#Sphinx can’t change color

[catparty41]

Flightless birds

[inventors-fair]

Alone In The Big City Commentary

Hello everyone, @loreholdlesbian​ here again. I’m back with the commentary for the last contest I ran, the monocolored Ravnican legends

Garulsz, Jaded Barkeep by @wolkemesser

Interesting. So you want creatures to be damaged in combat, but survive, which rewards big creatures. And then you have a nice way to make your creatures bigger that ties into the food ability. My worry is just how much this’ll discourage your opponents from attacking. It makes the math really complicated (since you can turn food into +1/+1 counters), and it’ll be frustrating to get it wrong. I think the food-making ability should only work on your turn.

Aurelia and Lavinia by @piccadilly-blue

This is an interesting prison card. I like that it encourages you to attack, so it’s less of a grindy game, though you really only need one or two hits to be a nuisance. I kinda wish it encouraged it more, not using counters. Something like “Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, until your next turn, creatures can’t attack you, planeswalkers you control, or battles you protect unless their controller pays 2/W for each of those creatures.

Zorym, Gateless Courier by @bergdg

Pretty generic, but cool. The mana is definitely a good gate for the consecrated sphinx effect, stops it from getting out of control. I like hexproof from multicolored too, it tells a surprising amount of story, especially combined with the name. It implies some kind of rebellion type thing going on, and I think that kind of flavor is a good addition for a pretty generic value piece like this.

Zomaj Hauc, the Firemind by @misterstingyjack

The spellslinger effect seems a bit disconnected from the threaten tribal, but i guess a lot of those kinds of cards are instants and sorceries so i can see what you’re going for. And i really like the pieces. As a wording thing though, this should be “When this ability resolves for the second time”; there’s weird targeting issues with this as written.

Tomik, Chairman of Balance by @railway-covidae

This is a good kind of land destruction. It takes enough work to drag the game into a stalemate as a 6 mana card that you probably aren’t doing that work unless you’re about to win. And it’s good at taking on ramp decks. I do worry that 6 mana is too much for a hate card to do its job well, but i also worry it gets a bit too armageddony much lower? Not sure.

The Forgotten God by @dimestoretajic

I know you made this as a reference to Priest of the Forgotten Gods and I think making a card for that is a cool place to take this contest. The name throws me off though. The priest refers to gods plural, but having a single god be “the forgotten god” implies they’re the only one which is odd. Giving it the same immortality ability as Ilharg is a good flavorful tie. And onto the mechanics, I do quite like it, though it feels a *little* odd that it only triggers off a nontoken creature’s sacrifice but it cares about all sacrifice including tokens. It’s probbbbably fine though

Ranov, Undercity Scion by @snugz

“This ability triggers only once each turn doesn’t work with an ability like this that has it change zones; it can’t keep track of how many times it triggered before. (And technically it doesn’t trigger at all cause it’s a replacement effect.) More importantly though, I just don’t think this card is exciting. A toned down, safety-netted reference to what used to be a keyword just isn’t enticing in the way a legendary card should be.

Ilharg, the Scarring Flame by @halfsilveredmirror

This is a very mechanically different take on the character from the first iteration, but probably a more fitting one tbh. I really like the mini-decimate effect, this is cool. Pretty brutal though, especially with trample and haste; not hitting creatures is a good call (even if it was just for color pie reasons), it still gives them a chance.

Rev, Guide to the Guildless by @0woah

This fits the spirit of the contest (heh), but technically not the letter. This is a cool way to enable to enable gates matter stuff, though land tokens always have some issues- namely, they’re very easy to mix in with regular lands.

Thessgra, Azorius Legislator by @batatafilosofal

This seems neat. Clearly wants to be in a mill deck, so you want to make sure the payoff works well with that, and I’d say this does. It’s a very defensive card, which makes it easier for you to sit back and mill. I do think this wants a way to enable itself even if not very well.

Suniel, the Woodwise by @nine-effing-hells

Solid design here. Lots of populates are good, but this takes enough investment to do that that it’s not problematic. Is there a reason you chose to forgo reminder text? There’s more than enough room.

Rhakh, Raze-Board Dedicant by @curiooftheheart

“Enters the battlefield attacking” is a neat little flavorful addition to the trigger conditions. The intention clearly seems to be this dying during combat, which I quite like, but I wish the toughness was a little lower tbh. Like 5/3

Fblthp, Adored by @bread-into-toast

Very clearly a MOM or aftermath design, and I quite like it. I’m a little surprised we didn’t see any “Whenever this creature convokes” designs frankly. This card is really limited in its commander purposes by its color identity but not every card needs to be a great commander, and it’s a cool and fitting design all the same.

Storch, the Dead Drop by @spooky-bard

Art description: Deep in the Undercity, a skull and a bony arm are visible breaking the surface of a veritable mountain of rot to be harvested by the Golgari. Beams of light pour forth from its eye sockets, scanning and surveying the area. The glowing Dimir sigil branded onto the skeleton’s forehead makes its allegiance clear.

Surveil synergy plus reanimation is a fun combo of effects. This is minor, but I think this is a bit too color intensive for a ravnica set (and it feels more like a ravnica main set card than a supplemental set card) because it synergizes with a guild mechanic. You want to be able to throw this in with a bunch of surveil cards from the set and many of those are gonna be blue. Like I said though, minor point, and very cool card. The repeatable reanimation is likely a bit problematic though; that’s a pretty cheap reanimate as an activated ability all things considered, and it could get a bit repetitive.

Massacre Girl, Fugitive Headliner by @deg99

Neat design! This is just a solid, black-feeling beatstick. Annoying to block, annoying to kill. I just wish it did a little bit more massacring ya know? Killing generally one creature a turn at most just doesn’t feel like it lives up to the title.

Araithia “Rat” Shokta by @izzet-always-r-versus-u

Fun way to capture her “people don’t think about me deal”. Protection from everything, with a clear window for interacting. Mostly, this is just an invisible stalker that’s hard to suit up which is where Invisible stalker becomes most problematic, so it’s probably fine.

Bori Andon, Izzet Blastseeker by @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes

Art direction: Bori is on the left, with part of the back towards the camera, only the face is fully visible to the viewer. He stands a couple dozens meters away from the Harmony Basilica. Flying towards it (clearly launched by someone) there's a viashino; it's going to hit one of the glass windows. A lot of Ravnican are watching. Some Azorius and Boros members are running towards Bori to stop him.

Having a board wipe on board definitely shouldn’t be instantspeed with no mana needed to activate. That’s a good way to hold your opponents hostage. I also worry about this kind of repeatable board wipe where all you need to do is put a few +1/+1 counters on this or something (which if it’s your commander you’ll definitely build your deck to do) and you can, again, hold your opponents hostage.

Bachasarius, Stage Presences by @little-red-rabbit

Well you forgot legendary lol, but the intention was clearly there. This seems fine, good uncommon legendary design. Simple, points you in a pretty clear direction. Solid, not a ton to say here.

Acorn, Trostani’s Disciple by @squeezyboi

Well firstly, this has the same targeting issues I talked about in another card. (Like, the exact same, with only targeting on certain resolutions of the ability, it’s funny how y’all both did similar things in that regard.) But I like the general shape of the design, with “Play a bunch of creatures and you get a different effect each time”. And the vhitu ghazi token is cool. I just wish it was less cramped to read.

[ghostoftheyear]

Periodically I’m reminded that I still want to do an art book of all my Felid characters (unfortunately it can’t include all of them, as some were made by others whom I can’t contact for various reasons), and that leads to me looking through them all and remembering just how much my art has evolved since 2009, when I started this series. I intended only to do “final” model sheets for everyone, but even then, my art has gone from pen and colored pencil on paper to digital, and at this stage, flipping through a book of all the art would be a fascinating look at how art changes as you keep at it, even if you’re not actively trying. Anyway, here’s a few of them. I still have quite a few left to draw, but maybe someday I’ll get them all done and be able to put some kind of publication together. Long-term goal, anyway.

Admittedly part of the goal of this post is to try and kick myself into finishing the next Felid in the series, Sphinx, who is sketched and partially inked. I really need to get to work on them if I want to finish the series in the next five years, as I still have... *counts* 36 to go. Though a few of those are other folks’ characters, so I may skip them. I only have so many years left in me, after all...

[speckeltail]

idk part of why I love Aaron so much even after It All(tm) is that I put a lot of thought into making him a functional mirror of the main Robins, which I feel gives his character that extra bit of flexibility it needs since I like putting him in situations. He’s a gymnast like Dick, which is the surface level connection; but he also carefully constructs a persona for the world that hides perfectionism, neuroticism, and okay a fair amount of obsessive tendencies. They get away with it because they’re the mother hens. They’re the de-facto leader. They’ve flown the nest and can be looked on as successful, independent, but still there when you need them… which is a hard line to walk. Their dynamic, Robin-to-Sphinx and Nightwing-to-Tyto, shifts from mutual performative (and greatly enjoyable!) animosity to quiet, distant acknowledgement. Dick goes off to Blüdhaven and changes, Aaron goes off to Newark and changes. They meet each other again in Gotham, and there’s a bitter, uncomfortable recognition of the self through the other.

He left home young like Jason, he has a significant Joker trauma like Jason (also tying in to the sidekick squad, who I love also), they have a strong sense of justice and deep wells of compassion and at the same time they turned into something that their respective adoptive father figures don’t like, using methods that they don’t approve of. Their dynamic of Robin-to-Sphinx is usually focused on how they’re still kids and recognize the inherent absurdity of going around in costumes to fight crime/commit crime but they both also… find a sense of freedom in it. Red Hood-to-Tyto, that inherent absurdity has tempered down and their costumes are now tactical, less colorful, less like costumes. They mostly ignore each other… when they do cross paths, it’s for little more than a nod and a wave, even though they both are keeping tabs on each other. They are both extremely messy and need to get their lives in order.

Like Tim, he’s aware (rightly or not) that he always has to be proving himself and establishing himself as different. Better, too. They come into Bruce and Eddie’s life after significant losses/dropped bombshells and are the pivot point of things changing. Getting better… or at least getting different. Either way, they bring something new to the table that changes the rules. Robin-to-Sphinx, they mutually lean on their reputation as “the smart ones” while also playfully (or not) inverting the typical “morally scrupulous hero” and “morally unscrupulous villain” dynamic. Seriously, Tim would kill a guy if not for Batman’s no-killing rule. Red Robin-to-Tyto, they invert it again, to where Red Robin is still following the rules and Tyto… is not. They snipe at each other on anonymous chatrooms and drop each other intel while acting like they didn’t do anything. It’s enrichment for them.

And then… Damian. If Aaron, like Dick, was the golden child before the Olympics scandal, he’s definitely the burdensome and misfit demon child after. Things get blamed on them. They’re defensive and wary, hesitant to make connections or be open to relationships. The Robin-to-Sphinx dynamic is Damian kicking and screaming his way into kind of caring for someone that he can’t help but see as a warped reflection of his own experiences— he hates Sphinx at first. He thinks he’s another flashy, stupid, good-for-nothing Rogue. Sphinx is smart, he’s sneaky, he’s resourceful, and worst of all he doesn’t let himself get caught out (because he does not want to die via katana.) Over time, his opinions change… and Sphinx has other things to worry about so he’s been treating Damian with some amount of cautious regard and tentative friendliness. The Batman-to-Tyto (like, assuming Damian grows into Batman and doesn’t just carry the Robin mantle into adulthood or take on another name) is honestly fucked. Their respective tendencies collide in the worst possible way and they butt heads for months. Damian keeps crashing Tyto’s hits. They nearly come to blows. Tyto eventually shuts him down hard and not particularly kindly and then they ignore each other for a little while before Damian comes crashing in to give him a hand in a sticky situation, so it ends up as a fairly functional truce— since it’s more about them coming to terms with themselves rather than each other. Just don’t tell them that!

[fandom-monium]

Bonding

Summary: In which you suddenly transfer into the BAU, and Spencer is too socially awkward. (alternatively, the failed attempts Spencer makes trying to connect with you.) “You’ve been profiling me, Doc?”

Word count: 2.3k+

Tags/warnings: Spencer Reid x reader, another attempt at gender neutral reader so no pronouns, Fluff(??), kind of first meeting (?), Spencer Reid pining is everything (what an adorable loser), Spencer socially awkward is also everything, reader insert, mild social anxiety (??), no big warnings except a couple fucks and damns

A/N: TO MY TODOROKI FANS: YES, I’M STILL ALIVE. SOULMATE AU EP 5 IS STILL UNDERGOING EDITS. COMING SOOON~ THX FOR WAITING!

New beginnings are scary, Spencer Reid understands that more than anything. A fish out of water at school, thriving in all academics; it came naturally to him, but the rest... well being over six years younger than his classmates didn’t make things much easier. It winded him trying to connect with his peers. He gave up eventually, no one bothering to extend a line to him, and when they did, it wasn’t out of good intentions. He learned that new things are terrifying, be ready for the worst.

So when you stride into the bullpen without so much as a notice, no one’s prepared. Not even you, Spencer notices, your hands flexing at your sides. You shove them into your pockets as you politely smile.

“Everyone, this is SSA (First Name) (Last Name), our newest member of the team,” Hotch introduces.

They manage a welcome but introductions are cut short as a new case presents itself with severe urgency. 

Garcia whines, unprepared for your arrival. You later reassure her it’s fine, but Spencer figures you’re relieved by the way your shoulders relax.

Oddly enough, the way you ease into their team dynamic is almost instantaneous. Not like the way a puzzle piece fits because that would imply that the team is a set when in reality it’s changing; not often but it happens. 

No, your addition is similar to a LEGO brick.

You slip into the role of profiler with ease. You hesitate at first, but your voice doesn’t tremble in the slightest as you offer your own opinions and observations pertaining to the case. You provide them support much like the base of a LEGO model. 

Later on, when Spencer divulges this to you, you smack him hard enough he bruises. You equate him to a peach. But you grin, and the ache fades almost instantly.

Spencer would go as far as to say he respects you, despite not knowing anything about you at the moment. Your devotion shines through whatever hesitancy you had earlier, and though your debut to them was hurried, your dedication is not lost to the team, prompting them to give you the welcome you deserve.

As a result, they make an effort the next couple weeks. A “united force of camaraderie”, Garcia calls it.

Hotch and Rossi go to you, whether you’re at your desk or called to them. Usually, it’s for an extra opinion on a case because you’re fresh eyes. From his desk across from yours, as he inconspicuously watches you purse your lips, attempting not to smile at your seniors, Spencer realizes you do think differently than the rest of them. It’s slight but not too obvious. Maybe it’s because you’re new; you’ve only joined a week ago, or maybe it’s because the team has known each other for so long they’ve learned to predict what they’d say. He isn’t sure.

You do your best to answer them before returning to your assigned tasks.

While Morgan normally makes jokes and teases, he switches his methodology with you for reasons Spencer can’t infer. Instead, he manages to include you in whatever he is doing if you’re within the vicinity. You respond in kind before quickly moving on. 

Jokes and teasing come soon.

In an attempt to naturally get to know you, JJ and Prentiss question you, not like interrogating of course but⎼from what Spencer overhears (he just happens to be within earshot, totally not eavesdropping)⎼sometimes when they border on personal, he notes your swift change in body language. Like they hit a switch: open to closed. And when you answer them, you never give more information than asked for, quick to redirect the conversation. He’s certain they notice as well, but they don’t push. 

Your gratitude is evident in the soft quirk of your lips.

To his chagrin, Spencer isn’t as bold as his friends. When you interacted with each other, it was by extension of the team starting it or on the job so mainly professional. He isn’t even sure why he finds it so hard to talk to you because it’s not like you’re intimidating. 

Okay, maybe just a little. 

But he won’t let that hinder him. You deserve your spot on the team, and, just like the rest of his team, Spencer wants to do his part in making you feel welcomed.

Which means he has to talk to you, and not just about work for once.

Unlike the rest of his team, however, Spencer has to build up courage, frustrating him more than he’d like to admit because sometimes he misses his chance. For example, this morning: you stood at the coffee maker, burying your face in a book as you waited for it to finish brewing. He recognized the cover immediately but when he opened his mouth to rant to you, he choked.

Spencer Reid choked. He never chokes, not when it comes to books. But the words died in his throat, not even making it past his lips. Never had the doctor been so baffled with himself. He scoured his memories for signs, anything that would justify his stumble, yet there was nothing that rationalized this occurrence. He didn’t have this problem before. At least... not with other coworkers.

He cleared his throat to try again, but, to his dismay, you filled your mug and left.

On the other hand, Garcia is the most upfront with you, which leaves Spencer simmering because he would give anything to have that kind of confidence. Although, he can tell the tech analyst’s friendly demeanor almost… annoys you? No, that’s not right. You don’t outwardly dismiss Garcia when she catches you, and when he says catch, he means catch, as in he witnessed you on multiple occasions going out of your way to avoid the colorful hacker.

A month has passed since you joined the BAU. As he arrives early that morning, Spencer spots you down the corridor, and normally that wouldn’t pique his interest, but the way your eyes sweep the halls in every direction is too much. He snorts, nearly spitting out his coffee.

Curious, Spencer trails after you; he slows his pace, careful to maintain distance so that he would be at the end of the hallway and you at the other. You eventually come to a halt, making him freeze mid-step. His heart drops to his stomach. Oh god, did you notice him following you? Of course you did. You actually completed the FBI fitness exams.

But you don’t turn to him. Instead, you press your back against the wall, and as you peek over the edge, he wordlessly makes his way over. His curiosity overrides any nerves. He leans to peer over your shoulder at whatever you’re tailing and…

Ah, he gets it now.

At the end of the hallway by the elevators, Garcia stands a vibrant Sphinx among a sea of dark pantsuits and white-collared button downs, tapping her foot as she waits. Spotting the (your favorite color) paper bag in her hand, he thinks it’s safe to assume it’s another attempt to get you to warm up to her. The tech analyst purses her lips, pulling up her watch.

“Come on, come on…” You mutter, your eyes flicking down at your own.

Spencer glances at you, unsure of what you are waiting for. A minute passes.

Then Garcia looks at her watch again, letting out a frustrated huff. The elevator dings open behind her, allowing her to trudge into the crowded metal box, and the second the door closes over her disappointed pout, you sigh in relief.

The word tumbles out of Spencer’s mouth before he even processes what he’s doing. “Morning.”

You shriek, whirling to face Spencer only to smack into his chest. Though he prides himself in the growth spurt he hit as a teenager, Spencer isn’t at all sturdy and buff as Morgan, so, despite your close proximity, you nearly knock him and his precious coffee over. Luckily, your reflexes are faster than his and you clasp the front of his vest, tugging him into you. He fumbles with his free hand, catching your elbow. “I’m so sorry!”

It takes a moment for you both to compose yourselves. Before Spencer can fully register your hand steadying his wrist, you step back. Something inside him deflates.

"Don't scare me like that," You press your hand over your heart as you start towards the elevator. He follows next to you.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but watch the whole,” Spencer gestures at you with his coffee cup.

You groan, smashing the elevator button, “Alright, go ahead.”

“Go ahead with what?” His brow furrows. The elevator doors open, allowing you to enter. He hits the button for the BAU floor, and the doors shut with only you two, standing side by side.

“Tell me I’m a bad person, tell me I’m mean or whatever for dodging someone as nice as Garcia. I know you want to,” You grumble, not looking him in the eye.

“I don’t think that.”

The skeptical look you throw him makes him blurt out the words before they could get stuck in his throat. "I mean, it’s clear you don’t dislike Garcia. You give her your full attention whenever she's talking to you, you gratefully accept her gifts despite your obvious discomfort, which seems to spur her on by the way. Actually, you display similar mannerisms with everyone in the team⎼”

Your brows climb your forehead as Spencer digs himself further into the profile hole he made of you. He spills the numerous observations he mentally filed away, and as he rambles he finally understands how his coworkers, probably every person he’s ever rambled to, feel because oh god, now even he wants himself to shut up! Shit, what is he doing? Why? How to stop?

It’s one of those moments in life where words are out of his mouth before he realizes this is not the time or place⎼it certainly isn’t his place⎼ for this, to be profiling you the way he is doing right now.

Yet here we are.

In his head, he’s screaming but it’s too late, and when he finishes seconds later, there’s a beat of silence. You gawk at him. His eyes widen as his chest heaves; his heart pounds like it’s about to break out and escape.  

Then you glare at him, a playful gleam in your eyes. “You've been profiling me, Doc?” 

Oh god, let this elevator break down and drop him. Wait, no, that would kill you too. Fuck.

Spencer swallows, his face growing hot. He tells himself it’s because he just embarrassingly gave a near complete profile of you, unwarranted, definitely not because of the way you say his title. He could apologize⎼he should⎼but his mind blanks and anything else he has to say dies as his throat closes on him. He tugs at his collar, turning to face his pink reflection in the elevator doors.

To his relief, you chuckle, “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Should've expected nothing less from a genius.” 

“Thank you?”

The doors open and you exit. Before you reach the glass doors, Spencer, biting his lip and unwilling to let the first real conversation he has had with you to end, gathers the remains of his confidence to tap your shoulder. You face him, your expression curious as you halt in front of the BAU headquarters.

Clutching the strap of his bag, he stammers, “Do… Do you want me to talk to Garcia? I mean, I won’t tell her we talked of course. I’ll make a suggestion or something⎼make it seem like it’d be her idea⎼I guess. Might help her tone it down, you know? For you?” He cringes at the last bit, his voice octaves higher than normal. God, what is he, thirteen? How he regrets his boldness. 

If you notice, you don’t mention it. Rather, you give him a onceover, and he tries not to squirm as your sharp eyes scan his face, his body language. You’re sizing up his character, profiling him the way he did with you. The difference is he had a month; you have a few seconds. “You’d do that for me?” You question softly.

Terrified his voice will betray him again, Spencer nods. 

“I⎼” You lick your lips, searching for the right words. Then you smile, a genuine smile, not the shy ones you offered to the team before. It's not awkward or polite. This is way better; your eyes crinkle, there's teeth, and Spencer squints, unsure whether to stare or grab his sunglasses in his satchel because wow, too bright. 

Both. He can totally do both.

I’d do a lot of things for you... as long it’s legal, a tiny voice in the back of his head admits. Spencer can’t bring himself to argue.

“I appreciate that.” Oh right, conversing. He shrugs. “No, really. I know that I’m being stupid and irrational⎼” He opens his mouth to protest. Social anxiety⎼any thing that makes you uncomfortable⎼ is most definitely not stupid. But you shake your head at him. “⎼No, I know I am, and I should get over it as quickly as possible but…” You trail off, glancing to the side.

Spencer follows your apprehensive gaze through the glass doors into the BAU headquarters. It’s early morning, people dawdling around the office, calmly going about their morning routine. It lacks the usual organized bustle as people stand in the corners and chat by the coffee machine, while others take calls or type at their laptops with an air of serenity. A rare, mellow day.

Before you can complete your sentence, Morgan speeds past you, bee-lining for the doors. “Sorry to interrupt, but we got a case!”

Spencer sighs. Spoke too soon.

You both follow behind him without question, leaving your thoughts unfinished, but Spencer catches the impish grin Morgan throws him over his shoulder. He curses under his breath, promises of his friend’s destruction on his lips. 

Just when he was starting to have an actual conversation with you.

Needless to say, eyebrows raise when he drags himself to the round table a couple seconds after you.

Author’s note: You can’t tell me that Reid pre-prison did NOT love action figures, figurines, LEGO models. He is a total nerd, it’s genetic.

So, I just started watching CM since it’s on Netflix. I now love this pipe cleaner with eyes. Can’t tell if I want to caress his lovely jaw or watch him squirm though...

I am basing this one(?)shot on how I get overwhelmed by friendly people. Not to say I don’t like Garcia, bc I love her, she’s one of my fav characters. But at the same time, thanks, I have mild social anxiety. I remember in my COLL 01 class, this guy was making an effort to socialize with our project group mates with invites to hang out together. I could not even. It was like the first day of class, like, chill, my guy.

Also, I‘m sad that I can’t imagine Reid with anyone that isn’t not interesting?? Sad bc I’m such an average person so when I project myself, it feels more unrealistic than it already is and hurts just a bit. I favor the idea of him being with like wild ppl, opposites attract, dumbass and smartass, badass and geek dynamics, stuff like that???

So, the reader’s back story is gonna be hella mysterious and stuff... ;P

And, I’m really into the idea of a Spencer Reid x Hunter!Reader. May try my hand at a CM x SPN crossover in the future. Only problem is that I haven’t finished SPN...

I’m accepting suggestions and ideas!!

Connecting (Bonding Part 2) is in masterlist!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Angel lore is a lot less extensive than demon lore at the moment, but there is a little bit of tentative lore about Enoch and angels I can share! Also, as @lilmissrantsypants is the Angel Lore Master, if she needs to correct it add anything on her word supersedes mine!

Enoch, home of angels, has seven layers (sort of like the nine circles of Hell).

The top layer is where the most powerful angels reside, including their ruler, Metatron. Metatron has ruled the angels for over 8000 years.

Angels were the inspiration for many gods of old, including Zeus, Artemis, Thor, Odin, Ares, Athena, and so on. It should be noted that, considering their powerful magical abilities far exceed that of most humans, it is quite understandable they’d be viewed as gods.

Angels need high aether concentrations in the air to function properly. Too much and they’ll get sick, too little and they’ll start to lose their grip on reality. When visiting Earth they bring liquid aether or some other sort of supply to ensure they stay healthy.

Angels hearts are different than humans (obviously). They resemble a D20 and their purpose is to distribute aether throughout an angel’s body. Their hearts also contain the core essence of who an angel is. Angels can survive if their hearts are removed, but they will be unable to access the full extent of their powers, among other things.

All angels can access a powerful alternate form, known as their Exalted form. These can look like nearly anything, from fantastical creatures to the more alien sorts of angels that this website has a hard on for.

An angel gifting someone their feather is a highly personal gesture, and one not done lightly. It essentially means that the person they give it to means the world to them.

Angels are able to alter their physical appearance to one they are comfortable with magically, though their are limits to this (they can’t change their skin color, for instance).

Angels have a longer gestation period than humans.

Angels do occasionally take vacation time to Earth, and some do mate with humans. As long as they are born in the magical atmosphere of Enoch, they will simply be angels. If they are born on Earth, however, they are known as nephilim. These children are indistinguishable from human children, though they tend to be longer lived and have a greater aptitude for magic.

Anything an angel creates has part of them in it in a manner of speaking. You can see this with Eve and vampires.

Angel society is very magic-oriented. They still use swords, spears, bows and arrows, etc as weapons, but their magical prowess more than makes up for it and gives them even footing against demons.

The only other sentient race on Enoch we’ve come up with is sphinxes. Not too much for them yet, though they do run a massive library/archive called the Akashic Records.

Here is some wildlife of Enoch:

Phoenixes are extinct due to being hunted by angels for their feathers, which can bring the dead completely back to life in perfect shape.

Chimeras are not naturally occurring. No one is quite sure where they came from.

Male manticores have wings, beards, and a scorpion tail. Females are lithe, have several rows of teeth, can mimic speech, and have a spike ball tail that can fire poison darts. Essentially:

Female

Male

[stanknotstark]

Astral Pt. 10 (Loki x Reader)

So im out eating right now so ill add the link to the last part in an hour and stuff also I did not beta read this part and apologize if I need to change something later on but I want to try and keep up with posting at 5:30 so im releasing it 🤗

Alright we finally have some actions and many open ended questions that I’ve got to close up BUT we also experience one of our main villains warriors. If you read the comics you’ll immediately know who the main villain is (Or Google it but I suggest not doing that if you want to be surprised :p)

You knew having peace and hanging out with your team and Loki would only last for so long, but you were still saddened when it came time to finally work. 

You’re all on the top most floor of the Avenger’s tower, the War Room as Tony called it (sounds a bit over dramatic but it was Tony so...). Fury is there in hologram mode, sitting in the middle of a large custom made table that had the Avengers logo engraved into the middle of the dark oak. 

“What kind of readings are we talking about?” Stark asks Fury. 

Fury’s hand comes up and swipes at something invisible on his end and it translates to Stark’s theater size screens on the wall. It’s a bunch of graphs, statistics, and other jargon you can’t understand. You raise a brow when Tony and Bruce gasp and start talking in hushed tones to each other. 

“Tony, make this english so everyone can understand what’s going on, please?” Steve asks. 

Tony clears his throat and points to one of the graphs, “According to Fury’s collected data, Thor give Jane a big hug when you next see her, they’ve picked up on some form of energy spikes in the middle of Death Valley, Nevada. Like we’re talking colossal size spikes. ”

You look at Loki who sits up in his chair next to you and squints at the screens.

“I know what these ‘energy’,” Loki says energy like it’s disgusting, “readings are. It’s magic from another realm. Specifically, it’s time travel but...” Loki frowns and you watch as his eyes become almost fearful.

“Spit it out, Reindeer Games.” Tony says, sounding concerned at Loki’s fear.

“It’s time travel across an alternate timeline.” 

Tony blinks. Bruce frowns and pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. The entire room is silent. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know who caused these readings would you?” Tony finally asks. 

Loki, who has a neutral face now and the fear is gone from his eyes, shakes his head. “I can’t know for sure unless I can inspect the magic in person.” 

Finally Fury speaks, you had almost forgot the director was even here. “Prepare a quin jet Stark, get Loki and whoever else you deem reliable to escort. We need to figure out who came for a visit and if they’re ally or enemy as soon as possible.”

Fury disappears from the table and Tony gets into worker mode immediately. He points to you, claiming you’re the close combat person, to Clint, who is your ranged fighter, and to Natasha who would be pilot and your extraction. 

Things become a blur after that. You remember going to your room and jumping into your Shield issued attire (Stark had yet to make you your own suit), and meeting Loki at the roof where a quin jet readied for take off. Before you walked into the quin jet Loki stopped you, his hands holding your shoulders making you face him. 

“I promise that I will let nothing harm you, you’re my first priority and if things get violent I will teleport us away to safety.” 

You nod but give him a small smile, “I can handle myself but it’s good to know I’ve got someone watching my back.” You then push onto your toes and give Loki a peck and make your way to the quin jet. 

The ride there is tense and quiet. Loki says he’s putting a spell on you that acts as a shield but doesn’t specify how it works.

Looking back you wish you would have asked how it worked. 

Landing around 100 meters from the destination Clint, Loki and you leave the ship and begin your trek to the site. 

“Holy fuck! If I could strip out of my skin I would.” You say to Loki and Clint. Death Valley’s temperature was a recorded 130 degrees today. 

At your displeasure Loki slows till he’s next to you and puts an arm around your shoulders. You look at him questionably but gasp as his arm generates a coolness that at least stops your sweating. You make sure not to say anything so Clint, in front of you, doesn’t become jealous. 

The trip to the site is very uneventful. Even reaching the site is uneventful. About 30 meters from the site you see nothing. Literally, it’s just desert, surrounded by high cliffs, for miles. 

So you snoop, you walk around the site as Clint and Loki argue about whether the coordinates are correct. 

“I swear, this is what Stark gave me so, if they’re wrong, blame him!” Clint says, exasperated.

“It can’t be wrong I can feel something pulling at my magic but-”

That’s when you run into an invisible wall and yelp as you fall backwards onto your butt. 

“Found it!” You cheer as a space ship slowly appears, the colors changing and shifting from the point you hit till the whole thing is uncovered. At first glance the ship looks futuristic but once you overlook the whole thing with Clint keeping his distance, and Loki exploring with you, you realize it’s shaped as a sphinx. 

Very fitting for the desert surrounding the ship. 

“Work you magic.” You tell Loki and he does. You both congregate at the head of the ship/sphinx and he waves his hands over it, his green magic trailing out here and there to touch the ship. Loki himself mutters under his breath. 

You keep your eyes on him but also keep vigilant about the area. You finally get an idea and close your eyes for a second, your magic leaving your body and passing through the ship. No life forms. When you open your eyes again Loki lifts a brow at you, still muttering. 

“No life I can detect.” You tell him and he nods and focuses back on the ship. 

You put a hand to your ear piece and tell Clint, “I don’t sense any life forms but I’d keep a close eye anyways.” 

Clint gives you an acknowledgment. 

Loki finally stops his magic and drops his hands to his sides, just as he looks at you and you hear Clint yell into your ear, you’re hit by a concussive blast. When you look up in shock you see one lone humanoid figure walking towards Loki, who although wasn’t in the way of the blast also got blasted back, curious you think. Loki had immediately gotten into a defensive stance after getting up from the blast, one hand on his back holds three daggers, the other hand put up in a manner meant to calm the figure. 

You quickly get on your feet and stand next to Loki, your magic congregating at your balled fists. 

“Listen, buddy, I don’t know who you think you are-” Loki hisses at you, trying to get you to stop antagonizing the being that is close enough to identify. He is tall, around 7 feet tall and is dressed in a skin tight tank and leggings that are a dark purple color, it looks like metal but it’s too flexible to actually be metal. His head is encased in a tight helmet that frames his face and covers his head from his forehead, up, in a way that makes you think he is bald underneath. You shiver as you look into his eyes, they glow white. 

“Identify yourself.” The being says. Standing casually as if he didn’t attack you. 

“I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, and you are?” 

The being stands there silently. You huff. “I’m y/n, of Earth.” 

The being stands still for a few seconds then gets into a fighting position.

“I am here to take y/n, anyone who stands in my way shall perish.” 

Loki immediately grabs you and teleports you to Clint, you yell out angrily as he teleports back to the being and they start fighting. Loki throwing magic and daggers at the being. You gasp, the first ball of magic Loki throws at it makes a purple light encase the being, in a rippling effect, who then grows a bit. Hawkeye lets loose some arrows that explode on impact. It does nothing but make the man grow even more. 

Loki also realizes what’s going on because he stops attacking the being. The being takes his chance and lunges at Loki. Loki isn’t fast enough and takes a blow to the head. You scream and begin running towards him as he lays in the dirt discombobulated. Clint tries to grab your arm but misses you just so. 

In your ear you hear Clint tell Natasha to ready the jet. Before the being can get to Loki you throw yourself over his body. When he’s a few feet away you look at him with furious eyes.

“Stop!” 

To your surprise the being stops mid step, considers your words, then stands in place. You frown but look at Loki who is watching with fascinated eyes, recovered from the hard hit he took. You watch as blood trails down the side of his face and out of his ear. He probably can’t hear out of his left ear. 

Looking back up at the being you ask it, “Who sent you? What are you?”

The being stares at the two of you but answers, “I am Subject 52103 Growing Man, and my master sent me.” 

You feel Loki tense under you and assume he knows who his master is. 

“Tell your master to leave Earth alone, that if you or him show your faces here again, the Avengers will take you out without hesitation.”

The Growing Man nods and leaves in a flash of purple and black. 

Letting out a tense breath you stand and help Loki up. Making your way back to the quin jet, you pick up Clint. 

“Why does he want you?” Clint asks, looking at you. 

You walk, holding Loki at your side, the hit from the Growing Man doing enough to leave him a bit disoriented and sluggish. 

“I don’t know and I’m not quite sure I want to know.” You say. Loki stays conveniently quiet the entire walk to the quin jet. Clint doesn’t ask anything else either. 

Pt. 9.1/Pt. 10/?

Tag list: @justfangirlthingies​ @emelieh99​ @high-functioning-lokipath​ @loveableasshole​ 

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #253: CONQUERING VISION

March, 1985

The Vision vs. Quasimodo... in the heart of a machine!

ITS A ROBOT RUMBLE

ON THE INTERNET!

The Avengers seem very perturbed. Or maybe they’ve placed bets and are yelling at each other.

Anyway. Anyyyyyywayyyy.

Last time on Avengers: Vision became confined to a tube and was only fixed when Starfox hooked him up to Titan’s supercomputer ISAAC. While it helped Vision fix himself, it also seems to have changed his personality. Vision began conspiring with ISAAC to build a take-over-the-world-for-its-own-good device so he could take over the world for its own good and erase the evils and inequalities of man.

Vision was hesitant to pull the trigger on becoming a well-intentioned extremist and tried to gain power and influence by becoming the Avengers chairman and trying to make them more prominent with a branch team and closer ties to the White House.

But when anti-mutant arsonists burn down Vision and Scarlet Witch’s house during a new wave of anti-mutant fear, Vision decides ‘mmm yup, taking over the world time’. He distracts the Avengers by sending them to babysit the army as they poke Thanos technology that they shouldn’t poke and accidentally summon the Blood Brothers. And distracts Captain Marvel to go check out Thanos’ ship several light hours away past Pluto. Black Knight shows up unexpectedly but Vision shoves him into a tube to keep him out of trouble.

And now I guess Vision is going to fight Quasimodo the robot guy? Not sure how that fits in.

But first, some West Coast Avengers!

Like I said last time, they didn’t stop doing stuff just because their book is over.

Mockingbird happens to run into some drug runners while getting in some flight practice and figures heck why not beat up an entire boat full of gun-toting people as a light workout.

I guess the Quinjet can hover? Doesn’t seem to have thrusters or repulsors on the bottom or be a VTOL but hey, super advanced possibly Wakanda tech. It can do what it likes.

Mockingbird turns the drug runners over to the Coast Guard and returns to Palos Verdes and even gets to fly into one of those cool cliffside hangers disguised as a perfectly normal cliff. The West Coast Avengers revamped the hell out of the compound they bought.

Can you even legally excavate into a cliff like that? You can if you’re a superhero, I guess.

For some reason, there’s a fakeout where its implied Tigra is licking herself, cat style, but she’s just stretching. At least I hope the joke is that it sounded like she was cat cleaning herself and not something else.

One can never tell.

Anyway, I assume Hawkeye is just annoyed that he’s going to be vacuuming hair out of expensive equipment banks later. But really its that what if he threw a meeting and only he and Tigra came?

Mockingbird comes in not long after Hawkeye complains, slightly delayed from beating up drug runners. Wonder Man comes in shortly after, delayed by

FASHION

You know, this is a pretty great costume for Wonder Man. Its what all his modern outfits are based on when he’s not just dicks out energy man. I think I like the red jacket outfit more because being the only guy who dresses in ‘normal’ clothes while still looking somehow out of fashion with normal people fits for Wonder Man.

But I do love this one too. Its got a simple charm. Deciding that Wonder Man’s colors are black and red instead of Christmas green and red was a great decision and I’m sure that nobody will ever try to put him in red and green again.

Hawkeye grouses “Next, I suppose Iron Man will show up with a new chrome job!” but Iron Man is Sir Not Appearing in This Comic.

And the reason why is... looks like Tony and Rhodey are beating the crap out of each other in Iron Men armor this same month in Iron Man #192.

I don’t know the details but dammit Tony!

Anyway, over at last issue’s plot, the Avengers are still in Thanos’ ex-secret base in Arizona, still rolling their eyes and smh at the US Army for poking things what should not be poked.

Starfox and Scarlet Witch find a chamber blocked by rubble which has a symbio-nullifier which Starfox proposes to use to symbio-nullify the Blood Brothers.

First, he flexes on the US Army.

Army Guy: “It must weigh tons!”

Starfox: “Tons? Yes. But only about eight-and-a-half! Hardly any bother at all!”

Good flexing, Starfox.

Meanwhile, Captain America’s scolding has born fruit. The Pentagon has agreed to seal Thanos’ base, pending further investigation. And Colonel Farnam agrees because his training never prepared him to deal with MONSTERS FROM OUTER SPACE.

Also meanwhile, the army took pity on Hercules’ poor pantsless state and slash or were intimidated by it and have lent him a uniform.

He wears it as you’d expect Hercules to wear it.

With plenty of plunging neckline.

Since the Blood Brothers have a psionic link which makes them stronger the closer they are, Hercules has chained them up on very distant parts of the base.

But this precaution is rendered moot pretty quickly when Starfox returns with the  symbio-nullifier to symbio-nullify the Blood Brothers.

Starfox suspected that Thanos had one of these lying around as a precaution if he was going to let the Blood Brothers into his base.

Hercules lightly complains that he didn’t get a good fight with the Blood Brothers especially since the hordes of Muspell and Maelstrom’s wacky minions were interesting but not all that much of a challenge for the prince of power.

Back at the Avengers Mansion, the giant holographic head of Vision is still dealing with Dane Black Knight Whitman. Mostly by showing him video footage of how the other Avengers are tied up.

Dane is confused for multiple reasons, including that when last he heard Wasp was the leader.

Vision: “My failure to anticipate your arrival was an unfortunate lapse. I regret that, as a result, you must suffer the indignity of incarceration.”

Dane: “But... why?! What does keeping me in a tube accomplish?”

Vision: “It prevents you from interfering! You see, I have come to the conclusion that the only way I can fulfill my duty to make the Earth a safer place... is to run it myself!”

Dane: “What?!? But that’s crazy! Uh... I mean, you can’t possibly...”

Vision: “Exactly the sort of reaction I expected!”

Vision: ‘See, this is why you’re a tube boy now.’

Vision turns off the hologram saying that Dane will understand when its all over.

As usual when somebody says something like that, Dane isn’t reassured, just more convinced he needs to break out and warn someone.

I’m not sure if its not already too late since Vision is safely ensconced in his take over the world chair in his secret take over the world room.

ISAAC’s head hologram shows up to Vision and asks him what the delay is, chop chop get to taking over the world for its own good.

Vision: “Sorry, ISAAC... I was just remembering how much I enjoyed having a body.”

Oh my god.

ISAAC: “What’s the sense of that? This entire world will soon be your ‘body’! How can the mobility of a single humanoid form compare to that?”

Vision: “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, ISAAC. It’s odd, though, so many times others have controlled my body... the robot Ultron, the Mad Thinker, Necrodamus... All have tried to subvert my mind and take me over. And now here am I... about to initiate the greatest takeover of all. One would almost think there were some mad connection -- !”

ISAAC: “Vision! You must not tarry!”

.................. Um, okay. So, rather than just being influenced by his brush with death and also brush with supercomputer, I think Vision is being actively manipulated into this by ISAAC.

I don’t know why but I do know that Vision continues being a viable character for decades so he probably can’t be burning all his bridges here.

Anyway, Vision uploads his psyche into the internet.

And like immediately starts taking over everything. One page montage immediately. The Pentagon, Cheyenne Mountain, SHIELD, satellites, the Kremlin.

Presumably the best security systems in the world barely warrant a mention for Vision’s mighty synthezoid brain.

He’s pulling a Skynet (for the world’s own good, so he says) and its barely an effort.

The scenery of being on the internet is, I dunno, pretty standard? Bright colors  and dashes of light? I feel like I’ve seen it a lot of places.

But if we’re on page 13 of a book and Vision is effortlessly Skynetting, whats the rest of the issue going to be about? Interestingly, to me anyway, despite this being Vision’s turn villainous or well-intentioned extremist, another villain gets shoved in anyway for him to fight.

As Vision is nyooming around the Kremlin’s computers, he nearly runs into another AI, Quasimodo.

Helpfully, we get a recap of Quasimodo’s ENTIRE LIFE STORY because this is pre-fan wikis and I don’t think Quasimodo has appeared in Avengers before.

He was created to be the ultimate computer by the Mad Thinker but was abandoned when he developed a mind of his own.

Quasimodo was found by the Silver Surfer who used the cosmic powers of the Power Cosmic to transform Quasimodo from a computer into a robot.

Turning to the wiki for more information: He turns on Silver Surfer because he doesn’t like the body he got, so Surfer turns him into a stone gargoyle. Let that be a lesson about ingratitude.

Somehow, he stopped being a gargoyle and fought various people until he was defeated by the Fantastic Four and the Sphinx and wound up a disembodied intelligence in a Russian computer system. And here we are!

Quasimodo begs Vision to help him escape this digital hellhole but Vision just turns and leaves because he doesn’t have time for these shenanigans. And also because he knows Quasimodo is a villain who tends to turn on the people who help him so fuck that.

Quasimodo: “You know of my past - of my power - and you still would dare deny me?! There can be but one name for such as you... and that is fool!”

He then hauls off and punches Vision. Because they’re both digital intelligences on the internet they can punch each other and have a fight scene. That’s how internet works.

That’s why Mega Man X can beat up so many people in cyberspace.

Quasimodo says if Vision doesn’t help him get back to the physical world, he’ll destroy him.

Vision: “Now, listen to me... I am consolidating all computers worldwide. I gave up my own physical body to do this, and I’ll not tolerate any interference from the likes of you!”

Quasimodo: “You willingly abandoned your body?! You’re not a fool... you’re mad!”

Faced with an irreconcilable set of priorities, Quasimodo trips them both into “the irresistible currents of the IMPULSE VORTEX!”

Sure. That sounds like how internet works.

Meanwhile, over at Pluto is very far away, Monica Marvel nyooms past the moons of Uranus. Apparently her visual acuity is REALLY good because she takes in the scenery while she’s nyooming and finds it frighteningly beautiful out in the outer planets.

Anyway, Vision scolds Quasimodo for plunging them into a torrent. Which makes me laugh. Surely its too soon for torrents to be a thing. He’s just using it in a metaphorical sense.

Quasimodo tries to shoot EYE BEAM at Vision, which misses the digital synthezoid but obliterates an electron.

In a cutaway that would be at home in a Marvel movie, the scene briefly shifts to a Soviet computing center and a guy named Alexey complaining that his program just crashed.

Quasimodo does Vision some punches but Vision decides to start trying since Quasimodo’s attacks risk alerting people that something is amiss on the internet. And Vision’s powers work just as well on the internet as Quasimodo’s do. In fact, screw that, they work better! Vision just gets more and more powerful the longer he spends on the internet!

Vision: “You might have slain me earlier, but now this world is mine -- and there is no place in it for you!!”

And at Vision’s command the internet launches Quasimodo from Earth itself.

The internet can do that.

Meanwhile, back at Avenger’s Mansion, Dane Whitman determines that the tube he’s a tube boy in may look like glass but its as strong as steel. He’s not punching his way out of here.

But his recently uncursed cursed sword (the curse never stays not cursed for long so I hope Dane enjoys having a notcursed but very enchanted sword) is just a few feet away with the rest of his luggage. And there’s a mystic bond between himself and the sword so if he just thinks about the sword hard enough, surely it’ll manifest in his hand.

Like the Force but slightly more convenient.

Dane Whitman: Nothing’s happening. Must not... be concentrating hard enough! Maybe the link was broken with the curse. No... no, I mustn’t even think that! I need my sword! I must have my sword! I must!

He do it!

The Notcursed Ebony Sword appears in his hand and he slices through that steel glass like its just glass.

Meanwhile, over at Arizona, the Avengers finish up nullifying the Blood Brothers and putting them in suspended animation, or if you prefer, naptime timeout.

Captain America receives a buzz from Hawkeye who wonders what he’s doing within hailing range, ie in the western half of the US.

Captain America: “Arizona... government business... And I’m as surprised to hear you, as you are me! I take it that your team finished its mission in the Pacific early!”

Hawkeye: “Mission? What are you talking about, Cap? We haven’t been on any mission!”

Which is a dun dun dun considering their whole reason for being sent on this mission was that the West Coast Avengers were ostensibly busy.

And Vision lying about that raises a whole lot of questions for the Avengers.

Cap and Wanda Witch rush over to the Quinjet and contact the Mansion.

Vision: “Then you’re aware of my deception. I... am sorry, Cap. I didn’t want to mislead you, but I felt it necessary to carry out my plan.”

Scarlet Witch: “Plan? Vision, what do you mean? What have you done?”

Vision: “I... well, there is no easy way to put this... But I have taken over the world.”

You never want to hear “I have taken over the world” from a friend, unless its followed with “and I want to get you in on the ground floor of this exciting new opportunity.”

Vision promises the two that he’s taking over all of Earth’s computers for a really good reason like ending war and strife. And signs off by telling Wanda everything will be alright and that he loves her.

Aww?

Cap: “He meant it... he meant every word.”

Scarlet Witch: “He’d been upset lately, but I never thought... Cap, we have to stop him!”

Cap: “Yes. If there’s still time!”

DUN DUN DUN!

Follow @essential-avengers​ because I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to get to the next issue! Like and reblog?

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 90: Flesh, Blood, and Bone

"So, does this mean Hufflepuff won?" Peter asked groggily. Even having landed upside-down in a warm, plush chair, the vibrant yellow walls with little badgers painted on them and the earth colored carpet gave it away. "How utterly rude," he finished in a mutter, thinking Harry had been slighted if that were the case. A tie was more than fair-

"Prongs? Moony, you two alright?" Peter flipped out of the chair and landed even more painfully than when he'd been upside down, but ignoring any cricks in his body he'd get for that later, he quickly scrambled around to see Sirius bending over the two in concern, rightly so. James's leg was still smoking slightly, and even as he watched, Remus lost the battle of keeping his eyes open, they rolled back into his head and he passed into sleep right on the table he'd landed on.

"We'll live," Prongs groaned, ignoring Padfoot's outstretched hand and inspecting the rest of his leg for further damage. Thankfully for now it just looked like a really bad sunburn, rather than charred flesh. "Remind me to kill Hagrid though."

"Don't think that'll be top of my list," Sirius crouched down beside him instead, casting a healing charm for him. "Even you wouldn't take those odds mate."

"I still owe him a good one," James returned sourly, still prodding the angry flesh until Sirius slapped his fingers away. "Only reason that blasted skrewt didn't kill us was the sphinx got territorial."

Peter choked in further concern and made his way over to Remus to check he really was asleep. Despite the slight snoring, he easily could have been dead.

Sirius didn't wait for permission this time and grabbed Prongs under the arms, hoisting him to his unsteady feet despite his protests and dragging him to the chair Peter had vacated. Then he came back and Peter was quick to help him get Moony to the couch, he didn't so much as twitch as they sort of half-dropped him down, he definitely wasn't light.

"Probably best we all get some sleep while we can," Alice agreed, standing surprisingly close to Sirius. "What with the tournament being over, and who knows what's coming for us next." Then she patted him lightly on the arm and whispered for him alone, "just remember what I said."

Sirius gave her a strange look as she went back to Frank's side, not quite in agreement, but he'd think about it regardless. For now he shoved Remus's legs at least slightly out of the way and claimed the other end of the couch again, ignoring the strange looks he got from Peter and James for this as there wasn't a lack of seating, but both of them were clearly just too exhausted themselves to care enough to ask, thankfully, as they tried to make themselves comfortable.

Frank watched the exchange with bewilderment, eyeing the shirtless stud of Hogwarts as it was clear some kind of interaction had happened between them, but brushed it off even before she slipped her hand into his and smiled for him alone. "How do you like my common room?"

"Lovely," he complimented with a genuine smile as he looked around once more. "I'm honestly jealous we can't switch houses now." It was a round, low-ceilinged room with a colourful profusion of plants and flowers that seemed to relish the atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room: various cacti stood on wooden circular shelves (curved to fit the walls), many of them waving and dancing for no apparent reason, while copper-bottomed plant holders dangled amid the ceiling caused tendrils of ferns and ivies to brush your hair as you passed under them. James Potter seemed to be eyeing them with a careful eye Frank couldn't blame, he remembered the Devil's Snare as well, even if such a thing would never be here.

A portrait over the wooden mantelpiece (carved all over with decorative dancing badgers) showed Helga Hufflepuff, toasting her students with a tiny, two-handled golden cup. Small, round windows just level with the ground at the foot of the castle showed a pleasant view of rippling grass and dandelions, onto the grounds beyond. These low windows notwithstanding, the room felt perennially sunny.*

"I hope we get to go to the dorms as well at some point," she nodded to the rounded doors that led off. "But the couches are plenty comfortable," she squeezed his hand and the two curled up under the mantle and began to have a soft whispered conversation of what the other had done while separated in the maze. She never really got around to saying what she'd talked to Black about while stuck around him, but Frank hardly noticed that. He squeezed her tighter and shivered with distaste at the trap she described, while Alice smiled even broader he'd managed to have at least a semi-normal conversation with one of the Marauders, like her. They really weren't so bad individually it seemed, they just all enhanced the worst in each other apparently, she laughed to herself without sharing that thought aloud.

Only Lily and Regulus didn't seem to want to settle, though neither was acknowledging the other anymore despite the fact they shared the exact same thought. It was too easy.

All throughout this tournament Harry hadn't really had much of a struggle, now apparently it was just over? Lily kept flipping the blank pages of the book, it had landed right on top of someone's potions homework this time, but with at least Lupin and possibly Potter already asleep, no words were appearing. She'd seen how far along Regulus Black was though, and there seemed a decent chunk left, more than just the wrap-up of him going back to the Dursleys. You-Know-Who's plan hadn't seemed to come to fruition at all...

Alice had been right about one thing though, they both acknowledged to themselves, may as well catch some sleep now before they added any new nightmares to the mix with whatever did happen.

The floor was so soft Lily was tempted to just curl up right in front of the fireplace, but instead levitated a couch over there instead, mentally apologizing to whomever had been sitting here. She wondered once more what happened to these places once they left, and if a poor group of students would find themselves on the floor with no idea why their couch moved when they left once more.

Regulus curled up uneasily in a chair, not expecting to be able to sleep much in the bright common room, but his traitorous body was already listing to one side before he'd even finished the thought.

Lily was trying to walk her dog around her favorite forest spot, and doing a terrible job of it. The black beast kept tugging her in all sorts of directions no matter how much she scolded, and then when she finally got him to sit, he had a bone in his mouth, and he began chewing on it, loudly. Disgusted, she backed up and heard the crunching intensify, and suddenly the bright forest faded all around her, and she was in the Chamber of Secrets again, the dog had turned into a stag, still chewing on that bone that she now saw had a human foot at the end-

Potter stood before her chewing obnoxiously on some crisps, his hand holding out an unopened bag to her. "Alright Evans?" He asked cheerfully, not even spraying any of it on her, a small miracle. "Better enjoy that while you can," he said quickly to the indignant look she gave to him, though it was more for him hovering over her while she slept than the offered food this time. "It's the last of the food we've got on us, hopefully we get sent to the feast next."

She snatched it away and flounced over to where Alice and Frank were untangling themselves from each other, yawning and holding their own bags with bewildered faces as if they had no idea how that had happened.

Sirius had successfully summoned the bag back to him again and lobbed up for another throw. Regulus's reflexes were still on autopilot though, and he swatted it away once more, still snoring softly. Snickering in delight at the game, Sirius summoned it back for a fourth try when James circled back to him and snatched the bag into his hand.

"I should have woken you up last," he rolled his eyes, "now you've probably gone and crushed them all."

"They're still edible as dust," he shrugged without remorse.

James snatched Sirius's still mostly full bag and left the now abused one in its place, ignoring Sirius's mutters of daddy syndrome setting in as he changed the subject, "have you even tried waking him up yet?" Needlessly gesturing to Remus still snoring loudest of all.

Sirius hadn't, their feet were still tangled together and he was enjoying that too much. Aloud he said, "I'll certainly give it a try. Now that he's had some rest, at least we should only have to threaten bodily harm rather than acting on it."

James left him to it and went over to drop the bag gently on Regulus's face. That finally snapped him awake, and the bag fell to the floor, where he proceeded to crush it under his foot as he stood in surprise at how close Potter was. James sighed for the wasted food but turned away and left once more, grabbing the book and settling down next to Peter just a hair's breadth farther apart than he normally would have and flipped the book open, waiting patiently for the words to appear as Remus was finally roused.

When he saw them at last, a crisp lodged in his throat, and Peter reached over to thump him on the back in concern, but stopped just as quickly when he saw for himself.

"That's, not what I would have expected," he whispered to no one, flinching back away and studying the common room around them with new, worried eyes.

James completely agreed, as he had no idea why he was saying the words, "Flesh, Blood, and Bone."

If anybody had still been groggily waking up before, he had all attention on him now.

Lily heard about Harry and Cedric finding themselves in a graveyard instead of school with such a tight pit in her stomach, she wanted to demand from Potter what he'd really fed her. Surely this was all his fault, he was making this up just to scare them, he'd fed them something to make them all nauseous, he'd started all of this by bothering her at the end of class!

Her anger at him just didn't last though as a figure approached the boys, she knew this wasn't anyone's fault but You-Know-Who's. Sometimes she hated to be right.

Regulus watched and listened with abject horror only on Peter as Potter said the words. Kill the spare echoed in the room, it didn't even sound possible that had come from a teenager's mouth. The spare, what could that possibly mean? His brain shut down, even as he looked at all the older kids around him, their faces pale and looking sickly. The spare, what? He looked around again at the common room, and now refused to let it click together.

Potter wasn't letting anyone live in denial for what that could mean. He read in a rough, unrecognizable voice of the light coming out of a wand, and leaving Cedric Diggory's eyes.

James wanted to put the book down. No, more than that, he wanted to tear it into a million little pieces and then set each one ablaze and throw the ashes at Peeves and see if he could incinerate them further somehow. Nobody had actually tried that, he realized in near sudden hysterics. Why hadn't he thought of that, he was the most destructive person in the castle! Surely, if they just blew up this ruddy book, they could all just go home!

Before his hands could even twitch to begin though, he looked up at those around him. What would happen to them, even if it worked? Would they be trapped here forever without their means of escape? Trapped inside, though Cedric would never be able to come back here. He wondered if his homework was lying on one of those tables, never turned in. What was the point of all of this?!

Sirius moved so fast Peter barely had time to see him coming. Even if he had though, he'd do nothing to stop him, he hoped James wouldn't this time either. He deserved whatever thrashing that was about to happen, he'd actually killed someone, in cold blood, no hesitation. He was a monster, beyond redemption- He wheezed when Sirius's arms locked around him, unable to stop himself from tensing and pulling away on instinct, but found no force constricting the air out of him. Instead Sirius was holding him like a child, the muttered oaths under his breath were directed at himself.

"-never going to turn into that- won't let him be such an idiot again-"

Peter looked around wildly to see James and Remus too looked far more concerned for him, than about him, for once.

It took all he had not to burst into tears all over again as James forced out every cruel deed of this future. Hitting Harry! Creating that potion, using his own hand to bring You-Know-Who back to life...it never seemed to end, and it was all his fault! He'd do anything to atone for this...

HPHPHPHP

*The description of the common room came from JK herself. I don't know where she would have slipped it into the series myself, but I forever wish she'd gotten the chance.

[sanchoyoscribbles]

and 3 more of the girls, redesigned! Bios under the cut like last round. Full size view please! ✨

Persimmon/ Mew Persimmon. Persi (nickname) 17. Female. 5"4. Light ash brown hair. Gold/orange gradient eyes.

outfits: BOUGIE . VERY BOUGIE STUFF. Silvers, warm browns, SPARKLY things. She's all about High Class and looking cute!

Birthday: July 29th

DNA:  alien :^) She’s Team Earth and actually sewed her ‘mew costume’ herself!! But she doesn’t have any animal DNA!

Personality/backstory:  A member of the resistance against Queen, she was the only one who was able to flee and escape to Earth! Which is super lucky all things considered..because she's incredibly lazy besides that. Most aliens can fly and teleport to an extent, but it turns out she's super bad about it because she never practiced a lot when she was younger. She is also somewhat afraid of heights, so she refuses to practice more. She is really good with technology, which more than makes up for it. Since alien tech is light years ahead of Earth's, she finds human's tech primitive and considers helping them upgrade easy and hardly any effort. She's incredibly laid-back, and loves to pamper herself and her friends. She might actually be so stressed she's calm though; she's been through..a lot. She's happy to learn about Earth, and a fast learner! She LOVES the internet and very quickly got a popular account with fashion. Earth fashion in particular is her favorite hobby. She loves how diverse it is. And sparkly. She loves that.

funfact: She honestly hates fighting herself and getting all sweaty, so she usually has a chimera anima fight for her! She stole a parasite Queen was testing on and merged it with an anteater to make her adorable purple fluffy friend Grape. He.......is also lazy.

Aqua Shirogane. Mew candyfloss. 15. (robot?? 15 mentally??) Female. 5"3. hot fuschia pink hair, bright aqua eyes

outfits: CUTE. FRILLY. SWEET. Pastels, bright colors! Cute to her core!

DNA:  A ROBOT.

Birthday: July 10th

Personality/backstory:  A robot made by Ryou Shirogane as the next step of the mew project! He wanted to eliminate the risk of any more 'real girls' getting hurt, and wanted to make sure that even after he was gone, the one to carry on his work wouldn't die out so easily in the event the Earth had another Major Issue. So, a robot! After Masha and Ucha, he decided to go ALL OUT. It took 15 years of work, but he finally did it! He..didn't count on her sort of kind of gaining sentience at the level she did, the working theory is because she's powered by mew aqua so the uh..magical properties did. Something. Either way, she's happy to be here! She's pretty happy about everything! She loves her friends a lot and loves protecting people! She's adorable, so you wouldn't expect that she's the ultimate weapon! Seriously, uh. She can: fly, lift two tons, has xray vision to look thru stuff, light up ear and eye lights, can hear Really Well, amplify her own voice and can punch Really Really Really Hard. Also, her mew outfit has a detachable ponytail that's more of. a Blade/boomerang kinda dealio. Her main problem is that she Can't go outside of her specific mission or orders unless someone on her team tells her to. It's really hard for her to make her own choices at times! She tries really hard. 

funfact: Because she's a robot, her hair is totally just. Wigs. So she can change her hairstyle/ length on a whim! Persi loves playing dress up with her :”)

Sapote. Mew Sapote. 21. Female. 5"11. light honey hair and bright gold eyes in mew mew form, and milk chocolate hair and gold/orange eyes in her normal form.

outfits: baggy clothes, clothes that give her freedom to move around. think tanktops, comfy shoes, shorts, or baggy pants. (the jacket pictured doesn't even come in until later, but it's an Earth Jacket, a bomber to be specific! Once she gets it she always has it. It's. Fluffy. Warm. She's emotionally attached to it.

DNA:  Blackburns sphinx moth/alien DNA

Birthday: November 26th

Personality/backstory:  A little goofy, a little sadistic at times. Others make the assumption she doesn't care about her job because of her lackadaisical personality, but she went out of her way to ask Queen for it specifically, and literally Will Not let anyone else be in charge or watch after Cara. She doesn't particularly have anything against humans, per say, and considers her work just that: work, and can detach herself from it pretty easily. She's the first and only alien that was given a knockoff mew mew serum by Queen, who had worked on it for years. Even so, being that it's an earth animals DNA, it's not really.. compatible in the way it would be with a human (even then, only a few humans are compatible at that). Even so, Sapote did volunteer and will grit her teeth and take the side effects. Which usually aren’t pretty.

funfact: because she's infused with a moth, her schedule is kinda nocturnal. also, when she's not paying attention she sometimes finds herself chewing on her shirt. Because moth dna says EAT FABRIC. she hates that.

[thecagedsong]

Forgotten Light: Chapter 11: Bonding

A/N Eight days until doomsday for me. Enjoy this. Mostly character building. Probably longer than it should be, but I think this is the most time they spend together the whole story. It had to happen somewhere. 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Chapter 11: Bonding

 Kendra woke to someone picking her up gently.

“Shh, you fell asleep. I’m just taking you to your bed so you don’t wake up sore.” Ronodin said as she blinked her eyes open. She was cradled securely in his arms. 

“No, I can walk,” Kendra insisted, starting to wiggle free.

“You’re so stubborn, just go back to sleep,” he encouraged gripping her tighter.

“Put me down,” she demanded.

Ronodin smiled cheekily, “What if I like holding my fiancée? Putting her down sounds like a favor.”

Kendra flushed and folded her arms, looking away from him. As much as she didn’t want to be carried, she didn’t want any part of Ronodin’s favors either. She wanted to protest more, but there wasn’t a point, he was too strong and wasn’t letting go of her.

Unless…Kendra rapidly unclenched the mental fist she had over her brightness. Ronodin stumbled and dropped her on her rump.

“You did that to yourself,” Ronodin said.

“I would have been standing on my own if someone had let me go when I asked,” she said, standing up and stretching. “Good thing I put carpets in this place.” Because it was impolite to blind people, she dimmed her light once again, pulling back the showcase of her magic. She felt a pang inside, like a muscle that didn’t want to flex, but she did it anyway, and the feeling disappeared.

“I’m guessing you don’t feel tired anymore?”

Kendra shook her head, “That was a good wakeup call. How did your errand go?”

“It went —what is that thing you’re wearing?” he asked. The look of horror she had been imagining was better than she imagined. His nose scrunched!

“I don’t like my wardrobe,” she declared, “I wanted to be more covered up and add a bit of color. Do you like it?”

He went deadpan, “So, I’m guessing your sewing skills were forgotten along with everything else.”

“Yep,” she said, leading the way to the kitchen, “So now you have to take me shopping. In fact, I’ve decided you aren’t leaving again without me. I tried to draw the outside today, and I couldn’t. I haven’t seen the sky, or the sun, or the ocean, or the stars in my entire life. That needs to change, now.”

“All I hear is another favor,” he teased.

“Ronodin,” she warned, looking over her shoulder.

“Then I guess we’re just going to have to stay put a little longer.”

Kendra turned at the kitchen doorway and folded her arms, “Leaving this place is only a favor if I’m a prisoner. I know you’re trying to protect me, but I refuse to believe that out of everywhere in the world I could have hidden, I chose the one place that I would never breath fresh air.”

Ronodin studied her before sighing and massaging his forehead, “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I couldn’t do what our host wanted. Your brother got in the way. He’s tracking me, trying to find you. I must have let too much of our relationship slip after you lost your memory. Out of everyone in your family, he’s the only one blaming me for your kidnapping. The rest are blaming your family’s usual enemies: dragons, sphinxes, and demons. It’s not only dangerous for you to go out, but I’m going to have to lay low for a while as well.”

“I’m not budging on this,” Kendra said forcing her chin up. “You will not leave me trapped in here again. It’s a prison cell, a nice one, but you said we bonded over the fact that my family was imprisoning innocent creatures. Why am I different than them?”

“It isn’t a prison,” Ronodin said, “For two reasons. One, you volunteered to come here. Two, it’s temporary. Like…quarantine. You just need to be kept apart from the world for a little while, and then you’ll get released and everything will be fine.”

“And when will the quarantine be over?” she asked.

“I’m working on faking your death,” Ronodin admitted, “Once we’re sure everyone believes you’re dead, we’ll be able to get out of here,” he snapped his fingers, “An idea. I’ll negotiate with you. We can also go out, once you craft an item strong enough to protect yourself.”

That reminded her. Her hand went to her neck, but she only felt the ruby pendant. She pulled the amulet forward, where it had fallen down her back.

“Like this?” Kendra asked. “I looked through the books for something protection based, but the closest thing was making your enemies weaken so you can escape.”

Ronodin took it into his hand, “Hmm, it’s very beginner. You really are back to the start. It’s a good start, certainly better than that nonsense sweater you’re wearing. Make something with this effect, but a hundred times stronger, and we can go anywhere you like.”

“Great,” she grumbled, taking the amulet back, then taking it off and tossing it on the counter. “It’s not doing anything, why bother?”

“It’s not doing anything because I’m not your enemy,” Ronodin teased. “You keyed it into those who wish to harm you in the immediate vicinity. That’s an extremely vague idea of enemies.”

“How should I define enemies?” Kendra asked.

Ronodin smiled, “Anyone who prevents you from achieving your goal.”

“And if my goal is to go outside?”

His smiled turned sharper, somehow more genuine and far more dangerous, “Make something you can wear that will disable me, then we can talk.”

“Break the kneecaps, got it.”

Ronodin laughed. Kendra glared.

“Keep laughing like that and I won’t wait to create a magical object to do it for me,” she threatened. “You literally asked for it.”

“No, it’s nothing,” Ronodin gave a half smile, “But we really are back to square one. It seems you really do use threats of violence as flirting at the start of every courtship.”

“Must be difficult for you, since as far as I know, that’s also how I start off all relationships with my mortal enemies,” she said, getting up and making tea. He was being ridiculous again, the only thing to do was walk away.

“You are quite the trial,” Ronodin said, quietly, and her ears strained to pick it up, “But worth every second of it.”

When the kettle rang, he got up and made his own tea. On the one hand, she was glad he didn’t expect her to serve him, on the other hand, the kitchen was small. They kept brushing hands and sides, and there wasn’t really anything Kendra could do. His hands settled on her hips to move her aside, and she jumped.

“Just getting the honey,” he said innocently. She glared, and he held up his hands, “I’m done messing with you for now. I saw you were reading a different book in the library, what was this one about?”

“Well, the library is rather limited,” Kendra said, settling back with her tea. “I can’t read most of the books. But while the first one was about the Fair Folk, this one is an autobiography of a woman hiding her life as a shadow charmer from her husband and children. I only got through the first couple of chapters, where she destroys wraiths with sea salt, removes the cursed talisman poisoning their village’s water, and a demon inducts her as a shadow charmer.”

“Lady Kuychia,” Ronodin said, nodding, “She convinced a High Fairy to enchant that amulet you’re wearing so that her husband could have protection while she was still learning her skills.”

“Shhush!” she said, “Don’t spoil anything.”

He then talked to her about some of her old favorite books she had forgotten to pack, and pointed out that it was Lady Kuychia’s family portrait that hung over the library fireplace.

Despite enjoying the company, she started to grow tired again.

“You better head to your room if you really don’t want me to carry you,” Ronodin said, picking up her teacup and taking it to the sink.

Kendra nodded and went to her room, motioning for Mendigo to follow her.

“Mendigo,” Kendra said, once she was in the silk robe she apparently liked to sleep in, “Don’t let Ronodin leave out the front door. Stop him and hold him until I get there. I meant it when I said I wasn’t going to be part of a cage anymore.”

Mendigo nodded.

“Go stand guard by the front door, the one I tried to have you open earlier today.”

Mendigo left, and Kendra sighed into her pillow. It wasn’t hard to understand what Old Kendra liked about Ronodin. Absolutely gorgeous, an edge of excitement, intelligence, and he’s crazy about her. But he was missing a lot of things too, respect for personal boundaries being the top of the list. Did she keep trying to find what Old Kendra had loved about him? Reclaim that part of her life that Old Kendra had valued beyond even her family?

There was a shout and some grumbling from Ronodin’s room. Wrapping herself tightly in her blanket, she pulled it free and went to her door, opening it and grinning at the irritated unicorn outside her door.

“Really hilarious,” Ronodin grumbled. He relaxed at her grin, “aside from the surprise psychic insanity attack, this was actually really well made. And pretty powerful. You might be closer to creating something to protect yourself than I thought.”

“I was pretty angry at everything when I painted it,” Kendra said, “Like I said, you aren’t allowed to leave me alone here again. I thought having this in your room would be a good reminder.”

“Not if I want to sleep without having an existential crisis and accompanying panic attack,” he said drily. “It’s covered now, and hidden. I wish you wouldn’t take it out on me when you’re the one that set it up this way.”

Kendra felt the familiar pang of guilt. She hadn’t thought the painting was that powerful. Ronodin seemed so good at magic, and she wasn’t even sure it worked. Panic attacks were serious and something she shouldn’t wish on anyone, much less her former fiancée trying to make the best of a terrible situation.

“Sorry,” she said, “I guess that was a little uncalled for. It didn’t seem that powerful to me. Why do you think I’m so much better at painting than the other things I used to craft?”

Ronodin shrugged, “Painting is a little more straightforward. You don’t have to worry about needles or knives, you were probably just able to focus better on the magic aspect than you were on your other projects. We’ll paint something together tomorrow. And you can give sewing and whittling another shot. Is there a reason Mendigo is at the front door?”

“Um, I told him to make sure no one bothered me in the night,” Kendra lied, “I guess he took that to mean guard the front door.”

“You’re lying,” Ronodin stated. “Want to try again?”

Kendra huffed, “Fine, I meant it when I said you aren’t leaving here without me again. He won’t let you leave without me, so don’t bother thinking about it.”

“Kendra,” Ronodin said, groaning, “If our host calls for me, I have to go.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“He doesn’t want to see you,” Ronodin shot back.

“Why not? I was fine when we negotiated this place, right?”

Ronodin shook his head, “Even when you dim yourself, your light is way to bright for him. He will either swallow your light, or you’ll make him angry. Call your puppet off.”

“No,” she said. “If I’m going to be a prisoner, so are you. I’ll wait outside the door or whatever, but I’m sick of being trapped.”

Ronodin’s face went blank, there was nothing in his eyes as he looked at her, mouth still, and Kendra drew back half a step. Ronodin took a deep breath and motion returned to his face, leaving Kendra unsure what she had just seen. “We’re both tired, and I don’t plan on being called away for a while yet. We will talk about this more later. Goodnight.”

Ronodin leaned forward, and Kendra hiked her blankets up over her mouth, glaring.

His lips pressed gently to her forehead, lingering, as she glared at him. Ronodin stepped back.

“Goodnight, my little caterpillar,” he teased, then walked back to his room.

Did other people with amnesia have this confusing a time with their boyfriends? How long before Ronodin gave up on her? Looking in the mirror, even with the sexy clothes, Kendra knew she wasn’t anywhere near the same league as Ronodin in the looks department. Did she want Ronodin to give up on her? From the sound of it, her family wanted her back, and her brother seemed like a pretty cool kid.

What did she owe a past she couldn’t remember?

The questions circled her mind like fluttering butterflies until she fell asleep.

 “Okay, so what do you want to paint?” Ronodin asked.

“We can’t peek outside so I can figure out what the sky looks like?” Kendra checked. They were standing in front of their easels in the craft room.

Ronodin shook his head, “We’re laying low for the moment. We can visit a grotto after lunch, but that’s still enclosed in a cave.”

“Wait, really?” Kendra asked, beaming.

Ronodin nodded, “I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I can convince our host to let us out that far, and we’ll still be on their property, so your family won’t find us. If that’s what it takes for you to get your puppet to stand down, then we’ll do it.”

Kendra pounced on him with a hug, surprising both of them. She let go just as quickly, blushing, “Uh, thanks. Don’t read into that. I just really want to get out of here.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Ronodin said with a smirk, “How about I paint an outside landscape? I remember what your home looks like. Then at least it will be a full picture for you to put together for your next painting.”

“I’d really like that,” Kendra said. “If you’re painting something for me, how about I paint something for you? An apology for the panic attack.”

“You are being quite generous this morning, dream of anything good?” Ronodin asked, getting in her face again. “Because if we’re taking requests, and you’re firm on only being able to paint things you’ve already seen. I want you to paint us.”

“Us?” Kendra asked, eyebrows drawing together.

Ronodin nodded, taking her hand still holding the pencil. Kendra tried not to wince. Even through her protective amulet, his hands still felt cold. She wanted to pull it back, but she was trying to be nice.

“How you see me, how you see yourself,” Ronodin said, “Paint it.”

“I’ll try,” she said doubtfully. She tried to tug her hand free, but he wouldn’t let it go, “Any requests on what effect or emotion I should try to work into it?” If she had to be able to create something strong enough to protect herself, it looked like her best bet would be painting the biggest ‘do not bother me’ spell she could on the back of a jacket. Which meant she had to get good.

He pulled her hand towards his mouth, and when he spoke, his lips brushed the backs of her fingers. “Uncontrollable lust.”

“What!” she yelled, yanking her hand back.

He laughed, “Poor, innocent caterpillar.”

“That’s it, you missed your chance,” Kendra said, turning her back on him, “I’m painting Mendigo, and this painting is going to fill the viewer with the insatiable desire to strangle unicorns named Ronodin.”

She already had her magic flowing into her pencil. Threading? It was kind of like threading a needle, and drawing it through the work, and she could thicken the thread with concentration.

“Can’t wait,” Ronodin said, putting his own pencil to canvas. It didn’t feel as satisfying, knowing he approved of her project. The desire to kill seemed a little extreme anyway, and she flinched away from it remembering her actual almost murder of her kinda boyfriend. Irritation with Ronodin it was then.

She started to sketch Mendigo, but ran into the issue of creation/affect dichotomy that the book warned her about. Looking at Mendigo wouldn’t inspire anyone to be irritated with Ronodin. Glancing sideways, she decided to stick to irritation, but she would have to paint him. Half body, because with the robe it was just more interesting to be able to focus on his face and torso. Arms folded, because hands were hard to draw.

“How about some music?” Ronodin offered. “Anything you’d like?”

She focused on her canvas, “I have literally never heard music before. Play anything.”

“Very well,” he said, pulling out a cell phone. Kendra first heard the click of a camera going off, and decided against saying something. If he wanted a picture, maybe they could print it out and hang it, add a little more personality to the room. A moment later, piano notes filled the air, something a little frenzied, and the violin joined in. She didn’t dislike it, but as the first song she ever heard, she didn’t have much to compare it to.

Threading her magic through her pencil, she drew the outlines she wanted. His know-it-all smirk, perfect hair, eyes. Was it weird to use unicorn blood for the eyes and teeth? It might be his own.

No, she had to focus, she had to get good at this. The black of his robe was the hardest part, and she ended up mixing it with reds and blues to get the full effect of how Kendra saw him. His skin tone was also difficult to mix with the limited colors, but she did it. Using one of her whittling knives, she made a pretty cool effect for the scar over his eyebrow.

Surprisingly, Ronodin stayed quiet the whole time. He didn’t tease her or try to mess with her. When she had to step back to let a layer dry, or go to the bathroom, he just smirked at her. Her eyes would drift to him for reference, and he would occasionally strike a pose, but he never said anything.

Maybe this was how they had bonded the first time, painting quietly to music. It didn’t help too much in this case because she painted with a thousand irritations in her brush, but if they were ever able to do this outside her prison cell, in the open air, it would probably be a different experience. Maybe next time she could try for companionship when she painted.

She thought she’d like that painting a lot more. Luckily, irritation with her lack of skill and being stuck with only negative emotions helped feed into the current project.

By the end, it wasn’t perfect, or even particularly good. People were hard, but she liked it.  His smug smile said ‘kill me’, enough for her.

“You ready for the great reveal?” Ronodin asked, turning off the music.

“Sure,” Kendra said, “You probably figured it out, but it’s a lot easier to want to kill you while looking at your stupid face.” She took her canvas and showed it to him.

Ronodin scrutinized himself through her painting. “My ears look a little misshapen, and all I’m sensing is vague irritation with myself. Have a problem with killing intent?”

“Despite various actions to the contrary,” Kendra said, “I don’t actually want to kill you. So yeah, irritation. Can I see yours now?”

“It’s not my best work,” he said, picking up his own canvas, “You wouldn’t believe how long it’s been since I painted,” so that means they didn’t bond over painting, “but I hope this helps you put together what outside looks like.”

He turned it over and showed her a castle rising above a forest. The sky was a heart wrenching blue, and there had to be forty different shades of green in the trees. A couple of deer with wings glided over the treetops, beneath a sun that was paler than she imagined, its light fell gently. Two clouds gave variety to the sky, and the castle was done in blacks and grays that blended so well together, she couldn’t begin figuring out the shades. The stones and towers, the gate, and just barely she could make out a road that vanished under distant trees, horses racing across it. Two mountains rose in the distance, and a ravine far to the right.

“It’s beautiful,” she said reverently, going closer to the picture. “It’s absolutely beautiful. You’re amazing.”

“Yes, well, I try,” he said. Kendra looked, and he seemed flustered for a moment, then smirked, “I take it you like my gift?”

“A real gift this time?” Kendra asked dubiously.

She was expecting it, and was able to turn her cheek at the last moment as he pulled her close.

He pulled back, “Never.” And let her go.

“Try again after I’m out of this prison.”

“Quarantine,” he corrected.

“What am I infected with?” Kendra countered.

He shook his head, “We’re doing this so you don’t loose the self you found and were so proud of.”

Kendra didn’t know what to say to that.

Sorry I’m not me enough for you at the moment?

I’m sure I’ll be myself again eventually, don’t give up.

The only version of me I care about is the one that gets to sit in the sunlight.

She kept staring at the castle instead, her former home. The place where the other Kendra first became the person Ronodin loved.

Quietly, she asked, “I can really keep this?”

“Of course, Love,” Ronodin said, “I even left out the caged dragons for you, so you can remember the good parts more than the bad.”

Her head swiveled towards him, “This isn’t what it actually looks like?”

He blinked, “No, that’s what it looks like. But Dragons are a pain to draw, and most of them stay out of that particular direction anyway. They generally don’t like to be near the keep, nor the giant’s mountain behind it. I was just joking.”

“Oh,” she said, “That’s…okay. Mind if I take it to my room?”

“Be sure to let it finish drying,” Ronodin said, stepping aside.

Kendra hesitated at the door, “I’m not the Kendra you know. I don’t know how to be that Kendra. Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to just drop me off back home so I can figure things out from the beginning?”

“This is a beginning of sorts,” Ronodin mused. “But I know the truth of you. I know how confused you are right now, and how much trust you are putting in me. I am deeply aware of that.” He said. The sheer intensity of his gaze made her blush. “The day you understand truth of who you are in your bones, and who I am, that day will change everything. That day is worth waiting for. You are worth waiting for, whether you become exactly the woman I remember or not.”

Kendra blushed and fled. She went to her room, put the landscape against the wall, and put her hands over her flushing cheeks. Smoldering intensity was not a fair superpower! Did all unicorns have that? No, she didn’t really love him yet; he was just distracting! This was desperation, and loneliness, and—and she didn’t even know the names of her parents! She didn’t know what love was. Had she ever been in love before? When you loved someone, was Ronodin what it looked like?

They still had to go the grotto that afternoon.

She pulled back on the clothes she had arrived in, jeans, shirt, and added her poorly made cardigan. Feeling nice and covered up, she made her way to the kitchen for lunch.

“I changed my mind, let’s have lunch in the grotto,” Ronodin said, waving a basket full of sandwiches and chips in her direction as he filled up water bottles, “Remember to keep your light dim.”

Kendra frowned, but it wasn’t like she was going to complain about leaving this place.

He frowned at her, “Those clothes again?”

“You could always take me shopping,” she said, folding her arms. “Or let me use your phone for some online shopping.”

Ronodin chuckled, walking up to her, “Our host doesn’t exactly have a listed address. Come on,” he held out an arm, and Kendra weighed the pros and cons of accepting it. Pro: get out of here faster. Con: Ronodin being a jerk and violating her personal space.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” Ronodin said, rolling his eyes.

Kendra took his arm, and watched him carefully as they approached the door. Mendigo moved to stop him, but Kendra said, “It’s alright. He’s allowed to leave with me. Watch our stuff, kay.” The puppet snapped back into guard position.

Ronodin took out a key from his pocket. A big, rusty thing, and fit it into the lock at the same time that he said something in language she didn’t understand.

“That’s not fair,” Kendra said as he turned the key. He didn’t respond, just opened the door and led her out into a hallway.

This part of the property was much less polished than her apartment. The stone was rougher, smoothed by time rather than professionally. She also knew instinctively that she would be frozen if it wasn’t for the ruby necklace.  The corridor narrowed and widened randomly, and it was dark.

Of course, she probably could have brightened things by letting her own light shine, but out here it wouldn’t only be rude to Ronodin, it would also be rude to anyone else in the hallway. They passed by one person, who looked extremely gaunt and old, and he still flinched a little at her dim shining.

Ronodin led her up through twisty corridors with lots of forks. She tried to keep track, but would undoubtably be lost within minutes if Ronodin wasn’t here. Kendra started to smell saltwater, and pulled Ronodin along faster.

It was strange. If ten minutes ago you had asked her to describe and know the smell of saltwater, she wouldn’t have been able to. As soon as she smelled it though, it was like that synapse reconnected. Of course that was what saltwater smelled like.

“Watch the brightness,” Ronodin warned, but sped up with her. In her excitement, she had let her control slip. Kendra forced herself to slow down and keep her magic to herself.

They reached a rocky shore, the tide lapping in tiny waves. There was seaweed scattered below the waterline, a drum in the corner, and a bunch of random animal bones.

She put her hand into the water and sighed. Feeling it push and pull against her hand was amazing. Ronodin set up lunch behind her, but she focused on the sensations of right now. The feel of water, the look of the rounded grotto, the…dead fish. And now she had memorized what rotting fish smelled like.

Grossed out, she went back to Ronodin who offered her a napkin to dry her hands and some hand sanitizer. Then he snapped another photo of them on their picnic blanket.

“Why didn’t you set up closer to the drum?” Kendra asked. It looked much flatter and less rocky over there.

“Didn’t want to risk accidentally sounding it,” he said simply. He handed her a sandwich.

“What happens?”

“The sound would summon a dragon that would more than love to eat you.”

“Romantic.”

Ronodin looked amused. “You wanted elsewhere, I got you elsewhere. You’re going to have to be a little clearer when you want me to court you and when you don’t.”

Kendra blushed, “It’s complicated. I don’t know when I want you to court me either. I don’t think I want to be courted right now. There’s still so much I don’t know about myself.”

“Well, let’s find out a little more,” Ronodin said “What would make this romantic?”

Kendra blushed and looked at her food, “I don’t know, I’ve never been courted before. That’s the problem.” She took a bite.

“You knew enough to know that this place isn’t romantic, give it a try,” Ronodin encouraged.

“Give me a second to think then,” she said, then took another bite.

She finished her sandwich half, took a drink, and said. “Well, the rotting fish in the water wasn’t pleasant, that would need to go. So would the animal bones, and the threat of a deadly sea dragon eating me. Umm, fairy lights I guess? Something soft to help light this place. This blanket is okay, but having some pillows set up too would help.”

“Music?” Ronodin asked.

Kendra shook her head, “Not necessarily, the sound of the waves is calming and new. I’d be a little sad to have that drowned out by music. Of course, this place would be immediately topped by anyplace with sunlight. Like a mall.”

“A mall,” Ronodin deadpanned. “Do you even remember what a mall looks like? Secluded grotto beats mall every time, even with dragons and dead fish.”

“But we could buy clothes,” Kendra emphasized. “And knowing what I want and need, and spending time with me? Most romantic thing ever.” She had agreed with Lady Kuychia in that aspect. She thought she did, at least. Everything Kendra agreed with currently was subject to change.

“Noted,” Ronodin said drily. “A bit contradictory, but noted.”

“Prison cells make everything unromantic,” she declared.

“On that,” Ronodin said, “We agree completely. I’m glad that viewpoint hasn’t changed with your memory loss.”

Kendra hesitated, “Was my family really a bunch of jailers?”

Ronodin nodded, “They thought they had their reasons, but the reasons were nonsense and broke down once a reasonably intelligent teenager looked at them. They justified them by saying that the inhabitants were happier in cages than in the mortal world, while the continuous, active rebellion suggested that they aren’t. The prisons protected mortals from dangerous creatures. But mortals have their own protections, and who said that humans should be the ones in charge of everything? They’re doing a terrible job of it.

“And my favorite: keep them locked up because their nature is to harm. Humans have killed more things than all the dragons combined since the prisons were put up. You don’t hate the wolf for eating the deer. You don’t hate the ocean for crumbling the shore. Is the day better than the night? For somethings, like sunbathing and growing plants, but the night is better for seeing stars and sleeping. Not only is it morally wrong to keep sentient things in prison without hope of freedom, it throws the world out of balance.”

Kendra was quiet.

Ronodin looked at her, “Oh, your family isn’t terrible. Your brother is a nuisance, as most brothers are, but he believes he is doing the right thing and goes out of his way to cause as little harm as possible. They all do. It’s what their parents did, and their parents, for a very long time. They are wrong, not bad. Clearly, otherwise you wouldn’t have turned out the way you did.”

“What happens when you open all the prison cells?” Kendra asked. “You said the dragon here would love to eat me. I haven’t done anything at all to it. Could I convince the dragon not to eat me?”

“If you were skilled, and you were clever,” Ronodin said. “And by the Jirbarro’s standards, we did do something wrong: we entered his territory. By entering the hunting ground of a bear, you invite the bear to attack.”

“How many jails are there? Would the whole world become a hunting ground?”

Ronodin shrugged, “Don’t know. But I think it would be interesting and fair to find out.”

Kendra frowned, and was about to say something else, when the water in the grotto started splashing.

“Ah,” Ronodin said. He glanced at Kendra. “Be ready to be skilled and clever.”

“What!”

A dragon rose out of the water. Huge. Impossibly huge. Ridiculously large. Things that size shouldn’t be allowed, some law of biology had to be crying over this creature’s existence. Kendra’s muscles locked into place with fear.

“Ah, Ronodin, have you brought me a snack?” asked the dragon. It was like Kendra was hearing three voices, the dragon’s main voice, a voice that came as though from underwater, and its echo.

“No, just enjoying the scenery,” Ronodin said.

“Oh my,” Jirbarro said, completely ignoring Ronodin, “And such a unique snack too! Slayer of the Demon King, caretaker of wyrmroost, and handmaiden to the fairy queen herself. Rumor has it that she sent Celebrant back to his hole like wyrmling.” The dragon lowered its head to better look at her. “Tell me child, can you speak?”

Kendra focused on the ground infront of the dragon, “Please…back away.” It took will power, but she was able to grind out a single sentence. She was rather proud of it.

Jibarro shook his head, “Barely, and your reputation was growing so well. Eating you will be doing you a service. You can die with your legends, and no one has to know you were speechless.”

“I need her, our host has a special task for her,” Ronodin lied, “No feasting now.”

Kendra tried to pull her magic forward, massage it through her muscles, anything, but nothing worked. Ronodin needed her, he loved her, she wouldn’t make him watch her get eaten by a dragon.

Still her muscles refused to move.

Kendra thought about the picture Ronodin had painted of her childhood home. Thought of her brother. But it was remembering that pale orb that stuck in in her mind. She was not going to die without feeling sunlight.

There was a snap, and all the bindings holding her in place fell apart.

“Excuse me,” she said, “I am nobody’s dinner.”

Their attention riveted on her again.

“Does the kelp speak?” Jibarro asked.

“The human does,” Kendra said, and she let go of the hold she had on her light. She felt better as the grotto brightened to a dim room. “And I would like to request the curtesy of asking me to leave before eating for an imagined slight or because you think it would make yourself more important. We are both intelligent, let’s respect that.”

This time Ronodin’s mouth really did drop open, but she didn’t need to laugh at it, Jibarro was doing it for her.

“Such an entertaining mouse!” Jibarro said. He looked down at Ronodin, “Very well, now that her fear is gone, humans make far too paltry a snack. And as the mouse demands, you should leave before I change my mind. I can’t wait to see what insults she and her brother serve the mighty Celebrant next.”

Ronodin nodded, “We will accept your offer of leave.” Ronodin rolled up everything into the blanket he brought and together they left, hearing the splash of water behind them of Jibarro leaving as well.

Once they were back in the corridor, Kendra collapsed against the wall.

“I see your point,” Ronodin said casually, “The threat of being eaten by a dragon is a downer.”

“What was that?” Kendra asked.

“Dragon fear,” Ronodin said, “All dragons exude it, though some don’t by choice. It gets paired with their general mesmerizing ability, but your status as Fairy Kind protects your mind from that part. The resistance to fear seems to be something you needed to overcome on your own. Congrats are in order, I suppose.”

“He called me a lot of titles,” Kendra said. “How did he know? I don’t even know most of those.”

Ronodin shrugged, “Certain experiences and acts leave marks that those with eyes to see can perceive. You read about the Thrones of Power right?” Kendra nodded, “One of the prisons your family supported was the greater demon prison, Zzyzx. With a powerful sword and a hefty bit of absolute rage, you slew the previous holder of the Demon Crown. I wasn’t invited to that party, my family likely concerned I would side with the demons, but even I can see the mark on you from the experience.”

“I did that?” she asked, standing up. A whole four pages of the book had been devoted to the crowns as the pillars of magic that are virtually unlimited, held in check only by each other. “Wait, would you have sided with the demons?”

Ronodin shrugged, “I would have heard them out, I suppose. I didn’t have a preference one way or another how it turned out. I would have been fine.”

But would the rest of humanity? She didn’t know much about demons, but they seemed worse than the undead. The destruction of the undead seemed predicated on their nature, they have nothing but wanting, so even a sliver of life seems the greatest feast. Created by the weakness of living beings. Demons did it because it was fun, they wanted to, and because of a personal conviction that everyone is terrible and deserves to die if they aren’t strong enough to live. That’s why demons were on the morality triangle, and the undead on the creature triangle.

It was a silent walk back to her apartment.

They entered and Ronodin looked at her. “See what I mean about this place being dangerous? I have connections and favors down here that let me go without harm, but you don’t.” Mendigo was standing beside him.

Kendra thought about it, but that orb of sun stuck fast in her mind. “Yes, it is dangerous, but even with the danger and dead things, it was more than I’ve gotten in my life. Mendigo? My orders stand. Ronodin isn’t allowed to leave without me.”

Ronodin was livid. “Rather than let me go out and secure your freedom, you would trap us both here? Foolish doesn’t begin to cover you. Insane? Senile? Self-destructive? Call off your puppet.”

“No,” Kendra said, raising her chin, “You leave, you take me with you. I’ll do what I have to to stay alive. You said that everyone who got in the way of my goals was my enemy. Being faced with Dragon fear taught me that seeing the sunlight is a more important goal to me than just about anything else.”

The ‘even you’ went unsaid, and she wondered if Ronodin heard it as clearly as she meant it.

Ronodin closed his eyes and breathed. He seemed to be counting, and Kendra waited. He opened his eyes and was much calmer, “You have no idea what it means to have a goal more important than anything else,” he said, “You are acting like a child, but I am going to give us both one more chance to act reasonably. For every time you come with me, I obtain the right to leave by myself twice. Considering how infuriating you are making everything, this is an extremely generous offer.”

Kendra thought it over, “A one to one ratio, and you don’t have to take me above ground. A two-to-one ratio, and you have to take me above ground for it to count.”

“Fine,” he said, “One to one. But I’m tired after dealing with you, so please entertain yourself.”

“Mendigo,” Kendra said, “Ronodin may leave once without me. Come, we’re going to the library.”

She took five steps away, then stopped, “I’m sorry, but while I’m negotiating with the power to stop you from leaving, you’re negotiating with the power to leave me here forever. I can’t risk that.”

“Then maybe you should stop being such a brat, and I’d more inclined not to leave you here forever,” Ronodin said.

Kendra glanced back at him, but he wasn’t looking at her, instead doing something on his phone.

He doesn’t mean that. She made herself think, over and over. If only she believed it. 

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Tokyo Tower (Part 5) Butterfly Effect

Please enjoy this! :D I’ve changed a lot about this scene to cut out the irrelevant and pointless parts and keep it focused on the MC and the characters we want to see! @rurifangirl by request

“You think I would use the perfect evolutionary medicine on my own daughter and use her to create the perfect dragon race?"

"The so-called perfect evolution is the ultimate evolution that can maintain divine wisdom. Even if she evolves into a dragon, she is still your daughter. With her obedience to you, she can destroy the world for you, which is the reason you have been raising her so far."

“And if you get God's fetal blood, you'll use it on yourself?"

"It seems that only using it on myself is the safest way. I wanted to try it on Chime as well, but that boy is too hard to control, a viper's heart hidden under a feminine appearance!"

You speak the words but your playful manner has gone and been replaced with a numb realization that so long as Herzog was alive, you’d never find peace. You had a sisterhood and love with Renata but she was shot in front of you. You had just found love again before Herzog had Chance assassinated. And now that you had finally taken solace in a man like Ruri Kazama and bonded as a sister again with Erii, here he was threatening them both.

It would never end. Next would be Caesar, Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei and then, once he was finished with you, you would be next. The man was a bottomless pit. He had no attachments, no empathy. Nor could he have them even if he wanted to. He’s whole life’s view was eat-or-be-eaten. There was no such thing as balance, no such thing as co-existence.

What he liked to call evolution was nothing but eternal slaughter, breathtaking in its scope. It was hard to believe someone like him could exist. You were horrified and amazed. While you have made decisions to kill others before, for the first time, you’re confronted with someone who had to die in the most absolute of terms.

You speak up again after listening for a bit. “Herzog and Erii were both exposed to dragon blood and started to turn into dragons, but were unable to complete the process. He says they were semi-evolved. Half-evolved. Bondarev has the raw materials Herzog needs, and Herzog has the methods and research to create the evolution medicine. They have agreed to work together.”

You didn’t believe they would really work together. At the first opportunity they would fight to the death. There was very little difference between these two men and the deadpool sphinxes in the mural hall of Genji Heavy Industries. Cannibals.

 "Damn it! How did the Tortoise get here?" Caesar suddenly snarled.

 "Brother!"

Caesar and Ruri Kazama spoke almost simultaneously, both in horror, but the messages conveyed in their tones of voice were completely different. Ruri’s uncontrolled dismay showed that Chisei was still special to him as his brother. Caesar was more concerned about the success of the mission.

“We haven’t had time to blockade Tokyo Tower yet! Tachibana Masamune might still escape!” Caesar shouted.

"Quick! Seal the elevator and the iron ladder! Brother may not have a chance to win against the King General! He will underestimate him!" Ruri Kazama said urgently.

While Caesar was concerned about Tachibana escaping, Ruri Kazama wanted to keep Chisei out of the clutches of Herzog.

"Calling Ruri! Calling Ruri! Change of plan! We're going up the tower now to intercept the King General, you stand by for a kill!" Caesar called loudly.

There was only rustling background noise in your headset. Ruri Kazama's voice disappeared. Caesar switched between different channels, and there was no answer from Ruri Kazama in each channel.

Ruri Kazama might have turned off the communication device or discarded it, in any case, he was detached from the communication network.

“I knew we couldn’t count on that guy!” Caesar yelled in annoyance.

Just like that, the entire operation was in disarray. You didn’t know what happened to him. Maybe an assassin had found him. Maybe Ruri was already dead! “Wait! He said we should stop Chisei!”

Caesar’s voice brooked no arguments. “Ruri Kazama withdrew from the mission. It’s up to us, the commissioners of the Cassel Academy, to carry out the mission of the Secret Party. Since both the King General and Tachibana Masamune have personally admitted to wanting to resurrect the White King, then they have already committed the felony of being enemies of the entire human race and have to be wiped out right now! MC! Lu Mingfei! Prepare your rifles!”

You hesitate. Ruri Kazama specifically told you that not even Chisei Gen was certain to be able to kill the King General. While Caesar was strong and clever and resourceful, he couldn’t rival Chisei's pure brute force. You look down at your sniper rifle in dismay. You heard the King General say that he was a semi-evolved dragon. This rifle was absolutely useless! You throw it down and turn and run.

Mingfei turned his head. “MC! What are you doing!”

The fastest way down the building was the stairwell and you leap down flights at a time. You feel like you were too slow no matter how fast you run! You burst out of the ground floor exit door and streak across the Tokyo Tower’s main plaza. You don’t see Chisei anywhere but you urge yourself to go faster! Lighting flashes and illuminates the black veins on your wrist and black veins peeking out from the collar of your shirt. They pulse like tentacles. You’re running unnaturally fast, fast like a demon, like a werewolf, pushed by the superhuman force of your dragon blood. You didn't need to use blood rage this time. Your condition really was deteriorating, bit by bit. Now Blood Rage was only a thought away.

You reach the stairs faster than any sprinter and start to climb up as fast as you can!

Then you hear footsteps behind you. You whirl to confront who was following.

In the dark and the wind and the rain, you were once again facing Chisei Gen.

Chisei Gen came stepping through the storm, his windbreaker flying like a battle flag in the gale. He was looking up high into the sky, his pupils flowing with the color of molten iron. There is no need for him to sneak. He is an emperor, the absolute emperor. Any opposition he faced he would simply crush with absolute violence.

So you shrink and make yourself as small as possible. “I can’t fight you. I can only tell you that you’re making a mistake! Don’t go up there!”

“What are you doing here?” The sword Onimaru glittered like pure ice in the rain.

“We received intelligence on this meeting from your brother. Caesar and Chu Zihang are also on the way to kill Herz… I mean, the King General and Tachibana for crimes against the Secret party. The King General is a half dragon. Chime didn’t believe you could defeat him and wanted us to stop you from going up.”

At the mention of the name ‘Chime’, Chisei’s eyes burned bright in the dark and the pupils narrowed to needles! He moved like the wind, crushing you against the iron stairs. The metal risers slam into your back leaving deep bruises. Pain explodes in your legs and you realize that he’s broken them. You scream and seize his hair, the only way you feel you can detain him. He’s amber reptilian eyes burn into yours. He snarls low. “I’ll interrogate you later.”

“Fine.” You sob, shaking, pale, and sweaty with pain. You release him. “Go die. Chime is the only one who cares about you anyway.”

Chisei’s eyes widen and then suddenly distance and dim and, for a moment, they revert back to their dark natural color. He looked so much like his brother in this state -- soft, sad, lonely. Those eyes were full of pain and regret. The rain ran in rivers down his face like tears. So little got to him, but those words did.

He straightened up over you and rushed off, flying up the stairs like an eagle, leaving you on the stairs in a curtain of rain. Your legs hurt so bad you want to swoon and every time you look down the world spins and you want to throw up.

“So… how’s it going?”

“How did I know you were going to show up?”

Z sits on the stairs and sighs deeply, holding an umbrella over your head. “Because I’m always by your side. Unlike some people.” He moves his hand to rest it on your hair and then retracts it. “I really do support you. You’re important. And I would rather things have gone my way with our relationship. But, like I said, I can’t make you do something like that. Like the genie in Aladdin. I can’t make you love me.” He chuckled. “But… like the genie, I can fix your legs. And I’ll do that.”

“Why… would you help me? I’m so confused.” You lift your head from the cold metal step. He was still in his fashionable suit and leather shoes.

“I didn’t tell you much when I was courting you, you think I’m going to tell you things now?” He laughed. “You’re doing amazing things. At least, I think you are. Hard to tell.” He turned to look at you with his golden eyes, then his eyes lift up to the stairs where Chisei disappeared. “It’s like the butterfly effect. Tiny little changes that don’t seem to matter have a cumulative effect. Now I’m curious. Hm…” He laughed, musing to himself. “Anyway. Your ride will take a few minutes to get here. In the meantime, I have to let you stay wounded so you don’t wander off and die prematurely. When it’s time to go. You’ll know.” Z stood up and walked away, stepping off the staircase and walking through the rain with nothing but open air beneath him until he vanished out of sight.

You lay on the steps, taking one breath at a time. It was hard not to moan but surely no one heard you over the torrential rain. Your mind drifted to Caesar Gattuso who would probably kill you even if you survived this. Or at least fiercely scold you. He would ask you what you were thinking, running off and confronting a furious Chisei Gen alone. You should have known he’d crumple you like paper. Caesar’s supposed to be the only one with the harebrained ideas.

You wondered what you were thinking. And you recall Ruri Kazama’s desperate words.

Brother!

It wasn’t just any exclamation. Chime was terrified of losing Chisei. His twin brother.

You hear a sudden loud bang, like there was a car collision right above you. As you look, a dark shape looms towards you. You feel a sudden jolt of fear! Metal bits and shredded dark pieces of cloth are raining all around your head and you hear the rattle of machine gun fire from the stairs!

“Ouch! … oh… Ow! Ow!”

A man-shaped thing was moaning while dangling by a rope between the shadowy metal struts of Tokyo tower. You recognized the voice. “Fingel?”

He sighed, whimpering. He was spinning while holding on to a thick rope. “Oh hey girly. Fancy meeting you here.”

“What happened?”

“Uh… the King had an escape plan. A big ol’ metal blimp! Bigger than mine! Haha!” He flinched. “Ow.”

You push yourself upright and suddenly realize that your pain is gone! You look down at your legs. 

They were fine.

At that moment, far more ferocious weapons than assault pistols boomed on the far roof of the building. It was Mingfei!

“The King’s escaping?” You grip the hand rail and pull yourself up. Your legs are wobbly, like you’d been sitting for hours, but they didn’t hurt.

“Yeah… I’m… I’m done here.” Fingel wearily groaned. “I want ramen… and more of that miso soup. I think I’m going to get out of the way. Good luck!” Fingel suddenly started sliding down the rope.

“Hey get back here! I don’t… I don’t have any weapons!” You lean against the hand rail to look down but he is already gone. You grumble to yourself. “Dog with no morality.”

“You can always join meeeee….” Fingel shouted from below.

He was right. You could go home right now. But Ruri was still out there. He might need your help. And… your legs were fine. You sigh deeply.

Chisei was an idiot. He didn’t listen. He never listened. He had a set path, a script to follow and he was following it without delay.

But Chime loved him. 

You push away from the railing and turn away from Fingel and dash up the stairs. You climb on healed legs until you reach the top of the stairs. The outer observation deck was completely covered in broken glass. Every window had been blown out. Chisei Gen was standing on the observation deck with submachine guns but he didn’t even notice you. He was staring into the distance and you follow his gaze.

The King General’s blimp was still aloft, but it was disabled. The man was hanging on by a ladder and buffeted like a limp doll in the wind. Immediately, something like a light black hawk took off from the rooftop of the building next to him, the gusty wind pounding its wings, carrying it to the sky. When the lift was exhausted and this strange bird reached the apex of it’s climb, it turned violently and swooped down like thunder and lightning.

it was a black glider, and under the glider hung a dressed-up Ruri Kazama!

 He was wearing a dazzling kimono, his robe and sleeves danced in the wind and rain. He carried his cherry red sword in his hand. Even without makeup, his plain white face was as beautiful as a supreme heavenly maiden, but with a lion-like smile.

He came in full costume to kill!

The blimp’s rudder was broken. It couldn't dodge and everyone could only watch Ruri Kazama's performance. The black wings hid the General from everyone’s eyes and no one knew his last expression. Whether he changed that mask-like smile.

 Ruri Kazama brushed past the hanging ladder and cut off the King General's head with a single slash.

That was not the end of it. With his gliding wings, he expertly whirled around the King's corpse in a very tight circle, and the second slash cut the king in half at the waist. The third cut severed the hanging ladder. The King's body fell in pieces in the pouring rain, and Ruri Kazama waved his sword in the air to remove the blood on it, and his glider carried him into the buildings ahead.

This was the real trap with no way out, where the strongest bloodline ability cannot be brought to bear. Ruri Kazama understood that Herzog would never entrap himself in the tower. He already guessed that he would have an airship prepared to escape, but, because Ruri did not trust anyone, he didn’t say anything to anyone.

Not even you.

The air was filled with his laughter after he had won, like the laughter of an actor on stage, so exaggeratedly contrived, but hollow and sad. He hated Herzog so much. Your mind fills with questions. Why did he hate him so much? How many years did he prepare to kill this man?

“Chime…” Chisei’s eyes were full of questions and confusion too.

He finally noticed your presence and stiffened, hand on his sword. But you don’t move. “Do you believe me now?” You ask.

Chisei’s hand released. “How.”

“Oh this?” You shake one leg at him. “The ghost of my dead boyfriend came and healed me.”

Chisei’s gaze unfocused and you realized that you meant Z but Chisei was thinking of Chance. “I won’t ask your forgiveness.” He said.

“Good.” You bark a laugh. “I guess that means you’re not a total idiot.” You cross your arms over your chest and smirk.

Chisei sighs, but he smiles a bit. “Even in a dire situation as this, you make me laugh.”

“I have a feel for a dragon’s sense of humor. If the dragon is laughing, it cannot eat you.” You tilt your head slightly.

“And why are you here?” Chisei looked past you.

Moving like a shadow and completely unnoticed by you, Sakura Yabuki stepped forward. She had been at your back, ready to kill you if needed. You feel a sudden chill, but the danger was already over before you noticed it.

"As a result of a discussion with Crow. It was expected that you would come to the special observation deck, so I decided to send men to protect you." Sakura's answer was curt, "I was the only one suitable for the job, so I came."

Lithely muscled, tall, in a black bodysuit and face half covered, Sakura Yabuki was made to live in the shadows. You’d only seen her a few times on your arrival, but hadn’t seen her again since. It was probably a good thing. She didn’t seem to be the type who let you see her at all, unless she was the last thing you ever saw.

What stands out to you though was that subtle humor. Your eyebrows raise. She was funny!

You hear a soft grunt. Bondarev was holding his chest. He smiled that winning smile up at you. “MC. Long time no see!”

Anger rose from the soles of your feet to the top of your head and you stare down at him, fiercely judging. “What’s done is done. I’m not into revenge.”

“Yes… I will… face the judgement of God.” Bondarev hung his head slightly.  “Chisei… let this girl go. She’s caught up in it. She’s innocent.”

“Cut the crap, Bondarev.” You say in sharp blistering Russian. He looks up at you again, eyes wide. “You’re not going to fool me. The minute I turn around, you’ll have me killed. This will end in blood because you don’t know how to live any other way.”

For a moment, Bondarev’s blue eyes sparkled. His Russian was smooth and unbothered by his injuries. “You’ve… learned Dr. Herzog’s lessons very well.”

Your lips quirk up in a smile. 

Chisei’s eyes bounce from your face to his. “You … know each other?”

“Long story.” You back away from all of them, hands raised. “Do what you need to. I won’t interfere.”

"We must hurry up and get someone to clean up the scene," Bondarev said.  "...and call a doctor for me."

"You've been taking some kind of drugs, haven't you?" Chisei Gen asked.

In the low light, you noticed an abnormal sheen on his body. It was the play of the light on small ivory scales.

"It's worse than that, it's preserved fetal blood, but with serum therapy, it's no problem to live for another few years or even a decade." Tachibana smiled, "Maybe enough to live to attend your wedding."

You glance at him and he meets your eye. Why would he mention that in front of you? Speaking in English, a language you would understand... Did he think you didn’t know about the serum treatment? He knows you’re dying and is dangling that in front of you. But you’re covered. Caesar would make sure to knock him off his throne and give you the leadership of Japan and the serum treatment without the constant threat of death. You respond to his look with a derisive snort and an unpleasant grin. You drawl in Russian. “No, thanks.”

The rain was still falling. The wind was sweeping across the special observation deck and carried a faint cry to your ears.

‘Tachibana’ froze for a few seconds and a great fright came into his eyes. He retreated step by step towards the interior. Chisei and Sakura also retreated with him. The majestic wind and rain seems to hide something more terrifying than even the King General.

Surprised, you turn to look for yourself.

A black shadow rose slowly from below the observation deck. The heavy rain hit its greenish-gray scales, breaking into a shining white mist. It unfolded several meters wide wings gently waving them in a graceful rhythm. A long snaky fish tail slowly stretches below its body.

Its long, dark hair is disheveled in the wind and rain, hiding its pretty female face. The corners of its mouth moved slightly, as if to laugh out loud, but what came out was a baby-like cry, and its mouth was full of thorny sharp teeth.

Flying Deadpool.

Not one but a group. They rose up from all directions, as if they were flying snakes in ancient frescoes, a sight that in the legends of all ancient civilizations heralded cataclysm.

[mihaeripham]

 Sophie Langster’s profile

(ver 1.0)

Big thanks to @hogwartsmysterystory for the template.

Name: Sophie Josephine Langster/ Sophie Langster

Gender: Female

Age: 15 ( year five)

Birth Date: 30/06/1973

Species: Human

Blood Status:  Half-Blood

Sexuality: Straight

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISFJ

THE MAGE

1st Wand (above): Oak wood with unicorn hair core, 25 cm long, super flexibility

2nd Wand (below): Ash wood with Wampus cat hair, 30 cm long, 1/2 super flexibility

Animagus: Tuxedo cat ( cat with black and white fur)

Misc Magical Abilities: Animagus

Boggart Form: A big wave of cold water, flying newspaper saying bad things about Jacob, her family and herself

Riddikulus Form: Balloons with funny shapes and pattern

Amortentia: (What do they smell like?): Cocoa, flour, fresh grass, burned wood under fireplace

Patronus: Cheetah

Patronus Memory: The first time she successfully baked her first cookie batch

Mirror of Erised: Can swim freely in any water surface

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

- Wingardium Leviosa ( specialized and favourite)

-  Combo Engorgio + Reducio

- Depulso

- Protego

Game Appearance: ( I’m currently replaying so the year in the picture is year 3)

Height: 156 cm

Weight: 46 kg

Physique: 

-Short, average body

-Short hair with bang tied behind

-Round face with big, round cat-like eyes and small short nose

Eye Colour: Emerald green

Hair Colour: Chestnut brown

Skin Tone: Tan brown

Inventory: (what do they carry on them?): Wand, a bag of homemade cookie, wallet, hair ties, napkins

Fashion: Pattern clothes with bags, mainly bright color ( red, yellow, orange); long socks; high neck boots or canvas shoes

ALLEGIANCES

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff 

Affiliations/Organizations:  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Professions: 

 - School: Curse - Breaker

- After graduated: Creator, owner and manager of “Sweet and Savoury” cookie franchies

HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiencies:

Charms: O

DADA: E

Flying: O

Herbology: E

History of Magic:A

Potions: O

Transfiguration: E

Quidditch: Chaser ( for 4 years)

Extra Curricular: Member of Higgpogiff, Sphinx and Dragon Club

Favourite Professors: Sprout

RELATIONSHIPS

Brother: Jacob Edmund Langster/ Jacob Langster : 5 years older than Sophie, a talented child in spells and flying skills, famous in his hometown and had many friends/admirers, was considered as the family’s pride and Sophie’s idol

Father: Edmund Junior Langster/ Edmund Langster : A bussinessmen in both the wizard and muggle world, half-blood 

Mother: Josephne Lucy Callhound/ Josephine Langster : Owner of a bakery, muggleborn, originally from America 

Love Interest: Talbott Winger

Best Friends: Rowan Khanna

Rival: Merula Snyde

Enemy: Patricia Rakepick

Dormmates: (Who’s in your MC’s dorm with them?): (currently none so I welcome anyone who wants to be my dormmates)

Pets:  A cat name Mr.Ginger, a puppy crup name Olly

Closest Canon Friends: Rowan Khanna , Ben Copper, Bill Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Barnaby Lee, Tulip Karasu, Talbott Winger

Closest MC Friends: Can anyone be Sophie’s friend pls TvT

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

- Born in a town in Ipswich

- 2 years old: Her magic appeared while she was having a very bad fever (lasted for a week), resulted her height grow shorter than normal.

- 7 years old: While playing with Jacob, she accidentally fell into a frozen lake and almost drowning. Developed a fear for water and cold weather .

- 10 years old: 

Jacob’s dissapperance. 

After the incident,rumors spread throughout the town, affected not only Josephine’s work but also the family’s life. This was the time Sophie got mocked and bullied a lot, even got kick out by her friends (mainly because she’s Jacob’s sister and they either only played with her because of Jacob’s fame or afraid of getting involved to the scandal) 

The Langster had to move to London to find Jacob + be able to live and work normally again. 

Because of the massive change in such a short time ( Jacob, pressure from the rumors, new enviroment, new people, ......) Sophie started to have anxiety, therefore caused her shyness and stress. Noticed this, Edmund and Jopsephine suggested her trying on small hobbies, which led Sophie discovered her passion for cooking, especially about cookies.

- 11 years old: Received a letter from Hogwarts; became a trio with Rowan and Ben; discovered about the vault

-12 years old: Joined the Quidditch Club ; broke the first Vault; overcame her fear of cold

- 13 years old: Became an Animagus; joined the Spinx  and Dragon Club; broke the second Vault, meet Talbot and developed feeling for him by the end of the year

- 14 years old: Became assistant for Rakepick; join the Higgpogiff Club; secretly dating Talbot in the late half of the year

 - 15 years old: (to be continue.......)

PERSONALITY

 - Friendly : She thinks that people deserve to have at least one friends since she used to experience loliness in London; tried to make many friends as possible, or just simply got along with others

 - Cheerful: “ A smile a day keeps bad things away” is her motto

 - Generous : Always put others benefefits before her own and helped them as much as she can, sometimes can be a bit too much for their need

 - Diligent : Always did her best at everythings, whether if it’s in school or not so that people can’t bad - mouth her or compare her to Jacob

 - Loyal : Getting abandoned by her “friends” in the past makes her really treasured her current friends. Sophie promised to her self that she will not let anythings harm her friends 

 - Patience: She got in during her time praticing her baking skill

 - Shy : Mostly when she around stranger who looks older than her or in places she doesn’t know

 - Naive : Her kindness often got her tricked / used by others, but luckily she’s getting more careful as time goes by

 - Sensitive :During the time in new home, she learned how to read people’s emotion/action. While it helps her understand her friends better, it also makes her easily to having stress, and she has a really hard time to deal with it.

MISC

 - Cookies is Sophie’s stress dealing, and in the worst situation she could just eat a bunch of cookies instead for normal meal

 - Mr.Ginger is her 9th birthday gift from her dad; Olly is Jacob’s gift in his first year so that Sophie wouldn’t feel lonely without him

 - Sophie sweats a lot when worries

 - Sophie can cook other things, but cookies is her specialized. Her favorite ones is chocolate

 - Sophie likes reading fiction muggle stories and sometimes share it with Rowan and Talbott

 - In weekend, she either has study group with Ben, Rowan ( and Penny, if she can) or went shopping in Hogsmade with Tulip and Tonks

 - Bill is her brother figure. He teaches her new spells and acknowlegded her as his sister after Sophie told him about her childhood

[naomen-peace]

The Enlightened Armies

The Enlightened armies are the right hand of their father blessed with darkness; these warriors excel at efficiency. Though most of the enlightened one can be found in the mortal realms they also made the Realm of Regnum a place of order, structure is the most important thing to them and Regum represents this ideal to the utmost it often joked that with the amount of bureaucracy that happens in Regum it's a surprise that the Daemon haven't drawn in their own paperwork. Serving as an inspiration to most of the Mortal races to the point where most of the mortals model their society off of them. When it comes to Military matters they are organized into Houses(legions) of which there are nine of each of them led by a Rex. But along with being a military force they serve as enlighteners to the mortals that fall underneath their care, teaching and protecting them from harm though doing their best to stay in the shadows. To them mortals are the way to prove that their father was right

Rex

King of the Lower Daemon, they are great warriors though rarely found on the battlefield leading the offence but when they do it is to great effect against the Host. They put their great management skill to use by organizing their troops in the most efficient way possible, often catching their enemy unprepared. Unlike there angelic brethren they have to forms 2 one a war form and the other true, In their war form they are known to tower over your average Archon, clad in blacken scales seemingly engrave with golden ancient runes that seem to give off a black smoke, they have three pairs gold color eyes with 2 pairs of massive white wings also sporting a giant halo that resembles giant horns. On the other hand their true form serves as a sharp contrast to their true form as most of the Daemons have one. Their mortal form is known to be incredibly beautiful with golden eyes and a giant halo that resembles a shattered crown.

Princeps

Daemon prince of the Houses, along with the leader of their house they follow their king into battle bring up the rear maintain order, on the occasions where the king is to busy to join the battle(which is often) they serve as acting Generals making sure to keep the troop combat ready against their enemy. In their war form they are Giant Dragon covered in red demonic eye with red halos on each limb, in their true form they wear full plate armour covered in dragon Motif and the symbol of their house, they have 3 pairs of draconic wings and halos for each of their wings. Overall in there true form they carry over some draconic features like eyes and forked tongues

Archidux

Archduke of the houses, the job of an archduke is to marshall new forces for the houses providing training and equipment in the wars against the host, on top of that they handle the integration of new territories and people. In their war form they are a Sphinx with one wing with a halo of stars where the other would be. In there true form they only have one wing and wearin the regalia of a king

Magnus Dux

Granduke of ceremonies, these Daemon are ones that make the Enlightened armies run smoothly. Law makers, teachers, holders of knowledge. The ability to guide the mortal races is left in their hands. Though they leave the majority of the task to the dukes when it comes to the spreading of knowledge, unlike their superiors they do not hold a war form and the same goes to those below them. They have two pairs of silver wings with feathers made out of book pages, their halo is actually comes in the form of rings, bracelets, and crowns that they wear

Dux

Duke of Knowledge, their job is to teach mortals and guide them on the right path. Though not always successful due to the fact that most mortals are afraid of the new and because of the limitations put on them by their father they can’t force them to change. And those that do try to force the matter end up being prosecuted and tried by their peers. Just like their counterpart they to must give up a large portion of their power to be able to effect the mortal Realms, they look just like mortal with the only difference being they have a shattered halo of black and gold

Praetoriae

Blackguard of the houses, these daemon are the elite guards of the demon princes and kings where their lords are not far behind. Known for their ability to defend hopeless positions and coming out on top has made them indispensable to holding and maintaining their territories. They have white armor draped in purple cloth, they have black wings and black halo in the shape of a crown

(Side note just like their counterparts becoming a blackguard is a difficult endeavor. one of the way they do this is by stealing the halos of the dead angels they slay, it important to note that this act enrages the host especially since the blackguard incorporate part of these halos in there armor to show their status and ability)

Praefecti

Cataphract of the houses, these daemons instead of being the quickest are instead the most heavily armored riders compared to their counterpart, on the backs of draconic like beast they lead the charge in a maelstrom of blood and metal, clearing a path for their fellow comrades. Just like their beast they to are heavily armored even their wings are made out of metal. There halo is one made out of blood

Auctor

Organizer of Regum, these are your paper pusher, the back bone of the realm. often approving certain requests, accounting for supplies and territories, and general maintenance of everything. you can’t get something done without going through these guys half the time though they don’t interfere with military matters to often, they have no halo and no wings instead they have eyes covering their whole body with 3 pairs of arms

Sicarius

Assassin of the houses, Daemon specialize in taking out their targets in the golden host. Whatever a troublesome commander or any leader pops up the houses decide to send the assassin to deal with said being. They look white shadows with a golden halo. Many do not know the extent of their powers

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

In a sort of fantasy AU, where all the Gym leaders + Hop and Victor/Gloria got turned into mythical creatures, What would they be?

In fantasy AUs (which I’m very fond of btw) I like to think it was just always like that, rather than they all got turned into one. Still, the same idea. I also added a few extra characters, since I like fantasy AUs a lot. I got an ask about one a while back, so I’m gonna try to keep close to that, and I saw another au from someone else, so I hope I don’t accidentally copy them too closely. Most people in this AU are just humans. It’s just fate that all the people of note gets to be creatures. Humans and creatures live in harmony, mostly. But the majority is humans.

Milo is a cervitaur, which is like a centaur, but with a deer instead of a horse. It’s not actually a deer, though, just similar, with antlers as well. Milo is very small in comparison to other cervitaurs, but he makes up for it in strength. They pull their own plows, and what takes 3 other cervitaurs to pull, takes only him. He works hard.

Nessa is a mermaid. The kind that gets legs when completely dry and/or control the form they take. You can tell she’s a mermaid even when she has legs, though because her neck has dark scars/marks where her gills normally are. Her tail is long and flowly, much like a Milotic but with wider fins, and a lot of different shades of blue scales.

Kabu is a werebeast. They’re like werewolves, except wolves don’t exist in pokemon. They can change forms at will, but they are also forced to change under a full moon. He’s not the most powerful because he’s not a full werebeast. There are people in his ancestry that were just humans.

Bea is a half giant. She’s big and very strong, but she looks like a big human, rather than normal giants. She’s also smaller than normal giants, but she’s just as strong, if not stronger. She works hard because people see what she lacks as a half giant compared to giants, rather than what she gains as a half giant compared to humans. Full giants don’t exist anymore anyway.

Allister is a spirit. The accident that he got his ghost affinity in? Yeah, he died, but his spirit clung to the realm of the living and continued his lift. He used to be human, but he was so young, he doesn’t remember it much. It doesn’t bother him as much as it bothers other people. Spirits are not unheard of, but they’re one of the rarest in the world.

Opal is a faerie. She hails from the forests around Ballonlea. Flowers grow when her bare skin touches dirt. She can use magic, most pertaining to plants. She would have been a grass specialist if she wasn’t so fond of sweet things and pink.

Gordie is a golem. He’s a rock golem, but he was born a snow golem. He changed it when he took up rock type pokemon. Golems can change what type they are at will, and he’s the first rock golem in a family of snow golems.

Melony is a golem, like the rest of her family. A snow golem. She can’t leave Circhester for more than a few hours, or she risks melting and becoming a water golem. They can change at will, but sometimes they are forced to change. She can change back, but it’s just an inconvenience.

Piers is a vampire. Naturally. Almost everyone in Spikemuth is a vampire, it’s why they have a roof. People don’t like vampires much, and there are a lot of restrictions that they have to follow. It’s why they’re all rebellious punks. Piers follows the rules only so he can keep Marnie.

Raihan is a werebeast. Except, unlike Kabu, he comes from a line of purebred werebeasts, so he’s much more powerful. Werebeasts are praised as heroes, unlike the vampires, who are supposed the be the villains. So Raihan is kind of an idol to everyone in Galar, except Spikemuth, most of whom reject any werebeasts because of the past.

Leon is a sphinx, but with a much more human form because it would be inconvenient for everyone if he had a full lion body. He’s got giant golden wings, too, which is not something all sphinxes have. They’re very rare, so he’s even more of a spectacle. They’re also very powerful, and with Leon’s training, he’s incredibly strong, both as a trainer and a person.

Hop, like his brother, is a sphinx. He also has wings, though they’re smaller, and he’s more of a tan than a golden color. He thinks he’ll brighten up and his wings will get bigger as he gets older. His goal is to not only be as good a trainer as him, but also as powerful a sphinx as him, too.

Victor/Gloria are either interchangeable characters or twins, depending on the situation. Thus, they’re the same thing. Shapeshifters. Their form is normally just a normal person, but they are able to take the shape of any pokemon as they wish. Like a ditto, almost, but more convincing because they don’t have that weird face. They can’t turn into other people, though.

Marnie, like her brother, is a vampire. She’s working hard to undo the discrimination against them, and the consequential damage that Spikemuth suffered due to it. She often tries to tell the people of Spikemuth that the wars between vampires and werebeasts were long past and that it was time to make amends. Piers is proud of her.

Bede is a faun. People often think he’s sweet and kind, but he’s abnormally short tempered. He hates being a faun and he wishes he was something powerful like  Leon. When Opal takes him in (they’re in the same category of mythical creatures anyway), she teaches him to accept himself for who he is.

Oleana is a gorgon. She can’t turn anyone to stone, but she’s still incredibly scary. People whisper that she has a venomous bite. She is able to shut down any bullshit with her stare. She’s also very strong, and serves as a bodyguard along with assistant to Rose. She’s considered one of the scariest people in Galar.

Rose is a normal human, somehow. His progressive acceptance of all monsters (as it seems, he still doesn’t care much for vampires) got him a seat of power. Also, since the majority of people are human, he’s able to be the chairman. He works closely with many monsters, though, so he can essentially harness their powers.

If this au gets more traction, I might make a few changes, but for now, this is what I have.

[inventors-fair]

Fashion Icon

Good morning, everyone! Today I’ll be showing off three of my designs for this challenge, to accentuate every creature type involved. All three of these are two-colored, but again that’s not a requirement for your entries.

Lord of Inquiries was built from the ground up as a way to fit the classic Sphinx riddle into the flavor text with a fun twist, and to make it relevant I added a way that your opponents can directly interact with how your Sphinx grows. They can keep trying their hand at the riddle, drawing cards for more answers, but by doing so they risk the ire of the riddlemaster itself.

Throne of Acquisitions was built aesthetically to have five 5s in it, but that doesn’t make it less of a cohesive design. It’s a very focused card, and it clearly represents a gameplay pattern of dictating balance. For every sacrifice your opponent makes, you’re gifted a way to do the same without loss of resources.

For Yrsmri I decided to go all-out and make a scaling effect that flings a creature and draws cards. It changed little over the iterations I did, eventually branching out to a boardwide edict which uses black’s tendency to draw cards at the cost of life and turn it to the aggressive. It has as much likelihood to kill you as it does your opponents, but either way when this attacks the game is probably going to end in a turn or two.

That’s all I have for you today, and I can’t wait to see what you all have for me!