#She would be pummelling them with her tail

[softquietsteadylove]

What’s better than jealous Thena?

A very territorial Thena! Especially if it’s comes to Gil!

Maybe you can write something about how very territorial she is? Choose the AU 👀

"What do you think, Angelfish?" Gil asked as Thena held onto his arm.

For their day out this time, he had brought her to a soft sanded beach, with reasonable human activity but nothing unreasonably crowded. She had seen one in a commercial on tv - the box, as she was still calling it - and asked about it.

"It's nice here," Thena smiled, looking out at the sparkling water and practically feeling it against her skin. She could smell the salt on the air and practically taste its salinity.

"A lot of people like the beach," Gil explained faintly as they walked towards a nice spot somewhat away from the centre of things. "The bright sun and nice weather can make people want to be outside, and there are lots of things you can do here for free."

"Hm," Thena hummed next to him so he would know she was listening. But she was taking in all the different coloured towels people had and their large hats and sunglasses and children running around and screaming.

"How about here?" he suggested, holding out his hand to a nice soft patch of sand a reasonable distance from most everyone else. She nodded and he immediately spread out a blanket that couldn't possibly supply warmth. "Sit on this, Angelfish. It'll keep sand from getting stuck to you."

Thena did so, sitting on the beach blanket but pressing her palm to the sand. Just as he said, granules of sand stuck to her skin. She blinked, "hm."

"Sand can be a real pain to get rid of once it's on you," Gil murmured as he also stuck their umbrella into the sand and set down the bag of supplies he'd brought with them. He smiled, "although I guess it's not really a problem for you, huh?"

Thena smiled back at him. Gil was becoming increasingly comfortable with going out around other people. She had gained more and more practice among humans with his and Sersi's help, and he had even found a funny article of clothing for her to wear today.

Gil had on shorts made of a funny material, similar to a diver's proper scuba suit or rashguard. He said they were made for getting wet, and then they could change and dry themselves with the towels properly so their clothes after would still be dry.

Thena was wearing a white 'bathing suit' as it was called, which was a hilarious contradiction of words, but never mind that. Gil had showed her how to put her arms and legs through, and then to tie it behind her neck in a secure knot. On top of even that, he had still asked her to wear one of her dresses for walking around while dry, too.

Gil was rather attached to clothes and the mere concept of them.

"You hungry?" Gil asked as he finally sat down himself and pulled out a funny smelling lotion. "There's food and ice cream and stuff."

"Ice cream?" Thena perked up at the mere mention of it. She wrinkled her nose as Gil spread the funny smelling stuff on his skin, "what is that?"

"This is called sunscreen," he explained as he massaged it into his palms and then rubbed his arms first. "It protects human skin from the sun."

"Why are you in danger from the sun?" Thena frowned.

"Too much of a good thing," Gil chuckled, moving on to his shoulders. "Consider it like being in the sun too long and drying out."

"Ah," Thena nodded; she did know what effect that could have. "It can cause scale peeling."

"Right," he grinned at her as he massaged it into his legs too. He looked at her, "I...don't know if you need any or not."

Thena leaned away from him, "it smells unpleasantly."

"I don't want you to get sick, though," he sighed, although he tilted his head. "I guess your skin isn't really the same as mine. Do you...do you know what a sunburn is?"

Thena shook her head.

"Okay," Gil sighed, putting away the bottle of sludge. "But I'm gonna keep an eye on you. And if your skin starts to get red or feel warm to the touch, don't say I didn't try to help."

She laughed; Gil had such a worrisome nature, but it only ever endeared him to her. She tilted her head at him, her hair tumbling around her as she did, "I'm sure you'll keep a very close eye on it."

Gil blushed, although she wasn't sure what she had said that might embarrass him.

"Uh, h-how 'bout that ice cream?" he suggested, standing rather rapidly. "What kind do you want?"

"Mango?"

"And what if they don't have mango?" he asked, having explained to her that not all ice cream places had the same kinds.

She had argued that was understandable, but it didn't make sense for them not to have the best flavour.

"Whatever tastes like fruit," she shrugged, and Gil nodded, walking off with a little money he kept in the bag he'd brought. She watched him go before pulling the bag closer to rifle through it.

She tossed aside the bottle of lotion, then the water bottle and his keys and wallet and phone. She grinned, pulling out a rolled up bag of sardine snacks.

The beach really was lovely. It was picturesque and beautiful and everyone present seemed to be enjoying themselves. She did want to take Gil swimming, although she would have to keep in mind to keep her legs on while she was doing it. It was pretty instinctive to put her tail on, after all.

She looked down the beach, easily able to see Gil at the medium distance at a little stall. The sun was bright, hitting his black hair and bringing out the brown undertones in it. It looked soft and fluffy as the breeze moved it.

Thena tilted her head. A female approached Gil, seeming to ask him about the ice cream. She couldn't quite hear them over the roar of the sheer volume of people also present. And their backs were to her, or she would read their lips.

She tilted her head in the other direction as the female stepped more into Gil's space. The stranger didn't seem to know him, and certainly Thena didn't know her. And yet the human had cozied herself right up to Gil's side, as much as he tried to move out of her way.

Was not the purpose of a line to be single file and long?--not people next to each other side by side?

Thena stood, dusting off her sundress. She made her way towards the ice cream stand, watching two more females join the first. They were speaking about being friends, asking about Gil and why they hadn't seen him here before.

Because he hadn't been here before; what a stupid question.

The first one to approach him closed in on his border with her other two packmates flanking him, creating a tight triangle on each of his sides. They had blocked off his escape route.

Thena bit on her lip, keeping in mind to press her fangs against her tongue.

"That's so funny!"

Thena watched as the primary female laughed, throwing her head back, showing off her long jugular and putting her hand on Gil's arm. She walked faster.

"Uh, well," Gil squirmed, trying not to make contact with her or the other two as his personal space continued to shrink and shrink and shrink. "I should really-"

"So passionfruit, huh?" the second one asked, clearly next in the pecking order for their prey.

Gil gulped, "my girlfriend likes fruity flavours."

Thena had heard this 'girlfriend/boyfriend' label applied to each of them in several contexts by now. She never managed to pin down a description of what exactly they meant, and they seemed to change slightly depending on the circumstances.

But what was important was the 'my' that came before it.

"Aw," even the tertiary of the pack felt bold enough to speak up. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I do," Gil nodded eagerly. He was bartering for his release.

"Well," the primary was up again, moving closer to him again, "where is she?"

"Excuse me," Thena growled, already congratulating herself for her restraint for not hissing in the woman's face.

"Oh," all three of them made a surprised expression and stood back. "Uh, okay...not what I expected."

"Hey," Gil looked at her, holding her hand in his protectively. "I-I'm sorry, you should-"

"You're his girlfriend?" the primary asked. Her tone was sweet, but Thena couldn't help but feel that it was very fake. "You're so pretty."

Then frowned; the words were complimentary, but she had never felt so insulted.

"Is she from, like, Sweden?" the secondary joined the pack leader in their subtle intimidation display. Their arms sat crossed around them under their busts.

"I had a marine biology outpost in the Bering Sea until last year," Thena spouted off the practised line entirely naturally, by far the most practised detail of her human life she knew, by now. Second to anything relating to Gil, of course.

"That must have been lonely."

Thena wished she had her tail so she could wave it between her and Gil and them, beating her fins in a display of her anger. Instead, she clung to Gil's arm, pulling him closer to her. "It was before we met."

"Oh," the primary blinked. She was bad at acting.

"Look ladies," Gil attempted to address the pack, leaning both of them away from the pack's approach, "I'm sorry, but I'm trying to enjoy a date with my girlfriend."

"Oh, well, we wouldn't want to interrupt."

She was bad at lying.

Thena didn't quite know how to employ such subtleties to her speech, with their false meanings and tones and implications. She tilted her head at them, "you desire my mate."

"Uh," she scoffed in Thena's face at the accusation, "mate? What're you--from some old timey cult?"

"I do not know what a cult is," Thena answered straight forward. It continued to take the human women off guard. She stepped forward (but only enough to stare them down, not enough to have to let go of Gil). "But I know that you are unwelcome here. I would hate to have to engage in anything with you."

The women looked at her, and Thena didn't know what they were imagining. But she grew up with Ikaris--she knew how to fight, be it properly, or being reduced to biting and scratching.

The women laughed off the interaction, but they were both backing away and tightening their formation. They could act as superior as they desired, but they were still the ones retreating.

Thena maintained eye contact, never taking her eyes off of her enemies until they were turned and walking away. She could very clearly hear them talking about how 'weird' she was and how 'crazy' she seemed, and how her being with Gil didn't 'make any fucking sense'. She tipped her chin up; the victory was still hers.

"Hey," Gil whispered, pulling her back to him, "Angelfish?"

Thena slowly turned back to him, her chest aching faintly as she tried to even out her breathing. Having just lungs wasn't always easy. She frowned, "you should have called for me."

Gil blinked, obviously surprised at that statement, "what?"

She pursed her lips at him, "you were cornered, Gil. A pack like that, obviously aggressive about territory?--you could have called to me for help. I would have heard you!"

His surprise didn't quite disappear, but he smiled, "you'd come over and protect me, huh?"

Thena huffed, crossing her arms (a very human habit, if she did say so herself). "I wasn't going to let them try and edge in on my territory, like that. If we were in my habitat, our tails would be crossing and she would have my fang marks on her.

Gil continued to grin at her in that way that made him seem amused by what she was saying. His hand moved so he could settle his arm behind her, his hand landing on her waist. Her back sloped into the bend of his elbow naturally.

Thena tilted her head as she felt Gil's lips on her cheek. She liked it when he did that.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue, Cuddlefish."

Thena looked down at her sandy toes. Gil was right, the sand was everywhere. She toyed with the hem of her dress. "You protect what is yours, Gilgamesh. It is the most natural thing in the world."

"I guess I feel the same way," he said softly, holding her close to him.

She sighed, immediately melding into him. Sometimes - as impossible as it was - she felt she could miss him as soon as he was away from her for mere minutes. A silly thought.

"You still gonna order somethin', son?"

Gil blushed a vivid red, pulling himself away from Thena and stuttering at the older gentleman running the stand. "S-S-Sorry, I, uh, d-distracted-"

"That's clear," the man with a moustache snorted, although he gave Thena a nod, "somethin' for the lady?"

"Do you have mango?" she asked outright. There was no better way to ascertain things than asking directly.

"Mm, no mango," the shop keeper shook his head. "But I've got passionfruit, strawberry, blueberry cheesecake, and lemondrop."

"Hm," Thena nodded, wondering what 'cheesecake' would taste like. And what the difference between a lemon and a lemondrop was. She looked up at Gil, "what should I do?"

He beamed at her, "I was going to get passionfruit for you. It's kind of like mango. I'll get lemondrop, and if you don't like yours, we can trade."

Thena beamed right back at him, wishing she had her tail on to express some of her happiness for her.

The mustachioed man shook his head with a chuckle, already readying the individual scoops for each tub, "sucker."

Thena laughed as well, leaning against Gil's side as he handed over their money and waited for their ice cream, "my Suckerfish."

[dmitriene]

simon riley has a home, not a particularly big house in quiet neighborhood, a place where he doesn't wears his gear and doesn't has a knife pocketed at his thigh, where he doesn't hides under another identity, remaining just simon, a sated man with a sweet wife and a chubby baby at his hip, a civilian life he's so desperately tried to seek and that you gifted him.

home with a bright, spacious kitchen where you stood each morning together, with simon's hefty form cloaking you from behind, thick hands trailing under the satin of your nightie, bunching the fabric on your front, where you're pressed against the wood of the kitchen counter, your cat walking on top, before meowing lightly and jumping off onto the floor, knowing that it's best for her to leave you two to be, furling into another room through half opened door.

baby sleeping in the crib, peacefully, a soft lulling melody wafting through the chilly air of the room that keeps your girl sleeping tight, door closed slightly to muffle any possible sounds from disturbing her sleep, your mellowy sounds that slip past your parted lips when simon teases his thick fingers against your sopping folds, cupping your warm pussy beneath the cotton of your panties, swiping across your slit and gathering the oozing slick there.

a family, the one simon would protect with everything he has, to keep you, his sweet wife, always by his side, with your pretty finger adorned by the sparkly, wedding ring that matches his, cooling against your swollen clit where he can't stop teasing you, spreading your folds to the morning air, dripping wet and taking every inch of his girthy cock gracefully, spasming around the girth he feeds you, squeezed tight in your thin, gummy walls.

muffling your hiccuping cries, simon's hips bouncing against your ass, squeezed in his rough palm through the fabric of your nightie, fat supple and spilling from his fingers, as his heavy balls press and slap against your folds, drippy with your slick and his tacky precome, matting the tangle of fuzzed curls of hair on his pelvic and meaty thighs, muscles tensing with webbing heat in his soft belly, rolls of skin rubbing against the small of your back, as he folds himself over you.

he kisses the molassed whimpers from your lips with his searing mouth, pummels into your pussy when your gooey walls flutter and clench, rippling, stuffed full of the thick girth that grinds against your small, sens spot and makes you claw painfully at the wood of the counter, simon's hand gathering your wrist, tying them together by his fingers, the same that currently flick across the small bundle of your nerves, swollen, full of pumping blood, when you cry out loud in the soft furl of his lips.

your darling girl still asleep, cat curled against her small form, tail draped over her slowly breathing body and prolonging her sleep, unable to hear the heavy breaths coming out from the kitchen and the breathy giggles simon completes to devour off from your lips, with his clashing teeth's and greedy tongue, despite your panties being sodden and his cum trailing down the underside of your doughy thighs in viscous, glistening globs.

a home, with a smell of fresh breakfast curling and dissolving into the air of the room, as you stand behind the stove, watching the two sizzling pans as simon busies himself in helping your baby brush her teeth, cradling her against his chest, as she babbles groggily, already all over his ears, as he chuckles hoarsely, bundling her against the bend of his elbow, walking back to the kitchen with a cat meowing at his feet, hungry too.

main masterlist. quidelines.

[a-hazbin-reader]

Okay we also see Alastor go ham and how wifey swoons over him but now what if wifey let lose, like someone threatens him or the hotel and before anyone could react she dashes forward killing them brutally and mercilessly?

🥵

Alastor X Reader Headcanons

✅️Romantic

❌️Platonic

TW: Violence, Blood, Wifey is crazy, Suggestive

Description: ☝️⬆️

Not many people know that Alastor's wife is a badass, mostly because you're content to watch and support your husband on the sidelines

But that doesn't mean you aren't your own kind of terrifying, you're a bad bitch and that's how you pulled your husband

He knows you can take care of yourself and loves it when you put someone in their place, he even likes it when you put him in his place 😏

Everyone is so used to Alastor protecting you that they never consider what you're capable of, your husband is just being a gentleman

But Alastor knows this and looks forward to the times you want to handle things yourself

Someone is harassing you on the street? Being crude and disgusting to you because they assume you're just some random dame?

Your husband simply looks at you to see if you want him to handle it or not, he would love to teach this punk a lesson for you

But he gets excited when you shake your head and start taking off your jewelry, holding his hand out to hold it for you

"Oh? Do come back dirty for me, I'll lick you clean~"

"Promise?"

He just watches you pummel the street urchin with a satisfied smile on his face, letting out a lovesick sigh at the sound of your victim's screams

"Isn't she a vision, Husker? Look at the way the blood drips down her body~ Absolute poetry in motion~"

Husk just sighs and chugs a bottle of booze, already so done with the two of you

"Yeah, uh, she's really somethin'..."

Alastor lets out a happy hum and turns back to watch you, completely enamored by the sight of you

"She really is~"

You try to help your husband in a fight? Well suddenly its just you figuring because Alastor stops to watch the show

"Alastor, aren't you going to help her..?"

He almost doesn't hear Charlie speaking to him, a cloud of hearts practically fluttering around him as he stares at you, frozen in place

"And deprive myself of this beautiful sight? Now, that would be a true sin... Look to your left, my dear!"

He actually has to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his blush when you spin around and impale them, blowing your husband a kiss

"Thank you, darling~"

His tail is wiggling with happiness, dramatically catching the kiss and keeping it close to his heart

Charlie thinks at some point she hears him whistling at you but she doesn't want to look and confirm

Or when someone tries to hurt your family, Alastor has seen you lose your shit because you caught someone trying to assassinate him

One moment, he's relaxed and snuggling with his darling wife and the next, he hears a crash and sees you throwing the attacker across the room

And he'll be damned if he doesn't say that it does something to him to see you like that

You're practically feral as you tear apart the screaming demon, a blinding rage taking you over

"How dare you come into MY HOME! Try to hurt MY HUSBAND!"

Alastor is nearly blushing, flustered and pulling on his collar as he watches you defend him like he's some helpless little demon

"Darling, you sure do know how to make your husband hot under the collar, don't you~?"

He catches one of your hands mid strike and takes you out of your rage, unable to stop himself from kissing your blood covered face

He can't help it, seeing you so angry and violent reminds him of when he first met you-

The would-be-attacker is still alive, a weak hand coming up to grab at your ankle when you suddenly use your own powers to finish him off

You're too busy being kissed and fondled by your husband to devote any more attention to them

He hoists you up suddenly, your legs wrapping around him as he steps over the body of your victim, leaving the room to take you upstairs instead

He nuzzles his face against your neck, distracting you from glaring at the corpse in the other room

"Do you think you could toss me like that, darling?"

"Alastor~!"

Wifey is just a doll 😍

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

A Game Of Cat And Mouse

Leona Kingscholar and Che’nya x Fem!Jerry Mouse!Reader 

Note: Reader is Yuu/The magicless Ramshackle Prefect from another world

I have a ton of WIPs that I really want to complete but to help motivate myself to finish them I decided to write this

So Jerry’s personality seems to fluctuate depending on his iteration so I’m just going to tone down his more sadistic tendencies and make him more like the early shorts where he’s more mischievous and acts when provoked instead of going out of his way to ruin Tom’s life for no reason. 

Honestly as a Tom girlie I felt so sorry for Thomas. There were times where that poor cat did not deserve what he went through - even when I was little I would root for him. Though this might just be an oldest child thing since my little sister and mum (who’s the youngest in her family) prefer Jerry.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR 

Honestly, his first impression of you wasn’t the best. Yeah, you’re a girl and he chugs gallons of respecting women juice for every meal but come on - you’re this tiny little mousegirl from another world who can’t even do magic (not to mention that he’s heard rumours that you don’t even speak that much). You’ll get eaten alive!

Then he met you and all of that went down the drain

The meeting went as it usually does: you stepped on his tail, he angrily confronts you (whilst subtly warning you of the dangers of NRC) but then you just give him this flat, unamused look.

“Hey pussycat,” you deadpan, raising an eyebrow and crossing your arms as you jut your chin up so you level him with a glare, “maybe don’t go leaving your tail lying around everywhere if you don’t want people to step on it.”

Okay, so maybe you weren’t the meek little mouse that he thought you were. Even the predators in his dorm don’t have the guts to talk back to him. Honestly, respect.

Then word gets out that you defeated an overblot and his opinion of you gets more and more favourable.

Long story short, you start dating after his overblot.

And it does cause a few turned heads.

And who can blame them? A lion going out with a mouse. That’s definitely something.

And to the untrained eye, it does sound concerning. But to those who know you (read: have been around you for more than five minutes)? Well, they’re praying for Leona’s sanity because you are nothing more than an agent of chaos.

There was this one time before you and Leona got together where a bunch of Savanaclaw predators were trying to push you, Ace, Deuce and Grim around and without even blinking you just pummelled all of them right then and there. At one point during the curb stomp battle you just pulled a mallet out of nowhere and just started thrashing everyone until they were black and blue. 

Congratulations the entire Savanaclaw dorm is terrified of you

All that training with Big Cousin Muscles really does wonders

NRC have two new rules: 1) don’t even think about going after the nagicless prefect because you will lose and even if you try to use magic she will dodge and it will be your funeral and 2) DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES hurt Ace, Deuce or Grim because that will probably be the last thing you ever do (memories of Jerry completely annihilating Tom after he hurt Nibbles are resurfacing)

One thing he admires about you is your cunning and intelligence and how you’re always a step ahead of everyone no matter what their plans are. Even when you do find yourself in trouble 

Even Rook Hunt has trouble trying to catch you. Don’t worry though, he’s far too fond of ‘petite mademoiselle souris’ to be irked by that.

He does get jealous of how close you are with Ruggie though. Since the hyena is also a greedy little thieving bugger like you, you have found a kindred spirit in him. The two of you bond over raiding the NRC kitchen and making off with as much as you can. And also taking the mickey out of Leona.

 You also get along great with Cheka. He’s noticed that you have a soft spot for children and other animals. The pro is that he gets his nephew off of his back by pawing him off to you (who he knows will make sure that no harm will come to him) the con is that you get along too well and your chaotic natures mixing will probably send him to an early grave - if your mischievous and provoking nature doesn’t already.

One thing he loves to do is tease you over your mouse-like qualities. Yeah, anyone with eyes can tell that you’re nowhere near as innocent as you look but those mouse ears, wide eyes, squeaks and cute little tail are objectively and indisputably adorable. He takes great pleasure in telling you how cute ‘his little mouse’ is, especially when you give such sweet reactions when you're flustered.

Though he does get taken aback by how bold you are. You definitely did that thing Jerry does where he holds mistletoe above his head and made kissing noises at Tom.

Your high pitched laugh makes his heart melt and he definitely uses his rich boy money to buy you all of the expensive cheese you can eat.

CHE’NYA

He loves you so much. Finally, someone he can be chaotic with - you’re a match made in hell.

His interest in you starts when he tries to sneak up on you whilst invisible but you pull one over him and just turn around, look directly into his unseeable eyes and sprAY WATER RIGHT ONTO HIS FACE-WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT SPRAY BOTTLE FROM????

At first he was pleasantly surprised before his face broke into a Cheshire Cat grin. He felt cupid’s arrow hit him square in the chest and he just looked at you with heart eyes.

By asking Trey and Cater and hiding in the rose maze, he gathered enough information to decide that you are his future wife

Turns out that your troublemaking antics have you paired with Ace and Floyd for the position of ‘bane of Riddle Rosehearts’ existence’. Mainly because everytime you break a rule you always, without fail, evade punishment by avoiding getting caught - even when you are clearly the culprit

Trey has bribed you with so many cheese based baked goods to stop you from sneaking into Heartslabyul and causing mayhem (you felt sorry for him so you promised him that you’ll only steal from the main kitchen near the cafeteria. That’s not what he meant but he’ll take it)

One day he catches you kidnapping the dorm’s pet dormouse before an unbirthday party so that you ‘can help your fellow mice by freeing them from their subjugation’. He shrugs and nods in understanding before asking you if he should let out the flamingos and hedgehogs from their pens as a distraction. 

And so a beautiful relationship was born as the two of you ran off with a tray of choux pastries and a bunch of angry card soldiers chasing you.

The two of you have a competition over who can sneak into and stay in Heartslabyul the longest without getting caught and you’re currently the winner.

He loves that you’re not scared of anyone and you’re not afraid to stand up to people that are almost quadruple your size. In fact, he’s there cheering you on whenever you fight back or plot your revenge (he does know that he has a whole other school to attend, right?). One time you showed him one of your revenge plans and he even helped you set the traps and everything. Oh the two of you working together has NRC running for the hills.

Like Leona, he does like to tease you but what do you expect? He’s a cat, you’re a mouse - that’s nature. Though he does love the fact that you’re always one step ahead of him whenever he does try to outsmart you. He loves a good puzzle and you certainly keep him on his toes.

[maddys-nerd-blog]

HI! Welcome to the next installment of the short story!!

I’m so excited to share this next part!! This is gonna get real angsty! Writing this has been tough but I’m glad you guys seem to like it!!

We find out who’s pulling the strings to this scheme in this part, and what’s in store for Danny and Leo. Be prepared for all the whump 🤣 Don’t worry, Katie is on the case!!

Be warned there’s tons of cursing and all the angsty stuff ahead!

SO LETS GET ON WITH THE SHOW!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ransom 2

A TMNT Crossover Short Story Fanfic

Part Two: Under Lock and Key

Years ago, when Danny was young and stupid, he thought he was better than everyone else. Why wouldn’t he? His father was fairly wealthy. He grew up plentiful. But the thrill of crime still seduced him— looking up to figureheads like Clyde Barrow caused internal resentment from his old man… which only intensified once Ma died. By seventeen he was an up and coming hustler, bringing tonics and potions to traders off market for a sizable fee. It was his charisma and talent for swindling the shmucks of the Hidden City that caught the attention of Big Mama. And when she’d hired him, Danny thought he’d made it big.

Working under someone as high profile as Mama granted him protection, it gave him leeway to do whatever he wanted as long as he behaved himself and didn’t act a fool. He could rob the bank and come back with plenty of cash to settle scores and debts he and Leonard acclimated through gambling or long nights of binge drinking. Danny felt like he was untouchable.

Until one night where he’d pushed the envelope too far.

He was twenty-three at the time. Leonard was twenty-four. They’d just robbed a police van loaded with gold bars and high tailed it to the harbor— the locals never thought to look twice if they spotted two of Big Mama’s boys carrying out her dirty work lest they incur her wrath. It had been their biggest score since they’d been paired together. With no security guards at the warehouses, no cops, no worries about their bounty being discovered, they felt as though they were kings of the world.

But their high was stubbed when a competing gang— one who despised Mama’s guts— had tracked them to the docks. Had caught wind of their robbery. And decided to take their pent up frustration out on them. They’d stood their ground. They’d barked and cussed and threw punches. But these guys had been bigger. Sturdier. Komodo yōkai.

And they were ruthless.

They hadn’t been above pummeling the two within an inch of their lives to teach them a lesson.

Leonard had his nose shattered. His ankle was sprained. His left ring and pinkie finger were snapped. Danny suffered terrible injuries to his ribcage and spine, his tail stomped on and fractured. He’d never get the scars from his hands and knees off his body.

Needless to say, they’d gone and bitten off more than they could chew.

The cops found them the next morning sitting on the docks bound and gagged in duct tape, their stolen goods taken by the petty thugs as penance. Mama had paid their bail in private, but she hadn’t been pleased that her ‘best hustlers’ were taken by surprise. Danny almost expected her to be understanding of their predicament— it hadn’t been their fault the gold had been swiped. It had been rotten timing. They weren’t to blame.

But instead he’d been backhanded. He would never forget how her ice cold fury stung him, how her elegant smile held a silent mirth towards him, her perfectly manicured nails digging deep into his arm enough to draw blood. Eyes as black as obsidian bore deep into his soul as if to smite him. “Never fail me again,” Mama’s sugary sweet voice dripped with poison. “Or I shall find more lucrative ways of punishing you for your blunders.”

It put the fear of God in him. It had been a wake-up call.

No matter how hard he persisted, it would never satisfy Mama. His efforts would never be good enough. The most he was to her was just a glorified errand boy, someone to take the fall should he be detained, or worse, forsaken by his grandiose employer if he’d expended his talents. One incursion could have landed him into the Nexus as the next sap to be torn to a pulp. The slightest inclination of imperfection would send him across the floor with a twisted back or bruised ribs. It got worse once Mickey joined their fold at such a vulnerable age. The poor eel had to watch his fair share of nasty beatings at Mama’s hands, had to learn how to patch up wounds in a hasty retreat if her attitude was fiery. Leonard had taken up drinking as the quickest method of treatment in this service of hell. Twenty-four years he’d put up with the tirade of abuse and mistreatment. Now he was free.

But Lady Luck had a funny way of paying him back for all his reformed deeds.

Which was how he found himself in this current situation— sitting in the backseat of an unmarked car, Leo on his right, a goon on his left, pistol pushed deep into his side to keep him from resisting.

What a fucking day this turned out to be.

The ride to their unknown destination was spent in complete silence on his part. The two goons up in front were loudly chatting about random sports bullshit Danny could give less of a damn about. Green was stoic, keeping to himself, not having spoken a word since this venture began. That was fine— it gave Danny time to study the street signs and make mental note of where exactly they were going. When they crossed over the Brooklyn bridge he couldn’t help but swallow a lump in his throat; why were they being driven all the way out here?

Green had made a phone call prior to their excursion; Boldly proclaimed that he’d single handedly found and acquired two live mutants. His boss responded in kind, loud and gruff, Danny couldn’t make out the voice perfectly due to the static of the burner phone, but he definitely heard the phrases, ‘Bring them to me alive,’ and ‘Make sure they’re both guarded, take no chances.’

Danny remained quiet, hands folded in his lap, tail curled around his feet the entire ride. Eyes darted back and forth between the tinted windows, his outward appearance maintained a level of calm. He knew better than to look like a sniveling coward, that was what these people wanted. If there was ONE lesson he never forgot from his time working under Big Mama, it was to stay collected, stay cool headed, and no matter how badly they try to break you, do NOT bow under the pressure your captors put you under. Not even for a split second. One sign of weakness and they could use it against you as a weapon.

At his side Leo was staring out the window, hood still pulled up to hide his green face. He’d wrapped his arms around himself, slumped in his seat with an expression that could only be described as despair. Danny couldn’t begin to fathom what was going through the kid’s head. He’d heard stories from the red slider that he had been abducted multiple times before— which was VERY alarming, considering his age and his lack of experience— but he would recount these events with a carefree attitude. Once was at the hands of a washed-up actor who’d taken his role too seriously and had gone insane. Other instances were at the hands of Draxum. And that basket case didn’t need an explanation.

But he knew about Bishop. Had heard terrible things about Mozar from Katie. This kid probably hid his trauma behind a mask everyday just to keep up the ‘comedian’ persona.

Danny’s hands tightened in his lap. This kid’s way too young to be putting up with this ridiculous bullshit. He spared a glance over to the teen, sensing his anxiety. “You okay, Leo?” He asked in a voice that barely resembled a whisper.

Leo’s eyes landed on him, his fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeves. The slider sank further into the seat, beak twitching with fear. “… I guess.”

“You hurt?”

“Just a few bruises and a scrape on my arm.” Leo looked at the rat yōkai with the same expression of concern. “You alright Rat Man?”

“Aah, don’t worry ‘bout me. Been in th’ business long enough t’ handle being roughed up a little,” Danny shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

Leo didn’t look too convinced. “That pipe to the face didn’t look fine to me. You looked like Rocky getting the crap beat out of him.”

Clever kid, Danny thought with a light chuckle. “Yeah. It wasn’t.” Leo smiled a little at his comment, giving Danny a slight moment of relief. At least he’s still got some jokes.

Danny took a look at the clock on the car stereo system, doing so subtly to avoid any questions from his captor. Four-forty. Damn, it was nearly two hours ago that they’d been snatched off the street. Kat was probably expecting them to return home soon with the meds for Don. No doubt she would try to call soon…

“Where is this?“ Leo nudged the yōkai to bring him out of his thoughts. The elder lifted his gaze, coming to find that their scenery had changed. Tall, bolstering buildings that were glistening with lights shifted to grungy, decrepit tenements where graffiti and garbage made up the majority of the sidewalk. There was no soul in sight, which raised concern because there would have at least been a couple dozen pedestrians wandering the street regardless of what neighborhood they’d been driven to— this was New York City; it was rare to come across a block that was completely deserted.

Which could only imply they didn’t want any eyes on them. No witnesses. No possible means of escape if they were in a part of town they weren’t accustomed to.

Cliché, Danny deadpanned internally. Real Dick Tracy-esc. What’s next, a Scooby Doo villain? “Had t’ wager a guess, looks like Th’ Bronx.”

The car door on Leo’s side popped open, pulling him from his thoughts. The driver was standing at the ready, reaching inside to grab Leo by the arm as if to yank him from the vehicle by force. The slider instantly began to fight back, teeth bared, defiant as he barked, “Don’t touch me, jackass!”

“Move!” The driver ordered, this time seizing Leo by the elbow to rip him out. “I can THROW you out if you keep acting like a brat!”

Danny was there in seconds; surging forward to try and rush the guard, only to feel the gun dig deeper into the fleshy bits of his side from behind. “Don’t even think about it, freak,” the goon snarled.

“Lay off th’ kid, bastard!” Danny spat. “Wanna pick on someone yer own size, pick on me! Yer boss said ya needed us alive!”

“We may need you alive,” unceremoniously Danny and Leo were pulled out of the car, Green coming close behind him to shove the gun into the middle of his back. “But Boss never said we couldn’t toss ya around if youse twos tried anything.”

That shitty fake Brooklyn accent is gonna kill me first before you do, Danny thought with an aggravated roll of his eyes. When Leo was pushed forward to start walking, causing the slider to stumble over his feet, the yōkai sent a furious snarl at the bastards as he caught him before he could fall.

“Watch it!” Leo barked, equally ticked off by the rough treatment.

Danny hoisted the kid to his feet with a grunt. “I gotcha, Blue.” He glared at their captors with rage, holding back a slew of terrible curses in order to keep calm. “You good t’ walk?”

Leo nodded, pinning a glare onto their captors. He rolled his shoulder to dull the pain, tugging his hoodie down further to conceal his green face as though it would help. Without any other choice the yōkai and mutant followed the men into the building, any chances of escape going out the window the moment they were pushed through the door.

Dust struck his nose first. The place was utterly filthy. It was probably abandoned for decades; wooden crates stacked alongside the farthest wall, tucked away in the dark corners, some of them empty. The roof had an impressive skylight overhead, some of the glass cracked to create spiderwebbed impressions throughout the windowpanes. Pulleys hung overhead, hooks on chains dormant. He counted three doors: two on the far right side of the room, one with a storage plaque, the other blank, and an emergency fire exit that had been barricaded with cinder blocks stacked atop one another six feet tall.

“Well, look what we have here!” Came a voice from within, taking the mutant and yōkai by surprise. The two were brought into the present as they came to meet the man who had brought them both to this eerie place. “A couple of street rats caught fresh from the gutters!”

Almost immediately his mood turned agitated. “Hun,” he grounded through a hiss.

The massive giant of a man stood in the center of the warehouse with a smug grin plastered on his face, built arms crossing over his chest, staring at the two stragglers with unabashed resentment behind those beady eyes. If there was a way for anyone to look both moronic and oppressive, this man was the dead ringer. “And here I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Hun grinned. “Time flies when you’re on the run from a guy who hates you more than I do.”

Danny’s hands slowly curled into fists, his shoulders tense. Breathe, dipshit. Breathe. “And there ain’t nobody else I could hate more than you, but you’re fulla surprises.” He spat through one of his phony smiles— the one he’d use for situations where he had to put up an act in order to keep a cool head lest he start flying off the handle— flashing all his sharp teeth, never taking his gaze off of him.

The man motioned to his followers behind them; Danny and Leo were shoved forward without hesitation, causing them to stumble to their knees as guns were pressed deep into their backs. Frozen momentarily from this terrifying shift Danny forced himself to keep his composure. Don’t jump to conclusions. They need us alive. Deep breaths. Think. Focus. Raising his eyes up to find Hun’s beady black orbs glaring daggers at him like he was done repulsive animal, Danny kept his voice calm as he spoke. “Nice digs. Didn’t know you upgraded yer hideout decor from ‘Basic Emo Bitch’ t’ ‘Shredder’s Leftovers.’”

“Contrary to popular belief, this warehouse isn’t Shredder’s. I’ve had this place long before the Purple Dragons were taken over by the Foot. We haven’t been able to take back our old territory until he bit the dust. With him and Karai gone, I’ve been staking claims on my turf in order to start rebuilding my… business.”

“Business. Really. That’s what yer calling it now? Yer cute. I didn’t know trading guns and tainted mutagen was yer new forte in crime.”

“If you want to evolve, you adapt. You don’t, you die. I sell what makes the most cash.”

Danny breathed slow, steadying himself, bringing the million dollar question into the conversation. “Care t’ explain why you grabbed us in broad daylight?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hun grinned. “I figured you’d be smart enough to realize what this was.”

“Well since I’m so smart, I’ll take an educated guess and assume this is a hostage negotiation.”

“You have a brain after all!” Hun guffawed. “But, yes. You’re both here to fulfill a purpose. And that purpose is to play the role of bait.”

Bait? That pricked his ears. Danny furrowed his brow, perplexed. “Why?”

Hun’s expression turned into malice— that didn’t bode well. Not even Leo was immune to it, the slider’s beak curled into a sharper scowl. The way Hun’s lips pursed tighter, curling into some kind of strange grin that twisted his stomach, eyeing the two of them like prey…

“I want Kathrine McAndrews.”

Danny stiffened. What…? Katie? He wanted Katie? What business did he have with her? “How th’ hell do you know her?”

“Oh… you know,” Hun reached into his pocket, pulling a piece of paper free. Unfolding it, he held it out for the two to see… “Old friends.”

A wanted poster. One of Bishop’s from three years ago, fraying and tattered around the corners and edges. All their faces stared right back, frozen in faded images. But the price was still as bold as it used to be.

… Ah, fucking hell.

“I’ve caught wind of the woman who axed Bishop and Karai when I came back to town. Some kind of urban hybrid who caused a helluva storm over a couple of mutant freaks,” Hun rolled the poster up, pinning a knowing glare onto Leo. “And from what I’ve heard, she’s willing to do ANYTHING for her precious little pets.”

“We’re not—!” Leo went to stand, but the guns were quickly trained on his head, making the teen stop in his attempt. His yellow orbs glared hatefully at the bigger human, teeth grit as he snapped. “We’re not pets.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” scoffing, Hun knelt to Leo’s level until their line of sight matched. “She totes your lot around like your her purse dogs.”

Leo looked ready to lunge at the bastard. As though sensing this the men behind the slider went from pressing a pistol into his shell to grabbing his arms, holding him back as he struggled. “No she doesn’t! You don’t know her!”

Hun watched this display in mild interest, continuing. “Although I have to give her credit when due. Had it not been for that woman killing Karai, I never would’ve been able to come back to Manhattan and restart my enterprise! I can finally start building everything back up from square one… all thanks to you. A bunch of circus animals!”

“Shut UP!” Leo barked furiously. The kid started shaking, barely able to restrain himself. “Stop talking about my Mom like that!”

“Did I strike a nerve? Or are you just denying the fact you’re her pets?”

“No we aren’t! We’re her family!”

“Oh?” Hun tilted his head to the side. “Then why does she act like you are? Giving you stupid nicknames, dragging you around on walks, teaching you tricks! She might look all ferocious in that wanted poster, but under the facade is a wimpy whore that carries turtles and lizards on her arm like bracelets! You’re as worthless to her as a box of tissues.”

Danny’s fists curled once more, only this time his own anger had been sparked. “Don’t talk about her like that,” he warned, tone icy with disdain.

This caught Hun’s interest. “You got something to say, FREAK?” He leaned in close, close enough to where Danny could barely make out the bastard’s eye color as a muted green. “Or does me bringing up Kathrine have anything to do with it?”

Danny narrowed his gaze furiously. “Don’t put that woman’s name in your filthy mouth.” He could feel himself vibrating from a stewing, building fury that burned hot under his fur, ready to break.

“Kathrine?” Hun slowly smirked. “Then what should I call her? Hybrid? Fugitive? Mutant sympathizer? Monster fucker?” His eyes turned dangerously vile. “Whore?”

The lid to Danny’s dwindling fuse popped off.

“YOU DEGENERATE PIECE’A SHIT—“ he lunged, grabbing Hun by his collar with one hand, bringing his claws across his chest with the other. His momentary stint of anger was over just as it had begun. Men seized him by the back of his shirt and ripped him away from the bigger human, struggling to keep him under control. “SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME AND I’LL FEED YER UGLY ASS TO TH’ SHARKS, MOTHER FUCKER!”

Completely unmoved by his outburst, Hun placed a hand on the spot where long razor claws sliced through expensive looking satin. That same grotesque smirk still resided on his smug face, as though satisfied with something. “If I didn’t know any better,” he sneered. “I’d wager you had feelings for that woman.”

Danny’s heart practically dropped.

Shit. SHIT. He’d played right into his hands. Rookie move, Goddamn it!

“In fact,” Hun stood to his full height, brushing the entire incident off with no regard. “I’d even go so far as to believe SHE has feelings for you, rat. In addition to this,” he cruelly gestured to Leo as though the teen were garbage, making the turtle bare his teeth. “Animal, she cares about. If she truly cherishes you both… I think we ought to arrange for her arrival.”

Danny’s expression turned grim. His eyes fell to Leo, who looked both defiant and petrified. “… she ain’t gonna let you get that far.”

“Meaning?”

“Kathrine’ll rip yer head off if she finds out you hurt her kid.”

“Oh, I won’t harm the turtle… much,” Hun chuckled. “I’m only going to immobilize him. And you.” He snapped his fingers.

Hands were latching around his wrists in moments. Before Danny could get his bearings he was forced to his feet, arms painfully wrenched behind his back. At his side Leo put up a fight, struggling like a wild boar, flailing his legs and trying to throw himself out of his attacker’s hold. When he attempted to spring forward the men behind him grew tired of his antics and yanked the mutant backwards, locking the kid in a chokehold— not tight enough to cut off his breathing, but enough to keep him trapped with no way to wriggle loose.

“Leave him alone!” Danny struggled, only to be pushed to start moving as a response. “Don’t ignore me assholes, don’t hurt him!”

“Damn it these things are annoying!”

“Fucking—! Don’t MOVE, Mutie! Hold still!”

“Get the hell offa me! Lemme GO!”

“You keep trying to kick me one more time! I’ll snap your neck!”

“DON’T THREATEN HIM, YOU C—“

THWACK!

Danny’s head snapped to the side, pain engulfing the bottom of his jaw. Blood pooled in his mouth, the coopery taste making him sick. Leo shouted something he couldn’t catch. The tone of his voice sounded alarmed.

His world ebbed with black spots around the edges of his vision, but his blurry sight managed to make out the fighting forms of Leo being forced up the stairs, a blip of green thrashing as best he could to escape. Danny’s instincts kicked in as he willed himself to move, to help him, to intervene and save the boy, but his own captors did it for him. They all but hoisted him up by the arms to drag the yōkai along the steps— being disoriented from a blow to the face was enough to cause him to sway as he walked.

He counted twelve steps as he went— any information was important in situations where he was being held prisoner— before he was escorted to a small room on the left. Danny’s vision began to clear as he looked up to survey the conditions of, what he could only assume, was to be their prison.

Dark. Boarded up windows. No light coming through. The walls were scuffed and beaten. Two chairs turned away from each other, separated ten feet apart.

Leo was currently being bound to one. He kept fighting to rip himself out of ropes that were being wrapped around his chest, but the men handling him yanked the cords so taut it made him wheeze. The moment he realized he lost control was when he located Danny. Yellow eyes found Danny’s and he called out. “DAN!” The way his voice cracked suggested fear.

Danny’s protective instincts kicked in. Fuck NO.

He threw his head back, fast enough to catch one man off guard as he heard the telltale sound of a nose breaking under the impact. Gathering his resolve Danny spat a mouthful of blood into the eyes of the other goon, smashing an elbow into his ribs. He tore one arm free and went to scratch the man still holding onto his left when somebody grabbed him by the hair to expose his throat, and suddenly there was a knife placed against the soft skin of his neck beneath the fur.

“You freaks are more trouble than you’re worth!” Growled the guy still keeping his arm in a vice. He bent his arm back so tight Danny briefly worried he was going to snap the bone at the elbow clean in two. “Boss says we need you alive, but he didn’t say I couldn’t reach ya some manners!”

He was dragged to the second chair without another word. The knife still remained pressed to his windpipe whilst two other thugs grabbed his arms and twisted them behind the chair. Fear began to freeze his blood dead in his veins as rope was wound around thin wrists. He fought them as best he could— trying to pry himself out of the furniture, kicking his legs, pulling his body as best he could to provide some slack, but the knife dug deeper into his jugular, this time nicking skin, the threat of having his neck sliced open bringing him back to the present danger at hand.

They bound his ankles together and wrapped rope around his torso and waist to pin him to his seat— leaving no wriggle room to slip free or throw himself out of his bonds, he realized. The blade at his throat finally eased off his neck once he’d been secured. “We did some light reading on youse,” said Green. “None o’ yer fancy tricks on my watch.”

“Funny,” Danny rasped, spitting some more blood from his mouth to the floor. “Didn’t think your kind could figure out how t’ read. I figured you were th’ ‘Bumbling Moron’ archetypes.”

A solid punch to the gut rendered Danny into a coughing fit. The yōkai wheezed, pain shooting throughout his stomach like a hurricane. Damn, these guys weren’t messing around.

“Shut yer mouth!”

“Fuck… off!”

Another strike to the diaphragm. This time Danny choked on a cry.

“Betcha wish yer pretty little whore was here t’ make you feel better? Ya pathetic monster!”

“At least I got a woman who loves me. Can’t say th’ same for any o’ you.”

He was clocked in the mouth. Blood flew out of faster. “DISGUSTING FREAK!”

“Stop!” Leo yelled in protest. “STOP! Don’t hurt him! You guys are all so screwed when—“

SLAP!

Danny’s head snapped towards the sound, unmistakable to his ears. He couldn’t see him. He couldn’t make out the state of Leo, couldn’t tell if he was in pain, couldn’t see if anyone was going for a second round. “DON’T YOU DARE HURT THAT KID!”

SLAP! The sound echoed behind him. Leo grunted, but didn’t speak.

Danny fought his bonds with the fervor of a crazed maniac, fighting like live wire touching water. Fury bubbled to the surface. “STOP!”

CRACK!

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

“Or what? You gonna start begging?” Green smirked. “Go on, ratatouille! Lemme hear you beg!” He reached out a hand as if to grab his face—

Real bad move.

One this moron was going to pay for.

Danny snatched the man’s fingers into his mouth and clamped down, hard, violent, to the point of tearing through the weak skin. He dragged his razor sharp fangs through his knuckles and heard a distinct crunching when he reached the middle finger. He tasted the bitter tang of human blood on his tongue. He didn’t let up. He didn’t let go. He wanted the son of a bitch to feel every second of this, he wanted to inflict any kind of pain into this sicko as he could— nobody would hurt Katie’s kid and get away with it.

Green screeched in agony and grabbed Danny by the jaw hard enough to rip his hand free from his mouth. Horrid, jagged lines tore straight through the top of his palm to the tips of his middle and index fingers, exposing sensitive tissue and muscle. Blood oozed in a grotesque display of rich red, staining bronze skin a brilliant ruby shade. The beatings on Leo immediately ceased due to the ruckus Danny created.

“YOU FREAK!” He howled, cracking Danny across the face with an unforgiving backhanded slap. “ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU COULDA TAKEN MY FINGERS OFF!”

He ground out through clenched fangs in a raspy growl. “That was th’ plan, dipshit.”

Silence prevailed in the wake of the act of vengeance. Danny slowly raised his head, fury painting his features a deadly shade, the red masking his jawline and staining his shirt with ugly splotches turning the otherwise bitter rat into something of his former self. A man capable of doing severe damage onto those who dare try to cross him. Even bound to the point of nearly crushing his skin, he somehow looked ready to start going feral.

Danny spat his blood out, the taste revolting. Golden eyes were almost glowing with hatred. A devilish smile full of teeth stained red greeted him, making the man quiver in horror. “Is that… the best… you can do?” He threw his head back and started chuckling maniacally. “Cuz if it is, then your guys are a bunch’a chumps!”

Green stepped back, clearly disturbed. “You’re batshit looney…” he breathed. “What did you just say?!”

“Did I fucking STUTTER?!” Danny roared, the humor completely fizzled out of his voice. He must have looked unhinged with all the blood running down his face, voice full of conviction. “I’ve seen monsters with more fangs than you! I stared into the eyes of yōkai gangsters that were worse than you! If you think you can break me, HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!”

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. All eyes were glued to the yōkai, watching him wheeze through fractured ribs and struggling to stay conscious, but the adrenaline pumping through him body kept him standing.

The message was clear; Don’t fuck with me.

“Danny…?” Leo sounded shaken.

Without hesitation Danny replied. “M’ fine. Nothing these pansies can’t do that I already dealt with before.”

Sputtering in horror over the dark shift in his voice, Green cradled his wounded appendage to his chest and instead snapped at his helpers. “R-Randy! Gag these things and let’s move it!”

Danny’s snarl curled sharper. “Don’t,” he warned as he watched Green walk away out of his line of sight, advancing towards Leo first. “DON’T!” He struggled in his bonds, the chair rocking from the force of his thrashing but no matter how hard he fought the ropes held fast. “You touch that kid and I’ll rip your throat out!”

“Danny!” Leo sounded like he was also struggling. There was movement behind him, the chair the slider had been confined to creaking under his weight. “Back off! Stay the hell away from me—“

The scuffle turned stilted. Danny’s ears prickled at the sudden shift of silence. Desperately he fought to twist and thrash against his bonds to turn himself around, trying in vain to see what was happening behind him. “Kid?! Kid! Talk to me! What’s going on?!”

The struggles behind him picked up. The one guy, Randy, cussed under his breath. Leo grunted and yelped.

“Kid!” Danny yelled again. His stomach churned with dread. “LEO!”

Leo yelped louder— only now his voice was significantly muted, stifled by something.

“Leo!” Danny yanked and pulled violently against the ropes harder, gritting his teeth as he fought with all the strength his body could muster in his state. “Leo, talk to me! LEONARDO!”

“Jesus—“ Green’s tone grumbled in frustration. “Can’t wait for this to be over with!”

“What did you do to him?!” Danny demanded. Footsteps approached him— hands planted down onto his shoulders, holding him in place. “What did you do?!”

“Th’ same thing we’re doing to you,” Green walked into his line of sight once more, handing something over to the guy behind him. “Gotta prep you for the pictures we’re gonna send to your little lady.”

Pictures? Danny’s mind went racing with shock— if they were sending photos to Katie that meant they still had one of their phones.

If they had one of their phones, the tracker was still active. They had to know that.

Katie would be walking right into a trap.

“You BASTARDS—!” Danny attempted to surge forward in the restraints but they held him back, the hands grasping his shoulders clamping harder on him. “I’ll tear ya t’ pieces if you try t’ hurt her!”

“That ain’t up to you,” Green actually started laughing at him, even with his bloodied hand cradled against his chest. “It’s up to Hun. And I hope he guts your floozy like a FISH.”

Rage kicked in like a rush of adrenaline; if he had the strength he’d have torn through the ropes with little to no problem. Danny opened his mouth to start arguing— to scream at him, to protest, to threaten him, to lash out— but it was all his captors needed. One mighty fist grabbed onto his hair and yanked his head back, another took the opportunity to cram something into his mouth while he was being pinned. Taken off guard the yōkai squeaked, going to spit the obstacle out—some kind of spongy material, something thick enough to cut off all type of verbal communication— but the same guy instantly jerked a cloth between his teeth to keep it in place, tying it behind him. Danny shook his head, moving hard and fast to dislodge the strip of fabric, but the grip on his hair was too strong.

“Ain’t so tough now without your feisty words, ah?” Green mocked, laughing at the yōkai as the bastard tied the gag into a knot— Danny grunted furiously as the asshole cinched the cloth tight enough to dig into his fur. “Just another animal needing t’ be muzzled.”

“Mmk—!” Danny swore through the gag. He fought and struggled like a wild cat caught in a net, raising his voice as he screamed. “PPHK MMPH!“

Green fished around for something in his pocket with his uninjured hand, disregarding the gagged captive entirely. Finally, he retrieved a cellphone— bright blue case, black lightening bolt designs. Leo’s phone. “Use this,” he tossed it to the man stepping around Danny. “Take the pictures and let’s get th’ hell outta here. I’m tired of hearing these animals squawk.”

Danny’s hands rotated and twisted in desperation to find some kind of weakness to exploit, digging his fingers into the cords wound tight around his waist, but he couldn’t find anything. The same hand from moments prior latched onto his neck, forcing him to look up into the lens of Leo’s phone camera. In a last ditch effort to shake off his captors he started crying out vehemently. “MMPH!” Danny attempted to move away, but the grip on his neck turned vicious, fingernails digging deep into his skin to cause agony. “Mmphr-PHHKR!”

“Aww, don’t look away. This is the best part!” The goon cackled in his ear. “Don’t ya want your girl to come rescue you?”

Guilt hit him like a runaway train. Katie…

Kathrine was a million things but her recklessness was her worst trait. She was going to be running headfirst into an ambush. They were going to be armed to the teeth— she didn’t know the Dragons had rebuilt. They were going to trap her, take her, possibly put her in some prison cell and hurt her. They’d take the kids. Hun was going to do whatever he desired…

And it was all his fault.

Kathrine… Goddamn it, I’m so fucking sorry.

“Smile, freak.”

**************************

She was moments away from going to the surface.

Pacing back and forth in her living room, hands clutched behind her to fight the temptation to smoke, Katie contemplated her choices on what the hell she was going to do. She was going to wear her carpet threadbare by tracking such a thick path into it.

Four hours had gone by since Leonardo had run off and Danny had gone after him. Four hours since Danny had texted saying he’d found the slider and they were grabbing the medicine.

Four hours of radio silence.

Four hours of nothing. Nothing but anxiety settling in her bones.

“Ma?” Raph poked his head around the corner, watching with concern as Katie continued festering and worrying. “Any word?“

“Nope,” Katie shook her head. “Not even a call.”

“Aw man…” Raph frowned deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. It was rare to catch a glimpse of her eldest in such a stressed state. “Leo goin’ topside like that is never good. Ya think he’s alright?”

“God I hope so,” Katie shuddered. “That boy never knew how to handle tense scenarios— but I can’t say I blame him after all the bullshit we’ve seen.” Unconsciously her fingers traced along the faded scarring on her shoulder, just where flesh met titanium and fused as one to create a new limb. “I’m not one to talk either.”

Raph’s brow pinched in the center, turning sympathetic. Even though he was nineteen there was still emotional vulnerability lurking deep behind lonely brown orbs that more often than not buried his true feelings rather than address them, but the expression on his features was as plain as the mask defining his identity: he was ashamed. Though he would never voice that fact aloud. “I shouldn’t have pushed his buttons. I said some really stupid stuff to him. He never woulda left if I didn’t say anything—“

“Hey, don’t you go saying stuff like that,” Katie scolded. “I know you’re sorry. Ever since Draxum we’ve all been wrung thin. We’re all fighting to stay afloat.” She reached a hand out, placing it upon his shoulder with one of her reassuring smiles. “You’ve been fighting the hardest. I’ve seen it. You’re doing a great job keeping your brothers safe.”

Raph lifted his head, surprise coloring his eyes. “… thanks, Ma.”

The arrival of Casey brought Katie’s gaze upwards. He brought with him a mostly full bowl of chicken broth that didn’t look touched. “How’s Donnie?”

“He’s finally knocked out. Mikey and Mondo offered to watch him,” the vigilante blew a haggard puff of air from his mouth, shaking his tussled locks out of exhausted eyes. “He can’t keep soup down but he swallowed the last of the pills. Where’s Dan and Leo with the rest of the meds?”

“That’s what I’m still wondering,” Katie sighed. “Leo hasn’t called either of you?”

Raph and Casey shook their heads.

Katie frowned deeper in concern. Where could they possibly be?

BZZZT!

Her cellphone buzzed with activity.

Three sets of startled eyes fell to it as it vibrated on the coffee table, the text notifications bright as day as four new messages illuminated the screen. And with it was the name of the sender.

“Leo!” Katie gasped in relief. Snatching her phone she began to breathe easier. “Thank god, he gave me a heart attack,” Half-ready to read a tirade of excuses and apologies from the bromista to cool the hammering of her heart, she opened the texts—

— but what she found made her freeze.

There were two pictures attached to the messages.

Two pictures of Danny and Leo both bound and gagged to chairs, forced to look at the camera to whomever had sent these.

Leo’s hands were tied behind him, cords tightly cinched around his waist, legs similarly bound. A cloth had been tied over his beak. The slider was staring up at the phone with fresh panic in bright yellow eyes, tears staining the gag around his mouth, the ropes binding him digging deep into his body. There were obvious signs of physical abuse to the teen; dark purple bruises blotched his green skin. It looked painful to sit in the chair, his shell forcing him to sit too upright.

Danny looked worse for wear; his hair hung in front of his brow shaggily, golden eyes glaring murder behind the phone. His teeth were gnashing down on a black cloth acting as his gag, ropes winding around his abdomen and chest, arms behind the chair. Blood trickled down his chin and stained his shirt, dark red matting around the right side of his head— he’d been beaten.

And the messages were even worse:

I believe these belong to you. Your days of hiding are numbered. If you want your pets returned alive, you’ll call me. Bring your other freaks to the designated date. Come unarmed.

Three days. Or these two die— Hun.

…

…..

……

FUCK.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE WHUMP THICKENS 🤣🤣

I’m super excited to share the other parts! Buckle up cuz the angst continues next time!! Lemme know what you think is gonna happen! Stay tuned! 😁

@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @figuringitoutasigoalong @wasted-and-ready @lameboobah @goldenflowerdragon

[bonefall]

do you have anything extra planned for Sorreltail? I’m rereading TNP and I like the chapters with her and Leafpaw the most.. they’re so cute. Also lmao @ Leafpaw calling Mothwing beautiful in every chapter

[ID: BB!Sorreltail. She's a big, spiky, fluffy white cat with chocolate brown accents and peanut-butter cream patches. Her eyes are bright yellow.]

just a little, a smidge really. I'm very normal about BB!Sorreltail.

Sorreltail is head of the Kitchen Patrol, she developed a love of it because no one would cook her grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers are her FAVORITE food, she loves chasing them, she loves their crunch, loves their funny long rabbit legs.

Not forgetting her lifelong friendship with Squilf and Leafpool, ABSOLUTELY not. Gal Pals <3

She gets along with most cats, unless they try to eat raw meat in camp, in which case she pummels a lecture about tapeworms into their head.

Sorreltail has epilepsy from her childhood nightshade poisoning! It gave her neurological damage; it expresses as absence seizures.

An absence seizure isn't convulsive like the 'classic' clonic-tonic; she suddenly 'spaces out', eyes rolling up, losing control of her body for a brief period of time. Usually about 5 seconds.

She is not conscious during a seizure, and it will interrupt her train of thought in the moment. She's able to go right back to whatever she was doing, but needs to be reminded of what she was talking about if she was mid-sentence.

She often has multiple, brief seizures in a day.

Some days are rough and she can have several dozen. Other days see none at all.

She had a seizure on the Thunderpath and was grazed by a car. Her assessment was delayed as a result.

Rainwhisker and Sootfur went ahead and got their names without her "LIKE A BUNCH OF JERKS"

Her treatment plan is valerian supplements; she likes this treatment because it helps prevent her from getting drowsy.

Valerian acts like catmint, making her giddy and more hyper. She really appreciates the stimulant because she's an active, outgoing gal.

She looks a LOT like her papa Whitestorm, her siblings look more like Willowpelt. (Graystripe, Darkstripe, Cricketclaw, and Featherkit are Dappletail's kids now; they have no relation to Willowpelt.)

The spiky fur and face mask are actually passed down from Thistleclaw himself, the wolf-tail is a Bluestar family trait from Snowfur.

The coloring was initially based on a grasshopper but then I realized it also kinda looks like ice cream.

ThunderClan cats tend to be large and fluffy, Sorreltail is a good example of it.

She's going to live a LOT longer, in fact, she's alive up to the current arc! However, she sadly lost her mate Brackenfur in Po3. She misses him every day. They had four kittens in one litter; Cinderheart, Honeyfern, Poppyfrost, and Molepaw.

Because Sorreltail is staying alive, Sorrelstripe is named Duststripe after Dustpelt instead. Lilypaw and Seedpaw are his and Ferncloud's. Ferncloud is also surviving.

[its-ya-girl-phoeni]

Adding onto this hypothetical "If Bf was in the Jojo-verse" idea:

He awakened Rad God after accidentally stabbing himself with a Stand Arrow that Polercareff left lying around in Morioh

Before Bf's stand was awakened, his hair and eyes were brown; however after it manifested, they permanently turned cyan blue (this is a reference to how Giorno's hair turned blonde after Gold Experience awakened)

Rap God would have the same stats and powers as Crazy Diamond (minus its healing powers), with the added bonus of being a sentient stand; he would also use he/it's pronouns cuz I think stands that use gendered pronouns are depressingly underrated

Appearance wise, Rap God would look either look like a Star Platinum-ized version of Soul Bf or Cosmic Bf from Super Mario Funkin' minus his demon features (horns, tail, etc)

It's stand cry would be "Fanki" (Japanese word for Funky)

It's punches sound like bass boosted record scratches

Bf would be besto friendos with Josuke and Okuyasu (he hangs out with them after the events of DIU)

Bf would join the Crusaders during their trip to Egypt cuz he thinks that DIO's a Twilight vampire who's "moody" and "emo" like Edward Cullen (spoiler warning: he's not)

Bf's the only person besides Kakyoin to remember the Mannish Boy/Death 13 arc cuz he was smart enough to activate Rap God before falling asleep; he only told Kakyoin that he knew about his experiences in Death 13's world before the final battle against DIO and The World

Bf would survive the universal reset thanks to the power of himbo

Bf likes to playfully poke fun at Josuke's hair (he doesn't get pummelled into hamburger meat cuz Josuke knows that he isn't intentionally insulting his pomp)

If Gf was present, she would stay in her demon form 24/7 like most of my Gf AU variants, Bf would know that she and her parents are demons, and they would join Jodio's gang mid-way through The Jojolands solely for the purpose of snorting LSD, crack cocaine and other assorted drugs

Epic

[allmyocsarebritish]

Disclosed practice

Pairing: Wednesday X Reader

Warnings(?): Pirhana in pool 👍, first fic I ever wrote :)

A/N: I really need to catch my Tumblr up to my AO3

It was Dalton.

Of course it was; it always was.

The blonde jock and his group of cronies made it their mission to make your days a misery.

You had been minding your own business, retrieving textbooks from your locker for your next lesson, English Literature, when he came sauntering over to you.

A rough tap (more of a whack) on your shoulder made you spin around. You rolled your eyes when met with Dalton's smug smirk.

"Hey, emo freak," He taunted as you leaned against the scarlet door of your locker. He was clearly picking a fight, and knew you wouldn't back down, even if it was blatantly obvious you would lose. You weren't stupid, but you certainly weren't one to submit without giving it your all. And, your scabbed knuckles reminded you that you had a reputation to protect. "Where's your little pig tail friend?"

"She had the sense to leave when she saw your ugly face."

It was a petty remark, truly, but still enough apparently.</p>

Crunch.

Dalton's fist came down on your nose. Hard. It was excruciatingly painful, but there was no way you were going to let him see that.

"Is that all you can do?"

Your studded combat boot kicked him in retaliation. Big mistake, considering your significant size difference, but if you were going to get beat up, you would give him a reason. Despite the pummeling you were actively in receipt of, you weren't scared of Dalton. You weren't weak; you were sure you repaid the damage he caused, just not enough to take down the idiotic athlete. He was a coward, seeking you out so he could feel some kind of power when the fight you raised was practically in vain. He was an imbecile, he never came out unscathed, yet you were always worse off, and evidently that was enough. All brawn with no brain, as Wednesday put it.

Truthfully though, you couldn't really be frightened of anyone, especially not when..

"If you wish to keep your hands, then I would suggest that you keep them to yourself."

Despite the blood spraying out of your nose (in a way that was reminiscent of a sprinkler) you smiled as the ravenette strode over.

"You really think I'm scared of two tiny little emos?" The jock scoffed.

"Do you remember what happened last time we did this dance?" Your girlfriend stared at him, emotionless and unblinking.

Although he was clearly unnerved, for a moment it appeared Dalton was actually going to initiate. Though ultimately his singular, miniscule brain cell decided it wasn't worth the likelihood of death at the hands of Wednesday Addams.

He loudly scoffed and walked away.

Though she did not convey anything outwardly, you knew Wednesday was furious.

"Are you alright, Cara Mia?" She questioned, concern evident in her eyes to you, though to everyone else it would never have been apparent.

How you loved the fact only you could read her emotions.

"I'm even better now you're here." You responded with a dorky smile as she stared at you, unamused.

You weren't weak, she knew you were able to defend yourself to some extent, but there was no way she would ever let some fool hurt you, and moreover, she could tell that the constant physical altercations were taking a toll on you. Bruised under eyes, bloody, red knuckles and cuts all over would have been a delight for her on anyone else, but on you?

No, you were different. And she would have her vengeance on Dalton.

No-one torments Wednesday's girlfriend but her.

That's how she ended up floating eerily yet gracefully down the corridor and into the boy's weekly swimming practice.

"Hey freak, this is a closed practice." Her victim chided, erupting a chorus of snickers.

"No-one torments my friends but me." She announced.

"What friends?" A smart aleck called out, though visibly regretted it when Wednesday revealed her choice of weapon.

She dramatically raised the two bags of piranha before dropping them into the water. The cowardly athletes began to scream and whine, frantically splashing and flailing.

The corners of Wednesday's lips began to rise up as the chlorine filled water stained red with Dalton's blood.

So what if she were expelled. He deserved it for hurting Wednesday's girl.

[zozo-01]

Fragment Friday <3

I was tagged by the lovely @lovelylonerliterature!!! What started this fic? @castleaudios gave me a very interesting tid bit about blood magic and Claire, and I said "you gave me too much power and I will abuse it. >:3" So, without further ado!!!

--

They say that sports teaches kids many valuable lessons. The importance of collaboration. How to lead a group in the face of peril. Making quick decisions on your feet, like deciding on whether or not pummeling that rat on the other team is worth the ejection you’re definitely going to get. For Claire Greene, it taught her how to sprint like hell on a fucked up ankle. (Was she still a Greene? She didn’t know if she ever wanted to hear that name again. But that was for later.) It wasn’t just her ankle that was hurting. Her ribs begged her not to breathe, crying with every short breath she forced down her lungs. She prayed to whatever deity above that the trail of blood she was leaving behind didn’t lead any one on their tail. That was, of course, wishful thinking. Alexander was an excellent hunter, and right now his prey was wounded. At any moment, he’d strike for the kill. On the bright side, her right hand was ok. A questionable statement on its own, but at least she can hold Knight with an iron grip. She had made peace that if she can’t make it out alive, she’d at least save them. On the other hand… Claire didn’t have enough energy to shift. And Knight was too young to fight an Alpha. So if there was a final confrontation, Claire hoped that Alexander would grant her the mercy of a swift death. (She grew up watching TV shows where fathers would do anything for their daughters. He had never been the most affectionate dad, but he would at least grant his daughter’s final wish. Right?)

tagging: @gingerbreadmonsters, @taelonsamada, @autisticempathydaemon, @dominimoonbeam, @ejunkiet, @persephotea, @bratty-telepath, @cashandprizes, @horrorscoupes and you!!! tag me in your shit!!!

[herald-divine-hell]

WIP Wednesday

This piece is a constitution of the WIP uploaded the previous day. some changes were made, but overall I have aided more!

~

Above the withering gray wall of fog, the black walls of Ostwick rose like pillars of night from the snowy earth. The sounds of the seas were in Leliana’s ears—the rumbling groans of the seas as frothy white mauls crashed against its sides, lifting them high and pummeling them down in swift moments near disorienting; the whistling of ropes unlacing and growing taunt; the shouts and beats of sailors as hurried toward this task or that; the hissing of the masts and the cracking of the sails as the winds snapped them full with air. And beyond, the fog combed through the deep blue-gray waters, slow-moving fingers that trailed as lightly as a lover across their beloved’s scars. Absentmindedly, she wondered how many scars did the sea bare? And soon after that—did the stroking touch of the fog aid them in the easing of the hurt?

Perhaps it was happenstance that she had been staring at Amayian’s back when the thought came to her. 

Leliana had found him standing there before the sun slipped a ruddy finger over the horizon and across the waters, his eyes fixated northward as the thin lace of white grew thick and lumbering. The wind had been in his hair, dark wavy curls writhing as the salty air grasped and tugged, flowing like some veil of night speckled with the starlight of sea-spray. The tails of his long black coat danced lightly along the wooden panels of the ship, the sleeves drawn back past his elbows, revealing the white cotton shirt beneath, dabbled with gray from splashing water. A fine embroidery silver latticed across them, in swirling vines blossoming with forked leaves; trailing and lost as they reached the cuffed coat-arms. Standing there, frozen, with only that shifting wind grasping at his hair and his coat, one would think he was a statue with all the shades of living men. 

A thought flitted through her mind, a soft voice she had nearly forgotten. One bounded in warmth and fitted for smiles. The tones dragged scrapping daggers deep across her chest, leaving a burning ache at her heart. He always seemed like a statue, didn’t he? 

Yes, she admitted, the words a long drawl, wary to leave the iron chains confining her mind. Always wanted to draw the first watch. Amayian Trevelyan had already been an eager sort, in actions to say the least. In everything else, well…When it came to words, those seemed lost to him.

The gentle voice chimed, laughing. Remember when we tried to have him tell an Orlesian tale. 

Something close to a twitch tickled the corner of her mouth. Oh, yes. She recalled that one. A poor attempt, in truth. He had all the story-telling ability of a boulder, all stone and solid truths. Zevran had not allowed him to live it down, even if the poor boy had no idea why the ending - And then he died - was a terrible conclusion. There was no fervor in those stories, even if she could tell that he was told the story faithfully - perhaps too faithfully for her taste, but it was an amusing one still. And he had been so quiet then. Shy was not quite the right word. Detached, withdrawn, even dour. But not surly. Unfriendly, but not grumpy or mean-spirited. Perhaps when I teased him a little about a jest that soared well over his head, but there was nothing angry in his voice. Only neat confusion. Always neat, that one.

Leliana was not sure which voices spoke, the Sister or the Nightingale. The tones mangled to one, one fond, the other edged close to hardness. But the memories stirred, quiet at first before rushing like a cliff-climbing wave cast by the sea. Violet and blue skies jeweled in stars; amber flames twirling with the sudden sputters of a racing song; a lanky boy with thick curls that touched the ends of his ears but grew as time went on, almost shaggy. But neatness, despite it all—neatness in his words, in his precise, measured actions, even for a boy of nineteen.  No, Amayian Trevelyan was never mean-spirited, even when warranted. He was not much of anything, to be true—neither happy or sad, angry or shamed. When Leliana dug her fingers deep enough, hints could be caught, dragged slowly out to be examined. Most had been a glimmer of a blush tracing the outlines of faint dark freckles on olive skin, a quietness in the voice when she leaned close and fixed the positioning of his fingers as she taught him how to strum a lyre properly, where to settle it in his grasp, how to hear the wrongness of a certain plucked note. And the blush was the greatest struggle of all not to tease him. Perhaps she had feared that if she did so, he would settle—never cast away—the lyre onto the ground, thank her for the lesson, and pull away from everything Leliana had tried so hard to bring out, and return to the icy greetings that marked his tone when he first joined Enasalin and Ralia and the others. But he never did. He simply took it, knowing or unknowing what the words meant in truth. As if it was to be expected, as if he could ascertain some points that he could use. 

The cold voice traced a dagger along her spine, slow, methodical. To use what? To serve. And when service did finally come, what did he do? He fled, like some coward. There was no mockingness in that tone from the Nightingale—from Leliana’s self—but merely the truth. Amayian had been so…eager…to follow whatever Enasalin or the others gave him requests to be complete. But when Leliana had needed him, truly needed him, she saw for a moment hesitation, and soon after the confusion in that hesitation, in those guileless eyes that were as smooth and clear as glass in a mirror. And then he turned, and ran. Ran from Leliana. Ran from Enasalin. 

Her hand drifted for a moment to her stomach, felt the cold of her chainmail despite the leather gloves, reaching out to her—the grief and the pain of childbirth. Her children. Their children. Born from a foolish moment of weakness, on both of their parts. At times, she wondered if she used him…

Just like Marjolaine. 

Leliana closed her eyes, drew her stomach-resting hand into a fist, and for a moment felt a coil of shame in her heart, clogging her throat. She remembered those nights well enough, the fear in her heart when she saw the bloody ruin of his back from where the dragonling’s claws racked him from near his neck down the length, all torn flesh and pulsing blood, strips of scarlet and peeled pink and white across deep olive skin. She remembered the azure glow of Wynne’s magic, the trickles of sweat crawling down her temple, falling between the deeply creased furrow of her eyebrows. She remembered the shallow breaths of his shoulders and chest, the slickness of his hair drenched in sweat, the small lines as flashes of pain crawled over his features. And the heat. She remembered the heat, worse of all. Living fire was his skin, scorching the palm of Leliana’s skin that she nearly feared her skin would slough off and leave her bones cracked and shattered. For days and nights she sat by his side, offering him to drink, feeding him only the smallest pieces of meat and bread that he could keep down, all while the pain slithered across features, as if a thousand arrows struck him over and over again. 

But in time, the pain receded and the strength returned to him, slowly and surely. A truly slow progress, but progress nevertheless. And I never once left his side. The anger striked out with the hissing snap of a viper. Leliana gave him water to drink and food he could keep down, tiny chunks of bread softened in carrot and vegetable soup, sprinkled with small slivers of meat hunted by Sten—and Sten had seemed more determined than in any hunt to find something for him to eat. The softie. Still, she stayed by his side, when only fears could give her comfort as no other words could. 

And how angry she had been when she had awoken one night to see him sitting up from his bed roll, staring down at her with those quiet fiery eyes, a warm copper, the soft fire of a hearth within the white storm of winter. And he had apologized for waking her, and that her nose crinkled and she would release a small whenever he shifted away from her cuddles. And though anger stirred twisted in her heart, relief swarmed her limbs like swelling streams of music, light and warm and leaping. And my arms had wrapped around him. Words were spoken too, bitter and cracking with the lingering fear scratching at her throat and wettening her eyes. But Leliana could not recall the exact words, all gray blurs and distant murmurs in her mind. The only thing she could recall, between those long stretches of mist, was her lips against his face, leaving countless kisses upon his skin, and his questions of, “Were you harmed?”

Always concerned for others, she thought, lips thinning even as a flicker of a smile threatened to break across her face. And when I asked if he was okay, all that concern melted out of him, filled with excuses. That the wounds would heal—they always do. Or the pain has receded to a small thrumming along his back, but he can still fight if need be. Whatever was required for us. But never for him. And still, he drew her in, and things sped beyond either of their controls, fueled by the worries in their hearts. He had been unaware, inexperienced, but always ready to learn. Whenever there was a task ahead, all things were fixated upon that alone. And it had Amayian who pressed eagerly against her body, slipping Leliana slipped on his lap, cradling his face in her hands, rubbing at the line of his cheekbones, capturing the sculpture of his features with her fingers and palms. And she recalled his words, slicing like an arrow piercing the air, unlike any other. Allow me to ease your worry. 

[infoglitch]

Branded Dogma

Page 3

Previous

Next

Emilia and shrigg stared each other down as Emilia prepared her sword with shrigg disrobing revealing a black shirt, dark blue coat that had the wings attached to it, and lastly wearing black pants with metal boots that took the form of a raven's talons. He reached behind him before taking out his two short swords as blue flames enveloped them.

“I advise you to walk away, Emilia. I'm not going to go easy on you just because of the past.” Shrigg said calmly as emilia rushed towards him as she rears back her blade before slashing across only to be stopped by shriggs short swords with him kicking her away sending her back.

Emilia had caught herself before seeing shrigg about to slash her, her sword disappeared as she rolled out of the way as she formed a shield around her arm along with a much smaller dagger.

Shrigg wasted no time as he turned and kicked towards Emilia only to meet her shield which blocked the hit. Emilia lowered the shield as she hit his leg with the pummel of the knife only to hear a click as she looked at him as her face went pale. “Shrigg… don't tell me-” emilia spoke before being met with the pummel of shriggs short sword into her forehead which knocked her out.

Shrigg watched as Emilia was about to hit the floor before he caught her as his face displayed a softer expression, a small smile on his face. “you always were the one to worry about Injuries. Rest Emilia.” Shrigg said as he placed her down softly before taking out his mask and putting it back on. He walked away as he grabbed his robe with him putting it back on.

Roze panted heavily as she and Tate stared at the Lyonius in front of them as she danced happily with her pumping the air with her normal fists and her giant mechanical fist.

“This brat Is mopping the floor with us” Tate said, his voice breathy as he noticed Roze was clutching her fist as Kathy soon stopped dancing as she looked at the two beaming with a smile from ear to ear.

“This is great! The boss is gonna be so happy I'm doing well in my first mission! OOOOH big sis I hope you're watching because I am so STOKED!” Kathy shouted as she raised her fists to the sky with her eyes sparkling.

Tate and Roze looked at her confused before Tate had an idea as a huge stupid grin appeared on his face as he stood up before shouting to the top of his lungs with his fists raised high.

“UTA MI MI!” he shouted as he and Kathy looked at each other both having a large grin as their eyes gleamed. Roze face palmed yet it was blocked by her helmet. She knew what would happen.

Meanwhile Carol watched through a window as she looked at the fight her tail swishing back and forth as she watched Tate. “He's such a fool… Emilia, if you keep your promise, I'll personally thank you.” She said as she watch Tate run towards Kathy as he reeled back the fist wielding the gauntlet as Kathy prepared her mechanical fist before the two clashed.

Ryuga sat in his cell as he closed his eyes and listened to the silence. He soon heard the door open and when he opened his eyes he saw a strange man, a man with faded golden hair, and his azure eyes staring at him.

“You're a new face.” Shrigg spoke as Ryuga Stared at him before standing as the chains that bound him clinked about. “May I ask for your name?” Ryuga asked as Shrigg and him stared each other down.

“Shrigg modius. I'm the leader of the brigade. And you just so happen to be?” Shrigg questioned as Ryuga took a moment before breathing in and then exhaling. “For now I'm Ryuga… say you wouldn't happen to be related to the masked man would you?” Ryuga answered before giving his own question as Shrigg grumbled softly before nodding.

“Yes, father modius is my father.. we aren't exactly on good terms.” Shrigg spoke as Ryuga nodded.

“So, Shrigg, why are you here in the prison of all places?” Ryuga asked as Shrigg looked at him closely. “I'm looking for one of my own. He's a a Reguliser, his name is Walker. White fur, he probably came in with a muzzle forced on him.” Shrigg answered as Ryuga scratched his chin before shaking his head. “I've only been here since today, I haven't seen anyone like that.” Ryuga answered as Shrigg sighed before nodding.

Suddenly a growl was heard as a guard was thrown against the wall as both looked at the sight as Shrigg smirked under his mask.

We soon see a burly large white Reguliser as he ripped off the muzzle covering his snout as he wore a dark blue coat and ripped white pants as he left his bare chest covered in his white fur with only a large gash across it being the only other thing visible, he clenched his fists as he wore fingerless gloves.

“Stupid dragmati punks. I thought you had enough dignity to not muzzle me. Guess not.” The Reguliser spoke before adjusting his gloves. He turned to look as he heard a snicker with the Regulisers eyes widen as he saw Shrigg.

“Boss! Didn't expect to see you.” The Reguliser said as he stood tall in front of Shrigg with Shrigg taking off his mask.

“Glad to see you're still you Walker” Shrigg spoke as his face softened before the Reguliser took notice of Ryuga as he peered towards him.

“You’re the bloke that crashed just in front of the damn church aren't ya mate?” Walker questioned as Ryuga nodded with Shrigg looking at the Draknian with curiosity.

“You attacked the church?” Shrigg questioned as Ryuga looked at him slightly confused but more so annoyed. “Correction, they attacked me, I simply fought in self defense.” Ryuga answered as Walker chuckled softly. “Well your “self-defense” must have been one tough defense, heard you got knocked out by four of the priests. That's no easy feat. “ Walker added as Ryuga looked at him curiously.

Ryuga was about to ask a question before Kathy stumbles down the stairs before landing with a “OOMF” as Walker walked up to her before picking her up.

“You good lass? I don't need to call ye sister , do I?” Walker asked as Kathy was still dazed as small yellow bird appeared in her vision as they flew circles around her head. “B-birdies.. pretty birdies” Kathy mumbled as Shrigg frowned before putting his mask on.

“Walker, you take Kathy out of here. I'll back you up, oh and we’re bringing the lizard.” Shrigg spoke as Walker looked at him before turning to Ryuga with both raising an eyebrow.

“Just do it already!” Shrigg ordered as walker nodded before turning to the cell gate as he put down Kathy, he soon began picking the lock to the cell with his claw.

“Wait, don't unlock it!” Ryuga exclaimed as Shrigg and Walker looked at him confused. “Look I have something I need to do, I need answers and the person who has them is this father modius, I can't go with you.” Ryuga said as Walker and Shrigg looked at each other before looking at Ryuga. Shrigg sighed as Walker took out his claw and picked up Kathy, the three ran up the stairs with Ryuga simply watching before sighing, hoping he didn't just make the biggest mistake of his life.

Emilia stirred awake as she felt someone grab her shoulders before shaking her awake. “Emilia! Emilia get up!” A voice called as she soon opened her eyes to Roze and Tate were above her as Roze was knelt down and clutching Emilias shoulders.

“R-roze.. what are you doing? W-where… where's Shrigg?!” Emilia shouted the last part as her eyes went wide before she shot up as she looked around.

“Shriggs gone… same with his teammate and one of the prisoners.” Roze spoke as she scowled at herself with Emilia sighing. She stood up and dusted herself.

“I'm gonna check to see who they busted out.” Emilia spoke as Roze and Tate looked at her before nodding. Emilia headed towards the prison as her mind raced with thoughts of who got broken out, or if Ryuga got freed-

Ryuga. Why was he of all prisoners one of the first thoughts she had? Maybe recency bias, or the fact he was able to nearly defeat her, Roze, Tate, and Alexander. Regardless he was- to her- a point of concern.

She soon descended the stair case and to her surprise Ryuga was still in his cell as his eyes focused on her. He raised a hand as he waved at her.

“Your.. still here in your cell?” Emilia questioned as she walked up to Ryuga’s cell. With Ryuga simply nodding.

“Had a nice chat with Shrigg, he seems like a good man.” Ryuga added as Emilia sighed softly before nodding in agreement. “He.. he is.. even if he did turn his back on the church he's never really tried killing or gravely injuring one of us” Emilia replied as she softly clutched her shoulders.

“You seem… uncomfortable. May I ask why?” Ryuga questioned softly as emilia looked at him before sitting down as the two looked at eachother, the only thing keeping them separated was the cell holding Ryuga.

“I don't know why but Everything is just spiraling out of control now. You landing in ashcadia, shrigg and the brigade attacking, for all I know we could be invaded by aliens.” Emilia spoke putting her head in her hands as Ryuga nodded and looked at her.

“I can agree. I don't have my memories, I am imprisoned, and I have no idea what to do now… theres just a lose of control.. but I guess that's to be expected” Ryuga replied as Emilia looked at him.

“Life can't be controlled… even if we want everything to go as planned.. It just won't… and that can be-” “terrifying.” Emilia interrupted the Draknian as he nodded in agreement.

Emilia and Ryuga sat there. Taking in eachothers presence with Ryuga soon breaking the silence. “Id hope once I'm free I can help you” he spoke as Emilia smiled at him. Emilia soon stood up and dusted herself off.

“Well it won't be long. All I need to do is explain this whole situation to father modius-” Emilia spoke before she was interrupted to father modius- clearing his throat. His eyes peering through his mask. Emilia immediately faced him and stood to attention.

“Father modius, I didn't hear you come in.” Emilia said as father modius raised a open hand as Emilia eased a bit. “Emilia, I need to ask you to do me a favor.” Father modius spoke as Emilia.

“Whatever you require father modius, I will try my best.” Emilia replied her voice filling with enthusiasm. “i require you to execute this Draknian” father modius gestured to Ryuga as Emilia soon lost that enthusiasm with Ryuga looking at father modius confused and angry, with him standing up.

“Father modius. With all due respect.. I can't kill him, he didn't intend on attacking, he's suffering from amnesia, he doesn't even know his name.” Emilia spoke trying to sound calm as father modius just looked at her before sighing. “Emilia dear, this Draknian is a danger, and with the brigades attack and freeing of their ally, who knows if they have struck up a deal with this Draknian. He needs to be executed… before he can hurt anyone else” father modius reasoned as Ryuga was about to speak before Emilia interrupted him.

“No! He's a innocent, he didn't intend on harming us, and if he wanted to escape with them shrigg would have let him join them. He chose to stay here, he's not a danger” Emilia countered as father modius grumbled.

“He is a still a danger. Whether he wanted to attack or not, it took four out of ten battle priests to defeat him, and you four barely beat him! He can't be allowed to be here or even live knowing he could just attack at will.. I'm sorry my dear but this Draknian needs to die.” Father modius spoke as Emilia just looked at him. Before her sigil glowed as her great sword formed in her hand. Her eyes glow before pointing the sword at father modius.

“I'm not going to kill someone just because there is a chance of them being a threat. I was taught that by YOU.” Emilia spoke harshly as father modius raised his hands up. “Emilia you aren't thinking straight-” father modius was cut off as the sound of shackles breaking were heard as Ryuga had broken before ripping the cell bars off the hinges. He proceeded to grab Emilia and transform into his dragon form before he barreled through the prison and past father modius.

“R-ryuga what are you doing?!” Emilia shouted as Ryuga had her held between her claws before placing her on his back.

“I'm sorry Emilia, but that man.. that man is wrong in the head” Ryuga replied as he soon burst through a window, his wings shielding Emilia. Once through Ryuga opened his wings and started flying. As Emilia looked back at her once home.

(End of “Branded Dogma” page 3)

[the-dragon-hearted]

Brainstorming on the Tartaros Arc rn for The Dragon Father rewrite, and you see, I'm torn. So, to fix this problem, I'm going to word vomit here and see if anyone has an opinion

For those who've forgotten or don't know, the Tartaros Arc in Fairy Tail is the arc, at least for me, where shit goes down and does not come back up. I've always viewed it as the coming-of-age arc, every single main character has a moment where they are forced to lose something representing their childhood or innocence.

AND in what I would call the midpoint of the Tartaros arc, while everyone is fighting up in the cube (to rescue Erza/stop FACE/sweet revenge/all that jazz) Mard Geer casts the curse "Alegria" which turns the floating Minecraft block into Plutogrim (who may or may not be a demon/sentient entity). ANYWAY -

Turning a Minecraft block into a sentient being also makes the cube's weird immune system come into play. It traps everyone in this fleshy eldritch-horror goop that suspends them in a timeless state. Everyone except Lucy - but that's for later.

Now! I have two very compelling options for how Acnologia is thrown into this and they sort of shift the story I'd have to tell.

Option 1 - Acnologia is not present at the cube at this time, he's flown off to go help destroy Face (which matches up with the timeline because this curse happens right around Wendy's dragon force reveal in canon). This could be paired with a cool Wendy-Acno bonding experience, maybe a little dragon force action, idk -

Pros:

I don't have to try to balance Acnologia's insane power level for the 17,000th time

I set it up pretty early that Acnologia is SO goddamn ready to take Face out. This could be the payout

He could sense shit goes down when the Celestial King gets summoned because he's that guy

A very cute father-daughter moment with him and Wendy as he finds out that she already started destroy face before he got there and has unlocked her Dragon Force. Little flying bonding moment ya know?

Cons:

The majority of the story is written from Acnologia's perspective so I would either have to completely ignore everything happening over there (which IS technically already explained it canon, kind of) or would switch to Lucy's POV

Acnologia can destroy Face in like 3 minutes, cause he's that guy, so we're back to square one with wtf am I supposed to do with this guy's power level

Option 2 - Acnologia IS present, and gets caught in the goop, which limits his transformation and magic.

Now, Option 2 has two fun subcategories I've lovingly named "Acnologia kicks ass" and "Acnologia is very upset he cannot kick ass"

Acnologia kicks ass - The Dragon King does not need magic or his dragon form to pummel the absolute shit out of Mard-Geer. It's time for Regular Human Acnologia to shine for a whole 500 words and 300 punches.

Acnologia is very upset he cannot kick ass - he gets stuck in his Dragon form (possible trauma~) and is so completely normal about it that he uses his wings to crash Plutogrim into the dirt because Gods Help him if he is trapped in Dragon Form he will make it everyone else' problems.

Pros:

Hilarious inner monologue as Acnologia is trapped and fed up with this shit

Mard Geer gets insanely humbled real fast

Acnologia gets to witness Lucy summon the Celestial Spirit King, which could lead to him acknowledging her as Anna's successor (not that this is a huge divide between them but could be a cool moment)

Cons:

Power scaling. Always the fucking power scaling. How do I justify trapping the literal Dragon King without nerfing him into the ground? I can buff Plutogrim, make it a demon with ethernanos capabilities backed into its flesh which is why if you get caught you can't expend any magic to escape - but even THEN like - This is ACNOLOGIA, the boy's CRACKED

It takes the spotlight away from Lucy's moment and Aquarius' sacrifice - but gives Lucy someone who understands the significance of what happened to her.

Anyway, that's where my brain's at rn for The Dragon Father. And no, I'm not writing the Tartaros arc at the moment - I haven't even gotten to the Tower of Heaven arc, but like I gotta start brainstorming ya know??

[the-clawtake]

When Jehan came aboard the Aklak he was unsurprised to discover the Elementals were sparring. They had formed a Bearpit in the center of the cavernous Mech Bay, a loose ring with two Fighters in the middle. Whoever won would stay in the center, whoever lost, would join the tail end of the circle and the next person in line would step in.

He approved. With what faced them on Helios, his troops needed to be at their best, and a Bearpit not only tested skill but also stamina. There were few warriors who could make their way around the full circle without a defeat, and some of those few were in the bay below him.

As he descended to the deck, he waved off attention with an order of "As you were." Scanning the circle, he found the shock of teal hair he was looking for. Good. She was not fighting.

"Point Commander Evelyn. A word." He waved the huge Elemental over. The Freeborn daughter of test-out Elementals, she had made a career as a footballer on Sheliak before he had caught one of her games during a layover on the planet.

Her no-holds barred style (and several penalties for excessive force) had caused him to offer her a Trial of Position on the spot. Despite her promotions since, she retained the flamboyant style that had made her popular on the field.

The pair withdrew from the center of the chamber, setting their backs against the legs of a Dragonfly.

"I have an assignment for you, Evelyn." He started, and she nodded. "You and your Point will not be going into battle with the Striker Nova." He raised a hand to still the inevitable protest.

"Instead, your point, and Point Commander Eirik's, are going to be detached. To the Apitiliit. We expect the Word to deploy WMDs. You and your Elementals will provide security for our quick response decon teams."

"But Star Colonel!" Evelyn's voice was stringent, and carefully pitched not to carry to the Bearpit - an easy feat given the continued sounds of unarmed combat. "Why us? We have no recent demerits, and scored highest in the recent exercises."

"Exactly, Evelyn. The Word are dezgra. Fellow Clanners would not think of attacking support staff who were not part of the Batchall. Even most Spheroid warriors would avoid attacking such a target without provocation. But the Word of Blake would attack such a target in preference to one capable of striking back."

She let out a slight hum, thinking.

"So. This assignment is not to keep us out of combat but because you expect us to be needed, quiaff?"

"Aff. If you can impress this on your warriors, and on Eiriks, I would be grateful. This fight will be hard enough without us jockeying for position and fighting amongst ourselves. There will be glory enough for all of us."

"Very well. When shall we transfer dropships?" Evelyn asked, all business now that her biggest concern had been cleared up.

"I believe there is to be some shuffling of equipment and transfer of personnel and vehicles. Once that is complete, then you may move your Points over. You will be commanding the Clawtake ground assets, but be sure to liaise with your Technicans and with the Star League personnel who will be accompying you."

"Aff. Will that be all?" She asked, and Jehan nodded.

"Go on back to your Bearpit, ruffian." He told her fondly, and then paused. "Actually, is there room for one more?"

He would get absolutely pummeled, but it would be good for morale, and a good brawl would help ease the tension of all this organizing. And his Elementals could be trusted not to break their commanding officer. Probably.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Into The Wild - Prologue

Nutmeg groaned as labor pains shot through her. She knew she was having a large litter, but she certainly wished the kits would stop taking their time! Her tiny kittens that had already been born were being lovingly cleaned by her owners.

"Tommy." One of them said, holding her oldest, a tiny brown tom with white paws. "Luna, and Filou." They spoke softly, holding a small pair. Luna was a brown and ginger molly, with Filou being pale ginger, not unlike his father, Jake.

Another shudder, another kit either Nutmeg was losing her mind or this was getting tad easier. An owner scooped it up gently and cleaned it after she set Filou and Luna at Nutmeg's belly beside Tommy. "Another girl... So precious..." The owner cooed. A tiny pale brown tabby molly with a white chest and white paws. "Princess." They named her.

Suddenly, Nutmeg's vision went dark as the pains intensified. What's going on? She thought as her eyes closed. Scents of the outside world flooded in, as if the forest that lay beyond her garden was all around her.

There, stood tall and proud on a high rock, fur looking like a brand of silvery fire in the light of the full moon, was... Her son? Nutmeg felt a strong pull to the tom. Yes, he had to be her son. His flame coloured coat, so vibrant against to darkness like a real flame, his head held high with shining green eyes that held warmth, trust and gentleness... Nutmeg called out to him. "Son? Little one? It's me, your mother!" She called out, over and over, but he was too far away, he couldn't hear a thing she said...

...

"It's okay, Nutmeg, all done... So good, kitty." Her owners rubbed her side gently, and placed the final kitten down. She hadn't even realized she had given birth to another. Her eyes widened when she saw the tiny tom, his fur the colour of a bright flame. Her heart ached as she bent her neck to lick at him, hoping that he was alright.

Please let him be okay...

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

The light of the half moon shone down on the smooth boulders, turning them silver. The night quiet was only broken by the whispering ripple of water from the calm, dark river, and the gentle rustle of leaves from the forest around.

Movement stirred in the shadows. From all around the boulders, lithe, dark shapes moved slowly over the rocks, the forest air was charged with tension. Unsheathed claws glinted bright in the moonlight.

Pale amber eyes flashed with wariness. With the flick of a tail, they all leapt at one another, the silver rocks turning to a swarm of screeching, wrestling cats.

At the center of the swarm, around the frenzied claws, a massive dark brown tabby had a dark reddish-brown tom pinned to the stones. He raised his head in triumph.

"I didn't realize you were an idiot, Oakheart!" The tabby snarled down. "How dare you hunt on our territory?! Sunningrocks belongs to Thunderclan!"

"After tonight, Tigerclaw," Oakheart spat, "this will be Riverclan's land to hunt on as we please!"

A yowl of warning sounded from the shore, shrill and full of anxiety. "Look out! More Riverclan warriors! They're coming!"

Tigerclaw turned and watched as the Riverclan cats sliding out of the water silently onto the rocks. The sleek, drenched cats bounded silently up to the shore hurled themselves into the fray without stopping even for a moment to shake the water out of their fur.

Tigerclaw glared down at Oakheart. "You may swim like otters, but you and your fish breathed warriors don't belong in this forest!" He curled his lips and and showed his teeth as Oakheart struggled beneath him.

A frightened scream from a Thunderclan molly distracted him. A wiry RiverClan molly had pinned his clanmate flat on her belly, pummeling her flanks with their back feet. The wiry molly, Emberdawn, now lunged toward her neck with jaws wide open, still dripping with cold river water.

Tigerclaw made his choice, and let Oakheart go. With a powerful leap, he knocked the enemy warrior off of his brown tabby clanmate. "Quickly, Mousefur, get out of here!" He ordered, before turning on the Riverclan cat who'd been attacking her.

Mousefur scrambled onto her feet and dashed off, wincing from the wounds on her flanks and the gash on her shoulder.

Behind her, Tigerclaw was spitting fury as the Riverclan molly sliced the bridge of his nose open. His own blood blinded him for an instant, but he still pushed forward, sinking his into her leg. Emberdawn squealed loudly, and struggled away, fleeing into the river.

"Tigerclaw!" A yowl came from his left, from a tom with a bushy red tail. "This is useless, there's just too many Riverclan warriors!"

"No, Redtail! I refuse!" Tigerclaw snapped at him, batting away a blue-gray tom and clawing his ear. "Thunderclan doesn't lose, we won't be beaten!" He jumped over to Redtail's side. Blood was dribbling down his large, scarred muzzle and he shook his head in anger, scattering the drops onto the silver rocks. "This is our territory! You-"

"Thunderclan honours your courage, Tigerclaw, but we cannot lose warriors over this." Redtail urged, his amber eyes desperate. "Bluestar wouldn't ever expect us to fight against these impossible odds. You'll get your chance, we will avenge this defeat." He met Tigerclaw’s gaze steadily for a heartbeat before Redtail reared away and leaped effortlessly onto a further boulder at the edge of the trees.

"Thunderclan! Retreat!" Redtail yowled out. The rest of Thunderclan struggled free from their opponents, spitting and hissing as they backed away to stand with Redtail. The Riverclan cats looked confused as they watched, victory was not usually achieved this easily. Oakheart broke the silence with a victory yowl.

Only moments after, the rest of the Riverclan warriors joined him, caterwauling their victory over the highly contested Sunningrocks.

His gaze sympathetic, Redtail flicked his paw outwards, signaling for everyone to head back. The defeated Thunderclan warriors slunk back into trees and shadows away from Sunningrocks.

Tigerclaw followed last, rage burning inside him as he glances back over at the bloody rocks and smug Riverclan cats, his pupils narrowed into slits. With a deep growl, he followed his clan back into the silent forest.

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

In a sandy ravine clearing, a blue-gray molly stared up at the half moon. All around her, was the comforting sounds of sleeping cats, breathing softly and snoring, with the occasional sleepy stretch as a cat rolled over in their nest.

A small tortoiseshell padded up towards her, her footsteps silent on the soft ground.

The blue-gray molly dipped her head in greeting. "How is Mousefur doing?"

"Her wounds are deep, but nothing she can't bounce back from. She'll be quite happy when they scar over, Mousefur always said she wanted some battle scars." She answered, but added in a more soothing tone, "She's okay, Bluestar. She's young, and strong, she'll heal quickly."

"And the others?"

"They'll all recover too."

Bluestar let out a sigh she didn't know she'd been holding in. "We're lucky to not have lost any warriors, this time. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf, though this many patients cannot be easy for any cat..." She tilted her head again, studying the stars.

"Are you alright, Bluestar? What's on your mind?" Spottedleaf asked, nudging the leader with her paw.

"I am deeply troubled by our defeat, tonight. Thunderclan has not lost a battle on its own territory since I became its leader." Bluestar murmured. "These have been difficult times for our clan. Newleaf is late, fewer kits have been born, and these warriors aren't getting any younger... Thunderclan needs fresh blood if it is to survive."

"Remember though, the year is only just beginning." Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. "More kits will come in Greenleaf, I can feel it."

Bluestar tilted her head, watching the stars glitter silently above. "Perhaps. But training young cats into warriors takes time. It can't be rushed, but if Thunderclan is to defend its borders, it must have new warriors..."

"Looking to Starclan for answers?" Mewed Spottedleaf, following Bluestar's line of sight up into the darkness, towards the great swath of stars twinkling above.

"In times like this, all we can do is ask our ancestors for their wisdom." Bluestar replied. "Have Starclan spoken to you at all?"

"Not for some moons, Bluestar." Spottedleaf admitted, but just as she was about to hang her head and sigh, a shooting star blazed through the sky. Spottedleaf's tail twitched and the fur along her spine bristled as her body went rigid, her mouth open and eyes wide.

Bluestar's ears pricked and her icy blue eyes widened in fright, but she remained still as Spottedleaf's dark amber eyes continued to stare at the shooting star.

After a few minutes, Spottedleaf stood up and turned her head towards Bluestar. "That was a message from Starclan." A distant look swept over the smaller molly. "Fire alone can save our Clan."

Bluestar narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Fire? Fire..." She echoed, before shaking her head. "Fire is feared by all cats! How could it save us?"

Spottedleaf tilted her head in thought. "That I don't know." She admitted. "But that was the message Starclan have chosen to give to me."

The Thunderclan leader took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the young medicine cat. "You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf." She mewed, calming her own nerves. "If Starclan have spoken, it must be so. Fire will save our Clan."

[pico-digital-studios]

#ask the blur gang

How do you feel about cartoons where it's main character is just a ruthless maniac? I mean, Mr. NM and Bugs at one point shot someone at a Opera for coughing too much during they're seperate performance.

Neither of them regret it

OMT!Tails: Okay! Here's our second question from @mcgamejolter!

EX!Alice: He must've heard about the new "three-questions-per-user" rule going on.

OMT!Tails: Yep! Anyways... "How do you feel about cartoons where its main character is just a ruthless maniac? I mean, Mr. NM and Bugs at one point shot someone at an Opera for coughing too much during their separate performances. Neither of them regret it." I mean, I don't mind it all that much as long as they remain a good person deep down.

CR!Sonic: Well said, buddy.

Nitro: And even then, I'd say they got to know when it's time to know when to throw in the towel and get out of a nasty situation. Yes, Bugs bit off a bit more than he could chew with the hound race shenanigan but still emerged victorious, though after Daffy made that genie angry, there was no way in heck he was gonna stick around in that treasure cave.

D-Sides Mighty: Speaking of... Mr. Needlemouse hasn't come back just yet from the last question. Cindy must've definitely got him bang to rights.

Nitro: She told me before he's busy trying to draw himself a fresh set of privates after getting squirted right there with toxic cartoon-killing dip.

Nine: Heh. Knowing him, if he was here for this question, he'd be like "Oh, I could pummel a genie of a lamp with no difficulty whatsoever! TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!"

OMT!Mina: Pft! And risk a few days being shrunk to the size of a pearl in a clam? That would hinder his luck a bit.

CU!Sonia: Close sesame!

CU!Sonia, CR!Sonia and CR!Manik laughed together at that one.

EX!Alice: On the topic of cartoons, did we tell some of you guys about Toontopia before?

CR!Sonic: Go on, Alice. Please tell us.

EX!Alice: It's what was once Toontown and is a home for MANY hand-drawn cartoons, including the Looney Tunes crew and Mickey's gang. Over on their end, Mickey and his friends left Disney behind after... one too many mishappenings on Disney's behalf.

Pana: You're telling me. What's with all that live action stuff tryin' to act superior to the cartoons?

BK!Amy: Oh? Pana!

OMT!Tails: How and when did you get here?

Pana: You, er, left the door open upstairs, Tails. I just got inside.

OMT!Tails: Ah, fair.

CR!Sonic: So what's Toontopia like?

OMT!Mina: Me and Tails went on vacation there a couple of months before Crimtake's strike, and it's a really colourful and lively place to be in.

Nitro: Heh, you said it! Me, Amelia and Melanie stayed over there for some time as well, and I got to gathering some other Disney companions over to Mickey's freshly-built Disney World area. Heh, Ethan must've been gushing when I managed to invite WALL-E and EVE over.

D-Sides Mighty: Wait, Melanie?

OMT!Tails: That's your new boyfriend, right?

Nitro: Heh, yep! Trust me; I made his abusive precursors suffer for their misdeeds big time. Well, except one, who's got the least worst punishment and just wanders in mirrors.

Mini Sonic: Hmm. So that's why I saw a little girl looking back at me through a mirror the other day. At least she didn't creep me out.

CR!Manik: And to be fair, it at least gave me not paranoia, but the comfort that I'm never really alone in life.

OMT!Tails: I'm gonna go see what we can do about her after getting her out of the mirror prison. In the meantime, thanks for the question, MCStudio!

[danpuff-ao3]

I'm afraid to inform you all that Megs (@greenmegsnoham) is not a human person, but a m a c h i n e.

Just kidding, but you probably believed me for a second there. What Megs actually is is the pure personification of Virgo, running laps around the rest of us mere mortals.

This lady writes fic, records podfic, records a podcast, makes art, runs various Discord servers, runs various fandom fests, and somehow finds the time to read and comment?? She is super openminded and openhearted. She is encouraging to others. She is creative, hilarious, and helpful. All of this in fandom spaces alone, but she also has like...a real life?? Outside of this?? How, though?

And even though real life has been kicking her tail of late, she was still making stuff happen????

Not to mention, my first podcast I was featured on was because of Megs reaching out to me! And her presence in the same episode helped me stay calm and sane. We've done multiple episodes together on both Snape Chat and her own podcast, Care of Magical Shippers. She is such a blast to chat with, and listen to. And I have to credit her big time with me opening up to new opportunities and trying new things, however scary they were. And her always being such a rock through it all.

And I'm not the only person she's positively impacted. The communities she's built have been so important for so many people, making connections and building friendships and finding support and encouragement, from people all across the HP fandom. And other fandoms, now! Multi-shipper, multi-fandom, multi-talented QUEEN.)

Anyway, Megs is a big ole rockstar and I love her to death.

Fics

Exceeds Expectations

James/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 12,000. Underage. Crack treated seriously. Minor Jegulus. Minor Snegulus. Himbo James. Size difference. Enemies to lovers. Love/hate. Jealousy. Top/bottom stereotypes. Light dom/sub. Call Me Daddy Fest 2023.

No one understood.

Yes, James was tall, fit, and a Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was handsome and extremely popular, it was just always the wrong sort of attention he desired. He knew he gave off those fuckboy vibes. One look at James, and he was clearly ready to pummel them into the ground. And that's precisely what he did, again and again, but it wasn't enough. It never would be. No one looked at James and thought, 'Damn, I'd love to wreck that arse.'

Once. Just once. Was that too much to bloody ask?!

OR

James Potter just wants to be bred.

Wait For Me

Albus Severus/Draco. Rated: E. Words: 85,000. Underage. Unrequited love. Denial of feelings. Mutual pining. Slow burn. Time skips. Secret relationship. Drama & romance. Past relationships. Background relationships. Some Drarry, endgame Dralbus. Next Gen Fest 2022.

Draco had always believed that Harry had been the one that got away. His one great love—his best friend. He had tried to let go, to find that love in another. But he had failed. He'd accepted his fate—if he couldn't have Harry in that way, just having Harry in his life could be enough. 

Despite his unrequited love, Draco’s life had changed for the better in so many ways. But nothing had changed him more than holding Harry's son in his arms—darling little Albus. That day, he became the most important person in the world to Draco. 

Watching the boy grow into the brilliant and determined young man had been a treasure, as tumultuous as it was. Be it teenage angst or failed relationships, Draco had always been there to pick up the pieces for his boy. 

Even when his feelings took a turn for the unexpected, Draco wouldn't trade their journey for the world. 

Not when his great love had been there all along—waiting for him.

OR

30 years of thirsty pining for a Potter.

Worship Thy Master

Tom/Abraxas. Tom/Avery. Tom/Mulciber. Tom/Lestrange. Tom/Nott. Tom/Rosier. Underage. Pillow princess Tom. Body worship. Denial of feelings. Slither In Fest 2022.

It's their last year at Hogwarts, and everyone is tense about passing their N.E.W.T.s. Tom isn't, and he has an excellent idea as to how he can help his fellow year mates destress.

OR

Tom gets ALLS the dick and refuses to fall in love. Because he's Tom.

Podcast

Care of Magical Shippers (Host)

Ep. 13 | Snotterly (James/Lily/Severus)

Ep 30 | Fleurmione (Fleur/Hermione)

Ep 35 | Snaco (Draco/Severus)

Snape Chat (Guest)

Ep 5 | Cokeworth

Ep 7 | Snape Lives!

ProtegoCast (Guest)

S3E3 | Vegan Dating and Relationships

Podfics

For You

written by bisexualronaldweasley, narrated by Megs. Draco/Harry. Rated: T. Length: 2 minutes. Angst. Hurt/comfort. Loneliness. Blood & injury.

It was the stack of newspapers shoved against the front door. It was the stove, cold and forgotten. It was the creaks of the old house. It was the unused Floo powder, sitting in jars on the mantle. It was the Owls that took off every day and never returned with replies. 

One week without him, and you were ruined.

Don't Fuck With Florists (They'll Fuck You Up)

written by MayMarlow, narrated by Megs. Harry/Tom. Rated: T. WIP. Time travel. Fix it fic.

Unsatisfied with his post-war life, Harry decides to get to the root of all of his problems when that root was still working at Borgin and Burkes shop in the late 40s. He’s the Master of Death, damn it, he can do what he wants for once in his life.

Tom Riddle isn’t particularly happy about working at a small, dingy shop for magical artefacts, no matter how interesting those artefacts are. He’s even less happy when an insufferable stranger sets up the most obnoxious flower shop right across the street.

What follows would be a romantic comedy, if it weren’t for politics.

for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.