#Princess Wildebeest

[jokingluna]

Woo! It is hard to believe that we've managed to keep this silly thing going for 8 whole years! We've told over 2900 jokes in that time, mostly without repeating! (I sometimes find that I have told a joke twice when shuffling through my archive)

I have to admit that it is getting harder and harder to find original jokes that follow my guidelines about being used here. I'll try to keep going as long as you people like and reblog! Having come this far, it's not unthinkable of reaching the 10th anniversary, and end up going longer than the show upon which it's based!

Anyway, many many thanks to all of you! Keep laughing!

[synthient]

everyone go download that thing before disney yoinks it

[dansnotavampire]

hello melacles nation :] i have another fic.

a madness entirely your own.

You have no confessions to make. No sins to admit, no apologies to give, no absolution to beg for. Would anyone absolve an axe for felling a tree? Would a chisel need absolution for marking stone? No. 

One would, maybe, absolve the hand that held it. But no hand had held you in millenia or more; perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the lion begs no forgiveness from the wildebeest. It merely eats and eats and eats, and then rotten bones feed the soil. 

So you, monster, man, somewhere in between, do not beg forgiveness from your false mother, and you do not seek absolution for your dead sons, and you leave corpses strewn in your wake across Ephyra. Something will nurture the soil, one day. However long it may be until that day comes.

Part of you prays you won’t live to see it. You're tired, aren’t you? Don't you want to rest? Every day is the same bloodied haze, every night spent under the same sleepless moon, monotony piling upon monotony until every monster in Ephyra is torn asunder, and finally your restless hands can still around something other than a throat. You do not crave violence; you crave nothing else, either. Perhaps that is the most literal phrasing of your desires - you crave nothing, the sweet blanket of oblivion that comes at the end of all mortal’s lives. 

If only you were so lucky; you had long since forgotten how to die. 

Glory calls you to the city, though, to the endless trap of it, the walls and the rubble and the long-walking corpses. Wasn’t that the choice you had made, many years ago? A life of glory, a life of hardship? 

You don't regret it. There is no room in you for regrets. The only space in your heart is quickly filled with toil, then with pain, then with toil again. An endless cycle. You work until you drop, and then you work some more, and one day you will gain enough godly favour to quiet your endless quest for praise, to stop Hera’s mouth, to finally lay your head down and quiet your stubborn mind. It is a simple life, for all your deeds. It is not a good one. 

The princess arrives in a flurry of knives and dancing footsteps. You know her - know of her. Melinoë. Daughter of the House of Hades. Saffron-robed and corn-silk blonde, arrogant and vengeful and proud as sin under the full moon’s light. Everything you had once been, no? Promised glory, full of power, brimming with promise even under the weight of expectation. It hadn’t lasted. 

You hadn’t lasted. The young man Heracles would look upon your now-immortal self with nothing more than shameful disdain. How tragic. How expected. 

You almost feel sorry for the princess, knowing her fate as surely as your own. Bones and dust, blood and sweat.

She should not be here, though, with her curse and her blood and her life ticking away with every breath she fails to take up here. You watch, impassively, as she chokes her final breath and disappears to - to wherever witches come from. She had been so alive. Nothing stays that way in Ephyra. 

[localebra]

Gaston Verse

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - The Prince's Huntsman

Pinocchio - Heroic Puppet

Dumbo - Circus Strong Man

Bambi - Hunter

Cinderella - Unwanted Focus Of The Step Sisters Affection

Alice in Wonderland - Knave Of Hearts

Peter Pan - Mutineer Pirate

Sleeping Beauty - A The Fail Rescuer

One Hundred and One Dalmatians - German Shepherd

The Jungle Book - Baboon

The Aristocats - Allie Cat With An Open Bar

Robin Hood - Bear Wanting To Be A Part Of The Gang

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Loin

The Rescuers - Hunter

The Great Mouse Detective - Rat Owner Of The Rat Trap Pub

The Little Mermaid - Merman Suiter Of Aerial

Aladdin - Guard

The Lion King - Wildebeest

Pocahontas - Coloniser

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Ex Priest Bar Owner

Hercules - Triton

Mulan - Soldier

Tarzan - Gorilla

The Emperor's New Groove - Anti-Kuzco Bar Owner

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Ex Lyle Tiberius Rourke Trooper

Lilo & Stitch - Ace Experiment 262

Treasure Planet - Sailor Bar Owner

The Princess and the Frog - Magic Hunter

Tangled - Member Of The Royal Guard

Wreck-It Ralph - Tubo RPG Barbarian

Frozen - One Of Han's Brothers

Big Hero 6 - Got In On A Sports Scholarship & Got Lefou To Build Mechanic Gloves To Become Gastro

Zootopia - Deer

Encanto - Jealous Bar Owner

Toy Story - Fantasy Action Figure

A Bug's Life - Bar Fly

Monsters Inc. - Red Beastly Monster & Top Scarer At Fear Co.

Finding Nemo - Shark

The Incredibles - Bravado The Hero

Cars - Jeep

Ratatouille - Rat In Bar Cellar

WALL-E - Loader Bot

Up - Fictional Adventurer

Brave - The Castles Huntsman

Inside Out - Courage

The Good Dinosaur - Triceratops

Coco - Dead War Hero

Onward - Chimera Restaurant Owner

Luca - Human Sailor & Sea Serpent Slayer

Elemental - Fire

Nightmare Before Christmas - Hyde

Star Wars - Rebellion Squad Leader

[handsomethrowrug]

The lion groaned, ears flattening at the response. He knew Maelie was right in that regard - he would, somehow, be caught. One of those princesses probably knew them all by name. Undeterred, he stepped out of the way so Maelie could continue sorting, while staying close enough to continue the conversation.

It took Scar barely a moment to realise he was getting a familiar lecture about where to go for food. "I have been trying to go to Remy's but, well, let's just say that he's somewhat inept when it comes to my preferences. As for Gaston? Last time I stepped in there he talked about using me for a rug. I refuse to go anywhere near that place."

As for Moana...? He might look into that one. They could be considered 'freshly killed', and it would be near the sea. That was a positive in his mind.

However, that wasn't quite the point he was trying to make, so the idea was put aside to mull over later.

"It's like you say: they're my subjects. You might think that's some sort of power strategy, but it is simply what I am used to." He had to be honest, lest Maelie confiscate his treasure (again). "In the Pride Lands, we ruled over zebra, wildebeest, and other animals who called it 'home'. We also hunted them. Don't ask me how any of them were happy with that set-up, but it was simply the way things were. I've learned that this is a concept that humans don't really 'understand'." Stepping around another box, Scar lifted his gaze to look Maelie in the eye.

"For instance, why is it okay to have one type of bird dedicated for consumption, while another bird is off-limits?"

@handsomethrowrug sent ;;

Oh no. Maelie is being followed by a rather bemused-looking Scar. "Oh come now. I can't imagine the Valley would be devastated if one Sunlit bird goes missing. I'd even have it in my cave so no one needs to be upset. It would be our little secret."

⋆ ❝ And you know that you'd likely get caught instantly, even if I was the type to keep this a secret. ❞ She answers, hands grasping the bottom of the wooden box and hoisting it up, ❝ The Sunlit Plateau is your place-- and the sunbirds are technically your subjects, Scar, you're supposed to keep your subjects alive, no? ❞ She adds firmly, the box of gems shifted in her grip a little as she moves to another group of boxes nearby ( sorting materials and such are surprisingly taxing-- but she's not the type to quit whilst she's ahead ). A puff of air escapes her mouth as she tries not to laugh-- the sound simply coming out the same as a deflating balloon; but Maelie is still very bright.

⋆ ❝ If you're hungry, you can order a meat dish from Remy's, or get the meat itself from Gaston's. ❞ She points out, ❝ Moana also gives out fish for free, so you shouldn't want to eat to sunbirds! ❞ Maelie chastises, ❝ Why would you want the sunbirds, anyhow? We have poultry, you know-- they're pretty similar. ❞ The box is stacked onto another; a darker wooden box full of vitalys crystals from the mine, Maelie's hands draw back, rubbing her chin as she placed her other hand on her hip.

⋆ It is very difficult to appease and be diplomatic with most of the harder-to-please villagers, but she's managed to do it so long ago, and even if Maelie has been out of her element after so long, she can do it again. Besides, there's never been too much of a problem in the Valley since things with the Forgotten.

⋆ ❝ How come you want to eat those guys? ❞ She asks, looking at him, ❝ With everything we got, you have a lot of options already. ❞

[stephobrien]

My first-ever illustration job! Meet Princess Wildebeest.

I recently had the pleasure of illustrating a new children's book!

Princess Wildebeest is a fanciful glimpse into the life of a playful, intelligent and energetic young girl, and a mother's celebration of her daughter's courage and resilience in the face of learning disabilities and childhood fears.

I really enjoyed being part of this project, and I look forward to illustrating future books about Princess Wildebeest.

If you want to read the book and see the rest of the illustrations, you can get your copy of Princess Wildebeest here!

And if you want me to illustrate your book or create any other art for you, you can see my art commissions pricing and rules here.

[empyrealarc]

"I feel like, out of all the X-Men who canonically fuck, Wolverine is the only one I wouldn't fuck. I'd be pulling hairs out of my buttcrack for weeks. Maybe months!"

[littlemessyjessi]

"Misfit Together": An Eddie Munson Story

  

– 

Warning:  Well, it's Stranger Things so I reckon it's safe to say that there will be fucking TrAuMA.  Sigh.  It is what it is.  Mentions of dr*gs and other sensitive topics.  Fantasy themes obviously.  I just really wanted to write an Eddie story, ok? Because he's pure and precious and he deserved better and I am fucking TRauMaTiZeD! 

Ahem.  Anyway.  Let's begin.

-

Two dark eyes watched across the cafeteria with interest. 

Hundreds of judgemental eyes viciously assessed the new girl, not unlike a pack of wild hyenas eyeing up a lame wildebeest. 

AKA high school. 

The girl wasn't exactly new.  

Fae Hutton had lived in Hawkins for as long as Eddie could remember. 

In fact, her father, Gary, had a trailer in Forest Hills, the trailer park where Eddie lived with his uncle Wayne. 

Fae lived with her mother, Vickie, with her maternal grandparents out on Hutton Farm. 

As far as he knew, Fae had always been homeschooled. 

A fact, in and of itself, that caused a stir within the small town because homeschooling was more than a little frowned upon. 

He had assumed that Fae would be homeschooled until she graduated but that all came crashing down the previous summer when the incident happened. 

Local teen shot by wild witch girl. 

That was literally on the front page of the local newspaper. 

In reality, she grazed his foot with an arrow and Eddie Munson would put money on it that the jerk did something that provoked her to do it. 

Eddie hadn't interacted with Fae much but on the few occasions that he had run into her in the woods she had been nothing but an absolute angel to him. 

Occasionally, he'd see her visiting her father at Forest Hills and he just couldn't wrap his head around her doing anything like that. 

That girl wouldn't have loosed an arrow at him if not provoked and you couldn't convince Eddie otherwise. 

However, Jason was a golden son of Hawkins.  

A star athlete and one of the favored popular kids. 

And that little shit had the audacity to act as if the little flesh wound seriously maimed him and even played into the idea of his whole future being ruined. 

"His future is ruined! He'll never get a scholarship now!" his parents had raged. 

Regardless of the fact that he was fine and was, in fact, starting this year. 

Small town drama. 

To make a long story short, there had been repercussions and the local government forced her parents to enroll their daughter into public school… or leave town. 

Backwards, small town politics was all that it was. 

Gary would've left in an instant and Eddie knew this just from what little he knew about his neighbor. 

But Vickie's family had the farm and she'd never leave. 

Eddie thought it was the most ridiculous bunch of horse shit he'd ever heard in his life. 

What on earth would enrolling her in public school accomplish anyway? 

He knew what it was though.  

Conformity. 

Oppressive, close minded conformity. 

It made him sick. 

Especially, when he took in the sight of her. 

He'd always known Fae to be a little off beat. 

A little wild. 

But that had always intrigued him to be honest. 

There she was making her way through the cafeteria.  Her metal lunch box, painted with little flowers, swinging in her hands, her thermos tucked up under her arm as she made a beeline for the door. 

Presumably to go outside. 

Her swishy little dress that made her look nothing short of a fairy princess or an elven queen floating behind her as she did. 

Fae was different and anyone could see that if you got within her general orbit. 

"Careful." one of the popular kids taunted.  

"Better get out of her way.  She'll shoot you." 

"Psychopath."

"Witch."  

Fae glanced at the table that Eddie knew to be the party goers. 

Their fluorescent shirts and white sweaters.  

Fae's hazel eyes were wide and observant, sparkling in a way that Eddie couldn't tell if she was about to cry or about to attack. 

In a spontaneous decision, he decided to step in. 

"Fae! Hey, Fae! C'mere!" he called out, causing the members of the Hellfire Club to look at him as if he'd grown three heads. 

"What are you doing?" Gareth asked but Eddie ignored him. 

Mike's eyes bugged out as Fae looked over at them. 

Fae was pretty. 

There was no doubting that and it was only made better by her soft form. 

Fae just looked like she was heaven to hug. 

A theory that, at some point, Eddie Munson would very much like to test. 

Fae cast a look at the other table once more before she eventually made her way to their own. 

Eddie grinned at her, dimples popping out in a charming fashion. 

"Hello, Eddie." She greeted him before turning to the others.  "Hello, everyone.  I'm Fae Hu-" 

"Fae Hutton.  We know.  By the way, I have to applaud you for the whole thing over the summer.  You've got no idea how many times I've personally wanted to shoot Jason." said Jeff. 

"Well." Fae said and cleared her throat.  "I mean, I-I, I wasn't really trying to shoot him.  I didn't! I didn't shoot him.  I just… grazed him." 

She sighed, "Oh nevermind, it doesn't matter anyway.  Thank you for the compliment.  I suppose." 

"Where are you headed?" Eddie asked, drawing her attention again. 

"Outside to eat my lunch. I haven't really found a place to sit so I figured I'd just eat out there.  I like nature anyway." she said, slightly swinging her lunchbox. 

"Well, look no more." Eddie grinned and leapt from his seat.  "Have a seat, fair maiden and bestow your company upon us mere mortals." 

Fae was too busy giggling at Eddie and his theatrics to notice the rest of the members' look of pure panic. 

Trust the lot of teenage boys to freak out over a pretty girl in their presence. 

"Well, I don't want to intrude." she said. "Besides, I'm really fine outside.  I mean, thank you for the offer but-" 

"No, we want you to sit with us." Dustin spoke up.  "I've got some questions for you anyway.  Like, I have to ask, where did you get your jewelry?" 

Some of the other boys gave Dustin an inquisitive look while Eddie smiled proudly. 

Good ol' Henderson. 

"Oh!" Fae said, a smile lighting up her face.  "My mama actually made it.  It's kind of her hobby.  She loves working with metal and leather and various woods. I think she's quite talented." 

"Totally rad." Dustin agreed, scooting over to make room for her. 

Eddie smiled as she took a seat beside Dustin and excitedly told him about each piece of jewelry she was wearing. 

Gareth lifted a brow at Eddie who only shrugged him off. 

Eddie let her be as she excitedly chatted to Dustin telling him that she drew the designs for her jewelry and clothing and her parents made them. 

"Mama is quite a talented blacksmith, woodsmith, leatherworker, whatever you'd like to call it.  I say she's an artist." she gushed.  "And Papa is an amazing tailor.   It's not his job but it should be.  Anything I can imagine, he makes it.  It's… it's like magic."  

And poor Eddie Munson was sunk. 

Because watching that girl with the stars in her eyes… suddenly there wasn't anything in the world you could say to him that would make him believe that she hadn't hung the moon. 

—--

Hello loves!  Eeeeeep! So I'm nervous as I've never written for Eddie before but I hope you like it and that I've captured a bit of his zany character!  I've also tried to brings some softness as well because I do truly think that Eddie would be the utmost sap if he's smitten with someone!  I would love to know you're thoughts! 

Remember! Drink water, wink at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself I love you because you're special and I'm proud of you and I love you very much. 

Love, K 

@toomanyfictionalboyfriends

@thickemadame

@blackirisposts

@therealmrshale

@thegreatirene

@angelus320

@disneymarina

@sullybot

@kalliravenne

@alisoncdariel

@amethyst09

@leah-halliwell92

@queenlexusloverofbts

@owenniasstars

@adventuresofnight

@tacobacoyeet

@glassesandthunderthighs

@lyn-g

@poopypantsmcgee666-blog

@milkshakelol

@sunnysidesblog

@speedyhandsbonkpalace

@mwitsmejk

@pinkcherrybombs

@abc-abc1234-a

@vj21

@kelly-fushiguro345

@minshookie29

[spanishskulduggery]

I realized I've never done the "D as in dog" clarification in spanish before, and last night my brain opted for "D como daño", which probably says something about me... Anyways, do you know what these are called, and what the "standard" ones are in spanish?

So I don't think there's a standard one in Spanish. There are multiple answers you could give, but many use proper names or names of cities.

As far as I know this is called el alfabeto por palabras "alphabet by words" or el abecedario telefónico "telephone alphabet"; and it's different in different places

Even in English I hear different ones, except I usually hear "B as in boy", "V as in Victor", "Z as in Zebra", "M as in Mary", "N as in Nancy", etc etc I know that's not in order, don't at me but for the other words it's kind of up in the air

-

Ones that I've heard or seen - often based on cities or countries!

(PLEASE KNOW THIS IS NOT STANDARDIZED I DON'T THINK A STANDARD VERSION EXISTS IN SPANISH?)

A de Alicante / A de Antonio / A de Argentina / A de Alemania [Germany]

Be de Barcelona

C de Colombia / C de Cádiz

D de Dinamarca [Denmark]

E de España [Spain]

F de Francia [France]

G de Guatemala / G de Granada

H de Historia [history] / H de Hada [fairy] / H de Hambre [hunger]

I de India / I de Inés / I de Italia [Italy]

J de José / J de Jerusalén [Jerusalem] / J de Japón [Japan]

K de Kilo

L de Lorenzo

M de Madrid / M de Marco / M de México

N de Navarra / N de Nicaragua

Ñ de Ñoño [wimp] / Ñ de Ñu [wildebeest]

O de Oviedo / O de Oso [bear]

P de París / P de Portugal / P de Perú

Q de Queso [cheese]

R de Roma [Rome]

S de Sábado [Saturday] / S de Sevilla

T de Toledo / T de Tomás

U de Uruguay

V de Valencia / V de Victoria [victory, or the name] / V de Venezuela

W de Washington

X de Xilófono [xylophone]

Y de Yugoslavia

Z de Zorro [fox] / Z de Zaragoza

And I'm not sure if I've heard the one for LL. It was always doble ele or ele doble. I personally would probably say LL de lluvia but it does make sense when you're spelling something to say two Ls

Oh, also CH is not its own letter now, but I believe I was taught CH de chocolate or CH de Chile

Please know that my experiences are based primarily on European Spanish, so I'm not sure what they might say in other countries

Also I'm just assuming y'all know how to pronounce the letters in the alphabet which you might not so I would recommend looking up the alphabet in Spanish on youtube and hearing someone pronounce the letters

Also RR is called doble ere usually, it's typically said or written like that. RR never begins a word so it's always considered a special case and doesn't have its own letter in that kind of alphabet. I think I was taught RR de carro (?) but told it’s not its own letter exactly(?)

-

Also there's B and V which have different names depending on where you are. B and V have a similar sound when pronounced in Spanish in many words, so there are

You might hear B alta/larga or V baja/corta/chica where it's "big/long B" and "short/small V"

We were also taught B de burro "B as in donkey", and V de vaca "V as in cow"

Btw when I was in school our teacher gave us flashcards that had the letters and some things that were definitely for little kids but it was something like:

A de árbol [tree]

B de burro [donkey]

C de casa [house]

CH de chocolate

D de dedo [finger]

E de elefante [elephant]

F de flor [flower]

G de gato [cat]

H de hielo [ice] / H de hamburguesa [hamburger]

I latina / I de iglesia [church]

J de jirafa [giraffe] / J de José

K de kiwi

L de león [lion]

LL de lluvia [rain]

M de mariposa [butterfly]

N de naranja [orange]

Ñ de ñu [wildebeest] / Ñ de ñandú [idk how to describe it, it looks like an ostrich but it's not an ostrich exactly? It's called a "rhea" in English]

O de oveja [sheep]

P de princesa [princess]

Q de queso [cheese]

R de rana [frog]

S de serpiente [snake]

T de tomate [tomato]

U de uva [grape]

V de vaca [cow]

W de Washington

X de xilófono [xylophone]

Y de yoyo

Z de zapato [shoe]

And you know it's old when CH is still included because CH and LL haven't been considered their own letters since 2010. I still think they're important, but they're not considered letters in and of themselves

-

The other ones that you might hear are i latina and y griega which I included above. Literally this is "Latin I" and "Greek Y" because i and y have the same sound when pronounced in the alphabet like that, and Y is said to be Greek while I comes from the Latin letters

Occasionally though you will see la Y pronounced as la ye

And finally, LL is sometimes included in alphabets and sometimes not. In the abecedario it's typically la elle which is pronounced with the LL sound; but you might also see ele doble which is "double L"

-

If anyone has any other examples or things they were taught, please let me know! I'd be curious to see if there are any differences

[docgold13]

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

Supplemental - The Best of The Rest

Turns out there are many more than just a year’s worth of great heroes in the DC Universe.   And plotting out who goes where, who gets included and who would be left out proved a difficult challenge that by no means was executed without flaw.  As such there were lots of great characters who ended up not making the cut… even a bunch that I made cut-outs for or already had cut-outs for.  So without further ado, here are some of the heroes who didn’t make it into the schedule right after the jump...

 The size-altering Superfriend known as Apache Chief

The original Blue Beetle, Ted Garret

The enigmatic Black Racer of the New Gods

Bloc, the stone-skinned powerhouse from the Legion of Superheroes

Bombshell of the Teen Titans

The fierce Green Lantern known as Boodikka

Bouncing Boy of the Legion of Superheroes

C’rp of The Green Lantern Corps

Duo Damsel of the Legion

The tragic Element Girl

Ferro Lad of the Legion

Gates!

Genius Jones who will answer any query for a nickel

The Golden Pharaoh

The second Invisible Kid of the Legion of Superheroes

Katma Tui of the Green Lantern Corps

Kid Devil former sidekick of Blue Devil and one time Teen Titan

Kid Quantum of the Legion

King Chimera also of The Legion

Lagoon Boy

The Little Mermaid, former member of Dr. Mist’s Global Guardians

Marv and Wendy the teen sidekicks of the Superfriends  

Matter Eater Lad of The Legion of Superheroes... he can eat anything!

The super fast, super cranky Max Mercury!

Mento of The Doom Patrol... the fresh maker!

The all-seeing Metron of New Genesis

The former Bird of Prey known as Misfit

The original Mister Terrific, Terry Sloan

Negative Woman of The Doom Patrol

Nite Girl, the co-founder of the Legion of Substitute Heroes

Polar Boy the other co-founder of the Legion of Substitute Heroes

Projection Princess of The Legion

Protty!

The original Robot Man, Robert Crane

the former villain and now hero known as The Rubber Band Man

The Shiny Happy Aquazon of the Super Young Team

The cosmic hero known as The Space Ranger

Sun Boy of the Legion of Superheroes

Sunny Sumo an ally to The Forever People

Tempest, former leader of The Doom Patrol

Terry None of the more contemporary Doom Patrol

Tigress who is a villain in the comic book universe yet very much a hero in the Young Justice animated series

The Green Lantern known as Tomar Re

Vulcan of the Superfriends

Waverider

Wildfire of The Legion

The Wildebeest of the Teen Titans

and Zatanna’s cousin, former Teen Titan, Zachary Zatarra

[theworldbrewery]

running downtime

Downtime can be...a lot. Players often have a laundry list of To-Do’s that need to get done right this second even though until downtime the DM didn’t know it was a priority--and when they don’t have a mountain of tasks to complete, players frequently have no idea how to spend their downtime.

I’m here to help.

Tip #1: Know that there’s going to be downtime before the session arrives.

So the first half of the session is combat with the Big Bad, and then the party trudges back to town to recover for a few days. And suddenly you, the DM, master of preparedness, realize that they want to do things before the next plotline hits them like a train.

End the session there. Make it a short one, maybe go over the session out of character and get a feel for how your players enjoyed the combat/the big reveal/the monologue describing the dungeon, etc. It’s a great time to evaluate where they’re at as players and where you’re at as DM. And then tell them you expect they will have some downtime next session. You will need time to prepare, as downtime usually goes off the rails.

Tip #2: Make sure they know the limits, and gather their ideas.

Give them an estimate. No more than a week unless you think some kind of item crafting is involved. And get their ideas for what their character will do in the constraints of that time estimate.

This way, you don’t have a PC decide to take a month-long journey into the woods seeking spiritual enlightenment and suddenly the whole timeline is off. Instead, they might have to visit the temple in town for guidance. It will also help you set other limits, such as “don’t blow the entire downtime with a major roleplay scenario,” and the projects that they do decide to pursue are projects you can ready yourself for before the next session. You’ll know how much it costs to buy an enchanted Hurdy-gurdy of Slaying before someone tries to buy it.

Tip #3: Encourage the PCs to spend downtime together.

If two people have shopping trips, let them do their shopping together. They can have roleplay shenanigans or get into trouble, but it’s less likely to be a fun scene if every downtime activity is a one-on-one with the DM.

Similarly, don’t make every activity into a roleplay moment. You can tell the only person who wants to visit the local casino that they can roll for their gambling success on each day they spend at the casino, and assign losses and gains accordingly. That way, the session won’t get bogged down in “I go to the casino and ask the receptionist for a single room. Where can I find the poker table?” “roll to find the poker table.” Single-character activities should be streamlined unless they serve an important RP function (like a character making a morally grey deal with an assassin behind the party’s back).

Tip #4: Have a sketched-out Activity Timeline.

Know roughly who will be where and when they will be there. For one, this helps keep the party on track--no “I wanted to go with Sylvania to the farmer’s market but now she’s with Ivan at the duke’s cotillion so I guess we aren’t doing that.”

For another thing, it helps you know where people will be when the Next Plotline rears its head. A terrorist attack on the duke’s cotillion will be more effective when most of the party is nearby and noticing clues to the impending assault.

Which brings me to the last tip:

Tip #5: Never stop dropping storyline hints.

It might be downtime, but a flier for a missing dog named “Princess” can still be pinned to the local bulletin board, and that might be the hook you need to get the party to pursue a Princess-kidnapping dragon wyrmling. Seeing more strangers in the home base village might be a sign that something is being plotted beneath the party’s notice.

At least one of those hinted storylines should be your way of bringing the party back out of downtime. If they receive an invitation to the reading of an old millionaire’s will because a party member is going to inherit, they will probably pursue that! If they are attacked by a horde of sapient wildebeests with halberds while enjoying a relaxing spa day, that will probably be the next arc, so set it up during downtime.

If you enjoy our work, consider donating to our Ko-Fi @ theworldbrewery. We appreciate your support!

[dc-earth53]

Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

Age: 31

Occupation: Police officer, adventurer

Marital status: Married

Known relatives: John Grayson (father, deceased), Mary Grayson (mother, deceased), Bruce Wayne (adoptive father), Damian Wayne (adoptive brother), Jason Todd (adoptive brother), Cassandra Cain (adoptive sister), Helena Wayne (adoptive sister), Koriand’r (wife), Mar’i Grayson (daughter), Jacob Grayson (son), Komand’r (sister-in-law), Ryand’r (brother-in-law).

Group affiliation: Titans, Gotham Knights, formerly Justice League of America, Outsiders

Base of operations: Bludhaven, Gotham City, New Jersey

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 175 lbs.

History:

31 years ago: Richard “Dick” Grayson is born to circus acrobats Mary and John Grayson.

25 years ago: John and Mary begin training Dick in gymnastics, and he joins their act: “The Flying Graysons.”

19 years ago: 

Gotham City crime lord Tony Zucco murders John and Mary during their act, sending them hurtling to their deaths from the high wire. 12-year-old Grayson is adopted by Bruce Wayne, who was in attendance that evening.

Grayson sneaks out of Wayne Manor to investigate the murder of his parents, and is nearly killed but saved by Batman, who he discovers is his adopted father.

Afterwards, Grayson becomes Robin, Batman’s crime-fighting partner.

18 years ago: Alongside Aqualad and Kid Flash, Robin helps found the Teen Titans, a group of young superheroes who felt ignored by their mentors.

17 years ago: Barbara Gordon debuts at Batgirl, and Grayson develops a precocious crush on her.

13 years ago: 

The mysterious Raven brings together Robin and several other young heroes as the New Teen Titans, to combat the threat of her father, Trigon.

Dick meets Koriand’r, a former alien princess who had been taken into slavery and escaped to Earth. The two quickly fall in love.

12 years ago: 

Grayson is shot in the shoulder by the Joker, and retires from being Robin, moving away from Gotham to attend Hudson University. Soon afterwards, inspired by old Kryptonian legends told to him by Superman, Dick takes the identity of Nightwing.

Nightwing re-joins the Titans to help them fight against Deathstroke, the Terminator.

11 years ago: Grayson, along with Earth’s other heroes, fight against the Anti-Monitor.

10 years ago: 

Grayson is shaken when Jason Todd, his replacement as Robin, is beaten to death by the Joker. He takes a temporary leave of absence from the Titans.

Grayson meets Tim Drake, a fan of Batman and Robin’s, who petitions him to become the new Robin. Grayson refuses, but encourages Drake to take the role himself.

9 years ago: After a long battle against the Wildebeest Society, Dick proposes marriage to Koriand’r, and she accepts.

8 years ago: Dick and Kory are married, although circumstances conspire to keep them apart. Dick returns to Gotham, where his relationship with Batman is on the mend after Batman’s back is broken by Bane. 

7 years ago: 

Dick and Kory settle down in the beleaguered Bludhaven neighborhood of Gotham City, which is soon shaken by an earthquake that renders the city a no man’s land.

Dick and Kory have a daughter, Mar’i.

6 years ago: After leaving the Titans in the capable hands of Tim Drake, Grayson is tapped by Batman to lead the newest incarnation of the Outsiders. He accepts.

5 years ago: Grayson and Kory part ways, as she’s recruited to fight in the war between Rann and Thanagar. Grayson, meanwhile, adopts the identity of the Renegade to infiltrate Lex Luthor’s Secret Society.

4 years ago: After a mission to Oolong Island goes very wrong, Grayson turns leadership of the Outsiders over to Kate Kane, the Batwoman, and returns to the Titans.

2 years ago: Batman is seemingly killed by Darkseid, and Grayson takes the role of Gotham’s main defender until Bruce’s return, fighting in broad daylight with a variety of allies by his side.

1 year ago: Dick and Kory’s second child, Jacob, is born, shortly before Kory travels into space once more with the Justice League.

Present day: Shortly after Kory’s return, Dick is seemingly murdered by Rose Wilson, as part of a cover-up to infiltrate the Leviathan organization.

Commentary:

Dick Grayson. Nightwing. The successor. Batman’s greatest success. The Batman who laughs... okay, maybe not that last one. (note: there is no Dark Multiverse in this canon, you’re safe from that fucker.) Dick Grayson is by far my favorite Bat-family member, and one of my favorite DC characters in general. 

This version of Dick is sort of the anti-Batman: where Bruce is paranoid, Dick is trusting. Bruce operates in the shadows, Dick prefers the light. Bruce pushes away those who aren’t in his inner circle, Dick is second only to Superman in how many people get along with him. You get the idea. In taking in and raising Dick Grayson, Batman achieved his stated goal: making sure that he wouldn’t end up like him. Instead, Dick is a well-adjusted adult with lots of friends, a family of his own, and a job he loves.

(to the tune of “the Election of 1800″ from Hamilton)

Starfire or Babs! If you had to choose, if you had to choose...

Dick also is a major part of what’s probably my most controversial change to the canon in this universe: his wedding to Kory gets to go through as originally planned way, way back in the early 1990′s, which permanently ties Dick to the DCU at large rather than confining him to Bat-family stories (which he still takes part in a decent number of). This reality’s Barbara Gordon retains much of her pre-Crisis history, making her significantly older than Dick is - the only remnants of their relationship here are a little bit of a precocious crush from young Robin. I don’t hate DickBabs, but I prefer DickKory, and this is reflected in the timeline here.

(And yes, despite continually being separated by their jobs, Dick and Kory have a wonderful relationship, built on years of mutual trust and companionship. A couple doesn’t need to be together all the time to be a couple, after all.)

Dick really only has one iconic costume, and that’s Discowing, I mean- um... yeah, it’s the black suit with the blue bird emblem on the front, specifically inspired by the Young Justice cartoon version. I’m not convinced anyone really liked the red New 52 Nightwing costume, and Ric is definitely not the answer. Agent 37, however... hmm...

Next up: Psimon, then at long last Zatanna!

[bindi-the-skunk]

Can no one keep their nose in their own business chapter 1

Just putting the first chapter here to see if anyone wants the rest on here (it’s all done so I can just fast upload all of it since it is not in progress like “Son of Frankenstein” 

Warning: This contains Mpreg and omegaverse 

chapter: The cake is not a lie but the problem started with cookies

Lavender hummed as she walked down the hallway, a plate of Rachels cookies in her hands, she was hoping that Doctor Lanyon and Doctor Jekyll had not left as everyone else had, she told them she was going to be in her lab all day well everyone else enjoyed the day out in the town, but she decided bringing them a treat would be a nice thing to do.

Both men had been so...strange acting as of late, she hoped nothing was wrong...

Walking in on all that blood...

The extremofaunic zoologist shook her head to clear it and slapped a smile back on her face, that was months ago, perhaps something was amiss with Mr. Hyde? Jekyll had not transformed into him in ages and whenever asked, said he was still there but they were putting off the shift for a while.

She had not heard of anything breaking or any other reason to keep Hyde locked up...the alternate never missed an opportunity to cause trouble...

But anyway she would give them a small present, maybe that would help whatever was going on.

Walking up to the door Lavender heard noises come from inside the office...sounded like...giggling?

Doctor Jekyll's giggling, a strange sound to say the least to her ears...

"Robert that tickles..." came a whisper from inside that Lavender had to strain to hear even when she pressed her ear to the wood.

"Relax and listen to the doctor" Robert's voice came next and the tone intrigued Lavender enough to where she looked for a crack in the door so she could see.

"I don't want someone running in here thinking something is wrong," Henry said sounding a bit out of breath.

Oh, they couldn't be ...

Lavender went red but could not stop from her search, curiosity peaked too much at this point.

"No one is here, they are out today"

"Except Miss Lavender and Victoria Frankenstein"

"Miss Lavender will be in her lab all day and Frankenstein almost never leaves hers"

The sound of a long-suffering sigh came from inside before a mild chuckle was heard "Alright, but be careful, I do not want them inheriting your louder tendencies"

Them?

"That's mean...is Edward coming out?"

"He's staying out of this"

Finding a proper crack Lavender looked into the room to find both men still properly clothed, though Jekyll had his shirt lifted slightly with Lanyon kneeling next to him with Henry running his fingers through the curly chocolate locks as the other was laid down on the sofa with Roberts head on his stomach...

Which was swollen slightly

When had...no one had noticed THAT? Then again he had been wearing looser clothes as of late...not transforming into Hyde...going around the building without shoes when he could...complaints about soreness...

Stupid stupid stupid!

Had she not been holding a plate she would have slapped herself in the head, but-oh! She needed to tell the others!

Setting the plate down the zoologist ran down the hall to grab her phone so she could tell everyone to gather some baby things and party supplies, this was so exciting! A baby in the building! She would be an auntie!!!

--

"Boy or girl?" Robert asked softly not bothering to lift his head from its very comfortable resting spot.

"Impatient alpha, it's too soon to tell just yet" Henry quipped, but it had no bite behind it, Edward was thankfully being good that day and keeping himself busy inside their head, though he could feel him once and a while coming back up curious about the attention the bump was getting, feeding a bit off of his counterparts happiness and contentment.

"They're going to be daddy's little prince or princess," Lanyon said matter-of-factly smiling wider making his rounded cheeks stand out even more, and chuckled when his mate chose to poke him in the nose with the tip of his index finger.

"Hey give me some of the credit they are on MY lap!"

"Don't worry you-"

CRASH

"Suppose this morning was too nice to last..." Henry deadpanned and both men got to their feet to fix random bits of clothing and straighten out hair, hoping that the mess was not too large and require heavy lifting considering the split man's condition...

Both opened the door and stepped out into the hall, neither seeing the plate of cookies just outside it in their rush to fix whatever problem occurred and headed towards where they heard the boom.

A lot of whispers were heard down the hall, something even flying past the end of it, and upon entering, both their eyes widened at the sight of a pink and blue nightmare.

Streamers had been flung around and stuck to random furniture and some landed where they guessed they were supposed to be in the first place, chairs, none of which seemed to match, had been placed about the room, lab tables had been dragged from their spots to be used as food tables, some even still have chemical stains or burn marks on them even despite the poor attempts to cover them with plates and random decor.

Balloons, not filled with near as much helium as they needed, floated around, one even hovering past Henry, who was hit by an urge to deck it like the rubber sphere was a punching bag and hope it popped from the force.

Robert looked very much like someone who had gotten their shoe spit in

Lodgers ran about, carrying random items, placing decorations, shouting random orders or swearing as their task was interrupted or did not go the way they wanted, but after the couple had stood in the opening for what seemed like an age and a half, the lodgers finally seemed to notice their extra guests and Cheshire cat grins spread across the crowd.

Oh no...

"CONGRATULATIONS!" came the united shout as the crowd of rogue scientists suddenly became a herd of wildebeests as the mates got rushed, both being hit by the urge to turn tail and run but being surrounded before their escape plan could go into effect.

"Come sit down dears!" Miss Flowers said as she pretty much yanked the two towards a couple of chairs, which had the closest proximity to each other and plopped them into the seats, both too shocked to resist and found themselves with hands full of cake slice, courtesy of Mr. Doddle who even kindly put pillows behind both men's backs.

"Are you going to spend your pregnancy at home so we can still keep working with our chemicals?" Griffin asked only to be bonked in the head by Mrs. Cantilupe, who quickly got to ranting at him for his rude question.

"We can work on our other projects!" Virginia Ito said smiling gently "We don't want to bar you from coming around, you both run this society after all and we would love you coming around with your little one once it comes!"

"Oh! Oh! perhaps we can make them a little lab outfit!" came a random lodgers shout

"That would be so cute! It could have a little duck stitched onto it!"

"Don't forget the goggles! Make sure to have them adjustable! So they can keep using it!"

"We need to get to shopping then!"

"N-now just wait a minute-!" Robert started to say not liking how they were butting in on HIS mate's pregnancy, but he was quickly spoken over and just slunk down further in his chair pouting.

"Who's going to deliver it?" Came another voice

"Well, we actually plan on a hos-" Henry began only to be drowned out himself and closed his mouth knowing he was not about to be heard any time soon and just rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Mr. Lanyon of course! He's his mate" Miss flowers said "That's the best for the both of them and great bonding too"

"But he will need him focused on other things, he can't be a mate and a doctor at the same time!"

"One of us could do it! He could even deliver here!"

"I would rather-"

"What is going on in here?" Frankenstein said as she walked into the room and saw the shower décor making her eyes go wide as she tried to process it all before her eyes went to Jekyll, then his stomach making him cover it up using the pillow that was cushioning his back.

What fresh hell was this....

[nightglider124]

RobStar Week 2020: Day 1

Tis RobStar Week, guysss! Ugh. Yas. That means content for the week of my two disgustingly adorable children. We love to see it. 

I do believe it runs from 5th July - 11th July so check the robstarweek tag each day for some robstar joy :3

So, I haven’t written anything really for a while. Especially not based in the TTA universe. But, I’m mildly happy with this one. In theory, it doesn’t actually have much of the kids but it has Robin talking bout his crush with Wally. 

Confession... I don’t love the prompt of destiny/fate/star-aligned... all of that. Idk why cos like in essence I believe it. My babies are destined for each other. Buuut, as a prompt, I just never am a fan. So, I tried my best, I swear! XD

This oneshot is set after ‘Titans Together’ but before the movie, ‘Trouble In Tokyo’.

Uh, I know Robin talks about when Starfire kissed him and I know that he doesn’t discover that she learns languages through lip contact until the movie but like... c’mon. Robin is a smart guy and would have thought about it in the time since they first met. I don’t think he would bring it up cos he awks but I think he would put two and two together. So, when it’s mentioned, he is just kinda speculating and then it’s confirmed in the movie. That’s how I’m viewing it anyway. XD

Hope you like it. Happy RobStar week! ^.^

________________________

Star-Aligned/Destiny

The upbeat music drifted and pounded around the whole tower, with the epicentre of the noise coming from the main room, which was fairly packed with Titans from all across the globe, enjoying their Friday night. 

It had been about a week since they’d taken down the Brotherhood of Evil and put all the criminals that had been affiliated back in their rightful places within penitentiaries across the world. The ordeal had been difficult on each and every one of the Titans and it had taken a lot of time and energy to ensure that the threat was dealt with and the Brotherhood were dismantled for good. 

So, when Beast Boy and Cyborg had approached him about having a party to relax and say thanks to the whole Titans Network for their help in defeating the long standing villains, Robin had been reluctant to say no. He felt that a little fun was well deserved and decided it wasn’t often that they all let loose and just got to act like normal young adults, even if it was only for one night.

He felt good as he sat at the counter, dressed in civvies for the first time in a long time, with a glass of cold soda tantalizing his lips. He knew that some of the boys had snuck in a bit of alcohol and since all of the Titans were technically 18 and over, they were legally allowed to drink in private locations, according to Jump City law. So, he was letting it slide, but that didn’t mean he was about to consume it himself. Robin was all for unwinding but… he still had his wits about him, just in case any alerts came through.

Of course, in the morning, there were a few individuals who he wanted a word with regarding how they purchased the alcohol but he resigned himself to waiting until tomorrow, rather than putting his leader head on right now.

Robin cocked a small smile as he scanned the room from behind the safety net of his mask. He may well have been in casual clothing but the mask always stayed put; an unkickable habit of his, he mused.

Cyborg was over by the sound system, setting up playlists upon playlists with Bumblebee at his side, helping to sort through the music. He could see from where he was perched, every time she saw a song that she clearly didn’t like, she would delete it from the playlist when Cyborg wasn���t looking. It’d provided Robin a good few laughs throughout the night to see his cybernetic friend become confused, scratching his head and wondering if he had had too much to drink, despite only really having about one beer.

Beast Boy was lounging on the sofa, game station controller in hand; his gleeful chuckle echoing every now and then as he challenged those around him to a racing game that he’d practically lived on for the better part of the past year. Herald, Hot Spot and Killowat were huddled around him, each trying to gain the upper hand on the changeling who had won the 4 games prior to the current round. 

Robin turned his head, noticing Red Star was talking with Aqualad, Pantha and Argent over near the windows with all of them holding a beverage each and laughing, getting to know one another better since they were all teammates and they’d never really had a chance to interact with one another until now. Robin saw tonight as a good opportunity for the Titans Network to get a little more acquainted with one another so that they had a good roster of friends and colleagues for future events and missions, if necessary.

Directly ahead of him, Gnarrk and Wildebeest were sat at the table, conducting an arm wrestle to see who had the superior strength with smirks so smug that Robin could feel the bravado permeating the air around them. Kole was standing by her best friend’s side, offering quiet encouragement; believing in his abilities wholeheartedly. She smiled as Jericho turned to her, seemingly signing to her, his faith in Gnarrk to win as well; a gesture that made Kole turn a rosy pink and Robin couldn’t help but wonder if there was a bit of a connection brewing between the two.

Behind Wildebeest, Thunder and Lightning were cheering loudly, waving their hands and hooting in favour of the humanoid chimera who simply grunted in acknowledgement of their vocal support. 

Robin chuckled quietly to himself and took a sip of his drink, minutely shaking his head as he inwardly wagered on who he thought was more likely to come out on top of said arm wrestle. 

In the right hand corner of the room, Robin could see Jinx who looked less than thrilled as she was effectively sandwiched between Kid Flash and Mas Y Menos who were, by the looks of it, having a lengthy debate about who had the faster abilities. 

Scrunching his face up, Robin took a moment to consider how that conversation was going considering he knew for a fact Wally didn’t know much Spanish, if any at all. 

He shook his head and his eyes travelled over Speedy and Bushido who seemed to be talking and sharing fighting tips, with Speedy making gestures with his hands to explain the types of arrows he used when he battled.

Robin sighed in content, happy for the warm atmosphere surrounding them all. When he’d first started recruiting the people in the room to be a part of their hero network, he hadn’t even considered what it would mean for them to gel together but every single Titan in the tower had proved that they could work effectively with one another, without really even knowing much about those around them.

He was proud of his teammates and friends and he felt confident that if more threats on a larger scale were to ever crop up in the near future, then they would be prepared and ready with a strong force in place. 

Tapping his fingertips against the side of his glass, a lingering silver laugh caused him to pause; a tingle descending down his spine with a simultaneous heat prickling his skin. He lifted his head and his gaze inadvertently fell upon Starfire who was sitting on the back of the sofa, her long legs dangling down with her ankles crossed over one another. 

Her hands were clasped and in her lap as she talked animatedly with Raven, who in turn, was responding in her usual way of nods and small smiles, only speaking here and there. 

Robin gripped his glass a little tighter as he watched the alien Princess shrug her gorgeous mane of ruby hair over her shoulder, pooling down the length of her back. 

It had been futile to try and ignore how she looked tonight with Robin deciding how well Earth clothing suited her. She wore a lilac playsuit with a white floral pattern printed all over the fabric. The spaghetti straps of the garment fell perfectly on her shoulders with the rest of it hugging her body comfortably without being too tight or loose enough not to flatter her.

Although, Robin rebuffed that thought immediately. She could wear a trash bag and she’d still make it look amazing.

It was a short faux dress outfit but it was far from distasteful considering it was longer than her day to day uniform. The light frills at the hem were a nice touch, giving the illusion of it being a dress when in fact it wasn’t.

All in all, Robin had a tough time keeping his eyes off of her and it had been that way since the party started earlier in the evening.

He exhaled quietly to himself as he lost in himself in a momentary trance, with Starfire being the pinnacle of it all. Every single thing she did was endearing and he finally understood what people meant whenever they would compare a person to that of sunlight.

Starfire was the epitome of a ray of sunshine; constantly smiling and being her bubbly self, no matter who she was around. She could be around the grouchiest person in the universe and she’d still be able to coax a grin from them, without so much as even trying to. 

She was just so naturally inviting; like moths to a flame, Starfire was a friend to all and he could honestly admit that he had never met someone as kind and carefree as her which in his eyes was what made her so unique within their world of heroes. 

Robin stared after her, watching the way her jade eyes would shimmer whenever Raven said something remotely funny or something that Starfire could relate to. Her orange skin seemed to glow with every thousand watt smile that found its way onto her cupid bow lips. 

Just beneath his rib cage, Robin felt his heart rate start to increase; a quiet thumping of his chest, the longer he stared after her. 

Swallowing heavily, Robin averted his eyes, instead choosing to stare down at his bubbling soda. Despite this, his mind remained rooted on the one thing in the room he took the most interest in. He couldn’t help but inwardly dwell on his feelings for the Tamaranean girl, no matter how hard he had tried over the years to refuse and deny what his heart had been singing all along, since she first crash landed on the planet they called home.

It was a constant struggle for him; trying to figure out if it would be worth the risk or if he should remain stoic and unfeeling like another vigilante he was familiar with.

A sudden gust of wind enveloped him, causing his hair to rapidly fly out of place. Staying still, Robin merely sighed and blinked in annoyance, already aware of who was now leaning against the counter beside him.

“Wally…” Robin muttered, reaching a hand up to sort his hair out, casting a scowl in the speedster’s direction.

Kid Flash chuckled and pulled up a seat beside him and nudged his shoulder, “Hey Dick.” 

“Do you have to do that every single time?” 

“Duh. Think of it as… a privilege of being best friends.” 

“Pretty lousy privilege.”

He made a ‘psh’ sound and gave him another shove, “You get what ya get.” 

“Uh huh.” Robin replied, leaning forward to take a swig of his drink, feeling the cold liquid slither down his throat. Despite his best efforts to stay inconspicuous, he was unable to stop himself from stealing another glance at Starfire who had moved from her spot on the back of the couch with Raven.

She was giggling with Bumblebee and Argent, swaying her hips and dancing to the music that was swirling in the air; a catchy beat that seemed to be luring quite a few Titans into dancing now.

He could feel his face heating up as he registered that Wally was staring at him with a teasing smirk laced upon his lips. He cut him a scathing look and attempted his best batglare, making Wally snort.

“C’mon. When has that look ever worked to make me stop?” He laughed, taking a gulp of the beer he was holding,

Robin took a deep breath, awaiting the onslaught of jabs. He’d known Wally for most of his life, ever since he’d gotten adopted by Bruce on account of his links with the league.

It’d taken just one encounter with the redhead on a visit to the watchtower and they’d been inseparable. 

Of course, that changed somewhat after he left Gotham; the communication dropping with Robin being more so to blame, after effectively shutting those around him out. 

It picked up again though, once he had become more established with the Titans, going as far to offer him a spot on the team. Wally had declined at first, unsure how he felt about being with a team but after a while, he came around. 

It helped that he happened to run into Jinx whilst he was still mulling over the decision.

Robin sighed and half turned his body towards him, “What are you doing over here?” 

“Just wanting to catch up with my bud… obviously.” Wally replied, trying to appear aloof but failing miserably,

Leaning back, Robin spied Jinx still standing where Wally had been beforehand, staring at the twins in bewilderment as they babbled to her in Spanish.

“You know, you’ve basically abandoned Jinx.” Robin muttered,

There was a mischievous glint in his lime eyes as he waved a dismissive hand, “Bah, she’s fine. She needs to socialise with good guys more anyway. Needs to build on her newfound hero ways.” 

Robin shrugged and tilted his chin downwards, eyes on the counter top to avoid any more fleeting glances at anyone in particular. 

“So…” Wally drawled, in that tone.

Sighing heavily, Robin looked up at him, “What?”

“Star’s looking hot tonight.” He taunted and it took everything Robin had not to react in the way Wally clearly wanted him to,

“Mhm. She looks great.” Robin mumbled, not really in the mood for this kind of conversation. He had been feeling pretty mellow but he could sense that slipping away and being sent spiralling into the mess of emotions he experienced from time to time where Starfire was concerned.

“Dick… c’mon.” Wally persisted, levelling with him, “Your crush on her isn’t exactly subtle.”

“Well… she doesn’t know so it seems to be working so far.” 

Wally snorted, “To practically everyone else, it’s obvious that something is going on.” 

Dick took a deep inhale and gripped his glass with both hands, preparing himself for more of Wally’s insistence, “Well, there’s not. Sorry to disappoint.” 

“Dude.” He paused and leaned into him, his tone shifting into a more sincere one, “Maybe there would be something if… y’know… you made a move on the ol’ Princess?” 

Whilst it was in his nature to deflect anything to do with feelings; especially romantic ones, at all costs, there was something gnawing at him; encouraging him to open up a bit. It was Wally, after all.

“I can’t.” Dick sighed, loosening the grip of his fingers around the glass,

“Sure you can. Just get up, go over there and ask her to dance or… I don’t know, smooth talk her.” Wally suggested,

“No… I mean… I can’t. I’m the leader of the Titans… Bruce always taught me not to get involved that way with a teammate. It causes rifts in team dynamics and-”

Wally cut him off with a scoff, “Who cares? If you feel that way about her, which you obviously do, you deal with those kinds of things and work it out as you go along.” 

Dick sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past 10 minutes, “It doesn’t matter.”

Sensing that he was retreating into himself again, Wally tried an alternate route, “You know… with all the doe eyes you make at her, you never told me how you actually met.” 

Without really even being aware of it, a soft smile graced Dick’s lips, “Uh… I’d just got to Jump and was dealing with this thief and saw this… streak of green across the sky. I went to check it out and turns out, she’d quite literally crash landed to Earth.” 

“That must’ve been so cool, man.” Wally laughed,

Dick inclined his head a little, “It was… different to anything I’d had in Gotham.”

“Yeah, but Starfire is… sweetness and joy.”

The ebony haired hero chuckled to himself, “Uh… not at first. She…” He paused and glanced at her, gauging just how much he should leave out about where she came from on that day, “She was… being held prisoner by these aliens… Gordanians are what they were called. Long running warfare between them and Tamaran and… a few other planets.”

“Prisoner?” Wally queried, clearly vying for more information,

“Let’s just say… she was forced from her world and it… wasn’t because of any crimes.” 

Wally stared at him for a long moment before something softened in his expression and he nodded, “So… what was she like?” 

“As you can imagine… she didn’t trust any of us. Hissing and seething and blowing shit up.” 

“Badass.” Wally grinned,

Dick chuckled, “Yeah… she didn’t know English either so… couldn’t exactly explain to her that we just wanted her to stop.”

“How’d she get so fluent in the language then?” 

His cheeks turned red almost instantly and he cleared his throat, willing the blush to dim until it vanished, “Her people can learn languages instantaneously through uh… lip contact. I think.”

“You think?”

“Well… after she… did it… um… she spoke English… so I just assume…”

Wally blinked in surprise, “Wow. That’s a useful trait-” He cut himself short as he recognized the discomfort on his best friend’s face, “Oh my god. She learned it from you, didn’t she? You got a kiss from her on the first day you met her!” 

Dick snapped his head in Wally’s direction, “Can you shut up, please? We’ve… never talked about it. Kissing isn’t a thing on her world… and I never brought it up.”

“She knows what ‘lip contact’ means on Earth though, right?”

“She knows now… I mean she must know, considering how many romance movies we’ve sat through on movie nights.” Dick shook his head, “Like I said… we’ve never talked about it so… I don’t know what she thinks on that front.”

Wally chuckled, “No wonder you’ve been smitten with her since day one. I would be too if a hot space girl kissed me in the middle of telling her to stop ripping a city apart.” 

Dick was about to protest, but relaxed and smirked, “Yeah… well… she made an impression, to say the least.”

“Sounds like… Mm… I don’t know.”

“What?” Dick prompted,

“You’ll just wave it off but… I mean… maybe it was meant to be.”

“What are you talking about?”

“People who are meant to be in your life don’t just fall out of the sky on a day to day basis, Dick.” Wally droned, looking at him like he was an idiot,

The Boy Wonder chewed on the inside of his cheek; his mind a bubble of thought, “It’s… not the craziest thing.” He paused and looked at her again, still dancing around without a care in the world, “She brought us together… we know for a fact… she’s the glue that keeps us together; the heart of our team… without her… we wouldn’t last.”

“See? That, my friend, is fate.” Wally surmised,

“I don’t know about that, Wally. It… just so happened we were all in the area at the same time.” Dick rebuffed,

“Listen… whether you want to admit it or not… don’t you think it seems a little too coincidental that you all met Starfire on this one day and it basically set out your futures for the next few years at the least?” Wally asked, raising an eyebrow at him,

“Okay, fine. Let’s say that it is… fate or whatever… are you saying that the same applies to how I feel about her?” He challenged,

Wally scoffed and flailed his hands around slightly, “Duh! I’m telling you, there is no way that you ‘just so happened’ to meet Starfire and your team, start a network of teenage heroes that extends across the world and end up falling for the one who caused this… cataclysm… just by chance. It just doesn’t happen.”

Remaining silent, Dick felt the urge to mock him ebbing away, the more he tried to reason with him.

He was probably the furthest thing from a believer when it came to things such as fate and destiny, having turned cynical shortly after his parents were murdered.

By Wally’s logic, everything in life happened for a reason, with the goal of eventually fulfilling the path set out in stone for you when you’re first brought into existence.

“Wally…”

“The universe didn’t exactly have you meet her to just be ‘best friends’ for your whole life. You wouldn’t stare at her or think about her or want her the way you do, if it wasn’t supposed to happen dude.” 

Dick blinked, “This is the most philosophical way of telling me to make a move that you have ever used.”

Bursting into laughter, Wally lifted his shoulders and smiled, “Yeah, you’re probably right. But you know what I’m saying, at least on some level, makes sense.”

The Titans leader evaded admitting something like that, “Mm… what I know is that you’re only spewing destiny related stuff because of one beer too many.”

Wally looked scandalised for a long moment before he shrugged, “Okay, I might be a tad tipsy but it’s still relevant, Dick.” He sighed and threw an arm haphazardly around his best friend’s shoulders, “I’m trying to push you… for you. Whether you wanna believe me when I say it’s some kinda fate or not, the fact is… you can’t expect her to wait forever.”

Tugging himself away, Dick pulled a sour expression and turned to him, “And what if I do and it blows up in my face, huh? What if I go over there and ask her out and she says no?” He deflated and looked down at the counter top, “I doubt she sees me that way anyway so what’s the point?” 

Chuckling almost instantly, Wally rolled his eyes and looked at Dick with a raised brow, “Seriously? Dude, I’m not even on your immediate team and I can see that she likes you just as much as you like her.”

Dick cleared his throat, his cheeks turning pink on their own accord, “You don’t know that for sure.”

“Okay well, it comes across pretty clearly except to you, apparently.” Wally paused, “Besides, aren’t you basically our biggest risk taker? You love that whole thrill of not knowing.” 

Dick grunted, “Not on this kind of thing.” 

“Right, right because it makes you all vulnerable and junk.” Wally drawled, earning another glare from the masked hero but choosing to ignore it, “Dick… I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to. I don’t think anyone can since you’re stubborn as hell. But… just remember… Starfire is beautiful and super sweet. You’re not the only guy in this hero network that thinks so… and if you don’t move your ass and at least make it known to her you’re interested… you might lose your chance altogether.” 

Opening his mouth to protest, Dick was cut short from doing so as Wally lightly nudged his shoulder and stared pointedly across the room, waiting for Dick to follow his line of sight as well.

Over near the large glass window panels, Starfire was standing, looking happily flushed from all the activity buzzing around her; something she constantly thrived on whenever parties were in full swing. Her smile was soft and patient as she bobbed her head, laughing at what was being said to her. 

Dick felt his stomach lurch and his heart started pounding painfully  within his chest as he noticed who was standing alongside her. Speedy was grinning at her, talking and making jokes about god knows what. He watched as the archer took a step towards her and gently touched her arm. 

Starfire appeared unbothered by the gestures but it greatly unnerved Dick, considering he could tell from Speedy’s posture that he was attempting to ‘woo’ her.

He bolted up from the stool he’d been sitting on at the counter, his fingertips pressing against the surface of it so hard, they were turning white. He could feel his chest constricting as his breathing turned harsh, an odd type of panic overtaking him.

“Hm… strange reaction for someone who doesn’t have feelings for her…” Wally murmured sarcastically before taking a long sip of his beer,

Narrowing his eyes, Dick turned to scowl at him, “How long has he been talking to her?” 

“Only about 2 minutes. Though… he sure looks like he’s getting comfy with your girl there…” 

Taking a deep breath, Dick let his hand slide off of the counter and he cleared his throat. He felt nervous but there was a knee jerk reaction in him that was yelling to get over there and interrupt Speedy’s attempts at romancing his best friend.

His gaze fell on Starfire who seemed oblivious to the obvious signals Speedy was sending towards her. Dick cocked a half smile, glad that she wasn’t playing into it. It gave him a rise of hope that maybe she wasn’t responding like a typical girl because she already had feelings for another guy that was possibly him. Maybe.

“What… what should I do when I get over there?” Dick queried, suddenly feeling the confidence drain from him,

“I don’t know. Ask her to dance?” Wally smiled sympathetically at him, “Dick… it’s Starfire. Isn’t she like… the one who makes you feel the most at ease?”

Dick swiveled his head back towards the auburn haired beauty, “She is.”

“Then it’ll be fine once you get over there.” Wally encouraged, tipping his beer bottle in his direction,

Nodding, Dick offered him a slight smile, “Thanks… Wally.”

“You know me, man. I’m a man of loveee.” 

Dick sighed, “And there’s the idiot.”

With that, he picked up his soda and made his way through the strings of Titans as casually as he could, without appearing as though he was desperately wanting to get between that tiny space that was still between Speedy and Starfire.

Watching through bright eyes, Wally smiled to himself as Dick reached the two. Speedy looked to be quite put out about his appearance but the speedster wasn’t paying much attention to him.

Rather, all he could see was the way Starfire lit up at Robin’s emergence. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, her emerald eyes shining with joy as she clasped her hands around his upper arm in an exuberant greeting. 

In return, Dick grinned back at her, talking with ease and a relaxed aura about him. Speedy looked effectively closed off and shut down, which if it were any other girl, Wally would feel pretty bad for him.

But, he knew how long Dick had had a thing for the alien Princess. He just hoped he would actually get it together and do something about it before it was too late.

“Well done, Grayson.” Wally chuckled to himself, before taking another sip of his drink and scanning the room for a certain pink haired sorceress.

[elsanna-shenanigans]

October Contest Submission #12: Fate's Games

Setting: mAU Lemon: no CW: blood and gore/vampirism

I love this time of year. The crisp autumn wind, the leaves blowing in little tornadoes, the decorations, and the costumes. Oh, the costumes. Everyone’s dressed up like werewolves and ghosts and vampires.

The vampires are my favorite. I’m not sure when vampires went from Gothic Bela Lugosi to slutty Kardashians with canines, but I’m not complaining. I love a woman in a corset and silly plastic fangs as much as the next woman.

Seriously! You can walk straight into any crowded place dressed as outlandishly as you please, and for one month of the year, no one considers it weird. I’ll take out my dusty 1840s Norwegian royal clothing and no one bats an eye. I have this great outfit, a royal green dress, complete with a gold crocus tiara, and sometimes I’ll just wear it out and about. Kids love it.

Oh, I forgot to mention. I’m an actual vampire. Hi. I’m Anna. I was born in the year of our Lord 1822. I know what you’re thinking: I look great for someone who’s 198 years old. I think so, too.

Once upon a time, I was an honest-to-God princess of a tiny little principality called Arendelle, with my parents and older sister. We were happy, I was engaged to be married, and life was good.

Until it wasn’t.

—

I was 25 years old when it happened.

“Iduna, we have to go!” my father shouted, grabbing what he could from the stores of the palace. “Get Elsa and Anna, we must leave quickly!”

My mother, God rest her soul, always looked out for us girls. She’d already put together a steamer trunk for each of us and had them taken down to the royal coach waiting by the palace gates. My older sister Elsa was right behind her, and I was right behind Elsa as we scrambled down the circular staircase in the palace.

We got to the gates and just as we were clambering into the carriage, the outer gates burst open and blood-plagued villagers came charging through it.

If you’ve ever seen any of those wildlife documentaries on late-night TV where a pack of hyenas just charges a wildebeest, it looked like that, without David Attenborough narrating. And my family was the wildebeest.

The blood plague was some disease from Hungary. We’d heard about it for weeks, news traveling from the continent up north, but it sounded ridiculous. Rumors and speculation about some disease that turned people into lunatics, eating each other, etc. Honestly, it sounded like a bad serial from the Post Magazine.

Well, turns out it wasn’t fiction. The disease made most people mad with rage, mindless beasts that just slaughtered everyone - and that included us.

Even though I’ve replayed the scene in my head thousands of times over the last hundred plus years, I still don’t know exactly what happened. I remember being pulled out of the carriage by my neck, being thrown to the ground, and someone clambering on top of me, trying to bite me. They eventually got to my neck, but I bit them back just as hard. Call it instinct or whatever, but I got my teeth on them… and then I blacked out.

When I came to, I was laying on the palace steps - but I was still alive.

Sort of.

The rest of my family, not so much.

Anyway, it took about a month before I noticed something was really wrong, mostly because the countryside had been decimated and almost no one survived. If you’ve never heard of the nation of Arendelle, that would be why. After a month, I found myself in Stockholm, perpetually hungry and cold no matter how often I ate or drank. I was hiding out in a dark alley in Gamla Stan and some guy decided that I was his prize of the night.

We tussled for a bit, but ever since waking up from the palace incident, I found myself much, much stronger - and I was already pretty strong to begin with. Remind me to tell you the story sometime when I punched this jackass from the Southern Isles completely off a boat.

Back to the guy in the alley. He grabbed me from behind and tried to carry me off, but I wrenched his thumbs so far back, it sounded like boards breaking. Gave him a quick elbow shot and a kick to the crown jewels… and then it happened.

I didn’t know what made me do it, but I spun him around and sank my teeth into his neck… and 15 minutes later, he was a bloodless corpse and I wasn’t hungry or cold any more.

Well, shit.

—

Over the decades, I’ve pieced together what happened, mostly. Some rare blood-borne diseases that stop your body from making important nutrients, and whatever the blood craze was back in the 1840s, it left me permanently infected - and affected.

I must consume blood in order to survive, along with normal food and water. That part’s pretty obvious, you know? And it has to be human blood, unfortunately. But the disease does something else. It’s almost like a cancer, in that my body never ages, heals crazy fast, never gets old or infirm as long as I have fresh blood. That’s why I’m still here, long after everyone I ever once loved has died.

That part really sucks, pun not intended.

I don’t need to feed often; once a week or so during the warmer months, and maybe once a month when it’s cold. And I have a neat trick for choosing who I eat: they choose me.

I go to the rougher parts of cities and play the little naive girl. The first guy who tries to abuse me is my meal of the moment. I’ll usually take their money, too. They don’t need it, and it helps pay the bills.

The only exception I’ll make to that rule is if I see a guy - and it’s almost always a guy - trying to do the same to someone else.

I saw a new girl show up on my street a few days ago. Couldn’t see much except that she was blonde - my favorite, it always reminds me of my long-departed sister - and just like the rest of us: cold, hungry, just trying to get by.

As I was walking home from work - yes, I have a job - I saw a meathead harassing her under the Fifth Street bridge. He was pushing her around, and it was clear she wanted no part of it; he already had ripped her shirt and was pawing at her. Uh uh. Not in my neighborhood, buddy.

So I walk over, tapped him on the shoulder and primly let him know that sort of behavior wasn’t acceptable around these parts.

“Fuck you, bitch!” he snarled, moving to backhand me.

I mentioned the part where I’m bizarrely strong, right?

“Did you know…” I smiled at him, grabbing his hand, “that there are eight bones in the wrist? And that they tend to break when pressed against each other?” I squeezed and heard a couple pop. If he has any sense at all, this is the point where he begs and then runs away - and I’ll let him go. I’m not a complete monster.

I looked at the girl and lost my breath. Blonde hair. Sapphire blue eyes. Dirty from living on the streets, gaunt. But Lord, she looked like a ringer for my sister. I was so distracted that meathead managed to actually punch me in the knee.

“Did you seriously just punch me in the knee? That’s the dumbest place you could have hit, idiot.” Time to get serious. I look at the girl. “Turn around and close your eyes. Count to one hundred out loud.”

She nods silently and begins counting, and as soon as she’s not looking, I spin meathead around, wrench his neck, and bite. I won’t be able to drain him dry; that takes a good 10 to 15 minutes, but this will fill me up enough while putting him down for good.

Just as I’m finishing up, the girl disobeys me and turns around. She sees me, face covered in blood, meathead’s corpse limp in my arms, and promptly faints.

Oops.

—

“Hey. Hey, lady. Wake up.”

I shake her shoulder gently, trying to get her to wake, but she remains completely out on my couch.

Yes, my couch. I couldn’t just leave her there. She’d be a suspect once someone discovered meathead.

I inspect her more closely. She’s thin. Too thin. She’s not as young as I thought, either, probably in her 20s. My initial shock has worn off. She looks a lot like my sister, but not exactly. Her nose is cuter and her cheekbones more prominent.

I think. It’s been 173 years since I lost my sister and I mostly remember her, but not the fine details. The hardest to remember is her voice. Sometimes I’ll hear “Queen of Swords” on the radio and it sounds like her, but time has eroded the exactness. Mystery Girl is a close match, though.

Mystery Girl finally starts to stir. This is usually the part that involves a lot of screaming and running away.

“Ugh…. what… where…”

“Hi there. I’m Anna. I rescued you from that guy who clearly had less than good intentions towards you.” I wave, giving her my best innocent smile. God, her voice is so close to my sister’s, too.

Mystery Girl rubs her bleary eyes, and I watch the train of thought running through her pretty head. Get your bearings. Recognize the woman in front of you. Remember what happened. Scream a lot.

“Oh my God! You- you- you killed that man! You killed that man and- and- and-”

I press a button on my Apple watch. “Hey Siri, set a timer for 5 minutes.” The watch dings appropriately just as Mystery Girl’s hysterics begin. Five minutes is usually about how long this takes.

Just like always, she’s scrambling to the end of the couch, shrieking incoherently, probably remembering me with blood all over my mouth. While she does her thing, I grab a blackberry seltzer and a turkey sandwich from the fridge and plop down in the armchair, feet dangling over the edge as she continues to panic.

“What- what are you? Are you going to kill me too? Am I your prisoner? HELP! HELP! POLICE! ANYONE!”

I yawn and glance at my watch. 3 minutes, 45 seconds. She’s starting to wind down a little. This one’s gonna be close.

“Please… please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything. I’ll- I’ll be good. I won’t tell anyone what I saw. Please don’t hurt me…” She’s curled up in a ball, hugging her knees, and is now just sobbing quietly, alternating glancing at me and the floor.

Damn. 4 minutes, 22 seconds. I was off by 38 seconds. Oh well. “Hey Siri, cancel timer.” I turn back to Mystery Girl and wave again, giving her another winning smile. “Hi. Let’s try this again. I rescued you from that guy. I’m not going to hurt you because let’s be honest, if I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn’t have woken up. Now…” I push the sandwich and seltzer towards her. “… I figure you might need this.”

She looks at me and I swear her eyes bulge out of her head like one of those old cartoon characters, and then she does the most adorable thing. She points to herself and stutters, “M-me?”

“Yes, you. Given your appearance, you’re probably hungry.”

“A-and you’re not going to kill me?”

I roll my eyes. “Lady, if I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already. You’ve been asleep in my apartment for like, half a day or so.” I get up to grab my own seltzer. No, I don’t keep blood in my refrigerator or anything creepy like that. Just normal drinks.

“What… what are you going to do with me?”

“Well, it’s just about dinnertime, so I was planning on fixing you a sandwich and letting you shower if you want. A sandwich and a shower fixes a fair number of problems in life.” I sit back down on the opposite end of the couch as she hesitantly drags the sandwich towards her. “So… what’s your name, lady?”

“Elsie.”

I promptly spit my drink everywhere. Smooth, Anna. Smooth. Thank God it’s only water. “Sorry. That, uh… that was very close to my sister’s name before she… died. Is that your actual name?”

Mystery Girl - Elsie - looks at me like I’m a space alien. “Umm… what do you mean, my actual name?” She casts her eyes down towards the floor before murmuring something.

“Could you speak up? I missed that.”

“I’m sorry about your sister.”

Me too. I have been for 173 years. But the past is in the past. I spent decades torturing myself, wondering if I could have saved her if I had these abilities, and nearly drove myself mad.

“Listen, why don’t you eat the sandwich and go clean up. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

Elsie nods silently and inhales the sandwich in moments. I had a feeling she was hungrier than she was letting on. I’ve lived that street life more than a few times over the years, only my hunger was from trying to stop killing people.

I watch her finish eating out of the corner of my eye, pretending to distract myself by playing Gardenscapes on my phone. The distraction is all too real, and before I know it, Elsie’s back with one of my magenta robes wrapped around her body, and I still haven’t gotten past this damn level with these little boxes of honey that… anyway. I look up, and my whole body freezes. She’s gorgeous, and her hair, now that it’s clean, is exactly the same shade as my sister’s was.

A thousand words fly into my mouth all at once. I’m not sure which ones actually managed to come out, but the look on Elsie’s face indicates that whatever they were, they didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

“I- I’m not sure what you just asked me.”

“Sorry, I do that. Umm… how was the shower?”

Elsie’s smile looked like the breaking of dawn - breathtaking. Ah, shit. I’ve got it bad already.

“It was… very nice. A welcome relief.”

“When… if you don’t mind me asking, when was the last time you had a meal and a hot shower?”

“It’s… been a while.” She sat back down on the couch cautiously, her back ramrod straight. Graceful. Poised. Just like my sister used to. She even has the same nervous hand gestures. “Thank you for helping me - and for saving me, too. I- I guess you’re really not going to hurt me.”

“Like I said, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it a long time ago. You’re safe here, Elsa.”

She quirked an eyebrow at my slip of tongue.

“Sorry, Elsie. I, uh… that…” By the heat, I’m guessing my cheeks are close to the color of my hair.

“That was your sister’s name?”

I nod. And like clockwork, here come the tears, pooling in my eyes.

“Well, I’m sure you did everything you could for her, if how you treat me is any indication. You’re a very kind person.”

Words drown in my throat. I bow my head and let the tears out.

And then I feel her warmth. She’s sitting next to me, her hand on my shoulder. Who’s supposed to be comforting who here anyway? I cover her hand with mine, and I feel like I’m about to burst into flames. To have someone who looks just like Elsa sitting next to me, offering me even a tiny scrap of affection… I’m overwhelmed. I’ve wished for a moment like this for more than a century.

I have to control myself, or I’m just going to lean over and start sobbing into a total stranger’s - and that’s exactly what she is - shoulder and just lose my shit.

Whoops.

So much for control. Well, at least she’s not running away, though to be fair, she didn’t run away when she thought I might be a homicidal maniac, either.

“I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t usually do that to strangers,” I manage to get out a couple minutes later, while snuffling my nose and wiping my eyes.

Elsie giggles a little, hiding her smile behind her hand. My heartbeat skips again.

“It’s… okay. I know what it’s like to lose people you care about.”

I motion for her to go on. And by motion, I mean sit there silently, still snuffling my nose and staring at her weirdly. Hey, I may be almost 200 years old, but age and maturity are two different things.

“I… I lost my family, too. A year ago. Drunk driver.”

I reach out to hold her hand. That isn’t weird, right? “What happened?”

“I was finishing up my third semester in nursing school, and I was supposed to meet them at a diner halfway between school and home. I got to the diner. They… they didn’t. My whole family, erased in one evening.” A tear shone in the corner of her eye. “My mom, my dad, my little sister… all gone, along with the other driver.”

My soul aches for her. I’ve lived with that pain for a half dozen of her lifetimes and it never gets better. “Was that how you ended up homeless?”

Elsie nods softly. “My parents supported me through school, and after the accident, I had to drop out. I’ve tried to work odd jobs here and there, save up to eventually get a place to live and get back on track.”

Something doesn’t make sense to me. I’m no lawyer, but if her family was killed, why would she be so destitute?

Elsie sobs.

Damn it, I think I said that last part out loud.

“B- b- be- because my f-f-father was the driver who was drunk.”

Of course. Anything her family had, she would have lost in a lawsuit. “I’m so sorry, Elsie.” My turn to comfort her. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and cradle her head. We’re both tear-stained, snot-ridden messes at this point.

I’ve lost track of the time while holding her. After our storms have passed and our tears have calmed down, Elsie rises from the couch morosely. “Well… thank you for your… umm… hospitality. I certainly needed the meal and the shower so… I guess I’ll be on my way.”

“Where will you go?”

She shrugs and turns towards my apartment’s door. “Some of my stuff is hidden away in a little cubbyhole near the Sixth Street bridge. That’s where I usually sleep.”

“You realize you’re still wearing a bathrobe, right?”

Elsie looks down, startled. When you’re pouring your soul out to a stranger, I guess forgetting what you’re wearing is pretty normal. She turns around to get her stuff out of the bathroom and I just can’t let her go. If she walks out that door and something happens to her, I’ll break.

“Stay.”

“I’m sorry?”

I only hope she doesn’t want to be let go. It’s vicious out there. “Stay. Stay here, at least the night. It’s- it’s too dangerous out there.”

She looks at me, wide-eyed, her possessions in a small ball in her nervous hands, twisting and wringing. Dead ringer. Come on, Elsie. Say yes so that I don’t feel like I’m losing my sister all over again.

“I- I can’t. I can’t impose on you like that.”

“Please. I insist. I’ll even make you another sandwich.” That earns me a nervous giggle.

Nervous. Oh.

We still haven’t addressed the elephant in the room, have we?

“I really shouldn’t. You’re too kind.”

“Is it… because of how I killed your attacker?”

The dull thud of her possessions hitting the floor is the only sound she makes. She’s moments away from either fleeing or fainting. Neither’s going to help things, so I gently guide her by the elbow back to the couch.

“Where should I begin?”

She’s hugging herself, curled into as small a ball as possible, watching me like a hawk. “What… what are you?”

—

I told her everything about how I became the way I am. No lies, no vague hints, the whole truth, from losing my family to living here. At first, she shrank further away, until she understood that I don’t hurt anyone who isn’t trying to hurt me. I never have, even before I was like this. My sister used to call me a ray of sunshine, like a walking spring day.

Elsie… she’s not quite so sure, and I can’t blame her. But at least she’s stopped cowering in fear for the most part, though she’s still clutching my throw pillow like a life preserver.

It’s just about midnight. The moonlight is streaming in the windows, reflecting off her pale skin and white hair, giving her an ethereal glow as she sits upright on my couch, stifling a yawn. She almost looks like Elsa’s ghost, and it’s equal parts unsettling and uplifting.

“So… will you stay? I’ve got plenty of room and you… you don’t have to sleep out there tonight,” I gesture in the general direction of the window.

“I… I don’t know, Anna. You’re a real, honest-to-God vampire and that’s… a lot to take in.” She’s biting her lower lip again. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means she’s at least giving it some thought. “Where… where would I stay?”

Oh, that’s easy. “In my bed, of course!”

Her eyes bulge again. Foot, meet mouth. It sounded so much more innocent in my head.

“Not- not like that! Sorry! I mean, you can sleep in my bed, and I’ll sleep on this lovely couch! See?” I grin nervously, patting the couch awkwardly.

“All- all right. Just for tonight. I must admit, any place that isn’t the pile of gravel near Sixth Street would be an improvement, but I really don’t want to impose on you.” She gathers up her belongings more and follows me as I open the door to my bedroom.

“Anna…”

“Yes?”

“You don’t… um, eat here, do you?” she asks nervously, looking around every corner in the very small bedroom, like she’s waiting for someone to jump out at her.

“Nope. Well, I mean, not often. Sometimes I’ll fall asleep in bed with a sandwich, especially if I’m in the middle of a series on Netflix. But I really hate the feeling of crumbs in my sheets.”

She’s shaking her head vigorously. I must have missed something. “I mean… eat here. You know… the vampire kind of eating.”

I facepalm. “No. I don’t do that here. No ghosts or skeletons in the closet, see?” I half-heartedly laugh, throwing open the closet door to show off my anemic wardrobe of mostly t-shirts and jeans.

Elsie gasps, pointing at the person-shaped shadow in the back of my closet. “What- what is that, then?”

“That? Oh! Ha ha…” I turn on the light, pulling out my life-size Brie Larson Captain Marvel cardboard cutout. I smile while admiring the artwork. “What can I say? I’m a fan.”

She relaxed, her shoulders sagging with relief. I guess she really was expecting literal skeletons in the closet.

Satisfied that no other surprises awaited her, Elsie climbs into my bed and for just a moment, she lets her guard all the way down. An expression of pure bliss graces her face for a fleeting moment, which I understand because I own like, thousand thread-count sheets. I may not have a big place, but I know where to spend my money.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, making sure not to spook her by being too close. “Good?”

A tear rolls down her bony cheek. “You… you have no idea. It’s been so long since I’ve slept in a bed. I’ve slept on benches, rocks, everything since… the accident. One of the other girls over on Seventh told me once that if I missed beds so much, I should start turning tricks, but… I couldn’t. I don’t have much left, but I do have my dignity.”

I nod silently, take a chance and cup her cheek with my palm, and she doesn’t pull away. God, she’s so thin and frail. “You did what was best for you, Elsie. Now, get some rest and if you need me, I’ll be on the couch, okay?”

She’s asleep in moments. My breath catches; the moonlight shining on her covered body is a flashback to my childhood, when I’d wake up in the middle of the night and see Elsa snoring gently under the covers, the moon lighting up her hair like the little angel she was.

—

“Anna, no! Anna, please, no! Not you too, please, NO!” she shrieks, her voice hoarse from crying.

I fling off my blanket and rush from the couch to her side. She’s… still asleep? Why is she screaming my name, then? What in the world is going on here? I shake her shoulder gently, and before I know it, she’s rolled over and grabbed my waist in a hug so tight, I’d swear she’s the supernatural one here. “Elsie, Elsie! It’s okay, it’s just a dream, okay? Come on now, wake up. It’s not real.”

She’s sobbing into my sleeping shorts, clutching me so hard I barely breathe. “Thank God, Anna, thank God. I thought I’d lost you…”

I’m so confused, but I gently stroke her hair and back anyway. Her sobbing starts to slow down after a couple of minutes, her breathing normal again. Whatever the storm was, it’s passing, and I feel myself relaxing a little. “It’s… it’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe, Elsie. I’ve got you.”

A gasp. She lets go and sits up, her cheeks flaming red, tears still slowly running down her cheeks. “I- I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean- I thought you were- I-”

“Take a deep breath, Elsie. It’s okay. I’m here. Do… do you want to talk about it?”

“I… I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to wake you or… or to startle you.” I didn’t think it was possible for her blush to get any darker, but it just did. My hand’s on hers, gently tracing circles on her palm.

Another deep breath. “I was… I was having a nightmare of that night. The night.”

“The night you found out you lost your family.”

She nods before looking down at the bedsheets, her head bowed in shame at the memories. “I remember the police officer came into the diner. He was so kind, he tried to break the news to me gently but… I collapsed, screaming their names.”

“I don’t blame you one bit for that, Elsie. I did the same thing when I came to. I spent years being tormented by it.” I take a deep breath. “Why… why were you calling my name?”

“I wasn’t! Anna… that was my sister’s name.”

No way. That’s a hell of a coincidence. Fate, if you’re fucking with me again, we are so going to have a little chat once I get to the afterlife, and then I’m going to put my fist in your teeth.

“I… I’m sorry I startled you. I didn’t mean for you to get so… involved in my nightmare.” She’s blushing again, and despite the circumstances, it’s really cute.

“It really is okay, Elsie. Why don’t you try to get some more sleep, okay?” I stand up and head for the door.

“Anna?”

“Hmm?”

“Would… would you please stay with me for a little while? Just until I fall asleep?”

Oh God. This is everything I’ve been dreaming of and everything I’ve been afraid of since I laid eyes on her.

“All right.” Which is more important, my issues or hers? Hers. Even if she isn’t my sister, she’s so much like her that I feel the same responsibility and love and care and… yeah. Did I mention I’ve got it bad? I do.

I lay down next to her - on top of the covers, thank you very much - and she rolls over and throws an arm over my stomach. I can’t breathe, because if I move a muscle, I’m going to do something we’ll both regret.

“Thank you, Anna. For everything. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your help, but I am so grateful for it.”

Gratitude. That’s noble and easy to focus on instead of … less noble feelings I might be having. Gratitude works.

“You’re welcome, Elsie. Sleep well.”

—-

Morning arrives with its usual explosion… of my hair. I still feel Elsie’s arm around my stomach, and even on top of the covers, I feel…

Oh God, here come the feels. It’s too early for this.

I feel… loved again, for the first time since I lost Elsa. Have I woken up next to beautiful women in the years since my family’s murders? Of course - usually next to a blonde, too. But this feels different… like her.

I never told Elsa how I really felt about her. Scandivanian nations in the 1840s were not paragons of social progressiveness, being the kind of place where church attendance was mandatory for everyone. Two women in a relationship would have been a scandal. Two sisters in a relationship would have been literal, burn-you-alive heresy.

But I wanted to. Oh God, did I want to confess my love to her, to tell her how much she meant to me, to hug her and kiss her and make her feel as good as even the slightest touch of hers made me feel. But I couldn’t. I didn’t.

I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her. And I’ve regretted it every one of the last 63,000 days I’ve lingered in this world without her.

“It’s okay, Anna. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

I blink. I’m not sure who’s saying that. Is it my memories of Elsa, or is it Elsie next to me? I try to reply but all that comes out is snuffling. Great. I’m apparently sobbing while I’m reliving the past.

I turn to face her and hear her coughing and spluttering.

“Elsie? Is something wrong?”

“Your- hair- in my face!” She gently tames my mane a bit so we could see each other. “There. Are… are you all right, Anna?”

She’s gently stroking her fingers on my forearm as we look at each other. I’m more than all right. I’m home again. I’m not sure what to say. I can’t confess everything running through my head, so after a few minutes, I blurt out the most natural thing to say.

“How about some breakfast?”

The grin she rewards me with makes my soul weep with joy. Faster than a speeding bullet, I’m racing for the kitchen. What should I make her? What would she like? “Elsie… anything in particular you’d like to eat?”

“I’m honestly fine with anything, Anna. I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness.”

What do you make when someone won’t make up their mind? Well in my case, you spoil them. I pull out a pint of vanilla ice cream and pop it in the microwave, get out the brioche that’s been sitting in the back of the fridge (because any sandwich lover is going to have top-tier bread), and my cast iron griddle. Oh yeah. It’s French toast time, courtesy of a Jacques Pepin video I saw one night when I fell down a YouTube clickhole on cooking shows.

Fifteen minutes later, I’ve made God-tier French toast and the smell alone has Elsie poking her head out of the bedroom. She’s still wearing the nightrobe from after her bath, which briefly amuses me until I remember the gravity of the situation and the fact that she has literally nothing else.

“Hey, umm, if you want, feel free to borrow any clothes from my drawers!”

Another minute later, she’s timidly making her way to my kitchen table, wearing one of my green flannel shirts and my Finish Each Others Sandwiches t-shirt, her arms wrapped around her stomach. “That… smells amazing.”

I motion for her to sit. “Dig in before it gets cold!”

The smile on her face when she takes that first bite… I’ll cook this meal for the rest of eternity if it gets her to smile like that every time.

“How… you know, never mind. This tastes like magic, Anna, and I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome. And I meant what I said last night. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, no strings attached.”

She sighs and puts down her fork. “Anna… look, I know I’m not nearly as old as you, but I’m old enough to know how the world works. Nothing good is ever free. What… what do you get out of it? What do I have to do for you?”

I’m taken aback but… yeah, she’s got a point. I mean, from an outside point of view, me inviting some young woman I’ve just met to live in my place for as long as she wants is super sketchy - especially when she knows what I am. And ‘you remind me of my dead sister I was secretly in love with’ isn’t creepy at all.

Okay, yeah, that’s super creepy. So I don’t have a good answer for her, except the truth… mostly.

“Look… I meant what I said last night. You remind me of my sister a lot, and… I feel like I’m settling up with the universe somehow for what I couldn’t do for her. I know, I know, that’s a lot of projecting and emotional baggage and stuff, but… that’s what’s in it for me. Feeling like… feeling like I’m honoring her memory by helping you.”

Elsie nods and exhales, a faint smile gracing her lips. “Okay. Just so long as we’re clear that I’m not her, and… I can’t be her. I- I appreciate the kindness, I just want to make sure that it’s coming from a good place. Life has pulled the rug out from under me before.”

I rest my hand on hers. “I know what you mean. I promise you I won’t ever ask you to do anything you don’t want to, okay? You know where I’m coming from and what my motivations are.”

“Okay.”

—

After clearing the air, I have the best month of my life. Elsie sticks around, I cook for her, and we share some quality time together. I use my Netflix subscription more in a month than I have in a year, sitting on the couch with her in the evenings. I get to know her, and as much as she isn’t Elsa in some ways, in all the right ways, she is.

And all those right ways… the way she laughs, hiding a giggle behind her hand. The way she absent-mindedly pushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The way she wrings her hands when she’s nervous.

But most of all… once she started feeling more comfortable? The way she sings, just like Elsa. My God, can she sing, and it sounds like the heavens opening up and choirs of angels turning the dial to 11. She sings in the shower the most, and creepily I sit right outside just to listen as she belts out something about the wind and the sky.

I can’t help myself.

A month of proper nutrition and not sleeping on rocks has restored her quickly to health and now… now she really does look like Elsa. We haven’t shared a bed since that first night, and that’s probably a good thing, because I have no idea how I’d control myself.

Today’s a big day for her. She’s finally feeling safe enough with me to want to get her stuff from her hideaway over on Sixth Street, so she’s off to do that while I clean up some of the mess around my apartment more permanently to make some real space for her. She even hugged me good-bye, which got my blood racing a little.

Except… she’s been gone a little longer than she should be. Sixth Street isn’t that far from here. Unless she’s got a U-Haul full of crap that she’s towing by hand, it’s not more than a 15 minute walk and she’s been gone for 45 minutes.

I put on my leather duster and head for Sixth Street. It’s freezing cold out; autumn has definitely decided to move on. Half a block before I get there, I smell it.

Blood.

Oh God.

I burst into a run, dry leaves swirling in my wake, as I make it to Sixth Street. There’s a guy, a big brute standing over her, a real greaseball wearing oily, tattered army fatigues, his knuckles bruised from hitting someone.

And she’s laying on the ground, clutching an ugly army knife sticking out of her stomach, a small backpack laying next to her.

No.

My stomach lurches like the sharpest roller coaster drop in the world, and I leap at the guy. No grace, no dramatic speech, no martial arts fight scene from the movies. Not while she’s suffering. I knee him once to get him leaning over and grab his chin and filthy head with both hands.

Snap.

He’s done and down. Elsie’s bleeding out. I grab a ripped blanket from the pile of belongings she dropped and press on the wound, but it’s bad. I’ve seen many wounds over my lifetime, and one look at this one tells me everything I didn’t want to know.

She’s not going to make it.

“A- anna…” she whispers, a lone tear at the corner of her eye. “I… I’m sorry.”

I feel my heart breaking all over again.

“Come on, Elsie. Stay with me. Stay with me!” I gently slap her cheeks, but she’s fading fast. “Do you want to live?”

Her eyes start to close.

“ELSA! DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?”

A small nod. That’s enough for me. I open my mouth and bite hard into my wrist, enough to get my blood flowing, and I hold it over her mouth, prying her jaw open. I don’t know how this whole business works, not really, but if it worked for Tom Cruise’s character, it’s worth a shot. A minute or two passes by, and for good measure I drip some of my blood on her wound, too.

After a few minutes, her breathing shallows and steadies. I idly wonder if this is what happened to me decades ago. Another few minutes pass by, and her bleeding has mostly stopped, enough that I should be able to carefully carry her home. I grab her belongings and sling them over my shoulder, then pick her up like a bride.

Once we’re back at my place, I throw down a few towels on the couch and carefully remove the knife. Amazingly, the wound is already starting to heal a little. She’s pale, so pale, but she’s not gone and that’s all I can ask for. I bandage her up and put a towel over her.

And wait.

And wait.

Idly, I look in the tattered blue backpack she had gathered her stuff in. There’s a couple pieces of clothing, a worn leather wallet, and a few knick knacks inside. I open her wallet up to find mostly dust, lint, and a worn student ID card when I hear her moan in pain. Tossing the card on the coffee table, I check on her. She’s starting to shiver, so I put a blanket on top of the towels.

Guilt hits me like a tidal wave as I stare at her pale face, the moon’s light making her look like the angel she is. She’s going to make it, but I’ve traded one fate of hers for another. Instead of the eternity of the grave, I’ve given her an eternity of living… sort of. I slump down in the armchair. Eternity sounds cool until you realize that nothing is permanent except you.

And the price she’ll pay for living… the same as me. She’ll have to kill in order to live.

Oh my God, what have I done to her? What if she doesn’t forgive me?

I lose track of time watching over her, but at some point, she stirs and I pick my head up, having fallen asleep on her.

And drooled on her. Gross. I’m a real prize.

“…”

Duh. After that much blood loss, her mouth is probably drier than a desert. Her eyes are open, though, confusion swirling in beautiful topaz irises. I grab a water bottle off the kitchen counter and gently bring it to her lips.

After a few minutes, I speak up. “How are you feeling, Elsie?”

“I- what- what happened, Anna?”

How much should I tell her? “What do you remember?”

“Butch… Butch was threatening me again. He… he said he saw me go home with someone, and he… he said no whores work his block without dealing him in. I- I tried to tell him that I wasn’t doing that, but then-”

I watch the memories replay in her head and grab her hands, holding them in mine. She’s freezing. Her tears flow freely as she relives the attack.

“-then he stabbed me. It hurt, Anna, it hurt so much. I didn’t know what to do. The last thing I think I remember… I thought I was dying, and an angel came to take me to Heaven. And she looked just like you. But then she asked me if I wanted to live, and I tried to say yes. Yes, I want to live so…”

She turns her eyes downward suddenly, and the slightest blush creeps into her cheeks.

“It’s okay, Elsie. If it’s too painful to talk about, I understand.”

“No, no. It’s not painful. It’s… embarrassing.” She brings a hand to her mouth. “I said, I want to live so I can come home to you, Anna.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Or maybe both. Quite possibly at the same time. I’ve damned her, and she struggled back to this life to come home to me? When did this happen? How long has she been feeling like this?

I have to tell her. As much as I want to just savor this moment, how she feels towards me, what we could have… I have to tell her, or else whatever happens will be a lie. A lie of omission, but a lie no less.

“Elsie… listen, there’s something I have to tell you. I… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry? For what, Anna? You… you saved me. I don’t know how, but you saved me. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Every word is a knife in my own gut.

“For- for how I saved you, Elsie. You were dying. You were almost gone. Once you told me that you wanted to live, I… I did to you what was done to me. It was the only thing I could think of.”

She looks at me, eyes wide.

Say something. Please, Elsie, say something. Say anything. Every second of silence feels like a condemnation of my existence.

“So… I’m… like you now?” she whispers, still holding my gaze.

I nod. I’m barely holding it together. Her chest is rising and falling slowly. She’s not hyperventilating. She’s not panicking. She’s… not reacting?

“And… I will have to drink blood to survive?”

I nod again, tears slipping from my eyes. “I’m… I’m so sorry, Elsie. I didn’t want to turn you into this, into… into a murderer like me. You must hate me so much.”

She’s… smiling?

“You saved me and gave me a new life, Anna, weeks before you brought me back from death’s door. You’ve done so much for me and never asked anything of me. Why would I hate you?”

I’m so confused. She should be losing her shit, just like I am.

“You… you don’t hate me? Even after I’ve turned you into this… this monstrosity?” I gesture towards myself.

She laughs, just like my sister used to. “Anna… you know you don’t HAVE to kill people to get blood, right? When I was a nursing student, I used to help coordinate blood drives all the time.”

For being almost 200 years old, I swear sometimes I feel like I was born yesterday.

“So… you don’t hate me.”

A vigorous shake of her head is all the answer I need to feel a surge of relief. I don’t need to earn her forgiveness. I look up to the sky, my eyes watery, and whisper thanks to whoever’s running the show that I haven’t fucked this up.

Wait. She’s biting her lip and not looking at me. Shit. And she’s wringing her hands. Double shit. What did I do? I mean, beyond the obvious.

“No, I don’t hate you, Anna. I…”

I gently take her hands into mine to keep her from twisting herself into knots, literally. I’m this close to just spewing words at her to fill the awkward pause, so I bite my tongue.

Ow.

“Anna… I… I don’t hate you at all. God, this is hard to say.” She looks out the window towards the moon, looking for answers and reassurance. “I feel the opposite. I- I have feelings for you. I’ve had them for a while. I- I like you, Anna.”

You know what a sigh of relief, a whoop of joy, and a laugh sound like when they all happen together? They sound like a pig with hiccups, which is what I sound like at this very moment.

I compose myself as best as I can given the shit-eating grin on my face. “I like you too, Elsie. And not because you remind me of someone I lost. Over the last month, I’ve grown to really, really like you, the real you.”

Cue the waterworks.

“When I found you hurt, I lost it, Elsie. I couldn’t imagine my days without you, and I knew I had to save you. This past month has been wonderful, and I don’t want to lose you. I never want to lose you.”

A shy smile and a blush are my reward. “Well… it would seem you don’t have to worry about that now, do you?”

I snort laugh again. Did I mention how suave and smooth I’m not? “No, I guess not.”

She’s closer to me. Or I’m closer to her. I’m not sure which. But all I feel is this magnetic pull. I feel the heat radiating off her cheeks, the soft feathery touch of her breath on my face. God, I’m on fire. I’m vibrating, that’s how intense this feeling is between us.

And then it happens. The gentlest contact as my lips touch hers. Or hers touch mine. I can’t tell the difference, but all I feel is warmth, softness, her lips smooth and strong against mine. We kiss tentatively, and then we don’t. My arms are around her, squeezing her tight to me, and I lay to the side of her on the couch. Her arms are around me, pressing firm lines up and down my spine with her palms. I can’t get enough of her, of her closeness, of her intensity.

I arch my back and turn to look at the coffee table for just a moment, and see her faded student ID card on it.

Elsa Agnarsdottir.

Fate, I’m going to punch you in the face… later.

But right now, I have to kiss Elsa for the rest of my life.

[secret-engima]

*angry noises* You know what? Still mad at Tumblr for suddenly turning on the beta without warning (I DID NOT PUSH THE BUTTON TO SWITCH. I PROTEST THIS MIGHTILY) but I’m still gonna talk about Cor’s soulmate before I log off because NYEH *sticks tongue out at tumblr*.

Cor’s soulmate is like- either an Impala or a Thompson’s gazelle I haven’t decided yet, leaning strongly toward Thompson’s Gazelle though. She’s is Incredibly Snarky™, quite probably a survival mechanism against the insanity of her home life as the younger daughter of a Certain Bigwig.

A certain Camel Bigwig.

She takes after her mom. Clearly.

Cor would ask what he did to deserve having the Niflheim Emperor’s second child as his soulmate but. Well.

He’s actually pretty sure the world is inflicting HIM on HER, not the other way around, considering she is the older of them by about three years and Cor had run off recklessly when he was fifteen so their first Switch actually happened in the middle of ... well.

You can guess.

Cor is just endlessly grateful that his soulmate is hyper adaptable and capable of surviving on pure spite and responded to waking up in the middle of the Tempering Grounds with a bemused Gilgamesh standing over her by flawlessly decking Gilgamesh in his metal face and then somehow cramming Cor’s young lion body in a very defensible, high up crevice for the rest of the day.

And also that Gilgamesh apparently had enough scraps of honor (or humor more likely) left to leave her alone for the day after the successful Knocking Over The BladesMaster With Her Bare Fist.

Cor meanwhile spent the day losing his mind in the princess’s private quarters with a sympathetic but sensible giant of a wildebeest bodyguard keeping him from trying to bust out and RUN all the way back to the Tempering Grounds on his soulmate’s overly springy legs out of sheer panic (his soulmate was in the Tempering Grounds his SOULMATE WAS IN THE TEMPERING GROUNDS IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT COR HAD STARTED AND IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT OH NO-NO-NO-NO-)

It took about three or four switches to talk his soulmate into defecting to Lucis and it was during those later switches that Cor got to experience the Joys of Being In Heat because during the first one he was too freaked out to really notice.

I need a name for her.

Suggestions of latin or greek names for a kick butt, snarky, runaway imperial soulmate of the Immortal are welcome.