-professor-goodwitch

[radiant-flutterbun]

Anostra

Clan Ton Theon, an Ancient lair of the Sunbeam Ruins, had thought they’d seen it all. They had survived two wars, made peace with aliens, gods and Shadelings and fought with others. They killed an Emperor and befriended another and even withstood the wrath of the Lightweaver herself.

Now they believed that they were safe, what more could possibly try to attack them? What more harm could come to the clan? They now had an Emperor and gods from another planet on their side. They had to be safe.

Another peaceful day passed, and their Emperor ally started to act strange. The massive three headed creature usually slumbered down shore from the clan near the docks, but now it was pacing in circles around the tower where most of Ton Theon resided. All three heads snarled, and the few patches of fur left on their faces stood on end.

“It’s going to kill us! This is it. We’re all dead. I knew it! I knew keeping that thing around was a bad idea!” Masika was always a nervous imperial and she had been jittery ever since the Emperor arrived “Nike, do something!”

The clan’s leader, Nike sighed “I’ll go get Wish.”

Masika watched the mirror slip away, barely able to control the rising panic within her.

***

“Goshawk? Budgie? Blackbird?” the mirror known as Wish addressed each of the Emperor heads. She had gained their respect and they only ever talked to her “What’s wrong?”

“We must leave Wish,” All three heads spoke at once.

“What? Why? I like it here!”

“It is not safe. Not anymore.”

“I don’t understand. Everything is fine!”

“You are not looking close enough then. We must leave. Leave before it gets worse.”

As the Emperor spoke the ground shook. Wish stumbled.

“An earthquake? That’s odd…”

“There. See? It has begun.”

Where there was once a tombstone with angel wings carved into it, was now a pit in the ground.

“Hey isn't that where Sepulchral was buried? The original Sepulchral. His first life?”

“What about me?” A white skydancer landed next to Wish.

“Your grave. It’s gone.”

Sepulchral winced. He didn’t like to be reminded that he died.

“Not gone. Awakened.” The Emperor said.

The ground rumbled again, and something began to emerge from the pit.

“Time to leave,” The Emperor scooped up Wish into its paw and placed her onto its back. She protested, but the Emperor had already begun to move away.

“Hey wait! Why’s the Emperor leaving?!” Nike was outside now “I thought we had a deal! I thought we were allies!”

“I guess it got spooked,” Sepulchral said “By well… Me.”

Climbing out of the pit was another white skydancer. He resembled Sepulchral in every way except he wore a black dress and his body moved stiff and unnatural. He was not rotted, but his skin clung to his body, and his eyes were gone.

“What? What’s happening? A little more description would be nice for your blind leader you know.” Nike huffed.

“Um well, there’s another me but as a mummy. And he’s walking toward us right now. And I’m kinda freaking out just a bit.”

The other Sepulchral stood up on his hind legs and unsheathed the sword that was buried with him.

“Oh. And now the mummy me is armed.” Sepulchral drew his own sword.

“Is he hostile? Do you think we can reason with him?”

“I doubt it. If that’s really my body from my previous life, then it’s a lifeless husk. It can’t have my soul when I have my soul.”

“Then let’s kill this thing,” Nike lashed her tail and bared her teeth “It’s quiet, and despite being dead it has a faint scent, so you’ll have to help me out here.”

“Got it.”

Sepulchral and Nike circled the mummy. Nike was behind it while Sepulchral was in front. He kept a careful watch on the creature’s movements and directed Nike into position.

“I’ll see if I can disarm it, while you try to take out it’s back legs. Its movement seems to be limited as it is and I doubt it can fly. We just need to take out its limbs and hopefully- we can neutralize it.” Sepulchral said.

“That’s assuming it doesn’t have any of your magical abilities.”

“My magic isn’t that powerful, and most of it is stored in my soul anyway. We should be fine.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate yourself Sep, you’re stronger than you think.”

“I appreciate that you think that Nike, but this thing isn’t me anyway. So we should be fine.”

The mummy took a sharp turn to the right and swung its sword in Nike’s direction.

“Nike jump!”

She jumped just in time for the sword to miss her.

“You jerk! Turn and face me!” Sepulchral snarled and the creature turned to face him again. As it moved, Nike attacked its legs, sweeping them out from under the creature. With it down on the ground Sepulchral rushed in and placed his foot on its neck and kicked the sword out of its grasp with his other leg.

“Well. That was easier than-” The ground shook again and the ground began to dissolve from underneath them. The mummy fell first and Sepulchral fell after him. Nike had managed to roll out of the way before she fell too.

“Sepulchral? Sep? You ok?” She carefully felt her way toward the edge of the new pit “No. No I’m not letting you die again. I’m not losing you again Sepulchral!”

“Nike I have dire news!” A brightly colored coatl landed next to his leader “And it looks like it’s related to these pits and earthquakes! I got a letter from a clan called Clan Analemma, they’re looking for these creatures, called Astrals. They can wield elemental abilities and it’s been suspected that an Earth one has found its way here.”

Nike took a deep breath, still trying to sense a response from Sepulchral from the pit “Thank you, Tona. Did this clan say how to stop this thing?”

Tona nervously tapped his claws on the parchment he held “Unfortunately no but… They are offering a reward for its capture. And it needs to be alive. Killing it will just force it to appear somewhere else.”

“Great. Tona assemble the clan in the lobby for a meeting. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Of course, Nike.”

When she heard his footsteps fade Nike called Sepulchral’s name into the pit a few more times, before giving up and returning to the clan. Her heart pumped too quick and the voices of her clan seemed louder than usual.

Nike knew it was just anxiety, but she hated the feeling. She was not a nervous dragon, but she knew that Sepulchral, a dragon dear to her was in danger. She needed to stop this Astral as soon as possible. For Sepulchral’s sake.

***

Nike assembled two teams of dragons. One team would enter each pit and search for the Astral and Sepulchral. Once found, Hecate, who was one of the clan’s best mages, would be sent to contain the Astral.

In the first team was a little fae named Flare, a young grey coatl named Muerto, a bubbly pearlcatcher named Niossa, a somber nocturne named Sonder, and the clan’s best huntress Nieth the coatl. On the second team was Future a spunky tundra, Bonita a cheerful mirror, the clan’s founder an elderly mirror named Nightbane, Nike and her girlfriend a mirror named Morningmist. Outside of the pits was Hecate, with Bubonic a guardian and Isra an imperial to guard her in case the Astral tried to attack her. The rest of Clan Ton Theon’s fighting dragons were stationed within the clan to protect those who could not fight.

Nike’s team flew down the first pit, while the other team flew down the one Sepulchral disappeared in.

The ground began to shake again, which closed off the pit that the second team flew down, and trapped them in darkness.

“Well,” Sonder looked up at what was once the exit “That’s not good.”

“Really now?!” Muerto snapped “We’re trapped! ‘Not good’ is an understatement.”

“It’s ok!” Niossa chimed “Sonder’s an Earth dragon I’m sure she can-”

“I can’t,” Sonder cut her off “I don’t have any Elemental abilities. Never learned how to unlock them.”

“... Oh.”

“I can feel wind,” Neith said “So there has to be another opening somewhere. Everyone just stay calm.”

“Calm? Calm?! We’re now trapped underground with some thing out to get us, and we might lose Sepulchral again!” Muerto’s feathers poofed up.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have agreed to come down here if you would freak out.”

“I’m from the Underworld! I thought I’d be fine! But apparently not!” Black flames sparked from his feathers and instinctively every dragon took a step away from him.

“Muerto, you need to control your emotions. Remember those breathing exercises I showed you?” Flare carefully spoke up.

“Yeah I’d hate for us to all die because you couldn’t control those flames of yours,” Neith said.

“Shut up, or you’ll just make things worse,” Sonder growled to Neith.

“Fine,” Neith shut her mouth and Muerto’s flames died down “There. Now let me in the lead. I think I know the way out.”

***

Things were going a little better for Nike’s group. There was still sunlight to light their path from the entrance of the pit, but the further and further down they traveled the darker it became. Eventually Morningmist had to light a torch so the dragons could travel further. The darkness bothered everyone but Nike. She actually liked traveling through the tunnels at the bottom of the pit. She could easily tell where everyone was based on the sound of her companions’ footsteps.

“Whoa how pretty!” Bonita eventually spoke up.

“It’s like the whole cave is full of stars…” Future said.

“What do you see?’ Nike asked.

“Gemstones,” Nightbane answered “Hundreds of them.”

“Oooo so pretty!” Bonita reached out to touch one, but then pulled back with a yelp.

“Bonita! Are you ok?” Morningmist asked.

“Yeah I’m fine just… Feel fuzzy…”

Nike heard a thud as Bonita passed out. Nike placed a claw over Bonta’s chest and sighed when she felt a heartbeat.

“Ok everyone. Don’t touch the gemstones.”

Nightbane and Morningmist worked together to carry Bonita’s unconscious body. It wasn’t an easy task, Bonita was almost the same size as the other two mirrors.

The group continued in silence until they reached what appeared to be a dead end.

“Great,” Nightbane snorted “Now we have to go back to the gemstones.”

“No we don’t!” Future pushed at the tunnel wall “The dirt here is thin. I think we can dig through.”

“But what if that makes the tunnel collapse on us?” Morningmist asked.

“Don’t you want to find Sepulchral and stop this thing from hurting anyone else?” Future snapped back.

“It’s not going to collapse,” Nike said “I can feel that the rest of the tunnel is solid. There’s just some lose dirt we need to dig up and it leads to a larger chamber. We’re not letting this thing hurt anyone else.”

***

Neith turned another corner and she stopped in her tracks. Sonder who was right behind her crashed into her tail.

“Hey what’s the big de-” Sonder saw what made Neith stop. Blocking their way was another dragon. Glowing gemstones above him lit up his face “Sepulchral!” Sonder spread her wings to fly over Neith but Neith shoved Sonder back.

“Wait. That’s not Sepulchral.”

“It used to be,” Muerto looked over the heads of the dragons in front of him “Before Match killed him.”

“But now that particular body of his is just a mindless husk,” Sonder said “How do we get rid of it?” She turned to Muerto.

“How am I supposed to know?” he snapped.

“Because you’re a necromancer, and the one who buried him in the first place.”

“Yeah ok that’s true and all but this Astral’s magic is unfamiliar to me. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s nothing like my magic or yours or like anyone else’s here.”

“I’ve had enough talking,” Neith said “We don’t need to know about magic junk to get rid of this thing. We just need our claws,” She leaped and tackled the mummy. The force of her hitting the ground caused the tunnel to start to collapse.

Every dragon ducked for cover and the group ended up split into three different chambers. Sonder and Niossa were in the tunnel the group were in previously, Neith was in a dead end with the mummy and Muerto and Flare were in a new tunnel that had opened up.

“Muerto are you ok?” Niossa asked from behind the collapsed wall.

“Yeah I’m ok and I’m with Flare! How about you?”

“Sonder and I are good! And it sounds like Neith is still fighting the mummy.”

“Muerto you and Flare are going to have to go on ahead. Find Sep for us, ok?” Sonder said, her voice almost a whisper.

“Yeah. Yeah of course Sonder. We’ll find him, and if I see that Astral,” black flames appeared on Muerto’s back “I’ll burn it.”

***

Muerto and Flare felt like they were wandering for hours. It didn’t help that they were in silence the entire time. Although the two knew each other well, they couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“Oh no,” Flare said and Muerto stopped.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing! Everything’s fine!” Flare’s scales began to glow in the dark.

“Uh. You’re glowing, are you sure that’s fine?”

“I knew this was a bad idea with me coming down here… Now everyone is going to be in danger!”

“Flare what are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“Remember the night we left our old territory? Remember the fire?”

Muerto gulped. How could he forget that horrible night?

“What about it?”

“That was me. The fire. I started it,” A spark of flame come off of Flare and Muerto backed away.

“But you’re a Water dragon this shouldn't… Can you at least control it?”

Flare shook her head “I’m sorry… I thought… I thought this was over. I thought this wouldn’t happen again, now I’m going to catch these tunnels on fire and burn everyone alive!”

“Don’t say that maybe… you just need to take some deep breaths and the fire will go out? Like what you taught me?”

“Or maybe Anostra can help,” Muerto and Flare both turned to see a figure standing down the tunnel.

“Sepulchral?” The figure looked like Muerto’s skydancer friend, but after seeing his mummy double he couldn’t be too sure.

“Yeah it’s me, I’m alright. Anostra just wanted to talk.”

“Who’s that?” Muerto asked.

I’m the one you’re looking for~ The one Clan Analemma wants to lock away~

Muerto’s eyes widened.

“Voice in your head?” Sepulchral asked “Yeah that’s how she talks.”

“I don’t like this thing. Sepulchral where is it? We need to just capture it and send it away before it does anything else!”

“But she hasn’t hurt anyone! And… She promised me something important! I think we should listen to her.”

“She resurrected your dead body! And made it attack you, Nike, and now it’s attacked Neith!”

Child~ That was simply self defense~ I do not wish to Return to Anelemma~

“I don’t trust you!” Muerto barked to the air “Show yourself and get out of my head!”

Child~ You ran away from your own home didn’t you?~ You were a King by title, but a prisoner in reality~ Forced to abandon everything that made you a child~ Forced to watch over the dead~ Forced to fight amongst your own kind~ And even after everything you gave up for the Crown you failed to receive the respect you were hoping for~ You failed to receive your mother’s love~

Muerto growled “You know too much about me. I don’t like this.”

“Yeah I know it’s freaky how much she knew about me,” Sepulchral said “I think that’s just part of being an Astral. But she promised me a cure… to my curse. She said I won’t have to go blind!”

It’s true~ And I can cure you of your black blood and Flare of her fire~ Just trust me little child~ And you’ll never have another worry in the world~

“That sounds like too good of a deal. What to you expect in return?”

Just to be free~ Don’t let them lock me up again~ You remember how it felt to be in a cage~ You wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, now would you?~

“If it’s true that you can cure my flames then… do it! Please and hurry I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off! Cure my flames and prove you’re telling us the truth!” Flare gasped, now smoking as her scales turned into embers.

Very well~

A bright red ruby appeared on the side of the tunnel.

Touch it Exile~ Touch it and your body will never burst into flames again~

Flare reached out and touched the ruby. It began to glow as her body dimmed. She screamed and all of her flames were extinguished in an instant. Now her flames danced from inside of the gem. She gasped for breath on the ground, but otherwise appeared unhurt.

“You… You really did it. My fire is gone.”

And I can do the same for your black blood Muerto, and your curse that plagues your vision Sepulchral~ But only if you agree to keep Clan Anelemma away from me~

“I want to see you before I make my decision,” Muerto said.

Fine~

A dragon appeared in the middle of the cavern. She looked like a brown snapper.

Muerto looked from Flare to Sepulchral “Ok… I’m on board with this deal of yours.”

Excellent dear child~

The wall behind the Astral fell over and out piled Nike, Morningmist, Nightbane and Future.

“Sepulchral!” Morningmist shouted “We found him!”

“And that,” Nightbane snarled at the snapper “Must be the Astral!”

Indeed I am~ Congrats you found me~

“Good,” Nike said “Future, release the signal. We need Hecate now.”

“Wait!” Both Muerto and Sepulchral shouted.

“We’ve… made a deal with her,” Sepulchral said.

“You did what?”

“Nike, just listen to me… We need her,” Sepulchral said “She promised us… She promised me that she’d fix my vision! And she’d fix Muerto’s blood! She already lifted Flare’s curse! Anostra is willing to do all of this for us for the exchange of freedom.”

“I don’t know Sep… Sounds a little fishy to me. I don’t think we should trust this thing.”

“But you trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes Sep. You’re my friend and a good kid but… Are you sure?”

“I’ll swear on my life that this is a good idea.”

Nike flinched “Don’t do that. Not when we just got you back from death.”

“Ok sorry poor choice of words, but the feeling is still there. Nike please, Anostra has promised to help us as long as we let her hide here. Can you give her a chance?”

“I still don’t know… If we don’t return her we may chance at becoming enemies with this clan. We don’t need anymore enemies.”

“Let me write a letter to them then. I’ll explain everything.”

“... Fine. But you better be right about this. I’m putting a lot of my trust into you Sep.”

“Thank you Nike. Everything will turn out right. I promise.”

***

Every dragon made it out of the tunnels safely. Bonita eventually woke up, and Neith was uninjured from attacking the mummy. Anostra called the undead creature back deep within her tunnels.

Sepulchral sat down with a paper and quill and tapped his chin as to what he should write.

To Clan Anelemma,

We are happy to inform that we have found one of your Astrals, however we will not be returning her. We made an agreement with her. We will allow her freedom in exchange for her power. We have decided to inform you, so you would be warned if you try to take her by force. If your clan tries to take this Astral from us, we will be forced to attack.

We do not wish for another war, but we need this Astral’s power. Unless your clan can provide an alternative solution, the Astral known as Anostra will be under the protection of Clan Ton Theon and her power belongs to us.

Farewell,

Clan Ton Theon

It felt wrong to write such passive aggressive words. Normally Sepulchral would want peace at all costs. He wasn’t a violent dragon, but if Anostra was telling the truth and she really could cure him of the Curse that was destined to blind him, then he was willing to protect her.

He couldn’t risk such an opportunity slipping away from him.

(So I guess this is a ransom then?)

(Also some notes for anyone who’s familiar with my lore: This takes place after the Wish and Blue and Shade King arcs. Also Inkdrop, Hiraeth and Munin are currently away which is why they were not in this)

[nelvana]

In which the cave of earth is explored

First: In which the human is transformed Next: In which the god of land is fought Previous: In which they travel to the cave of the earth

    It was the tickling of feathers on her neck that woke up Nelvana. She blearily blinked open her eyes, squinting as she was greeted by the late morning sun shining brightly down at them. Adverting her gaze to keep her eyes from burning in the light, she looked around to check on her teammates.

    While they had started just being beside one another, now they were piled on top of each other. Keahi’s head and upper body was resting on Nelvana’s chest, zir larger feathers being the source of the tickling that had awoken her. Nelvana found one of her hands nestled in the warm orange feathers on the torchic’s back, and her other hand bent back behind her head to help support her neck. Keahi was still sleeping peacefully, the slow rise and fall from zir breathing softly lifting and lowering the cubone’s hand. As Nelvana moved her other hand away from her head to brush the feathers away, she felt Alex’s arm, which had curled up underneath her. Turning her head to look, she saw the grovyle laying beside her, still asleep as well, although he stirred with the cubone’s movement. While Nelvana’s tail and lower body was now on top of his legs, and they were leaning against each other, he was still otherwise more beside them. So was Tsuki, however it was Keahi’s lower body that rested atop her, zir talons tangled in the long pelt.

    Tsuki peaked open an eye, noticing Nelvana being awake as well now.

    “Good morning,” she purred without moving.

    “Morning…” Nelvana replied quietly, “what time is it?”

    “Almost noon. I’d estimate we’re around eleven in the morning by now, I was going to wake you all if you didn’t wake in another hour,” Tsuki answered.

    “Did you get any sleep?” Nelvana asked.

    “I might have dozed off for an hour, but I didn’t need it yet,” Tsuki responded, “what language were you and Alex speaking before you went to sleep, by the way?”

    Nelvana froze for a moment, instinctively tensing even though there wasn’t really anything to be ashamed about. Tsuki already knew about Nelvana being a human. She just hadn’t been expecting Tsuki to have heard them, and to bring it up.

    “Oh, it’s human,” Nelvana told her, “well, one of the human languages… we actually have more than one.”

    “That sounds unnecessary, no offense,” Tsuki chuckled.

    “It kinda it, but it plays into culture and stuff though. Not that I remember much of the details…” Nelvana sighed, “I think I know two, but Alex just knows one.”

    “Where did he learn to speak it, anyway?” Tsuki questioned.

    “Mm… he picked it up here and there, from my family… and his,” Nelvana murmured, “we probably should wake the others up. I think it’s time to head in Magma Cavern…” she continued.

    “What’re you two talking about…?” Alex slurred, awoken by the ending conversation.

    “About whether we should wake you two up and head in,” Nelvana told him, “and we decided now. Let’s get up, eat and check the storage, and then tackle this dungeon,” she continued, sitting up.

    Alex sat up as well, lifting up his arm that had been under Nelvana and wincing, “ack, that was a weird position I was in…” he muttered.

    “This was a weird place to sleep in,” Nelvana retorted, scooting backwards to let her legs and tail drop off from their position on Alex. “Hey, Keahi, we’re getting up now,” she told Keahi, rubbing the torchic’s back.

    “No…” Keahi whined, curling up more on top of the cubone.

    “I’ll… I’ll tickle you,” Nelvana threated.

    “Or you could just drop them,” Alex commented, standing up and stretching. “Ugh, I never want to sleep on rocks like that again,” he hissed at no one in particular.

    “No…” Keahi repeated, now stifling giggles.

    “I’m going with my idea,” Nelvana said, sticking her tongue out at Alex.

    After giving Keahi one last moment to get up, in which zie didn’t, Nelvana moved her hand towards the torchic’s belly, before tickling zim quickly with her fingers, being carefully not to accidentally scratch zim. Keahi erupted into laughter, rolling away from the cubone and falling roughly onto the rocks.

    “Okay, okay, I’m up!” Keahi groaned, standing up uneasily and shaking zirself off.

    “Good, shall we check the statue and then eat, or eat and then check out the statue?” Tsuki asked, standing up and stretching as well.

    “Check the statue first. We should restock on food,” Alex answered, “we ate a bit more than expected…”

    “Well we walked a bit more than expected too,” Keahi teased, but with no malice in zir voice now.

    Alex scoffed, not giving zim a proper response, but still smiling at the torchic. After Nelvana collected her club from where she stashed it in the rocks, the quartet finally headed down the hill to the mouth of the dungeon. Already they could feel that taking a break had been worth it, although Alex might not want to admit that yet out of pride. Reenergized and their spirits lifted, they walked up to the Kangaskhan statue, which while old, looked in the best condition they had seen out of one so far.

    Opening the chest greeted them to more supplies than they should have had, many of the being in smaller sacs with notes attached with various messages of encouragement and good wishes to Team Galaxy from pokemon they hadn’t even met. Most of the sacs were filled with simple items or food, but a few with more helpful explorers’ supplies, like seeds, healing berries and orbs, were from other teams.

    “Team Galaxy, I wish you the best of luck in this mission, please take these to aide you…”

    “… and I’ve been inspired by your selflessness and determination! I hope that this will…”

    “Thank you, Kecleon told us that you helped saved Octillery when…”

    “Golem has been recovering well, and he wishes you luck, and so do we!”

    “…so, do your best!”

    “I don’t have much, but here’s this…”

    “Don’t give up! We’re counting on you!”

    Keahi’s eyes welled up as they looked through all the gifts and notes, “everyone… They all pitched in to help us!” zie gasped, “look at all this! There’s even a letter on behalf of those who couldn’t give us an item… and they didn’t even have to give us anything in the first place. This is so sweet…” zie continued, beaming up at zir teammates. “We’ll have to give them a big thank you when we get back!”

    “Yeah…” Nelvana agreed, “wow, I really wasn’t expecting this support,” she mused, reading over some of the notes.

    “Me neither. Of course, they would want us to succeed, lives are at stake here after all, but to go out of their way to send stuff to us…” Alex murmured, doing a quick scan of what they had laid out beside the statue to look over. “We can’t take all of this, but it is the thought that counts… I really didn’t think there were so many that knew about the team, and wanted to help us like this.”

    “They all want us to succeed,” Tsuki repeated, “and so we shall,” she continued confidently. “Let’s go rescue that team and defeat Groudon to stop the disasters.”

    “That’s the spirit!” Keahi exclaimed, jumping up in place. “Okay! Let’s do this! Alex, you and… Nel can organize the supplies, right? Then Tsuki and I can use this food and set us up some breakfast.”

    “That sounds good to me,” Nelvana agreed.

    They had only just begun their simple assigned tasks when Keahi sprang up again, flapping zir wings hurriedly to collect attention again before speaking.

    “We should write a thank you letter for everyone! We could put it in the chest for Kangaskhan to find when she checks it for us!” Keahi suggested.

    “That’s a very polite idea there, Keahi,” Tsuki hummed.

    “Do we have enough time for it?” Keahi asked, looking to Alex.

    Alex sighed, “yes, we do,” he answered with a soft smile. “Nel, I can handle the rest of repacking if you want to take up Keahi’s idea.”

    “I… I think I’ll do that, thanks,” Nelvana replied, standing up and turning around to look through the chest again. “Do we have any paper? No wait, I found something we could use,” she said, bringing out a piece of paper that was torn on the side.

    While it may have been hoped that they would be able to enter the dungeon before noon, it took slightly over an hour after getting up that morning for them to be fully prepared and ready to enter Magma Cavern. During all the preparation, the lava bubbled quietly nearby them, emitting such a heat that kept the group at bay while they worked. However, it wasn’t as overbearing as going through an active volcano, and so no one complained, except Tsuki once, and she was more suited to colder temperatures anyway.

    Finally, they were ready to enter the dungeon. Team Galaxy stood at the mouth of the cave. The earlier excitement still motivating them and keeping stress at bay, but now standing right outside of the home of Groudon, nervousness began settling into all four of them. With silent nods of affirmation to one another, they entered Magma Cavern in a single filed line, Nelvana leading, followed by Keahi, Alex, and then Tsuki.

    Instantly they were plunged into near pitch darkness, the only light source coming from the odd heated rock or a crack in the wall leaking magma. This caused the lineup to switch up early on, Tsuki taking the lead with her superior dark vision compared to any of the others. Nelvana and Alex may have had good low light vision, but it would only take them so far in a place with next to no light sources. Keahi tried experimenting with trying to light various objects to use as a torch, but didn’t find much luck and was forced to stick extra closely to the others to avoid accidently getting lost.

    Many of their first minutes in this dungeon was met with no foes, simply the team aimlessly wandering through the tunnels, trying to get to the stairs. Their first opponent, when it did show up, was a nidoking, who cut off the group in the middle, driving its horn into the wall beside Keahi. The torchic yelped in surprise at this narrowly missed move, and retaliated with zir beak, pecking the larger pokemon’s leg. The others swarmed in to help too, Nelvana reacting quickly by headbutting the nidoking, and Alex finished it by slashing its hide with the leaves on his arms. Nidoking fell to the ground, defeated, and disappeared in a beam of light which threw everyone off with the sudden brightness. Tsuki, who had been preparing an ice beam to attack the nidoking with, let the frosty attack melt away in her mouth before continuing down the path again.

    “That was a nidoking… he wasn’t as strong as I expected him to be,” Tsuki commented quietly.

    “Maybe we’re stronger than we thought!” Keahi exclaimed hopefully.

    Alex smirked, “maybe so… but still keep your guard up, that could have been close.”

    “Of course,” Keahi murmured.

    So, they continued. After that surprise encounter with the nidoking, the team discovered that most of the other pokemon in this dungeon were of similar strength, and could be handled, especially if they kept ganging up against the foes to overwhelm them.

    At around the third floor, Nelvana stopped walking and tapped her club against the ground to let everyone know that she wasn’t walking with them anymore.

    “Hey, everyone pause for a minute does anyone hear something?” Nelvana questioned.

    The others stopped as well, listening for what the cubone could have heard. Faintly, towards a wall, there was the sound of something whizzing through the air, and then hitting the wall and clacking onto the ground. This repeated again, confirming that they were all hearing the same thing from the same place.

    “What is it…?” Keahi whispered.

    “There’s a tunnel in that direction, let’s check, but carefully…” Tsuki replied.

    Going quiet again, the quartet crept over to the mentioned tunnel, and peaked around to the other side of the wall towards the source of the noise… a sandshrew throwing iron thorns at the wall. The dungeon pokemon turned as the group snuck by, and angled its shot to try to hit Tsuki. She easily batted it out of the air as if it was a toy, before pouncing forward with quick attack, making the sandshrew faint swiftly before they could try throwing more thorns at the group.

    “Were… were they trying to hit us through the wall?” Nelvana questioned, holding back a snicker. “We aren’t ghost-types…”

    “And they weren’t throwing even rocks,” Alex added with a chuckle of his own.

    “Hm… I suppose they were just high strung?” Tsuki murmured, “I’ll admit, I haven’t seen a dungeon pokemon do this before.”

    “Wait, you can throw rocks through walls at ghost-types?” Keahi asked.

    “Let’s walk and talk,” Alex prompted, waiting for everyone to oblige before answering Keahi’s question. “Sometimes ghost-types like to hide inside walls, which limits your options on how to attack them. Now, this only works in dungeons, remember, but if you have some gravelerocks, you can hit the ghost with ‘em. I don’t know why, but it works,” he explained, “maybe the dungeon pities us,” he joked.

    “Oh, huh! That’s weird!” Keahi giggled, “off topic but… I don’t think I can be gender neutral any longer. I was feeling like this yesterday, but I didn’t bring it up because I was kinda thinking I was just tired… and I don’t know what I want to be now.”

    “You have been male recently, maybe it’s back to that?” Alex suggested.

    Keahi shrugged, “worth a try. I’ll see how it fits.”

    “Let us know if you need a change again,” Nelvana hummed.

    Keahi ended up needing a change again not long after that, deciding that being male wasn’t going to work out, and was getting too uncomfortable to think of themself that way, switching over to try out being female again.

    They pushed forward through the dungeon, finding the stairs as quickly as they could and climbing down to the next floor. Avoiding most combat if possible, in favor of speed. Fortunately, they were able to find the stairs quite easily on most floors. As they continued, the heat slowly grew around them, and while they didn’t realize at first, the walls and ground were cracked even more, revealing more burning lava beneath them. On the other hand, it was certainly brighter now, and they didn’t have to worry about getting separated in the darkness.

    At about the tenth floor it occurred to them that they hadn’t had to deal with even a single monster house yet, even though those were supposed to start appearing two floors ago, according to the kecleons’ notes. When pointed out, this information received mixed reactions.

    “I don’t like this,” Alex muttered, “it feels like something worse is being set up for us. I know, it should be a good thing that we’ve avoided all monster houses so far, but with the warning we got from Octillery…”

    “Well… we have been trying to avoid that sort of thing and just find the stairs, so maybe we’re just better at that than expected?” Keahi suggested.

    “As simple as that sounds, Keahi’s idea is the most likely outcome. Dungeons aren’t sentient, they may be mysterious, powerful, and dangerous, but they can’t plot against us that strategically,” Tsuki agreed.

    “I hope so…” Nelvana murmured.

    “Maybe it only has limited energy to organize a monster house, and it used it all trying to…” Keahi trailed off, hoping that her point was clear without having to go on.

    “Maybe we’re just overthinking this… We should keep going. Whatever happens, happens. We can’t control the dungeon,” Nelvana sighed.

    “Very well, let us continue,” Tsuki hummed, heading down the path.

    Continue they did, going down, down, deeper into the earth. White hot rocks now decorated some pathways, and even blocking them off entirely. The walls around them were looking more charred black than the desert fire shades they had started out as. The heat, was bearable, but passing over to being extremely uncomfortable for some. Of course, the dungeon pokemon weren’t going to let up, so neither would they.

    One magmar in particular got a lucky shot, blasting a stream of flames in Alex and Tsuki’s direction. Alex easily jumped out of the way, and Tsuki attempted to as well, but being less fast and being closer to the magmar anyway, her fur got grazed by the flames, and lit up. Tsuki yelped, and began jumping around, trying to get the fire off of her before it burned through her long fur to the skin, but the fire only burned brighter and flickered around wildly in the air. Nelvana swiftly knocked out the magmar, and turned to the panicked absol, who was prancing around too much for Alex to try giving her a rawst berry.

    “Tsuki! Stop, drop, and roll!” Nelvana yelled.

    Tsuki was too frantic to think too much about this command, and dropped to the ground, rolling around back and forth. The flames were suffocated, and extinguished in a stream of thick smoke and disappointed sizzling. Tsuki finally slowed down, and sat up, shaking herself off and panting. She looked back at the spot that had caught flame, where there was now an odd patch of short, charred hairs among the normal, long, white ones.

    “…thank you, Nelvana. That could have been worse,” Tsuki said.

    “Yeah! Good thinking!” Keahi added, “I’ve never heard of that saying before, but it worked.”

    Nelvana looked over at Alex, wondering if he had any input on how she may have learned that expression.

    Alex shrugged, “it’s not a future thing, I haven’t heard of it either, actually. Must be a human thing.”

    “Oh!” Nelvana hummed.

    “Regardless of where you learned it, it was very useful. Thank you again,” Tsuki responded.

    With that sudden and quick scare over, Tsuki had a piece of rawst berry, and they continued through the dungeon. Fire-types stopped appearing a few floors later, so they didn’t have to put that saying to use again.

    Nearly ten more floors after they had first commented on the lack of monster houses, that as they all entered a large room, various pokemon dropped in from above to attack them.

    “Monster house!” Nelvana yelled reflexively, despite everyone coming to this realization as well.

    The pokemon quickly swarmed around the team, leaving each member with at least two or three foes to deal with at once.

    Nelvana backed back into the corridor they had come from, giving her less space to dodge, but also forcing any pokemon that wanted to fight her to line up. She wacked her club on the wall loudly in an attempt to gain more attention before attacking. She threw her club at the line, using bonemerang to see if she could split up her damage. The first throw was successful with this plan, knocking out the golem in front of her before it could use a move like magnitude or self destruct, and hitting the grimer behind it before returning to her. The grimer, who was looking slightly more solid than typical of their kind, was not knocked out, but was too slow to make it to Nelvana before she threw the bone again, finishing them and the pokemon behind them off.

    Keahi carried no super-effective moves herself, and simply did her best to hold off the foes around her and weaken them as much as possible until one of her teammates would be able to help. Fortunately, one of the pokemon that had originally approached her was drawn towards the sound of Nelvana’s club clanking around, leaving the torchic with only another grimer and a sandslash to deal with.

    Sandslash dove forward, claws outstretched to attack. Keahi scampered away to the side, feeling her speed grow as the battle activated her ability. Wanting to fight back, she felt the familiar warmth grow inside her, burning with energy, she charged the flamethrower in her beak before letting it loose at the grimer, who was using harden to try increasing their defense, which didn’t aid them in protecting them against the special elemental move, and was defeated. The sandslash was still up and fighting, and got in a slash on the torchic. She jumped back in pain and surprise, glaring at the foe, and blasted another flamethrower at them to try and keep them at bay. Sandslash skidded about a foot back, but dug their hind claws into the ground. They growled at Keahi, who glanced quickly at the others, still occupied with their own battles…

    Alex, up against all these rock and ground-types, was doing much better than the torchic. A simple leaf blade took care of most of his opponents, and as long as he paid attention to his surroundings, he would be fine.

    Tsuki was forced to use her ice beam, something she had been trying to save energy for throughout the dungeon. She froze a rhydon with this move, and followed it up with façade, breaking the ice but knocking out the enemy. Spinning around to face another grimer, she zoomed forward with a quick attack followed by night slash, once again making short work of the foe.

    Keahi looked back at the sandslash, who wasn’t going to pause any longer. They lunged again, and she scurried out of the way again. This game of keep away couldn’t last forever, and deep down Keahi wanted to beat this sandslash herself. Everyone else had been able to handle themselves, why couldn’t she? Energy filled her, and she wanted to rush at the sandslash, so she did. Hurtling forward faster than she could ever remember doing, she rammed into the ground-type, knocking it out while doing so.

    Nelvana was done with her line up of opponents, and she peaked back into the room to see where she could help out, relived to see everyone well and having defeated the monster house.

    Keahi watched the light from the sandslash’s defeat disappear, and grinned excitedly, “guys! I think I learned quick attack!”

    “It did look like that from here, good job,” Tsuki purred, “I didn’t know torchics could learn that move too, it’ll prove an especially handy move.”

    “Good job Keahi! And everyone! That monster house was cleared out in no time!” Nelvana cheered, grouping up with everyone else.

    Alex exhaled and smiled, “yes, that went surprisingly well. Let’s hope that this keeps up,” he hummed, now let’s keep going, the stairs are across the room.”

    “Alright! Let’s keep going!” Keahi exclaimed, hurrying over to the mentioned stairs, energized by the excitement from their success and her learning a new move.

    They never did encounter another monster house, but now no one complained about what was now clearly just good fortune and exploring skills. They did encounter some onixes on a few floors, but after the initial surprise at a pokemon of that size, they learned that onix had the attack of, as Nelvana could describe, “a wet paper bag”.

    Finally, they entered the safe room at the twenty-third floor. This room was thrown into darkness like on the early floors, as it lacked the glowing magma rocks that the quartet had let their eyes grow accustomed to. Keahi let out a gentle ember across the stones to give the room some limited light for any time they would spend in here. In the center of the room, stood the largest statue they had seen yet, this one of Groudon, their clawed hands stretched in front of them and a snarl on their petrified expression. This sculpted rock took up most of the small room, and including the stand it was on it nearly touched the ceiling.

    Nelvana took a step towards the statue, a sense of familiarity washing over her the longer she stared at it. Alex stepped up beside her, crouching by the statue, a thin smile stretching onto his expression.

    “I bet this one is bigger than the one at the lake,” Alex mused, “you recognize it?”

    Nelvana nodded in response, unsure of how she was even feeling about this, and how to respond. Keahi joined the pair, lighting another ember and staring up at the statue in awe.

    “Woah… is that what Groudon looks like?” Keahi asked.

    Alex nodded, “yeah, they’re a pretty big brute.”

    Tsuki walked up closer to the statue, walking around it to give it a proper look. It was in the same condition as most of the statues they had seen in their travels, worn and dusty with age. She was quiet as she studied it, and when she finished, she turned back to the team.

    “Well then, unless we have anything to do here, we should finish this dungeon up. There’s only three floors left to go, after all,” she told them.

    “Agreed,” Alex responded, standing back up and dusting himself off. “Let’s keep going.”

    “Three floors to go!” Keahi repeated, leading everyone to the other end of the room, and yelping. “There aren’t any stairs here!”

    “Huh, looks like calling it Magma Cavern Pit is more literal than I thought,” Nelvana commented, joining Keahi at the edge of a large hole. “Wanna try lighting it up to see how deep it is?”

    Keahi nodded, sending another ember down the pit. Everyone watched as it fell down a bit over five feet before extinguishing on the floor stone.

    “Oh, that isn’t that bad,” Nelvana hummed, “let’s go!”

    Nelvana then jumped down the pit without hesitance, landing with a soft thud on the next floor of the dungeon. She gave them a sign that she was alright, giving them a cheerful yell and tapping her club against the wall. Keahi laughed, and hopped in after her partner. Alex sighed, and muttered something along the lines of “stupid human recklessness,” but followed as well. Tsuki wasn’t far behind, and everyone landed down together with ease on the stone ground.

    “Here we come Groudon! We’re going to beat you!” Keahi cheered, leading the group through the tunnels of the floor.