#MF!au

[storyknitter]

The ever-lovely @commander-sarahs-art had commissions open and I couldn’t resist getting a piece with my favorite battle couple (in any universe).

Behold! Prince Theron and his Sentinel bodyguard, Vassanna, in the medieval fantasy AU that has lived in my head rent-free for the last year.

[ratintank-gallery]

[darkmoonravewolf]

Thinking about this au again...

I still want to write a story about this but definitely not now.

Small idea for what I have in mind for when Tai meets Weiss and Blake below

The front door slamming open stopped the conversation short as the two looked up towards the sound.

"Girls! I'm home! You would not believe what I had happen to me!" A male voice, Taiyang if Weiss were to guess, was complaining as the shuffling of boots rubbed across the floor.

He was trying to take them off it seems but his irritation was making it difficult.

"Mrs.Winchester wanted to have you girls expelled because her son ran into a grimm the other night. Like, how is that your guys' fault? Seriously and she tried to say that it was those escaped grimm we saw on the news. How would they even be here-" His rant was cut short, staring at the two... Things in his living room.

Weiss raised a paw in greeting, "Hello Mr. Xiao Long. Your daughters allowed us to come in for the night. Me and my friend here were just drinking some juice they gave us. I hope that isn't a problem." She purred out as calmly as she could, trying to ease his worries.

They were just as described, large, lanky, furry, unnatural beings. In his home, staring at him with piercing eyes that seemed to glow. Besides them both was a bowl of mysterious red liquid. The... feline one had opened its strange maw and was in the middle of drinking.

It didn't work as the next think they knew, he fainted onto the carpet right by Weiss's tail.

Ruby poked her head out from around the kitchen around the corner, "Ha! I told you he would handle it better than with you brought Cinder home!"

[zosanbrainrot]

PART 4!!

01 02 03 04 05 06

I stg I'm kicking yall in the shins one last time, we're ALMOST done with the angst!

Let me tell you I had this finished(!) twice(!), but no, I had to go back and change it lmao

In my first go the fight scene was much more rough, it was hard for me to draw from the beginning, I'm not really good at this sort of thing. So I took a little break from the comic and when I got back to drawing the last two panels (static ch close ups) they turned out so GOOD and CRISP! I just had to go back and redraw the previous ones. Didn't change the composition back then, just made the drawings less sketchy and fixed minor mistakes. This panel in particular went through bigger fixes, I couldn't get the pose right:

I emphasized the arch in Zoro's back so it's more clear he's hunched over, the head is lower, and the hand on his stomach wasn't looking good, so I switched its direction and I feel it looks more natural now. The whole pose is shifted to the side now, whereas in the previous ones it was more straight up, but I wasn't conveying perspective well.

So after that I had it all exported, loaded into drafts and as I scroll it on my phone I'm like... There should be one more panel where Zoro's getting kicked : | Imma need to change it AGAIN.......

It just didn't flow well. I work on the comic in chunks so I haven't put these panels together before, I always saw them side by side in my main file.

I just didn't like how you go from Zoro getting kicked to him being thrown, it just felt disjointed to me.

So first I looked through the three sole volumes of BNHA that I have at home to maybe understand drawing fight scenes just a little bit better. That's how I got to the new version of Zoro getting kicked so there's more lines showing movement etc. but most importantly you have the kick and Zoro's reaction separate. So now Zoro's face has a bigger closeup, you can see his open eye.

In the previous version it was more distant, the closeup wasn't as big and you couldn't see his expression well. With just the side view you could only see he's in pain but nothing more than that,whereas when you have a full view of his face you can get much more from that. You see where he's looking, you know he's looking at Sanji when he kicks him in the guts.

I guess that's why, in the first version, I was trying to still show his face where he's being thrown off of Sanji bcs I felt the side profile wasn't doing it's job, but at the same time it felt off, like there was less force in the kick bcs his head wasn't following the movement idk. Also he was def too big in the frame. So now Zoro's smaller to emphasize the perspective more, the head is down, the right arm is more to the side and there's more lines, the flame is more aggressive now and bursts into the sides when it comes in contact with Zoro's body to show the impact. I know they could be better still, but this is the best I can do right now and I'm happy with the result!! I'm glad I kept pushing it! These poses were VERY confusing to draw lol

Alsooo, it would make more sense if Sanji threw Zoro in the other direction, over his head like in karate/judo, but I wanted to keep my directions consistent. I had to have Sanji standing back to the carriage, so he doesn't notice the spear being thrown and Zoro facing the carriage so he can get hit from the front, right after he gets up. It's like..... did he not see it? Did he get hit on purpose? You decide lmao

Though I'm probably too rigid with my 'camera', in BNHA you see the action from any and every direction, i guess it adds to the dynamism of it all, also there's just many MANY more panels in manga lmao

Judge giving me major "isn't there somebody you forgot to ask" vibes at the end there lmao I hope you forgot he's even there and this comes as a surprise!

[ipostmysimpingstuffanonymously]

They live in my head rent free. Drop your headcanons in the reblogg tags

[time-woods]

he does in fact chirp

[signanothername]

That’s how friendship works right? To always be there?

[mushramoo]

willry on main willry on main

[concretesweetner]

She Pride on my Month till i Happy

[lotus-pear]

HIII SORRY FOR NO NEW ART have some concept sketches for the fic i'm working on instead

[storyknitter]

The Seven Stars Inn

(This originally started as a fluff prompt here, but I’ve updated it since then and expanded upon it, so tadaaa!)

Theron ran the towel over his damp hair one last time, then stretched. The baths at this inn were extravagant and luxurious, especially in contrast to the past week spent sleeping rough on the side of the road.

Worth every coin it had cost—and then some—if you asked him. This was by far the nicest place he had stayed in quite some time.

A soft snore greeted him as he left the bathroom: Vassanna was asleep already? The bed stood untouched, and he turned to find her on the small sofa before the fireplace. She sat reclined, her head tipped back with her long, freshly-washed hair hanging down the back of the couch to dry. A book had fallen to the floor, her place in its story lost.

A frown crossed his features: she’d been exhausted the past few nights, near impossible to wake for her watch, and groggy in the afternoons.

Something was wrong.

He didn’t think she was injured and, based on the precautions they both took, there was no way she could be with child. A trill of fear shot through him at the thought: the last thing anyone needed right now was a little princeling—or a princess—crawling around in a year.

An image, vague and shimmery, of a little girl toddling towards him, with eyes like her mother’s filled his vision. He batted it away, focusing on his concern for the very real woman before him.

Theron sat gingerly beside her, inspecting the dark smudges beneath her eyes. Normally, he requested permission before inspecting someone with his feeble Healing magics, but concern outweighed propriety.

He held his hand above her heart and, after a moment’s hesitation, focused, searching for anything that didn’t belong. Hmm... only a bruise or two, no big internal injuries—and thank the stars for that, because he wouldn’t be able to mend those—and strained muscles from the journey. He found no physical reason she should be this tired.

Magic, then? It had to be.

A stray lock of hair brushed across her face as she breathed; it must have tickled, as her features twitched even in slumber. His fingers moved of their own accord, tenderly sweeping the hair to the side and tucking it behind her ear.

With a sigh, he shifted and slipped his arms beneath her, scooping her up; the bed would be far more comfortable for her than this sofa. Vassanna woke with a start as he stood, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Was I asleep?” she mumbled, confusion written on her features. “‘time is it?”

“It’s time for you to go to bed,” he answered. “The actual time doesn’t matter.”

“But dinner—”

“You can have dinner here,” he said as he laid her on the bed. “I’ll wake you when it arrives.”

“Theron, I’m fine, just a little tired,” she insisted. “Don’t give me that look; we’ve been sleeping on the ground in the fields for a week now and have been on the road for so long.”

“You’re exhausted,” he snapped, gesturing to the book still lying on the floor.

“Well, as far as I’m aware, we have no plans this evening except for a meal, correct?”

“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “Though the innkeeper wanted to talk to you about tomorrow’s meeting.”

Vassanna snorted. “The innkeeper also wants to catch up on all the Sentinel gossip she’s missed out on since retiring and settling down here.”

“She was a Sentinel?” Theron couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice; the teal-skinned Twi’lek behind the bar seemed far too gentle to have lived that life.

“Mhmm. That’s why this is the only inn we’ve stopped at within the borders of Korriban.” A yawn displaced her smirk.

Concern for the innkeeper and her family muted Theron’s voice. “Is it safe for them?” he whispered.

She nodded. “No one here knows. They’ve changed their names and shifted their appearance a bit using magic. Apparently—”

“Hey, wait,” he protested. “You’re changing the subject. Are you sick? Hurt? Why are you so tired?”

Her entire demeanor shifted in the blink of an eye: a frown twisted her lovely features, her posture immaculately straight, chin raised in challenge. “I’m allowed to be tired, my lord,” she bit out. “It’s been a very long week.”

All he wanted was for her to tell him what the hell was wrong: was that too much to ask? In his frustration, he planted his fists on his hips and returned her frown. “You’re far more drained than you should be.” 

“According to whom?” she snapped, pulling back the covers and standing toe to toe with him. “Are you my bodyguard? My nursemaid?”

“No, but it seems like you could use one,” he muttered. Stars above, she could be so damned stubborn!

Anger flashed in her violet eyes, like lightning during a summer storm, and he decided a different approach was necessary. Playing on her sense of duty and devotion to him, to his cause, felt dirty, but it would be worth it if he could just get her talking.

“Well, how do you expect to protect me if you can’t even stay awake for dinner?”

Oh, but he was sorely mistaken: he’d pushed too far.

Sanna’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed. “How dare you!” she hissed. “Do you think I’ve just been napping in the saddle all week? Dozing or flitting off to dreamland? That I haven’t been doing everything in my power to keep you safe while we’re so close to his domain?”

The specter of the Shadow King loomed large in the room, raising the hairs at the nape of Theron’s neck.

“I thought you trusted me to keep you safe; I didn’t realize I had to explain every step I took to do so. But fine,” she said with a snarl, “yes, it’s magic. Would you like all the details, your majesty?”

“No, I trust you; I do. I’m just worried.”

The anger in her eyes melted away, leaving hurt in its place. Stars, he was an ass.

“I will keep you safe, Theron, even if it is the last thing I do.” Her jaw clenched and she swallowed hard. “I swore an oath and I intend to keep it.”

They stood there, silently, neither meeting the other’s eyes. He owed her an apology for casting doubt on her loyalty and skills. Why didn’t he trust her to tell him if she was hurt or not? She was an adult, as well as a frighteningly competent bodyguard.

You’re afraid you’ll lose her, a little voice in the back of his head whispered.

Ignoring that stupid voice that didn’t know at all what it was talking about, he sighed. “That was uncalled for, I’m sorry. I do trust you, very much so, and—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted softly and one could cut the uncomfortable tension between them with a knife.

“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” he murmured sheepishly. “I’ll wake you for dinner.” 

With a silent nod, she climbed into the bed, tugging the covers up to her chin and staring at the ceiling.

Gently, carefully, Theron sat on the edge of the bed. “Hey,” he said softly as he cupped her cheek in his palm, “we can talk more later—if you want.” He offered a small smile as a peace offering as he placed his other hand on her forehead. “But for now, rest.” Pulling from his shallow store of magic, he gently nudged her into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Theron sat there for a long moment after her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing evened out, his hands still cradling her face. He told himself it was to ensure that Vassanna stayed asleep, but if he were honest, he didn't want to let go.

He brushed his thumb along her cheek and the tattoos embossed on her skin. The urge to press his lips to those diamond-shaped marks seized him so strongly that he almost gave in before catching himself at the last moment. What was wrong with him?

Standing abruptly, he stalked to the fireplace to pace until their meal arrived.

————

Hours later, long after the sun had set and the fire died down, their bags lay packed by the door, ready to leave at a moment’s notice should the need arise. Vassanna had slept through it all, waking only for dinner and a short explanation—and a heartfelt and sincere apology from her prince. Theron mulled over her words while he prepared for bed.

We’re trained in whatever aspect of magic comes naturally to us, so we try out many different things as children. My mother’s a Healer, but all my healing tonics made my classmates ill. She had chuckled ruefully. My energies were focused on combat after that.

My sister, she’s a ghost: she can disappear into the shade of a tree and no one would ever see her again if she didn’t wish it. She bends the light around her, somehow. I don’t understand, but it’s impressive.

I can’t hide within the light like her, but I can make myself look... Vassanna had trailed off, a thoughtful look on her features. Inconspicuous, unassuming. I’m still in plain sight, but it’s almost as though people overlook the fact that I’m there.

A yawn had interrupted her explanation. It’s not as natural for me as combat magic, so while I can do it, it’s exhausting. Moreso if I’m trying to keep more than just myself concealed. But seeing as we’re too close to Korriban Hold for my liking, it’s been necessary to keep us safe from notice—or worse.

Back in the present, Theron stretched and yawned. Climbing gently into the bed to not disturb her rest, he chuckled at the loud snore that greeted him.

Vassanna mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over, facing him. The covers tangled around her waist and she shivered at their loss, goosebumps skittering across the bare skin of her arm.

With a soft grin, he pulled her side of the covers up, tucking her in, and was nearly lost when she sighed contentedly in her sleep, shifting closer to him. He gently swept the tangled hair from her face, smoothing it back and behind her ear as she did whenever it was loose.

Resting his hand lightly along her jaw, Theron inspected his bodyguard, lover, and—dare he say—his friend. She looked so calm, so peaceful in sleep; carefree, almost. That she would quietly sacrifice so much of herself touched him, twisting something in his chest and making it hard to breathe.

The need to hold her close threatened to overwhelm him. He resisted, however, content to brush his thumb against her cheek instead.

“Sweet dreams,” he murmured.

————

“Vassanna? Sanna, it’s time to wake up.”

The voice in her ear was soft and warm, as comfortable as the bed she lay in.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled. Stars above, she was so tired.

“Sorry, I already gave you as much time as I could. We meet with our informant in forty-five minutes.”

Informant? What was— 

Sanna bolted upright with a gasp as she remembered where they were: not far from the lands of Korriban on Theron’s quest to gather support for their rebellion. Sunlight streamed in through the window and birds chirped outside.

“Stars, what time is it?” she asked, anxiously glancing around for the chronometer. “Eleven fifteen!? How long have I been sleeping?”

“Honestly, not as long as you needed, unfortunately. You still feel exhausted. Er, you look like you feel exhausted, I mean.”

“Thanks,” she said drily and he shot her a look.

“You know what I mean.”

Nodding with a small smile, she rose to prepare for their meeting, hurrying into and out of the bathroom. As she rushed to dress, Theron glanced over quizzically.

“Full armor?”

She froze mid-buckle, her leather cuirass slipping slightly as she shrugged. How did she explain that she had a bad feeling about this meeting?

“You don’t think this is a trap, do you?”

Yes. No. Maybe it was simply that she’d overslept and her mind was still foggy. Perhaps she preferred the comfort and safety the armor provided. Sanna sighed.

“Everything is a trap.” She finished buckling her chest piece as she spoke. “Better over-prepared than caught unawares. You should wear your hauberk.”

“I think it would inspire more trust and confidence if we didn’t show up to meet this person armed to the teeth,” Theron said. Before she could open her mouth to argue, he continued. “You should leave your weapons up here.”

“What?”

“Why do you need eight different blades for a lunch meeting? You’re being paranoid.”

“Just in case something—”

“It’s an order, Sanna.”

She stared, open-mouthed. What was he thinking?

“And how, pray tell, am I supposed to protect you with no weapons?”

“You shouldn’t have to. What kind of information-gathering meetings have you been to?”

His question hit her like a slap in the face: he knew what had happened to her the last time an informant had turned, he knew. And the stakes were ever so much higher now than a few Sentinels; the future king’s life could hang in the balance.

But it was an order. So, clenching her jaw so tightly that her teeth creaked, she took up her sheathed swords and placed them on their saddle packs.

(She was briefly impressed that Theron had done such a fine job of ensuring they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice while she was sleeping like the dead, but her irritation and anxiety swiftly swept it away.)

She removed all but two of her throwing daggers and set them beside her swords, grumbling internally about how foolish this was.

“As you say, your majesty,” she bit out, bowing low to Theron.

He sighed. “Sanna—”

“After you, my lord.” She snapped the door open and gestured for him to lead the way, plastering a smile on her face.

Heaving another sigh, he shook his head and walked out the door. She followed, somehow managing to keep herself from slamming it behind her in her frustration.

————

Standing at the bar, Sanna chatted with A’lema, the owner of the Seven Stars Inn—and a former Sentinel.

“I’m assuming you’ve got plans for this meeting?” A’lema asked as she set a pint before Sanna.

“Well, plan A is ‘meet the deserter, gather the information, stay here another night to enjoy the delicious food and warm bed, and then go on our merry way.’ Hopefully, that’s the plan we end up using.”

“And plan B?”

Sanna smiled at her host. “What’s the phrase? ‘You can take the girl out of the Sentinels, but you can’t take the Sentinel out of the girl’?”

“Look, this is my house,” she said, tapping the bar counter, though she returned Sanna’s grin. “I’d like to be prepared if we have to skip ahead to plans B, C, or D.”

“That’s fair,” she replied with a small chuckle. “Plan B is that it’s a trap. Either he’s faking the desertion or he’s been coerced into it. Or he’s simply a pawn and is being followed here by the false king’s men.”

“I can portal you both away if worse comes to worse. Not to Tython—that would be too dangerous this close to Korriban—but somewhere else safe.”

Sanna inclined her head in thanks. “I’ll do my best to keep you and yours out of it; I don’t want to destroy the life you have here.” She nodded towards Theron. “He’s convinced it’s going to be Plan A.”

“And you?”

“I’m prepared for Plan B.” She paused, thinking of all her weapons upstairs, and frowned. “Mostly.”

“I did notice that your swords are conspicuously missing, Guardian.”

“They’re in the room. I might make our contact ‘uncomfortable.’” She managed to keep from rolling her eyes.

“He may be a prince,” the innkeeper said, leaning forward, “but you are his guard. You can veto his rules, you know; you outrank him on the battlefield.”

“It’s not a battlefield yet.”

The door to the inn opened, halting their conversation, and a haggard-looking man matching the description of their contact strode in.

“Ah well. Too late now,” Sanna sighed and turned.

“Hey.”

A’lema’s tone stopped her in her tracks.

“You’ve considered the need for a last-ditch plan?”

It wasn’t technically a plan, per se, but all Sentinels learned that they were part of a larger whole; they served the people of the land before serving themselves. Sometimes a personal sacrifice saved more than was lost, like pruning branches from a tree to see it bloom all the better the next spring.

“I swore to keep him safe until my last breath. I’m no oathbreaker.”

A’lema nodded solemnly. “We’ll get him out of here and to Orgus if need be.”

Sanna glanced back toward the bar. “If need be, I’ll buy you all the time I can. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go join what’s hopefully Plan A.” She saluted with her glass and joined Theron at the table as their contact approached.

At least his all-knowing majesty hadn’t protested against the safety of sitting with their backs to the wall, so they had an advantageous view of the entry. She spent most of the conversation with her focus there, to ensure the soldier hadn’t been followed.

Maybe she was being overly paranoid.

A snap from the fireplace at her elbow drew her focus back to the table. Though Sanna would never admit it to Theron, she would have been cooler and more comfortable without her armor: the cheery fire crackled and glowed, throwing far more heat than she would have expected.

“He’s controlling ‘em somehow,” the deserter said. “My buddy and I had been talking about getting out, heading somewhere we could keep our heads down until making for home, and then he started ignoring me when I’d talk to him about it. I tried one last time to talk him into coming with me today, but he just got all glassy-eyed, tellin’ me King Tenebris was the rightful king and ‘not to presume that there were limits to his power.’ I couldn’t talk any sense into ‘im after that.”

The phrase sent a prickle of fear shuddering down Vassanna’s spine: she’d heard it before, in a time she’d much prefer to forget. “You invited your friend here with you? Today?” She tried to keep her tone even, but based on Theron’s shifting posture, she wasn’t as successful as she’d hoped.

“Yeah. For a minute, I really thought he’d join me and—”

The door to the inn’s common room slammed open and bedlam broke loose. A’lema dropped behind the bar and dashed into the kitchen as a dozen of the Shadow King’s fighters poured into the room, each firing an arrow and nocking another in the space of a breath.

With a curse, Sanna dug deep within, reaching for her pitiful amount of magic. (Her store of magic hadn’t replenished itself as much as she had hoped; it must be their proximity to Korriban and the magics wrought there.) She shoved the defector out of the way and to the side of the room, then tugged at the air, shielding herself and Theron from the arrows hurtling rapidly toward them. The shield wouldn’t hold long—not with the state of her depleted magics—but it bought her enough time to flip the table to its side, providing a far more substantial shelter.

Theron was on the ground, facing away from her, and an arrow whizzed past him, far too close for comfort. She grasped the back of his tunic, yanking him fully behind the table, and froze.

No.

Two arrows with the Shadow King’s black-purple-red fletching had lodged themselves in his chest, sticking out grotesquely, and his features were twisted in pain, eyes screwed shut. She stared in horror, unable to move, to breathe. “No,” she whispered as time slowed to a crawl, the thunk of arrows into the other side of the table drowned out by a woman’s sobs.

She reached out and cradled Theron’s face in shaking hands. “Oh stars, please...”

He grunted in pain, then cracked open his eyes, concern briefly replacing the agony etched there. “No, don’t. Don’t cry,” he murmured. “I’ll be alright; I can Heal myself, remember?”

Another sob escaped and she clamped a hand over her mouth, surprised to find tears on her cheeks. Nodding, she closed her eyes and dashed away the tears, drawing her focus back to the here and now—and the very real danger awaiting them across the room.

Reaching out with a small tendril of magic to see what they were up against, she found the soldiers at the door woodenly preparing another volley of arrows, and nearly two dozen soldiers waiting outside as backup, should the first group fail to take their quarry. Making things worse, every one of them was under the control of the Shadow King.

And here she was with practically no magic left and only two damned knives. 

Movement from the bar area caught her attention: A’lema and her wife Pirri were carefully making their way to Sanna’s makeshift shelter. The former Sentinel bore a large shield in one hand, sheathed sword in the other, with a bow and arrows slung over her shoulder. 

As soon as the pair made it behind the table, A’lema waved her hand, and blue lights danced through the air before coalescing into magical armored knights, who squared off with the Shadow King’s soldiers. Perri immediately got to work inspecting Theron’s wounds.

“So,” A’lema asked cheerfully, “what plan are we on now?”

The casual question snapped Vassanna out of her panic. “Unclear,” she answered. “There are, however, two dozen more troops outside, waiting. For how long, I’m not entirely sure.”

“Well, shit,” she murmured and fired off an arrow that exploded with a flash, blinding the enemy.

Theron let out a groan of pain as Pirri worked to remove his vest without causing more damage. At a second, calmer glance, the wounds weren’t nearly as bad as Sanna had thought: one of the arrows had hit the muscular part of his upper arm, not his chest. The second was higher up, nearer the collarbone. At least his lungs and heart were safe; the arm would be an easy fix, but the shoulder still had her worried.

“She may not have healing magic, but she’s damn good and has patched me up more times than I can count. Just so you know.”

“Aww, thanks for the compliment, my dearest.”

The banter between the couple warmed her heart. A’lema and Pirri would keep Theron safe; Sanna felt it in her bones. All she had to do was take out enough of the enemy to buy them the time needed to escape.

Resting her hand on A’lema’s arm, she met her gaze. “There are too many of them. I think we may have skipped over the rest of the plans and landed at the last one.”

With a whispered curse, the innkeeper nocked another arrow and sent it flying toward the enemy before handing her sword to Vassanna with a nod. “It may not be your own, but it’s good Tythonian steel. It’ll serve you well.”

“The honor is mine.” She turned to her prince. “Theron, can you walk?”

He glanced over, grimacing. “Yes, but—” He hissed. “I’ll be fine.”

She tilted Theron’s chin up so she could meet his eyes one last time. “Go with them now. They’ll get you back to Orgus.” She kissed his forehead, then picked up A’lema’s sword, testing its weight and heft. “Don’t look back when you go. That’s an order.”

The confusion on his face shifted quickly to understanding, anger, horror. “Absolutely not,” he barked, reaching up with his good arm and grasping her wrist. “We started this together, we’ll— You promised me ‘until the end,’ unless you’ve forgotten.”

Sanna’s stomach twisted and she blinked away the sting of tears again. “We are running out of time. You must go with them: these people cannot lose their king.”

“And I can’t lose you,” he snarled through gritted teeth.

Her eyes grew wide as his words sank in.

“You will not throw your life away today. I won’t—” He stilled, pain stealing his words. “You’re a brilliant fighter and strategist, dammit; come up with something else.” The words came out as a near whisper, but they carried determination and pride.

“Look you two, we don’t have all day,” A’lema muttered. “I’m running out of arrows and they’re running out of patience with my magical decoys, so let’s get moving.”

Pirri finished wrapping a bandage around Theron’s arm; he winced as she tightened the knot. The bloodied arrow lay on the ground and terror tore through Sanna.

“Burn it,” she cried, and Pirri glanced over in confusion. “The arrow. Anything with Theron’s blood on it. Tenebris uses blood magic, and the stars only know what he’d do if he got a hold of that—”

The fire in the hearth roared, blazing with a fury that nearly bowled Sanna over. An old lesson dredged itself from her memory: fire magic was highly effective in neutralizing other forms of magic—especially blood magic. 

“Wait,” she breathed as an idea took shape.

There was, unfortunately, a drawback to fire magic: it was incredibly dangerous and difficult to control, and if you lost your hold on the fire, well... a wildfire would blaze through anything in its path, including magic-wielders.

Desperate times, however, called for desperate measures.

“I need you to stall them for a few more minutes. Don’t do anything reckless, but I just need a few minutes,” Sanna said. Setting the sword down, she hurriedly sat in a meditative pose, hands held open before her. 

One deep breath to center herself. Then a second.

A third for good measure.

Reaching out toward the fireplace, she beckoned the fire to her hands. Hello there. Come to me, help me. Her instructor had taught her to treat the fire as though it were alive; it would give more respect for the sheer power it held and if one happened to find a Sprite, that would be even better.

Why should I help you? You’re the one who put my family in danger in the first place.

Sanna’s eyes flew open with shock and she stared into the fireplace. Stars above, they had a fire Sprite! If today weren’t already going so horribly, she’d count herself the luckiest person in the lands.

You’re the only one who can help us all, Sanna thought as she closed her eyes again. Fire Sprites hated to be bound against their will, so she felt certain that it would want to destroy any trace of Tenebris’s blood magic. The people attacking us don’t want to be in this situation either. They’re trapped, held captive by the Shadow King.

Her hands tingled with heat and she glanced down to see the Sprite flickering in her hands, leaving sooty trails on her palms.

For the first time since she’d escaped from Arkanis Hold, Sanna purposely dug up all the memories she’d hidden away, safely out of sight. From the seemingly innocent dagger slash across her jaw from one of the soldiers who quickly retreated, to the moment Tenebris cast the spell binding her to his will to, oh stars, all the terrible things she did under his control. 

Outrage and disgust radiated from the Sprite as it experienced her memories.

Please help them. Don’t let them have any more memories like this.

Sanna held her breath, uncertain of what would happen next. The glowing fire in her hands had moved past uncomfortable, drawing near unbearable. Sweat beaded on her brow and trickled down her face. 

Stars, she was hot.

Yes, it hissed. I will free these people and scorch those who would control the innocent. But what will you give me in return?

Anything I have is yours. She could hopefully summon up enough magic after this to get into the nearest Sentinel safehouse, but that was a problem for the future; she would deal with it then.

One step at a time.

A rasping chuckle echoed through her ears before the fire melted into her hands, searing up her arms and through her chest.

The intense heat was unforgiving, all-consuming, overwhelming; she could barely draw a breath. Shouts echoed through the building, mixing with the screams etched into her memories. Clapping her hands over her ears did nothing to block out the noise.

Just as Vassanna was certain she would burn forever, an icy cold swept through her, sending uncontrollable shivers in its wake. Her teeth chattered; she hugged herself in a vain attempt to stop the trembling.

“Sanna? Vassanna!” Theron’s right hand was clasped tightly around her upper arm, pulling her closer. He tried to reach with his other arm, which was a mistake: blood seeped from the arrow still lodged near his collarbone and he groaned, leaning back against the table with a grimace.

Shifting closer, Sanna cradled his cheeks in her sooty, blackened—yet miraculously unburned—hands. “I’m here.”

“Your nose is bleeding,” he murmured, eyes still closed, and she swiped the back of her sleeve across her face.

“Not anymore.”

He pried one eye open and frowned. “You look like shit.”

A near-hysterical giggle bubbled from her lips. “Thanks, so do you.”

(They both missed the matching eye rolls from their hosts.)

“What about the soldiers? What did you do?”

Oh, stars, what had she done?

A whoop from A’lema drew their attention and Sanna poked her head above the table. To her pleasant surprise, most soldiers strewn across the floor appeared to be breathing still, though there were two piles of dark ash alongside the living bodies.

“Some chose the shackles of your Shadow King in exchange for power over the subjugated,” the Sprite’s voice hissed from the fireplace. “I dealt with them as I saw fit. They would not have gone in peace. The rest will wake soon and leave this place, but the ones who served willingly let their master know that you are here and that my family helped you. He is dispatching more troops to bring retribution upon the Seven Stars. We must leave, permanently.”

Damn.

“Well, at least we keep the important things packed up,” sighed A’lema. “I'll gather what I can; you finish with his majesty, sweet. Sentinel, go prepare for your journey, then you can help me prepare for ours.”

In an exhausted daze, Sanna stood, swaying slightly before stumbling up the stairs to their rented room. She sniffled and tasted the tang of iron as she opened the door. Heading to the bathroom, she quickly washed the blood from her face, but to her dismay, the soot stains left by the sprite were not so easy to rinse away. In growing dread, she removed her bracers and rolled up her sleeves to better scrub away the scorch marks only to discover they climbed up her arms as far as she could see—and no amount of soap or scouring would remove them.

With a sigh, Sanna attempted to make peace with the markings: if they had saved her and Theron, then so be it. She’d carry them as long as they lasted.

Donning her weapons—stars, that made her feel better—she gathered up their saddle packs and made her way downstairs. The horses were quickly tacked up and she turned to help A’lema pack their wagon.

“Do you know where you want the portal to go?” A’lema asked as they heaved a chest into the back. “I’ve only got enough magic left for one, so you’ve got to make it count.”

“What? No, absolutely not,” Sanna said with a shake of her head. “We’ll be on horses; wagons are much slower and you’ll need as much of a head start against the Shadow King’s minions as you can get. You need that portal more than we do. There’s a safehouse not far from here and I need to touch base with Master Orgus after all this anyway.”

“It’s a good half-day's journey from here and our prince isn’t at his prime.”

“We’ll make it. He’ll insist you use the portal for yourselves as well, I can promise you.”

At the innkeeper's dubious look, Sanna continued, taking her hand. “You’ve done far more than was necessary to help us and you’ve lost almost everything because of it. I’m absolutely certain that neither of us wants you to lose any more. And you know the Shadow King isn’t kind to those who support the Shans.”

The threat of the Shadow King’s retribution tipped the scales and A’lema agreed to use the portal for herself—and just in time.

Theron appeared at the door, looking weak and wan but very much alive, supported by Pirri.

“Ready to leave whenever you are,” he said.

[ratintank-gallery]

[darkmoonravewolf]

Halloween is making me think of my old designs for Monster!Blake and Weiss. Though I guess Mutant makes more sense.

It won't ever be a fic even though I wanted to make it into one once. But I still do have like... the origins for it.

In a no Salem au where grimm, hunters, and dust still exists. They're 2 years younger than when they joined beacon and are still huntsman middle school. Blake and Weiss, much to the, displeasure of Jacques, are friends and visit each other frequently.

Due to workers in the mine revolting and refusing to work, sales were down and so Jacques worked with Watts to create two new "grimm" that were entirely obedient. Only it didn't work, they needed something with aura.

One day, Willow goes missing.

She can't be found anywhere, and the others are getting worried. Weiss find out where she went 2 months later, when she wakes up in a cell. She gets subjected to experiments and treatments, things to make her better in the mines. (Surviving the different temperatures, more eyes to see in the dark, able to sense dust, specialized mouth to grab crystals, etc etc.)

Eventually she loses the ability to speak and is trying to train herself to do it again. She gets some help from another creature next to her, Willow, who hid this fact from Jacques.

She wakes up one day to the sound of screaming and sees Blake in pain across the way. Who only got into this, because she hasn't heard from Weiss in months and she wanted to know what happened.

Anger builds up in all of them towards Jacques and so they pretended to be what he thought they were.

Mindless obedient grimm.

He finally decided to showcase them, saying they're going to replace the workers in the mines. When taking questions and the topic of his missing family is brought up, the one who answers is Willow.

At first people think it's a joke but she keeps talking and talking, it's coming out in hisses, and saying what has happened to get family.

An uproar starts in the panic, Willow, Weiss, and Blake break free leading to more panic. Guards are called and Willow grabs a stunned and horrified Whitley before flying off to who knows where.

Weiss can't fly despite having ice wings and she and Blake run through the crowd of people and out into the city. They make it to the woods before asking themselves what are they even going to do?

Cut to a few weeks later, Ruby and Yang see Taiyang watching the news on Jacques getting arrested and the missing family. It even shows Kali crying while being interviewed and Ghira furious and depressed.

The two go outside to play with Zwei only for the ball to get lost in the woods and they get a bit sadden.

The next day the ball returns and they think Tai brought it back but he didn't even know it was gone.

One bad day at school later (Yang almost gets in trouble for fighting Cardin for picking on Ruby, Penny, and Jaune) They notice something in the woods, just... watching them. They stare back until a voice, a girl, calls for something to get back here and the glowing eyes blink and then go away.

Ruby thinks it was just a weird dog but Yang saw the muzzle and thought it was a big rabbit. Whatever it was, it was unsettling.

~~~~~~~~

I also wrote some of the actual fic, here's each of their first meetings. Btw Blake can't talk at this point in time.

Slowly, the tail, black as the shadows, slinked across the ground, moving the dry leaves, as the… beast stood up to its full height. Thin and gangly but still full of muscle with large powerful claws to go with the look. 

What Yang thought was the cute muzzle of a rabbit had opened to reveal a weird maw with rows of sharp teeth. 

The vents on the neck opened, blowing out air as it leaned down on top of Yang, glowing eyes stared down at her before the maw opened some more and licked her face with a sharp barbed tongue.

Was it... Friendly?

____

Pure white fur stood between her and Cardin, roaring with all its might, the force sent the boy to the ground. Cardin, too scared to even say anything, scrambled away as fast as he could. 

It turned to watch him as he ran and Ruby got a good glimpse of the face. Six eyes kept track of his movements as he left, the mouth on the creature was still in a growl, the bottom jaw was split open in half as fangs and mandibles were presented in a hostile pose.

No wonder Cardin ran, paws, hooves, wings, horns, what was this thing?! 

It then turned to look at Ruby, the muzzle had closed, fangs and mandibles were got and instead it looked at her with… concern?

Then it truly did something she didn’t expect at all.

“Do not run… please” A light purring sounded like human speech.

Ruby didn’t know if she was looking at a demon or an angel, it was much too cold to be a demon but her instincts still told her to run away. Maybe it was just the ice on her wings?

“I didn’t mean to show myself, I am just looking for my friend. However, It didn't look like he was going to leave you alone anytime soon.” the beast grumbled, annoyed that she got attacked?

It had a friend?! There were more of these things?!

“Have you seen her?” It titled its head, it almost looked cute like that but she had already seen what it looked like when it opened its mouth.

“I. I no NO! I h-haven’t. I.. I was out looking for my sister. She didn’t come home today…”

~~~~~~~~

Some more things!

Willow was going to return, she had dropped off Whitley at Kleins before flying off again. She hides herself in a cave and a nearby town thought she was some kind of guardian grimm and let her stay.

I wanted to write about the sister's getting Penny's dad's help to turn them back into humans but they still retain some features.

Blake: Long boney cat tail, Neck protrusions, neck vents, glowing eyes

Weiss: Horns, white paws, frosty tail, Ice wings, mandibles, homing gem, 6 glowing eyes

Willow: Snake tail, fangs, venom, large wings, snake eyes

Blake's design was more a mole/cat hybrid.

Weiss's design was more "what were all the types of faunus people have drawn her as and can I combine them?"

[hinamie]

i think the designs of the main cast r more or less solidified so it's time for the first not-a-sketch piece of this au featuring past and present avatars ! and their cat

jjk atla!au:

preliminary designs first year trio gojo/choso/nanami mahito/geto(?)/yuuta

[time-woods]

local bug experiences sensory feelings that arent hostile and has no clue how to act

[thatdeadaquarius]

College be kicking my ass but we continue on like Scaramouche (alive and kicking, but still crabby about it all lmfao)

Random idea but what happens when the acolytes got hold of Creator that is able to squeeze into small places (like a cat would but less liquid) and knows how to escape? Think of sagau but instead of all the deaths, its just they got overexited and chased the Creator the moment they see them which scared them shitless seeing a mob just appear out of nowhere.

I mean who wouldn't after seeing your favourite person in your favourite game just appear right in front of you? (I apologize in advance to the poor unfortunate sucker)

Imagine a world-wide search that keeps getting them heart attacks. Venti just flying by with Dvalin ony to see you on top of the floating pillar above Dragonspine LEANING PRECARIOUSLY OH MY ARCHONS GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE---

Zhongli walking around trying to find peace and quiet only to sense your presence which led him towards Azhdaha's domain and nearly shouted in terror seeing you hanging by one of the limestones above the slumbering dragon your grace what and how the in the fucking name of teyvat did you---

Yae Miko screaming in surprise seeing you inside one of the cupboards of your grace's house (you made a small temporary one in each country in case u need more rest) that she and Ei found in one of the remote islands.

Nahida and the entire Forest Rangers having one of the most intense, frustrating and most challenging game of hide and seek in the entire freaking forest.

You hiding underneath the sand like a fricking snake everytime Cyno spots you from a disrance.

-Vine Boom 🧨

I am no longer apologizing for lateness simply bc atp its basically assumed Im terribly sorry 💀 /so gen

  

Content under -----------------✄

☆

Sun: Reader, (you/they/them)

Orbit: Headcanons-ish, Imposter SAGAU? Imposter SAGAU Reversed Ver? unclear (NOT DARK)

Stars: little here, little there

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: reader/you thinks everyone is hunting them down, dark sagau fake-baiting lmao, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

No but the traumatic experience of you cautiously wandering into Mondstadt after realizing ur in Genshin like, ✨👄✨

and every single street/alleyway you try to go down to even avoid it is just people all looking at you like: 👁️👄👁️ ???

and ur over here equally just like: 😃 tf u lookin at????

u get up near the cathedral and finally see a playable character, Barbara, and she just fully GASPS and POINTS at you like she’s getting paid to be an actor for this

shouting sm nonsense like: “My Creator??? King of All???? IS THAT YOU?????”

and after which a few nuns check the commotion, Rosaria and Barbara’s Visions are glowing, and all join in heckling you

Venti coming (literally) flying around a corner on a breeze, saying he was trying to catch up to you, and ohhh now ur Convinced:

None of these bitches must be happy to see you, you did forcefully control their bodies if by the sounds of it they knew you/they must’ve been aware during the game, aw damn looks like u gotta run for your life now

You just book it out of Mond, Venti/Barbara yelling after you to come back, and meanwhile you’re leaving a shell-shocked Jean/Diluc/Kaeya (with Visions glowing) in ur wake on the way out

Not one being, mortal or otherwise, convinces you to stay in Mond, and you finally get to Dragonspine- the only place u know they wont follow

(well maybe the pyro characters but ur betting if u can make it up the mountain theyre not committed to,, running you down? arresting you?? ur not sure)

u make it all the way up and luckily everythings all solved like u did in the game, the traveler must be well into teyvat by now, and u decide to say “for the already achieved achievement” and fuck around and find out near the nail

U thought as u finally got on it u heard a scream somewhere in the sky, and u spotted Dvalin carrying Venti/Barbatos, and once again book it out of town (damn u cant believe theyre so committed they got the dragon in on it…)

so u haul ass all the way down the mountain, traveling only at night, living like a vampire, holing up during the day when u see Mond citizens/knights/gods/etc. walking around presumably looking for you

but u make it, finally! sweet, sweet Liyue, ur 2nd home (besides Mondstadt)

Only to immediately, like right outside the fucking gates to Liyue Harbor, run into Zhongli.

and he’s standing there like this mf knew u were coming, and the first thing out his mouth is some BS like, “…Darnell, that you??”/ref LMAOO

but instead of laughing abt it u just scream and run for your life haha

oh jesus h christ- he’s sending the adepti after you fuck- how hated are you??

sure u maybe hate Celestia a little, and sympathize with the traveler, but this seems a little extreme?!

you go to the one place u know he/any other adeptus doesnt like to come often, Azdaha’s cave

and after a night (well, day bc ur sleeping during the day now) of Azdaha sleeping peacefully, he wakes up fully coherent and u actaully have a rlly pleasant conversation with him about Liyue food lol

he also kept mentioning some kind of god? but like in reference to you?? are u connected to them, u kinda know a lot of gods atp so ur not sure which he means, a god to rule them all??? Celestia?? yeah u guess u know those fucks-

Cue u looking down from ur perch in the stalagmites above, u found a ledge and Azdaha helped you,

only to see a very concerned and borderline nervous Zhongli down below, Azhdaha just greets him like nothing’s wrong, but as soon as he sees you’re uncomfortable, helps you escape (more like teleport) away

(the old geo archon was probably nervous just be around Azhdaha u assume)

and now ur on the islands of Inazuma

u know exactly what islands are all but abandoned, the ghost one, the electrocuting one, and the scary bird one, all great options 👍

Raiden and Yae Miko manage to find you on every single one, with Yae getting more and more exasperated, and Ei getting more and more concerened with every position they find you in

hanging out on the banks of the electro river that would kill you if it weren’t for the little electro trees fending it off (thank fuck u maxed that shit out while in game)

bc u assumed they’d hate to be around it, plus lots of ronin- nope Ei is almost… scolding you?? oh but she’s got her Musou no Hitotachi out fuCK-

(she was slaying ronins that were getting too close to you)

she also is constantly jumpscaring you on tsurumi island/ghost island bc while the ghosts are gone, the creepy atmosphere isn't, and it makes her all the more terrifying as The Raiden Shogun comes walking out of the fog into the cave you've hidden in, stuff of ur nightmares for weeks as u just bird box style try to be silent and stealth around the island to get to an abandoned boat,

literally her scary ass purple sword glowing silhouette wandering around in the fog as you paddle away 💀

getting to thunder bird island and Yae Miko is literally both running/teleporting as quickly as she can to you, as you jump from floating rock to floating rock to escape her, god its so unnerving to watch someone so lazy running after you

she keeps getting in this weird “praising the heavens pose” sometimes when you jump, oh shit she’s aiming hER ATTACKS AT YOU THATS WHY-

oh good- she missed and deflected some stray debris coming ur way, u gotta get to the bird area and see if you can glide away (u managed to get a glider at some point thank fuck)

the bird is luckily on ur side against all these mfs trying to hunt u down (for controlling their bodies u guess) and flies u back to mainland teyvat

sumeru u thought would have the most mercy on u tbh, maybe fontaine bc Neuvillette only rlly cares if u break “fontaine” laws, maybe he wouldn't care to chase down a mortal like u over this

and nahida bc shes just nice

which is somewhat true, as you are acting like tarzan swinging around on vines and shit to escape the forest rangers

but she does show up in ur dreams, but shes just all foggy or distorted, u guess bc ur not of this world or smth??

and so it just unnerves u more, and u try to make it out to the desert, where at least there's no gods to worry about

mf ur hunkered down in a pyramid and see the shadowy shape of Cyno walking thru a sandstorm at you 💀

U dont kno how u got out of that one tbh, smth abt “king deshret made a plan for this” and left it behind for ppl to use to escape underground, sweet

And while Nahida and other eremites, scholars like Alhaitham/Kaveh/Dehya were looking around the desert sands, u slip by them

And u make it to the oasis at the edge of the desert, and steal an old rowboat to cross to fontaine (if i had a nickel everytime u needed to escape a god via old rowboat, youd have 2 nickels- )

and getting to Fontaine is not much better.

U literally get to the clockwork tower, foggy, ominous, uninhabited except for treasure-seekers occasionally, its perfect

until Neuvillette himself just strolls in abt 3 nights of u making camp there

u nearly shit urself as he just fake-knocked on a wall, meanwhile ur like hanging from the ceiling (four limbs out suspending you type of fictional shit)

luckily, mostly bc u were trying to wait him out (which wasn't possible ur limbs hurt so bad) he was, finally, the first person around u long enough to be genuinely kind and patient and answer questions

(Neuvillette acc couldn't figure out where u were at first, and was very confused how u got ur voice to boom around this chamber of the tower, after a minute of talking u trusted him enough to tell him to look up lol)

just in time too, he was able to hide u from the archons a little longer bc u were nervous

(u were already intimidated enough by Neuvillette being irl himself, talking to you, let alone all the other gods/vision users, as u realized afterwards thinking abt all the ppl trying to “hunt u down”, that if they all counted as ppl actually wanting to see you, that was a rlly overwhelming amount, esp if their first instinct is to run at you??? what are you, a fan-abused/disrespected kpop idol????)

☆

trying to be fancy and schedule posts once i get enough free time to actually wrangle my adhd to actually partake in my favorite hobbies 💀

well as long as I'm not getting slammed with lots of shifts again

hope u guys had a great weekend and have a good week! Happy late Valentine’s Day :)

Safe Travels Vine Boom,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

♡the Beloveds♡

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